Looking at the way Aeval was staring at him without blinking, Airi did not notice anything unusual about himself.
He simply thought maybe he had gotten something on his face, so he reached up and checked.
"There's nothing dirty on my face..."
"Could it be she's never seen cat ears before??"
Both hands moved to the fluffy ears on top of his head, giving them a little rub.
Having animal ears in Teyvat should not have been that strange, right...?
After all, plenty of people had features like that.
But what Airi did not know was that, from Aeval's point of view, the scene looked completely different...
At first, she had only thought this passenger was an outlander who had just arrived in Fontaine. Watching him look around like an overly curious child had been kind of funny.
But when she took a closer look at him, her first impression was simply that he was beautiful.
Every Melusine had her own sense of beauty.
And in Aeval's eyes, Airi looked like an adorable little animal.
Then she saw his eyes.
It was like being struck by lightning.
From that moment on, her eyes could no longer hold anything except Airi.
The scenery inside her head grew dreamy and hazy...
After meeting his gaze, Aeval slowly moved closer, hand in hand with him as they looked into each other's eyes, and then...
They leaned against each other on the aquabus...
The image was already fully formed in her mind.
The sight of Airi fussing with his ears made Aeval's heart pound even harder.
But in reality, she was simply standing there, staring at him without moving at all...
That completely frozen look made Airi curious.
"Did she forget her lines?"
"Why did she suddenly stop talking?"
"She feels different from how she did in the game..."
It was not until the aquabus passed through a tunnel and everything suddenly turned dark that Aeval finally snapped back to herself...
"Miss Guide, are you okay? You've been spacing out this whole time. Are you not feeling well?"
Airi walked over and waved a hand in front of her.
Looking at the boy approaching her, Aeval slowly raised her hand, her expression still a little dazed.
"So... so cute..."
"I like you..."
"Please..."
Before she could finish, Airi had already clapped a hand over her mouth.
He quickly glanced around, then lowered his voice.
"Shh. Don't say things like that out loud. If someone hears you, they'll send me straight to the Fortress of Meropide to work the sewing machines..."
If anything happened between him and a Melusine, that Chief Justice would definitely judge him on the spot.
There were plenty of things Airi did not know, but this much he remembered very clearly...
At such close range, Aeval could see his face in perfect detail, that face that made her heart race, as well as that faint aura coming from him...
Instantly, her little heart began pounding wildly.
Seeing her face turn even redder, Airi hurriedly stepped back and apologized.
Aeval also looked away and patted her cheeks.
She did not understand what was happening to her either.
Why had she suddenly started thinking like that...?
It was far too strange...
"I'm fine... I just got distracted because your face, dear passenger, is so beautiful."
"You... you're the prettiest human I've ever seen."
"Could I take a picture with you? I want Senior Elphane to see you too..."
Only after hearing that she had stopped saying such dangerous things did Airi finally relax.
"Of course. You're very cute too."
Airi's compliment made Aeval even more excited, and she eagerly took a photo with him using her Kamera.
"Oh, right. My name is Aeval. Could you tell me your name, dear passenger?"
"My name is Airi. I'm... from out of town. Nice to meet you."
"Do all guides have to be this enthusiastic..."
"It feels like such an exhausting job."
The moment Aeval heard him mention work, she perked right up again.
"No, no. I used to work for the Marechaussee Phantom."
"But because I worked so hard, I got promoted to the aquabus."
"And there's Elphane too. She's my senior, and we're very good friends."
"She's a wonderful, warm-hearted Melusine."
"She works on the Navia Line aquabus. If you want to go to Erinnyes Island, you can take Senior Elphane's boat. She's more attentive than I am, so you won't have to worry about getting lost on board..."
"Senior Elphane is amazing. She used to be one of the top members of the Marechaussee Phantom..."
Along the way, little Aeval had long since forgotten all about her duties as a guide. She treated Airi like a close friend and had no guard up at all, telling him everything that came to mind...
Out of politeness, Airi listened properly, nodding from time to time in response...
"Strange... was Aeval this enthusiastic in the game?"
The way she looked at him did not feel like she was looking at a passenger at all.
It felt more like...
The way someone would look at a cute animal.
No matter how hard Airi thought about it, he could not make sense of it, so in the end he gave up trying.
At last, the aquabus arrived at the Court of Fontaine.
After saying goodbye to Aeval, he stepped off under her reluctant, lingering gaze.
"It somehow felt like this trip was much shorter than usual. Next time I see him, I absolutely have to set the boat to its slowest speed..."
After getting off the boat, Airi registered his identity with Fontaine's security personnel.
He also looked through a series of Fontaine's laws, and several of them left a particularly deep impression on him...
"Obtain permission before touching a Melusine.""Flying objects may not be released during the first three days of each month.""You may not name your pet Furina..."
