No.

No. No. No.

This couldn't be happening.

For the second, and then for the third time, I read over the dining hall menu. Everything looked how it normally did. There were the typical fruits and drinks. A specialty of the day was showcased in bold letters. However, under the list of regular dishes offered, just one was missing.

"Excuse me," the woman from behind the counter spoke up. "Can you please make your choice? There is a line forming behind you."

I turned around to find that there was, in fact, a line. I would have to make a decision soon. Never before had breakfast left me feeling so lost. So hopeless. What was I to do in such a situation? Maybe this was all a misunderstanding. A simple mistake.

"May I have some Almond Tofu?" My voice quivered slightly, and to my horror, she began to slowly turn her head from side to side.

"Sorry, we've encountered some difficulties with acquiring enough almonds to make our usual batches. With the Sakoku Order, almond imports from Liyue haven't been able to make it to the island."

The Sakoku Order. I clenched my fists and silently cursed the Raiden Shogun. What was so dangerous about almonds? How could she let this happen? On the day of midterms, too.

I took a measured breath. "Mondstadt Hashbrowns, please."

"Coming right up." She smiled sweetly and loaded a tray full of hashbrowns before passing it over to me.

I politely accepted the serving and stared down at the pieces with emptiness in my soul. I loved Mondstadt Handsbrowns. Their crispy, salty exterior coupled with a side of ketchup made for a perfect savory breakfast. But it wouldn't hold off my Abyss dreams the way Almond Tofu did. With a sigh, I carried the tray back to the table and sat down.

"What'd you get today, girlie?" Childe looked over from my left.

Despite my distress, a smile grew on my lips. Childe was back to sitting with us as if he'd never left.

"Are those," Xiangling leaned in with a gasp. "Mondstadt Hashbrowns? I can't believe it! Have you finally been freed from the Almond Tofu curse?"

"There's an almond shortage." I hung my head. "This is what I'm left with."

Childe laughed. "Hang on, what did I miss? I thought you loved Mondstadt Hashbrowns. Didn't you say they reminded you of the ones Madame Ping made you back at home?"

My lips parted in small surprise. I may have mentioned such in passing before, but I didn't think Childe would remember a detail like that.

"Lumine's been eating Almond Tofu for weeks," Amber said in between bites.

Xiangling nodded. "Like her life depended on it."

"What's so good about Almond Tofu?" Childe asked and snapped his fingers. "Does it have special properties like boosting your attack after eating? I know I feel a bit of a power-up after having an Adventurer's Breakfast Sandwich."

"No, no." I shook my head. "Well, I don't know. I've never experimented with food and fighting before. I'd just grown to like Almond Tofu a lot, that's all."

Thoma took a sip of juice and set his glass down. "That's really too bad, Lumine. This is because of the Sakoku Order, isn't it? Maybe they can find a way to outsource some almonds from one of the other nations."

"Maybe." I munched on a hashbrown. "It's fine, really. I can't afford to be worried about a dish right now. Midterm mindset only. Xiangling, how are you feeling?"

She pumped a fist into the air. "Ready! Professor Baizhu is gonna wish he'd created a harder exam after I pass with flying colors."

"I don't think there's a professor here who doesn't want their students to succeed," Amber laughed. "Looks like you got a lot of studying done last night, then."

"Studying?" Xiangling blinked. "Oh, yes. I studied a lot of, um, plants."

"Edible plants?" I smirked knowingly.

She giggled. "Of a sort. I was up so late last night studying, I'm surprised I was able to wake up in time for breakfast."

"Speaking of waking up in time," Thoma hummed. "We're missing Bennett."

Amber covered her mouth. "You don't think that he's still…" The table fell quiet as we all exchanged glances. This was Bennett we're talking about. If anyone was going to oversleep their midterms, it would be him. Amber sighed with a smile and got up from her seat. "I'll go get him, see you guys later!"

She left without finishing her breakfast, and I made a mental note to swipe some toast for her in case she didn't make it back before classes started. She'd have plenty of time to enjoy it in Beginner's Gliding since the only thing we had to do was turn in our papers.

"Midterms this, midterms that." Childe leaned back. "Trust me, you guys have nothing to worry about. Take it from someone who's been through multiple rounds of exams at this school."

"Are they not hard?" I frowned.

"Oh, they're only challenging if you let yourself be challenged."

"How can you learn anything if you're not challenging yourself?" Thoma asked. "I think it's nice to have a chance to test your strength and knowledge every now and then. Otherwise, how would anyone know if they're actually making any progress?"

"Listen," Childe shook his head. "All you have to do is find a pen with a fine enough point to get all your notes written on your palm."

"Childe," I chastised.

"Or your arm. I won't judge."

I rolled my eyes. "That's cheating."

"Only if you get caught."

"I—no. That's cheating regardless if you get caught."

"Then don't get caught."

"You don't get caught," I sighed. "I actually studied, so I won't need to use underhanded methods."

Childe held a hand to his chest. "You make it sound as though I'm the lowest lifeform in Teyvat. Ah, who would have thought my resourcefulness would have yielded such scorn?"

