Episode 7: A Simple Wish


In that strange time between late night and early morning, the world feels like a different place. It borders on the mystical, evoking wild fancies and long-forgotten memories. For those lucky - or unlucky - enough to see this hour, the impression it leaves cannot be easily forgotten.

That's why, when Diluc woke in the dead of night to find a naked, purple-haired angel sleeping next to him, he almost wrote it off as a dream. But the feeling on his fingers as he brushed the hair from her eyes was much too real for this to be a dream.

He smiled fondly at her incredibly peaceful sleeping face. Her cheeks were as pretty as a doll's, and her long eyelashes fluttered every once in a while in her sleep. She showed not the slightest hint of a worry as her uncovered chest slowly rose and fell, over and over again. To Diluc, this might have been the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. He blinked his eyes repeatedly, like the shutter of a camera, trying to somehow etch this scene permanently into the back of his eyelids.

Then, he pulled the sheets back up and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.


Opening Theme: FELT - START


When the young couple had finally roused themselves from sleep, it took a while for reality to set in. Keqing's face had borne a strong resemblance to a tomato when she awoke buck naked next to Diluc. He did his best to calm her down when she hid under the covers, and after quite a few minutes passed, she was finally able to look him in the eye again.

"We've really done it now, haven't we…" she muttered, looking sheepish.

"Yeah, we have. No takebacks now," he responded with a gentle smile.

She returned it bashfully, still covering her naked body with the sheets. However, when she looked at the clock, she almost lost it.

"T-T-T-Ten?!" she sputtered like an engine that wouldn't start. "I have to get to work, NOW!"

Startled by her outburst, Diluc watched as she threw the sheets back, not bothering to hide her birthday suit any longer. She danced around the room, her breasts bouncing merrily as she desperately sought the underwear she had discarded the night before. Upon finding her undergarments, she hurriedly jerked them into place, before pulling out the dress she had worn the night before.

"Shit, I'll have to wear this to work," she cursed, sounding very unladylike.

At last, looking rather disheveled and suspicious, she bid Diluc farewell with a hasty kiss on the cheek, and peeled out, slamming the door behind her. Diluc was left in bed, chuckling to himself as the whirlwind dissipated.

This, too, must have been another side of her.


Arriving at work very late for the first time in years, Keqing sped inside to her office, trying to avoid any unnecessary gazes. But her best efforts were wasted. Before she could reach the safety of her door, Ningguang appeared suddenly from around the corner.

"My, you finally arrived, Lady Keqing? I was beginning to think you had abandoned us."

"I-I'm very sorry! A lot of things happened and…" Keqing trailed off, not knowing how to finish her explanation.

"I can see that," Ningguang said significantly, eying the fancy evening dress Keqing wore, along with her untidy hair. "Didn't make it home last night?"

"I- you see- um… no," she finally squeaked.

"Oh, my! How scandalous…" Ningguang said, appearing to enjoy herself immensely.

"I… Igottagettowork!" Keqing spit out, slowly backing towards her door.

"Wait just a second, Keqing," Ningguang said, stopping her. "You've been very overworked lately. Perhaps you need a short vacation to sort your thoughts, so you can return even more sharp than before. I think the country of Mondstadt is nice this time of year. Isn't that right, Ganyu?"

A cheep sounded from around the corner, followed by a shameful "Yes".


Later that afternoon, Diluc sat alone on the bed in his room. The little luggage he had was now organized, prepared for his inevitable return to Mond. For the first time in his life, he found himself wishing he didn't have to go home. He knew that a lot of things were waiting for him there, but somehow, during this short time in Liyue, his priorities had become ambiguous. Without anyone noticing, that girl had caused a slight shift in the staunch young man.

His luggage wasn't the only thing on his mind, though. In his hands was a letter, addressed to him, left underneath his door while he was out for lunch. It held within it a short, succinct message:

Mr. Ragnvindr,

Please meet me at 6:30 this evening at Wanmin Restaurant. There are some things I'd like to discuss with you.

Respectfully,

Ganyu

Diluc scratched his head, wondering what the horned woman could possibly want to discuss. He wasn't certain about it, but somehow he had a bad feeling about this, and that feeling had a name: Ningguang.

I thought I told her to call me Diluc, he mused as he put the letter away.


At around five minutes before the specified time, Diluc showed up at the Wanmin Restaurant. For such a famous place, it was nearly empty this evening. The scrumptious smell hanging in the air was the same as last time, though.

He took a seat nearby, not bothering to order anything yet. He didn't have to wait long for Ganyu: she showed up at 6:30 p.m. on the dot. Diluc called out and waved to her as she arrived.

"Yo, Ganyu. Over here."

"Hello, Diluc," she spoke in her usual soft, charming voice.

She took a seat across from him at a table near Wanmin, gracefully smoothing her skirt underneath her as she sat.

"Have you ordered yet?" she asked.

"Nope. I was waiting for you, plus I'm not very hungry right now."

"I see. Then I know just the thing," she said, motioning to the man behind the counter. "We'll have one order of rice buns and one salad, please."

"Coming right up, Ganyu."

"Salad, huh? Don't hold back because of me," Diluc teased.

