Bell?
That word only echoed in your mind. Your mouth hung open for quite a while, your jaw stiff as if its hinges had rusted from the cold air. No sound escaped, only white vapor from your hard-working lungs. Your lips closed again, trembling.
You still stared at the spot on the roof where that figure had stood before. Empty. Only dark tiles and the night sky. But the echo of the kling… kling… sound still vibrated in your eardrums, refusing to leave.
At that moment, you curled up. Your knees trembled violently, feeling the remnants of the elemental aura lingering in the air. You pulled your cardigan as tight as possible, hugging yourself. For some reason, the atmosphere became even colder, piercing your newly healed ribs, as if winter had just dropped by in this tropical harbor.
At the same time, as the adrenaline began to fade and logic took over, something in your head suddenly jolted. A neural connection suddenly seemed to link up.
Flashing in your mind was the image of a woman with cerulean blue hair. Red-black horns. And a small golden accessory hanging from her waist.
It was a bell.
Don't tell me... she just saved me?
You blinked several times, in disbelief. Your brain spun quickly, trying to digest the implications.
Ganyu was here?!
Was she watching me?
Or was she just passing by?
Then, you shifted your gaze to the two new artworks in the alley.
The two thugs who tried to beat you again. No, should I call it one and a half? Because Mochen was frozen in a cowardly position wanting to escape, while the Dragon Tattoo Boss was frozen in a fierce predator pose.
You stared at the Boss's ice statue. The details were horrifying. You could see the pores on his face covered by a thin layer of ice. You could see his reddened eye veins, now turned into frozen crystals. His large fist, which was ready to crush your face, now hung in the air, fragile yet hard like diamond.
Even though now he was in a pitiful fallen position.
You kept staring at them in silence, from top to bottom. The moonlight reflected on the ice surface, making them sparkle beautifully yet terrifying.
At that moment, your heart pounded fast. Thump. Thump. Thump. The sound was very loud in the alley's silence.
They're not dead, right?
That question hit you harder than a physical punch.
If they're dead... does that mean I become a criminal?
Your thoughts ran wild. I'm here. At the crime scene. With two frozen corpses. No witnesses other than me. What if the Millelith come? What if they accuse me of using forbidden magic? I can't even light a candle with my finger, how could I freeze these two giants!?
But who would believe? You're a foreigner without identity.
I didn't even do anything! I'm the victim!
Your shoulders dropped a bit, afraid your fate would be decided by a hammer's strike. Your stiff fingers became flexible again, forced to move by the instinct to escape the accusation. The air that was cold earlier began to feel hot from panic sweat.
Your eyes darted left and right wildly, like a mouse caught in a spotlight. You were afraid someone saw you. You were afraid there were eyes behind those dark windows peeking and ready to report this strange crime to the authorities.
Run!
That word became an absolute command again.
With hands trembling violently and cold sweat suddenly appearing on your back, you turned your body.
I have to leave this place immediately before things get worse! Before this ice melts and leaves corpses, or before the Millelith patrol passes!
You started running. Your steps unstable, slipping a bit on stones slick with frozen dew.
You escaped, taking several quick steps away from those ice statues.
However, at the end of the alley, you suddenly paused for a moment. Your steps halted.
The bell sound seemed to ring in your head once more, reminding you of who did this. She saved you. She didn't kill them... right? Ganyu is a good Adeptus. She couldn't possibly kill humans indiscriminately... right?
If she did... can I still like her?
I don't think so.
You turned back. Staring at the two frozen silhouettes in the distance.
I just hope they're not dead... your prayer in your heart, a selfish prayer for your own safety.
Death means the end of everything.
You turned your face away, and this time, you ran with all your might. Leaving the alley, leaving that horrifying miracle, back to the false safety of your room.
...
Your breath was spent as you slammed your inn room door and locked it tightly. You leaned your back against the door leaf, sliding down until your butt touched the floor.
Your heart still raced. Thump. Thump. Thump.
You're safe. For now.
You stood with trembling legs, walking sluggishly to the bed. You fell on the mattress, its springs creaking in protest. You didn't change your clothes that smelled of sweat and market fish. You just lay there.
You daydreamed in silence.
At first, thinking of nothing. Just emptiness. Shock. Your brain needed time to reboot after processing the supernatural event just now.
Seconds turned into minutes. Your breath became regular.
Until then, an unbearable curiosity tickled you. You stood, walking to your wooden room window. You opened it slowly, afraid the sound would shatter the night.
You enjoyed the view of the quiet city.
It was still night. Liyue slept under a blanket of darkness, only illuminated by some street lanterns and the moonlight shining so brightly, as if the moon itself was a god's eye watching all sins below.
You stared at the stars for a long time. Thousands of silent points of light.
