A chill spread down Airi's back.
Then something cold and sharp touched his neck.
A sword.
There was a soft laugh behind him.
"Hehe... So, are you just a lost little kitty, or are you a foreign enemy who came here on purpose to investigate our Fatui camp?"
Of course. The moment he thought of something, it had to happen.
Startled, Airi dropped all the Lumitoiles he had been holding. They scattered across the ground, and his pupils shrank.
His ears folded back on their own, and the fur on his tail stood straight up.
Every tiny movement of his body screamed the same thing.
He was terrified.
Just his luck...
Was he really about to die already?
In his mind, Airi could practically see the scene of his head separating from his body.
But the Fatui Frost Operative behind him burst out laughing instead.
"So it really is a lost little kitty~"
"My apologies. Did big sister scare you~?"
As she spoke, she lowered the sword from his throat, then casually rested a hand on his head and began stroking it.
"Mmm..."
The sensation of his ears under her palm...
Soft. Fluffy. The texture was honestly...
That strange feeling on his ears snapped Airi out of his panic. The moment he came to his senses, he leaped forward and hurriedly put some distance between them, then turned around and stared at the woman before him with wary eyes.
She was tall, dressed in a black-and-blue tailcoat, with cold mist still clinging to the blade in her hand. Over her face was a black canine mask.
Airi's body was trembling slightly now that the panic had set in properly.
Out of all the people he could have run into, it just had to be the Fatui.
And not even an ordinary one, but an elite.
What was it called again...
A Frost Operative.
He had just reincarnated. With this tiny body of his, even if she only used one hand, he probably still would not be able to beat her.
Worse, if he tried to run, she could probably hit him with one of those game skills, blink over, and cut him down in an instant.
In the game, even sprinting could still get him frozen in one hit.
Never mind reality, where he was standing this close.
He had only just been reborn into Teyvat. He had not even had the chance to experience its beautiful life yet.
He really, really did not want to die.
Airi slowly raised his head and looked at her nervously.
Seeing that the Frost Operative did not seem to be planning to attack, he figured... maybe he could try negotiating.
"D-Don't come any closer."
"I... I was just passing through. I got lost."
"I really don't know you, and I definitely didn't come here to investigate the Fatui. Please let me go."
Airi looked at her fearfully.
At the same time, the Frost Operative was studying him as well.
His delicate features, that frightened and alert expression after being startled...
No matter how she looked at him, he did not seem like someone who had come here to spy on them.
Originally, she had intended to simply get rid of any stranger who wandered onto her territory.
But looking at this catlike boy with that frightened face...
It made her want to...
And so, she changed her mind.
"A little kitty this cute... I would never bear to kill you. So how exactly did you get lost and wander all the way to big sister's place~?"
"Would you like to come to my tent and have some tea to relax?"
The moment Airi realized there was room to talk, he let out a breath of relief.
"N-No, thank you..."
"I'm from out of town. I'm trying to get to the Court of Fontaine, but I got lost here and accidentally wandered into your territory."
"So I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye!"
The moment he finished speaking, he turned and tried to slip away.
But then he felt a tug from behind, followed by a wave of weakness spreading through his body.
When he turned to look, he found that the Frost Operative had grabbed his tail.
Then she started dragging him back little by little.
"D-Don't... don't grab there..."
Airi cried out weakly.
But after seeing him like this, the Frost Operative seemed even more interested.
"Perfect. Big sister just happens to be heading to Romaritime Harbor. I can give you a ride. Once you get there, you can take a boat to the Court of Fontaine."
Airi wanted to refuse.
Because he knew that already!!
But the Frost Operative seemed to see right through his thoughts. Her fingers suddenly tightened.
"Hmm?"
"Ahem... R-Really? Thank you. You're such a good person."
Only after hearing the answer she wanted did she finally loosen her grip.
"However, if you want to travel with our fleet, what sort of payment are you offering me?"
I knew it! She definitely has bad intentions!
Airi checked his pockets.
As expected, they were emptier than his face was clean.
He laughed awkwardly.
"Do... do you like Lumitoiles?"
Seeing the faint smile at the corner of her mouth, it almost felt like she was saying, Don't take your big sister for an idiot.
He had no idea how long it would take to walk all the way to the Court of Fontaine from here. And now that the Fatui had caught him, even if she clearly did not want to let him go...
At least maybe he could hitch a ride with their fleet to Romaritime Harbor.
"Ahem..."
"I-I can work for you! I'm very capable. Please take me with you..."
Without realizing it, he had slipped into a pleading, almost coquettish tone.
Airi himself did not feel much about it.
But the Frost Operative was a completely different story.
In her eyes, the catlike boy was looking up at her with sparkling, shining eyes while acting cute...
Her pupils trembled slightly.
"Th-This..."
He was just too adorable!
She had originally planned to order one of her subordinates to take him along while carrying out a mission on the way.
Now she had changed her mind.
She had to escort him personally.
Suppressing the smile threatening to spread across her lips, she forced herself into a reluctant tone.
"Fine. Since you're asking so sincerely, I'll take you with me. But you had better listen obediently. Otherwise, I'll throw you off."
Airi froze.
This bandit had forcibly detained him and still had the nerve to act unwilling about it...
What he did not see, however, was the look in the Frost Operative's eyes behind her mask.
There was definitely something wrong there.
After that, Airi followed her back to the camp.
The few burly men there were instantly recognizable.
A Fatui Skirmisher with an Anemoboxer Vanguard's gauntlets, and another with a huge Electrohammer.
They looked far bigger than they ever did in the game, and just standing near them was oppressive enough.
