Beside Kamisato Ayaka, the second boss, Navia, appeared very generous.
With her arms crossed and legs propped up, she leaned back in her chair, a smile playing on her lips.
For some reason, despite the darkness of the theater, she was still wearing sunglasses on her face.
Being naturally emotional, she couldn't withstand such an impact and had already donned her "misty sunglasses" early on.
Among the three bosses, only Hu Tao didn't cry; she still sat to the side with a smile on her face.
But was she truly not sad? Obviously not—she was simply better at controlling her emotions.
"Little Lucian, oh Little Lucian, if you write like this, when it's my turn for my story, this Hall Master might really not be able to hold it together…" Hu Tao muttered to herself.
"Such treatment of one's own child is utterly unreasonable," Cloud Retainer said, slightly irritated.
She had no children of her own, but she truly regarded Shenhe and Ganyu as her own daughters.
Seeing how Crucabena was so heartless toward both her biological and adopted daughters, Cloud Retainer's fiery temper flared up.
"Now, now, calm down," Guizhong said, patting Cloud Retainer's back to soothe her.
In contrast, Ping was relatively calm. Unlike the detached and otherworldly Cloud Retainer, as the Dust-Swept Waves True Monarch, she had seen both the goodness and the evil of humanity.
She loved humans, and even after witnessing their evils, she still loved them.
Kitsune Saiguu was the same. They both loved humanity, but not blindly or without discernment.
"What was that phrase Lucian used?" Kitsune Saiguu asked Yae Miko, who was beside her.
Yae Miko smiled and said, "A sense of powerlessness, like you can't reach out and intervene."
"Heh heh, exactly, exactly," Kitsune Saiguu nodded with a smile. As expected, Miko understood her.
"You're still laughing," Miko said, shaking her head helplessly.
This song had even resonated with Miko, who couldn't bring herself to laugh at all. Not crying was already a testament to her emotional stability.
"Of course I have to laugh," Kitsune Saiguu said, her smile unwavering.
She reached out to touch Miko's hair and ears. "After all, they did so much not to make us live on crying, right?"
Miko didn't resist Kitsune Saiguu's gesture and, as if answering an unasked question, said, "Well, I suppose I still want to die after you."
Her words weren't out of dissatisfaction but rather because she didn't want Kitsune Saiguu, who could live on smiling, to cry for her.
So, let me die after you, even if it's just a minute later.
Miko knew that feeling of heartbreak, and so did Ei. Neither of them wanted the other to experience it.
Kitsune Saiguu didn't respond. My little fox, still that same little fox.
But before getting too sentimental, she said, "Shouldn't you take your hand off now?"
Kitsune Saiguu tapped Yae Miko's hand with her fan—the small hand was resting on her tail.
Yae Miko was so much like her, perhaps even too much. Teasing her now was hardly a loss, but it made things more interesting.
"Huh? Is your tail that sensitive? You noticed that?" Yae Miko said with a playful tone.
"If your tail isn't sensitive, why do you hide it? Afraid your emotions will be seen through?" Kitsune Saiguu shot back with a smile.
The two foxes began their playful "battle of wits."
Beside the two foxes, Eula and Amber sat together.
A fallen white moonlight—what a powerful blow. Fortunately, Eula's white moonlight was sitting right next to her.
"Hmph, crying so sadly—do I need to comfort you?" Eula said, her eyes red but her tone defiant.
"Yes, waaah," Amber replied unceremoniously, throwing her arms around Eula.
"Eh!?" Eula hadn't expected Amber to hug her so directly. She froze, not daring to move, though her mouth protested, "You're getting my clothes dirty! I'll remember this grudge!"
Faruzan wiped her tears and, noticing that Shenhe beside her seemed completely unaffected, asked curiously, "Don't you feel sad?"
Shenhe blinked. "Sad? I do."
"Really…" Faruzan stared into Shenhe's calm eyes for a long time but couldn't detect any trace of sadness.
Shenhe appeared relatively composed, partly because her red ropes dulled her emotions and partly because her loved ones were still alive.
If one day Lucian or Cloud Retainer died tragically before her eyes, sacrificing themselves to protect her, could she remain calm then?
She'd go straight from an icy beauty to a crazed one.
How devastating is a fallen white moonlight? Just look at Kamuna Harunosuke, or Hans and Stanley, to understand.
It's the kind of regret that, once missed, haunts you for a lifetime.
In the days following the end of the Song of Burning Embers story, the Fatui faced a few days of "online backlash."
Although Arlecchino's performance in the story was commendable, the previous "Knave" was utterly deplorable—how could people not vent their anger by cursing her?
From then on, it was eat, sleep, and curse the former "Knave" a couple of times.
The criticism was quite principled, targeting only the former "Knave" without involving anyone else.
As the cursing went on, people noticed that Lucian's new book was released. Well then, let's pause the cursing and read the book first.
Albedo's laborious work was complete, and two new books were released. One of them was Ei's second legendary mission.
The other was the story of Tsurumi Island, both of which had a heavy "manga" component, so Albedo had spent a long time drawing.
In those few days, "Tentacle Monster" Teacher Albedo had worked remarkably fast, though the printing process delayed things a bit.
Now, both books were finally released. Let's start with Ei's story.
After all, how could Ei resist reading a story about herself? In the Oneiric Euthymia, she had already taken the book from Lucian's hands.
Glancing at the cover, she saw a child, with a thunderbird looming behind them.
The other book featured Ei on the left side of the cover, with a cherry blossom tree on the right.
Seeing these two covers, Ei didn't hesitate and picked up her own story to read.
[Imperatrix Umbrosa Chapter: Act II: Transient Dreams]
The book was delivered by Lucian, so naturally, Lucian was also in the Oneiric Euthymia.
Lucian said, "Let me make this clear: if you cry this time, you can't make me train harder."
"…I'm not crying," Ei replied calmly.
"Good, then. Want some?" Lucian pulled out a small cake given by Furina, made by Furina herself. Lucian had traded tri-colored dango for it.
The moment the cake appeared, it caught Ei's attention, her eyes practically screaming, Let me try it.
"You can have some, but can I skip my homework today?" Lucian asked.
Ever since meeting Ei, Lucian had to submit homework every day. Even during the days in Fontaine, when he brought Ei along, he couldn't escape the fate of homework.
Ei, as a teacher, was perhaps a bit too responsible.
"…No," Ei flatly refused.
===✧✦✧===
Character Voice · Raiden Shogun: About Cooking
"I consulted that girl from Liyue, but she seemed somewhat hesitant to speak?
However, the 'Hydro Archon' was willing to teach me how to cook. Hmm, I should be able to learn, right?"