How Is She Here?

(This...This...It's a heresy to be this cute...Yandere or not!)

Yomite grit his teeth, the entire time she was glued to his arm, having 'them' slide across his forearm and rub up against his upper arm ever so slightly, made him use every ounce of his strength to hold onto dear life.

(I am not complaining that women of this world do not see it as a need to wear bras...It's great. It's amazing. It's wonderful, but in this situation...it's so hot outside and she is doing this...aaaaaaaah think about something else! Fast! Think of...Venti! Shit, bad call, bad call...Goku! Haaaa!) He internally screamed.

But to put things in perspective, the temperature right outside of directly under the sun he roughly estimated to be around 50 degrees Celsius (122°F), which was literally unbearable for anyone under the sun. Even under the shade of the trees on either side of the road and during a nice breeze, it was uncomfortable enough to make them itch and wish they were dead.

(Why would people even live in this hot country is what I am currently thinking about if you couldn't tell...)

...

The sooner they arrived at the inn, the better for everyone involved...

Liyue's citizens avoided the midday heat like the plague, lazing around in their homes or spending most of the days under wide open umbrellas, blocking their bodies from the direct sunlight...

However, that didn't prevent the majority of the people from working outside, business owners mostly took the sunbathing spot under the beautiful mountainside, occasionally cooking some soup or other food on an artifact that looked like a makeshift grill, placed on top of stones and pieces of wood. The rest of the local people sat under wooden shelters along with their children and friends while trading stories with one another, exhanging pleasantries and joking between one another. It all felt very peaceful and innocent compared to how it seemed to him when they first entered the city.

His senses could pick out things like the sounds of people talking amongst themselves, the laughter could be heard from all over the town, the smell of food wafting in the air, seemingly originated from any restaurant, eatery or marketplace located within the town limits.

All in all, it was a blissfully serene environment; albeit without a carefree soul for eyes to witness and ears to hear.

The city looked alive, cheerful and friendly at a first glance. As though the people here spent most of their days going to one another instead of going to work; there wasn't a single person walking around while looking bored or angry. In some ways this place resembled Mondstadt.

As they walked on through the town, they began to get closer to the center of the town, gradually reaching a larger district full establishments and shops where large quantities of goods sold, giving them more opportunity to purchase new supplies. They found plenty of stores that sold clothing, bags and various miscellaneous items. They bought food as well as refreshment drinks like cold Apple and Sunsettia Juice as the temperature could make them faint if they weren't properly hydrated and nutritious. The way this way going, it almost looked like a date.

Then they arrived in front of an Adventurer Guild's branch. From what Katheryne in Mondstadt told him, there was a branch in every city in the continent. This particular branch seemed bigger than the one in Mondstadt, as it was surrounded by several smaller houses connected together.

There was even an open blacksmithy workshop with a fire roaring inside, next to the buildings, actively churning out huge amounts of steel armor, swords and weapons for the local townsfolk. A middle-aged man with a cleanly shaved beard and tall body wrapped up in red leather was hanging iron chains from the topmost ceiling beam above the forge, using an axe to remove small parts of chain linkages. He nodded towards duo when he heard their footsteps.

"Hanfeng's Ironmongers, here to serve. Liyue is the dominion of Rex Lapis himself. Our ores and blacksmithing skill could never disappoint."

"Ah, sorry, we are just passing by, but if I need something for myself, I will come personally." Yomite replied courteously.

"I see. You don't look like familiar faces to me. Welcome to Liyue folks, if you ever need anything with metal and ores, come to me." He chuckled before returning to his task, slowly turning around as he swung the axe in rhythm. "A solid business is founded on solid relationships, I hope we will meet again. Enjoy the beautiful city."

"Thanks!"

They bid him farewell before they stopped in front of the Adventurer's Guild.

...

..

.

"How is this possible..." Yomite started, unable to contain his surprise when he saw a familiar face between the staff of the Adventurer's guild. She glanced over her shoulder towards him, smiling brightly.

"Welcome to the Liyue branch of the Adventurers' Guild. Ad astra abyssosque!"

"Eh...Katheryne?"

"That's right. I am Katheryne, the receptionist here at the Adventurers' Guild. It's my job to assign quests to our adventurers and provide intelligence support. Our service is all year round. Is there something wrong, Adventurer? You seem... surprised? Nervous? Have I, smitten you, perhaps?" She asked, holding a smile to her face as she greeted the two of them with politeness.

Yomite stared back at her blanky. Her smooth, mature voice, no matter how teasingly she spoke, was too soft for his ears not to recognize. Her short silky black hair had a slight curl to it, the ends matching with her delicate face in every sense of the word.

(Why is she here? I don't understand...Isn't she in Mondstadt?) Yomite was confused and dazed, still grasping his thoughts as he tried to think whether he was wrong.

Was it actually possible she was a different person altogether? Even her name was Katheryne like the one in Mond!

He returned her greeting, still not quite able to process why she was here.