Chapter 8: Bustling Afternoon in Mondstadt

Amber, the normally outspoken Outrider of the Knights of Favonius, found herself at a loss for words.

She had been trying so hard to bring the people of Mondstadt closer together. She had always dreamt of hanging out with all of them at once. It was why she made an effort to remember as many names as she could.

And yet, the sight before her seemed to put shame to all her efforts.

"VICTORY!"

Subaru had taken off his orange scarf and green jacket and set them aside, leaving him in a brown loosened blazer hiding a black shirt underneath along with his black trousers tucked into his boots. He was wearing an expression of joy as he led some kids staying at the front of the Church along with him on some kind of exercise he was doing. Paimon was hovering by his side too, following through with the exercise midair. However, for some reason, she was hovering higher above Subaru than Amber had ever noticed.

"Oh, Amber!" Subaru called, turning to her. Running up to her, Amber let out a light whelp as she was dragged to the group by Subaru. "Come on, join us! Radio Calisthenics is the best kind of workout, after all!"

"Hey, Mr Subaru!" one of the kids called out. "Can we do it again?!"

"Sure, Nora-chan!" Subaru yelled out with a beaming smile. "Amber, follow my movements, okay?"

"Um, alright," Amber nervously replied. She hesitantly took a place behind Subaru, feeling the gaze of the kids around her.

What she was put through was a sequence of simple stretches and limb rotations, something she was no stranger to. She had done something similar just a while ago, as she was waiting for Master Jean for their morning run. However, doing it here felt very different.

She quickly realized that this was an exercise that was targeted at any kind of person. The kids behind her were following it with ease. Even more, she could feel the gazes of the remaining ones within the Church grounds. She wasn't nervous, however; they were all smiling. Those weren't judgmental gazes. They were gazes that held some admiration and a small sense of wonder at the ridiculously common way that they were having fun.

"VICTORY!" Subaru yelled out once more, with the kids behind her following him with their own fair share of screams.

"Victory!" Amber yelled out as well but was somewhat meeker than the rest.

"Alright, everyone!" Subaru announced, turning back to them. "Now, Radio Calisthenics can't be overdone, you know? It's still a great way to start the morning, but if you keep doing it over and over again, your muscles will slowly start dying out!"

To this, Subaru pretended like his entire body was freezing up, then letting himself fall onto the floor. As the crowd of kids with them laughed at his antics, Amber couldn't help but chortle as well.

"You see?" Subaru grinned as he looked up from the ground. Jumping up to a stand, Subaru let out a swift exhale, then beamed back at the group behind him.

"Alright, are we done now!" Paimon yelled at him. "Paimon did your stupid Radio Cally-whatever, now let's get food!"

"Paimon!" some more of the kids called out. "Come on! Let's play some more!"

"No!" Paimon yelled back. "Subaru, please don't feed Paimon to those wolves…"

Subaru chuckled at that. "Aww, come on! It was fun to see you being played with like a doll."

"Agh, no! Those little monsters put their hands everywhere! Now, shut up! Let's get food!"

"Yeah, I guess we should get breakfast," he agreed, calming down from his laughter then picking up his scarf and jacket. "Alright, everyone! Listen to what your parents are gonna say today, alright? Don't start acting like little rascals, now."

"Now, everyone," another voice spoke up. Turning to it, Amber found that a blonde-haired woman in a nun's outfit was walking to them.

"Ah, Grace!" Amber recognized. "Did we interrupt your morning sermon? We're so sorry for-"

"Oh, please, don't worry," Grace interrupted her with a soft smile. "It filled my heart to see the children so happy, after all. The sermons can be done anytime later, I truly do not mind."

"Ah, well, I'm glad to hear that," Subaru said, approaching the two. Paimon closely trailed behind him.

"You must be Natsuki Subaru, yes?" Grace asked. "You are the new talk of the town, after all. Especially after taking down that mitachurl. Thank you for defeating such a monstrous being."

"Ehh, well, you should thank Amber too," Subaru said, patting Amber on the back with a wide grin. "I mean, I have no idea how the news about that mitachurl got out, but I couldn't have done it without Amber."

Amber would have said something against that, but she was still caught off guard by what she was forced to do that morning.

"I see. Thank you for your contribution as well, Amber," Grace added, then turned back to Subaru. "I believe I should introduce myself. I am Grace, a nun of the Church of Favonius. May the blessings of the Anemo Archon be with you both, Subaru and Amber. However, I don't think I've heard of your floating friend here."

"Oh, Paimon is Paimon!"

"Very well, Paimon. May the Anemo Archon shelter you from ill will."

"Alright, Grace-sa – ah, um," Subaru bit his bent finger. "Grace. I really should get used to not adding the -san everywhere."

