Morning light streamed through the window, pooling on the wooden floor.
A soft breeze lifted the curtains, bringing in the cool air.
Kairo didn't open his eyes until the sun was already high in the sky.
He stretched lazily, a hint of leftover drowsiness in his eyes.
Memories of last night surfaced—
especially a certain "dark royal princess" crying and clinging to him halfway through.
He sighed lightly.
"...This girl is really weak and still insists on playing so hard," he muttered.
He got out of bed and opened the window.
Outside, Liyue Harbor was already fully awake—
busy streets, endless chatter, the same vibrant prosperity as always.
Then Kairo glanced toward the corner of the room—
Fischl was gone.
"Huh."
He blinked.
When did she leave?
She'd passed out from exhaustion last night—yet somehow woke earlier than he did.
He rubbed his neck, puzzled.
Just then, lines of text appeared in his vision again:
[Faced with the girl's joy, you chose Warm Hospitality.]
[Congratulations. Option 1 complete.
Reward obtained: Seele's Fate-path branch skill —[Butterfly Dance].
Activating it makes your movements like a dancing butterfly, leaving afterimages as you move. While in Butterfly Dance, your speed is increased by 15%.]
As the message faded, a surge of power flooded Kairo's body.
It was formless yet vast.
Like a light butterfly flitting through his meridians, drifting and looping freely.
He was used to receiving "Fate" powers now—
But this Butterfly Dance still felt quite different.
It was light, agile, and fluid—
like a soft breeze brushing his body, or countless glimmers flickering around him.
This was clearly Seele's style of power.
Kairo willed it to activate—
Shff.
His body vanished in an instant.
But his figure… still stood where he had been.
—No. That was an afterimage.
Kairo had already reappeared at the other side of the room.
At the same time, faint translucent silhouettes formed at different angles in the room.
It looked like several versions of him had stepped out at once.
"..."
He widened his eyes slightly, surprised.
He took a few deliberate steps.
Each time his foot landed, a shimmering trail was left behind—
like red-tinted butterfly wings fluttering through the air.
He was fast.
Very fast.
Where his old speed had been merely "enhanced human,"
Butterfly Dance had clearly elevated him into another league.
Within moments, the entire room was full of shifting afterimages.
If someone tried to target him now, they'd have trouble even figuring out which one was real.
If I stack this with Ripple and the other Fate powers…
"This skill is… really strong."
He took a slow breath, feeling the new power settle in, eyes shining.
In combat, this was borderline dream-tier movement technique.
Just looking at the echoes would be enough to confuse enemies, never mind the speed boost.
"Good name, too. Butterfly Dance…"
He let his thoughts run a bit further—
Ambushes. Sudden repositioning. Confusing bosses. Dodging AoE.
Yeah. This is Seele's Fate alright—light, elusive, and deadly.
He finally dispersed the power.
The afterimages faded, and the room returned to normal.
Recruiting girls and still getting stronger… these rewards really are getting better, he thought.
Satisfied, Kairo opened his door.
Sunlight warmed the inn corridor.
He stepped out, just in time to see another door down the hall open with a soft creak.
"Haaah—"
A soft yawn drifted out.
A blonde girl stepped out, rubbing her sleepy eyes.
Ying.
Kairo paused.
"You're awake this late too?" he asked.
Ying squinted against the light and stretched.
Her golden hair swayed gently; her expression had a rare, lazy softness to it.
She rubbed her cheeks and blinked.
"Feels like… I finally had a proper long sleep," she murmured.
"Like I made up for all the missed sleep from the past few days."
She rotated her shoulders and neck, radiating a relaxed, just-woke-up aura that was totally different from her usual composed traveler self.
"Guess you slept pretty deeply," Kairo remarked.
He knew her habits well.
As a seasoned traveler, Ying's alertness was usually razor-sharp.
Sleeping into late morning was almost unheard of.
Yet here they were; she'd slept past noon.
Ying's cheeks flushed slightly.
"The bed here is really comfortable," she muttered.
"Soft mattress, warm blankets… and Paimon bought some sleep incense last night. Maybe that helped."
She paused, then added:
"Or maybe it's just that we've been too tired. And we finally got to relax."
"Wouldn't be surprised," Kairo agreed.
He glanced toward another room.
Fischl and Barbara's door was half open.
No one inside.
"Eh? Where's Fischl?" Ying asked, noticing the same thing.
Before anyone could answer, Paimon floated out behind Ying with a huge yawn.
"I'm sooo hungry…"
She patted her round little stomach.
"Let's go eat! I'm dying!"
"Where are you dying?" Ying shot back dryly.
Paimon crossed her arms, glaring.
"How dare you question my hunger!? I've decided—I'm gonna pig out today!"
Kairo chuckled.
"Let's head to Wanmin Restaurant—no, wait. Better go to Third-Round Knockout," he said.
"Zhongli mentioned yesterday he has more to discuss. We arranged to meet there this afternoon."
"And if I'm right, Fischl and Barbara may already be there."
He remembered clearly:
Last night, while Fischl was still a trembling mess in his arms, he'd told her:
"I'm busy this afternoon.
If you want to find me, go to Third-Round Knockout."
It was the tavern closest to Liyue Harbor.
"Oh yeah!" Paimon perked up.
"But… how would Fischl know where to go?"
"I told her," Kairo said.
Then he paused, expression turning slightly odd.
"And my snow lion… she probably dragged it along too."
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