I’m Back~

It was late afternoon on a summer day.

Lu Chen sat alone in his villa's garden, watching the sun sink toward the horizon and its afterglow shimmer across the sea. For some reason, this scene made him want to sigh dramatically.

"Ah…"

He twirled the antique bracelet Zhongli had found at the market and sipped his now-cold West Lake Longjing.

Then he gazed at the city lights in the distance and sighed again.

"Ah…"

"Why are you acting like some old man?"

Yae Miko strolled over, holding a light novel and not paying attention to where she was walking. She muttered to herself before stopping beside him.

"Why do you say that?" Lu Chen was relieved someone was finally engaging him, so he turned toward her.

Without looking at him, Yae Miko pointed at his tea set and the antique bracelet.

"Aren't these the kind of things the Geo Archon loves to study?"

"Ah!" Lu Chen exhaled in relief—he'd thought she was calling him old, since she always teased him as an "old guy."

"Wait!" he snapped, a sly look entering his eyes. "Are you saying the Geo Archon is an old man?"

Yae Miko finally closed her book and gave him a narrowed-eyed look.

"Boring. I'm outta here."

"Ha, just kidding, just kidding…" Lu Chen patted the seat beside him.

He finally had company in his "empty-nester" mood—he couldn't let her walk off.

Miko sat next to him and, flipping her novel open again, asked nonchalantly:

"Why are you sitting here alone watching the sea? Where is everyone else?"

"They're all busy…"

"All busy?" Miko raised an eyebrow.

Lu Chen counted on his fingers. "Old Zhongli got hired as a consultant—his eye for antiques is unmatched, and he knows his stuff."

Miko nodded, "He's the most scholarly. He was a guest researcher in Liyue. Samely suited for the job."

Lu Chen smiled ruefully. "Right—but others have even more fitting roles."

She raised an eyebrow, so he continued: "Diluc's manning the bar. His 'fine wine from another world' quest isn't done, so he can't leave."

"And the rest?"

Lu Chen shrugged. "Barbara's rehearsing, Hu Tao and Qiqi went to the zoo… and Venti? I haven't seen him since morning—unless something strange happened, he's probably scoring free drinks at Diluc's bar."

Miko burst out laughing, setting the novel aside.

Lu Chen struck a forlorn pose—"Hey, it's nice to be busy, but…"

He looked toward the sunset again and sighed. Miko could tell he didn't truly feel melancholy—just boredom. So she tossed out a suggestion:

"Why don't you go back to school? That'd keep you busy, right?"

"I'd rather die," Lu Chen muttered. It was precious vacation time, and the thought of returning to class made him want to strike someone.

A soft sea breeze ruffled Miko's pink hair. Seeing his grumpy face made her lips twitch into a brief smile.

"By the way—where's Ei?" she asked suddenly.

"She's at home."

"Huh?" Miko frowned. If Ei was at home, why was Lu Chen alone in the sea breeze? Weren't they usually inseparable?

"She's in a state best not disturbed," Lu Chen replied. "You might accidentally hurt her."

"Oh…" Miko understood. "Training, huh?"

"He's baking cookies."

Miko snorted, picturing her god in disarray, and burst into laughter.

"She didn't give up?"

Lu Chen smiled bitterly. "Like her? Never."

Miko glanced at his table and spotted a napkin.

"So you've been here waiting for her cookies all day?"

Lu Chen checked his watch. "Not quite all day—just six hours, thirty minutes, twenty-one seconds."

The sight of him in his worn-out vigil had Miko in stitches. She dropped the novel and stared at him, clearly amused.

"That must've been tough. You're really looking forward to it, aren't you?"

"I am," Lu Chen admitted softly.

They sat in silence, gazing at the sea—until a sudden boom shattered the peace.

Ei appeared, carrying a plate of… charred-looking cookies.

"Oh? You two are here? Perfect!"

Miko studied the blackened mess on the plate, unable to see how they could be cookies. Her purple eyes grew serious.

Lu Chen beamed and offered the plate to her—then suddenly, a flash of purple lightning whooshed by. Miko and her light novel vanished from the garden.

"Wow…" he muttered. "She ghosted me. That fox has no manners."

Under Ei's expectant gaze, Lu Chen gingerly picked up one burnt cookie. With Ei's violet-crystal eyes locked on him, it felt like slow motion as he lifted it to his lips.

Just then, a sudden screech of brakes rang out from Ling Shan Bay. Lu Chen exhaled, strangely relieved.

They looked out to see Venti—freshly licensed—driving a tired-looking Diluc home.

"I'm back!"

"How was it today?" Ei asked, glancing at Diluc.

"Don't ask him. Our new wine sold terribly—sales are lukewarm. I don't think we'll finish the task."

"Wasn't it packed during the opening?"

Venti shrugged. "Everyone came for the idol, Barbara, not the wine."

Ei nodded, just as Venti noticed something amiss with his car—its windshield was shattered.

"What happened?"

"Oh." He peeked behind him. "Someone vandalized the bar."

"What?!" Lu Chen crushed his cookie in shock and stood up.

Ei's gaze stayed fixed on the cookie crumbs at her feet.

"Sorry, Ei!" Lu Chen sighed. "Those cookies smelled so good… too bad I got overexcited."

Ei shook her head gently. "It's okay, Chen. There's more in the oven."

Lu Chen forced a smile. "That's great to hear."

Venti, oblivious to their emotional rollercoaster, clenched his fists. "My new car!"

Lu Chen frowned, eyeing the shattered windshield. "Seriously—what's going on?"

Diluc, arms crossed, spoke calmly: "A few drunk customers caused trouble this afternoon. I dealt with them—and they decided to smash Venti's car outside. We chased them down."

Lu Chen studied Diluc's face, noticing a steely glint. "Was it intentional?"

Diluc nodded. "Yes. They were clearly hired to disrupt us. I stepped in just in time—otherwise our inventory and staff would've been in danger."

"Who hired them? Did you find out?"

Venti snorted. "There are only two bars around the docks—guess who?"

Lu Chen shook his head. "So it was business rivalry…"

He hadn't expected the competition to stoop so low. Fortunately, they were there in time and the "fine wine from another world" survived.

Thinking of those hired punks, Chens voice turned cold.

"What's the status on them?"

"They're not dead," Diluc replied flatly.

"Hm." Lu Chen nodded. Not being dead was probably worse. He knew Diluc wasn't one for mercy.

As the three talked, a warm baking scent floated in. Lu Chen turned, and Ei was standing there again—plate of small cookies in hand.

"Um… give them to Venti and Diluc—they worked hard today..." Lu Chen said.

"Okay."

He accepted the tray—but when he turned, both Venti and Diluc had slipped away without a trace.

"Seriously?! They vanished that fast?!"