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

The streets of Inazuma Castle in the afternoon looked completely different from those of the night before. Sunlight slanted down between the eaves of two rows of wooden buildings, casting warm patches of light on the stone pavement.

Street vendors were busy setting up their afternoon goods, the aroma of grilled fish skewers mingling with the salty smell of dried seaweed wafting through the air.

Fanes walked slowly along the main street of Inazuma City, a fluffy pink weight appearing on his left shoulder.

Yae no Miko shrunk into a form slightly smaller than a normal fox. Her fluffy, thick, light pink fur shimmered softly in the sunlight. The tip of her tail rested on Fanes' shoulder, swaying with the rhythm of his walk. Her purple pupils still carried the unique brilliance and arrogance of a fox, but her overall form looked almost no different from that of an ordinary pet fox.

After walking for a while, Fanes turned his head to look at the fox perched on his shoulder, and reached out to touch its head—its fur was smooth and soft, and it felt surprisingly nice to the touch.

Yae no Miko's ears twitched when his fingers touched the top of her head, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she let out a very soft, delicate whimper from her throat, clearly filled with dissatisfaction.

Fanes withdrew his hand, his tone carrying a leisurely "finally it's my turn to speak" air: "Poor thing, now you really can only be petted like a pet. Ten years, only in your furry fox form during the day, able to transform back into human form at night. Isn't this retribution? Who told you to hit me with a stick last night?"

Yae no Miko's purple pupils narrowed slightly, and the tip of her tail lightly brushed against Fanes' shoulder. A complex and intense emotion was churning within her—while she retained consciousness in her current fox form, she could only utter low whimpers and growls.

Looking at the familiar scenery of Inatsuma Castle on both sides of the street, and at the rooftop outline of Narukami Shrine in the distance, only one thought kept echoing in Yae no Miko's mind: Please don't run into anyone you know.

Whether it's the shrine maiden, the owner of the Akisa bathhouse, or her subordinates whom she used to tease, any one of them would completely ruin her reputation if they saw Yae no Miko like this.

Fanes continued walking down the street. He had just bought two skewers of fish balls from an oden stall, with a fox perched on his shoulder. As he was putting the fish balls into his mouth one by one with the bamboo skewers, a figure emerged from behind the noren curtain in front of him.

She was a young woman dressed in a light purple kimono, her long hair loosely tied back, adorned with a few pale-colored hair ornaments. Her steps were as light as if she were walking on clouds. Her gaze swept casually across the street before landing on Fanes, and she stopped.

I dreamt of Mizuki. Fanes had seen her before at the Akisa Public Bathhouse—or rather, one of her employees, while she herself was the owner of that establishment.

The Baku, skilled in dream-related abilities, possesses a gentle and intellectual nature, occasionally revealing an enigmatic side. She stood before the noren curtain, watching Fanes, her gaze slowly moving from his face to his shoulder, then back to his face.

When dreaming of Mizuki, her expression changed from "Huh, this child looks familiar" to "Wait, is that just a fox?", and then from "It seems to be just an ordinary fox" to "No, I feel like I've seen that fox's fur color and eyes somewhere before."

Yae no Miko froze on Fanes' shoulder. The fur on her body stood on end for a moment, and her purple pupils dilated sharply the instant she saw Yumezuki Mizuki, then shrank back to normal size at an incredible speed.

Yae no Miko began to shrink towards Fanes' collar, her four claws gripping the fabric of his shoulders tightly, trying to hide herself in the folds of his coat collar.

Fanes felt the struggling force on his shoulder, looked down at the fox who was trying to curl up into a ball of fur, and then made a very natural movement—he raised his hand and ruffled her head again.

Yumezuki had already approached. She knelt down in front of Fanes, resting her hands on her knees, her gaze falling on the fox on Fanes' shoulder that was still trying to hide itself. A gentle curiosity played on her lips: "Little friend, is this fox your pet?"

Fanes looked down at the Yae no Miko on his shoulder, then looked up at Yumezuki Mizuki, and paused for a moment: "...This one? I guess so."

Meng Jianyue Ruixi tilted her head slightly, her light-colored eyes lingering on the fox: "Really? Can I see it, sister? Her fur is so beautiful. I've never seen such a uniformly pink fox before."

I dreamt that Mizuki reached out her hand, making a gesture as if she wanted to touch me.

Fanes took a half step back, and the Yae no Miko on his shoulder took the opportunity to bury her head even deeper, her tail curling up to cover her entire head, like a furry ball wrapped up in itself.

Fanes looked at the hand that Yumezuki Mizuki had reached out, then at the trembling ball of fur on his shoulder: "...It's not that I don't want to show you."

Seeing Mizuki's gentle smile in her dream, she asked, "Are you afraid I'll lie to you?"

Fanes shook his head, his tone sincere: "No, I'm afraid the pet will bite."

The Yae no Miko on her shoulder could no longer bear it. She suddenly poked her head out from her collar, her purple pupils staring straight at Fanes, and let out a short, clear growl from her throat, which could be translated into human language as a variation of "Don't I have any dignity?"

Fanes looked down at her, then reached out and grabbed her by the back of the neck, lifting her off his shoulder. The Yae no Miko was suspended in mid-air, her four legs dangling naturally, her tail drooping, her purple pupils still glaring at him with that "How dare you do this to me?" kind of anger.

Fanes pulled her close, looking intently into her eyes: "My divine child, it seems I've been too kind to you. When you get back, cook me two dishes, the real deal, not some cheap imitation. If you dare try to fool me in your fox form, I'll hang you back up on the beam."

Yae no Miko's purple pupils visibly froze for a moment when she heard the words "stir-fry." She opened her mouth and let out a short whimper, then her ears drooped and her tail hung down. The fox hung motionless in Fanes's hand as if it had lost all its strength.

In the dream, Mizuki was squatting beside him watching this scene, her gaze shifting from Fanes to the fox being held by the scruff of its neck, and then back to Fanes.

Seeing the angle at which the fox's ears drooped and the familiar resentment in its eyes, the gentle smile on his lips slowly deepened, like a painting gradually unfolding, adding a layer of "I see" understanding.

Yumezuki stood up, took a step back, and bowed slightly to Fanes: "Little friend, your pet... is indeed quite special."

Fanes placed Yae no Miko back on his shoulder, patted her on the back, and then smiled at Yumezuki Mizuki: "Thank you for the compliment. She is indeed special."

Fanes turned and continued walking down the street, a fox that had completely given up on resisting perched on his shoulder, its tail swaying behind him with each step. The warm curtains behind him still swayed gently in the breeze, the morning light bathing the wooden walls on both sides of the street in a warm yellow hue, and the faint sound of ship horns from the distant sea mingled with the voices of people in the alleys, like a slowly unfolding afternoon painting.

After finishing the last fish ball, Fanes tossed the bamboo skewer into a wooden bucket by the roadside. He felt the fox's tail fur brushing against the back of his neck, a surprisingly pleasant sensation. He glanced at her and said in a low voice, "Don't cook anything spicy when we get back. I don't eat spicy food."

-

The protagonist is a time traveler, how could he possibly be the favorite son of Heaven?

Heavenly Principle: Daddy! Please don't die here!

Abyss: Whatever you're looking at, just don't die here!