"Since you two are so determined to fight, fine. I'll take you somewhere private and let you do it," Ryou said.
He grabbed Keqing with one hand and Tabibito with the other, then pulled both of them straight into his pocket world.
Nearly half an hour later.
Ryou came back out carrying Tabibito in his arms. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she clung to him with both arms, looking utterly pitiful.
"Bad man... all you ever do is bully me."
"And you even hit me like that right in front of Keqing. I've lost all my dignity..."
"Who told you to start fighting with her?" Ryou said, giving the back of her head a light smack.
"Ow, that hurts!" Tabibito blinked her big eyes and looked even more wronged.
"Alright, alright. I'll treat that for you." Ryou rubbed the sore spot and let spiritual energy flow into her to heal it.
He had already noticed that spiritual energy, when combined with his Level 5 medical skill, could handle most injuries. His actual medical skill might still be a little rough around the edges, but spiritual energy made up for a lot.
He carried Tabibito into her room, set her down on the bed, and tried to stand up again.
The moment he did, she grabbed his arm.
Seeing how pitiful she looked, Ryou could only sit back down and comfort her gently.
Then Tabibito remembered something and looked up at him.
"At Angel's Share... why were you looking at me like that?"
Ryou sighed. "If you want to treat everyone, that's your business. It's only Mora."
"But you were wearing a skirt. Even with shorts underneath, it still wasn't a good look. Be more careful next time, alright?" Ryou said, glaring at her.
"Ohhh, so that's what it was." Tabibito broke into an "ehe" smile, wrapped both arms around his waist, and asked, "Were you jealous?"
"So I do have a place in your heart after all."
"You've always had a place in my heart."
"And what I said earlier wasn't just talk either. One hundred million Mora is enough to make a lot of people greedy."
"Stay close to me for the next few days. I can keep an eye on you."
"When we get back to Liyue Harbor, I'll get something for you. Once you have it, you'll be a lot safer," Ryou said, gently stroking her head.
"What thing?" Tabibito asked, squinting comfortably under his hand.
"Remember when Madame Ping told you her home was basically a teapot?"
"Well, there's a pocket world inside that teapot. As long as the teapot is outside, you can live in there whenever you want," Ryou explained.
"Oh, so that's how it works." Tabibito finally understood.
She slowly sat up, wrapped her arms around Ryou, and kissed him.
"You..." Ryou kissed her back and slowly helped her recover.
After a long, gentle exchange, Ryou held her in his arms a little longer, soothed her properly, and only then left the room.
When he returned to the pocket world, he found Keqing sitting on the bed with her arms crossed, glaring at him.
"Talk. What exactly is your relationship with Tabibito?"
"It's one thing for you to treat me like that, but why did you have to treat her like that too?"
"Have the two of you been fooling around behind my back?"
Ryou walked over to her and tried to pull her into his arms, but she slapped his hand away.
So he got more forceful instead, pulled her in anyway, and held her against his chest.
Seeing Keqing turn her face away from him, Ryou smiled. He did not kiss her lips first. Instead, he kissed her cheek, then her neck...
"D-Don't go any lower!" Keqing shivered all over. Goosebumps rose across her skin, and his kisses made her so tense that her whole body locked up.
"Keqing. You two were about to start throwing hands. Mona and Shenhe were both outside watching just now." Ryou smacked her on the backside once, then saw her turn around and look at him with watery, aggrieved eyes.
That sight made something inside Ryou heat up instantly, and he stared at her without blinking.
Keqing could clearly feel the change in him, and her whole face grew even hotter.
His breathing had turned much heavier, and the way he was looking at her now made her feel like a wild beast had fixed its eyes on her.
Keqing got a little scared and shook her head softly.
"I... I... I..."
...
[Ding! Keqing has obtained a Hydro Vision!]
Ryou: ???
Ryou was completely dumbfounded by the notification.
How had Keqing suddenly gotten a second Vision?
He looked at her and saw that she was not asleep, just exhausted. Even so, her eyes were still fixed stubbornly on him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"What exactly is your relationship with Tabibito?" Keqing asked through obvious exhaustion, still forcing herself to stay awake.
Ryou had not expected that to be what was bothering her so much.
He kissed her once, passed a bit of spiritual energy into her, and said, "I promise you, nothing happened between us. What I did just now was only because I had no other choice. Otherwise, you two really would have fought."
"Mmm... so that's all it was. Then that's fine. But... what's this?" Keqing finally relaxed.
A moment later, she felt something cool against her waist. It was round and smooth, and when she reached down to touch it, she found a Vision.
