The drink in front of him was of fine quality. It had an exquisite taste and pleasant aroma that brought back memories of the past. The cup was masterfully crafted by the most talented of craftsmen, with geo designs decorating the interior and exterior. He brought the drink to his lips and took a sip, the mellow and sweet taste lingering in his mouth.
A deep sigh escaped his lips. "Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember…"
The door to the Geo common room opened.
"But where are those who share the memory?" He finished, as he looked up to see the figure of Ningguang enter.
"The student council meeting has concluded, I presume?" He asked Ningguang.
Ningguang sat down on the couch across from Zhongli.
"You presume correctly." Ningguang responded, before deflating into the couch. "Such tiring endeavors with little to no benefits. I'm glad that it's over."
"I would not say it's completely meaningless," Zhongli remarked. "These meetings are for the well-being of the student population after all."
A sigh.
"I know. I just wish we discussed matters with more efficiency. Time is money." Ningguang said. "On that note, I am once again extending my offer for you to join the student council. Your expertise would be greatly appreciated."
The topic has been broached many times between the two of them, but Zhongli has remained steadfast in his refusal to join. This time was no different.
"A shame," Ningguang responded sadly. "But do keep my offer in mind. We'd welcome you aboard the council with open arms."
The offer has always been in Zhongli's mind, but he'd never accept. After all, it'll undo all the hard work he's done.
"On that note," Ningguang continued, her tone brighter, "I have a job for you."
"Oh," Zhongli said, curious. "Do tell."
A sly smile. "A new transfer student from Snezhnaya has arrived, and it just so happens that we've decided you're in charge of showing him around."
Being on the student council would no doubt have prevented this from happening, something Ningguang seemed to be implying if he was reading between the lines correctly.
Zhongli stood up. It didn't matter really, after all, "A walk would be nice. So, tell me, where can I find this transfer student?"
"In the second reception room. His name is Childe."
Zhongli nodded. "I see. A rather odd name, though not as odd as Snezhnaya's School of Love sending a transfer student out of the blue like this. I can't help but wonder if there are ulterior motives involved…"
He was met with a shrug in response from Ningguang. "Who knows what's going on in the Tsaritsa's head. Besides, it's not like we can refuse them."
"Yes, I suppose in the end, we can do naught but keep a close eye on him. I'll be on my way then." Zhongli said, opening the common room door and leaving.
Ningguang sat in silence for a couple of seconds pondering Zhongli's words. Inazuma's school falls into disarray and Snezhnaya's School of Love sends a transfer student here all of a sudden without warning. They didn't even specify the length of study nor was the transfer part of any exchange program the two schools had.
The fact that he was part of the 11 Fatui Harbingers, Snezhnaya's school of Love's version of a student council, only made matters more suspicious.
Of course, the people of Snezhnaya were an odd bunch. They thought in ways ordinary people would call absurd. Alas, all Ningguang could do was to keep a close eye on the fellow like Zhongli said.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ningguang quickly got out of her seat.
"Zhongli!" She called out. "Remember to bring mora this time."
Ningguang's warnings fell on deaf ears as Zhongli was already long gone.
"Heya! Nice to meet you! Names Amber." Amber said, introducing herself, her enthusiasm, friendly voice and bright demeanor overwhelmed Kazuha. Beidou had left already, leaving Kazuha alone with her.
Her outfit seemed to be designed specifically for mobility, Kazuha observed. Though the shorts may be a little on the short side. The red bow she wore on top of her head resembled bunny ears, adding to her appearance of being cute and friendly.
She wielded a pyro vision, located on her belt.
"Kazuha. I will be in your care." His response was short, and to the point.
"Mhm~" Amber said, taking the lead and walking down the hallway towards the combat training grounds. Her step was light, and honestly, Kazuha thought she'd start skipping down the hall anytime now. "I know this might sound cliché, but I'm really happy that you chose to come to this school."
She was a couple steps ahead of Kazuha, before she stopped and turned around. "Everyone here is so friendly and welcoming, you'll find yourself making lots of friends in no time."
"I will take that into consideration, thanks."
"Hehe, well then, on that note, how about I become your first friend here at this new school?" Amber asked, hands behind her back.
"I appreciate the offer, but second is what you are going to have to settle with. I would consider Beidou my first friend made here."
They resumed walking, now side by side.
"Aww," Amber said, though her voice was still the same upbeat tone. "I guess I'll have to settle being second."
She clapped her hands together. "Anyways! According to this paper, it seems you have your combat exams first."
This was something Kazuha was looking forward to; being able to test his strength and technique with the blade against other people. Especially considering the fact that he was no longer in Inazuma.
"Unfortunately," Amber said, breaking Kazuha's train of thought, "or fortunately, depending on how you look at things, it's Monday."
"Monday?" Kazuha asked, intrigued. "What does the day being Monday have to do with my examination?"
