Morning came, and the sun rose as usual. Still fast asleep, Su Bai was completely unaware that Hu Tao had taken Zhongli and Zhongtuo to Tsurumi Island bright and early. Lumine, eager to take on simple but high-paying commissions, had woken up even earlier than Hu Tao. If Katheryne did not need sleep, she probably would have been cursing at this ungodly hour.
Bang, bang, bang!
"Who is it? Banging on the door this early in the morning instead of letting people sleep."
The urgent knocking kicked Su Bai right out of his dream. After grumbling a complaint, the groggy Su Bai stumbled downstairs to open the door.
Su Bai had just reached the first floor and had not even asked who was there when, with a loud crash, a foot burst through a hole in the door, appearing right in front of him.
"I must still be dreaming. But why am I still so tired in my dream?"
Su Bai was startled by the sight. Not fully awake, he subconsciously assumed he was still dreaming. But before he could rub his eyes to confirm, the front door was smashed into splinters, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
This completely threw Su Bai off. But soon, his anger flared up. Damn it, he had only been back in Inazuma for a day and someone already dared to smash his door. Did they really think he was a soft target?
Waking up with a foul mood, Su Bai gathered Electro energy in his hands. Without a second thought, he hurled several Electro orbs directly at the doorway. Accompanied by a miserable scream, the smoke gradually cleared. Su Bai walked up to the door, wanting to see exactly which bastard had the guts to smash his door.
"You little thief, daring to sneak attack me! Let me teach you a good lesson!"
Hearing the familiar voice and the boastful tone, Su Bai's mouth twitched. Looking at the charred black lump in front of him, he asked uncertainly.
"Are you... Itto?"
"That's right, it's me! Since you know my name, thief, you better... hey, wait, Su Bai??? Why is it you? Where's the thief? Did you already catch him?"
Seeing Su Bai standing inside the house, Itto was clearly stunned. Hadn't Genta said a stranger was coming in and out of Su Bai's house? Why was Su Bai inside too?
"I will explain all this to you later. Are you alright, Itto?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I didn't expect you to get so strong, Su Bai. No, I need to start training too when I have time."
"Let's not talk about that right now. Sit down and let's chat."
Su Bai looked at the completely destroyed door and sighed softly.
Well, I guess I have to go buy a new door later. At least the lock wasn't broken, otherwise Lumine and the others wouldn't be able to get in tonight.
Through Itto's explanation, Su Bai roughly understood what happened. It turned out that while buying breakfast, Genta saw a stranger coming out of Su Bai's house. Thinking a thief had broken in, he hurriedly told Itto. Hearing that his good bro's house was robbed, Itto grabbed his weapon and rushed over to give the thief a good beating.
"Mainly, I didn't expect you to suddenly come back. But since you're back, I won't be bored anymore, hahahaha."
"Wait, Itto, you aren't expecting me to let you build a new door, are you? That's not a bad idea. I've actually never built a front door before, so today is a good day to try."
"...Forget it. I will just go buy one myself. It won't cost much Mora."
"That won't do! If I succeed, I can sell wooden doors in the future to earn some pocket money, hahahaha."
Su Bai rubbed his messy hair. To prevent his front door from becoming the subject of gossip, he was definitely going to buy one. Seeing Itto lost in his fantasies, Su Bai decisively changed the subject.
"Alright, alright, as long as you're happy. Itto, how have you been doing lately? You haven't been letting the Arataki Gang go hungry, have you?"
"Hey, hey, hey, Su Bai, I don't like the way you're phrasing that. What do you mean letting the Arataki Gang go hungry? You are an unofficial member of our gang, so don't be so distant."
"Besides, am I, Arataki Itto, the kind of boss who lets his underlings starve? Let me tell you, the Arataki Gang has developed very quickly over the past two years. I won't say we have meat at every meal, but we can at least have a meat dish every day."
"Since when did Roasted Lavender Melon count as a meat dish? Is that the latest trend in Inazuma?"
Su Bai handed Itto a tissue, signaling him to wipe the Roasted Lavender Melon crumbs off the corner of his mouth. The years of brotherhood made Itto subconsciously wipe his mouth. Looking at the melon crumbs on his hand, Itto gave an awkward smile. It seemed his words lacked any credibility at all.
At the same time, Itto was a bit regretful for agreeing to taste-test Shinobu's newly invented Slime Condensate Lavender Melon. Now look what happened. Not only did it taste weird, but it also made Su Bai misunderstand and think they weren't eating well.
Itto's unconfident smile reminded Su Bai of the early days when the Arataki Gang was first established. Back then, including Itto, the gang only had four members in total. Yet, those four couldn't even keep their stomachs full. If Su Bai hadn't found excuses to treat them to meals every day back then, they would have genuinely starved for nine meals out of every three days.
"Alright, Itto, you don't need to say anymore. Let me help the Arataki Gang find a job. As the boss, you at least need to make sure your underlings have enough to eat."
Su Bai advised him earnestly. Itto knew Su Bai had definitely misunderstood, but he wasn't the type to be good with words. After trying to explain and seeing Su Bai still giving him an "I get it, I get it" look, Itto simply gave up explaining. He decided to take Su Bai to see the current state of the Arataki Gang.
"Since you don't believe me, Su Bai, come on. Let's go take a look at the current Arataki Gang, and you will understand everything."
"Let me tell you, ever since Shinobu joined the Arataki Gang, the things we do aren't just delivering letters anymore. In Shinobu's words, we are an odd jobs agency."
"Now the Arataki Gang's income is quite good. Don't go back at noon today, Su Bai. Let's have a good drink, just the two of us brothers. If that guy Ayato wasn't so busy, the Three Heroes of Inazuma would definitely have to gather for a drink."
...
On the street, Itto had his arm around Su Bai's shoulder, acting like they were the best of bros. Su Bai was already used to the confused looks from passersby. After all, with a social butterfly like Itto around, anyone hanging out with him would become the center of attention. This was something even Su Bai and Kamisato Ayato could not avoid.
Along the way, Itto told Su Bai about the development of the Arataki Gang over the years. Hearing Itto speak so earnestly, Su Bai finally believed what he had said earlier. After all, if this nearly brainless guy was actually lying, Su Bai would have been able to tell in an instant.
"Up ahead is the Arataki Gang's base. Come on, Shinobu happens to be free today, so I can introduce her to you. Speaking of which, Shinobu even studied abroad in Liyue. She might even know some of your acquaintances."
"Oh? People who can study abroad in Liyue either come from wealthy families or have a certain level of talent. It seems this Shinobu belongs to the latter. Not bad, Itto. You actually managed to rope such a talented person into the Arataki Gang. If Sara finds out about this, she's definitely going to regret missing out on such talent."