Grace softly snorted at that. "I see. For someone who claims to not be from Inazuma, your Inazuman traditions are unusually precise. However, I hadn't come here for no reason. Subaru, I'd like to know what exactly that was that you played with the children."

"Oh, that?" Subaru pointed back at the kids who were still playing behind him. "That was simple Radio Calisthenics. Where I'm from, this is something that can be done by anyone, no matter how old or how young! It's why it got so popular back in my country. That didn't have to be kids, you know, anyone could have joined!"

"Anyone?" Grace asked back with a quirked brow.

"Yeah, anyone. Why, are you interested?"

"Ah, maybe, but not me exactly," she explained. "You see, one of my adopted daughters, Glory, is blind. Her lover, Godwin, still hasn't returned from his mission with Grand Master Varka. Even though she says she's content for now, as a mother, I am still concerned."

Amber noticed Subaru's own expression turning pensive for a moment, then back to his standard smile.

"Well, I will admit that doing Radio Calisthenics will be difficult for someone who's blind," he admitted. "But not if she gets help! Grace-sa – ah, Grace! Could you join tomorrow with her as well?"

"Hm? Why me too?"

"Well, you're her mother, right?" Subaru said. "I'm guessing that if she'd accept anyone's help, it'd be yours. I'll be saying the movements extra loud for her, but you can stand by her side and help her through it. What do you think?"

"I… I'm not sure if I should," Grace muttered. "I am a nun, after all. I don't know if I should participate in such activities."

"Why not?" Subaru asked. "Radio Calisthenics can be done by anyone, even if you're old and rickety. Don't worry about what people will think, just think of it as a way to connect with everyone else even better! My new world dream is that I want everyone in Mondstadt to do Radio Calisthenics!"

"I see, that seems to be a fair dream. Very well, I'll join in with you tomorrow. But there is the subject of what I should wear…"

"Anything comfortable can work, you know? I won't pretend to know what being a nun is like, but I'm guessing you can still wear other stuff when you need to?"

Grace smirked at that. "Mondstadt is the City of Freedom. While most nuns are expected to be in uniform, we do have some freedom of choice. Very well, Natsuki Subaru. I… will gather courage for tomorrow morning and I will mention this to Glory as well. You might meet her in Mondstadt, too. She sits on a bench above the Market Square, the bandage around her eyes is a good sign of who she is."

"Hmm, I'll make sure to say hi if I see her."

"Hey, Subaru!" Paimon interrupted them. "Let's get going! Paimon's hungry!"

"Right," Amber spoke up as well. "I haven't had breakfast yet either. We should get going! Sara'll cook us up something great today, I'm sure!"

Subaru chuckled at the two. "Alright, I'll come with you both. See you tomorrow, Grace! And say bye to the kids for me too, will you?"

Grace nodded with a smile. "I will. Thank you for taking care of us, Subaru."

"Hmm…"

"What is it, Subaru?" Paimon asked.

"I'm thinking… it's been a while since I last cooked. I remember being a butler in the other world, and I remember some recipes. Should I try it out?"

"Wait, are you going to cook?" Amber asked, cutting into the conversation. "Oh! I'd love to try your food! You did try mine, after all."

"Could have done without a reminder for that, but yes. I'll try making my own food."

"Welcome to Good Hunter!" the woman at the window of Good Hunter greeted them as they approached. "Ah, Amber! And it's the boy everyone's talking about. Natsuki Subaru, first name Subaru, right?"

"Huh?" Subaru yelped. "How does every single person know that?! Grace-san knew me already too!"

The woman giggled. "I heard your declaration to Sir Kaeya last night. Also, word travels fast. I've heard about what you did against that mitachurl."

"Ah, it was mostly Amber - " Subaru started to say, only to be stopped by Amber.

"Nope, I only supported him against it!" Amber tossed in before he could thrust the praise onto her like last time. "That's not all, he even matched it in a Tug of War!"

"Seriously, didn't you hear Barbara saying that my muscles were badly torn after that?"

"Survived after a Tug of War… against a mitachurl?! That's remarkable, Mr Natsuki! In any case, thank you for your service. Those hilichurls were interrupting trade routes; I'm glad that you defeated them and helped our service. I hope you found last night's meal satisfactory?"

"It was amazing!" Paimon replied for them. "Can we get another Sticky Honey Roast right now?"

"Ah, sorry, we only make them for dinner. We are currently serving our breakfast menu."

"Oh, aww…" Paimon cried.

"Don't worry, we still serve breakfast food. Also, I don't think I've met you before," the woman asked. "Ah, and I've forgotten to introduce myself to you two as well. I'm Sara, a waitress here."

"Hey, you've heard of Stinky Space, but not Paimon?!" Paimon asked.

"Um… what do you mean by 'Stinky Space'? And who's Paimon?"

