"And then, it took people a long time to discover that the powder from a certain ore could burn in very, very beautiful colors."
Yoimiya's dad's storytelling skills weren't particularly sophisticated—in fact, they were rather childish, giving off the feeling of someone reading a fairy tale.
The old uncle held a cup of clear water in his hand, quietly listening to little Yoimiya's father talk about the birth of the Naganohara family's fireworks...
"Fireworks contain people's longing for the future..."
The storyteller had already immersed himself in his own world, while the old uncle's thoughts suddenly recalled something.
In the Genshin Impact storyline, Yoimiya seemed to have mentioned that her father had suffered hearing loss due to an accident...
I need to prepare for that. According to the information Rex Lapis gave me, there's a pretty good elemental application technique, and combined with the bit of handcrafted mechanism knowledge that Aunt Xianyun taught me...
It shouldn't be a problem to make a device that protects the ears.
The old uncle was multitasking. He glanced at little Yoimiya and little Eula beside him.
The two of them were listening with great interest...
But...
Why had little Eula already pulled little Yoimiya into her arms?
Did little Eula have a habit of hugging soft, fluffy things like this before?
At this moment, little Yoimiya hadn't noticed the old uncle's gaze. She was just obediently listening to her father tell the story while eating the food that little Eula was feeding her.
Then there was Kirara in her cat form, lying on little Yoimiya's lap. Though she was lying down, her ears were perked up, listening to the story very attentively.
Was this what they called "you hug me, I hug her"?
The old uncle silently added a few notes in his mind.
Sorry, Amber. The Eula from your family has gone and attracted another Pyro girl.
Let's see... the ones little Eula has attracted so far:
Little Hu Tao, little Yoimiya, little Yanfei, little Xinyan...
But it's fine. I believe Collei will comfort you properly.
This storytelling session finally ended when moonlight bathed the earth.
"Ah... It's been a long time since I've told a story so enthusiastically~"
Yoimiya's dad was extremely satisfied. In the end, he walked out of the restaurant with his arm around the old uncle's shoulders like old friends.
Hmm. Little Eula befriended little Yoimiya, and the old uncle befriended little Yoimiya's dad.
That doesn't seem right, does it?
This probably isn't the serious Genshin journey that I, the old uncle, wanted, right?
Shouldn't a normal Genshin journey be me carrying a system—and the system being Seele from Honkai Impact 3rd, the one who controls the power of life and death?
Then I activate cheats, ruthlessly using the Authority of the Herrscher of Death to fiercely revive all my departed friends.
Then save every regret, and along the way meet Hu Tao, Yanfei, Yoimiya, Furina, Citlali, and so on, ruthlessly building a massive harem...
In the end, system-Seele becomes the main wife, and I, the old uncle, live a shameless, indulgent life...
But now...
The old uncle looked at Yoimiya's dad, who hadn't drunk anything yet was acting drunk as he clung to him with an arm around his shoulder...
Hmm, maybe I should stop thinking about those weird wish-fulfillment scenarios for now. With my personality—full of lustful thoughts but no courage to act on them—I should just focus on crafting those protective headphones for big brother Ryūnosuke.
Make sure Yoimiya's dad wears the headphones obediently every day, so that one day little Yoimiya won't be heartbroken if something happens to her father's ears.
Though, living like this right now isn't bad either.
Saving regrets is just about saving regrets—it's not about expecting someone to devote themselves to you in return...
It's absolutely not that the old uncle is calling the grapes sour because he can't reach them. Yep, definitely not.
Just do the best I can.
As long as I have a clear conscience, that's enough.
Under the pure, bright moonlight, the old uncle reached out and gently patted the head of little Yoimiya, who was walking beside him.