The three of them exchanged a knowing glance.
Ever since Furina left Paris, with how often the three of them appeared in the Paris media, anyone who paid even a little attention to the news…
Furina would definitely have called to ask them about it.
But after all this time, Furina hadn't.
Which meant that silly Furina was still the same as ever, completely oblivious to anything outside her own interests.
Just then, Lyney noticed a few people dressed like ordinary passersby nearby.
"Even at a time like this you arranged security? Clorinde, you…" Lyney complained, "You really never stop embodying your professional dedication, do you?"
"What else would I do?" Clorinde replied calmly, "After all, standing here we have: a high-ranking cultural official of Paris."
"A top-tier club owner whose business spans all of Europe, 'Meropide Fortress.'"
"And a… duchy-certified noble retainer."
"I think some necessary security measures are still required."
After she finished speaking, Lyney shrugged and didn't comment further.
Just as she said, Furina had no idea that her three playmates from the countryside were, in reality, extremely formidable figures.
Neuvillette oversaw Paris's cultural arts funding and held enormous judicial influence within Paris's cultural authority, which earned him the title of the youngest "Godfather," the Judge.
As for Meropide Fortress, on the surface it was a top-class club, but behind the scenes it was a vast network hub with unfathomable connections.
And Clorinde's security company had participated in numerous famous "operations," providing services specifically for wealthy businessmen and political figures.
But in Furina's memory, Neuvillette was a firefighter who once spun a fire hose around in a full 360 degrees.
Lyney was a veterinarian with universally terrible reviews.
Clorinde was a security guard who couldn't even remember where her workplace was.
So back in the countryside, Furina often felt that it was her, the only "normal" person, was there. Otherwise those three would definitely cause a disaster someday.
However, in reality, all of that had been lies, they needed an excuse to stay there for thirty days due to a certain case.
"Just thinking about how Furina is going to bring up that whole 'Neuvillette spinning the water hose 360 degrees' thing again later makes me want to laugh."
Lyney couldn't help teasing, "She went on about it for ages."
"…Enough." The ever-cold expression on Neuvillette's face finally relaxed with a hint of helplessness. "That day she insisted on seeing where I worked, so I had no choice but to improvise something on the spot, or she would've become suspicious."
"So I turned on the water hose, and the pressure was too strong… which led to that situation."
He cleared his throat and said seriously, "And don't single me out. Neither of you were any better. Lyney, you managed to kill someone's cow during a treatment, earning yourself a terrible reputation, and the other couldn't even say where she worked when Furina asked."
Hearing this, Clorinde said indifferently, "Compared to you two, I think my black history is still acceptable."
Even though they were talking about the embarrassing lies from staying by Furina's side, all three of them showed nostalgic smiles.
The identities they created for Furina were fake, But the bond they shared was not.
"Come on, let's go."
"It's been… a long time."
The three of them walked together heading toward the location Furina sent.
After passing through a few streets, They saw a familiar blue silhouette.
"Oi!" Lyney waved toward Furina.
The familiar voice made Furina turn her head immediately. When she saw the three figures walking side by side, her face lit up with a brilliant smile.
"Neuvillette! Lyney! Clorinde!"
"Long time no see!"
She called each of their names one by one and hurried toward them.
"Long time no see, Furina." Neuvillette's sharp, cold eyes softened. He nodded slightly, looking reserved, yet his gaze remained fixed on her, wanting to confirm she was alright.
Lyney laughed cheerfully and gave a thumbs-up. "Looks like you haven't changed at all. Good thing."
Clorinde, just like before, opened her arms and pulled Furina into a hug, patting her head. "You look well. Seems you weren't bullied abroad."
"Of course not!" Furina slipped out of Clorinde's arms, puffed out her chest, and immediately began her usual worrying routine. "But what about you three? While I wasn't around, you didn't cause any trouble, right?"
She raised her fingers and scolded them one by one: "Neuvillette, you didn't get sent flying by a water hose again, right?"
"Lyney, did you improve your veterinary skills so you don't keep getting complaints?"
"Clorinde, don't… forget your workplace again."
Just as Lyney had said earlier, Furina immediately started reciting their black history the moment they reunited.
The three of them exchanged glances, trying hard not to laugh.
Neuvillette cleared his throat softly. "…Our work is going smoothly. Don't worry."
"Hehe." Seeing that her three troublemaking childhood friends seemed safe and sound, Furina nodded in satisfaction,
The look of a worried parent. But after the greetings and concern, this little "parent's" heart began to grow restless.
Furina cleared her throat and said, "Um… so, have you three been following any international news lately? Or, the entertainment world maybe?"
As she spoke, her eyes started wandering, and she unconsciously twirled her hair.
"Oh? Like what?" Lyney held back his laughter and played along with a curious expression.
"You know, the really popular company that makes Honkai: Star Rail, called… miHoYo? You know about them, right?"
At this topic, Furina's eyes sparkled as she looked at them expectantly.
"We've heard a little." Neuvillette nodded slightly.
"I'm telling you now, don't be shocked."
"Hmph! I am now the assistant director at miHoYo, Miss Furina!"
She tried hard to suppress her urge to sound too smug, but her proud tone leaked through anyway.
"Wow, assistant director, that sounds impressive," Lyney applauded.
"Very good," Neuvillette affirmed.
"Congratulations," Clorinde said simply.
In truth, the three of them had long known about her new status.
They had always been keeping track of Furina's whereabouts. Probably around the time she had just joined MiHoYo, they received the news.