"Argh! Stinky Space is this stinky space right here!" Paimon said, pointing to Subaru, after which she pointed at herself. "And Paimon is Paimon!"

"Paimon is…"

"Let it be," Subaru interrupted them. "Paimon doesn't know how to speak in first person for some reason. She's referring to herself."

"Hey! What… What does 'speak in first person' mean?"

"Ahaha, I see," Sara chuckled as Subaru headpatted Paimon yet again.

"Now, Subaru," Amber said, peering at him. "Didn't you say you were going to make something?"

"Yeah, I did," Subaru said. "Hey, Sara, can I use your kitchen for a bit? Also, can someone supervise me for a bit? I only just remembered how to cook, so I might need some help with some things."

"Oh, I can keep my eye on you while dealing with customers, and there's a station right there," she said, pointing to the side where a lit stove was sitting. "Would that be enough?"

"Yeah, that's good," Subaru said. "Now, can I buy some stuff?"

"Ah, Subaru, you're probably still broke, huh?" Amber asked. "Don't worry, I'll buy them for – "

"Hey, Amber?" Paimon interrupted. "Subaru actually got a shit-load of Mora yesterday."

"Hey!" Subaru chided the fairy loli. "Watch the tongue!"

"Paimon can say whatever Paimon wants!"

Subaru groaned. "Well, she's right. I did get some money yesterday, but it's still with Katheryne. I don't really have any place to store money."

"Well, why don't you store it in your inventory?"

"Eh? Inventory? Wait, do you have actual game mechanics here?! Can you level up? Can I level up?!"

"W-What?" Amber muttered. "I don't know what you're talking about, Subaru, but I'm talking about a simple summoning inventory. Don't you store your weapons there?"

Subaru blinked in surprise, then raised his shirt's hem to reveal the hooked whip on his belt. Amber gazed at it for a moment, then summoned her bow with a set of sparks like she had before.

"Wait, you've also forgotten about summoning inventories?!" Amber remarked. "Oh no, I have to take you to see Lisa soon! Who knows what you've got stored in there?!"

"Sigh, another Teyvat mechanic I've yet to learn of, huh?" Subaru muttered. "Well, that's okay. It's not like I've got enough piling on my plate already."

"Now, didn't you say you were going to make something, Mr Natsuki?" Sara interrupted them. "I'm rather interested to see what you'll make, after all."

"Ah, right!"

"I'll pay for now," Amber said. "You don't need to, but you can just pay me back later, okay?"

"A day into Mondstadt, and I'm already in debt?! What the hell?!"

"Ahaha, it's not actual debt, Subaru. It's just a friendly one!"

"Yeah, well…" Subaru pointed a finger at Amber. "I'm definitely paying you back, okay?"

"Alright!" Amber nodded. "Now, what're you making?"

"Woah..." Paimon muttered, looking at the plate before her.

The food on the plate looked a lot like a pancake but was topped with a whole bunch of stuff that you wouldn't find on one. The pancake itself looked rather chunky for some reason. On top of it was a spread of bacon and sausage bits as well as a white viscous liquid.

"Wow, what is this?" Amber asked.

"Okonomiyaki," Subaru declared. "It's a dish that my family loved making, and I honestly think you might be able to find it in Inazuma if our traditions are identical. It's pretty much a cabbage-based pancake with toppings. Too bad no one has bonito flakes here, though."

"Um, Subaru?" Amber cautiously asked as she spooned up a glob of the white liquid with a finger. "What is this white stuff?"

"Ah, that?" Subaru said, smirking. "That's my specialty. After hearing from Sara that this dish doesn't exist here, I've decided to introduce it to the world of Teyvat. That stuff on your plate is… Mayonnaise!"

"It was an absolute pain to make," Sara said, wiping her forehead of sweat. "Whoever thought that only whisking all those ingredients together that much could actually make something?"

"Hehe, thank you for doing the dirty work, Sara!" Subaru appraised, immediately spooning some of the white stuff into his mouth. "Hmm, it's not exactly there, but it's alright!"

"Mayonnaise, huh?" Amber said, slowly picking up her fork and knife. "Alright, well, let's try it."

Amber and Paimon slowly cut off a slice of the loaded pancake, then took a bite of it.

"Ooh!" Paimon moaned out. "It's good!"

"Mm!" Amber nodded vigorously. "I thought it wouldn't be after hearing Subaru talk about cabbage, but this is actually good! And the mayonnaise tastes so different, too!"

"Thank you, thank you," Subaru dramatically bowed to the two of them, only to pick up his own knife and fork and eat his own serving.

With the taste of the Okonomiyaki in his mouth, Subaru couldn't help but think back to whenever his parents would make them for him.

'Especially after staying in that other world for so long, I wonder what they're doing now? I hope they're not too messed up by my disappearance. If… If only I could tell them where I am…'

Thinking back to how Grace mentioned her daughter, Glory, Subaru couldn't help but be reminded of his lost family once again.

