"Kirumi! I'm back!" Noelle cried excitedly as she burst into the castle kitchens.

"Noelle!" Kirumi looked up from the table she'd been scrubbing. Although her response was not as energetic, it was just as pleased, and she flashed a rare but genuine smile at the other white-haired maid/knight-in-training.

"Oh, Kirumi, it's so good to see you again! I've missed you so much!" Noelle was practically gushing as she ran over to Kirumi, finally stopping just a few inches away and holding her arms open hopefully.

Kirumi gave a soft laugh in response to Noelle's enthusiastic request, but just as Noelle knew she would, she accepted the hug without hesitation. Even though Kirumi was notoriously quiet, distant and aloof, she was not incapable of genuine warmth and affection, especially for Noelle, whom she'd taken an extra special liking to due to their similar beliefs, talents and choice of career.

"Thank the Archons you're ok!" Noelle murmured with a relieved sigh, voice slightly muffled by Kirumi's shoulder. And there it was. It was clear that even though Noelle had genuinely missed Kirumi, a larger part of her had been scared that something might've happened to the maid in her absence. But no, if Kirumi was in the kitchen, then everything was ok, and Noelle could rest easy again.

"Or, wait, you are alright, right?" Noelle asked anxiously, pulling away from Kirumi to look her in the eyes again. "I apologize for assuming, I shouldn't have-" but before she could finish, Kirumi cut her off with a gentle, reassuring chuckle.

"Do not worry, Noelle, I am fine," she promised, then she pulled Noelle back into her comforting embrace, rubbing a gloved hand up and down her back. It made the older maid's heart fill with warmth and affection that Noelle should've been so worried for her sake, but it was not necessary, and Kirumi was quick to try to soothe the younger woman, murmuring gentle reassurances in her ear until she had relaxed once again.

"Mmm," Noelle snuggled deeper into Kirumi's arms with a satisfied smile, the first real one she'd worn since she'd last seen Kirumi. It was a smile reflected on Kirumi's own face. She had missed the younger maid too.

But after a few seconds, the tender moment quietly came to a close and Noelle extricated herself from Kirumi's arms again.

"So!" she cried, trying to bring the energy back up again, "How are things back here? Is everyone else ok too? Is what they said about Stormterror really true?" as she continued to make her inquiries, she took her place beside Kirumi and two began to slice and dice various fruits and vegetables.

Even though Noelle had only just returned to Mondstat a few minutes ago, she'd checked in with Jean first, and Jean had told her that Stormterror had been defeated by a mysterious traveler known as Lumine. Because of that, Mondstat was safe again, and they were going to throw a feast in Lumine's honor. That was what all this food prep was for. Right now, for the two maids, it was preparation and reunion time.

"Yes it is!" Kirumi replied. Even though both maids were slicing and dicing food at an alarming speed, they were both so skilled that they were still able to easily balance their preparation and reunion. "The knights were very efficacious in rounding everyone up and escorting them to safety. We suffered no causalities, and even the damage to surrounding buildings has been minimal. With the way reparations have gone so far, the city should be fully back to normal within a week!" Kirumi sounded incredibly satisfied.

"That's wonderful!" Noelle cried.

"And yes, Lumine, the traveler, was able to save Stormterror. From what we were told, an Abyss Mage had warped his mind and filled it with uncharacteristic rage and hatred. But Lumine was able to break the curse. As such, we have all taken to using his old name again: Dvalin."

"Awww, I'm so happy for Dvalin!" Noelle smiled, but only a second later, some of that smile turned into a rueful frown. "I just wish I had been able to help out more back here…" she admitted, trailing off with longing in her eyes.

"Now, now, Noelle," Kirumi chided the younger woman gently. "Your trip to Liyue was just as important as being on the front lines."

"Oh, yes, of course, I know," Noelle promised. "I apologize, I did not mean to sound whiny. I just wish I could've helped out here more…"

"No, do not worry, I understand you must've been frustrated that you weren't allowed to stay in the city," Kirumi reassured. "But as I said before, your journey to gather us supplies was still an invaluable service and we should all thank you for it."

Kirumi paused in her food prep to put a hand over her heart and bow her head respectfully at Noelle. Noelle was soon as red as the tomato she was dicing. There was nothing that made Noelle happier than being commended as if she were a proper knight… except maybe making Kirumi proud of her. So for both things to happen at the same time felt like a blessing sent by the Archons themselves!

For a moment, the younger maid couldn't even speak because of how touched and flattered she felt by Kirumi's praise. Even though Kirumi was only a few years older than Noelle, ever since they'd first met, Noelle had always held the other maid in very high esteem. She'd even come to see Kirumi as a mentor figure, even though it wasn't official. But official or not, Noelle practically idolized Kirumi, so of course any chance she got to make the older maid proud was a chance she was more than willing to take. Honestly, Noelle's affection, admiration and adoration for Kirumi was so strong that it sometimes felt more like an infatuation than just a friendship!

