"Since we're all friends, there's no need to be so formal, Miss Chiori."
Nolan smiled as he spoke.
He wasn't surprised that Chiori knew who he was. After all, he had long since become a household name across Teyvat.
Seeing the affection notification pop up on his character panel, Nolan thought of the newly acquired ability that allowed him to view the potential of a girl's affection skills.
So, by linking Fischl's and Yae Miko's affection skills, he discreetly used it on Miss Chiori:
[Level: 69]
[Affection Skill Potential: Gold]
[Chiori: Geo Vision holder; renowned fashion designer from Inazuma; owner of the Fontaine Court clothing boutique "Chiori Boutique." Free-spirited personality, speaks bluntly, fears no authority. Her dream is to make her fashion brand "Chiori" popular across all of Teyvat.]
Level sixty-nine—already placing her among the powerful minority in Teyvat—and, as expected, her affection skill potential was indeed gold.
After all, as one of the rare individuals who had awakened a Vision, her potential was self-evident.
This meant that if Nolan had the chance to raise her affection to the maximum in the future, the affection skill he would obtain should be on par with those from the girls before her.
In other words, extremely powerful.
He also took a glance at Kirara—hers was gold potential as well.
"Water silkworm silk is rather delicate. It can't be exposed to the sun, can't be tumble-dried, and can't be ironed. Once it's soaked, it can only be left to dry in a cool, well-ventilated place. Otherwise, the moisture within the threads will evaporate completely.
"I happen to need it urgently lately. If I let it dry slowly, it would cause me some trouble, so you really did help me out quite a bit.
"As thanks, I can custom-make a set of clothes for you—no labor fee."
Chiori looked at Nolan as she spoke.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Nolan didn't refuse. Somewhat curious, he asked,
"By the way, water silkworm silk sounds incredibly precious, especially since it can't even be sun-dried. Even if it's made into clothing, maintaining it in daily life must be a hassle, right?"
After helping Kirara straighten her collar, Chiori's expression didn't change. She glanced calmly at Nolan.
"Don't worry. The clothes I'll make for you won't use that kind of fabric. It's basically only wealthy ladies who like to use it for undergarments."
"Uh… that's an unexpected yet somehow reasonable answer. Just hearing about it sounds refreshing—especially during the height of summer."
Nolan cleared his throat and didn't continue down the topic of women's private matters. Instead, he asked,
"Since you're making clothes, does that mean you need to take measurements and things like that?"
"Of course. Come over here."
Chiori led Nolan to the shop's measuring area. She picked up a soft measuring tape and gave concise instructions:
"Stand properly. Spread your arms."
"No problem."
Nolan followed her instructions, spreading his arms straight and standing still.
Chiori stepped closer and began measuring his height. Inevitably, Nolan caught a faint, uniquely feminine fragrance.
Height, chest, waist… and so on—the entire basic process was swiftly completed in Chiori's practiced hands.
After recording the data, she spoke to him in the same calm tone as ever:
"That's done. Come back in two days to pick up the clothes."
"Two days? That fast?"
Nolan remembered that Chiori still had to cut garments for those wealthy ladies' undergarments as well.
"Hehe, when Chiori is serious about cutting clothes, she doesn't use ordinary scissors. She uses a special tailor's blade—dual-wielding them, swish-swish, and it's done in no time!"
Before the usually aloof Chiori could speak, Kirara beside them laughed and explained.
"…What do you mean by 'dual-wielding blades'?" Chiori shot Kirara a glance. "Don't make me sound so crude."
"Not at all! When Chiori cuts clothes, she's actually very elegant!" Kirara waved her hands quickly, insisting that she hadn't meant it that way.
"Alright then, I still have things to take care of, so I'll be heading off first."
Nolan smiled and took the initiative to bid farewell.
For the time being, there didn't seem to be any further opportunity to gain affection here, so he didn't want to disturb Miss Chiori's work any further and risk annoying her.
"Ah, right—Chiori, I'll be heading off too. I still have other mail to deliver. I'll come find you again after I'm done."
Kirara suddenly remembered something and said.
After all, traveling all the way from Inazuma to Fontaine, there was no way she would be delivering just a single letter—otherwise the shipping costs would be absurdly high.
"Mhm." Chiori nodded.
Nolan walked out of "Chiori Boutique," with Kirara following close behind.
As if recalling something, he looked at Kirara and said:
"By the way, when you're delivering mail, you're bound to run into monsters and Treasure Hoarders. Most of the time they aren't much of a threat, but occasionally—like today—they can still cause trouble for your deliveries.
"How about I give you an ability? It'll make things a bit easier for you while you're on the job."
"Another ability?" Kirara asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, one that can block attacks."
Nolan briefly introduced Candace's affection skill, "Guardian." Logically speaking, as a courier, the most suitable ability for Kirara should have been "Interstellar Travel."
He had already given that to her before. It was just that Kirara chose to become a courier because she wanted to see more of the scenery along the way.
So she didn't use it very often.
Candace's affection skill was something he had just obtained, and giving it to Kirara now would be perfect for gaining her affection once more.
"You're giving me something so valuable again… I think I'll pass. I can handle small troubles just fine, and besides, I don't really have anything to give you in return."
Kirara said in surprise, then refused.
"It's fine. We're friends—helping each other is only natural."
Nolan wasn't surprised by Kirara's refusal. After all, when someone hasn't really done anything yet suddenly offers such a precious gift, it's hard to accept without feeling awkward.
So he simply went ahead and marked Kirara with "Guardian" anyway.
At the same time, Kirara received the feedback information from the "Guardian" skill and immediately said anxiously:
"Hey—w-wait, I told you there was no need…"
[Kirara Has Developed Good Feelings Toward You, Obtained 750 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (700/800)]
Despite what she said, she still developed affection for Nolan deep down.
Seeing Kirara looking a little embarrassed, Nolan knew when to stop. He smiled and said:
"This is something I can do very easily, so you don't need to feel bad about it. If you really feel awkward, just treat me to a meal sometime when you're free."
"That works. I'll come find you after I finish delivering the mail around Fontaine."
Kirara nodded firmly.
After that, she said goodbye to Nolan and went off to deliver parcels, while Nolan headed toward a nearby restaurant that looked pretty good. At the same time, he used the "Waymark" to notify Skirk—
telling her that she could come over now to teach him that mysterious "Star Abyss Power."
(End of Chapter)
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