Chapter 87

Takumi looked in surprise at the little girl standing on the side of the road.

"Qiqi?"

Purple hair, pale skin, and a unique outfit—wasn't this unmistakably Qiqi?

Klee also curiously looked at the girl from the car window. "What a strange person... Does Brother Takumi know her?"

Qiqi, noticing the car and the person calling her name, looked over in confusion.

"Who are you? Qiqi doesn't know you."

Hearing her words, Takumi wasn't surprised. After all, her memory only lasted a few days.

"Qiqi, I'm Takumi. Check your notebook, you should have a record of me."

Hearing this, Qiqi was momentarily stunned. "Let me see."

She pulled out her small notebook and flipped through it quickly. Since she forgot things easily, she always wrote them down. When Takumi was in Liyue Harbor, he had spent time with Qiqi, but she never remembered his name.

Soon, Qiqi found the entry with Takumi's name. "You're the one who invited Qiqi to drink coconut milk. Hello, Takumi. I'm Qiqi, a zombie."

Takumi rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, you say that every time we meet."

"Did you wander away from Wuwang Hill again? Or did Hu Tao tie you up and leave you there?"

Takumi sighed. That troublemaker Hu Tao had likely caught Qiqi again. He was truly exasperated with her antics.

Stepping out of the car, Takumi walked over to Qiqi and began brushing off the dirt from her clothes.

"Hu Tao is annoying..." Qiqi muttered.

If there was one person who left a deep impression on her, it was Hu Tao.

Seeing Takumi helping her, Qiqi wanted to remember him, but she knew she would forget again. Thinking of this, she took out her notebook and wrote down another note.

Takumi saw her writing. The entry changed from "The nice person who bought coconut milk" to "A kind and warm-hearted person."

After cleaning off the dirt, Takumi opened the car door. "Qiqi, get in. I'll take you back."

Qiqi nodded and looked inside the car. When she saw Shenhe, she froze for a moment. Shenhe had a scent that she liked—a combination of ice and something ethereal. It felt very soothing.

Aside from her Cryo Vision, Shenhe also carried the aura of an adeptus. That presence made Qiqi feel comfortable.

As Qiqi climbed into the car, she introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Qiqi."

Shenhe nodded. "Shenhe."

After briefly introducing herself, she stopped speaking.

Qiqi nodded. "Shenhe... Qiqi will remember."

Then, she pulled out her notebook again and wrote: "Shenhe – white-haired, has a nice scent."

Shenhe, seeing this, was slightly surprised.

At that moment, Klee popped her head over. "Hello! I'm Klee! Can we be friends?"

Klee was like a little ball of sunshine, beaming brightly.

Like Hu Tao, Klee wielded a Pyro Vision, but Qiqi didn't feel any dislike for her. She only disliked Hu Tao, not all Pyro users.

"Hello, Klee. I'm Qiqi."

And so, in that small car, two little girls met for the first time.

Klee eagerly climbed from the front seat to sit beside Qiqi, chatting excitedly.

Seeing this, Takumi smiled slightly before starting the car and heading back to Guiliyuan.

By the time they arrived, the sun was beginning to set.

Takumi turned to Qiqi. "Qiqi, why don't you stay in Guiliyuan for the night? I'll take you to Liyue Harbor tomorrow."

Qiqi nodded. "Thanks."

She didn't refuse. She could return now, but she wanted to spend more time with Klee.

Hearing Qiqi agree, Klee was thrilled. "Okay! Qiqi, let's sleep together tonight!"

Klee was full of excitement—she still wanted to go fish-blasting with Qiqi.

Qiqi, on the other hand, didn't really need to sleep. But seeing Klee's enthusiasm, she didn't say anything.

Just then, Keqing walked out of Wangshu Inn.

"Takumi, you're back? Is everything settled?"

She had just been about to eat when she saw Takumi return, so she ran over.

Takumi nodded. "Everything's done. How are things here?"

Keqing glanced at Qiqi, surprised that Takumi had brought her back, but didn't dwell on it.

"No problems. The merchants have already opened their shops, residential areas have been built, and people are moving in. The pier is also operational. Guiliyuan is growing rapidly."

Hearing this, Takumi nodded in satisfaction.

"That's great. Tomorrow, I'm heading back to Liyue Harbor. Do you want to come along, Keqing?"

Keqing was momentarily stunned. "Are you going back to discuss something with Ningguang?"

Takumi rarely returned to Liyue unless there was something important. If he was heading back now, it meant there was something major.

Curious, Keqing asked, "What's the reason?"

Takumi didn't hide it. "Actually, I want to discuss building a school with Ningguang."

"While in Shimen, I saw many children from Qingce Village. Honestly, they're so young but have nothing to do. They don't go to school—it's such a waste."

"I want to build a school so that all children in Liyue have access to education. This way, we can cultivate future talents for Liyue."

"Right now, children from ordinary families can't afford private schools. So, they just wander around aimlessly. When they grow older, their elders teach them basic literacy, and then they go straight to work."

"Don't you think that's a waste of potential?"

Education was Takumi's main reason for returning to Liyue.

At the same time, he also planned to discuss the power plant construction for Liyue Harbor.

Both matters needed to be handled together.

Hearing Takumi's words, Keqing fell into deep thought.