TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
===BREAK===
Shao Yun and his group left the Palais Mermonia, having just stepped out through the main gate.
Lumine stopped, planting her hands on her hips with a serious expression as she looked at Shao Yun and asked, "So, you're sure about this? You really want to go to that… what was it, the Hotel Bouffes d'ete?"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the waist pouch hanging at Shao Yun's side.
Shao Yun knew exactly what Lumine was getting at, so he cracked a joke and said, "Honestly, I'd rather just burn this thing and then insist he never gave it to me in the first place. What do you think?"
Of course, Lumine knew Shao Yun was only joking. Given his personality, he would definitely go as promised.
Thinking of that, Lumine couldn't help frowning, worry written all over her face as she said, "But we literally just parted on bad terms with Lyney and Lynette…"
Hearing this, Shao Yun sensed that Lumine didn't really want to go with him, so he asked curiously, "What, you don't want to come with me? I think that kid Teucer is pretty nice."
Lumine felt conflicted as well. She thought that if it were just a simple visit to see Teucer, it wouldn't be a big problem.
But then she imagined possibly running into Lyney and Lynette…
After thinking for a moment, Lumine shook her head and replied tactfully, "Um… I think Paimon and I still have more important things to take care of. We won't be able to go with you."
Without missing a beat, Shao Yun blurted out, "Like taking commissions? Why is it that even on vacation, all you think about are commissions… What's so great about doing those anyway?"
After saying that, he shook his head helplessly.
Lumine flashed a playful, cute smile and replied, "I was planning to practice the Hydro power I just recently obtained!"
Before her words had even finished, she lightly raised her hand, and in her fair, delicate palm, a wisp of clear, transparent mist slowly began to gather.
The mist gradually converged and fused together in her palm, eventually condensing into a small, crystal-clear ball of water.
Then she gently tossed the water ball, sending it straight toward Shao Yun.
Pa!
With a crisp sound, the water ball struck Shao Yun squarely in the face.
In an instant, cool droplets splashed everywhere.
Shao Yun froze for a moment, then instinctively raised his hand to wipe the remaining water from his face.
When he looked at Lumine standing nearby with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying the spectacle, he deliberately teased her in a slightly playful tone.
"Hehe, look at you—you got all that water all over my face!"
Hearing this, the expression on Lumine's face instantly became a little strange.
After all, she was no longer an innocent girl ignorant of such matters.
Shao Yun's seemingly casual remark made her feel a faint hint of ambiguity spreading through the air.
Lumine frowned slightly, a look of mild disgust appearing on her face as she said, "Huh? Why does that sound so weird?"
Shao Yun, however, teased her with a perfectly serious face. "What's weird about it? The water you made all ended up on my face."
The more Lumine listened, the stranger it sounded, so she hurriedly grabbed Paimon and left. After last night's exhausting ordeal, she still felt a dull ache down there—she was genuinely afraid Shao Yun might try something again right now!
"I'm leaving with Paimon first! Go find something to kill time on your own!"
Watching Lumine flee in a panic with Paimon in tow, Shao Yun smiled helplessly.
"Ah, can't even take a joke…"
…
Court of Fontaine: Vasari Passage, Café Lutece.
One of Fontaine's best cafés, second only to that noble restaurant—what was it called again, the Salon Caritat?
Shao Yun casually found a shaded seat and called out to the owner behind the counter, "Boss, one coffee please. With milk and sugar, thanks."
The owner, Arouet, replied, "Alright, coming right up."
After a while, Arouet came over carrying a steaming cup of richly aromatic coffee.
Not only had an appropriate amount of milk been added, but two sugar cubes floated inside as well.
He gently set the cup down on the table.
"Please enjoy."
Shao Yun nodded, then picked up the cup, swirled the liquid inside, and took a sip.
Mm… Fontaine's coffee wasn't all that different from Sumeru's.
With the milk and sugar added, much of the bitterness was neutralized, giving it a smoother overall taste.
Although coffee was known for its refreshing effects, that didn't mean it was some powerful stimulant.
After finishing the last sip, Shao Yun leaned back in his chair, sitting there idly as he passed the time without any clear purpose.
For some reason, a wave of drowsiness slowly crept over him.
Gradually, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Finally, Shao Yun lowered his head and dozed off.
While hovering between sleep and wakefulness, he vaguely sensed someone sitting down across from him.
Shao Yun opened his eyes to see who it was, but his vision was still blurry from just waking up.
A moment later, when he finally saw clearly who was sitting opposite him, his eyes widened in shock.
Clorinde was sitting quietly across from him!
Clorinde's beautiful yet cool face was completely expressionless. Perhaps unsure how to start a conversation with Shao Yun, she simply spoke calmly.
"I'm here."
Shao Yun could hardly believe his eyes. He rubbed them hard, even suspecting that he might be dreaming.
To make sure this wasn't an illusion, he reached out and pinched his thigh hard.
A sharp pain shot through him, making it clear this wasn't a dream.
Once he confirmed that, Shao Yun stared at Clorinde in astonishment.
"Did you need something from me?"
Seeing his reaction, Clorinde thought to herself that he must still be half-asleep, so she kindly reminded him, "You don't remember? You personally said last night that you'd invite me out for coffee."
With that reminder, realization dawned on Shao Yun's face, followed immediately by embarrassment.
It had only been an offhand joke—who would have thought Clorinde would actually take it seriously?
At this moment, a sense of helplessness welled up inside him. He instinctively pinched the bridge of his nose, leaned back in his chair, and gave a bitter smile.
"Ah… that's true, but I was really just joking last night…"
Clorinde froze for a moment, then disappointment showed on her face.
"Huh? You were just joking?"
However, looking at Clorinde already sitting in front of him, Shao Yun thought that since she'd come all this way, it wouldn't be right to send her off empty-handed.
