Book One: Chapter Eleven

[Worldly Processing]

"What the hell is happening?!" Relon mutters currently being pushed up the stairs by his supposed childhood friend.

"Aya aya, what's with you?" She pouts as they reach the top, Hu Tao giving a sudden push into his room. "Hurry up and get ready or we'll miss the others!" She droops leaving.

"Wait, what others?!" Hurrying to catch her touch down on the first floor, she goes out of sight. Blinking in comprehension, he returns to his supposed room. Sitting on the bed, he runs his hands through his face and hair.

"Was it all really a dream…? Waking up on Serei Island? Eula, Ganyu, being imprisoned for days on end?" At his open thoughts, his eyes narrow. "What about the armies? Those memories of Sara, Miko, and the others? If all of that was a dream, then it makes sense but… if this is all real, why don't I remember enrolling in school much less that Hu Tao girl?" Looking up to his open door, his eyes lay on Qiqi's own. "Maybe Qiqi will know something…"

Lifting himself up, he finally takes in the room. Cozy would be a good word to describe it. Not too spacious but still plenty of room to move around in while disregarding the table and futon.

"Huh?" Pausing at the odd thing in the middle of the room, he tilts his head. "What is this thing?" Touching it, he feels the warmth radiate from it. "Whoa, it's soft too…"

Continuing his survey, his eyes land on a simple desk. Walking up to it, his eyes glosses over the numerous picture frames to widen as he snatches one.

"What the hell?!" The photo itself showing a group of familiar female individuals lined up in the same school uniform as Hu Tao.

The girl on the far left doing an… "odd" pose with what seems like a peace sign over her eye patch. The next is a purple haired young girl with twin tails that can be mistaken for cat ears at first glance. The next a slightly taller girl with a black uneven bob cut wearing a necklace with a red bird mask. Hu Tao next to her. A girl with long, pale white-blue hair tied in a high ponytail. And on the far right next to that girl, a familiar blue-hair girl with a ponytail somehow held in place without being tied and no horns. And finally, another girl with a ponytail colored a pale salmon pink splitting in two .

"What… the… fu-"

"WHY AREN'T YOU DONE YET, RELON?!"

"WHOA!"

Jumping at the sudden shout, he quickly catches the airborne photo holding it. His eyes going to Hu Tao clearly upset as noted by her crossed arms.

"Um…"

Seriously, what the hell? Keqing, Sara, Fischl, Ganya, and I think her name was Ayaka are all here too?! But, who's the girl on the far right? Now that I think about it, what about the others? What about Lisa? Beidou? Miko? What about-

"Oiiiiiiii!"

"Oof!" He grunts, his thoughts cut off as he falls onto the bed from the sudden force. "What was-" Gasping for breath, he widens as Hu Tao plops right on top of him with a cheeky grin. A mischievous grin adorning her features. "What are you- Mm?!" He's silenced as she leans forward taking his lips in hers.

Releasing a hum as the seconds tic by, Hu Tao after a few more seconds lifts up settling back on his pelvis regaining her jovial demeanor.

"Hehe, better now?" A repetition of blinks is Relon's response, his cheeks gaining a crimson hue for the girl to giggle showing off her black nail polish.

"Wha…?" He breathes out.

"Hmm?" She innocently tilts her head.

"Why…?"

"Why what?" She tilts her head to the opposite side.

"T-T-That… kiss…" He averts his head answering in a hushed tone.

"Hmmm?" Her eyes regain that mischievous glint as she lowers herself onto his chest. "Could it be you're playing dumb, Mr. Silly~?" Her blows her warm breath against his skin with every word.

"I-I'm not!" He shivers alongside his answer, his eyes darting between her and anything else. A part of him wanting to look away and another side wanting to lock onto that demeanor. "J-Just why did you do that?!

"Do what? The kiss?"

"Obviously!" He exclaims, his eyes locking onto her lips for him to look away closing his eyelids.

"Because we always do that." She says lifting back up to his relief.

"I'm pretty sure 'childhood friends' don't kiss each other. Especially on the lips!"

"That's right." She nods in agreement, a moment of silence occurring.

"Then…"

"Because we're dating, Mr. Forgetful." She purses her lips.

"... Huh?"

"Did you hit your head or something."

"... Maybe. I'm sorry, let me get this straight. We." He points between the two of them in emphasis. "Are dating. Like, the romantic kind." Her jovial nod comes in response.

