"Hm? You look like you know me. Haven’t we ever met before?"
"Ah... yes... Who are you...?"
"I’m Yanfei! I’m from Liyue! I came to Yurong Harbor for work, then stopped by Fontaine for a bit of sightseeing. When I saw the newspapers posted around the harbor, everyone was making a huge fuss about Fontaine’s youngest top-ranked bar exam passer! A kid who mastered Fontaine’s complicated laws at thirteen! I wanted to see you in person, so I came to the Court of Fontaine, but I had no idea where you lived. Then, while I was wandering around, I saw a shoddy poster on a bulletin board saying you’d be waiting here! Honestly, I thought someone had put it up as a prank, but it was the real thing~?"
Of all people, why did it have to be her? If we started talking about laws, this would take forever.
"But... Yanfei, you look like a legal expert. I wrote that poster because I was looking for tutoring work."
"Just think of it as tutoring me in Fontaine law! I’ve got Liyue law down pat, but Fontaine law is so complicated that, honestly, I’m not confident about it..."
"I see... But if you’re from Liyue, do you really need to come all the way to Fontaine to study its laws? I can’t imagine you’ll have much use for them..."
"Do you think there needs to be a reason to climb a mountain?"
"I hope you’re not about to give the answer I’m thinking of."
"You climb it because it’s there! Laws are the same! The more you learn, the more endless they become! You compare the laws of this country and that country, see how they differ, and experience something new!"
I had run into a law nerd. This kind was the most annoying...
"Sigh... It’s too hot to stay outside. Let’s go indoors and talk."
"Sure. You’ll show me the place? I’ve got all the Mora in the world!"
"Is that so...? You’d better keep that promise."
With a sly smile, I led Yanfei away.
"Where exactly are you taking me?"
Dvor Hotel Café
Since it was operated directly by the Dvor Hotel, the food was guaranteed to be good and it was very popular. Its one drawback was the price.
"This is incredibly fancy. How do you know a place like this?"
"I took the bar exam at the Dvor Hotel. I know this area well. I’ve never eaten here, though, because it’s expensive."
"You... were you planning to bleed me dry from the start?"
"Who was it that said they had all the Mora they could ever need?"
"Fine. I said it, so I’ll honor it."
Yanfei sighed as she waited for the desserts and coffee to arrive.
"Since you’re taking this much from me, you’d better keep me company properly!"
"Let’s settle the payment first. You know it’s 100,000 Mora, right?"
"I know. That’s less than what I charge for a consultation, so it’s just pocket change!"
Would I be like that once I became a lawyer too...? I needed to start feeding the kids as soon as possible...
"By the way, how long are you planning to stay in Fontaine?"
"I’m leaving for Liyue tomorrow. Why? Disappointed that your source of income is drying up?"
"No... More importantly, can you cook?"
"Cook? Why are you suddenly asking that?"
"I like Liyue and Inazuman food, you see. Once we’re done here, could you come to my house and cook for us?"
"Huh? Now I have to play chef too? Just how far are you planning to work me?!"
"Do you know why I’m doing this work?"
"I was wondering about that... Someone who placed first on the bar exam... Oh, right. You said you were an orphan?"
She had merely stated the fact that I was an orphan, so why did it hit so hard? How miserable.
"I have three people depending on me. If I’m going to feed them, I have to do things like this."
"You really do have it rough. And yet you placed first on the bar exam? That’s honestly amazing. Are you even human?"
"I’m human."
A human from another world, that is.
"Your order is here."
All sorts of desserts, coffee, and tea arrived. What a lavish spread.
"You! How much did you order?!"
"You should try some too, Yanfei. The food here is supposed to be pretty good."
"Urgh... Let’s hurry up and talk about the law already. The law!"
"Yes, yes, understood."
Yanfei and I talked endlessly about the law. She went on about how Liyue law differed from Fontaine law, how Fontaine law was annoying because it meddled in even pointless matters, and all manner of other things. By the time we stopped talking, it was nearly evening.
"This is exhausting too... Seriously..."
"Yeah... I don’t think I’ve talked this much in a long time..."
"Yanfei, will you cook at our house?"
"Oh, that thing from earlier? I’ll do it as a service to the children. Where is your house?"
"It’s that mansion down below. The kids are probably starving by now."
"Then let’s get up and go. Here’s the Mora."
Yanfei held out a pouch stuffed full of Mora. This would keep us fed for several days.
In Front of the Bouf d’ete Residence
"You live here? It’s more luxurious than I expected."
"It is. Though I didn’t buy it with my own money."
"You didn’t buy it with your money? Then who did?"