With that in mind, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, it's fine. I'm not going to fuss over one cup of coffee."
As he spoke, Shao Yun raised his head toward Arouet behind the counter and called out loudly, "Boss, another coffee please! Extra milk and sugar!"
Arouet responded and swiftly prepared another steaming, fragrant cup of coffee.
He then carried it over steadily and placed it in front of Clorinde.
Clorinde looked at the coffee Shao Yun had ordered for her, nodded slightly, and thanked him.
"Thank you."
She picked up the cup and gently blew across the surface a few times.
Then she brought it to her lips and took a small sip, letting the rich, full-bodied flavor spread across her tongue.
At this point, Shao Yun, sitting across from her, asked casually, "So, how did you find me?"
Hearing the question, Clorinde slowly set her cup down, looked at Shao Yun frankly, and answered honestly, "There aren't many cafés in Fontaine. I got off work today and came here for the appointment."
Midway through her sentence, her expression suddenly turned a bit strange.
"But I really didn't expect that everything you said yesterday was just a joke…"
Shao Yun leaned back comfortably in his chair and teased, "So you really were curious about how Teyvat turns?"
Faced with his baffling remark, Clorinde frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Sorry, I don't quite understand what you mean."
Seeing that she hadn't understood at all, Shao Yun didn't mind. He waved his hand lightly and smoothly changed the topic.
"Alright, no worries. I was just saying it offhand. What would you like to talk about?"
Clorinde clearly wasn't very good at finding conversation topics. After thinking for a moment, she simply asked, "Um… then where are your wife and child right now?"
Shao Yun was momentarily stunned by the question, then gave a helpless smile and shrugged.
"Oh, you mean Lumine and Paimon? They're both great adventurers! Right now, they're probably taking on commissions."
"Or maybe they're off clearing the land, hunting for treasure chests and the like."
After hearing this, Clorinde asked with confusion, "You didn't go with them?"
Shao Yun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and began explaining.
"There's actually a reason for that. For me, work is work, and life is a completely different matter."
"And besides, Lumine and I often see things from very different perspectives."
"When we were in Liyue, there was that place called the Chasm. Back then, there was a girl there named Zhiqiong."
At this point, Shao Yun paused slightly, recalling those past events.
"Lumine and I had a pretty big clash of views because of Zhiqiong."
"My view was that since she was already prepared to sacrifice herself to explore the unknown and pursue a lasting legacy, we should respect her decision and wish her well, rather than interfere too much."
However, Shao Yun's tone shifted as he continued, "But Lumine didn't see it that way. She felt that Zhiqiong was our good friend—how could we just stand by and watch her walk to her death?"
"Sigh… ever since that incident, I completely gave up on getting involved in Lumine's day-to-day adventures. I don't want commission work to affect our relationship."
After listening to the whole story, Clorinde fell into deep thought.
After a while, she nodded thoughtfully, drawing on her own experiences as a Duelist, and said softly, "So that's how it is… choosing between honor and life…"
Shao Yun didn't want to continue talking about Zhiqiong.
He coughed lightly, changed the subject, and said, "Alright, now it's your turn to tell your story."
Hearing this, Clorinde was slightly taken aback.
"Huh? Are we exchanging stories now? Alright, no problem…"
…
As time passed, the sun gradually sank westward, and the sky was painted in brilliant sunset hues.
Shao Yun and Clorinde grew more and more absorbed in their conversation, and before they knew it, a long time had passed.
Shao Yun shared the story of how he once captured the leader of the Mondstadt Treasure Hoarders, known as "Raptor."
"In the end, that Mondstadt Treasure Hoarder leader, 'Raptor,' was dealt with by the Knights of Favonius. Unfortunately, I was held up by something and didn't get to see the final outcome."
After hearing his story, Clorinde said with admiration, "Capturing the leader of a criminal organization all on your own—you're impressive. You seem like you have the potential to become a Marechaussee Hunter."
Shao Yun caught the hint of an invitation in her words, but he simply shook his head and joked lightly.
"Haha, are you trying to recruit me? Sorry, but my life goal isn't to become a Fontaine civil servant."
"My biggest wish is just to own a ranch of my own. If I can achieve that, I'll be completely satisfied."
That said, Shao Yun didn't shut the door entirely.
"But if you have commissions, go to the Adventurers' Guild and specify Mister 'Tacitus Kilgore.' He might help you, provided the Mora reward is right."
Right after that, Shao Yun looked up at the sky and noticed it was getting dark.
Realizing it was getting late, he invited Clorinde, "Time really flies. I've enjoyed chatting with you—would you like to have dinner together?"
Clorinde froze slightly at his words, a hint of surprise on her face as she asked in confusion, "Hm? You're inviting me to dinner?"
She found it a little strange. After all, they had only just met, and he already had a wife and child—inviting her to dinner felt a bit…
However, Shao Yun didn't think too deeply about it.
After all, after having too much fun with Lumine last night, he was currently in what one might call a "sage time"…
"That's right. Lumine and Paimon would probably like to be friends with you. And since you'd be there, Paimon might restrain herself a bit while eating instead of wolfing everything down. I'm worried she'll ruin her stomach if she keeps eating like that every day…" Shao Yun explained seriously.
After hearing this, Clorinde felt a bit awkward.
So, he had simply been inviting her to a family dinner.
Thinking that, she found her earlier wild thoughts rather amusing, and even subconsciously raised her hand as if to slap herself.
What on earth was she even thinking about?
Soon, Clorinde regained her composure and asked calmly, "Oh, I see. Then may I ask where your wife and child are right now?"
Shao Yun scratched his neck and muttered softly, "Well… we'll have to ask Katheryne about that."
===BREAK===
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