Upon returning to Liyue Port, Qin Yu and Ganyu temporarily parted ways—one to deliver quest items, the other to file documents in the archive room.
After reuniting, Ganyu led Qin Yu to a time-honored general store.
"This is the place," Ganyu said.
A general store? Qin Yu thought, puzzled. Could this be where Keqing and I made the rings?
"I remember... when you were little, the shopkeeper here loved children. He introduced an extra service where kids could use simple tools to make wooden toys under his supervision."
"Ah, I see..." Qin Yu finally understood.
Still, no matter how many times she heard Ganyu, who looked like a young girl, say things like "when you were little," Qin Yu couldn't quite get used to it.
I'll get used to it eventually, I guess.
More importantly, though—a faint memory seemed to be surfacing.
Looking at the old shop, a faint sense of nostalgia stirred deep within her.
This must be the place.
"Shall we go inside and take a look?" Ganyu suggested.
"Okay."
As Qin Yu followed Ganyu into the general store, her gaze swept across the shelves lined with goods. Suddenly, Ganyu let out a soft "Ah," her voice tinged with regret.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yu asked.
Ganyu leaned closer and whispered, "The owner has changed. The previous one was a very kind gentleman."
Qin Yu glanced behind the counter and saw a woman standing there.
There was indeed no sense of familiarity whatsoever.
Hearing Ganyu's words, Qin Yu also felt a pang of disappointment. But after all, several years had passed, so it was no surprise that things had changed.
"Can I help you with anything?" the female owner asked.
Ganyu spoke for Qin Yu, inquiring about the custom-made toys that used to be crafted here. The owner paused, her expression thoughtful.
"Oh, you mean the ones my dad used to make? I'm afraid I'm not very skilled in woodworking, so that service was discontinued after his passing."
"I see..." Ganyu murmured, struck by the impermanence of life. She glanced at Qin Yu as she replied.
"I'm sorry for asking so abruptly," Qin Yu said, feeling a little embarrassed.
If the person was no longer around, there was truly nothing to be done.
The female owner waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. Did you two used to come here as children? If so, I believe my dad left behind some design blueprints."
"Blueprints?"
How did design blueprints even exist? And who drew them? Qin Yu wondered, her curiosity piqued.
The Store owner asked them to wait a moment, then got up and went into the back room. After rummaging around for a while, she returned carrying a flat, rectangular box and placed it on the front counter.
"Here. See if you can find your drawings in here."
Ganyu asked softly, "Should we look?"
Qin Yu thought to herself that if the design sketch for the toy rings was in there, she definitely wanted to take a good look.
"Yes, I want to see it," Qin Yu said, reaching out to open the box.
Hmm... so that's how it is.
As Qin Yu gazed at the stack of drawings inside the box, she immediately understood what was meant by "design sketch."
Ganyu exclaimed in surprise, "They're just children's drawings!"
Crude, chaotically colored, and lacking precise measurements... these could hardly be called design sketches; they were simply drawings. Yet, without exception, each one was clearly made with heartfelt care.
Actually, they're kind of interesting.
After a quick glance, Qin Yu began carefully flipping through the stack. It wasn't long before she found one. Feeling a sudden surge of emotion, she pulled it out.
Ganyu glanced at the drawing and blinked. "Could this be it?"
"Ahahaha... yeah, I think so," Qin Yu replied awkwardly.
The drawing depicted a pair of rings. But Qin Yu really didn't want to admit it out loud.
The reason was simple:
Ugh, my childhood drawings were so terrible!
One of the rings was clearly self-drawn, with the name "Yu" written beneath it. The other, labeled "Qing," must have been drawn by Keqing—quite impressive for a child's drawing.
But precisely because of this, the contrast between the earthly ring and the heavenly one was almost unbearable to look at.
As Qin Yu's face and ears flushed crimson with embarrassment, Ganyu tilted her head, a puzzled "Hmm?" escaping her lips.
"Um... what does this sentence mean?"
"Eh?"
What sentence?
"Here." Ganyu extended a slender finger, pointing to a string of small characters in the lower right corner.
Hmm? There's more writing?
Qin Yu squinted, leaning closer to inspect. The moment she deciphered the words, her mind spiraled into chaos.
Not rings, but shackles!—the inscription read. Comparing the handwriting to the names, it was unmistakably her own.
W-what the heck? Shackles? Ha? Isn't this supposed to be a ring?
It must just be a childish prank.
Seriously, past me? Don't pull stunts like this! You're making future you so awkward...
At that moment, a memory flashed through her mind.
"Now we're shackled to each other!"
