I slipped into the Dvor Hotel the moment its doors opened, trying to avoid the reporters. As expected, the grand hall was empty, filled only by the quiet air of dawn.
After I came in second place in the second round, Focalors gave me an absolute earful. She went on and on about how, after she had personally taught me, I had somehow come in second instead of first. So this time, determined to make me take first place for real, she had brought in every kind of book imaginable and made me study. Because of that, I overslept and was late for my piano lesson once, and Furina actually came all the way to my house to demand to know why I had not shown up that day. Peruel’s expression then had been priceless. She had stared at Furina as if to say, Why are you setting foot in our territory?
But today was a good day for Furina. Why?
"Avrora! You came early today? Was it because you missed me?"
"I came to avoid the reporters."
"Come on! Would it kill you to say something nice to me?!"
Because, as the chief proctor, she had a chance to see me all day long.
"If you fail the third round this time, I’ll be absolutely devastated, you know? How am I supposed to wait until next year?!"
"Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."
"And then you’ll mysteriously score just below the passing mark again?! You absolutely cannot do that!"
"If I had that kind of skill, wouldn’t I have passed already?"
"In that case~ I’ll cast a victory spell on you, shall I?"
What was that supposed to mean? Was she about to curse at me?
Furina leaned close to my ear and whispered softly.
"After the fourth examination, you’ll have a one-on-one interview with Neuvillette, and then a one-on-one interview with me, you see? At that time, tell me what you want~ I’ll grant you anything~"
What...? What had she just said? She would grant me anything?
"I don’t know what it is you want~ but whatever you ask for, I’ll grant it all~? I swear it in the name of the Hydro Archon~"
Furina stuck out her tongue teasingly and left the grand hall. That feisty little brat... She was making me want to tease her...
I kept reviewing the sections Focalors had marked for me. While I was doing so, people began filing in. But... weren’t there too few of them?
Before the bell rang, it seemed everyone who was going to enter had arrived. But there were not even ten people? Wasn’t that way too few? There had been fifty people during the first round.
Before long, Furina entered with the other proctors, carrying the exam papers. The papers looked noticeably thinner than the ones from before. There was only one question in the first session, so... naturally they would be thin.
But when I received mine, I saw that over half of it was blank space, with the questions printed on only one page, and I felt fear rise in me. That blank space was for drafting your answers before transferring them to the answer sheet. Sensing that I was completely screwed, I grew tense.
Then the bell rang, and the exam began. The question filled an entire page, with points assigned according to the answers required. I just had to get through this...
In the blink of an eye, four sessions passed, and I once again felt as utterly drained as I had after the first examination. I had to do this again tomorrow? I was headed straight for a fever at this rate. The examinees filed out, while I remained seated in my chair just like that. Five minutes later, my senses finally returned, and I began gathering my things. Furina must have dumped her work on another proctor, because she entered the grand hall earlier than I expected.
"Avrora~ Did the exam go well? As a reward for your hard work, a kiss..."
"I’m not in the mood today... I’m too exhausted..."
"What?! I’m saying I’ll do it myself!!"
"We have time tomorrow too, don’t we? It won’t be too late to do it then."
"True! There’s tomorrow too. But today is today! I need to get today’s quota in before you go!"
"Then... come out tonight... I need to go to a café, eat some cake, and get some rest..."
"W-What... then is that... a date???"
"Think of it as a date... I’m leaving first..."
"Wait! Which café?!"
"That place where you always bought limited-edition cakes."
"You know, Neuvillette told me that he wished I had always been like this, and asked what had gotten into me this year. Do you know how hard it was to make excuses...?"
"Well, that’s because you only ever go watch performances and put on traveling shows. You should at least offer advice at court like Liyue’s god does."
"Hmph! I’m still much better than the Anemo Archon, who abandoned his country and ran off!"
"You only say that because you don’t know any better..."
Furina and I were at the café where Peruel had nearly stabbed her with a fork before. This place really was good. It stayed open late into the night, too.
"I’m happy that we get to meet like this, at least. Lately, I’ve been hating how popular I’ve become~"
"That’s the consequence of your own actions. You built up that image for yourself."
"Even so... if I had known I would meet you, I wouldn’t have done it this way..."
"Oh? What wind blew you this way? I guess you don’t like the life you’ve had until now anymore?"
"That’s right. I don’t like it."
"I figured... Wait, what did you say? You don’t like it?"
"I’ll be honest. As long as I have you, that’s all I need. The prophecy? From what you told me, it sounds like it will happen no matter what... but if I just follow your advice, can’t we stop that prophecy too?"
"The prophecy itself will happen... but the question is who deals with it."
"Then tell me. Who deals with the prophecy?"
Could I tell her this...? She was bound to meet the Traveler eventually, so perhaps it was fine...
"About fifteen or sixteen years from now, a Traveler will visit Fontaine. They’re capable enough to have traveled through several nations, beginning with Mondstadt, resolving problems wherever they went. Rumors will probably spread all the way to Fontaine. You just need to notice that the Traveler is coming and handle things around the time they reach Sumeru."
"Really? Then can I just leave everything to that Traveler?"
"Did you forget that you appear in the prophecy in the first place? You’re one of its key figures. I’m not, though."
"Then... once that prophecy is over, what will happen to you and me?"
"That..."
Furina would become human. It was what Focalors had wanted. And she would leave the Palais Mermonia, too. She would live a new life as a human being.
As for me... I had nothing. I was, after all, an utter outsider. Would I affect the story too...? Even I did not know that.
"It must be hard to say? I understand... since it concerns the future. Still, I want to ask whether this possibility exists."
"What possibility?"
"The possibility of you and me getting married."
"Cough!Cough!"
Damn it, the surprise made the coffee go down the wrong pipe. What possibility? The possibility of marriage?!
"No... why are you suddenly asking something like that?"
"I... have nothing... aside from being the Hydro Archon..."
"You have Neuvillette, don’t you?"
"That man knows nothing! He only nags me! He never looks after me! All he does is say I’m throwing hysterics!!"
Furina shouted as though the grievance had been festering inside her. Neuvillette certainly had openly ignored Furina in the early part of Fontaine’s story.
"You’re all I have... You know my secret... you’re the only person I can truly open my heart to and speak with face-to-face... There’s no one but you..."
It seemed Furina had been driven into quite a corner emotionally. She had kept acting for five hundred years; naturally, there had to be an enormous knot of pent-up feelings inside her.
"You’re all I have... If only you stay by my side... I feel like I can do anything... Please... pass the examination... and stay directly under me..."
With tears in her eyes, Furina clutched tightly at my hand. All I could do was pull her into an embrace and pat her back.
Because I had nothing to say.
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