With fists that size, one punch would probably send him flying a long way...
Fortunately, none of them showed any intention of attacking him on sight.
So it really was different from the game.
The Fatui soldiers all wore stern expressions, but none of them said anything. Following the Frost Operative, they boarded the ship together.
As for Airi, under what could only be called a command from the Frost Operative, he was made to sit with her inside the cabin.
From within the moving cargo ship, faintly, the unwilling voice of a boy could be heard.
At that moment, Airi was being pinned across the Frost Operative's long legs, not daring to move even an inch.
The instant she touched him, the corners of her mouth curled into an infatuated smile. A blush spread across her face, and even her body trembled faintly.
But Airi could not see any of that.
She was far stronger than he was and had absolutely no intention of negotiating, leaving him no choice but to let her handle him however she pleased...
Being treated like a pet and petted all over was deeply humiliating.
Judging from the way she looked, if they had been the only two people on the ship, she probably would have started biting him already.
Or done something even worse.
"Damn it!"
"I'll remember this humiliation!"
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. When the day comes that I grow strong, I'll make you repay this tenfold!"
"W-Wait, you can't touch there..."
The trip was agonizing from beginning to end.
By the time it was over, Airi felt like the ears on top of his head and the tail behind him had gone completely numb. He was limp all over.
Fortunately, they finally arrived at Romaritime Harbor.
The instant the ship docked, a figure shot off it like an arrow.
That had been absolute torture.
If Airi had been even a second slower, he probably would not have escaped.
Thankfully, not many people seemed to have seen it. Otherwise, if he became an adventurer later, how was he supposed to survive socially in Fontaine...
Looking at the constant traffic of ships around the harbor, Airi let out a sigh of admiration.
Still, none of that affected his mood much.
He simply stared curiously at Romaritime Harbor's massive tower.
The densely packed port, the many merchant vessels of all shapes and sizes...
There were also plenty of travelers from other lands wearing all kinds of unusual clothes. Compared to them, even the shirt he wore did not seem that strange anymore.
So this was Romaritime Harbor.
It was even more breathtaking than in the game.
The Clockwork Meka looked incredibly sturdy. They moved without needing to be plugged in...
But would they ever suddenly go berserk and launch a missile at him or something...?
There were even dogs wearing hats.
They looked a little weird.
Honestly, they probably ate better than he did.
Airi wandered around curiously, taking everything in, completely unaware that the passersby were all staring at him.
Only when more and more gazes began landing on him did he finally notice.
He assumed everyone just found his wide-eyed, unsophisticated behavior amusing.
So he quickened his pace and followed the route he remembered.
After climbing the winding stairs, he entered the elevator. Once it carried him up and after waiting for what felt like forever, he finally reached the top.
The moment he entered, he saw the waiting area.
Rows of seats lined the front. There was also a bookshelf nearby, with copies of The Steambird available for reading.
Airi walked over toward the harbor platform. A few scattered citizens were still sitting on the benches.
"Looking to ride the aquabus?"
"This is the starting point of the Clementine Line, which runs from Romaritime Harbor to the Court of Fontaine. If you sit on the bench and wait a moment, the boat will be here shortly."
"There will also be a Melusine guide on board to introduce everyone to some... mm, little bits of trivia, so please wait patiently."
The harbor staff member, Rena, explained everything one by one.
But her gaze kept drifting toward Airi.
Even after he noticed, she did not bother to hide it, as if staring at him were the most natural thing in the world.
There was not much Airi could do about it, so he simply turned his head away and avoided looking at her.
After waiting for a while, an aquabus that looked impressively weighty slowly approached from the distance.
Airi walked up the steps, boarded the aquabus, and found a comfortable seat.
At the bow stood a blue-and-white Melusine, smiling and waving.
Her blue uniform fit her perfectly. Two cute feelers extended from her hat, there were a pair of little wing-like appendages on her back, and a small tail behind her too...
"So this is a Melusine unique to Fontaine?"
"She really is tiny. So cute..."
"I think her name is Aeval."
Back when he first reached Fontaine in the game, he had ridden Aeval's aquabus too.
He remembered hearing that, because she worked so hard, she had been promoted from the Marechaussee Phantom to serve as a guide on the aquabus...
Though in truth, it was probably because she was just too straightforward.
To put it bluntly, she was not quite clever enough. She had likely been pushed out of the Marechaussee Phantom and reassigned to the aquabus, then tricked into thinking it was a promotion...
"Poor thing..."
"But she's really adorable. I kind of want to pet her."
Once Airi boarded, no other passengers followed, and the aquabus slowly began moving along the track toward the Court of Fontaine.
Airi knelt on the seat, gripping the side of the boat with both hands, excitedly looking around at everything...
"Welcome aboard the Clementine Line."
"Dear passenger, please do not stick your hands or head outside the boat. If an accident occurs, the aquabus will not be held responsible."
After hearing Aeval's sweet voice, Airi could only suppress his excitement and sit down properly.
As he listened to Aeval explaining the Court of Fontaine while watching the towering mountains pass alongside the boat, he felt utterly content...
"This is the Clementine Line, and over there, that tall building is..."
Because Airi was the only passenger on board...
He kept feeling a gaze fixed on his face.
And gradually, the explanation grew quieter and quieter...
Confused, he turned toward where the gaze was coming from.
And met it directly.
At that moment, Aeval stood at the front of the boat, staring straight at Airi with her large eyes.
Airi instantly realized there was something very wrong in her gaze too.
It was like she was looking at something that had stolen her heart at first sight...
Her eyes were full of one thought.
Want it... want it...