But even though Noelle had suddenly gone silent with embarrassed pride, Kirumi was able to get her talking again.

"Speaking of, how was the trip to Liyue?" and that was all she needed to say before some of Noelle's bashfulness turned back into excitement.

ooo

The trip to Liyue had been good, but along the way, Noelle had spotted a group of lost travelers being chased around by Hilichurls. Of course, the maid had wasted no time rushing to the travelers' aid. At one point, she even upended an entire tree to block off the Hilichurls' path. Even though it was easy for most of them to climb over, or run around, the fallen tree, it gave the travelers an extra few seconds to run, and it gave Noelle time to draw her giant claymore and activate her Geo shields.

"Steady as stone!" she cried as she called upon her Geo Vision. Her sword glowed gold and, suddenly, a prism of light wrapped itself around her body, protecting her from any attack the Hilichurls tried to launch against her. But even though Noelle had her claymore drawn, she was not aiming to kill. Instead, she was simply trying to scare them off. She was a pacifist at heart, and even though the Hilichurls were causing trouble, Noelle didn't think the situation warranted real violence. Not yet, at least.

Instead, although she used moves and attacks that only a really well-trained knight would've known, it was all really more for display than actual attack. She spun around in a deadly blur of gold, swinging her claymore as if it were lighter than air. It was a terrifying sight that made many of the smaller Hilichurls stop dead in their tracks. Only a couple of the larger ones, one wielding an axe and one wielding a shield, dared to keep approaching. But Noelle quickly taught them the error of their ways. Only a few deft swings from her claymore, and the shield was broken and the axe had been disarmed. That was enough to convince all the Hilichurls that further advancement would be a lost cause.

As soon as the last of them had sped away, Noelle sheathed her claymore with a satisfied smile before going off to find the lost travelers. After that, the young maid helped guide them to the nearest town, providing them with the best service they'd ever had along the way. They were all reluctant to part with her, but because she needed to press on to Liyue, she was unable to dally after she'd helped escort them all to safety and a warm bed. But once Noelle arrived in Liyue, the rest of her mission passed by with ease. She'd been sent to fetch supplies that would help fortify the kingdom against Stormterror. Even though the shopping list was long, Noelle was so strong that she was able to carry it all by herself with ease.

The people of Liyue could only gawk as this child of a maid sauntered their city streets with a massive burden on her back, but a smile on her face, as if all the weight of all those items were less than a feather! But that was another plus from Noelle's Geo Vision: super strength. On top of granting her the power to control the element of earth, it also made her just as strong as the element she wielded. As such, she had no trouble in obtaining all the material she needed and singlehandedly loading it up on a cart to take back to Mondstat.

The trip back was completely uneventful, no Hilichurls or lost travelers, and she was able to make it home within just a couple days. That was fairly fast, all else considered. And just as she'd told Kirumi, as soon as she was back in Mondstat, she'd delivered the material to Jean before making her way towards the kitchen to reunite with Kirumi.

But the real reason she'd been sent on this mission, although no one would ever tell her, was just to have an excuse to have her evacuate the city. No matter how strong and capable Noelle was, and regardless of her Vision, no one felt comfortable in allowing her, a child, to stay in a place being attacked by a dragon. The whole mission had actually been Kirumi's idea, even though Jean was the one who gave the mission to Noelle. Because Kirumi knew Noelle would not leave Mondstat for any other reason, she came up with the lie that the girl needed to go to Liyue in order to fetch fortification supplies. It wasn't that Kirumi didn't trust Noelle in Mondstat, it was just that Kirumi felt highly protective of her and wanted to get her out of harm's way immediately. But because everyone else in Mondstat adored Noelle too, Kirumi's plan wasn't met with any resistance.

ooo

"Well, I'm glad the trip was successful," Kirumi said once Noelle was done telling her story. She was smiling again, having needed to hide some laughter behind her gloved hand earlier on in the story. Noelle's tireless spirit and energy were just so delightful! As was the innocence that seemed to follow her around, even into the heart of battle. Upending an entire tree before scaring Hilichurls away rather than killing them was a very Noelle thing to do and Kirumi couldn't stop a laugh at how typical it all was. And the excited way in which Noelle told the story was just adorable because it was clear she was so proud of herself and so eager to tell every detail to Kirumi!