'I… I hope they're doing alright.' Subaru prayed. 'I'm just glad that they don't have someone like me being a waste of space for them anymore. But… the way Grace spoke about her daughter, could Mom be like that too…?'

"Subaru?" Sara encroached upon him, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Normally I don't do this, but could I have a bite of your dish? After hearing the other's feedback, I have to admit I'm curious myself."

"Oh, sure!" Subaru said. "I can actually whip up another batch for you-"

"Oh, that won't be necessary, I've already had breakfast today," Sara replied with a soft smile, now holding up a spare fork and knife. "May I?"

Nodding, Subaru pushed his plate to her.

As Sara used her knife and fork to cut off a portion and add some more mayo on top, she gently blew on it, then placed it in her mouth.

"Hmm," Sara nodded the moment she finished swallowing the bite. "It certainly is interesting. Very good, too. The mayonnaise has an unusually good texture. I can imagine it pairing well with other dishes."

"Mayo's a pretty popular condiment where I'm from, it can be paired with anything."

"I must agree with that, even after tasting it only once. Say, Subaru, do you mind selling me the recipe for mayonnaise?"

"Eh?" Subaru asked. "Sell you a recipe?"

"Oh yes, you must be unfamiliar with the tradition," Sara commented. "Among chefs, there is a standard to sharing dishes with one another. It can either be handed away for free, or it can be written down and sold. With your mayonnaise recipe, I'm certain that Good Hunter can turn up a great profit."

"Wait, are you gonna add mayonnaise to your menu?!"

"Yes, I plan to. Of course, it has to be approved first, but I will try my best to convince the others. After you're done eating, could you please write down the recipe for me?"

"Ah, well," Subaru nervously rubbed the nape of his neck. "I'm… illiterate. I'm gonna start learning today, though!"

"Oh? I hadn't expected that," Sara steepled her fingers as she gazed away in thought. "Amber, could you be a scribe for him?"

"Oh, sure!" Amber said, wiping her mouth after her meal. "Seriously, Subaru, that was so good! You need to get me a share of your next dish!"

Subaru chuckled. "Yeah, I definitely will."

"2,500 Mora, huh?" Subaru muttered as he heard the jingle of coins from the small pile of gold coins he was given. "This certainly doesn't feel like 2,500 though."

"Oh, right, you probably don't remember," Amber spoke up from his side. "Mora can come in different values too. You're holding 25 100-Mora coins."

"Oh, so it's like the different bills you get in Japan, huh…" Subaru reminisced as he pocketed the coins. "Well, I guess that means I won't have to go to Katheryne today to get my fix."

"Oh right, you joined the Adventurer's Guild, didn't you?" Amber asked. "Aww… why couldn't you become an Outrider… it's all because of Kaeya! I hate his guts!"

"Oi, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have become an overnight millionaire, you know!"

"Subaru!" Paimon yelled. "Don't yell that out loud!"

"A-Ah, right."

"An overnight… oh," Amber blinked in surprise. "You basically got your Commission money, right? I can't even imagine how many commissions we covered in that time."

"Wait, hold up, why aren't you getting paid for it?!" Subaru realized. "We both worked on it, right?"

"Oh, I got a bonus from Master Jean! Commission money goes to Adventurer's though, and I'm not an Adventurer, remember?"

"Ah, right. You're a Knight."

Amber hummed in approval. "I can still see you being an Adventurer, more than a Knight. Your fighting skill isn't the best, after all, even though you're ridiculously strong. Being an Adventurer asks for more than simply fighting, and I hate to admit it, but Kaeya was right about something for once. If you want to travel to find Rem, being an Adventurer is the best thing to be."

Subaru nodded in understanding. "Well, that certainly puts a dimmer on the whole 'Be as Brave as a Knight' thing."

"Hey," Paimon hovered between the two. "What are we gonna do now?"

"Ooh, for once, Paimon isn't thinking of food."

"Shut up, Stinky Space!"

"Well, how about another bout of flight training?" Amber asked. "We can pick up from where we left off yesterday."

"I'd love to, but there are some things I need to do," Subaru said. "Cyrus-san asked me to check in with Katheryne, and Kaeya told me he'd make me meet someone to learn how to read and write again."

"Oh, umm, I can give you company?" Amber asked. "Jean gave me the day off to recover, even though I told her I'm fine. So, if you get free time, I'm cramming you with training! You still need to learn proper balance, and how to land."

Subaru gulped as he remembered how many times he had faceplanted on the floor the previous day from trying to land. "Y-Yeah, looking forward to that."

"Hehe," Paimon chided from over Subaru's shoulder. "It'll be fun to see you fall again."

"Shut up, you fairy loli!"