"Oh, no. You see, I try to stick to only vegetarian meals, for various reasons."

"Oh really? My apologies. It was rude of me to make assumptions."

"Don't worry about it," Ganyu replied with a gentle smile.

As their small talk continued, Diluc went over what he knew about this woman in his mind. She was the Secretary of the Qixing, a prominent figure in Liyue. She also had the appearance of a mixed human, since her horns looked quite real. She was very pretty in a dignified way, and her manners matched her appearance.

I think I can get along with her, he thought to himself.

"So, what made you want to meet with someone like me, Ganyu?" Diluc said, cutting to the point rather early.

"Oh yes, that. I wanted to ask you a few questions, you see. About various things."

For some reason, the way she worded that made Diluc feel uneasy.

"Oh? What kind of things?"

"Mainly about you and Lady Keqing," Ganyu said, leaving the safety of cover and charging directly into the heat of battle.

Diluc nearly spit out the water he was casually sipping on. He quickly tried to put on a calm face.

"Wh-What about us?" he managed to sputter.

"Hmm, us?" Ganyu said, eying him suspiciously.

Diluc was already caught, but he chose to plead the fifth until Ganyu continued her questioning.

"I apologize, I don't mean to be rude. I'm simply curious about the nature of your relationship with her. She mentions you quite often these days, after all."

"I see," Diluc replied noncommittally.

"I asked Lady Ningguang if she knew what was going on, but she only gave me this book to read. She wouldn't say anything else about it."

Ganyu pulled out a dubious-looking book, showing it to Diluc. The spine read "Yae Publishing House". As she turned the cover towards him, he read it aloud under his breath.

"…Gothic Erotica Volume One: The Aunt I Like to Fu- …WHAT THE?!"

In a millisecond, he had snatched the odious novel from Ganyu's hand. He proceeded to chuck it into the bushes behind Wanmin like an outfielder making the game-saving throw to home base.

"W-W-Wait, that belongs to Lady Ningguang!" Ganyu squealed, running towards the bushes and rummaging about on all fours, drawing an apprehensive glance from Chef Mao, who had arrived with their food.

"Here's your meal, please enjoy!" he spit out quickly, then rushed back to the safety of the restaurant.


"I see, so you two love each other…" Ganyu's soft voice trailed off.

The two partook of their light meal, finally getting to the meat of their discussion.

"Yeah… It just kind of happened," Diluc explained. "We started off on the absolute wrong foot, then things just sort of… meshed together."

"So Lady Keqing is in love… that seems so unbelievable. Oh, not that I mean to question your words."

"Trust me, it's unbelievable to me, too. But I'd like to believe that what we have is genuine," he replied in a serious tone.

"Now that you say this, a lot of things make sense. I see, yes, that's why Lady Ningguang wants her to go to Mondstadt…" Ganyu began muttering to herself, her finger and thumb on her chin.

Upon hearing that, Diluc's eyebrow raised in concern.

"What about Mondstadt?" he dared to ask.

"Ah, Lady Ningguang told Lady Keqing that she should take a short vacation in Mondstadt to clear her mind. And then she asked me to go with her… even though I have so much work to do…" Ganyu sighed in resignation.

Diluc's annoyance was reaching critical levels.

That white-haired, scheming witch…

"Oh, is something wrong, Diluc? Was the food perhaps not to your liking?"

"No, no. It's nothing," he said, hastily reassuming his gentlemanly appearance. "Is it possible that Ningguang told Keqing to accompany me back home when I leave?"

"Yes, that was her suggestion. And Lady Keqing seemed to be quite excited about it once she stopped shaking," Ganyu spoke happily.

Diluc held his head in his hands despondently. There was no way he was getting out of this one unscathed.

"But really, I think this is good for Lady Keqing. She works so hard… never taking enough breaks to rest. She's been like this since her parents passed away… I really worry about her sometimes," Ganyu said, her face now showing a complicated mix of emotions.

Diluc was silent as Ganyu continued.

"I've watched her grow since she was just a little baby. She's become such a wonderful young woman, but I fear that she'll burn herself out if she isn't more careful. Diluc, please treat her kindly. She is much more fragile than she seems. Ah… I've said too much, haven't I…?"

Diluc smiled at Ganyu's tender words.

She really is a good person, isn't she?

"Try not to worry about that, Ganyu. I intend to make sure she's the happiest girl in the world, for as long as I'm able to," Diluc said, smiling at her reassuringly.

"I'm counting on you," she replied.

Diluc nodded, then spoke up again, with an evil grin spreading across his face.

"Now, tell me some embarrassing stories about her."


As the night drifted on, the two parted. They had discussed plans for their upcoming trip to Mondstadt, conveniently leaving out anything about who might be waiting for Diluc there. That was a bridge he would have to cross when he got there. For now, he headed back to his room at the inn. With nothing else to do, he turned in early, catching up on some much-needed rest.

Elsewhere, in a small bedroom, a blue-haired woman sat alone on her bed, smiling at a photograph sitting on her desk. She caught a tear before it could fall, then breathed out a single wish, from the very bottom of her heart.

"Please be happy, Keqing."


Ending Theme: FELT - you


Next:

Episode 8: In The Land of Peace