At that moment, the wind suddenly brushed your face. A cool wind, carrying the sea scent, different from the deadly cold wind in the alley earlier.
I'm sure it was Ganyu... your mind affirmed. Only she has a bell... and only she has a reason—however small—to be there.
Maybe she was indeed watching you since you left Yuehai Pavilion? Or perhaps fate was indeed bringing you together in a critical moment?
Then a bigger question arose.
Then why could she freeze those thugs? Does this world have secrets I don't know... like being able to use an element?
You remembered fantasy stories from your previous world, though vaguely. Magic. Mana. Qi.
For Ganyu's case, she can freeze people, even change the temperature of the entire place in seconds. Does that mean she can control the ice element? Cryo?
You pondered for quite a while. That power... it's not just self-defense. It's dominion over nature. It's the power that separates gods and humans.
Could that be the reason why Henri said she and I are from different worlds?
She can create winter with a snap of her fingers, while I can only shiver in the cold....
You stared at your own hands under the moonlight. Ordinary hands. Hands rough from lifting merchandise boxes. Hands that trembled when afraid.
What about me? Do I have it too?
You tried to focus your mind. Tried to feel energy or whatever inside you. You stared at your palm, hoping for a flame to ignite, or wind to blow.
However, seconds later, the atmosphere became silent. Nothing. Just skin and flesh.
You shook your head and let out a long sigh, disappointed but self-aware.
Forget it... I'm not that special.
The system gave you a needle that consumes memories, not cool elemental powers. You're just a side character trying to level up with stolen tools!
At that moment, you suddenly furrowed your brow. Something flashed in your mind again, disturbing your melancholic reverie.
It was the thugs' figures. The Dragon Tattoo Boss's grinning face before he froze. Mochen's fearful face but still conspiring.
A feeling of annoyance crept up in your chest.
Why can't they leave me alone?
I didn't look for trouble. I didn't provoke them!
Well, except for the fact that I approached their idol.
I just want to survive. I just want to complete my mission.
I just want to enjoy life peacefully!
Why is this world so hard on people who just want to eat fried noodles in peace?
You clicked your tongue softly. Tsk.
The feeling of injustice was bitter on your tongue. But tonight, you won. Or more precisely, you were saved. They froze in that alley, becoming a spectacle for sewer rats, while you were safe in a warm room.
That's a victory!
Of course, even if it wasn't you who fought for it.
You left that spot, closing the window, blocking the judging moonlight. You returned to the bed.
You stared at the dark room ceiling in silence. The unseen wood patterns seemed to form a map of your complicated fate.
You tried to empty your mind. Thinking of nothing. Not thinking about Ganyu. Not thinking about the ice statues. Not thinking about the lost memories.
Slowly, physical and mental exhaustion pulled you down.
You closed your eyes, letting the darkness swallow you completely. Hoping tomorrow morning, when the sun rises, those two ice statues have melted and disappeared, or at least, you don't wake up in prison.
...
You went through days as usual, or at least, that was the mask you wore. You woke up, you worked at Uncle Zhang's stall, you smiled at customers, you counted coins.
However, behind that mechanical routine, your soul was restless.
Every time you heard the sound of wind chimes in the distance, your head jerked to look. Every time you felt a cold wind blowing from the sea, your skin prickled, reminded of those human ice statues in the narrow alley.
Was that really her?
That question spun in your head like a top that wouldn't stop.
This uncertainty tortured you. You felt like walking on thin glass spanning a chasm.
The sun began to lean westward, turning the blue sky into a canvas of orange and purple. The famous Liyue sunset colors, which usually calmed, today felt burning in your chest.
Work finished. Uncle Zhang had gone home.
Your feet, betrayed by your own curiosity, carried you up those long stone stairs. To Yuehai Pavilion.
I have to ask if last night she was really there!
You had to know. You had to confirm if that guardian angel was real or just a hallucination of your concussed brain.
Arriving at the pavilion courtyard, your breath a bit ragged, tired from climbing, and the burden of anticipation pressing your lungs.
You hid behind a large red pillar, peeking like an amateur spy.
There, in the midst of the never-sleeping bureaucratic bustle, you saw her.
It was Ganyu!
She stood there, graceful like a crane in a lotus pond. However, she wasn't alone. She was surrounded by a wall of humans. Yuehai Pavilion employees, junior officials, and administrative assistants surrounded her like bees around a queen.
They handed documents, asked with panicked faces, and requested approvals. Ganyu responded to them one by one with extraordinary patience. She nodded, pointed to points on papers, gave instructions with a voice that might be soft yet firm.
She was truly only focused on her work. Her beautiful eyes stared at rows of characters, not looking at the world around her.
You stared at her in silence from afar.