After a quick jot, Subaru, Paimon and Amber made it to the Adventurer's Guild. They weren't very far from it, after all.

"Oh, Natsuki Subaru, Paimon and… Outrider Amber? Ah, I shouldn't be surprised, you both had done those commissions together, after all."

"Yo, Katheryne-san!" Subaru greeted. "Cyrus-san told me that there were things called Daily Commissions?"

"You have not had a proper induction into the Guild, so you were not briefed about them," Katheryne explained. "But even then, I would not allow you to take any commissions today. Not after everything that you had experienced the previous day. Please come back in a couple of days and after you have finished your induction."

Subaru nodded in understanding. "So, when's the induction?"

"After you learn to read and write, of course. We cannot send an illiterate person out on commissions, after all. More often than not, puzzle hints will be written down, and you need to be able to read them."

"Oh, that makes sense. So, I need to learn to read first, got it."

"Does that mean he's free today?!" Amber asked, stars forming in her eyes. "Subaru, let's commence flight training!"

"NOOOO!" Subaru recklessly yelled out as Amber dragged him away yet again, Paimon flying to them while laughing out loud.

"Oww…"

Subaru groaned onto the ground, not willing to get back up. He had lost count of how many times he had found himself in that position that day. Paimon was hovering above him, chuckling to her heart's delight.

"Come on, Subaru! Let's try again!"

"Nooo…"

"Hm? Seems like something interesting is happening here."

Subaru blinked in surprise as he heard the familiar voice. Lifting his head up, he found Amber scowling at the approaching man.

"Kaeya! What are you doing here?!"

"Oh, nothing," Kaeya replied. "I'm here for our dear friend Subaru Natsuki, actually."

"Hey, Kaeya!" Paimon greeted, flying up to him just as Subaru stood up to the best of his efforts. He somehow managed to play off the few times he stumbled back onto the floor.

"K-Kaeya-san… Please save me…" Subaru muttered.

Kaeya snorted at the display before him. "Ah. The man who held his own against a mitachurl, now fighting for his life due to a pair of wings. Truly ironic."

"Hey, don't insult me like thaat!" Subaru complained, all signs of exhaustion fading from his face the moment those words left his mouth.

"Hehe, seems like Subaru's fine now," Paimon noticed. "Amber, let's put him through another round!"

"I'm truly sorry, but I will need Subaru's company for a while," Kaeya cut in.

"Huh?" Amber asked, now turning back to Kaeya. "Why? Can't you see I'm training him?"

"Even though you are threading the line between training and torture, I am still asking him to follow for another set of training he needs to become an adventurer,' Kaeya explained. "He still needs to learn how to read, after all. I'm here to pick him up for that."

"Oh right, Subaru mentioned that. Does it have to be now, though?"

"Yeah, it has to be!" Subaru immediately announced. "Kaeya-san, you truly are a brother."

Amber quirked a brow. "Don't you mean bother?"

"Nope."

"Well, I am glad to hear such praise from you, Subaru," Kaeya replied, gently bowing to him. "However, I am serious about the training. I recommend that you meet me at the Knights of Favonius Headquarters in about half an hour; that should be enough time for you to freshen up while leaving enough time for you to train."

"Half an hour? What is this, some kind of military boot camp?!"

"Teehee, keep on suffering, Stinky Space," Paimon joked. "We all love seeing that."

"Hey! Don't take my suffering so lightly, you fairy loli!"

Amber smiled at Subaru. "Hey, don't worry about it! You're genuinely improving with your gliding, after all!"

"Huh, really?" Subaru asked. "How?"

"Well, at least now you're remembering to activate your glider on time. It's becoming instinct for you, isn't it?"

"Oh, um, yeah, I think so."

"Exactly! You'll become an expert glider in no time! And I'm sure that you'll learn to read just as quick!"

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Outrider Amber," Kaeya added, only to have the recipient scowl back at him. "Subaru Natsuki, I highly recommend cleaning up well before you come to the HQ. I will see you there in half an hour."

"Don't worry, Paimon'll make sure that he gets there on time!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Paimon. I'll be taking my leave for now, then."

Amber sighed as Kaeya walked away from them. "Aww man, I wanted to teach you gliding some more."

"Ehh, let's, uhh, save it for tomorrow," Subaru said. Hopefully, he could find some other excuse for it the next day.

"Really?!" Amber asked, stars forming in her eyes yet again. Subaru winced as he realized that he just made a promise of it.

"Hahaha!" Paimon roared out. "Stinky Space, I should change your ugly nickname to Stupid Stinky Space."

"Ahh, shut up! Err, can I take that back?"

"Nope! You said it! We'll start after breakfast, then! Now, get going! You need to learn to read, after all!"

Subaru shook his head as he approached the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. At least what he thought it was.

"Ah, Subaru, you're late," Kaeya said, having already stood there.

