Genshin Impact: Watch me turn the tables and kill my servants at the start!

Phanes was jolted awake from his warm dream by a scream. The sound was sharp and short, carrying the shock and indignation of "I've been ambushed by something," like a fox that usually walks with its head held high stepping on something it shouldn't have.

Fanes struggled to open his eyelids a crack, and the first thing he saw in his blurry vision was a wet figure. Long pink hair was dripping water onto his cheeks and neck, and an empty wooden bucket was hanging crookedly on his head. Water droplets were running down Yae no Miko's hair and chin.

Yae no Miko stood at the door, soaking wet, finally managing to pull the wooden bucket off her head and hold it in her hand. She looked down at her completely waterlogged shrine maiden attire, then at the empty bucket in her hand, and finally looked around the private room.

His usual composed smile still lingered on his lips, but there was a hint of underlying anger beneath it. His gaze quickly swept around the private room—the pool, the lounge chairs, the empty plates and teapots on the stone table—but he didn't see anyone immediately.

The moment Fanes recognized the figure, his body reacted before his brain. He hunched his shoulders, turned, and silently sank into the hot spring, using the reflection of the water and the cover of the steam to reach the farthest corner of the pool.

The steam obscured most of his vision, so he pressed his body against the shadow of the pool's edge. He reached for the clothes piled up by the pool and quickly put on his undershirt, wrapped his outer garment tightly around himself, and pulled up his trouser legs, all without making much noise.

When he resurfaced, he was fully dressed, with everything he was wearing.

But Yae no Miko clearly didn't find people by sight. After scanning the private room, her gaze precisely locked onto a head that had just emerged from the water in the corner of the pool.

Clutching the empty bucket in her hand, Yae no Miko's smile remained unchanged, but the temperature in her eyes had clearly dropped by two or three degrees.

The next second, Fanes felt his collar being lifted up.

He was lifted up to eye level by Yae no Miko, his feet dangling in the air, his wet clothes still dripping. Yae no Miko leaned closer to look at his face, her tone carrying a playful "I finally caught you" tone: "So this is the one who ambushed me here?"

Fanes was lifted into the air and swayed twice. His hands were naturally folded in front of his chest, and his expression was as innocent as that of a wronged passerby.

"No, no, no, actually you're the one who barged in. Strictly speaking, it's your fault. I registered for the private room at the front desk, and the waiter brought me in. I've been soaking here for almost an hour. You didn't knock before you came in, nor did you check if the room was occupied. The wooden tub was just a small device I had in case of an accident; it only overturned because you pushed the door open yourself. So the conclusion is that you got yourself soaked."

Yae no Miko's ears twitched slightly, and the tip of her tail peeked out from under her soaked shrine maiden robes, shaking off a drop of water. After listening to his clear and logical explanation, she didn't let go of him, but simply studied him for two seconds: "How old are you?"

Faenes answered honestly, "Ten years old."

"A ten-and-a-half-year-old can speak this kind of language so fluently."

Yae no Miko put him back on the ground—or rather, carried him all the way through the changing area and the front hall, and brought him to the front counter.

Yae no Miko's voice was neither loud nor soft, carrying a calm "I want an explanation" tone, as she spoke to the Baku waiter behind the counter who was hunching over and pretending to organize the accounts.

Why is this thing in my room?

When she said "this thing", Yae no Miko was still clutching the back of Fanes's collar.

Fanes, grabbed by the collar and made to stand in front of the counter, gestured towards Yae no Miko: "You pulled me out of the private room for no reason and then called me 'this thing.' I suggest you drink some hot water to calm down, and stop grabbing people by the collar so easily. Of course, if that doesn't work, I'll treat you to a billion nails to vent your anger!"

Yae no Miko glanced down at him, loosened his collar, but still blocked his way: "I wasn't talking to you. And believe me, I'll throw a nail at your head!"

The waiter had huddled up completely, his two round ears drooping down from the top of his head and pressed against the sides of his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Mr. Yachō... this private room was indeed registered for this guest today... I assigned it according to the reservation system... I didn't know that room was originally yours..."

Yae no Miko stood there listening to the waiter's stammering explanation. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the waiter's face, which was on the verge of tears, and the angry smile on her lips gradually faded.

Yae no Miko could tell from the other person's nervousness that he was indeed a newcomer who hadn't even memorized the room list yet. She didn't pursue the matter further, but simply turned around, grabbed Fanes's sleeve, and walked out, leaving him with the words, "Go check the schedule yourself, and don't assign the wrong room next time."

The waiter nodded vigorously behind the counter, his head almost touching the table. Only after Yae no Miko and Fanes walked out of the door did he dare to straighten up and let out a long breath.

As Fanes was being dragged out of the Akisakan Bathhouse by Yae no Miko, his mind was racing, trying to figure out how to escape.

Just as he was being dragged to the eaves beside the door, Fanes caught a glimpse of a figure standing against the wall. The figure, wearing a wide-brimmed hat with purple ribbons draped over its shoulders, arms crossed, stood in the shadows with an air of "I'm just passing by and watching the show." A skirmisher.

Without a second thought, Fanes' voice rose uncontrollably by half an octave as he shouted in that direction, "Ah Mao! Help me!"

The figure at the base of the wall visibly stiffened. The skirmisher raised his head, his purple eyes scanning the shadows before settling on the two figures, one large and one small.

Yae no Miko also turned her head to look at him, then raised an eyebrow, her expression saying, "You two actually know each other."

The skirmisher stood there, neither coming over nor turning away. He simply looked at Fanes with his usual, somewhat cold gaze and remained silent for about two seconds.

Phanes stood on the veranda, his sleeve being pulled by Yae no Miko. The night wind, carrying the salty smell of the sea, blew from the end of the street, making his half-dry hair even more disheveled.

Yae no Miko turned her head to look at him again, and that calm, enigmatic smile returned to her lips.

"Ah-Mao? Is that the nickname you gave him? He certainly looks more like it than 'Guo Pang'!"