After throwing myself onto the couch, I must've fallen asleep from exhaustion. I had sweat way more than I realized; it felt like one of those awful after-school naps. I think it was around 11 or maybe midnight now. Not that it mattered much. I was staring out the window in the meantime. …The city looked truly incredible. I could say I've started feeling happier ever since I arrived here. It was strange to feel that way again after years, but… nice.
"Doing a bit of exercise on top of this would be perfect."
Of course, there was no equipment in the room. So I just did the basic bodyweight exercises I could. The slight decrease in gravity compared to my world was still noticeable. If I ignored it, my muscles would weaken over time. I needed to train more to avoid that. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and collapsed back onto the couch.
"…Even though everything still feels unreal, it all feels just as real at the same time. I had no purpose in my previous world. I should have a purpose here…"
Speaking of getting stronger… if I somehow ended up in Teyvat, maybe I awakened some kind of special ability? A system, a Vision, maybe something else? I wouldn't know unless I tried.
"System."
…Nothing happened.
Maybe I should try saying something different?
"System, activate." …Still nothing. Guess I don't have a system.
To be honest, I've always hated system-based series or fanfics. Maybe that's why I don't have one. As for a Vision, a few days probably need to pass first. Electro Vision wouldn't appear until Inazuma gets fixed, I know that much. Alright, cross Electro off the list. I didn't want to consider the miserable possibility of not getting a Vision at all. Vision elements depend on emotions and how a person responds to their circumstances. In my case… it'd probably be Cryo or Geo. Thinking about this kind of stuff is fun, but there's not even a guarantee I'll get one. I should focus on what's right in front of me.
"I'm thirsty. I should go to the kitchen."
I tossed my sweaty shirt onto the couch and walked to the kitchen shirtless. After finding a glass in one of the cabinets, I filled it with water from the tap. Now that I thought about it—shouldn't Genshin's world have medieval-level tech? How is there running water? Weird. I took a few sips anyway. It tasted the same as water from my world. I lightly swirled the glass and watched the water slosh around.
As I watched it with my mind half gone, I saw a light—or some kind of reflection—appear on the surface of the water. My back tingled. It was the exact same sensation I felt right before I died. Before I could stop myself, I jumped back, and a sword cleaved through the space I had been standing in. A big one. If I had reacted even a second later, I would've died.
I looked around to see who it was… and then I saw her.
…Blue hair. Violet-gold eyes. A height close to mine. A perfectly proportioned body. And in her hands, a massive claymore adorned in blue and gold. …Seeing the woman from my dreams standing before me left me stunned. But her expression was sharp, angry, her brows furrowed as she glared at me.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my house? And why are you half-naked?!"
The sword swung toward me again. If I didn't evade it, I wasn't surviving this. I threw myself backward, the glass I'd been holding slipping from my hand and shattering on the floor with a sharp ring. I checked my stomach to see if I was cut while trying to talk my way out of this.
"I-I can explain! Even if it doesn't look like it, Amber told me I could stay here! I didn't know you two lived together!"
Really, this shouldn't have happened. As I hoped my words might've convinced her, she dashed forward faster than my eyes could track and punched me in the stomach. The air in my lungs exploded out in an instant and I collapsed to the floor.
"So you're telling me Amber—the Amber I know—brought a man into our home without asking me?"
She tossed her claymore aside and crouched in front of me.
"You should've come up with a more believable lie."
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe. And she kept staring at me with those eyes. Why did it have to be like this? How did I manage to embarrass myself this badly in front of the woman I love??
"Save your breath. You should be more worried about breathing right now. You may have dodged my sword, but you couldn't react to me at all. It's obvious you don't have real combat experience."
…Stop talking. Don't look at me like that. …I still couldn't breathe properly. And my stomach hurt—she punched really hard. A few tears escaped my eyes, then suddenly—
"Kane?! Eula, what did you do??!"
I turned toward the voice and saw Amber rushing over. She froze a little when she saw the state I was in. Air was only just now returning to my lungs.
Eula spoke first:
"What did I do? Look at him. What did you expect me to do when I saw a half-naked man in my house at night? It's a miracle I didn't cut him in half."
Amber glanced at me again. I was sure she took a second to examine my bare torso before her eyes settled on the mark on my stomach. She sighed.
"…You're right. I should've told you. I had to wake up early, so I went to bed early. I didn't think something like this would happen…"
Eula crossed her arms. "Hmph. What's done is done."
Amber must've realized arguing with her was pointless, so she turned back to me.
"Kane, are you okay?"
After a few coughs, I answered:
"Cough— I-I'm fine. …That was a strong punch."
I looked at Eula while speaking and our eyes met. She looked away as if I wasn't worth responding to.
Amber seemed unsure about my answer and asked again:
"Are you really okay, Kane?"
"…I'm fine. I just need to rest a bit."
Amber placed my arm around her shoulder and helped me stand, guiding me back to the room. After easing me onto the couch, she spoke softly:
"I'm sorry. I didn't think this would happen."
…It's not your fault, Amber. …I just feel like shit right now. I want to shove my head into the floor.
"…It wasn't your fault. …It'll pass once I rest. …You have to get up early, right? Don't waste time on me."
She looked into my eyes for a few seconds, understood that I wanted to be alone, and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
…It hurts.