"Well, not like you told me where this damn place was!" Subaru yelled back. "I seriously had to ask for directions to get here!"

"Ah, I forgot to give you directions. I'm sorry for that minor oversight."

Paimon shook her head nearby. "Nah, I'm pretty sure it's alright.

"Hey, Subaru?" Paimon carried on, leaning into him.

"You called me by my name. I'm not liking the way that this is going."

"Ahaha, well…" Paimon started to hover away from him, seeming to creep away. "You know, Paimon already knows how to read, right?"

"Yeah, so – no. Don't do that."

"Well! Paimon'll be around! Have fun with those books!"

"Paimon! Not you too!"

Subaru's cry was to no avail. In a shower of sparks, Paimon vanished from his side, abandoning him.

"And she's gone," Subaru bemoaned. "Well, Kaeya, this better be fun."

"Well, I can't say that it'll be fun for sure. After all, it is to help you read."

Subaru sighed out loud, looking out onto the setting sun of Mondstadt. Seeing the orange glow over the horizon, he couldn't help but feel his frayed nerves settle some.

"Yeah, I guess I prefer this."

'Over those other days, at least.'

"Subaru Natsuki?" Kaeya echoed from the door of the Knights of Favonius Headquarters. "Could you please come in?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Upon entering the hallway of the Headquarters, Subaru barely had any time to inspect the architecture before Kaeya opened a door to the right and entered, himself following soon after.

He immediately recognized where he was.

"A Library, huh?" Subaru pondered out loud. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Ah, Lisa," Kaeya greeted an ornately dressed woman sitting on a table nearby. "I take it that you're free right now?"

"Well, yes I… yawn… am. Sorry, I had just finished sorting some of the books left out of their shelves. Honestly, the nerve of some people…"

Kaeya chuckled. "Well, I have another job for you, one that I think you'll be able to relax through. I'd like for you to meet – "

"Now, now, Kaeya-san, no need to introduce me every time," Subaru interrupted. "I've got my own introduction, after all."

"*Sigh*, very well. However, please remember that you're in a library."

"Ah, right, I forgot about that," Subaru cleared his throat, then pulled off his signature pose. "I'm Natsuki Subaru, first name Subaru," he breathily whispered, trying to make it seem like he was yelling. "I'm brok – wait, no, not anymore. I'm illiterate and I've lost my memories, so I'm hopeless too!"

"Fufufu, well, colour me impressed by that introduction."

The woman stood from her desk and walked out. She was a fair-skinned woman with green eyes and light brown hair that waved over her shoulder and was held together by a purple rose-shaped hairband. She was wearing a purple and white dress further adorned by gloves and stockings, as well as the distinctive purple emblem of what Subaru assumed to be an Electro Vision hanging around her neck. Her most prized feature, however, was the towering witch hat that she wore, yet again adorned by a small, purple rose.

"Lisa Minci, Librarian," she introduced herself. "What brings you here, dear Subaru-kun?"

Subaru blinked in surprise at the honorific. He had never expected to be on the receiving end of one in Mondstadt, after all.

"Are you, umm, Inazuman? Because even though it may seem like it, I'm not from there, you know?"

"No, I'm not from Inazuma, but I'm familiar with their customs," she explained. "But I'm surprised, you're not from Inazuma? Didn't you address Kaeya with the -san suffix?"

"Well, yeah, but my hometown's different from Inazuma. It's pretty far from here, I don't see myself being able to go back anytime soon."

Lisa crossed her eyes in suspicion. "Hadn't you just mentioned that you lost your memories?"

"Yeah, but I remember some things, you know?"

Lisa paused for a while, then softly nodded. "I see. Sorry for my questions, I just wanted to, well, get to know you better. It's not every day we see a new face in Mondstadt, after all."

"Subaru Natsuki has already made a name for himself among the populace, you should know," Kaeya explained. "He's the one who assisted the Outrider with the recent hilichurl massacre. He's also reported to have survived in a battle of strength against a mitachurl."

"Yeah, but my muscles were busted immediately after that!" Subaru yelled out. "Why does no one get that?!"

"Subaru-san, please lower your voice," Lisa chided. "We are in my Library, after all."

"Ah, right, sorry."

"Anyway," Kaeya continued. "Onto why we came here in the first place. As Subaru mentioned, he is illiterate due to his memory loss. I was hoping that you could teach him to read and write. It shouldn't be too much work for you, after all."

Lisa chuckled. "I believe I'm being severely underestimated here. Why am I, a graduate from Sumeru Academia, being asked to teach someone how to read and write?"

"Because you have far too much time on your hands."

Lisa's expression soured even though she kept her smile. "You should be careful of what you say to a lady, you know? It wouldn't do you well to always be as direct as you are."

"Man, Kaeya-san's really hated by everyone here, huh?"