"As are the others." She points to the frame in his hand.

"... Again… Huh?" He blinks, his blush now gone as he just blinks in disbelief.

Releasing a sigh, she leans in taking his lips once more for a brief moment.

"Mm…!" He widens as she lifts up with a look of worry.

"Ai-ya ai-ya, this isn't good."

"Why do you keep doing that!?" He blinks, his blush returning.

"Because I like kissing you, obviously. And I know you like it too~."

"What the hell are you talking about-"

"Poke, poke, teehee." Freezing, his eyes buck wide at her fingers playfully plucking at his membrane having risen through his pajamas.

"Hehe, someone's excited."

She can only watch in amusement as the red spreads to the remainder of his face.

"Y-You! I-I! That's…!" Stuttering attempting to make a sentence, Hu Tao moves herself to sit directly over his shaft for Relon's breath to hitch. Her hands resting under her chin as she watches the boy in amusement.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Downstairs

"Ahh, breakfast is served!" Hu Tao cheers digging in.

"Thank you for the food…" Relon mutters as he slowly takes a bite, both seated next to each other.

"Hey, hey, how is it?"

"It's good." He answers half-heartedly, Hu Tao cheering in delight.

This girl… Everything… None of it makes sense! I wake up no longer in a war, this VILLAIN claims to be both my best friend and girlfriend, AND apparently I'm dating six others. Not to mention she… Damn it, is this what it's like to be sexual frustrated? This monstrosity took advantage of my weak and confused state and just… ARRRGGGHHH, I don't get it! Relon mentally exclaims. All I can assume is with how nonchalant Hu Tao was having done… THAT… apparently we're at a comfortable point to which sexual gestures and whatnot are normal. But what about the others, are they all like that too?

"Hmm…" She hums, gaining his attention. "After that teasing session was over, you mentioned recognizing the others but not me or Koko. "

"Koko? That girl on the far left, right?"

"Yup yup! Sangonomiya Kokomi is her full name but I just call her Koko. Still, what should we do? If you really do have amnesia, then it may not be best for you to go to school. What to do, what to do…?"

There it was again. That expression of worry once again. He originally wanted this to be some place he was abducted and dropped off but considering what's transpired thus far, it was nearly safe to assume this wasn't the case. Much of what he's seen, the neighborhood, the furniture, all of that, held a sense of familiarity thus far. Even Hu Tao, the sexual teaser, seemed familiar to a strong degree. He just couldn't pin where he'd seen her before. And then there's Kokomi. The same resonance of familiarity as Hu Tao. Just where had he met them before? For now, he had to tend to the girl before him.

"I may not recognize you but…" He speaks up for her to look at him. "You are familiar. I can feel it strongly. Sorry, I know it's not much to help but…" A brisk kiss is felt as Hu Tao pulls away smiling fondly.

"Even if you have amnesia, you're still you."

"What do you mean?" In response, she points to his chest.

"Ever since we were young, you've always worried about us and spoken from the heart. Though, you've always had a bad habit of not looking out for yourself." A chuckle. "You've made it hard for Qiqi and I to look out for you and your stubborn self." She pushes her plate out of the way opting to rest her head on the table. "Still, it was fun. So you have my thanks. For then and just now." A part of him now thankful for her uppity attitude having returned but notes of something else.

"What changed?"

A subtle shift of her eyes makes him arch an eyebrow. For the first time, Hu Tao is the one to stifle a blush as her head lowers deeper in her arms.

"We fell in love…" She reveals in a hushed voice to raise up exhaling a long breath. "There was some drama involved. A bit of jealousy and whatnot on my part, ehehe."

So that's it. I thought it was something terrible but I must have fallen for one of the others while she had feelings for me…

"But, you came to the rescue one again." She grins leaning on his shoulder. "And thus was the start of your harem, teehee."

"I'm still finding that part hard to believe." He shakes his head at the mere concept.

Me with seven girlfriends? Yeah, right. All I can recall is taking care of Qiqi. I don't know the first thing about romantic love. How do I even go about this situation…?

"For now, you should at least prepare for the day." She gets up carrying their plates off into the kitchen. "Some of the girls have school duties so they can't afford to skip." She notes coming back to pull a phone out of her school bag. "Ooh! I need to contact the guys for you. Wait, do you remember them?"