And Kirumi was genuinely impressed. She knew that some of what Noelle had done were things that even she would never be able to accomplish. Even though she, like Noelle, was far stronger than she looked, Noelle still had an edge over her because of the Geo Vision. Kirumi, herself, had no Vision. But what she lacked in that type of strength, she made up in others. To assume that she was less powerful and competent than Noelle just because she lacked a Vision was a grave, incorrect and foolish assumption. Kirumi was every bit as strong as Noelle, if not more so! It was just in a different way…

For one thing, Kirumi was also a very trained, very skilled fighter. And she had a natural athleticism that she honed all day long because a lot of her maidly duties did require a lot of physical strength and stamina. Even if she wasn't as tough as Noelle, she was still incredibly strong by normal standards. And she was less of a pacifist than Noelle. Even though she also preferred diplomacy over violence, while Noelle would try to exhaust every option before leaping into battle, Kirumi wouldn't always wait that long. If she was commanded to fight, or if battle seemed like the faster and more efficient, effective option, then Kirumi would not hesitate to unleash her full force against whatever enemy she was facing. The people of Mondstat were sure that if Kirumi ever did get a Vision, she'd be a one-woman army fierce enough to put the other knights out of a job!

ooo

In fact, the very first time anyone in Mondstat ever even met Kirumi was right after she'd unintentionally given them all a display of just how powerful and competent she could be in combat. She'd come from a distant land at Jean's request, Jean having heard about her through the grapevine and decided that she would be a useful addition to the Mondstat staff. Kirumi had accepted this request and headed over to Mondstat right away, but in the forest just outside the kingdom's gates, she ran into a gang of treasure hoarders. They were intentionally waiting on one of the busier roads in hopes of finding some poor sap to rob blind. Of course Kirumi wasn't going to allow that to continue any longer. Instead, she walked boldly up to the gang of thugs and demanded that they cease their nefarious activity at once.

As expected, though, all they did was laugh and spit in her face, mocking and threatening her. It was the biggest mistake of their lives, underestimating Kirumi like that. With a terrifying calm, she grabbed one of the treasure hoarder's extra shovels and proceeded to take all of them on in combat at once. A normal person would've crumbled under such unfair odds, but not Kirumi. Instead, with all the strength, skill and certainty of a well-seasoned Knight of Favonius, Kirumi was able to successfully defeat each and every single thief. Swinging the rusty old shovel as if it were a knight's sword, she was able to block every blow that came her way, before doling out some vicious attacks of her own.

All the while, although it was unknown to her and her attackers, she was being watched by a few of the Knight of Favonius themselves. They'd gotten word from Jean about the treasure hoarders and had gone off to apprehend them only to arrive just as Kirumi was halfway through her battle. She'd unintentionally beaten them to the punch by just a few minutes, but that was all she'd needed.

"Woah! Who is that?" Amber's jaw had dropped as she watched Kirumi darting around in a deadly blur. That was why she'd been able to last so long in the fight without taking any damage. She was just too fast to hit. "She's incredible!"

"Well, from what little I can see of her, she doesn't look familiar, or like any Mondstat citizen I've ever seen before!" Kaeya said in interest.

"A stranger, then?" Amber asked. "A traveler?"

"Probably," Kaeya nodded, continuing to observe and analyze Kirumi as best he could. There was a calculating look in his eye.

"It's a good thing she's on our side then, isn't it?" Amber joked weakly. She was just as intrigued, but she was also a little intimidated.

As fast as Kirumi was, her strength was a very close second. On top of evading every blow sent her way, the ones she dished out in return were absolutely brutal if they made contact. At one point, she caught one of the largest thugs right under the chin and the blow was so powerful it literally sent him flying back about five feet. That was when both of them decided there was no way Kirumi wasn't some type of trained fighter.

"Woah! Did you see that?!" Amber was sounding exhilarated now, clearly very interested by the prospect of making a new friend who, like herself, was also very interested in athletics. Kirumi clearly had a lot of muscle hidden within her lithe, slim frame! Amber liked it a lot.

"Of course, I'm right here, aren't I?" Kaeya asked back with a smirk, but Amber was too transfixed by Kirumi's deadly dance to really hear him.

"We have to go over and talk to her!" the Outrider breathed in awe. "But only after she's done with her battle first!" she added a second later, laughing sheepishly. "I'd rather not get mistaken for a treasure hoarder…"

Then, as soon as Kirumi had knocked out the very last treasure hoarder, Kaeya and Amber made their way over. And that was Kirumi's welcome to Mondstat. Needless to say, she'd been hired on spot. Then just a few days later, that was the first time she met Noelle. The liking was instant and mutual, both of them fast to pick out all their many similarities. The two had seldom been apart since that first day together. Even now, as they continued to prepare for that night's feast, they worked in almost perfect synchroneity, barely even needing to speak in order to understand each other and get everything done. Before long, they had everything else done, and all that was left was to wait…

AN: The same friend who introduced me to Genshin also introduced me to Danganronpa and her favorite character of both games (so far) is the white-haired maid who is incredibly OP and overly devoted to her job. As such, this crossover was basically a given. This friend is also the same one who designed the Wattpad cover for this story. So shoutout to Penguinlover611! You rock!

That being said, this is a slight AU in the sense that, in this version, it was Kirumi rather than Kaeya who kept Noelle out of the Stormterror fiasco, and Noelle's mission took her away from the city rather than deeper into it. And it was also a reference to the "Noelle's troubles" quote in her voice files.

And this fic is longer than expected, so I'll post the next chapter that details the actual banquet in a few days.