Chapter 40

"Giggle, giggle!"

The silver bell-like laughter confirmed what was in his embrace.

This was no round ball, but a chubby little girl.

He had mistaken her for a ball earlier because of the distance.

The girl was so plump that rolling down the mountain in the night sky could easily cause such a misunderstanding.

Seemingly finding his belly soft, the little girl jumped up and down on it with hands and feet.

Accompanied by childlike laughter, she was completely using him as a trampoline.

"I say... could you get off me first?"

Nathan felt somewhat troubled by the girl's playfulness.

Although he was in divine beast form, the stomping on his belly felt no different from being stepped on in human form.

More importantly, he couldn't get up with her on his stomach.

Her weight was significantly more than an average little girl.

If he tried to roll over, he was afraid he might hurt her.

"Hmm???"

Attracted by this sound, the little girl finally stopped her previous mischief.

But instead, Nathan's ability to speak human language deeply piqued her curiosity.

Stepping with her hands and feet on his belly, she crawled forward bit by bit.

After a short crawl, the girl finally poked her head out.

Looking down from above, she made eye contact with Nathan lying on the ground.

"Gei-gei!"

A milky-sweet tone escaped from the girl's mouth.

But Nathan ignored this strange address, falling into complete shock.

The girl's appearance was far too familiar.

Even though she was in her childhood form and had grown round as a ball.

Her cute round face and chubby little hands made it hard to connect with her adult appearance.

But the moment he saw her ice-blue hair and the black and red qilin horns atop her head, her identity became crystal clear.

"Ganyu!!!"

In his shock, Nathan blurted out her name.

These features were absolutely unique in the Genshin Impact world.

During his time playing the game, Ganyu's master - that chatty Adeptus - would often expose his disciple's childhood stories.

He had mentioned that Ganyu was quite chubby as a child.

This perfectly confirmed that Ganyu was indeed in her childhood form.

"Hm???"

Hearing her name, Ganyu lifted her chubby little face.

A puzzled expression flickered in her cute little eyes.

She seemed unable to understand how Nathan knew her name.

"Ganyu... could you please get off me? It's a bit tiring to talk like this!"

Nathan tried to coax her, attempting to reach out and comfort her bangs.

But then he realized he was still in divine beast form.

His snow-white little paw couldn't reach Ganyu's head at all.

"Umm...!"

Little Ganyu tilted her head, trying to understand his words.

In the next second, her body moved slightly back.

"Phew..."

Seeing her obedient response, Nathan finally relaxed internally.

Being stuck with four legs in the air was quite uncomfortable for him.

But he didn't expect this was just a feint by little Ganyu, her retreat merely a setup for a better pounce.

"Big brother!!!"

Accompanied by a soft call, her round body directly flopped onto Nathan's chest.

Her chubby little face climbed up, continuously rubbing against the fur under his chin.

"Hehe..."

With adorable movements, she also let out cute laughter.

Nathan could only be helplessly rubbed by little Ganyu... such a clingy rub, he couldn't even get angry.

Her chubby little face was bouncy, her white skin as delicate as a newborn's.

Rubbing against his fur made him feel an itchy... almost sneeze-like sensation.

"Ah... achoo!"

No sooner had the thought formed than he couldn't stop it.

A sneeze burst out, accompanied by a stream of ice-blue cold air.

Due to the qilin's natural elemental affinity, Nathan naturally attached elemental power while sneezing.

The ice element met the moisture in the air, ultimately condensing into sparkling ice crystals.

The crystal-clear particles drifted in the wind, creating such a beautiful scene that Ganyu clapped her little hands happily.

"Hehe, fun! Fun!"

"What's so fun about this!" 

Nathan could only respond with a complaint.

He had just been marveling at the qilin bloodline's elemental control - perhaps the biggest difference between humans and divine beasts.

Humans need a Vision to control elemental power, but for divine beasts like qilin, controlling elements is as easy as breathing.

"Big brother... big brother, fun! Do it again!"

As the ice crystals dispersed, Ganyu still seemed unsatisfied, continuing to rub against his fur.

"Ouch... what are you doing!"

Nathan didn't want to sneeze again and tried to move his head away from the little girl.

"Hm???"

But this action made little Ganyu misunderstand, thinking he was displeased. Her mood visibly dropped.

"Could you get off my stomach? Besides, I'm not even your brother!"

His explanation seemed to light the emotional fuse.

Little Ganyu, sitting on his belly, suddenly burst into loud crying.

"Wah wah wah..."

Crystal-clear pearls of tears flowed from her eyes.

"Don't... don't cry."

This cry made Nathan even more helpless.

"Wuwuwu..."

The crying didn't stop. In no time, little Ganyu had become a tear-soaked mess.

Nathan actually understood why she would call him "big brother".

After all, in the simulator's setting, he was now a pure-blooded qilin.

For Ganyu, who has half qilin blood, such a blood attraction was understandable.

But he never expected a light rejection would cause such a dramatic reaction.

"Okay, okay... cry... cry!!!"

Unable to bear seeing the cute little one cry, Nathan helplessly gave in.

The moment he spoke, Ganyu's crying instantly stopped, as if paused.

"Giggle... big brother!!!"

Crystal tears still hung on her cheeks, but her wronged expression had vanished.

Cutely laughing, she snuggled up to Nathan's ear again.

Changing emotions like a Sichuan opera face - such a mood swing was both amusing and exasperating.

A/N -Read ahead on my patreon

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