"Miss Furina, over here~"
A clear voice rang out.
Just as Furina was about to turn and leave, the familiar call made her pause. She turned back, puzzled—only to see Shajin standing not far behind her, grinning from ear to ear.
Her face puffed up in annoyance as she frowned and scolded him.
"Hey! Shajin, do you even remember you're supposed to be my bodyguard? How can you just wander off like that? What if something dangerous had happened to me?"
Shajin quickly raised his hands in mock surrender.
"My apologies, Miss Furina."
"But don't be mad just yet! Look what I brought back for you!"
With a sharp snap of his fingers, five exquisite boxes suddenly appeared in front of him with a crisp snap.
Furina leaned in, curious. When she got a good look at the contents, her eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Wait… are these—those super rare cakes that are limited to ten per day?!"
"Bingo~"
Furina lit up, grabbing Shajin's arm and shaking him excitedly.
"Wow! That's amazing, Shajin! How in the world did you manage to buy so many?"
Amused by her adorably thrilled reaction, Shajin chuckled and replied, "Oh, it wasn't all that hard. I just had a little… friendly chat with the shop owner. He was more than happy to make a couple extra for the Hydro Archon."
"So? Do you like them, Miss Furina?"
Furina nodded furiously, beaming like a blooming flower.
"Like them? I love them!!"
Shajin watched the "little girl" in front of him radiate pure happiness over a few cakes, and couldn't help but murmur to himself.
"Perfect, huh…? Maybe… you'll become the next miracle of Teyvat…"
But Furina, lost in joy, didn't notice the flash of complex emotion on his face. She just smiled brightly and asked, "What were you just mumbling, Shajin?"
Snapping back to reality, Shajin waved it off with a smile. "Nothing. Just happy to see you happy."
…
On the way back to the Court of Fontaine, Shajin swung the now-empty cake box lightly in his hand.
His gaze shifted slowly to Furina's flat little belly, and he froze, mouth agape, completely dumbfounded for a moment before finally blurting out:
"Miss Furina… how did your tiny stomach fit that many cakes?"
Furina proudly puffed out her chest, lifted her chin, and replied smugly, "Hmph! You boys just don't get it. All desserts go into a separate stomach for girls~"
She then added playfully, "Besides, you don't have to be so stiff calling me 'Miss Furina' all the time. Relax a little~"
Shajin raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an amused glint.
Furina, for some reason, blushed slightly and muttered in a tiny voice.
"Since… since we're kind of friends now, aren't we…"
Shajin blinked, then gave a soft chuckle.
"I suppose you're right. But in that case, calling you 'Miss Furina' all the time seems a bit much. What should I call you instead?"
He tilted his head, arms crossed as he thought aloud.
"Let's see… Oh! I've got it. How about… Fufu from now on~"
"Eh?!"
Furina's face turned as red as a ripe apple.
"You… I… Fu… Fufu…"
Shajin sighed exaggeratedly.
"I thought we were friends? Guess I'll just go back to 'Miss Furi—'"
A whisper, barely louder than a mosquito, floated to his ear.
"I… I didn't say you couldn't…"
Naturally, Shajin heard her clearly, but he couldn't resist teasing her.
"Hm? What was that, Miss Furina?"
"I said it's fine!!!"
Furina shouted, her face burning bright red.
"And I want more cakes! Go get them!!!"
Shajin burst out laughing.
"Understood, Fufu~"
In a blink, he vanished in a flash of golden light.
Fufu puffed up her cheeks and stared at the spot where he'd disappeared.
"Hmph! From now on, I'm calling you a big meanie!"
"Meow~"
"Eh?"
Furina looked down at the black cat rubbing against her calf.
"Little guy, what are you doing here?"
She bent down to pet it—
But the black cat bolted.
"Hey! Come back!"
Furina chased the cat into a deserted alley.
"Gotcha! You're not getting away this time~"
But then—she looked up.
"Wait, who are you?!"
Standing before her was a figure in dark stealth gear, their hand adorned with some kind of sharp weapon that gleamed ominously under the moonlight.
Furina fell backward in fright. The cat yowled and bolted.
"Wh-Who are you?! What do you want?! D-Don't kill me!"
The figure hesitated for a moment, but still reached for Furina's throat.
…
Cough, cough, cough…
Furina knelt on the ground, dazed, staring blankly at the assassin—now lifted clean off the ground by the neck in Shajin's grip.
The mysterious figure struggled fiercely, but Shajin calmly glanced at the cake box in his left hand—thankfully, still intact.
He then looked at his captive with a playful smirk.
"Now then, miss. What brings you to a place like this in the middle of the night?"
Of course, Shajin had recognized the "assassin" the moment he caught her—it was none other than his fellow Harbinger, the Fourth Seat of the Fatui: The Knave, Arlecchino.
But for the sake of what came next, he decided not to expose her just yet~
Suddenly, thick smoke erupted around her body.
Shajin casually let go, and she vanished into the darkness as the smoke dispersed.
He turned to find Furina still kneeling, teary-eyed.
Just as she seemed ready to bolt in panic, Shajin grabbed her gently from behind.
Furina tried to steady her voice, but it still trembled with leftover sobs.
"S-Shajin… what are you doing? I was just… just playing a little drama scene with that person. I didn't think you'd show up."
"S-So boring!"
_
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