Morning.
The sun had just begun its climb above the horizon.
Dazzling rays of light pierced through the mist rising off the sea, painting the entire ocean in shades of gold.
The water shimmered and danced in the clear morning light, and Liyue Harbor stirred awake from its slumber.
Wisps of cooking smoke curled lazily into the sky.
This particular morning in Liyue was unusually lively.
Long queues had formed at the doors of tea houses and bookshops alike.
One line waited for the tea houses to open — clutching yesterday's tickets, eager to watch the screening of Sword and Fairy.
Some had gone even further, having queued at the box office the night before to secure tickets for the following day.
The other line snaked around the bookshops, everyone jostling for a copy of today's new releases.
Outside Wanwen Bookhouse at that very moment.
"What a miserable life," a young man groaned. "Couldn't get screening tickets, skipped breakfast just to run here and buy books — and I'm still this far back in the queue. By the time I finally get my hands on a book, tomorrow's screening tickets will probably be sold out too."
"Uh, mate," said the shaven-headed young man behind him, "why didn't you go buy the screening tickets first, then come back for the novel? Think about it — tomorrow's tickets might sell out, but books won't. Buy the tickets first, then swing back here. Two birds, one stone, yeah?"
"Hiss… oh damn, you're absolutely right. Cheers, brother." The young man's face lit up with sudden understanding. He thanked the bald fellow, turned on his heel, and sprinted off toward the nearest tea house.
He wasn't the only one. A few other people ahead of him who had overheard the exchange took off running as well.
In one stroke, the shaven-headed young man had advanced several places in the queue.
A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He turned and tapped the person now in front of him. "Hey, have you seen the Sword and Fairy screening yet?"
"Yeah, I have. Why?"
"Then ask the people ahead of you if they have. If they haven't, tell them to go buy their screening tickets first and come back for the books later. That way we both move up a few more spots."
"Mate, you're a genius. I was wondering why those people behind us suddenly bolted — now it all makes sense. Hold on, I'll go ask right now."
Beyond those two, most of the crowd was buzzing about the new releases themselves.
"This batch of books is seriously heavy-hitting. No wonder the queue is this long even with the Sword and Fairy screenings drawing people away. Good thing I came out to queue right after drinking last night."
"Well, you've got Sword and Fairy 2 dropping — that alone is a bombshell. Then there's the latest volume of A Legend of Sword, a new volume of the Legend of the Lone Sword, and a whole slate of new releases from Inazuma, including the one I've been dying to read: Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts and Without My Glasses, I'm Drop-Dead Gorgeous."
"Speaking of Sword and Fairy 2 — Old Thief Fang Qiu's books are brutal, but you can't deny she churns them out fast, and every single one is top-tier quality."
"You know, ever since Old Thief Fang Qiu showed up, every other author has kicked it into high gear. That one guy who used to spend his days loitering downstairs giving unsolicited advice to the old men playing chess — nearly got smacked with a bench for it — he hasn't been seen in over a month, and yet he's got a new book out this very release cycle."
"Are you sure he's not just hiding from that old man?"
"But jokes aside, a ton of popular authors have put out new volumes this cycle. Used to be you'd wait two or three releases just to get one volume from each of them. Fang Qiu's output must have scared them all into working harder."
"It really has. But her showing up hasn't just motivated the authors — it's also made the queues a whole lot longer. If my coworker finds out I swapped shifts with him just to stand in line for books, he's going to kill me."
"Buy him a set of the Sword and Fairy series and he'll forgive you in a heartbeat. Who in the world could say no to a story written by Old Thief Fang Qiu?"
"Aren't you basically telling me to repay his kindness with a punishment?"
"Sword and Fairy 2… I'm so excited to see what kind of story Old Thief Fang Qiu has written this time."
"Whatever it is, I've already made peace with walking straight from Wanwen Bookhouse to the nearest tavern the moment I'm done reading. She's put me through the wringer a thousand times over, and I still love every word she writes like it's my first crush. Can't help it — she's just that good."
"Ever since 5 Centimeters Per Second, I've stopped trusting Old Thief Fang Qiu. As long as I go in bracing myself to suffer, I figure I'll come out the other side without feeling too wrecked."
"Really? I don't believe you for a second."
Just as the crowd was deep in discussion, a commotion rippled through the front of the queue.
Wanwen Bookhouse had opened its doors.
"Shopkeeper, I'll take one copy of Sword and Fairy 2, one copy of The Speed of a Swinging Blade is Five Meters Per Second, one copy of Warriors of Love, and — wait, what's this one? My Secret Story with Lord Kamisato Ayato? Mm… I'll take that one too."
