Genshin Impact: Back From Teyvat - The Archon Follows Me Home!

Inazuma, Tenshukaku.

Beneath a cherry tree in the courtyard.

Soft pink petals fluttered down, but before they could touch the ground, their path was disrupted by a sudden gust of wind.

One of them landed in front of a little fox.

They're fighting again!

The gusts stirred up by the adults' sparring made the cherry trees sway gently, scattering petals everywhere.

I really don't get it—why do they fight almost every day?

And after fighting, they always make up like nothing happened. If this were a fox den, the weakest would've been bitten black and blue by now.

Springtime filled the courtyard with pink blossoms. The little fox loved this season—

Because she herself was pink too.

She blended in perfectly with the piles of petals swept up by the attendants. Thanks to this natural camouflage, she was rarely noticed.

Her gaze locked onto one of the adults.

The only male human among them.

He always had a way of conjuring up all kinds of delicious food out of nowhere—truly amazing! And of all the dishes, the fried tofu was her favorite!

Just thinking about the golden, fluffy tofu and its mouthwatering aroma made her drool.

She crouched low in the tall grass, even taller than herself, hiding her small body as she slowly crept forward.

She hoped the adults would keep fighting a bit longer—long enough for her to snatch the tofu from that bad guy.

This wasn't the first time.

Sometimes she won, sometimes she lost.

When she won, she'd snatch the tofu and bolt into a tree hollow or slip into a crack in the building. Other times, she'd dive into the warm, soft embrace of the purple-haired adult, who would protect her. And there were two of those!

But when she lost...

Just thinking about that bad guy's terrifying expression, his huge hand reaching out, and the wicked grin he wore while roughing her up...

It sent chills down her spine.

I must not get caught!!

Absolutely not—

She crept in even more carefully. The bad guy had placed the tofu on a nearby table, but as the fighting intensified, he moved farther away from it.

Perfect chance!

...

"Did you know cherry blossoms fall at five centimeters per second?"

"Lu Chen, what are you even talking about now?"

"Ahem, I meant to say—I can beat you in under five minutes. Give it up, you're no match for me!"

"Hmph." The Oni girl, her features delicate like the moon, lowered her sword tip to the ground.

"You always say weird stuff. Like cherry blossoms could fall that slowly."

"Hehehe~"

Her hands trembled slightly from the effort she'd put in. As proud as she was, even she had to admit it would be hard to surpass him now.

"Who's next?" Lu Chen scanned the crowd for another challenger.

"Ei? I heard your swordsmanship's improved again. Want to test it against mine?"

His gaze landed on a girl with purple hair.

Her face, beautiful as cherry blossoms, was filled with determination and focus.

"This technique I've been working on is still in its early stages. Next time, I'll beat you for sure."

A stunning woman with fox ears covered her mouth, laughing softly.

"If Chen hadn't cheated, Ei would've won already. Why do you always pull such dirty tricks in a duel?"

Lu Chen grinned, flashing his usual mischievous look.

"Winning is winning. Besides, I'm helping Ei! She's too rigid—I'm teaching her how to adapt! You get it, right~?"

The fox woman glanced at Ei, then rolled her eyes at Lu Chen.

"This guy always has a slick excuse for everything, and he never even blushes when he lies. Ei, you better not let him fool you later on."

Ei blinked at Kitsune Saiguu, not quite understanding what she meant by "later on."

Kitsune Saiguu saw her dazed look and sighed.

"Oh no, oh no. Our little Ei is so naive. That guy's totally going to take advantage of her. I need to get Makoto to keep a tighter leash on him..."

"What are you even saying..." Lu Chen held his forehead, exasperated.

The Oni girl sheathed her sword and looked at him with genuine curiosity.

"Honestly, you're so young and already the strongest in Inazuma. No one can beat you. I wonder what you'll become in the future. What do you do all day?"

"Obviously, I look for stronger opponents—until I become number one in all of Teyvat, maybe even take down that floating island in the sky." He pointed upward.

"You talk big every day and never get embarrassed." Kitsune Saiguu gave him a sidelong glance.

"I'm being serious!!"

While the adults chatted and laughed, the little fox crept closer to the tofu.

But this sneaky little creature—who thought no one had noticed her—had been seen by everyone long ago.

Watching her try to steal food had become a daily entertainment routine for them.

"Hey!" Sasayuri nudged in the fox's direction and whispered, "She's coming again!"

"Should we let her get it this time?" Everyone looked to Lu Chen.

If she never managed to steal the tofu, the game wouldn't be fun.

"Miko never learns..." Lu Chen eyed the rustling grass. As if such basic stealth could fool a courtyard full of top-tier warriors.

"Today..." He smiled cheerfully. "Let's give her a break. Didn't you see I left the tofu all the way over there?"

In the grass, the little fox peeked out, revealing her fluffy head and two sharp ears.

She was just a few steps away from the tofu.

The foolish adults still hadn't noticed her—or so she believed. Her eyes curved into crescent moons with glee.

Even though she was so close to the tofu, she stayed calm. She'd played this game of wits with that guy for a long time and knew just how cunning he was.

When she saw the adults start brawling again over who-knows-what, she knew—this was her moment!

Now!

A pink blur shot out, heading straight for the tofu on the table.

But suddenly, the courtyard fell silent.

The wind howled.

A looming black shadow blanketed the little fox. Every strand of fur stood on end.

She looked up in terror.

The bad guy towered over her like a giant, blocking out the sunlight. He wore a chilling grin.

"Hehehe! Kitsune Saiguu just scolded me! I'm in such a bad mood today! Guess I'll take it out on you!"

"Let me squish you! Hahaha! If you let me squish you all over, I'll give you tofu!"

"How's that sound?"

She didn't even have time to run. The guy moved too fast. His big hand was already gripping the back of her neck.

It was over.

The little fox squeezed her eyes shut in despair.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three...

But the rough handling she expected never came.

The air was unnaturally still—so still it was eerie.

Like the calm before a storm on Narukami Island.

She peeked open one eye and looked up cautiously.

The bad guy's face had gone dark in a way she'd never seen. He hadn't grabbed her. Instead, he and the others were huddled together, talking about something serious.

"Orobashi has suddenly launched an invasion from the east!"

"What?!"

"Where?!"

"Yashiori Island."

The little fox couldn't understand what they were saying. She only sensed that something had shifted. The tall, handsome Great Tengu had grabbed his weapon and rushed off with the soldiers.

The bad guy and his two lookalike masters stood beneath the cherry tree, talking for a long, long time. Their faces looked grim.

But no one tried to take the tofu anymore. The bad guy let her go.

Her greed rekindled, the little fox jumped onto the table, grabbed the tofu in her mouth, and ran.

There was no chase this time. It was like none of them cared anymore.

Though she finally got the tofu she'd longed for, the little fox couldn't help but feel… off.

Strange. She didn't feel happy at all.

That's why she remembered this day so clearly.

But back then, she didn't yet understand what that day meant.

It wasn't until later that she realized—

From that day forward, there were fewer and fewer adults in the courtyard.