"It’s a little hard to talk about."
I opened the door and went inside with Yanfei.
"I’m home—"
With a whoosh, a fork embedded itself in the door.
"W-What the hell?!"
Peruel had started acting hostile again because I had brought a woman home.
"Peruel? She’s from Liyue, and she’s leaving tomorrow, okay? She came here to make dinner for us tonight."
"...All right, Brother."
Peruel pulled the fork from the door and went upstairs. I really wished I could do something about that personality of hers...
"Hey! What is that girl’s problem?! Why is she throwing forks at people?!"
"She’s my little sister.... She always acts like that whenever I bring a woman home."
"You need to do something about your sister’s personality! If this were Liyue, she’d be thrown straight into jail...!"
"Fontaine isn’t much different, but... I just have to let it go..."
Since Yanfei and I had bought groceries before coming to the mansion, we started preparing dinner with them. The children’s chatter drifted down from upstairs.
"Don’t you have a guardian? Are the four of you living like this on your own?"
"I did, but not anymore."
"What do you mean, not anymore?"
"They were killed. By the Fatui."
"Ah... I’m sorry...."
Yanfei looked genuinely sorry.
"It’s all right. I’ve mostly come to terms with it. I just hope the children can overcome the trauma soon too."
"I hope so too."
The dish Yanfei and I made together was Yanfei’s specialty, [Myriad of the Land]. It felt similar to mapo tofu.
Drawn by the unfamiliar scent, the children came downstairs. They sat at the table ahead of time, chattering among themselves.
"Avrora! Did the thing I drew work?"
"This person came because of what you drew. Say hello. This is Yanfei, and she’s from Liyue."
"Hello~"
Citra and Cravie greeted Yanfei. Peruel only continued glaring at her.
"Peruel? You should say hello too."
"Hello..."
It sounded incredibly reluctant. Yanfei looked as though she were boiling inside.
"Sigh... She’s a child, so it can’t be helped... I should endure it..."
"Kids? Let’s eat first, okay?"
"Thank you for the meal."
I scooped up some tofu with my spoon and ate it. The spicy flavor was exquisite. Though Citra, sitting across from me, did not seem to agree...
"It’s spicy! How am I supposed to eat this?!"
"Spicy food is good, Citra. Eat it together with the tofu."
"Okay... I got it..."
The spicy flavor, which I had not tasted in so long, lifted my spirits... then Angelina’s spicy fish stew suddenly came to mind, and I grew dejected.
"Brother... What’s wrong?"
"Ah... It’s nothing... It’s just... eating something spicy made me think of..."
"Ah... that fish stew Auntie made for us back then..."
Yanfei was flustered by the suddenly gloomy atmosphere.
"W-What is it?! Does it taste bad?!"
"No... It tastes good. It just reminded us of food we used to eat."
"What food?"
"Spicy fish stew made with Jueyun Chilies."
"That? I could make it for you, but I don’t have the ingredients. Should I bring Xiangling along the next time I come to Fontaine?"
Cravie asked,
"Who is Xiangling?"
"Oh, she’s a chef friend of mine, and she’s good at spicy food. People from Fontaine might not be used to it, but we eat spicy dishes in Liyue."
If Xiangling came all the way here to cook for us, I would welcome her with open arms. But it was so far away. Would she really be able to come all this way?
"Um... I’ll gratefully accept the thought. If you just send us the ingredients, I’ll try making it myself."
"Really? Then when I get back to Liyue, I’ll send the ingredients by courier. What should I send you?"
"Rice, and... Jueyun Chilies..."
"Your food preferences are really Liyue-like. How about coming to Liyue sometime?"
"I can’t leave these kids behind."
"That’s true."
After the five of us had finished our meal, Yanfei and I washed the dishes together.
"Yanfei, do you have somewhere to stay? There are plenty of empty rooms here."
"I booked a hotel, so don’t worry. I’m not strapped for cash like someone I know."
"Haha... That stings a little..."
Once she had finished washing the dishes, Yanfei prepared to leave. I gathered the kids, and we came out to see her off.
"Thank you for the delicious meal. If you ever come to Fontaine again, we can at least talk together."
"Sure. Though who knows when that’ll be. And leave that white-haired one out of it."
It seemed the aftereffects of having a fork thrown at her were still lingering. Naturally. Imagine walking into someone’s house out of nowhere and getting hit with a fork.
"Well, I’m off. Have a good time, okay?"
"Goodbye!"
And so Yanfei left the Bouf d’ete Residence. We had said we would meet again someday, but even I did not know when that day would come.
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