"Three copies of Sword and Fairy 2 for me, one copy of Without My Glasses, I'm Drop-Dead Gorgeous, and one copy of Think My Punch, Backed by Twenty Years of Cultivation, Can't Stop You?"
The bustle continued without pause.
Meanwhile, at the back of the queue, two young women stood together.
One wore robes of flowing blue, her slightly tousled hair draped loosely behind her, a pair of black-and-red horns adorning her head.
The other was dressed in violet, her hair styled into two tufts that, from a distance, looked remarkably like a pair of cat ears.
Quite a few people nearby had recognized them — the Chief Secretary of the Qixing and Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing herself.
"I'm really looking forward to it," said one of them. "I wonder what kind of story Miss Fang Qiu has written this time."
"Me too. Work has finally let up a bit — I'm giving myself a proper day off today to sit down and actually read her new book."
"By the way, Keqing, did you manage to catch the Sword and Fairy screening that Lady Ningguang produced?"
"I was busy wrapping up the shipyard work yesterday. I was planning to find a free moment to see it in a couple of days."
"We should go together then. I wonder if Miss Fang Qiu has seen it yet — it would be lovely if we could invite her along."
"Actually, since we both happen to have the day off today, why don't we invite her to join us for a reading outing?"
"That sounds wonderful — though, with a queue this long… will it be too late by the time we've bought our books?"
"That's a fair point…"
Just as they were puzzling over this, two young women came jogging toward them, arms full of books, faces a little flustered.
"Lady Ganyu, Lady Keqing — are you here to buy Sword and Fairy 2?"
"We are, yes." Keqing gave a small nod.
"Then please, take these two sets — they're for you."
The two girls held out the books and offered them over.
"We couldn't possibly." Keqing shook her head. "What will you do without them?"
"Please don't worry — our partners bought copies too. We'll each read together with them. Lady Keqing and Lady Ganyu give so much of yourselves to Liyue Harbor every day. This is just a small token of our appreciation."
"And honestly, the four of us only came to know each other because Lady Ganyu and Lady Keqing bought Fang Qiu's books in the first place. We started reading, met at a book club, and that's how we found our partners and our friends. So this is really a thank-you gift, in its own way."
The two girls said this with flushed cheeks and bright smiles.
Without waiting for Keqing or Ganyu to respond, they pressed the books into their arms, turned, and jogged back to their partners. They linked hands with them affectionately, waved a cheerful goodbye to Ganyu and Keqing, and disappeared down the street.
"I suppose we have no choice but to accept," said Ganyu, watching them go with a gentle smile. "Though Keqing, you really are thoughtful — slipping Mora into their pockets while their backs were turned. And twice the going price, too."
"It's simply an even exchange," Keqing replied, shaking her head. "As a member of the Liyue Qixing, it wouldn't be right to accept gifts from the people without settling the account — even a gesture of goodwill. Those tasks were nothing more than doing my job."
"Well then, shall we be off? Though — I do wonder if Miss Fang Qiu will be home."
Clutching their books, the two of them set off toward Fang Qiu's residence.
At that very moment.
Fang Qiu was curled up in a most contented state inside Jumpy Dumpty — the oversized round cushion — wearing the nightdress that Sister Ying'er had gifted her, lazily turning the pages of a book.
Tingyu, equally drowsy, was nestled snugly against her stomach and between her legs.
On the writing desk nearby sat a plate of pastries and a cup of something warm.
"New release days are definitely safest when you stay home," Fang Qiu said to no one in particular, stretching luxuriously. Her slender frame unfurled in the cool morning air — and given the way she was draped across the cushion, most of her skin was left bare to the world, particularly her long, fair legs.
Heavenly.
She loved a good lazy morning like this.
If only it would rain — curling up at home, listening to the patter of raindrops while reading a book… there was no greater pleasure.
Just as she was about to turn the page, a knock sounded at the door.
Along with it came a soft, gentle voice.
"Excuse me — is Miss Fang Qiu home?"
Fang Qiu startled at the sudden sound.
That was…
Lady Ganyu's voice?
What was she doing here this early in the morning? Was something urgent?
Well — better get changed and answer the door.
"Just a moment, I'll be right there!"
The words had barely left her mouth when a sudden, strange sensation shot through her lower body.
She felt herself give an involuntary shiver.
"Tingyu — stop kicking — mmh… ah—"
She looked down. When the knock had startled her, the commotion had thrown Tingyu off balance. As the cat scrambled to right herself, one hind leg had shot clean between Fang Qiu's lightly closed thighs — and was now firmly stuck there, wriggling vigorously in an attempt to break free.
Fang Qiu quickly set down her book and eased her legs apart just enough to release her. The moment she relaxed her grip, Tingyu bolted.
