“Dad, are you mad?”
“Huh? No, I’m not… actually, I guess I am.”
I wanted to deny it, but if a child is asking, it means I’m wearing my heart on my sleeve.
I quietly picked Nahida up and met her gaze. The twisted knot in my chest slowly unraveled as I looked into those small, pale green eyes.
Feeling my expression soften, I gave a small smile.
“I’m not mad anymore.”
“How?”
“Well…”
It felt strangely embarrassing to honestly say, ‘Because of my daughter,’ so I mumbled a vague answer and looked away.
“Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re Dad, right?”
“Of course.”
“And I’m your daughter?”
“You are. Why? Did someone say you weren’t?”
“No, it’s just that you always call me by my name.”
It felt like a thorn had pricked my heart. Come to think of it, I had never actually called Nahida ‘daughter’ before.
But how should I put it? When this tiny, soft child giggles and hugs me, it’s like… I wasn’t mentally prepared yet. There was an indescribable sense of cognitive dissonance.
Regardless of my internal struggle, Nahida’s eyes grew sad, and tears began to well up.
Seeing those clear eyes turn watery, I hurriedly shook my head.
“I’m sorry, my daughter. Um… my little lady? I’ll make sure to call you that from now on.”
“Okay!”
She beamed as if she hadn’t been about to cry a second ago, though a single teardrop still rolled down her cheek.
“Dad, I love you!”
As she buried her face in my chest, I held her a little tighter.
So this is why the term ‘daughter-fool’ exists. Having a daughter like this… is still a bit awkward for me.
As we headed back home, I spotted a familiar yet distant back standing in front of the house.
“It has been a while. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you.”
I gave a small nod and set Nahida down.
My benefactor, the one who had provided me with both a job and a home, was standing there staring at me.
“You should have gone inside and waited.”
“How could I enter a home that is not mine without permission?”
“I thought all of Liyue was your home?”
“Hmm, all of Liyue is my home. I like the sound of that. It is quite profound and philosophical.”
Watching Zhongli take my casual remark so seriously, I opened the door.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Take your shoes off before you come in.”
“Hmm. What culture is this?”
“My house’s culture.”
“Interesting.”
“You find a lot of things interesting. Want a glass of water?”
“I would prefer tea, if you don’t mind.”
He sure has a lot of requests. Still, he’s technically my boss(?) and a god, so I should be considerate.
I reached into the cupboard for a glass and tea leaves. As I put the kettle on, I felt a tug on my clothes. Looking down, I saw Nahida staring up at me with wide eyes.
“Dad, I want to do it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
I was about to say it was dangerous, but I bit my tongue. She wasn’t like this before; why the sudden change?
What should I say? That it’s dangerous and she should wait until she’s older? Or that it’s an important task?
…How important is brewing a bit of tea, really? I mean, hosting a guest is important, but still.
As I hesitated, Nahida reached out.
“Then you do the dangerous parts, and I’ll do the safe parts.”
“Alright.”
Satisfied, Nahida gave me a bright smile. I felt like I’d been played, but it didn’t feel bad.
I quietly poured the boiled water into the cup and handed Nahida the tea leaves. The dried leaves fell from her hands, soaking in the water and releasing a faint aroma.
“You two get along well.”
“I suppose so.”
Watching Nahida dip her tongue into the tea and shiver from the heat was a sight so cute I’d pay to save the memory if I could.
“Are you able to truly perceive yourself as a father?”
“Huh?”
“For instance… hmm, how shall I put it? If I were to have a child of my own. No matter how I think on it, I cannot imagine it.”
“I didn’t really feel like a father when Nahida was even younger than this, but…”
I reached out and gently stroked Nahida’s hair, closing my eyes.
The way she called me ‘Dad’ when I first saw her.
Watching this child, once smaller than my palm, grow bit by bit. The scenes of her looking up at me from my arms, following me while calling out, ‘Dad, Dad.’
“At some point, it just clicked. ‘Ah, I’m a dad.’”
“It sounds obvious, but that’s all there is to it. I think you’d do a better job than me, at least.”
“Is that so?”
I continued to stroke Nahida’s head, and she leaned into my touch.
Zhongli stroked his chin as he watched us.
“So, why are you here?”
“Well, as I felt last time, the contract is weakening.”
“?”
“It is likely because you are subconsciously rejecting me.”
“Wait, I’ve never done that.”