There was an aura of authority emanating from her when she worked. An aura that reminded you again of who she really was. She wasn't just a woman who ate noodles with you. She was a pillar of Liyue. She was a walking legend. She was a being who had seen thousands of sunsets before your grandfather was born.
That feeling of insignificance came again, sneaking into your heart like cold fog.
Who am I to dare disturb her?
You imagined yourself walking there, parting the crowd, and asking, "Hey, were you the one who froze the thugs who beat me last night?"
It sounded ridiculous.
For you, disturbing someone's work—especially work concerning the welfare of a city—was the worst thing. It was impolite. Ignorant.
You let out a long sigh, a breath that carried away the remnants of your evaporating courage.
"Maybe next time," you whispered to yourself.
The alibi of cowards.
You decided to turn around. Give up. Return to your shadow world and let her shine in hers. You started turning your body, ready to descend the stairs and disappear among the crowd of ordinary people.
However, fate is a scriptwriter fond of drama.
At that moment, just as your heel turned, something happened.
Perhaps because Ganyu felt your intense gaze. Perhaps because the evening wind carried the scent of your cheap soap. Or perhaps, because an invisible red thread bond indeed existed.
Ganyu suddenly shifted her gaze from the document in her hand. She looked up. Her eyes swept the courtyard, past the employees, past the pillars...
And stopped right where you stood.
Your gaze met hers.
Zass!
It felt like being electrocuted. Time, which is supposedly relative, instantly stopped completely. The noisy sounds of employees, seagull cries, wind sounds... all vanished into empty silence.
Instantly, her eyes widened.
Those heterochromatic eyes—a blend of mystical purple and molten gold—rounded perfectly.
She opened her mouth slightly, her lips forming a small 'O' from surprise. But no words escaped her. She just stared at you. Frozen.
She was surprised to see you there. During her work hours. In her place.
You, who were also surprised because you were caught peeking, suddenly felt something wrong with yourself. Something chaotic.
Your nervous system sent emergency signals throughout your body.
You stopped moving, frozen in an awkward half-turned position. You swallowed saliva that felt like a thorny ball.
You stared at her face for quite a long time. One second felt like an hour.
At that time, you felt the world besides Ganyu seemed so dim, so far, so unimportant. The background became blurred. Only her face was in focus, sharp, and shining under the golden afternoon sunlight.
At the same time, your heart beat faster than usual. No, it wasn't a heartbeat. It was a war drum. Thump-thump-thump-thump. Pounding your ribs from inside, as if wanting to tear your chest and jump out towards her.
Hot. Suddenly your face felt extraordinarily hot. Your blood rushed to your cheeks, to your ears, to your neck.
At that moment, your face suddenly flushed crimson. Red like boiled crab. Red like the sunset.
You immediately turned your face away with jerky movements.
Why?
Why?!
Why do you react like an elementary school kid caught crushing on his teacher? Why can't you act cool? Why can't you wave and smile casually?
Calm down, idiot! your mind shouted.
You turned to her once more, hoping she had looked away, hoping she had returned to being busy with her documents so you could leave with a little dignity left.
But your hope shattered in the most beautiful way.
Ganyu didn't look away.
At that moment, Ganyu who had been wide-eyed in surprise, saw your flushed face and your flustered behavior. And her expression changed slightly.
Slowly, the surprise on her face melted, replaced by something far more dangerous for your heart's health.
She suddenly put on a smile, a sweet smile, a genuine smile, a smile that reached her eyes, making her eye beads squint into beautiful crescent moons. A smile that seemed to say, "I'm glad you're here."
Seeing this... seeing that smile directed at you, exclusively, in the midst of that crowd...
Your cheeks quickly became warm, no, became burning hot. You felt as if steam was coming out of your ears.
At the same time, your heart pounded so hard it hurt.
This was too much. This was too bright. You were like a vampire exposed to direct sunlight. You couldn't handle it. You weren't ready to receive such great warmth after a night so cold and full of blood!
Your brain shouted one single command: EVACUATE!
Without thinking twice, without farewell, without returning the smile. With your body trembling too violently, you turned around, escaping.
Not walking fast. Not retreating orderly.
You ran.
You descended those stone stairs like lightning, your feet taking wide steps, almost slipping twice. You broke through the crowd below like a madman chased by demons.
Seriously?
...
A/N: Really sorry for not keeping my promise. I was too busy in real life, so I just had time to write it now... as compensation, I'll upload 4x this week... as you know, in this chapter it shows that the protagonist's feelings for Ganyu are starting to grow. Well, I think this is significant progress. You can see the next chapter sooner on my patreon whose link is below:
https://www.pâtreon.com/Junxt
Replace "â" with "a" and search for it in your browser.