Early in the morning, the chirping of birds outside the window awakened Hiroshi.
Getting up and looking around, he found himself in a traditional wooden building, the faint scent of sandalwood lingering in the air.
Stretching his arms, Hiroshi got out of bed and started getting dressed. He had slept very well last night, comforted by the familiar surroundings.
Creak.
Pushing open the door, the morning sunlight washed over him, invigorating his spirit.
"Good morning, Lord Hiroshi."
A maid greeted Hiroshi with a slight bow, saying respectfully, "Miss Keqing and the other guests have already woken up. They are in the main hall now."
"Okay, thank you."
With a smile, Hiroshi looked up at a little finch hopping on a branch before turning and walking towards the main hall.
He passed through several corridors, surrounded by lush flowers in bloom, with a faint fragrance carried by the morning breeze.
As the residence of the prestigious Keqing family, this courtyard was located at Yujing Terrace in the very heart of Liyue, and it was truly expansive.
Pushing open the door in front of him, Hiroshi looked down to find Klee bumping into him. He laughed and asked, "Where are you off to, Klee?"
"Oh! Brother Hiroshi!"
Klee grabbed Hiroshi's hand with a big smile. "I was going to wake Brother Hiroshi up!"
"Why are you up so early today?"
Hiroshi rubbed Klee's round cheeks and looked up to see the energetic Keqing. "Good morning, Keqing."
"Good morning, Hiroshi."
Keqing, pulling along the yawning Lumine, said helplessly, "It's already half-past seven, and you still look half-awake."
"Keqing, aren't you tired?"
Paimon, rubbing her sleepy eyes, floated beside Keqing and said, "We went to bed so late last night."
"This is normal, isn't it?"
Keqing said matter-of-factly, shaking Lumine's shoulder. "Wake up! Time is running out, and didn't we agree to put up missing person posters for your brother today?"
"Huh? Oh..."
Lumine, still dazed, nodded and started to wake up. "Oh, right, we need to put up the posters for my brother."
Patting her cheeks to fully wake herself, Lumine said energetically, "Alright then, let's get going!"
"Where's Xiangling?"
Looking around, Hiroshi asked Keqing, "Did she go back to Wanmin Restaurant already?"
Bang!
"Breakfast is ready!"
Pushing the door open with excitement, Xiangling saw everyone looking at her and smiled. "Come on, everyone, I came up with a new dish this morning. Come and try it!"
Hiroshi looked at Xiangling, who smelled of food, and asked curiously, "So, you went to Keqing's kitchen early in the morning?"
"Hahaha, I just had a great idea," Xiangling said, scratching her head awkwardly. "Come on, quickly! It won't taste as good if it cools down!"
At the breakfast table, Xiangling quickly placed a bowl of a peculiar dish in front of each person.
The porridge was a mix of red and blue, dotted with specks of white. A unique fragrance began to waft from the bowls.
Hiroshi dipped his chopsticks into the bowl and took a small bite.
A wonderfully cold sensation filled his mouth, followed by a hint of spice with a touch of sweetness.
His eyes lit up, and Hiroshi gave Xiangling a thumbs-up. "It's delicious, I really like it!"
"Really?"
Xiangling let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I thought this idea might be a failure."
Hiroshi quickly finished the bowl and handed it to Xiangling. "Another bowl, please!"
Seeing Hiroshi's straightforward response, Keqing and Lumine felt a bit reassured and each took a small sip from their bowls.
Beside them, Klee looked at Noelle, who was struggling with her chopsticks, and reached out to help. "Noelle, let me teach you how to use chopsticks."
On the other side, Keqing and Lumine put down their bowls and gave Hiroshi a puzzled look. "Do you really think this strange flavor is good?"
"Yes, I do." Hiroshi nodded, wiping his mouth. "It tastes like dipping ice cream in hot sauce. I quite like it."
"Uh..."
Lumine paused, then looked down at the porridge in her bowl, recalling the taste. "That really does describe it perfectly."
Xiangling refilled Hiroshi's bowl, then looked at Lumine and Keqing, who hadn't eaten much. "You two don't like the taste?"
Both nodded. "It's strange, we can't get used to it."
"But Klee thinks it's great!"
Klee gulped down her porridge and, putting her bowl down, called out with a smile, "Another bowl, Xiangling!"
Beside her, Paimon pushed her porridge away with a look of disdain, reaching for other breakfast items. Noelle quietly finished her porridge and moved on to other dishes.
"Huh?!"
Seeing the mixed reactions, Xiangling frowned. "What's going on here?"
After breakfast, Xiangling, lost in thought, sat by the table, muttering to herself.
Keqing and Lumine exchanged a glance and then said to Hiroshi, "We're planning to head to the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs to post the missing person notices for Lumine's brother. We'll also put up some in other places. It'll probably take us all day."
"Do you have any plans, Hiroshi?"
Hiroshi looked at the group, patted Klee, who was looking very content, and then turned to Xiangling. "Kazuma will arrive a bit later, so I plan to head to Wanmin Restaurant. I want to learn some cooking from Xiangling until the Rite of Parting."
"Brother Hiroshi is going to learn cooking from Xiangling?"
Klee looked up, swinging her short legs. "Why?"
"Of course, it's to make even tastier food for all of you!"
Hiroshi rubbed Klee's cheeks and then looked at Noelle. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Thank you for asking, Master Hiroshi."
Noelle smiled. "I slept very well, and I practiced the techniques you taught me."
"Good, that's what I wanted to hear." Hiroshi nodded. "Once you're fully comfortable, we'll move on to the next stage of training. There might be a surprise then."
Patting Xiangling on the shoulder, Hiroshi said, "Let's go, Master Xiangling. We're heading to Wanmin Restaurant."
"Alright."
Xiangling stood up energetically. "No more thinking, I'll just find more customers to try it out at the restaurant!"
In the morning light, the group split into two teams. Lumine, Keqing, and Paimon headed to the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs, while Hiroshi, Klee, Noelle, and Xiangling made their way to Wanmin Restaurant.