“The heart’s landscape is not so easily measured. Is it not said that others can view one more objectively than oneself?”
Just as I was about to scowl, my body tilted slightly. Nahida, who had been leaning against me, had laid her head on my lap, removing the support I was leaning on.
Looking at Nahida with her eyes closed calmed my mind.
“Then what? Should we make a new one?”
“That seems unnecessary.”
“Hmm?”
“More importantly, what do you intend to do with the child?”
“What do you mean, ‘what do I intend to do’?”
“Do you plan to keep her at home forever?”
I didn’t understand what he was getting at at first, but then memories of my own childhood flashed through my mind.
Humans are social animals. While she isn’t exactly human, Nahida needs to learn about human society. Socialization was a necessity.
‘Kindergarten, or school.’
Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to let her go. I remembered the stares back at Liyue Harbor. Those ambiguous looks, as if they were looking at a strange animal.
Nahida’s snow-white hair and pale green eyes are certainly mystical, but they stand out.
Anyone who has been to school knows. When you’re young, you can be teased just for a boy and girl being near each other, and even going to the bathroom requires navigating social cues.
I didn’t know if it would be positive or negative, but worry took precedence in my heart. I didn’t want to leave Nahida alone in a place like that.
“If that is the issue, you need not worry.”
“How so?”
“Could you not simply hire a private tutor? The distance from here is quite great as well.”
“Hmm.”
“Though it may take a significant portion of your salary.”
“I can handle that much.”
‘But did he really come all this way just to tell me this?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind—
“May I state my main business now?”
Right. A god wouldn’t visit just to tell someone to get a tutor for their daughter.
“I would like you to go to Inazuma for a short while.”
“….”
How should I describe my feelings right now? Perhaps it was similar to what the Traveler felt when they were asked to deliver a letter for the Kanjou Commission while trying to get a travel permit in Ritou.
“You do not look pleased.”
At least my face told the truth.
“I apologize for making such a request. However, given the relationship between Liyue and Inazuma across the Sea of Gazing Clouds, cooperation is indispensable. Yet the current atmosphere is unsettling, and the Adepti are currently stretched quite thin.”
“Isn’t the Sea of Gazing Clouds part of Liyue?”
“There are many gods who travel between Liyue and Inazuma across those waters.”
I pondered Zhongli’s words.
This soft, meticulous, and elegant feeling is the greatest happiness in the world… Damn these distracting thoughts.
I took my hand off Nahida’s head to organize my thoughts.
But as soon as I did, Nahida opened her eyes and looked up at me.
Her eyes were pitiful, as if asking, ‘Why did you stop?’
I eventually placed my hand back on her head. Like a cat wagging its tail, Nahida’s little toes wiggled.
Stop it and think.
The contract is weakening.
‘He said it was unnecessary for now, so pass.’
Nahida needs an education.
‘Put that aside for a moment.’
I have to go to Inazuma.
‘So it boils down to this.’
The greatest driving force for a human is their own state of mind. And after my conversation with Nahida earlier, I was unknowingly filled with motivation.
“Fine. But I want to be able to go without it being a hassle. And I want you to introduce me to a good tutor.”
“I shall see to it.”
A verbal contract. It was a method with no legal effect or evidence, but wasn’t the man before me the God of Contracts? Worrying about whether the other party would keep their word depended on who they were, and right now, there was no need for such worry.
Besides, if I just set down a Teleport Waypoint in Inazuma, I can go back and forth whenever I want.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s not that hard.’
They say even those who think they are rational are actually ruled by momentary emotions.
I thought I was acting rationally, but I guess I was being emotional.
Or maybe…
“Do not be too resentful.”
“Huh? Ah.”
I questioned Zhongli’s sudden remark, but soon understood.
Does he know I caused a scene at Yuehai Pavilion? Well, he is the god who gives yearly guidance.
You have to know something to give guidance on it.
“I don’t particularly resent her. It’s just that the first button was fastened incorrectly.”
“It seems a clumsy student tried to mend the clothes without knowing much about them. It is simply that you do not know each other well. How about spending a day together?”
“Hmm.”
With my vague answer, Zhongli seemed to have said all he needed to say and left the house.
I watched him disappear down the mountain, and once he was out of sight, I looked down at Nahida.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Okay!”
“Lord Gyeoul.”
At the sudden voice, I tightened my grip on Nahida’s hand. Turning around, I saw a pair of dark red horns.
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