"Wait a minute!"
Furina sensed something was off and immediately called for a halt.
"What do you mean, 'date'? How did it suddenly turn into you going on a date with Ye?"
"Huh? So Lady Furina, are you and Ye really in that kind of relationship?" Hu Tao looked at Furina with exaggerated surprise, covering her mouth with a finger. "Ah... If that's the case, then I really have overstepped."
"What kind of relationship?!" Furina's face flushed red as she glared at Hu Tao. "Who's in that kind of relationship with him?! He's just my subordinate!!"
"Well, if that's the case, then there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Hu Tao turned back to Ye.
"So? How about it? Let's go on a date."
"You—! I'm just kindly warning you that you'll regret dating this man! He's the type who's best at deceiving girls!"
"No worries, I'm fully prepared to get hurt. But I'll also do my best to hurt him back."
Furina was genuinely starting to wonder if Liyue's feng shui clashed with her... Even though she was from Fontaine and didn't believe in feng shui—only in prophecies—she was seriously considering it now.
Yesterday, after being scared half to death, she should have just gone straight back to Fontaine.
...Unfortunately, even now, she couldn't bring herself to suggest returning.
After all, she was the one who had proposed coming to Liyue for the Lantern Rite to see the Jade Chamber. If she suddenly went back, it would raise too much suspicion.
Especially in front of Ye. Whether or not Ye had guessed anything, Furina didn't want to show even the slightest crack in her facade.
This was the kind of thing where even a one-in-a-million chance was too risky—Furina refused to entertain even a sliver of carelessness.
—And now, she was faced with this situation.
Even though Furina and Ye weren't in that kind of relationship, for some reason, she felt a surge of anger rising in her chest.
Oh, right. Probably because of all those times in the dream... But let it be known—Furina was not jealous. Not at all. She was just furious that her bodyguard was about to abandon his duty to protect her just to go on a date with another woman.
That's all.
So, Furina cut straight to the point.
"Sorry, Director Hu, but Ye still has to protect me. I'm afraid he can't accompany you on a date."
"Eh? But isn't Rea here to protect you?"
"Rea is Ye's subordinate. Ye is my subordinate. That's how it works."
—And that was when Ye finally spoke up.
"Lady Furina, why not let Rea guard you today?"
Furina instantly whipped around to glare at him.
"What? You're really planning to abandon me to go on a date with someone else?!"
"Setting aside the whole 'date' thing, there are actually some matters I'd like to discuss with Director Hu."
"If you're already going on a date, you don't need to call me 'Director Hu.' Just 'Hu Tao' is fine."
"I haven't agreed yet."
"Lady Furina, don't worry. I'll take good care of Ye. I'll make sure he has a perfect date experience."
Furina stared at Hu Tao, deeply feeling as though she was being openly taunted.
But before she could say anything else, Ye turned to Astrea.
"Lady Furina is in your hands now. In the future, this might even count as a merit to lessen your sentence in court."
"Y-Yes! Supreme Bishop!"
Astrea patted her chest, nodding weakly.
"I'll protect the Hydro Archon with my life!"
"It's Lady Furina."
"R-Right! I'll protect Lady Furina with my life!"
"Hey, Ye..."
Furina opened her mouth, then exhaled and forced a smile.
"Fine. I'll allow you to take a break and relax. After all, as an Archon, I don't need a bodyguard. But as my Supreme Bishop, I'd feel uneasy without you around. So—you're not allowed to stay out overnight."
"L-Lady Furina... isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Astrea trembled as she hid behind Furina, who was carefully tailing Ye and Hu Tao from a distance.
In response to Astrea's concern, Furina whispered back with full conviction.
"What's inappropriate about it? I'm just making sure my Supreme Bishop doesn't get tricked by some random girl."
"B-But... if the Supreme Bishop finds out..."
"So what if he does? I'm his god. It's not like he can hit me."
"He... He'll hit me!" Astrea whimpered, on the verge of tears.
"Relax. With me here, he won't lay a finger on you."
"B-But..."
"Enough. Quiet now—we need to keep up."
Furina slipped out from behind cover and continued following them, moving with exaggerated stealth.
Astrea, eyes brimming with tears, trailed behind her—her terror of the Supreme Bishop warring with her duty to protect the Hydro Archon. In the end, duty won out.
Meanwhile, Ye, seemingly completely unaware of the two stalkers behind him, was thoroughly enjoying his "date" with Hu Tao.
"The lively atmosphere of Liyue's streets is wonderful. It almost makes me nostalgic for my homeland."
"Your homeland? From the way you say that, I'm guessing it's neither Liyue nor Fontaine?"
"Correct. I'm not originally from this world."
"Ah, so like the Traveler? You came from beyond this world?"
"Yes. I accidentally fell into this world after suffering severe injuries."
Hu Tao tilted her head curiously. "Is your homeland similar to Liyue?"
Ye gave a slight nod. "Though the architecture in my homeland rarely retains this style outside of tourist areas, the cultural atmosphere is the same."
"That's a bit hard to imagine."
"Think of it like hearing a certain melody. Even if you're in a foreign country, even if you've never heard that particular song before—the moment you hear it, you instantly associate it with Liyue and recognize it as Liyue's music. That's what culture is."
"I see. So when you look at Liyue, it reminds you of your homeland because their cultures share the same roots?"
"Exactly."
Ye glanced around, his tone light and casual.
"This familiar atmosphere... It's shaped by a shared cultural origin."
The two strolled through the streets, snacking and chatting—just like a real date.
Well, no.
This was a date.
Hu Tao's thoughts were her own, but as far as Ye was concerned, he was treating this as a full-blown date.
Not bad. In a way, he'd actually fulfilled one of his pre-isekai life's wishes!
Though it'd be even better if Hu Tao sang the Hilichurl Ballad for him...