If you asked Xiao which classes he liked, he'd say none of them. The professors were boring, the students annoying and the subject content insignificant, nothing about it was alluring. With that being said, Xiao at least tolerated combat classes. Specifically, he tolerated classes relating to polearms the most - the weapon of his choice.
The class took place in a secluded area of the campus, inaccessible to the majority of the student populace. In fact, Xiao was caught by surprise the first time he attended class by the location of set class. On one of the busiest streets in the campus of ML High stood a table with a teapot.
Believe it or not, the class was hosted in that teapot.
And it wasn't just the location of Xiao's class that was unconventional, but his professor was as well. A woman who should have - judging from her appearance - retired long ago taught the course. She insisted on everyone calling her Madame Ping, or Granny Ping, instead of professor and despite her appearance and age, she was quite the fighter.
Few could best Xiao in a one on one duel. Even fewer could come close to beating Xiao with a spear. But Madame Ping, on the very first day of class, managed to do that without breaking a sweat.
"Hey Granny Ping!" a female voice called out. "Could I sit out today's class? Professor Andrius really did a number on me."
Madame Ping let out a chuckle. "That old mutt. No need to worry, child. You could work on your theory papers today. If I recall, you have some catching up to do."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm working on it," the person, who Xiao now identifies as Hu Tao, said. Her personality and antics were rather irritating at times, but at least she could be humorous. Emphasis on the could. "It's just so boring."
The reason why Xiao didn't outright like combat classes and only tolerated them was because of the theory aspect of it.
"Oh, I know. But it's part of the curriculum. And you shouldn't discount theory so easily. It could prove to be useful to you someday."
Xiao couldn't help but interject. "Absurd. Learning something through paper is completely different from learning something through practice."
Madame Ping just smiled back. "While I agree with you for the most part, there are instances where knowing the theory behind things proves advantageous."
"Hmph," was all Xiao offered in response.
"That reminds me, Xiao," Madame Ping began. "I have to conduct the new transfer student's exam soon. As such, today's class will be a free period of self training. Regrettably, that means I won't be able to spar with you today."
"That's… unfortunate."
Usually, Xiao either spent class sparring with Madame Ping or training against test dummies. The latter weren't just any dummies however. Within the teapot realm, Madame Ping was able to give them 'life', so to speak. Hilichurls, Geovishap, even humans, Madame Ping was able to transform the dummies into lifelike beings that acted like their actual counterparts.
"Perhaps you could try training with a student," Madame Ping suggested. "I know how talented you are with a polearm, but it couldn't hurt to help others out from time to time."
"That would be a waste of time," Xiao said, not bothering to mince his words. He'd rather just stick to fighting the lifelike dummies.
Despite the other students being in the same class as Xiao - which signifies they are of the same level - he was undoubtedly much more skilled than them. No one would stand a chance against him. In fact, Xiao could probably beat every student in the class blindfolded.
Xiangling was personally trained by Madame Ping - her signature move Pyronado developed as a result of this. But she was still young and inexperienced. To Xiao, fighting her would be akin to fighting a child. She had talent with a polearm, it's just she seems to spend more effort on other matters - cooking for example - than actually developing that talent.
Yun Jin was only in this class to learn polearm combat for her opera. Stage combat or something. It would be a waste of time for Xiao to do any sort of training with her.
Shenhe was someone Xiao would normally be wary of. Her personality, her aggressiveness, her lack of a filter, it reminded him of a couple of old acquaintances from back in his Yaksha days. But there was just something holding her back. Whether it was mental baggage or something more physical, Xiao didn't know. And it's not like he cares either - wasn't and will never be any of his business.
Hu Tao always approached things in a playful manner, often never taking them too seriously. Xiao liked to take everything seriously, so sparring with her would be a miserable experience to say the least.
Between himself and Rosaria, Xiao felt a lot of similarities. Underneath her icy exterior, much like himself, there's a story of a dark past, filled with misery and suffering. Perhaps the two of them would be able to relate to one another. Shame though, that she is more often than not absent from class.
Zhongli was an odd case. Xiao could sense an enormous amount of latent power hidden inside him. He was an opponent to be wary of. Yet, Zhongli would often spend the majority of his time helping others train rather than training himself.
Like Rosaria, Zhongli wasn't here today. Unlike Rosaria, he actually had a reason for his absence.
