Xia Zhi returned to his room, browsed the [Shop] for a bit, and waited for everyone to wake up so they could head out together for breakfast.
After they finished eating, just as they were about to go shopping again, Kaeya appeared right on cue.
"Good morning, everyone!"
"Good morning, Captain Kaeya."
"Mr. Xia, I bring good news. Miss Lisa, the current librarian of the Favonius Library, has returned. Acting Grand Master Jean spoke with her last night about the book borrowing request, and she's agreed to it."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes. Acting Grand Master Jean asked me to pass along a message—you can head to the library now and discuss the details with Miss Lisa directly."
"Got it. Thank you, Captain Kaeya. We'll head over right away."
"No need to thank me. I'll be off to patrol now. Wishing you all the best."
Kaeya turned and left.
Xia Zhi asked the group, "Anyone want to check out the library? If not, you can go shopping and we'll meet up again for lunch."
"I want to go! There must be tons of good novels in the library!"
"I bet they have cookbooks too, right?"
"There's definitely alchemy texts!"
"And mechanisms…"
Everyone was excited, eager to go to the library—so they all went together.
When they arrived at the Knights of Favonius headquarters, the guards at the gate recognized them by now, having seen them several times over the past couple of days.
They greeted everyone warmly with the knight's salute and let them in.
Xia Zhi headed to Jean's office first and knocked on the door.
"Come in… Oh! Mr. Xia!"
Jean's official tone instantly shifted to something lighter and warmer.
"Good morning, Acting Grand Master Jean. Captain Kaeya just told me there's been progress with the library—"
"Yes. I spoke with Lisa last night about the book borrowing, and she agreed. But as for which books to exchange and how, that's something you'll need to discuss with her directly."
"Understood."
"I'll take you over."
"There's no need to trouble you with something so minor, Acting Grand Master—you must be busy."
At that, Jean suddenly laughed.
"Why do you laugh, Acting Grand Master?"
"Well, I was busy yesterday, but I finished everything. To be honest, I was just spacing out before you came."
"Then you should take a good break today."
"Mhm, I was actually planning to head to the library myself to pick out a few books to read and unwind. So I'll go with you."
"I see."
Jean stepped out of the office and led everyone next door to the Favonius Library.
By this time, quite a few people were already inside, quietly reading.
The others dispersed, heading to different shelves to find books they were interested in.
Xia Zhi and Xia Ci followed Jean deeper into the library, arriving at a small room—the librarian's office.
Jean knocked on the door and called, "Lisa? Are you in?"
A lazy voice answered from inside. "I'm here, come in, Jean."
Jean pushed open the door and saw Lisa rubbing her eyes at the desk, looking groggy.
"Were you napping?"
"Stayed up late last night. Got a little tired, so I rested a bit…"
Lisa glanced at the two people standing behind Jean.
"And these two are?"
"Good morning, Miss Lisa. I'm Xia Zhi."
"I'm Xia Ci."
"Oh! So you're the two headmasters! Please, have a seat!"
Lisa forced herself to perk up, bracing her hands on the desk as she stood and walked over to pick up the teapot.
"Would you prefer tea or coffee?"
"Tea's fine."
"Same here."
"Alright, one moment."
Lisa brewed two cups of black tea and two cups of coffee.
The tea was for Xia Zhi and Xia Ci.
The coffee was for Jean and herself.
The two of them had been friends for years. Lisa naturally knew Jean's preferences—ever since Jean became Acting Grand Master, she always started her mornings with a cup of coffee to brace herself for the mountain of paperwork.
Jean took the steaming cup, sipped it, and immediately frowned.
The coffee tasted exactly the same as usual, yet just like with Noelle's Fisherman's Toast last night, she couldn't find any joy in it.
The rich aroma no longer refreshed her spirit.
There was only one thought in her mind: This coffee's nothing compared to [Silver Dew].
Jean set the cup down and glanced at Lisa.
Lisa, back at her desk, sipped her coffee. After a moment, she seemed to wake up a bit and spoke.
"Mr. Xia, how many books does your school library currently have?"
"About…"
Lisa asked for some basic information, and Xia Zhi answered everything.
"I also brought a list of books with me. Miss Lisa, you can take a look."
"Perfect."
After reading the list, Lisa had a good idea of the situation.
"Feel free to pick whatever you need for now—just don't touch the section over there. Everything else is fair game."
