Chapter Text
SECOND YEARERS LOUNGE, TEYVAT HIGH, MONDSTADT CITY
1:12 pm
"All this happened while we were asleep?!"
"I was upset that I missed out on the fun too."
Eula sighed, picking up her tea cup. She and Bennett decided to talk a bit since they were waiting for their friends. "I can't believe Razor and I slept through everything.." Bennett sighed. "Kaeya told me you fell asleep by him at the infirmary. Did something happen again?" Eula asked, putting down her tea cup and putting one leg over the other. "He already had an injury from a previous training session and he kept messing with it, and opened the injury in the process. It stung more than it should so I took him to mother Maria." Bennett explained.
"I hope he's doing well right now." Eula stated. "Don't worry. He started jumping around with energy the moment he woke up. Woke me up too in the process." Bennett laughed. "Are your friends from Natlan coming to see you? The windblume festival is next week." Eula asked. "Nope. They have a trip, Mualani told me she and Chasca won't be able to come." Bennett said, frowning. "How about you?" He inquired. "Not expecting anyone either. I don't have many friends from the other cities." She replied. "I heard some of the others will be expecting people! You can make friends then." Bennett told her. "That'd be lovely. I'll be looking forward to that." Eula said.
"Benneeeett! Eulaaaaaa~!"
The two turned to see Amber trotting over. A wide smile on her face. The girl plopped herself down on one of the lounge's couches, specifically the one that Eula was sitting on. "Hey, Amber." Eula greeted, with Bennett waving. "Have you guys seen the Windblume festival decorations?! They rock!! I'm so excited, eeeek!!" Amber said quickly, outstretching her arms. "How are you and Noelle? I heard you got swept into the ruckus without weapons." Eula asked. "Oh, we're good! The travelers, two exchange students and Mona protected us." Amber told her. "That's good to hear." Eula responded. "Don't worry, I'm not that reckless either way. I'll easily be able to survive any thing!" Amber confidently stated, smirking.
"But man, having some time off because of what happened a few days ago is awesome! Our finals got cancelled too!!" Amber told them, stretching on the couch. "They'll be using our grade average for our grades, Amber." Eula told her, freezing Amber on the spot. "NOOOOO!! I AM DOOMED!! GRANDPA'S GONNA KILL ME!!!" Amber cried out, covering her face dramatically. "You can always make up for your bad grades next Semester-—" Bennett told her. "I'll be forced to study the entire vacation!!" Amber weeped. Eula began patting her shoulder, trying to comfort Amber.
OUTER COURTYARDS, TEYVAT HIGH
1:44 pm
"The food's here!"
Venti announced as he and Dahlia carried boxes of pizza. Some of the UA students decided to meet with Teyvat High students to eat and chat for a bit. In the past days, most of the traveler's friends were buddies with Midoriya and Kendo's classmates. There were two picnic tables pushed to be next to each other, filled with students cheering as Venti and Dahlia set the boxes on one of the tables. Ochako immediately got up to help them pass the boxes around so everyone can dig in. The atmosphere was lively, and it was relaxing for everyone to know that the chaos from a few days ago finally calmed down.
"In celebration of our success against the abyss!"
Everyone said together, raising slices of pizza. Venti and Dahlia sat down next to Sero, laughing. "Oh right. How's that dragon friend of yours?" Sero asked, looking at Venti. "Hmm? Durin? He's doing better. He should be joining us soon, actually." Venti said, holding up the slice against his mouth. "I'm so glad we're going to stay for the windblume festival! I've seen so many decorations already up around campus! They look fantastic!" Mina said, with Momo agreeing. "I too can't wait to see how the event will be." She said, smiling. "It's a shame we can't help out. I'd have loved to volunteer, especially with how much hospitality you've all shown us." Kendo said, leaning against one of the picnic tables.
"We could've really used the extra help, but our event committee overseer strictly forbade us from involving you guys, as common 'guest etiquette' or whatever." Dahlia stated, shrugging. "I've got a question.." Midoriya said, swallowing a piece of pizza he bit off. "What are the liyue citizens like?" Midoriya inquired. "Ooh! Good question, Deku! I'm curious as well," Ochako chirped in, resting her arms on one of the empty boxes, her pizza dangling from her hand. "Most of us here haven't met many students from Liyue," Barbara replied. Noelle nodded. "Travelers.. surely you two are the perfect candidates to reply to their question?" Noelle said.
