"Um..."
"What's wrong?" Rukkhadevata asked.
"During today's mahjong tournament, I accidentally won against you..."
"If you won, you won. Your luck was just too good. There's nothing to be done about that."
"Yes."
"Anyway, I won against Morax, so that's enough for me."
"Mm."
"You've been doing this secretary job for so many years. Are you planning to keep doing it forever?"
"Probably."
"You look so tired."
"The Qixing are in the middle of reforms, planning to form a secretariat to take over most of the trivial tasks. I'll be the chief secretary, responsible for reviewing and approving more important policy issues. But because the secretariat positions are quite sensitive, the Qixing are being very careful in selecting people. They need to ensure both capability and integrity, so it's still in the process of being formed."
"They should have reformed this a long time ago. It looks like once it's done, you'll have a much lighter workload."
"Mm, then I'll be able to work regular hours like you... um, like your shop."
"Do you get weekends off?"
"Probably not."
"Right? Then you can come to the shop for dinner every day after work."
"Mm."
"I'll give you a little secret suggestion—Cousin's essential oil massage is really beneficial. You should come for it more often."
"Ah? Oh! Okay!"
"Actually, I'd suggest you quit that secretary job and just come to the shop to work as a server like your junior sister."
"Uh... that..."
"Judging by your expression, you're definitely not going to agree."
"Sorry..."
"I just feel a bit sorry for you."
"Sorry for me?"
"Morax is too stingy. Look at your junior sister—she's really taken a shortcut that saved her thousands of years of detours."
"..."
Ganyu pursed her lips, her expression looking both innocent and aggrieved.
The Goddess of Wisdom in front of her felt so different from how she remembered her.
The two of them wandered through several dreams, gathering some materials along the way.
Then the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata said she was tired and didn't want to gather anymore, so she took Ganyu back to a special dream—the second-floor room of Xia Zhi's Summer Shop.
"This is Cousin's dream. Let's wait for him here."
"Okay."
"I won't tell Morax. You can keep pretending you don't know about him."
"...Mm."
"Same with Cousin and Shenhe."
Ganyu saw the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata give her a teasing wink. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"...Mm."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata chuckled softly, lying down on Xia Zhi's bed with a lazy expression.
Heh, Shenhe couldn't beat me, so she tried to call for backup.
Now that I've revealed my identity, Ganyu will be more cautious and won't dare to back up her junior sister.
I've also revealed Zhongli's identity, so there's a new source of entertainment to watch.
As for Cousin's identity, I didn't reveal that. Ganyu guessed it herself. Although it's not entirely accurate, it's not far off.
Tsk tsk, Cousin's antics are the rarest and the most fun to watch!
Ganyu looked around the room. So this was Mr. Xia's bedroom. Although there were no luxurious decorations, the placement of the furniture was very harmonious, making it feel like an art piece.
She sat on a chair by the table, propping her cheek with her hand, seemingly lost in thought.
The two of them, each with their own thoughts, waited in the room for a long time.
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata suddenly sat up from the bed, startling Ganyu out of her thoughts.
"Where's Cousin?"
"Maybe he got delayed on the way."
"I doubt it. I've told Cousin before—women will only slow him down when gathering materials."
"?"
"Ganyu, the Yuehai Pavilion is full of talented and handsome young people. Over all these years, haven't you thought about finding someone to date?"
"No."
"None of them caught your eye?"
"I just never had that thought."
"What type do you like?"
"This..."
"Is it the kind who's very gentle, makes you breakfast every morning, sees you off to work, and when you come home after a long day, dinner is already ready? After dinner, they give you a massage, and then you soak in the bath together..."
As Ganyu listened, she couldn't help but imagine the scene. But for some reason, the person who appeared in her mind was Mr. Xia.
If Mr. Xia made her delicious breakfast and dinner every day, and after eating, gave her a massage and soaked in the bath with her... Wow, that would be amazing...
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata seemed to be deep in thought. "Judging by your expression, you really do like that type, huh? Isn't that just Cousin?"
Ganyu's face turned red, and she quickly defended herself. "No, I don't! Don't say that!"
"I see."
"?"
"You and your junior sister are really alike."
"??"
"Don't worry, I won't tell Shenhe."
"???"
"Haha, Ganyu, you're still as cute as ever."
"..."
"I remember back then, when your master asked you to make tea for us, you were so clumsy and spilled the tea on my hand. Your face turned red, and it was so adorable."
"Please don't bring up those past events!"
"Alright, alright. How has your master been these years?"
"She's been fine. She likes to travel around, and I've been busy with work, so we rarely see each other. But in recent years, she took in my junior sister Shenhe and has been teaching her, so she hasn't been traveling much."
"Did something happen to her recently?"
"Yes, but thankfully Mr. Xia saved her. However, my junior sister and I don't know the details. We only know that Master's cultivation has fallen, and she's now in seclusion to rebuild her human form."
"After such a big incident, she didn't even think of asking others for help."
"Master... she's just very strong-willed..."
Ganyu also felt a bit helpless.
After all, her master, Cloud Retainer, was known for her strong-willed personality.
Back when Guizhong was still around, the two of them often competed in the art of mechanisms.
Her abode was filled with all sorts of messy inventions she had made to outdo Guizhong.
It's not that they were completely useless, but their usefulness was... limited.
After Guizhong passed away, Master's passion for mechanisms suddenly cooled.
Only occasionally, on a whim, would she make something to play with.
It wasn't until recently, when the Geo Archon caused all that commotion and Liyue transitioned from divine rule to human rule, that Master suddenly picked up her interest in mechanisms again. She started researching mechanisms that could rival gods.
And then, she ended up in that pitiful state.
Really, she's such a big bird now, and she still doesn't know how to take care of herself!
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata seemed thoughtful and muttered softly, "Another tsundere..."
Ganyu was puzzled. "Huh?"
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata waved her hand. "It's nothing. By the way, Cousin is planning to take the whole shop on a trip next spring, starting with the Windblume Festival in Mondstadt. Ganyu, are you interested in joining us to relax a bit?"
"I, uh, I have work. I probably won't have time..."
"But won't the secretariat handle the work? Besides, you're not going on a trip. You're just going to Mt. Aocang to visit your master. It just happens to be on the way."
That... actually makes sense!
Ganyu was actually a bit tempted.
"We'll see when the time comes..."