I smiled as his antics went on for the rest of the meal. It was only when students were beginning to return their trays and nervous chatters flitted about that Bennett burst through the dining hall doors. His goggles were slipping off the top of his head, and his academy uniform wasn't fully put together. Amber came in after him looking more exasperated than amused, and the two of them walked over to where the rest of us were finishing up.

"Childe!" Bennett stepped back in shock before recovering with a wide grin. "You're sitting with us again?"

"I was away for too long. Sitting with you guys helps to keep my food warm for longer. The beauty of a Pyro Vision."

Bennett's jaw dropped. "Pyro Visions can do that?"

"He's joking." I shook my head with a smirk. "Childe just came back to his senses. I see Amber woke you up just in time."

"I don't even remember falling asleep!" he sagged. "One moment I was studying with the moon out, and suddenly I open my eyes after hearing Amber knocking on my door. This is just my luck."

"Here." Xiangling tossed him an apple. "Eat this."

Bennett managed to catch the apple after fumbling with the air while Amber swooped in to finish the rest of her food.

"Err woo addy oo go?" She spoke through her stuffed cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go."

She swallowed her food. "I knew you could understand me."

"I've since learned how to speak mouthful Amber," I grinned. "Figuring out your speech has basically been a sixth class for me."

"Ha ha." She grabbed my empty tray and piled it on top of hers. "C'mon, let's get going. I think Venti might let us glide around the clearing once everyone turns their work in. It's been a while since I could stretch into the sky with the birds."

I followed Amber. "Good luck with your midterms, everyone."

"See you in Physical Combat," Childe winked. "We're going to take Xiao down before he realizes what's going on."

"The goal isn't to take him down." I reminded him. "We'd be lucky to get close enough to land a single hit."

He cracked his knuckles, not listening to me at all. "We'll see about that."

Instructor Xiao waited for everyone to change into their activewear before giving any extra details about the midterm. At the center of the fighting ring, there was an interesting mechanism that I'd never seen before. A stone mount provided a foundation for a red symbol that glowed, hovering in the air. Students kept their distance from the mechanism, and there was no doubt it had something to do with our midterm.

Childe caught my eye with a friendly wave as he came out of the fitness center, and I returned it with a relieved smile. A day ago, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to cooperate as a team, but now I was certain we could prove to Xiao our full capabilities.

Thoma also emerged from the fitness center, and I waved to him. His eyes brightened as he offered a smile, but then he nearly got tackled by a panicked Xinyan. She was waving her arms in the air and shouting something I couldn't quite catch. Occasionally, she jabbed a few pointed fingers in Xiao's direction, and I guessed she was pretty nervous. Most of the other students looked just as worried, though they were able to contain their anxiety. I could agree that going up against a single monster would be much less stressful than facing Instructor Xiao directly. We knew he wouldn't be on the offensive side, but he was still quite daunting. Childe didn't seem to share this sentiment at all.

"It's you and me, Lumi." He reached me and placed his hands on his hips. "Against the world."

"Against our instructor. Stop being so dramatic."

"I finally have my chance to fight the Academy's finest." Childe quivered with excitement. "Do you think they'll demote him once I hook him in the jaw?"

There was no use in talking any sense into him at the moment. Reckless fighting seemed to have wedged itself into Childe's personality completely. For better or for worse, he was always raring for a fight. I just hoped he'd remember to stick with our planned strategy and not lose himself in the moment.

"Everyone is here," Instructor Xiao stated and moved inside the fighting ring. "Good. As you all know, I allowed each pair to have a personal meeting with me. Some of you wished to go over technique. Others polished off their raw abilities. Each of you has put in the work to succeed today, and it is time for me to judge your efforts. You will participate in a time trial challenge. This mechanism will activate with the start of each match, and a timer will count down from sixty seconds."

"We only get a minute?" someone gasped.

"One minute is all I need to assess you." Xiao cut a look into the crowd. "The provided area in the fighting ring will not be enough, so we will be using the cumulative sparring space. Each pair will have one minute to go over any final preparations before beginning the challenge. As for who goes first, we will proceed in the same order of the pairs I met with."

I gulped. That meant we were first.

"You are allowed to attack with your weapons. Don't hesitate to use them to your full ability. I can assure you that you will not draw blood from me," he scoffed. "That would be impossible. Anyone not currently participating will remain in the fighting ring. One last thing, I require a volunteer to activate the time trial mechanism while I am out in the field."

He waited.

Thoma raised his hand.

"Good," Xiao nodded. "Pairing number one, your time begins now."

Students around us erupted into chatter as I situated myself. Childe and I picked out our weapons and walked out into the area made up of multiple sparring circles. There was a lot of ground here to work with, which was both a hindrance and a benefit. Childe would be able to shoot at Xiao from a distance, but I would have to do the work of chasing him down. Though Xiao would also be running around, I'm sure his stamina was far greater than mine. My moves would have to be calculated.

"Ready?" Childe hooked an arrow onto the bowstring.

I nodded. "Remember what we planned?"

"Keep him to one side."

"And don't accidentally hit me."

His giddy expression sobered. "I would never."