Of course, Xiao could always work on his theory papers. He too, like Hu Tao, had some catching up to do. But just thinking about the innumerable different polearm styles, stances, grips, types, materials and such he had to learn and formulate into different essays just gave him a massive headache. Not to mention having the presence of a prankster beside him while working.
If there was one saving grace however, history would be it. To Xiao at least, he found history to be a fascinating topic.
In the end, Xiao opted for his usual routine. Stretching his arms and activating the training dummies, Xiao prepared himself. A couple of Mitachurls to warm up first; get a feel for things before moving onto more dangerous and powerful enemies.
The Mitachurls surrounded him, some carrying giant axes, others shields.
Vaguely, he could feel the gaze of Madame Ping on him. She had an unreadable expression, but Xiao could harbor a guess as to what she was thinking.
My dear, it's not good for you to be closed off like this. You need to open up to others more.
Something along those lines. And despite Xiao's best effort, he still somehow found himself almost looking up to Madame Ping like how a grandson would look up to their grandma. She was the student populace's grandmotherly figure, always there to help others out.
But Xiao's past as a Yaksha member made it hard for him to open up to anyone. To trust anyone. In a world of backstabbing, blackmail and murder, it was hard to make real friends you could trust.
A Mitachurl's axe came swinging down at him.
And if Xiao did have any real Yaksha friends, they were either all dead now, or have revealed their true backstabbing nature.
Another axe swing came his way.
Block. Parry. Hit. Slash. Stab.
He was fighting on auto-pilot, his mind elsewhere. The people here were different. Overly friendly was one way Xiao would describe it. Maybe he could open up to others and make friends here at ML High. His combat skills made him popular enough. Perhaps if he was more friendly and approachable. Perhaps if he left his past behind…
Xiao shook his head, trying to rid himself of these thoughts.
Even if a shell of their former days, the Yaksha are still out there. Biding their time, plotting and scheming. I don't want to drag anyone down with me. This is my burden and my burden alone to bear.
This wasn't the first time he's had these thoughts, and it likely won't be the last either. The internal struggle within himself was ever persistent.
Briefly, he looked towards the lonely figure of Hu Tao. Maybe he should join her. There have been a rare few times where Xiao has managed to crack a smile in his life. Hu Tao was the cause of at least one of them.
A mitachurl charged at him with a shield. He dodged easily.
But they'll kill her. Or anyone they suspect I'm close to.
He was presumed dead to the Yaksha's, but if he was to be found out to be alive, he'd be branded a deserter. A traitor. He'd be subject to the highest level of punishment. Death.
All those around, especially those close to him, will be caught up in his mess.
Of course, that's if they find me. And even if they do, the damned would sooner die again than lay a hand on me. They'll die trying to kill me.
Xiao can say with confidence that he could easily defend himself. He was one of the strongest members of the Yaksha after all. But protecting others was not his strong suit. And killing those close to their target, to coax them out, to anger them, to destabilize them, were the Yaksha's speciality. He didn't want anyone innocent to bear the consequences of his past.
Xiao dodged a Geo Slime thrown his way.
Imbuing anemo energy into his spear, Xiao quickly dashed forward, closing the distance between himself and the Mitachurl in the blink of an eye. Swinging his spear in a horizontal motion, he cleaved the final Mitachurl in half.
Brandishing his spear, he spun it around once before planting it on the ground, tip up, allowing it to retreat into his vision. Right now, Xiao found himself having two choices. He could continue his training, continue the senseless slaughter of the training dummies, getting lost in the slash and stab of battle. Or…
He looked towards Hu Tao, a far distance away. She seemed to be trying to get her ghost to write the essay for her. It was an amusing sight.
One of Xiao's theory assignments involved reading 'The Archon War' and writing an essay about the use of the polearm in the war. It just so happened that that history book goes into great detail about a man named Rex Lapis. The same man who gave him a second chance at life.
He made his decision and began walking.
"This scenery is wonderful," Kazuha said, taking a good look around the place. The clearing with the large tree at the center, the meadow, the statue, the small rivers and ponds, the flying crystal flies and swimming fish, and the few students who had free periods mingling about. It was a peaceful sight to behold.
"I know right? We have an image of this place on the front cover of our booklet's advertising ML High."