"Thank you, Miss Lisa."
"No trouble at all."
After finishing their tea, Xia Ci pulled Xia Zhi to go browse the books together.
Soon, only Lisa and Jean were left in the office.
Lisa took another sip of coffee to shake off her drowsiness and looked at Jean. "Why are you still here? Don't you have official business to attend to?"
"No work today. I gave myself a day off."
"No work?"
"Well, not none—but not much. It'll pile up again in a couple of days."
"Yaaawn~"
Lisa covered her mouth, letting out a yawn.
Jean eyed her suspiciously. "Did you really just stay up late? You look like you pulled an all-nighter."
"Caught me."
"You actually did? I told you not to do that when I left last night."
"It's fine to do it once in a while."
"You…"
Jean sighed, a little helpless.
Lisa stretched her neck and winced.
"So sore… My neck is killing me."
"Well, that's what happens when you stay in the same position too long."
"That's reading for you. Back in the Akademiya, I pulled all-nighters all the time. When I got too exhausted, my friends and I would go to massage shops."
"Mas…sage?"
At the mention of that familiar word, Jean's interest was piqued.
"Yup, massages. There are tons of massage parlors in Sumeru. They'd use all kinds of flower petal essential oils too. After every session, I'd feel like my whole body smelled nice."
"Essential oils…"
Essential oils had to be applied to the skin, which meant… you had to take your clothes off, right?
Jean couldn't help but think of the massage she got from Mr. Xia yesterday.
If he'd used essential oils, she would've had to lie there on that ancient desk completely naked. Sure, he wouldn't have been able to see her—but still, the thought was so embarrassing.
Jean's face flushed.
Lisa gave her a curious look. "Why are you blushing? Essential oil massages are normal."
"You have to undress, right…?"
"Of course! What, you want the oil poured on your clothes?"
"Doesn't it feel weird? Exposing your body like that…"
"The masseuses are all women. And it's not like you strip completely—important parts are properly covered. They won't touch anything inappropriate."
"All women?"
"Of course. Who would go to a male masseur? Well, some of the shops in Sumeru do have male massage therapists, but I've never gone to those. Some people do like that, though—you know why."
A look of faint disgust flashed across Lisa's face.
It was the kind of look that said: I'd rather die in a ditch than have a man massage me.
"…I get it."
Jean fell silent for a moment.
When she first came in and saw how tired Lisa looked, she'd thought about asking Mr. Xia to give her a massage too—help her recover from staying up all night.
But now, given how Lisa viewed massages, she'd obviously never agree to let a man do it.
That would just make Lisa upset, leave Mr. Xia awkward, and herself stuck in the middle.
Better not say anything. No good deed goes unpunished, after all.
"Lisa, you should catch up on some sleep. I'll head out."
"Alright."
Jean left Lisa's office and wandered the library alone.
Eventually, she ended up at her favorite shelf—the romance novels.
She looked around, made sure no one was watching, and then, faster than lightning, pulled a girly love story off the shelf and hid it between the pages of a more serious book.
Clutching her prize, she left the library, returned to her office, and happily started reading.
—
Elsewhere in Mondstadt, on one of the streets.
Amber was out on patrol when she spotted a familiar figure not far ahead.
Amber's eyes lit up when she saw her. She called out loudly, "Sucrose!"
The girl turned, smiled, and replied, "Oh, Amber."
Amber jogged over. "I went to your lab twice to look for you but didn't find you. Didn't expect to bump into you out here."
Sucrose pushed up her glasses, a little puzzled. "Huh? You were looking for me? Did you need something, Amber?"
Amber grinned. "Nothing big! I just met a few new friends. Some of them are super interested in alchemy. I thought I'd introduce you so they could ask you about it."
"Oh, I see."
"So what do you say?"
"Of course! I—I don't have many friends, so… if you introduce me to new ones, I—I'm really happy."
As she spoke, a faint blush crept onto Sucrose's cheeks.
"You're just too shy! Alright then, it's settled. I'll bring them to your lab this afternoon?"
"Okay."
"Alright! See you later then!"
"Mm, see you."
After Amber left, Sucrose lowered her head and looked at the test tubes in her hands, a troubled expression crossing her face. She muttered to herself:
"[Breaths of Joy]… How do I even make that? Where do I find it? What kind of person… can I collect [Breaths of Joy] from? Ugh…"
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