"Oh, Lumine. Tell them about Xiao." Aether said, nudging her shoulder. The blonde rolled her eyes, separating her slice of pizza from her mouth. "He's quiet. Pretty kind. And uh... what else?" Lumine spoke, mumbling the last part to herself. "...Anyway, Liyue is full of unique personalities, so you'll get to see for yourself. It's also way larger than Mondstadt, so there'll be more to explore." Aether told them. "Liyue harbor is also the largest commercial hub in Teyvat! So expect to meet some wealthy people." Venti told them. "I went there earlier this year for Lantern rite, and when I say the celebrations were insane, I mean it. Way more grand than any Mondstadtian festival." Venti finished, recalling the time he spent in Liyue.
"I've been wanting to go! I have a friend from the Liyue branch whom I met on the inter-branch group chat. She likes to sing too," Barbara said. "I'm excited to go now! Y'all hyped me up!!" Mina grinned, finishing her slice of pizza. Ochako listened to them all talk about Liyue. Judging by the positive reception, she shouldn't worry too much. "Oh, right. The headmistress of Teyvat High as a whole is also the principal of the Liyue branch. I'm sure you guys will be meeting her." Venti mentioned. "Yikes.. I hope she's not scary." Sero mumbled. "Not at all. She's pretty serious, sure, but she's a nice person. Just don't piss her off." Lumine assured Sero.
A pair of feet dragged itself to the busy tables. It was Durin. A little tired — as if he had just woken up from a nap. Venti was the first to notice, and he waved at Durin. "Look who's here! The VIP himself!" Venti announced. Durin paused as soon as most of the attendees turned to face him. Ochako smiled at him, and Durin couldn't help but smile back. The boy quickly walked up to the table and stood next to Ochako, reaching to open one of the boxes to take a slice. "How're you feeling?" Dahlia asked, with Durin assuring him he was fine. He was recovering well from his fever, that lasted longer than he expected. "Oh, Durin, Kuni— Wanderer called earlier to ask about you." Venti said, and Durin was about to spit out his food.
"What?! What'd you say?! And why??"
"Hmm~ that you're doing well. News about you alarming Albedo has already spread around all the branches."
Durin paused. His face twitched into a smile unintentionally. He felt happy knowing his brother was checking up on him. Momo rested her head on the back of her hands as she watched everyone interact with Durin. Suddenly, she heard a ting! The woman quickly took out her phone from her pocket to see who the notification was from.
Tenya Iida: if you're free right now, bring kendo and meet me in front of the library.
Momo's face became serious, and Mina noticed when she turned her head to take another slice of pizza. The girl paused, staring at Momo who was watching her phone. "Yaomomo.. is everything okay?" Mina asked. "Want some more pizza?" Mina asked, holding out the slice she took for Momo. The raven shook her head, smiling softly. "Nothing, don't worry. Tenya needs Kendo and I, so I'll be going. You have fun with the others," Momo said, patting Mina's head. "Kendo! We have to go, Tenya needs our help with some paperwork!" Momo stated. The girl got up and excused herself, with Kendo following without asking any questions. The two then heading for the library.
TEYVAT HIGH'S GRAND LIBRARY, TEYVAT HIGH
2:02 PM
Tenya was waiting by the entrance of the grand library with Shoda. The two of of them patiently waiting for Momo. A couple of seconds later, trotting in the semi-busy hallway was Momo, followed by Kendo, both trying to not be late. The campus was large, and they kind of got lost and needed a student to tell them the directions. They finally reached them, with Momo bowing. "I'm so sorry for being late!" She apologized. Kendo copying her. "I apologize for being late as well!" She said. "It's fine." Tenya said. Shoda and Tenya nodded at each other right after. "Let's go inside." Tenya said. The boy opened the door, and allowed the three to head inside, before he too stepped into the library.