As the childish voice rang in her ears, the pure joy she had felt at that moment resurfaced with it.
Qin Yu's memories stirred vaguely at those words, but before they could fully form, overwhelming shame and indignation swallowed them whole.
What the heck was that?!
Qin Yu realized this might be a dark chapter of her past she shouldn't have recalled.
But... I've finally managed to recall a fragment of my past with Keqing...
Wait a minute! My dark history is also Keqing's dark history, right? I can drag her down with me!
Then it doesn't matter if I remember.
Qin Yu closed her eyes, trying to mentally reconstruct that day's scene.
But perhaps the stimulus wasn't strong enough, as she could only recall hazy feelings.
This won't do.
Qin Yu sighed inwardly.
"How is it? Did you remember anything?" Ganyu asked anxiously.
"Huh? Oh... I remembered a little," Qin Yu replied with a forced smile, snapping out of her thoughts.
Her face was smiling, but her heart was actually growing more frustrated. The feeling of almost grasping something, yet still being just out of reach, was truly unbearable.
Still, this is progress.
What should I do next? Qin Yu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Should I just ask Keqing directly? No, she said she wouldn't tell me. She won't stop me from remembering, but she won't share our shared past either.
As Qin Yu pondered, Ganyu mused thoughtfully:
"Just a little? Do you think... more stimulation might help you remember more? If so, I actually have an idea."
"What is it?" Qin Yu asked eagerly.
Ganyu said earnestly, "Why don't we try making it again?"
"Make? Make what?"
"This ring."
"Eh? Ah—"
Qin Yu froze for a moment before realization dawned on her.
That's it! If they could recreate the toy ring exactly as depicted in the blueprint, the process might stimulate her memories and help her recall more.
The more Qin Yu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Perfect.
But since the idea came from Ganyu, she deserved a proper thank you.
"Mm, I think that's a great idea. Thank you, Sister Ganyu! You're so reliable," Qin Yu said with a radiant smile.
"Ah, I-I didn't do anything... I just casually shared my thoughts. But I'm glad it could help."
The shop owner chimed in, "So, do you need tools and materials? The same ones you used before. You should be quite familiar with them."
Quite the salesperson.
Qin Yu's interest was piqued, and she nodded. "Okay, thank you for your help."
"Mm-hmm, no problem. And this blueprint is yours, right? Feel free to take it. It was originally entrusted to my dad for safekeeping anyway, so it's only right to return it to its rightful owner."
"Thank you, Sister!"
Having purchased the tools and materials, Qin Yu and Ganyu left the general store.
According to Ganyu, they used to make toys under the original owner's supervision. But now, the current owner wasn't skilled in woodworking, Qin Yu had grown into a responsible adult, and... well, the owner didn't want people lingering in the shop too long.
So they had to buy the materials and tinker with them at home themselves.
But I don't know anything about woodworking either! Without someone to guide me, I have no idea how to proceed. Should I upgrade my skills and switch to "Woodworking Proficiency"?
"Um... are you going to make this at home by yourself now?" Ganyu asked hesitantly.
"Yeah. Though I'm not sure if I can actually do it right."
Hearing this, Ganyu thought to herself that if they parted now, she wouldn't get to chat with Qin Yu any longer. This is such a rare opportunity... After a moment's hesitation, Ganyu took a deep breath.
"I-if you don't mind, could I... join you?"
Objectively speaking, there was nothing wrong with this, but... why?
Qin Yu asked, puzzled, "Why?"
"Ah, it's nothing... If you'd rather not, then let's say goodbye here?"
You despicable woman.
Qin Yu thought that this was a troublesome argument to refuse.
But the real trouble was probably herself. She should just reject Ganyu, but she was stuck maintaining her supposed character.
Well, whatever. At least I have some idea of what I'm doing.
While inwardly grumbling, Qin Yu smiled and said, "If it's Sister Ganyu, there's nothing she can't do! In fact, I'd be delighted. I've been wanting to talk to her more anyway, and maybe even ask her some questions that might be helpful for work in the future."
Ganyu's eyes seemed to light up.
Evaluation: A-
"Oh, really? That's wonderful! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have," Ganyu said with a smile.
"Then it's settled! Let's go."
Speaking of my room... Hmm, I remember cleaning it recently, so that's good! Qin Yu felt relieved. As she stepped forward with Ganyu, she unfolded the drawing again and held it up to the sunlight.
Qin Yu squinted, muttering to herself, Handcuffed to each other...? Why did my younger self say that? Could it be that my childhood self was a terrible kid? Just thinking about it makes me want to crawl into a hole. Does Keqing even remember this? And if she does, what does she think of it now?