The direction they were walking was away from the building Kazuha initially thought would be the place he'd take his exams.
"For vision wielders, Monday means combat training classes won't be done in domains, but rather the forest."
"Domains?" Kazuha asked, confused about the terminology Amber used.
"Oh!" Amber said, likely remembering that Kazuha was a new student. "It's just what we call the various combat buildings we train in."
"I see," Kazuha said, though he really didn't. "Might I inquire as to the reason why it is done in the forest?"
"Nothing much to it except for the fact that Monday is when Professor Andrius decides he'll spar with us and it just so happens he prefers to do it in the forest."
The duo had entered the forest by the time Amber finished her response. Speaking of forest, Kazuha was pleasantly surprised when he found out there was one on campus in the first place. And it wasn't some small forest either.
Compared to Inazuma's Elite Eternity School for the Eternal, ML High's campus is significantly larger. Though, that is what you'd expect when you merge two schools between two countries together. But a forest out of all the things they could have? Not that I'm complaining. The sound of nature during clear weather brightens the heart, after all.
The walk in the forest was short, filled with Amber pointing out the various landmarks and such along the way. They spotted a bunny, a couple of species of birds, and various other wildlife. Thankfully, the forest was void of any monsters.
One of the things that Kazuha noticed were the trees and how different they were from Inazuma's. The leaves especially.
"Ah! We're finally here!" Amber exclaimed, ahead of Kazuha.
He grabbed a leaf from a nearby tree, pocketing it for later and went to catch up to Amber.
Looking ahead, Kazuha saw a wide, arena-like area.
"We could walk around and take the stairs down on the other side, or we could jump." Amber said. "I prefer jumping, though if heights aren't your thing, we could walk."
Looking down, Kazuha estimated the jump to be around a 20 meter plunge.
"I can jump."
"Great! See you down there then!" Amber said, before taking a running leap down. She plunged and landed gracefully and nimbly down at the bottom before looking up at Kazuha, encouraging him to do the same.
He followed suit, letting himself freefall instead, using the wind to slow his descent.
Kazuha looked around, only spotting two figures ahead.
"I expected more people," he remarked.
"Professor Andrius likes to spar with people one on one." Amber explained. "Though he will occasionally take more, up to four students at once, for teamfight training."
Kazuha said nothing in response, instead focusing on the two figures in the distance. Amber, noticing his gaze, offered their names.
"The one to the right is Razor. Professor Andrius is to the left."
The pair began walking towards the other duo. "Razor should have finished his sparring session by now and you'll be up next. A little bit of a warning, don't be discouraged if you get your ass handed to you by professor Andrius. He's a really tough fighter."
"I appreciate the advice, and will keep it at the forefront of my mind."
Amber chuckled in amusement. "So formal, you should really try and loosen up a bit."
"Beidou tells me the same thing too, all the time."
That got a giggle from Amber.
"Ah, you've finally arrived, Amber, Kazuha," Andrius said, addressing the two of them.
His figure was tall and intimidating. Lean and well toned. He had medium length hair that was a combination of blue and white. His wolf ears on the top of his head were small, and Kazuha could visibly see Andrius's fangs when he smiled. Along his left cheek was a scar that gave him a rather intimidating appearance.
His outfit was simple, especially when compared to the other outfits worn by the students at ML High. They consisted of a white t-shirt and blue shorts.
"New scent, don't recognize."
The person that spoke up was Razor. Kazuha noticed that he was a bit on the wild side. The long, untamed gray hair gave him that impression.
"Razor, don't be rude." Andrius said. "He's one of the two new transfer students I was talking about."
Two? Kazuha thought, I didn't know there was another.
"I am Kaedehara Kazuha, a transfer student at ML High. Nice to meet you." Kazuha said, introducing himself.
"Razor is Razor."
"And I am Andrius, your combat professor for the day. Let's start testing your skills, now, shall we?"
The usual chill of Snezhnaya was absent, as was his good mood. Here he was, away from home on a mission because one of the other Fatui Harbingers who happened to be an astrologist or seer or whatever sent him here for a job.
He wouldn't have minded too much, if not for the fact he was ordered to "lay low until the time was right". That meant no fighting. Fighting, the thrill of battle, the exhilaration of blades clashing against each other, that was what Childe lived for.
They had combat classes here at ML High, but Childe would never get the chance to go all out and expose his powers. He knew that if he did, he'd get an earful from the other Harbingers. Always scheming, the other members. They kept a low profile, never delving into the spotlight unlike Childe who very much enjoyed the spotlight.
It was a pit really. Fighting was the reason he was part of the Harbingers after all. He was exceptional at it and was always craving for more.
Childe looked around the reception room, no one but the receptionist present. Now was not the time to get worked up.