"I've done some research about the next city we're headed to, and compiled some information in this book."
Tenya placed a small notebook on a table. The group decided to sit at a round table, all the way at the end of the library. "I'd like to ask if each of you can take a picture of any findings you believe might be of use to you in the future." Tenya told them. Shoda opened the book and began flipping through the pages. "Pardon me, but for what reason do we have to do this?" Shoda inquired, looking up at Tenya. "To be more prepared next time. We had a missing student, and we spent hours searching. It took the help of Teyvat High students to find her. I want to take precautions to ensure we can handle most problems that can be tossed at us."
Kendo nodded, taking out her phone. "But why couldn't you bring this up during the upcomming meeting?" Kendo asked, standing up so she can see what she would like to picture. "I thought sharing it with the class representatives first would be a good option, so we can exchange input." Tenya replied, pushing his glasses up. "Eventually, we can bring it up to the students of our classes after the meeting concludes." Tenya stated. "You're hard at work, Tenya. It's admirable." Momo smiled, waiting for Shoda and Kendo to finish first. "...I have to. Most of us are forgetting the main objective of this programme from our side." Tenya replied, sighing.
"We figured, Shoda and I did try to do our part." Kendo started. "By studying the campus and collecting intel, and we inform Kan-sensei of any findings." She explained to Tenya as to try and assure him. After all, it'd be embarrassing if class B left the load on class A to bear alone. Not to mention Monoma would give her an earful and nag her about it, and accuse her of wanting to demolish class B's 'pride'. "Monoma himself has been trying to help out, however, I believe he's being a bit too reckless." Shoda chimed in to support Kendo's words. "Thank you for taking this seriously. Principal Nezu is depending on us, after all." Tenya breathed.
"What'd you look into exactly?" Momo wondered, taking the book after Kendo and Shoda confirmed they were finished picturing some of the pages. The raven began flipping through the pages, her eyes skimming the text for any general ideas. "Basic information about Liyue and their culture fo an instance. They seem to be similar to China in a way. Each city seems to embrace an entirely different identity." Tenya replied, pulling out a seat and sitting down. Momo closed the book and placed it on the table. "The blonde twins mentioned before that Liyue Harbor is a large commercial hub, if that'll be of any use." Momo recalled.
"Yes, I've looked into it. Their economy is by far one of the highest in Teyvat. Mondstadt's is way lower." Tenya nodded. "Higher economy... meaning students from Liyue's branch are most likely more wealthy. Wealth from commercial hubs are primarily from businesses or organizations." Shoda deduced. Kendo tilted her head, crossing her arms. "I don't follow.. what are you getting at?" Kendo asked Shoda. "I think I understand." Momo mumbled. "You mean the students from the branch might have more valuable intel?" Momo asked, and Shoda snapped his fingers in response. "Exactly. We can use this to our advantage." Shoda told them.
"Oh! I get it now! So we should focus on getting close to any students with connections of any sort, basically?" Kendo asked, with Shoda nodding. "That's a very good deduction, Shoda. Though, Kendo, let's not heavily depend on befriending the students. We should rely on exploring and exploiting any opportunities we get. We have to gather as much intel as we could." Tenya told them. "I know that, haha. What I mean is, build a connection deep enough within the time frame of us staying in Liyue to be able to extract anything out of them." Kendo clarified. "I'll admit, though, rich kids tend to be more annoying to deal with, and who said we'll be as accepted there as we are here?" Kendo said, tapping the table with her fingers.
"The blonde twins said that people in Liyue harbor are generally friendly, but Kendo's right, there's no guarantee any of them will like us." Momo said. "The only person from Liyue we met was professor Beidou, right? The one who we met when we first arrived to Teyvat," Momo asked, followed by a nod from Tenya. "We'll have to gamble our luck and pray that the Liyue students are friendly as well." Tenya mumbled. "Well, that should wrap everything up. Did you three picture what you want?" Tenya asked. Shoda and Kendo nodded, but Momo shook her head. She wanted to take pictures later, after doing her own research in the library.
"See you two!"
"Good bye, Momo, Tenya."
JEAN'S OFFICE, MONDSTADT
4:48 PM
"I'd love to help you out,"
"....."