Before Fang Qiu could even exhale with relief, she felt a sharp constriction at her chest. In her frantic bid for escape, Tingyu hadn't scratched her — but the cat's paw had snagged the clasp of her nightdress on the way out.
"Ah…!"
The sudden tightness made Fang Qiu's entire body jolt. A strange, involuntary sound slipped past her lips before she clapped a hand over her mouth, her pale face flushing crimson on the spot.
"Miss Fang Qiu? Are you alright?" Ganyu's voice drifted through the door.
"I — I'm fine, just a moment," Fang Qiu managed, voice slightly strangled.
She reached for the clasp at her waist, intending to loosen the tight band across her chest — but when she pulled, nothing happened.
The nightdress remained locked in its death-grip.
"Don't tell me it's broken…?"
Cold sweat prickled at her skin. Of all the times for this to happen.
Fang Qiu picked up Tingyu and set her aside, then tugged carefully at the fabric again. The nightdress didn't budge a single thread.
There was nothing for it — she would have to wrestle her way out of the thing.
She absolutely could not go to the door with a nightdress cinched around her chest like a corset. That would be deeply weird.
Under normal circumstances, a person could simply slide a hand between the nightdress and their body, wedge into the gap where the clasp had locked, and force it open.
She tried. Her fingers wedged in — and barely moved the fabric a fraction of an inch.
That was nowhere near enough to pull it off.
Wretched, fragile constitution. She couldn't even muster the strength for this.
Or — just how tight had Sister Ying'er made this thing…?
What was she supposed to do? She couldn't just leave Lady Ganyu standing out there indefinitely.
Ask Ganyu to come in and help? That would make her look absolutely hopeless.
She was still at a complete loss when — with one final, desperate yank — the nightdress gave a soft sound and all at once went slack, releasing its grip on her entirely.
Fang Qiu nearly wept with joy. She stripped off the offending garment, tossed it aside, and pulled a pale moon-white dress from the wardrobe instead. She threw it on, tidied herself up in the span of a few frantic seconds, then dashed to the front door and pulled it open.
She had barely turned the handle when she felt a hand settle gently against her chest.
Standing before her was Keqing.
"Hm?"
Fang Qiu blinked, her mind slow to catch up. But her body was already ahead of her — still sensitive after the nightdress ordeal, her chest reacted on its own, a faint tremor running through her.
"I'm so sorry — I was about to knock and ask if you needed any help, and then you opened the door at exactly that moment." Keqing withdrew her hand immediately, looking apologetic.
"It's alright." Fang Qiu shook her head, her cheeks a faint shade of pink. "By the way, Lady Keqing, Lady Ganyu — is there something I can do for you?"
"Well," said Keqing, with a small smile, "Ganyu and I both happen to have a rare day off today, and it just so happens your new book is out. So we bought copies and thought we'd see if you'd like to join us — a little three-person reading gathering at that Mondstadt-style dessert shop down by the waterfront."
"Would you be interested, Miss Fang Qiu?" Ganyu asked.
As she said it, Ganyu found herself quietly puzzled. Miss Fang Qiu had been the one to open the door — so why had her face already been faintly flushed before Keqing's hand even made contact?
"Of course." Fang Qiu smiled.
Looking at the several copies of Sword and Fairy 2 tucked under their arms, every part of her wanted to decline — but she couldn't, really.
Setting aside the fact that she genuinely got along well with both Ganyu and Keqing: going out for tea and reading together wasn't a bad way to spend a morning.
As long as the reading material wasn't her own work…
She still remembered the look Bai Qing had given her over those pages.
The reason she'd been hiding at home was precisely to avoid exactly this kind of situation. She hadn't expected home to stop being safe so quickly.
But then again — consider who was asking.
One was the Chief Secretary of the Qixing — the central hub of Liyue's entire administrative apparatus.
The other was Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing, a figure of considerable power and standing.
When two people like that showed up at your door with an invitation, there were very few people in Liyue who could turn them down — the Traveler and Paimon, perhaps, given their recent record of defeating a wind dragon, punching a sea god, and going toe-to-toe with the Raiden Shogun. But aside from them?
How could she possibly refuse?
"Today's a good chance to recharge before things get hectic again. It's going to be non-stop from here," Keqing said, glancing out toward the vast expanse of sea stretching into the distance. A quiet sigh escaped her, and something like worry flickered briefly through her eyes.
"Is something the matter out at sea?" Fang Qiu asked, puzzled.
"Miss Fang Qiu, Keqing — we should get moving," Ganyu said, cutting in gently with a small cough. "Or we won't be able to find seats."
"She's right, let's head out." Keqing shook her head and smiled, letting the moment pass.
And so the three of them set off together toward the waterfront.
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