This evening, having finished her work (to be precise, having finished the beginning of an article), Lovia decided to go for a swim in the sea.
As a Melusine, the water was the domain where she truly felt at ease.
Although Liyue's seawater wasn't as clear as Fontaine's, it had its own unique charm, providing a great relief from the exhaustion of days spent writing at her desk and the psychological pressure of creating certain articles.
(Xiao: Disrespectful to the Adeptus!)
She carefully confirmed no one was around and changed into a modified, child-sized simple swimsuit in the small shack.
Calling it a swimsuit was generous; it was really just some waterproof fabric wrapped around key areas. Besides, even as a Humanoid Melusina, she still differed from humans. Ordinary human swimsuits didn't fit, so she had to modify it slightly herself.
She carefully folded her signature oversized hooded cloak and placed it on her small bed before walking to the shore outside the shack.
With a soft "plop," the petite blue figure slipped silently into the water like a fish, disappearing quickly after a small splash.
As the cool seawater enveloped her body, Lovia let out a comfortable sigh, her whole being relaxing. Her tucked-away wings and tail naturally unfurled slightly underwater, allowing her to swim forward with greater agility.
With a gentle stroke of her slender limbs, she moved smoothly through the seawater, creating fine, silent currents. Her tucked wings and tail acted like fins, allowing her to easily adjust her direction as she glided through the deepening waters.
Diving had become her favorite way to relax after becoming a Melusine. But even though her body was so well-adapted to the water, deep in her heart, her human soul remained tightly wound by a string called breathing.
Every time she submerged, fears and habits born of human instinct would quietly surface: holding her breath, counting the time. When her chest began to feel slightly tight, she would quickly surface, breaking the water to inhale the salty, fresh air.
It had almost become a mental shackle.
Lovia had vaguely noticed before that this body didn't seem to urgently need such frequent breaths. Once, she had even been so captivated by the wondrous scenery on the seabed that she far exceeded her self-imposed "safe time," yet she felt none of the expected pain of suffocation—only a mental nudge like, "It's been a while since I breathed; should I take a breath?"
But the fear of "drowning" was deep-rooted, making her afraid to truly test it.
Until not long ago.
She had been attracted by a cluster of colorful coral, weaving carefully between the reefs to get a closer look at a stalk of purple seagrass swaying in the current. Perhaps she was too focused, for as she backed away, her knee slammed into a sharp-edged reef.
"Ugh!"
Sharp pain shot through her instantly. She subconsciously opened her mouth to cry out and took a sharp breath through her nose. By her habitual way of thinking, this should have been catastrophic; cold seawater would immediately flood her throat and trachea, bringing terrible coughing and suffocation.
However, the expected drowning did not happen.
There was no pain from water frantically rushing in, no burning sensation of lungs being flooded.
There was only the cool, refreshing feeling of seawater flowing through her mouth and nasal cavity, a sensation that replaced the anticipated pain. It was just like on land, where you open your mouth and the air flows through naturally and unhindered.
Lovia was stunned, even temporarily forgetting the pain in her knee.
She took another tentative breath.
It wasn't the feeling of air being sucked into lungs, but more like a fresh stream of oxygen-rich water being drawn into her body, passing through channels she didn't even know she had to efficiently complete the gas exchange.
A complete "breath" unlike anything she had ever experienced in the water.
No discomfort, no obstacles, only a natural smoothness.
At that moment, it felt as if an invisible barrier in her mind shattered with a "crack."
That was the last and strongest barrier between her human perception and her Melusine body.
So... it really is possible.
A Melusine really can breathe freely in the water, just like a fish.
At that time, savoring the shock and freedom brought by this new knowledge, she no longer intentionally held her breath. Instead, she relaxed her entire body, including her long-tense throat and chest, allowing her body's instincts to take over.
The seawater flowed gently over her cheeks. She clearly felt the water enter through a special place, bringing the oxygen needed for life and quietly carrying away the waste gases.
It was an incredibly wonderful feeling, as if she were born to be here, completely integrated with this blue expanse.
The final bond was unfastened. She was no longer a "land-dwelling visitor" who needed to carefully calculate time, but had truly returned to the embrace of the ocean.
Beneath the sea was her true freedom... At this moment, Lovia moved comfortably through the seawater, feeling incredibly relaxed.
Sometimes she dove deep to observe the colorful corals and small fish; other times she surfaced, meeting the golden fragments scattered by the setting sun's afterglow, feeling the cool evening breeze brush against her wet hair and antennae.
Completely immersed in this long-awaited joy, she unknowingly swam a distance along the coastline, moving away from the noisy docks of Liyue Harbor and arriving at a relatively secluded bay.