"Just making sure." I patted his shoulder. "Hang in the outfield."

"You take the infield."

We nodded to each other at the same time, and Childe held out a fist. I smiled at the gesture and knocked mine into his before jogging further into the sparring area. Xiao was already waiting there with his arms crossed, and his keen eyes flicked to where I stopped and where Childe was positioned. He gave no reaction to our formation, and I fought the urge to look back at my partner. We could do this.

Once everything was settled, Xiao turned his head to look at the spectating students. "Start the mechanism."

I couldn't see Thoma activate it, but I saw the floating red symbol lift to a higher level. It shifted to a light blue, and a timer appeared above it, reading one minute. The numbers ticked down to fifty-nine seconds. Time to go.

I launched myself toward Instructor Xiao, but he effortlessly darted to the left. Just as we planned, a sharp arrow whistled in the air to where Xiao had evaded me, forcing him to change paths. Xiao was light on his feet as he came to a stop several yards away, but he couldn't hold still for long. Childe's arrows expertly found their way to where Xiao stood with each evasion, forcing him to cut across the area to where I waited with my sword. After a week of strategizing, Childe and I decided the best course of action with our skill sets would be to herd Xiao like a sheep. Once forced to be within close range of me, it was my job to land the hit.

To my surprise, it was actually working. A trail of arrows stuck out from the ground, leading to where Xiao was now bounding away from each of my advances. I'd yet to swing my sword at him—making that sort of move required energy I couldn't afford to waste. I needed to get closer.

Concentrating on forcing my legs to propel me faster, I dashed from side to side following Xiao's movements. He ambled away gracefully each time, but I was beginning to catch a pattern. Xiao fell away to the left, and then to the right. Left. Right. Zig-zag. I kept up with each of his dodges until I was sure of what I saw.

I spared a quick glance at the timer. Twenty seconds.

Drawing in full focus, I put my all into bursting ahead to the right just as Xiao bolted to the left. My anticipations were correct as I watched Xiao automatically break for another right—directly to where I was readying my sword. His face rushed up to mine, his velocity making it impossible to stop or change direction without falling over. Without a second thought, I continued to charge forward and sprung at him with my sword. One quick swipe was all it would take. The blade sailed for Xiao's neck, and I let the momentum aid me in delivering my first and final blow.

It cut through the air.

I skidded to a stop and stared in shock at the space where Xiao disappeared. He hadn't gone any further to the right or backed off. The only other possible direction was up, but Xiao wasn't using his Vision. There was no way anyone could jump high enough to evade such an attack. Despite my rationale, I dared to look up.

Xiao had reached the peak of his jump, blocking out the sun.

I made out the faintest smirk and teasing look in his eyes before he began to descend. Now was my chance. Avoiding a hit while falling wouldn't be doable, not even for him. As I positioned my sword for a second time, I realized why Xiao had given such a look as the timer went off before he was within reach. My shoulders sagged, and he landed softly next to me.

"Time's up," he barked loud enough for everyone to hear. Then, Xiao lowered his voice to say, "That was impressive footwork, Lumine."

Still caught up in his airborne feat, I looked at Xiao with awe. "How did you jump so high?"

"Training," he said with no elaboration. "Go. You have the rest of the hour to watch your classmates' performance. I doubt any of them will get as close as you did just now, but we shall see."

Xiao remained in the sparring area, waiting for the next pair to step forward. I followed his order and met back up with Childe, who had already reached the fighting ring's outskirts. He still had his bow with him, and the dark look he trained on Xiao gave me some concern. Was he going to aim? Childe's face cleared up once I approached, and I shook away the thought.

"Sorry, I missed him." I returned my weapon to the rack. "To be fair, I don't think anyone saw that jump coming."

Childe hung up his bow. "Don't worry about it. He said our grade doesn't entirely hinge on whether on not we land a hit. It's all about our cooperation, and I'd say we coordinated our attacks pretty well."

"That's right." I stared at him with creeping suspicion. "What a very reasonable response. Who are you and what have you done with Childe?"

"Well, it'd be a lie if I said I didn't think about shooting him while he was up in the air. The trajectory would have landed a guaranteed hit. Ah, but I decided to hold back, lest I actually get in trouble for dealing a lethal blow."

I poked at his side. "Seriously, who are you?"

"Careful now." He grabbed my hand, pulling me close. "If you touch me like that, I might start getting ideas."

I drew back. "Ideas?"

He simply smirked and let go of my hand. "C'mon, girlie. Let's find a good spot to watch the rest of our class fumble around. Who knows, maybe Xiao will tire out and lose his edge halfway through. I'm sure we wore him down enough to give the others a fighting chance."

We found a spot in the grass close enough to the fighting ring but with enough space to unwind. There's no doubt my legs would be sore tomorrow, but stretching out felt good. Childe rolled his shoulders, alternating between each one as he made commentary on everyone's strategies. His guess that Xiao would eventually get tired was far from the truth. Everyone gave their all, but as the time trial mechanism signaled the end of the final match, Instructor Xiao remained unscathed.

typos of the day: impressible, muplicle, Hashbornws