"What... unique laws..."
After reading through them, Airi headed toward the giant tower in the center of the Court of Fontaine, the Main Station.
He took the elevator and arrived at the first-floor hall.
The moment he stepped inside, that familiar feeling returned.
All those gazes gathered on him at once.
Feeling the unabashed stares from the people around him, especially the even more blatant ones from the Melusines...
And hearing the whispers around him...
"Look over there. He seems like he's from out of town. Just look at those ears, so cute."
That kind of talk made Airi deeply uncomfortable.
As the murmuring around him grew louder and louder, he quickly left the hall.
The Adventurers' Guild should be this way... no, wait, maybe over here...
Airi ended up completely disoriented in the massive city.
The real Court of Fontaine was far larger than it had ever felt in the game, and for a while he simply could not find his destination.
There was no map.
No instant teleportation.
The frustration was suffocating.
Why is this so hard to find...
Just as Airi was reaching the end of his rope, a poodle wearing a pink hat and finely tailored clothing came trotting toward him.
Airi looked at the dog, then looked down at himself...
Here, he was probably living worse than a dog.
The poodle came right up to him, wagging its tail happily and rubbing itself affectionately against his leg.
At first, Airi did not understand what was going on. Then he remembered his passive talent...
Right, he had a constitution that attracted animals.
No wonder it liked him so much...
So Airi tried talking to it.
"Excuse me, do you know where the Adventurers' Guild is?"
"Woof, woof woof."
"Oh, I see. Thank you."
Airi did not understand a single thing.
But that was fine.
As long as the dog understood him, that was all that mattered...
So he followed it through several twists and turns, and in the end, he finally arrived at the Adventurers' Guild.
This luxurious guild branch was even larger than the Adventurers' Guilds in the other nations.
The receptionist in the white-and-green dress was unmistakable at a glance.
Katherine.
There was no need to guess. Her appearance was too iconic.
After all, Airi had seen her every single day in the game...
Once he said goodbye to the poodle, he walked over to Katherine.
"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."
"I am Katherine, receptionist of the Adventurers' Guild. Are you here to post a commission?"
"Or would you like to register as an adventurer?"
"Hello, Miss Katherine. My name is Airi. I'm from out of town, and I'd like to register as an adventurer. Are there any requirements?"
After Airi finished speaking, he noticed something like streams of data flashing rapidly in Katherine's eyes.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Please rest assured. Registering as an adventurer requires no membership fee, and the guild will not force adventurers to fulfill any obligations."
"Completing commissions also comes with rewards. One could say that joining the Adventurers' Guild has benefits and no drawbacks."
Airi nodded and agreed with Katherine's explanation, then filled out his information.
"Welcome aboard, rising star of adventure. Here is your Adventurer's Badge and your Handbook."
"It contains records of guild commissions and reward information."
"At the same time, it serves as proof of your membership, so please remember to check it often and keep it safe."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Completing commissions regularly will raise your standing within the guild."
"When your experience has grown rich enough, you will naturally earn opportunities to gain everyone's recognition."
"Do your best, rising star of adventure."
The moment he received the Adventurer's Handbook, his status panel changed as well.
[Name: Airi Nekomiya]
[Reputation: 0/100]Note: Gained by helping others or completing commissions.
[Adventure Rank: One-Star]Note: Advances when Reputation is filled.
[Weapon: None]Note: Unlocks at Adventure Rank 3-Star.
[Combat Talent: None]Note: Unlocks at Adventure Rank 2-Star.
[Passive Talent: Animal Affinity]Note: Attraction increases by 150% after Adventure Rank 2-Star.
[Passive Talent II: None]Note: Unlocks after Combat Talent is unlocked.
[Passive Talent III: None]Note: Unlockable after Combat Talent is unlocked.
[Vision: None]You have not been noticed by the gods.
Looking at the familiar little booklet in his hand, Airi's eyes lit up.
That was right.
A book.
This was the kind of thing only true experts used...
The kind that let you chain skills seamlessly by flipping through pages...
That was the Adventurer's Handbook for you.
...
By the time Airi left the Adventurers' Guild, night had already fallen.
There were still no commissions in the Adventurer's Handbook that he could actually do.
Combat and exploration commissions were out of the question for now. Since he had not unlocked anything on his panel yet, he had basically no fighting ability at all.
Acting cute, maybe.
Fighting, absolutely not.
If he forced himself to take those jobs, he would probably end up like earlier, getting snatched away by some random Fatui operative...
So the only option was to wait until tomorrow and see whether any simpler commissions appeared.
Right now, he was tired, hungry, and did not even have a place to stay...
Just as Airi was wondering where to go, he spotted a familiar blue-and-white figure in the distance...
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