'Ah, this is creeping me out...'

That thought belongs to none other than Hu Tao. This eccentric girl was now hiding in a small cave with its entrance covered by some huge bushes. It was her brand new hiding place.

It was a pretty impressive discovery to be honest. This place was perfectly hidden, to the point that it even confused Zhongli. The said hunter has actually stopped by to check the area she was in. He even used his vision once but it didn't help him at all. Probably because her elemental trace led him to a dead end. Well, that was what he thought.

"One minute left!" Xiao shouted from afar, feeling the need to tell everyone. He was the only rebel who has been caught for now. Hu Tao prayed that it will stay like that.

"Wait," Hu Tao blinked a few times and squinted her eyes. She was not mistaken. Zhongli has discovered her hiding spot.

"No, no, no!"

Hu Tao hurriedly ran away with Zhongli on her tail. For someone that looked old, Zhongli sure ran fast. This ability made him effortlessly able to catch up to Hu Tao. But this doesn't necessarily mean he could capture her.

"Please stay awayyy!" The young girl said in a singsong manner. She began to throw random things at him starting from berries, leaves, and branches. She hoped those were enough to distract him.

When Zhongli was taken aback by a berry that hit his face, Hu Tao decided to hide behind a tree to rest for a while. She needed some moments to charge up her energy. She thought she was safe. She thought he wouldn't find her immediately. But alas, she was wrong.

A hand rested on her shoulder and that caught Hu Tao off guard. She screamed out of fright and accidentally burned a tree that was near her. Crazy, right?

The fire started to spread around rapidly which made Zhongli quickly took Hu Tao away. He then used his power to produce a shield as protection from the fire. Turned out, it wasn't really needed.

Ganyu who was previously hiding, used her ice to extinguish the fire. Now what was left of it was some burned plants. There was also smoke around making all of them cough a little.

"Hu Tao, what did you just-"

"I win." Zhongli tapped Ganyu's shoulder and made her stop midsentence.

You probably thought that was not the right time for him to do that, but it was the opposite. He needed to do that to prevent Hu Tao from feeling any worse than she already did. He won't let a single tear drop from her eyes.

After that, the milleliths who were around, went to them for some explanation over the incident. Ganyu dealt with them rather easily, perhaps because of her experiences. But still, this matter gave them a consequence.

They needed to stop playing. Just like you all know, the previous event was one of the reasons. The other one was because they caused discomfort to the people around them. It was understandable since they shout frequently.

They had no choice but to end the game. All of them were upset because of this, but none of them looked more down than Hu Tao.

We all know that it was just a game, Hu Tao knew it too. But, that was exactly why she didn't want it to end. It was just a game, meaning there were chances they couldn't play again in the future. She was scared that they'll prioritize their interests over this silly game.

Disappointment occupied her heart. She kept on screaming internally, blaming herself for carelessly burning an innocent tree. The word 'why' appeared over and over again in her head. She should've been answered but who would do it if there is only her inside her mind?

Her guilt increased as seconds passed by. She felt like she could breakdown at that instance. She decided to at least ask for their forgiveness before saying goodbye.

"I'm sorry-"

"What about we eat almond tofu together now?" Xiao offered. The young man was watching over Hu Tao ever since the milleliths came to them. From his analysis, he concluded how very sad she was. So, he thought that it would be a good idea to cheer her up with some food. Plus, he was craving almond tofu at the moment.

"Yes, Hu Tao's treat," Zhongli added which made Ganyu giggled. It seemed that everyone has agreed, which confuses Hu Tao. She thought that all of them were hoping that they could return home soon, but maybe she was wrong. She couldn't help but laugh now.

"Pfft, typical. Okay then, let's go!"

A/N:

About Hu Tao's hiding place, let's just pretend it's actually exist lol. And, that is the last chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading this. Have a great day!