And after MiHoYo grew into a colossal giant of a company, they even double-checked multiple times to confirm that Furina really was working inside MiHoYo.
After all, with how well they knew Furina, it was always hard to believe that Furina could hold an important position in such a massive corporation.
But now… Looking at her trying so hard to show off while also being afraid of upsetting them, looking so clumsy and adorable, the three of them felt their hearts soften.
This little blueberry cupcake was, in the end, exactly the same as they remembered her.
Which only made them want to prank Furina even more. Their deliberately calm reactions made Furina blink in confusion.
No, wait. This wasn't at all the reaction she had imagined in her mind.
Afraid that her three childhood friends from the countryside might not understand how valuable her position really was, she quickly explained:
"It doesn't just sound impressive! I'm really trusted, you know! This time, this trip to Paris, I was given a very important business mission!"
After saying that, she puffed out her chest, looking completely like 'Quick, praise me, hurry and praise me.'
"Ahem… very impressive indeed." Neuvillette coughed once, then said seriously, "Why don't we move somewhere else first? Then you can tell us everything properly."
"Huh?"
"Uh, okay."
Furina froze for a moment, originally planning to treat the three of them to something delicious.
But on second thought, they hadn't seen each other for so many years, Neuvillette and the others would definitely want to host her as proper locals.
So she nodded.
As for treating her family to good food… that could wait for next time!
Before long, they arrived at an elegantly styled café. The waiter leading them seemed to recognize Neuvillette. Without asking anything, he respectfully brought them into a quiet and private room.
The surroundings were tastefully decorated, with expensive oil paintings hanging on the walls.
Furina curiously looked around. "Wow, the environment here is great! Neuvillette, you actually knew of a place like this?"
Neuvillette didn't respond. Instead, he gestured for her to take a seat.
Once the four were seated, Lyney and Clorinde both stared ahead stiffly, clearly not knowing how to begin.
In the end, it was Neuvillette who spoke first. He said solemnly, "Furina, we're truly happy about your position at MiHoYo. But just like you, we also have things we need to tell you."
"W-what now?"
"Why so serious?"
Furina blinked, then suddenly reacted, eyes lighting up. "Don't tell me… Neuvillette, you got promoted? Or maybe Lyney got his veterinary license back?"
"Pff." Clorinde couldn't hold back her laughter.
Lyney rubbed his forehead, chuckling with a shake of his head.
"Sigh…" Even the young "godfather" Neuvillette didn't know how to begin anymore. In the end, he simply laid everything out.
"It's nothing like that. What I actually need to tell you is the opposite."
"In reality, my position is that of a senior official in the French Ministry of Culture, overseeing cultural and artistic approvals."
"Meropide Fortress is Lyney's property."
"And Clorinde is the owner of the security company Tribunal Enforcement."
Three names that any French local would instantly recognize came out of Neuvillette's mouth, and Furina's brain completely shut down.
She blinked adorably.
Then she pointed at the three of them, opened her mouth, froze, withdrew her hand, touched her chin, and tried to form words again.
Her brain was locked in a deadly battle with old memories.
A moment later, she quietly said, "Hold on."
She took out her phone and searched the three names using the internet.
Immediately, a flood of articles popped up.
Every single one of them had the faces of her three friends.
"Am I still on Earth?" Furina looked up blankly, asking from the depths of her soul.
She simply couldn't match the people she saw in the news with the unreliable friends in her memories.
Her adorable reaction made all three of them break into suppressed laughter.
"You are," Clorinde replied seriously.
"No, no, you guys, me, you-"
Furina's thoughts finally clicked. She stared at them in shock, pointing back and forth between the four of them. "S-so… you've all been lying to me this whole time?"
She had been planning to show off a little in front of her childhood friends.
Only to discover that after living together for so many years… she was the only clown?
The blueberry cupcake was heating up rapidly.
Her cute little face turned a mix of shame and shock, bright red.
After that, Neuvillette had to spend a long time explaining everything to her.
The origin of it all went back to Egeria. That wise lady held enormous status and influence in France.
Others might be "from France," but in her case, it was "France belonging to Egeria."
Egeria understood well that Furina was naturally pure-hearted and loved the arts, but she didn't want her to be hurt again by the vanity and complexity of urban life.
So she raised Furina in the countryside.
If not for Egeria's immense influence, Furina would never have been able to have such a simple childhood.
As for Neuvillette, Clorinde, and Lyney, her friends, they didn't actually stay with her all the time.
Whenever they entered the village where Furina lived, they strictly followed Egeria's request and acted like fellow countryside children.
Only in the last few years before Furina left France did they start moving around together more often.
And that too was because of Egeria's request.
She asked the three of them to accompany Furina in the countryside for a while, until Furina found the path she truly loved and was willing to pursue.
Egeria didn't want the darkness of the world to crush Furina. She wanted Furina to believe she was just an ordinary, simple person, so she could enjoy a period of life where she lived purely for her dreams, free of burdens.
"So we stayed with you through that period," Neuvillette said.
"That time when you were chasing your dream of opera, that beginning, and the hardest part of it."
"When you decided to leave France and join MiHoYo, only then did we 'go our separate ways' and return to our rightful places."
Neuvillette finished calmly, then added helplessly, "And I assumed that after we parted ways, you'd pay attention to the news. Then naturally, you'd discover the truth."
"But you were completely absorbed in your own world."
"So… we had to wait until today." Clorinde added.