And so, the building pressure in that room was suddenly shattered by an unassuming Natsuki Subaru.

Lisa's natural smile returned once more. "Fufufu, that is true. Very well, Kaeya-san, I'll take over Subaru-san's education for now."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'll be taking my leave then, I trust you to take care of him, after all."

"Why do I feel like I'm being treated like a five-year-old…?" Subaru wondered out loud.

"Subaru Natsuki, please learn as much as you can from her," Kaeya said. "I'll be taking my leave then. I'll be at Angel's Share if you need me."

"Yeah, I'm certainly being treated like a kid."

Without stopping to hear his words, Kaeya took his leave, leaving Subaru alone with Lisa.

"Okay, Lisa-san, right?" Subaru started. "Why does that name… ah, right! Amber told me to meet you too!"

"Amber?" Lisa echoed. "And more importantly, no honorifics for her?"

"Ah, well, I dunno why but I don't feel like using them for her. More importantly, Amber told me to come to you to check on my summoning inventory?"

"Oh? Ah, that would make sense," Lisa said. "Could you please take a seat? I need to gather some materials."

Nodding, Subaru took the seat opposing Lisa's main desk. Lisa herself walked over to a small box sitting nearby from which she took out something with a pair of tweezers.

Subaru couldn't help but feel his head ache upon seeing that object. A dark purple crystal with a slight glow.

"What is that?" Subaru asked.

"This," Lisa waved the crystal around with the tweezers in her hand. "This is a Purified Abyssal Crystal. Normally, Abyssal Crystals are sources of Infection, but after the infectious energy dissipates, it leaves behind an unnaturally useful gem. This tiny thing has the property to manipulate space and dimensions. Subaru-san, do you possess such a crystal?"

"Well, not that I know of."

"That's not surprising. Even with a summoning inventory, people do not keep their Abyssal Crystals on themselves. What I will have to check is the source of your contract."

Having said that, Lisa pulled out a sheet of parchment and rested the Abyssal Crystal on top. She pulled out an uninked quill from nearby.

"Please take a drop of your blood with this."

"Huh? Is this some kind of blood sacrifice or something?"

"Fufu, nothing that extreme. Summoning Contracts are perfectly harmless if done correctly. We just have to check the status of your contract."

Gulping as he nodded, Subaru gently used the sharp nib of the cleaned quill to nick the tip of his thumb. He let the quill rest on the wound for a moment to soak up the blood.

"Please draw a horizontal line on the parchment."

Looking down at the parchment under the crystal, Subaru slowly scratched the quill into leaving a red, horizontal line. Lisa rested her hand on Subaru's, letting him know to keep it there. She gazed into the parchment.

A sigh emerged from her lips.

"Curious," she commented. "I've never met someone of your age without a summoning contract."

Subaru wasn't particularly surprised by this. He had just come here after going to that other world. He was certain that he wouldn't have had something like this.

"Well, what do we do now?" Subaru asked.

"Well, now you need to sign the contract," Lisa sighed. "But you can't do that without knowing how to write, too unfortunate."

Subaru was bummed upon hearing that; he briefly wondered if he could write in Japanese for the contract. However, that would just cause more questions from Lisa.

Lisa then picked the Abyssal Crystal back up and stored it back in her container.

"So, Subaru-san, I'll teach you how to read and write," she declared. "And when you're done, I will help you form a summoning contract. Please hold out until the end of that."

Subaru nodded as he sucked his bleeding thumb. He was ready to learn.

In a few moments, Lisa brought him a book. Sitting back at her desk, she flipped the bloodmarked parchment over to the other side and presented Subaru with a fresh quill, this one with ink on its nib.

"This book contains the basics of writing," Lisa explained. "I'll help you pronounce the syllables required. The first letters you should learn are the auditory ones."

"Auditory? I'm guessing this is nothing like kanji or hiragana, huh?" Subaru muttered to himself, trying his best to ensure that Lisa didn't hear. "It's almost like English, this script."

"Subaru-san?" Lisa asked. "Are you listening?"

"Oh yeah, I am," Subaru nodded, then looked back down at the book before him. "Looks like I'm gonna learn how to read again."

A/N: I'M BACK! I'M BAAACK!

Not... for long though.

So, I've finally finished my semester, but mostly. I've got my final exams left. But luckily enough for me, they're both in December. That means I can take some time to cool down from the tension of my past assignments. Seriously, I would even say that those assignments are like final exams themselves.

Even after my exams, I'll still be busy. I'm heading back to my hometown, only to come back early for an internship I'm going to take. Tension's still piling up though, cause I've got some other issues to handle this week. That means that I'll be generally starved for time to write. I'll still try to save some time for it everyday, but I may have to stop depending on my situation.