It was then that the door to the reception room opened. In entered a tall man in an exquisite suit that exuded a certain aura that caused Childe to immediately perk up. This man was not someone to be trifled with; there was plenty of untapped and hidden power within him.
Childe wanted to fight him.
"I presume you are Childe, the new transfer student from Snezhnaya? My name's Zhongli, and I'll be getting you acquainted around the campus for the day."
"I'm Childe, that's correct," Childe said, his tone light. On the inside however, he was thoroughly analyzing the man before him, not because he wanted to fight him - though he did really and would if he wouldn't get in trouble for it - but rather because of how odd a person he seemed.
There was something just off about him that Childe could not grasp. And no, it wasn't because of his distinctly Liyue name and distinctly non-Liyue attire.
"I hope we get along." Childe finished.
"Mm, I do hope we get along as well." Zhongli said, as if contemplating something. He walked up to the reception desk and grabbed Childe's registration forms. He looked at it for a moment before speaking.
"Hmm, how curious. It appears your first examination won't start for a while."
"Is that so?" Childe asked, walking up to him to get a closer look at his form. Fortunately, his real name wasn't used.
Unfortunately, his first test subject was history. History, a boring snoozefest of a class.
"Yes," Zhongli responded. "I suppose I can use this time to show you around ML High. If you'd like to see some of ML High's well known places, I have a couple in mind."
"I'm fine with anything, so long as it's fun."
"Excellent. We'll head off to Wanmin Restaurant then. I heard Xiangling's cooking for the afternoon, and when Xiangling is cooking, it would be far more appealing to go to Wanmin Restaurant as opposed to Xinyue Kiosk or Liuli Pavillion."
"It seems to me that you're quite the knowledgeable man." Childe pointed out. And how right he was, for on their walk to Wanmin Restaurant, Zhongli imparted many stories about various buildings, facts about the many wildlife, info about a number of students to him. It was a shame, as Childe would later find out, that though he possessed a lot of knowledge, Mora, he did not.
Contrary to what Amber believed, Kazuha's test involved him fighting Razor insteadAndrius. He just stood to the side, stating that he'll be the one to judge the fight, declaring a winner when someone was either unable to fight anymore, inacpitated or they forfeited.
Razor wielded a greatsword. It was heavy and hard to lift but when it hit, the force of the impact would be deadly. Luckily, they were both using dulled out blades. Waster GreatSword and Dull Blade.
Well, Kazuha declined using the Dull Blade and instead pulled out a dulled out katana from his vision.
Of course, even if the blades weren't sharp, the impact from them would still no doubt hurt.
Kazuha analyzed Razor's stance. He held the greatsword up with two hands in front of him. Kazuha's stance, on the other hand, was calm. He preferred to wield his sword with his right hand. Thus, he was in a leg bent, arm and sword ready like state, ready to dash straight into the fight.
"Ready to test your skills now?" Andrius asked. He was met with two nods in affirmation. "Good. Then let the examination begin!"
The moment Andrius finished speaking his last word, Kazuha immediately leapt into battle. He attacked with quick slashing strikes with his katana. Razor was prepared when Kazuha first dashed at him so quickly and confidently. What he was not prepared for was the fast flurry of strikes that ensued.
"Tch."
Kazuha landed two blows. One to the shoulder and one to the calf. He immediately exploited the heaviness of the great sword and their inability to be wielded at high speeds.
The strategy was simple.
In a real fight, none of those hits would have been fatal. But that's what Kazuha wanted. Every wound he dealt would cause pain, would bleed, would hinder the enemy. Maybe he'd even sever a tendon.
The more the fight went on, the less they were able to deal with Kazuha's speed and quick strikes and the more injuries they would accumulate before it became too much. Then, he would deal the finishing lethal blow, ending the fight in his complete victory.
This fight was no different, even if he wasn't wielding his trusty Katana. The Dull Katana's strikes still hurt and would no doubt leave painful bruises behind.
But Razor was no slouch. After his initial surprise at Kazuha's speed, he quickly realized his disadvantage.
He briefly used one hand to hold Kazuha's blade at bay. Freeing up his left hand, he gathered electro energy into it and slammed the ground.
The move forced Kazuha to leap back quickly to dodge, the shockwave causing him to become slightly unbalanced for a moment. But that moment was enough for Razor to counter attack.
Charging forward, Razor was once again wielding the greatsword with two hands. Four heavy swings ensued. The first swing came from the right. Then below, the left and finally slamming towards the ground. Kazuha was forced to dodge with some difficulty, unable to block when Razor had that much momentum.
It would hurt like hell if it landed, and would likely disarm him if he tried to block the strike. At best, his wrist would get hurt badly. So he was forced to dodge. Evade. Sidestep. It was something he was exceptionally good at.