"The guys?" He blinks going into thought.

I wonder…

"You mean Razor, Chongyun, and Kaeya, right?"

"Um, Kaeya is our teacher but you all do hang around his class sometimes so I guess?"

Yup, that confirms it. Something ain't right here.

"And don't forget Aether." Furrowing his brows at the added info, he looks back to her with a look of wonder.

"Who?"

"Aether. One of the twins."

"Twins?"

"Ai-yai-yai. Lumine's brother."

"I don't think I remember them."

"Don't worry, just leave everything to your number two girl~."

About to respond, he lets it go.

I… I don't ever WANT to go over how weird and bad that sounds. From both sides.

"Alright, I'll leave things to you then. Sorry about all this, Hu Tao." He says taking a sip of his cran-grape juice.

"No thanks are needed. I'm just doing what's natural. Though if you want to make it up to me, we could always get mischievous later~." She grins.

"Pffftttt!"

"Just kidding~." She winks sticking out her tongue to the side

"You…!" A tic mark appearing on his forehead for a sigh to escape. "Damn it, Hu Tao. Do you always tease me?"

"Kuku and the others always get on me about teasing in general so I never get the chance to do it as much. So I'm making up for lost time." She smiles triumphantly.

"Kuku being…?"

"Kujou Sara. Daughter of the Kujou Police Chief. Her family is known for their police force. She wants to be like her father."

So she wants to be an officer, huh…?

"Oh? Are you admiring the idea of being with a cop~, you perv."

"I AM NOT! You said the others have work at school but shouldn't you be going too?" He gives a deadpan expression stifling his blush.

"I should."

"And?"

"I don't wanna."

"Why do I feel like you're the troublemaker in this… whatever it is."

"Harem."

"Multiple relationships."

"You know you like it~."

"Still iffy about that." He shakes his head. "Regardless, you shouldn't skip just because of me."

"Keqing has a business program to attend to, Ganyu is helping out in the library, Koko is reviewing a new strategy game, Ayaya-"

"You mean Ayaka?"

"Yup. Ayaya is studying with some classmates for an exam coming up."

Another nickname, got it.

"Fischl has a drama club meeting and Kuku has business with and Ms. Ei."

"Wait, Yae and Ei?!" He gawks taking Hu Tao aback in surprise.

"Yeah." A simple nod. "Is something wrong?"

"Yae Miko. Pink hair, fox ears?"

"Pink hair, yes but no fox ears. Is that a secret kink you remembered~?"

"NO!"

"Teehee."

"Ugh. Besides, you shouldn't skip school just because of me. I'm fine, albeit still trying to grasp everything. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Fiiiine. I'll go but you better not bother Qiqi."

"Huh? Why would I? She's still sleeping."

"Did you forget she has a sleeping disorder?" Blinking as her words sink, Hu Tao sighs. "Ai-ya ai-ya, she needs more sleep than the average child, Relon."

"... Hey, Hu Tao, our parents were still…" A solemn nod is her response as she cups her hands. "I see..."

"Relon…"

"I'm fine." A small smile adorns his face. "Gotta make sure what I do remember is right. That's all. I remember a lot about Qiqi so her sleeping problem isn't as big of a shock as everything else has been. Now stop looking so gloomy and get going." He pats her head for a tint of pink to appear on the girl's cheeks.

"R-Right…" Swiftly taking her bag, she makes her way to the front door.

"Hey, Hu Tao."

"Yeah?"

"I've been meaning to say this but your pupils are really cool."

Watching her eyes grow slightly in joy, her smile returns.

"I'm so glad you noticed! They're the new contacts I ordered a while ago!"

"They look good on you." He smiles resting a hand at his hip.

"O-ya? Does that make you-"

"Nope."

"Awe~. You're so mean, teehee."

"And you're a tease." He sighs with a shake of his head.

"You know it and you love it. Ta ta~."

"Wait, Hu Tao!"

"Hm? Now what?"

"Um, my phone's charging upstairs right?"

"Yeah."

"By chance, if something comes up, is there a tracker or anything like that I can use to find you girls or vice versa?"

"Yeah. We all have GPS with each other. Oh, that reminds me!" She grins running up and pecking his cheek before waving. "See ya, later~." She winks heading out the door.