"Really? Then it must surely be enough to convince anyone to attend ML High."
Under the shade of the large tree sat a young gentleman fishing, within the fields of grass in the meadow were a group of students throwing a frisbee and up on the large tree sat a couple enjoying themselves behind the privacy the dense leaves provided. But those people didn't interest Kazuha. It was the student sitting on the base of the Anemo Archon statue, clad in an odd green outfit playing the lyre that did.
Kazuha and Amber were still quite a distance away from the statue, but Kazuha's ears easily picked up the poem the person was reciting.
"There's an archaic tale to be told."
His voice was distinctly male with a touch of femininity to it and his eyes were closed as he played the lyre masterfully. Amber walked towards the boy. Kazuha followed suit.
"That of which is an ancient one."
Walking towards the statue, Kazuha could hear the sound of the crystal fly wings flapping in the air, the sound of lizards scurrying around the tree trunk and the sound of two individuals having fun on top of the tree as he listened to the poem.
"That of which traveled among the gods."
He breathed in the fresh air, his sensitive nose detecting a hint of cider in the air.
"That of which beheld lands undone, seas spun."
Kazuha's senses were hypersensitive. From a person's scent alone, he was able to tell what vision they had. He could tell that there are only three vision wielders present here at windrise. And from his keen ears Kazuha could hear the breathing patterns of a person. Even the heartbeat and the sounds of blood pumping through someone's veins could be heard by Kazuha if he focused enough.
"That of which spoke of a wanderer on the run."
The student fishing was calm and relaxed. His breathing and heartbeat slow. The students out in the field throwing a frisbee around had faster heartbeats, more labored breathing from the exercise. And the two on top of the tree had the fastest heartbeats, their breathing erratic. It was a good way to garner information on people without directly speaking to them.
"Oh?" the boy said, likely sensing their presence. "Must you intrude on a bard's leisure time?"
But when Kazuha focused his senses on the bard, all his ears picked up was the howling wind and all his nose detected was the faded scent of the stars and a lingering smell of alcohol. It was most peculiar.
"Venti!" Amber called out, waving her hand in greeting. "Shouldn't you be in class right now?"
The boy, now identified as Venti, scratched the back of his head, a sheepish expression present on his face. "Hehe, well you see, I think I've been working really hard as of late."
"Uh-huh," Amber said, doubt in her voice. "Clearly very hard, you are, working out here."
Venti put away his lyre and stood up, a satisfied expression on his face. "Exactly! Glad we could be on the same page."
The bard paced back and forth as he talked using the same cheerful tone as if he didn't notice the sarcasm in what Amber just said.
"Okay, so I've been thinking…"
"I'm not doing your homework again, Venti."
"...!"
"Just go to class."
"H-How could you?" Venti exclaimed over dramatically. "I thought better of you Amber."
Amber rolled her eyes in response before turning to address Kazuha. "Unfortunately, you'll be sharing a dorm with this idiot. You have my sincere condolences."
"I heard that!"
"I'm sure it will be fine," Kazuha responded, remembering the various other eccentric students back in Inazuma. "I am Kaedehara Kazuha, by the way. A new transfer student here. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Venti the bard. The best bard in all of Mondstadt for there isn't a single song be it past, present or future that I don't know."
Kazuha nodded, not knowing what to say next. Small talk wasn't a strong suit for someone like him. Fortunately, Venti, being the talkative person that he was, quickly broke the silence before it could even be considered silence.
"So what brings you two here?"
"Just wanted to show Kazuha around some of the more popular places here at ML High."
"His exams are already done?" Venti asked.
"Well…" Amber started hesitantly. "Technically speaking, they are."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young lady, how shameful of you."
"I'm the same age as you, Venti."
The boy only smirked in response. "Details, details. Besides, here you were, telling me to attend class while you yourself aren't. You know what we call those types of people?"
"A hypocrite?" Kazuha answered.
"Correct! And you know what we do to hypocrites?"
Kazuha had a slight suspicion of where this was going.
"I'm not doing your homework, Venti."
"Ah-"
"Perhaps if you tried asking her directly," Kazuha suggested to Venti. "You would find more success."
Amber had a look of betrayal on her face. "Kazuha, what are you-"
"You're right!" Venti exclaimed. "Amber, if you don't mind, could you please, pretty please with an apple on top do my homework? Please? Please, please?"