Now, onto the story related stuff. Abyssal Crystals and Infection are both original creations by me. They do have a history though, one that I'll get into when the time comes. Don't expect me to not give something I create some kind of history. My creativity isn't strong in variation, but in depth instead. I'm not good at finding multiple routes, but I'm good at going as far as I can in one particular route. So, trust me to bleed any plot point dry.

Anyway, onto the Reviews!

worrierfierce: I'm not a big fan of how some game mechanics are so different from reality, I mean, how do you fit hundreds of objects, couple cameras and a teapot into your back pocket? I knew that I'd need to twist some game mechanics, so I decided to do it like this. As for the weapon, I don't want to say anything, sorry. It won't be anything special, I just don't want to spoil it.

Maximum Rhapsody: I'm not one to miss a plot point, so I'm certainly not omitting Subaru's and Rem's relationship. It'll be coherent to the overarching story though. Although, I don't think I'll bother saying anything about Vollachia. I'm still reading Arc 7 translations after all, I don't know enough to write about it.

loaf of cat: Ah, I see. I'll check it out, I really need to check out some of the Version 1 content. When I joined the game, the Archipelago was going on. As for Lisa's interactions, sorry, but Subaru isn't Aether/Lumine. I really don't get why Lisa acts so differently with them (well, I do, but I'm not so perverted), so I decided to play it safe and let Lisa be her normal self for Subaru as well.

kerrowe: For the details in the breaks, that's just a standard for me to keep my flow going. I don't let them be unnecessary (still mastering that bit), but I add as much as I can. For the Mora, I kinda agree. Looking back, I may have gone overboard. Eh, too lazy to modify it now, I'll just say it's good for the long run. Subaru will also get a little stronger here as well, not OP though. It's also a rule in the Adventurer's Guild to form teams, but I have no idea how Subaru will handle that. That's something I'll have to think about. I would sic him with Bennett, but for all my sadism against my characters, I am capable of a shred of mercy. Or maybe not, maybe putting him with Bennett will be better in the long run.

ExoticIdiot: I do agree with you when you say that Ganyu would be the most apt pairing. I've been seriously considering it. However, the problem with setting a pairing is that Subaru eventually has to go on his own way. He's not going to stay in one area forever. He's a Traveler, after all. Pairings can become difficult like that. That's why I'm sticking with blossoming relationships only for now, instead of actually starting them.

As for the powers, rest assured that Subaru will not be reliant on RbD. He will get other powers. However, he won't get a Vision. I get what you're saying, but the way I've written the story up till now has already forced the point of Subaru never getting a Vision. Even then, I feel like a Vision would make him too strong too fast. I'm literally dedicating a future arc to hone one of his powers, after all.

As for your second review, could I get some of that bleach too?

Rige6756: I didn't realise her name was Asmodeus, but far be from me to miss out on such a wonderful plot point. I've definitely taken it into consideration, don't worry.

Pleyades0104: I know. And really, at this rate, that should be the case. I'm hoping I can find a way to cut it early though.

Ken: Well, Subaru's spectrophobia is a lot harsher than Emilia's because of the reasons for it. That's gonna be the basis for some arcs, that's how important Subaru's spectrophobia is right now.

Commander Cost: Even if he got ticked off by everything, he'd still thrive. People in Re: Zero couldn't even compare to him, he'd certainly be stronger than Celestia itself.

That's it!

**PLEASE READ THIS!**

Now, some of you know that I upload chapters only after the first draft for the next one is done. That's why I'm placing this warning right now.

Next chapter, I am meeting the requirements of the M rating on this story. I will be diving very deep into the concept of mental illness in general, and the chapter will, without a doubt, be harmful to sensitive souls. If you have concerns for your mental health or if you get suicidal thoughts, first off, don't ever be afraid to open up about them if you haven't. I won't claim to understand your situation, but I am certain that if you look hard enough, someone will be willing to help you, even if you don't want it. Second, stop watching Re: Zero, seriously. Genshin's fair game though. Finally, stop reading this story immediately. The next chapter, although short, will be extremely crippling on a mental front. If you feel like you can't handle it, don't risk it. I hope that you won't need to, but if you are scarred by the next chapter, then please seek out help as soon as possible. Natsuki Subaru is a fictional character who, in this fic, has died over and over in different horrifying ways all at once in his memories. That has bound to have an impact on his psyche. That's why I'm warning you to be careful about what you learn from the next chapter. Please, I really don't want anyone to be hurt by it, that's why I'm making such a big deal of it.

I am also seriously considering not uploading on FanFiction anymore, so that I include this warning in AO3 who has more leeway on it's T&Cs. I know, it's disappointing, but FanFiction doesn't accept explicit content, and the next chapter is 100% explicit. So, I guess I'll upload it, and I'll take the story down if I get a complaint for it.

Please look out for yourselves, everyone. If you're still here by then, I'll see you next chapter.