The final strike in Razor's combo was against the ground, the force of gravity amplifying the hit. The strike was powerful enough to leave a small indent in the ground. But it left Razor exposed.
Razor jumped up a little from the momentum of the strike, his greatsword was against the ground. It would take a second or so to recover his stance.
And that was all Kazuha needed. He dashed forward quickly, aiming to strike quickly.
A smile.
"Fell for Razor's trap."
"!?"
Razor abandoned his greatsword on the ground and leapt forward. Both his hands were imbued with electro energy, forming the shape of wolf claws.
His lightning quick reactions allowed him to block the strike with his katana. The claw clashed against the blade.
Both parties were sent backwards from the strike which allowed Razor to regain his weapon.
Well played was all Kazuha could think. Any ordinary swordsman would have lost the fight right there. He wasn't going to charge in blindly anymore, instead opting to calmly analyze the situation and his strategy. Vaguely, he could hear Amber cheering for the two of them in the background.
The two looked at each other warily, daring one to make a move.
Razor decided to strike first this time. Using the same combo, he began his swing from the right.
Instead of dodging backwards, Kazuha chose to dodge up. Gathering anemo energy around his feat, he leapt up to the sky before plunging back down.
Razor, momentarily caught off guard, was unable to completely block Kazuha's downward plunge.
An electro-imbed anemo whirlwind hit the razor, knocking him into the air. The vortex that formed after pulled Razor right back into Kazuha's striking range.
"Game over."
Unbalanced, Razor watched Kazuha bring his katana towards his neck.
"Not done yet," Razor said, determined and gritting his teeth. Gathering electric energy around him, Razor unleashed the wolf within.
"Awooo!"
Thw howl was loud enough to hurt Kazuha's ears.
A large electro shockwave blasted Kazuha backwards. His left side of his body, mostly his left shoulder, took the full brunt of the blast. A numb sensation could be felt.
Kazuha was immediately forced on the defensive. Razor's strikes were now charged with electro energy. His swings were much faster, wilder and a wolf avatar was behind him, attacking alongside him.
But try as he might, Razor could not land a decisive blow. Despite the advantage being on his side, Kazuha proved to be too agile and nimble to take down with his heavy strikes.
Razor would tire out at this rate.
So made a spur of the moment decision and threw away his sword. Unhindered by the heavy great sword, Razor's attack became even faster. They were wild and wolf-like.
"Grrrr."
You would think without his weapon, his offensive capabilities would diminish. But they didn't. His hands were electro wolf claws, striking at Kazuha with frightening speed and precision.
Razor slammed his hand into the ground, creating an electro shockwave. Kazuha did not make the same mistake as before.
Razor did not use the same trick as before. Instead, his hand that hit the ground gathered some dirt and flung it towards Kazuha's face.
The dirt was easily blown away by Kazuha's anemo powers, but the distraction was all Razor needed to get into his blind spot.
One might think that this was unsportsmanlike behavior. To Kazuha, however, he quite liked it. This wild fighting style that Razor used, using everything at his disposal to win was not seen in Inazuma. Whenever Kazuha sparred, it was always a formal duel that was never as fun as this.
Kazuha smirked as Razor approached him from his weakened left side. He seemed to be going all out, intending for this strike to end the duel.
In that case, Kazuha would do the same thing. Gathering anemo energy into his blade for the first time, he swung.
As one with wind and cloud!
Electro claw met anemo sword in a fierce clash. The swirling electro reaction would no doubt have been a sight to see.
Razor was a good opponent, but Kazuha won this fight.
Overpowered by Kazuha's swing, Razor was sent flying backwards.
Kazuha wasted no time in leaping forward, having his sword pointed at Razor's neck, signifying the end of the duel.
Sheathing his blade, despite having no sheath, he heard clapping and cheering coming from Amber.
She ran up to Kazuha and hugged him.
"That was amazing!" She exclaimed. She then let go immediately after and patted him to see if he had any injuries. "You're not hurt are you?"
He shook his head.
Kazuha wasn't. Well, not too badly at least. He was wondering, however, how he had gotten so close with Amber. Was it her friendly and open nature that made everyone feel welcome? He didn't know, and honestly, he didn't mind.
"That was an amazing fight! I didn't know you were such a capable swordsman."
Kazuha sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Razor's prowess with the blade should be commended as well."
"Yeah, I know. But, it just felt like the battle was under your control the entire time. Not once did your expression change."
Andrius was surprised if his expression was anything to go by. He also butted into their conversation.
"Indeed you fought well. I have personally trained Razor for some time now, seeing much potential in him, and you beat him. It seems I have underestimated you."
"Thank you," he said to both of them, unused to being praised to such an extent.
A smirk appeared on Andrius's face.
"Don't thank me yet," he said, facing Kazuha. "Your fighting skills have caught my attention. So, Kazuha, are you ready to test your skills against me?"
"Huh?"