"Even though she's a tease, at least she seems better at least. Now then…" Heading back upstairs and to his room in time to take in the sight of Hu Tao a good distance away, he eases himself. "Time to figure some things out."

Looking back at the desk, his eyes go to the other photos he didn't get a chance to examine.

Each a photo of him with a girl individually. Some with a few together. One of him with Keqing and Ganyu eating ice cream, another of him seeming to laugh as Sara and Kokomi seem to be bickering, and Fischl alongside himself and Ayaka posing in kimonos. There's even one of Hu Tao jumping on his back with Qiqi on her back.

Scanning a few more telling of their own story, his eyes land on the last photo. A picture of a younger Relon holding Qiqi still an infant in his arms with two adults behind him.

"This is the same photo from when I was raising Qiqi… So even this is here with us? What is this place? This world? The comparisons are too similar. The fact that everyone from the war is here, Qiqi's sleeping disorder being another outcome from losing our parents. Having amnesia is so frustrating. It's even worse when I can't discern truth from lie."

Taking a breath to ease himself, he looks at a photo of him alongside the guys, a blonde boy his age amongst them.

"That must be who Hu Tao- wow that sounded odd. Now I sound like an owl whenever I say that, ugh. This must be that Aether guy Hu Tao mentioned. He looks familiar just like her and Kokomi. Why can't I remember…?"

Walking over entering Qiqi's room, his eyes fall to the still sleeping girl.

"I should have asked when I could expect her to wake up…"

Hearing a chime come from his room, he heads back for his eyes to go to the small shelf next to his bed. Walking over, he looks at the mobile device. A single notification on the screen.

[Sara: Are you alright? Hu Tao notified me of your condition. Do you need anything?]

"Now that I think about it, during the war, I had a flashback to Sara being my supposed fiancé so isn't Sara being the first I get in a relationship as noted by Hu Tao another similarity between the two worlds? Worlds. Is that even an accurate assumption? My heads hurts trying to sort this out."

Feeling his phone buzz in his hand accompanied by that familiar chime, he glances down to widen as it erupts in repetition.

[Keqing: Relon, Hu Tao informed us of your condition. As I watch the others type away frantically, I'll just ask the same thing as them; get some rest. Considering Sara, Kokomi, Ayaka, and myself are often workaholics as you describe, I'm hoping you don't gain a bad habit from this experience. We'll stop by once we're all done with our business.]

[Fischl (Amy): My other self, dost thou require the resurgence of energy? Take heed, my beloved. I, the Prinzessin der Veruteilung shall provide succor for you and Qiqi. Once my reparations are complete.]

[Ganyu: Are you alright? You should take the time to de-stress. Collect your thoughts and once my tasks are through, I shall stop by to be of as much assistance as I can.]

[Ayaka: Are you alright, Relon? I can skip my study session if you need me to. Don't push yourself and take it easy until I get there, okay?]

[Kokomi: Are you feeling well? Don't overwork yourself, okay?]

Oh boy, I'm kinda glad some of the girls are… 'simple' with their worries compared to others. Still, I need to get to school. Knowing that Miko and Ei are here, maybe I can learn something of… wherever I am.

"We are one. Therefore we shall always be together. Should you wish to speak once the battle is over, you simply must think. Preferably of me." The voice of the Raiden Shogun resurfaces.

Ei…

Glancing to his hands, he focuses on them for nothing to happen.

Welp, the theory of still having my powers is debunked. Then again, I don't even know how I was able to use them in the first place. Considering this world is normal, there are no electro or cryo powers, much less the other elementals.

"If I can look up a map, maybe I can cross-check with what Ganyu described of the world back in the cell. She mentioned frigid tundras and lands with volcanoes…" He says messing with the phone.

After moments of guessing through numerous applications, he throws it at the bed.

"I give up!" He groans. "I don't know anything." He sighs. "At least I figured out the GPS. But now what? Should I go now or wait with Qiqi for a better chance? I guess the first thing would be to get dressed considering I'm still in my pajamas. What to do, what to do?" Stopping mid step, he shudders. "God, maybe what Hu Tao said was true about being childhood friends. I'm starting to sound like her. Well, at least she isn't all bad like I originally thought…"

Rotam: lets goooo! Though could you let us know when the pov changes? its kinda awkward to think about whose perspective it is. Other than that, nice!

I can :). I only don't when I feel the pov's are obvious in regards to who's thinking or talking.