A/N: This does not have anything to do with the story quests.

"Thoma, where are you going?" The said man halted and shifted his focus to the one who called for him. His green eyes brighten when he realized it was the Shirasagi Himegimi herself.

"Oh, milady! I'm just heading out to meet Beidou. There are some matters we need to discuss."

She nodded quietly and no other question was asked. Well, that was what she was planning to do if Thoma didn't say anything odd afterward.

"You should join me!"

"Oh, why so?" There was a sense of uncertainty in her voice. Ayaka couldn't figure out the reason for her participation after all. This friend of hers usually did it independently.

"Well, I just thought that you might want to try something new once in a while."

Ayaka smiled awkwardly in return for his response. What he said was correct. Ayaka loved new and foreign things. She will take every opportunity to learn about the unknowns. But, she knew she had to think carefully before doing so. She didn't want to accidentally taint her family's reputation.

And so, she rejected his offer. Thoma didn't look startled by her answer. He seemed to have foreseen it.

"What if, milady uses this?" He gave her a bag that he was holding all this time. Ayaka opened it and examined its content. It was a simple light blue kimono with a white flower pattern.

"To tell you the truth, I already planned to take you out from a few days ago to freshen up. That dress was given by Yoimiya. Apparently, she supported my idea."

Ayaka was moved by this. She was so glad to have people as caring as them. They were a blessing for her.

He looked at him once again, silently asking if it's okay for her to do this. Thoma nodded and motioned her to go change right away. With a smile on her face, she did as he told her.

Ayaka immediately showed Thoma her new look after she finished changing. Other than wearing her new kimono, she also untied her hair and put away her headdress. Thoma gave her thumbs up, feeling satisfied.

After that, they began their journey to Ritou to meet Beidou.

It was a normal trip, nothing out of the ordinary happened. One person did almost blow Ayaka's cover, but luckily Thoma was there to prevent it.

"Here we are," A sigh of relief escaped their lips. Their long journey was finally paid off.

In front of them stood a huge wooden ship with red sails and a dragon figurehead. It was none other than the Crux itself.

Seconds after their arrival, a woman greeted them. She had long brown hair and wore an outfit that was clearly not from Inazuma. An eyepatch was present on her face to make her stand out even more.

"Who did you bring here, Thoma? Is she perhaps another fugitive?"

"Haha, very funny captain. This is Kamisato Ayaka. And Ayaka, this is Captain Beidou." Ayaka bowed slightly to greet her while Beidou just gave her a nod.

"So, what should I call you?"

"Just Ayaka is fine."

"Okay then, let's continue our conversation aboard."

Beidou gestured them to follow her and so they did. Arriving at the Crux's deck, they were met by the ship's crews. All of them were strangers for Ayaka and Thoma except for one.

"Hey Kazuha, we got companies."

In response to her summons, a young man turned around. His red eyes were searching for the caller until his gaze finally landed on his captain and her two guests. The word 'surprised' perfectly described his present state. Without further ado, he walked to them.

"Miss Kamisato and Thoma, pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Okay, I'll leave you two here for a bit. There is something that I need to discuss with Beidou." With that, Thoma and Beidou took their leave. As soon as they did so, Ayaka started a conversation with Kazuha.

"So, how have you been?"

"I've been fine, miss Kamisato."

"Oh, no need for formality. Just Ayaka is fine." Kazuha seemed reluctant to comply but did so in the end.

"Just like I said, I've been fine. Going on an adventure with Captain Beidou has been one of the most memorable experiences in my life. I enjoyed every last bit of it, except when the sailors were singing. I couldn't bear how noisy they were."

A picture of Kazuha's irritated face while the sailors were singing joyfully in the background appeared in her mind. Ayaka couldn't help but laugh at it.

"Hey come here you two." The two of them simultaneously turned their heads. They saw Beidou who was standing in front of a table full of food, gesturing them to join her.

"These are Liyue's special dishes, milady."

Ayaka was baffled by what she was seeing. The table was full of various foreign foods for her. She noticed some of them, like almond tofu and zhongyuan chop suey. She remembered how her older brother used to inform her about them.

"May I taste them?" Ayaka asked and waited expectantly for permission. Beidou laughed and then nodded. This action made the smile on Ayaka's face to widen.

Foods from overseas had always had a special place in her heart. She didn't get that much chance to enjoy them so she was overjoyed right now.

"Ooo, what are those?" Thoma suddenly asked. He picked a strange looking fruit with the color of red. Ayaka also wondered what that thing was.

"Fried jueyun chilies, Beidou's favorite."

"Juyun?"

"Jueyun."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Just eat the damn fruit, boy" Beidou who got tired from listening to that silly conversation, stuffed a fried jueyun chili into Thoma's mouth. A few seconds later, his face went red and he began to beg for water. He seemed to be in a lot of pain due to the food's spiciness.

"Haha, very hot isn't it?" Beidou offered him a glass of water which he gladly took.

Ayaka rubbed Thoma's back while he was drinking like his life depends on it. She was pretty concerned about him. Meanwhile, Kazuha was chuckling at the whole scene.

After that bizarre event, they continued their meals. They ate, laughed, and shared some stories. There were exciting ones like Beidou's adventure on the sea, or hilarious ones like when Thoma got pranked by some kids.

Time has passed and they finished their meals. All of them were quiet at the moment, due to how full their stomachs were. Nobody appeared to be in the mood to vomit.


"Going back already?"

Beidou asked, or more like teased. Thoma and Ayaka who were previously taking their leave to the ship, turned back to meet its captain.

"Yeah, we can't take too much time here, so do you. If I recall, one of your crews is a fugitive." Thoma responded wittily. Beidou didn't deny that fact and just laughed it off.

"Oh yeah, Ayaka, this is for you." A gift was presented to her. It was a beautiful flower with pale blue petals and a yellow center. Fascination washed over her by cause of its charm.

"This is glaze lily. We have tons of them back there at Liyue. Please take one with you."

Ayaka was caught off guard. She has already earned so many things from her today. There was no need for her to take more.

"No, I can't possibly-"

"It's fine."

"But-"

Beidou stared at her, as if challenging her to reject it one more time. Ayaka realized how pointless that debate was. There was no way she could win.

"Okay, then… I'll accept it," Ayaka said and tucked the flower on her ear, adding more to her beauty. Her elegance outshined anyone you ever knew.

"Thank you, Beidou."

The brown-haired woman then bid them goodbye and strolled back to her ship. Kazuha could be seen waving at them from the ship. They did the same thing to return his kindness. Since there was nothing else to do, Thoma and Ayaka resumed their journey back to home.

"So, how was today milady?" Thoma shot her a question. It was obvious for Ayaka that he has been waiting for this moment. Curiosity was hard to control indeed.

"It was amazing." She replied softly.

She was very content with today. She has encountered new people and trying out new things. This experience was priceless for her. She then hoped very dearly in her heart to be able to undergo more wonderful moments in the future.