"Come on, brother! Why don't we make this a family bonding thing? Since you have to help out anyway?"
"......"
"Diluc!"
Jean rested back against her seat as she watched Kaeya yap to Diluc, who seemed to be growing frustrated. "So.. are you helping or not..?" Jean finally asked, with Diluc holding a hand in front of Kaeya to silence him. "Fine. I can help out today, however I am busy the rest of the days. I have papers to grade." Diluc sighed. Jean's face lit up, and she straightened her back immediately. "Thank you! We need more hands on deck to prepare the campus for the event next week." Jean said, happy. "Miss Jean. Could I lend a hand too? It'd be a shame if I sat by while my brother does all the work." Kaeya asked with a smug smile on hos face.
"Are you part of the event committee?"
"No."
"Then you should ask the head."
"..Who even is the head?"
"Me."
The room fell silent.
Leaning against the door was a cold blonde lady. Rosalyne. She stared at Kaeya and Diluc. "How can I be of assistance, Kaeya Alberich?" Rosalyne asked, walking up to him. Some of her hair twirling around one finger. She was intimidating. Rosalyne was one of the most terrifying professors in Mondstadt. Everyone was terrified of even being near her. Kaeya stared at her, before asking his question with an obvious fake amile. "May I help out with the—" However, before he can finish his words, he was cut off by Rosalyne once more. "No." She replied, walking past him and seating herself by one of the two chairs in front of Jean's desk.
"Rosalyne.. it's nice to see you again." Jean said, smiling. She felt nervous. Rosalyne's stare was creepy. "What brings you?" She asked. "I've come to congratulate you on your success against the abyss. I apologize for not aiding much myself. I had matters to tend to right before the incident struck." Rosalyne explained, placing one leg over the other. "Oh, it's fine. The issue has been dealt with, and all preparations for the festival are commencing as we speak, so there's no point in dwelling on the past." Jean replied, excusing her. Rosalyne looked behind her at Kaeya. She knitted her brows, and that alone told Kaeya what he needed to know. The boy walked out of the office, somewhat annoyed at his failure.
"I hope you've been keeping extra tabs on the UA students." Rosalyne said, as she continued twirling her hair between her fingers. Diluc stood behind her, listening. "As we both know, no other country is to be trusted. We'll never know what these UA students have as their intentions for coming here. Why would such a prestigious school hastily send students to a country they know nothing about without even meeting Ningguang? Suspicious, right?" Rosalyne explained, lowering her hands and placing them on her lap. "Don't worry. I've taken as much possibilities as possible into account. Accompanying the exchange students will be the twins, they'll make sure that nothing goes wrong." Jean assured Rosalyne.
"Why do you trust these students so much? Aren't they outsiders as well? What guarantees they won't be in cahoots with them in the end?" Rosalyne inquired, fascinated by Jean's trust in Lumine and Aether. "I know them. I hope you won't question my choices. Besides, I have an idea about how UA would operate as I was a former student there. The most likely scenario would be that they'll want to gather intel, either out of pure curiosity or per orders." Jean explained. "We can select what we want them to know and what we would prefer to keep amongst us. And I believe the region that would need to hear this the most would be Snezhnaya. Don't you agree?" Jean finished, resting back on her seat.
"Don't worry, Ningguang had already spoken with the Tsaritsa about this to ensure everything goes smoothly. I believe Varka was also present during their meeting, so he should have a gist about what's happening." Rosalyne chuckled. "It's a shame he won't be witnessing Mondstadt's hospitality to the exchange students," Diluc sarcastically stated, walking towards the door. Jean sighed. She knew Diluc detested Varka's unprofessional attitude, and he never really liked Varka all that much to begin with. "I'll get going to help out. Good day." Diluc told them, not bothering to wait to hear a good bye from either of them. The door slamming shut behind him.
Rosalyne cleared her throat.
"Let's talk about more important matters right now. I have a few ideas the students can be doing during the festival, and I thought I should take your input and see if you'd be willing to allow the ideas to be included."
"Oh, of course! do tell me what you have in mind so we can evaluate this together."