The area was filled with jagged rocks and dense bushes grew along the shore, making it very quiet.
Feeling a bit tired from swimming, Lovia slowed down and began to tread water gently, letting her body drift with the ripples.
She wiped the water droplets from her face and shook her hair. Her soft blue antennae, wet from the water, appeared even more crystalline and translucent, swaying gently and unconsciously.
Lovia looked around, admiring the uninhabited wilderness, feeling her mood become exceptionally pleasant.
"As expected, the water is the most comfortable..." she murmured softly, completely unaware that in the shadows of the bushes on the shore not far away, a figure had appeared at some point... After parting with Chongyun today, Xingqiu had a sudden whim to find a quiet place to study his newly acquired Sword Manual. Remembering that this bay was rarely visited and had good scenery, he strolled over.
He had just sat down on a flat reef by the shore and was about to compose himself when he suddenly heard the sound of splashing water.
He instinctively looked up and saw a petite figure breaking the surface of the sea not far away.
The golden-red light of the setting sun spilled over the sea, outlining the figure's silhouette. Though small in stature, it was definitely not a human child.
Wet blue hair clung to her forehead and the sides of her neck, but the most eye-catching features were the soft blue antennae trembling slightly in the sunset and a small tail swaying gently.
Although most of it was submerged, the non-human tail was occasionally visible as she moved.
Xingqiu froze instantly, his hand clutching the Sword Manual tightening instinctively.
This figure... and those unique features... Immediately, the memory of that small, tightly wrapped figure from the Stationery Store a while ago surfaced in his mind. Back then, Chongyun had spoken to her, causing her to knock over a shelf in a panic and finally reveal her startling true appearance.
A Melusine! It's that Melusine!
She's actually here... swimming?
Xingqiu almost held his breath, his eyes, which were usually full of smiles, now filled with shock and unbelievable curiosity.
He watched her frolic in the water like a happy little fish, her movements light and natural, a far cry from her clumsy fall on land—she was like a different... Melusine.
Those antennae moved nimbly on the water's surface, sometimes dipping under and sometimes bringing up fine droplets that sparkled in the setting sun.
He saw clearly that, having shed all her disguises, she looked so at ease and happy, as if this was how she was meant to be. She was completely different from the nervous, frightened little thing in the Stationery Store who tried to hide herself in oversized clothes.
Xingqiu's heart beat slightly faster for some reason—not from shock, but from being moved by this harmonious natural beauty.
He recalled the records of "Clear Lake Spirits" in ancient books and felt there could be no description more fitting than the scene before him.
He instinctively leaned forward slightly to get a better look, but his foot accidentally loosened a small pebble on the shore.
"Clatter..."
The pebble tumbled into the water with a soft sound.
Lovia, who was floating relaxedly in the water, was startled. Almost by instinct, she instantly dove under, leaving only a circle of fine ripples.
Xingqiu thought to himself, "Oh no."
After a few seconds, Lovia cautiously poked her head out of the water a bit further away from Xingqiu. With water still on her face, she looked toward the source of the sound on the shore with panicked eyes.
Then, her gaze collided head-on with the apologetic and intensely curious look of the blue-haired boy on the reef.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze.
Lovia's brain went "buzz," and instantly went blank.
Xing... Second Miss Xingqiu?!
Why is he here?!
How much did he see?!
When did he get here?
Countless question marks hit her nerves like a tsunami. The extreme shock and embarrassment made her whole body freeze, even forgetting to submerge to hide.
In the sunset, she could see the unmistakable look of astonishment on Xingqiu's face, and his eyes quickly shifting from curiosity and inquiry to surprise.
I'm doomed, doomed, doomed! Exposed a second time! And this time in the water!
Almost... semi-naked?!
Even though Melusine aesthetics are different from humans, she knows how humans see it!
Lovia's cheeks instantly burned, though fortunately it wasn't visible while she was soaked in the water. She instinctively shrank back into the water, leaving only her eyes exposed.
Xingqiu looked at the jade-green eyes in the water, filled with "shock, embarrassment, and confusion," and those slightly trembling antennae. At this moment, the furry antennae seemed to be stretched straight from fright.
Xingqiu immediately realized he had frightened her again.
He quickly stood up, trying his best to put on a smile that was as friendly and non-threatening as possible. He waved at Lovia in the water and spoke in a gentle tone, attempting to ease the awkward situation.
"Uh... G-good evening? Miss Luvia? What a coincidence to meet again. Is the seawater in Liyue... to your liking?"
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