Kazuha did not think a guy could look and sound so cute. It seemed Amber was caught off guard as well.
"Ughh, fine," Amber relented. "But this will be the last time okay?"
"You said that last time~"
"Shut up! Do you want me to change my mind?
Venti did the zipping motion on his lips and wisely stopped talking.
Amber let out a long sigh
"Not the first time you have been roped into doing his homework?" Kazuha asked
"Probably won't be the last either. So what's the subject this time?"
"Let's see… There's my theory papers for archery, a couple english essays, and my history project. Hmm, there's also that one science assignment from 2 months ago and a dozen or so pages of math…"
Venti went on for a little more. Scratch that, a lot more. Amber could only look at Venti incredulously.
"...because you know how much homework he gives right? Like you can't blame me. And besides all that, there's also that write-up from P.E. Oh! And my essay from the Studies In Hilichurlian Language Class, though I doubt you can help me with that one."
"Have you done any homework since the last time I've helped finish your essays?"
"...maybe?"
"You didn't do any, did you? It's been like, what, three months? How are you not failing class?"
Venti could only offer an, "ehe" in response
"Don't you ehe me! One subject! I'll help you with one subject only!"
"Aww. I guess it's better than no help at all."
There was a cute pout on Venti's lips when he said that. But he could sway Amber with his cuteness no more.
"So which subject do you have due the soonest?" Amber asked.
"My theory papers for archery. I'd assume you're finished yours right, being the responsible student you are?"
"Just finished yesterday," Amber responded. "That being said, I'm surprised that's the closest homework you have to the submission deadline. You still have three days to finish it."
"Of course, there's still all the homework I have overdue. Like that english essay due two months ago."
"I should have known," Amber said. She sounded like she's come to terms with the bard's habits. "What's the essay topic?"
A mischievous smile appeared on Venti's face. "Why Barbatos is the best Archon out of the seven. Seven pages long, seven points of argument."
"I'll have it done by tomorrow," Amber said.
"Whoa, whoa whoa, tomorrow's a bit fast," Venti said. "I want the essay to be of high quality, y'know. You need get down all the points about Barbatos's superiority."
"Whatever I write would no doubt be of higher quality than your works," Amber responded. "I still don't understand how you're in S-class for english when all you do is slack around."
"Never estimate the writing skills of a bard!"
Kazuha couldn't help but agree. To compose good poetry and good songs required excellent writing skills.
"Uh-huh," Amber said, skeptically. "Well, I am rather busy. I'll have your essay done the day after tomorrow."
"Great!" Venti exclaimed. "In fact, I feel so grateful to you, that I'll even take over and show Kazuha to our dorm room for you."
A surprised expression appeared on Amber's face. "Huh- wait, no, you don't have to do that-"
"Nuh-uh-uh," Venti said, cutting Amber off. "Archery class is only halfway over. If you're fast enough, you might even catch the other transfer student taking his exam."
Amber chose not to question how Venti knew that. "Venti, you have archery class too."
Venti chose to ignore Amber. He addressed Kazuha instead. "Come on Kazuha, let's go! The campus is just full of hidden secrets, just waiting to be discovered."
Amber seemed like she was about to pull the homework card, before deciding against it. "Sorry our tour was cut short like that. I wanted to show you one or two more places along the way to your dormitory."
"You should head to class," Kazuha responded. "Don't let me hinder your education any more."
After a short pause, he added, "You could show me around some other day, when we have free periods."
"Huh? Really? Ok then. It's a date!"
Next Chapter:
"Is the class really held in a teapot?" Childe asked.
"Yes, now hop in. I have an old friend to visit and chat with over some tea."
AN: Was sick. Am better now. Expect a faster update to compensate. Maybe. Thank you ItsSouls24 and kageroudaze13 for your reviews. Responding to your reviews respectively:
Childe thinking of Ganyu that way may hint at something or it may just be the author projecting his own thoughts about Ganyu onto the character.
ML High being the underdogs because who doesn't like a good underdog story. And yea, I'll be adding more NPCs into the story.
Also, don't think too much about the last line from Amber. It's just a reference to the Closed Beta Test preview, enjoy Liyue scenery with Amber! Trailer video hoyoverse released where Amber says it's a date at the end. Definitely not hinting anything. Nothing at all…