At first she did not think much of it.
Then she realized what she was holding.
"This is... a Hydro Vision!" Keqing stared at it in disbelief, then looked at Ryou. "Ryou, did you get a new Vision?"
"No. That one is yours," Ryou said, shaking his head.
Keqing looked completely lost. "But... I already have a Vision. And I didn't even... eh? I can actually use it?"
"How is this even possible?"
Ryou rubbed her head. "Don't think about it so much. I can tell you're exhausted. Go to sleep."
"Mmm... alright. But don't leave." Keqing hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear, "If you go, it'll feel like something's missing."
...
The next morning.
The moment Ryou opened his eyes, he saw Keqing turning the Hydro Vision over in her hand, obviously still trying to figure it out.
"You're awake?" she asked.
"This Vision definitely has something to do with you. Just like that weapon from before. I keep feeling there's some connection between the two."
Ryou froze for a second when he heard that.
That weapon had come from Furina.
Could it be this Vision had something to do with Furina too?
If Furina had really lost both a weapon and her Vision, Ryou would laugh himself to death.
Still, maybe he was overthinking it.
He shook the thought away.
"Don't think about it too much. Since it's yours now, just keep it with you." Ryou patted her head and glanced outside. "It's getting late. We still have something important to do."
"What is it?" Keqing asked.
"Even if all our paperwork is in order, it'll still be trouble if that ticket can't be accounted for properly."
"Then... who are you planning to give that ticket to?" Keqing asked, full of curiosity.
"A girl. I want to help her."
"What happened to her?"
"I want that one million Mora to go to her. And if possible, I want to try and help her see the world again," Ryou explained softly.
Keqing could hear how serious he was. She hugged him and said, "If I can help, then I want to help too."
"Keqing. This isn't something you should handle. Tabibito is the right person for it." Ryou stroked her cheek gently.
"She met the girl before while taking commissions in Mondstadt, and I only learned about her by chance myself."
"I see..." Keqing nodded.
Ryou stayed with her and talked for a little longer. Then the two of them got dressed and went outside.
The sun had already come up.
The moment they stepped out, they saw Tabibito waving at them.
Keqing felt irritated the instant she saw her, but once she remembered what the two of them had gone through the day before, her face heated up again.
Ryou sat down with Keqing, glanced around, and noticed that there were only a few people out on the street at this hour.
"Tabibito, I need your help with something," he said.
"What is it?" Tabibito asked, setting down her bag.
"I want you to deliver that ticket to someone for me. But do it naturally. Don't let anyone realize what you're doing," Ryou warned her.
Tabibito leaned in close and asked in a whisper, "Who?"
Ryou bent down and quietly spoke into her ear.
Tabibito paused, thought it through, and then said, "Oh, her. She really is pitiful. And I just saw Godwin."
"I've seen her boyfriend before. He was at Windrise, and he clearly wasn't with the Grand Master."
"Mm. Compared to the Mora, I care more about helping her. I want her to be able to see this world."
"Even if it's only for a little while, it would be enough. I can tell she really wants to see the world with her own eyes..." Tabibito said, thinking of Glory.
"Mm. Give her the ticket when the chance comes. I'll take care of treating her," Ryou said.
After breakfast, Ryou was just about to head to the market to buy food when he saw Albedo approaching with Klee and a few Mondstadters.
"Daddy!" Klee called out.
Ryou scooped her up at once. "What, Klee? Taking us out again today?"
"I'm Daddy's guide. Today we're going to Starfell Lake. We're going to blow up—no, go fishing!" Klee clapped a hand over her own mouth halfway through.
When she saw Ryou smiling at her, she assumed she had been caught and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, swaying back and forth.
"Daddy, fish are delicious, so it's worth it."
Keqing nearly choked when she heard that.
So all those stories had really been true.
Klee blowing up mountains and blasting fish really was an everyday thing.
Ryou rubbed Klee's head. "No rush. We ate a lot on Dragonspine yesterday, so we should stock up on supplies first."
"Klee, take us along, alright?"
"Okay!" Klee said brightly.
They headed toward the market. But when they reached a corner, they saw someone who looked like Albedo step out and block their way.
"Ryou, look..." Mona said from beside Keqing.
"What is it?" Keqing asked, confused.
"Keqing, did you forget already?" Mona whispered in her ear.
Then Keqing looked straight at the figure's neck.
The moment she saw there was no star-shaped mark there, her whole body tensed.
Could this be the fake Albedo?
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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