"Yae Miko, Yae Miko! Look, look! Little Bai grew another tail!"
"And that tail is infused with Anemo—clearly it's from me!"
With nothing better to do, Venti had simply hung around Su Bai's house all morning. Aside from being curious about what Su Bai would turn into, he also wanted to be ready to help if Su Bai encountered any danger. He never expected to witness such an amazing scene.
Yae Miko wasn't particularly surprised. She had already witnessed Su Bai's remarkable constitution back in Inazuma. Su Bai's body was actually absorbing elemental energy from the surrounding environment at all times—just in such small amounts that it was generally imperceptible.
Even Su Bai himself didn't know about this phenomenon. Of course, Yae Miko hadn't told him either, since she still wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Later, Yae Miko had temporarily left Ei's Gnosis with Su Bai. She had originally just wanted to see if the Gnosis could accelerate Su Bai's elemental absorption. Instead, Su Bai accidentally absorbed the divine power within the Gnosis, fell unconscious for two days, and directly grew another tail.
Based on this, Hanachirusato had developed a hypothesis: Su Bai's body constantly absorbing ambient elements was actually accumulating power. Once Su Bai absorbed enough of a particular element, he would grow a tail representing that element. However, since the only Gnosis they had was the Electro Archon's, Hanachirusato's hypothesis remained unconfirmed.
"As expected of Senior Hanachirusato. When it comes to insight, I still have much to learn."
Yae Miko sighed softly. She realized there was still so much knowledge to gain from her senior. Perhaps she really should study harder. By the time Little Bai next visited Inazuma, she might even be able to sit in the Shogun's seat for a few days.
Having never seen such a remarkable tail before, Venti somehow produced a twig from who-knows-where and poked at Su Bai's new tail. The Anemo energy entangled on the tail instantly shredded the twig into sawdust, startling Vinto into jumping back several steps.
'Why is this Anemo energy so cranky? The divine power in the Gnosis followed me for thousands of years, yet now that it's inside Su Bai, it immediately doesn't recognize its old master? What kind of nonsense is this?!'
"Oh my, it seems the Anemo energy inside Little Bai doesn't care much for our great Anemo Archon Barbatos."
"Yae Miko, how can you just watch me suffer like this? I'm so upset right now—the only cure is Tricolor Dango! Make me some skewers, please? Please? Please?"
Having not eaten Tricolor Dango in ages, Venti recalled that wonderfully chewy texture and silently congratulated himself. In Mondstadt, this Inazuman delicacy wasn't cheap—a few skewers cost as much as many days' worth of wine.
He remembered the last time he'd ordered Tianshu Meat at a Liyue chef's restaurant in Mondstadt. That single meal had cost him an entire month's earnings from busking. After that, he never dared enter such establishments again.
Now he'd finally found a fox who could cook Inazuman cuisine and a rather skilled one at that. He absolutely had to take advantage of this opportunity.
"Klee wants Tricolor Dango too!"
Worried that Su Bai might catch a cold lying on the floor, little Klee had clumsily carried a blanket down from upstairs. Hearing Venti mention Tricolor Dango, she got distracted—and missed a step.
The sensation of falling made Klee squeeze her eyes tightly shut. But instead of hitting the ground, she found herself in a warm embrace.
"Little Klee, you need to be more careful going downstairs next time."
The gentle words made Klee look up. What met her eyes was Su Bai, his three tails moving unpredictably behind him. Having endured that agony just moments ago, Su Bai's adeptal energy reserves had skyrocketed, and his physical constitution had reached new heights.
"Barbatos, thank you for your Gnosis. My hypothesis was correct—the power within the Gnosis really can help me grow stronger quickly."
"Hey, hey, hey—ears! Ears! Sister Miko, what are you doing?! My ears!"
Su Bai returned the Gnosis to Venti. Before he could properly revel in his own cleverness, his ears were already pinched firmly in Yae Miko's grip.
"Heh. Little Bai, have you forgotten what I told you before? Don't touch dangerous things."
"If Barbatos's Gnosis had contained more divine power, that amount just now would have been enough to burst your body."
Yae Miko twisted Su Bai's plush ears three full times. The pain made Su Bai grimace, but he dared not resist. He had promised Yae Miko long ago that he wouldn't take risks and would prioritize his own safety.
Sensing the atmosphere turning tense, Venti quickly reattached the Gnosis to his chest and slipped away. He had no desire to get caught in the crossfire. It's better to go play-act with Rosalyne (La Signora) instead. Hopefully letting her hit him a few times would quell some of her anger.
Oh, and he needed to bring Lumine along too—otherwise it wouldn't be believable. Perfect excuse: Lumine was the one who stole the Skyward Harp, so of course she'd be involved.
Yae Miko paid no attention to Barbatos's departure. Knowing this Anemo Archon's personality, if Mondstadt hadn't been so turbulent lately, he probably wouldn't even be here.
Knock knock knock~
A knock at the door interrupted Yae Miko's thoughts. Sensing someone outside, she finally released Su Bai's ears. Su Bai rubbed his reddened ears, enduring the pain as he called out:
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Kaeya."
"Acting Grand Master Jean asked me to inform Lord Su Bai and Guji Yae that there will be a banquet tonight at the Angel's Share. If you two have time, you're welcome to attend."
"You may also bring friends, just not too many."
Kaeya stood at the door, thoroughly puzzled why Jean had invited Su Bai and that Yae Guji from Inazuma. These two hadn't contributed much to restoring Dvalin to normal, had they?
But recalling their considerable combat prowess and mischievous personalities, Kaeya wisely chose not to ask questions. He never wanted to experience that day's itching powder incident again. You wouldn't believe it—a handsome dark-skinned guy like him nearly got scrubbed into a red-skinned duck by some ordinary person.
The most ridiculous was that ever since Su Bai taught bathhouse workers the art of scrubbing, every bathhouse in Mondstadt had added scrubbing services. Now thoroughly traumatized, Kaeya hadn't enjoyed a proper bath in days.