It was now afternoon.
Sitting on the surface of the sea, Furina cautiously watched the gathering fish beneath the water. She reached out her hand, and her fingers effortlessly passed through the surface, entering the water.
The coolness of the water and the sensation of the fish swimming past her fingertips filled Furina with a novel feeling!
"Liu Yuan, Liu Yuan! There are so many fish here!"
Furina exclaimed loudly, her voice full of surprise and curiosity.
It wasn't that she hadn't seen so many fish gathered together before, but to stand on the sea surface like this, without any support, and watch the fish beneath the water so closely — this was a feeling she had never experienced!
"Mm."
Liu Yuan responded softly. Watching the girl sit on the water's surface, her face beaming with happiness and wonder, Liu Yuan felt a strange sense of contentment.
When Furina was happy, the young woman was happy too.
She stood quietly to the side, a slight, almost imperceptible smile on her face. Watching Furina play happily without a care in the world, Liu Yuan truly hoped that Furina could continue to be this happy.
In Fontaine, Furina rarely showed such an unburdened smile.
In Liu Yuan's hands, intricate and complex Alchemical Matrices slowly rotated, and at the center of the matrices were various ingredients she had found nearby.
After breakfast at Palais Mermonia in the morning, Liu Yuan and Furina strolled around Fontaine for a while, then left Fontaine to go outside.
It should be noted that they hadn't eaten lunch in between.
Perhaps it was because she was thinking too much, or perhaps it was the excitement of being out, but Furina hadn't felt particularly hungry. And to avoid disturbing the happy Furina, Liu Yuan naturally didn't remind her. However, just a moment ago, Furina's stomach uncooperatively growled.
So, Liu Yuan decided to prepare an "afternoon tea" for Furina in advance.
The recipes in her mind appeared naturally. She never refused any knowledge, and while she preferred making various desserts that could make Furina happy, she also had a little bit of experience with normal cooking.
Thus, Liu Yuan gathered ingredients on the spot, and for cooking utensils, she chose to use the versatile 'Alchemy'.
The aroma of roasted fish instantly caught the other girl's attention.
Her delicate, small nose twitched slightly, and her heterochromatic eyes immediately spotted the "culprit" in Liu Yuan's hand that was enticing her!
She unconsciously swallowed a bit of saliva, and her stomach rumbled again. Only now did Furina realize how hungry she was.
Although her stomach had growled earlier, at that time she was still excitedly looking at the underwater scenery, one hand gripping Liu Yuan's arm and the other pointing forward, completely oblivious to it.
In fact, if Liu Yuan hadn't suddenly announced that it was afternoon tea time, she wouldn't have realized that she hadn't eaten for a while.
And now, her craving had been awakened by the roasted fish in Liu Yuan's hand.
Furina looked at Liu Yuan, her heterochromatic eyes full of pitifulness. But that wasn't all; Furina then said to Liu Yuan in a weak voice:
"Liu Yuan… I want to eat fish…"
"No."
Liu Yuan refused directly without any hesitation. Furina's "pitiful" expression froze, then instantly vanished, her cheeks puffing up like a pufferfish.
"Liu Yuan—! Hmph!"
Furina was unhappy. She suddenly didn't want to talk to Liu Yuan. How dare she refuse her so directly!!!
And with such an unhesitating tone!
She was scolding her, right? She must be scolding her!
Furina was very unhappy now, the kind that couldn't be appeased!
However, the next moment, a fragrant roasted fish was suddenly presented to Furina.
"The fish wasn't ready just now. You can eat it now… What's wrong?"
Liu Yuan, who had just finished preparing the roasted fish and handed it to Furina, looked at her with a hint of confusion. Furina, hearing Liu Yuan's words, froze.
Her pufferfish-like puffed cheeks gradually deflated. Then she silently took the roasted fish and took a big bite, as if to vent her frustration.
"Be careful, it's hot." The words of concern came again. Furina's eating motion paused, then she began to eat in small bites.
However, as she ate, Furina noticed something was off again. "How come… there are no fish bones?"
Although Fontaine's fish generally had fewer bones, how come she hadn't encountered a single one?
"I removed them beforehand."
Liu Yuan replied softly, then sat next to Furina, mimicking Furina's way of eating the roasted fish in small bites.
Ever since Furina first fed her last time, making her realize that food could not only provide necessary energy for the body but also be an enjoyment, she had also started learning to eat.
Different foods brought her different feelings. Although not as intense as when she was with Furina, it could already be on par with reading. If she had to list a hierarchy, it would probably be:
Furina > Knowledge = Food
Don't ask why there are only these few; if you ask, it's because Liu Yuan didn't consider other people as people.
Aside from Furina, Liu Yuan had an approximate indifference to all living beings on Teyvat. What defined their existence was Furina.
If they were kind to Furina, or had good intentions, Liu Yuan would interact with them by mimicking normal human treatment patterns.
For example, Dobharcu, who served as her and Furina's mount earlier — Liu Yuan had no feelings for Dobharcu. It was simply that Furina said this local legend had once bullied her, and also said that when she became powerful in the future, she would definitely bully him back and that she would protect Liu Yuan in the future, and so on.
Furina didn't have the intention of asking Liu Yuan to help her get even; she merely mentioned it casually in conversation. However, Liu Yuan immediately took Furina to find this local legend.
Furina had no ill will towards this local legend, and this local legend had no ill will towards Furina, and furthermore, this local legend had good intentions towards her.
So, Liu Yuan followed what she considered "human logic" to handle this matter — she gave this local legend a few simple, painless taps as punishment, so that Furina would be happy, and likewise, it wouldn't injure or directly kill this local legend.
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