At the moment Hu Tao's voice sounded, Eula's eyes turned wary.
After confirming Hu Tao knew Ken, and not only bore no ill will but even kept sneaking glances at her bossom, Eula's fair cheeks flushed red.
The once-calm, aloof Spindrift Knight suddenly felt terribly awkward.
Her toes, wrapped in black stockings, curled slightly and scratched at the floor.
She'd already felt a bit embarrassed around Ken—now another one shows up.
"We're trying on clothes. This is Eula, the Spindrift Knight from Mondstadt; and this is Hu Tao, the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue."
Ken looked at Hu Tao and hurried to change the subject: "What are you doing here?"
Given Hu Tao's impish, blunt nature, who knew what she might blurt out and make Eula even more embarrassed.
"Your Treasure Weasels came back. They're all standing in your room. I came to tell you." Hu Tao finished, rubbed her chin, and said suspiciously, "What are you trying on? Show me too?"
Eula's posture and reactions just now certainly didn't look like she was trying on normal clothes.
Hu Tao keenly sensed something was off.
Nothing can be hidden from Director Hu!
"We're trying…" Eula grit her teeth. "Come with me. You'll see."
Since the newcomer was Ken's friend, Eula lowered her guard. Rather than explain something mortifying, better to let Hu Tao see for herself.
In a room themed in shades of blue, Eula took out the garments Ken had bought.
"So pretty. What's this for?"
Hu Tao picked up a lacey piece with very little fabric. With so little material, what could it even do? She didn't really get it.
Eula coughed. "This… you probably won't need."
"I won't need it?" Hu Tao tugged at it. "Sister Eula, how would I not need it?"
Eula didn't know how to explain.
She took it from Hu Tao, then stood behind her and held it up in place. Looking at the nearly entirely empty cups of the bra, Eula said, "You get it now, right?"
Hu Tao: "?"
After a brief daze, Hu Tao looked down at herself, then at the huge cups. Her cherry lips trembled. "This thing… is way too exaggerated, right?"
Only now did Hu Tao understand what Eula's earlier words and meaningful look had meant.
Hu Tao felt her dignity trampled.
But the one trampling her was a D-class, rare in everyday life, so Hu Tao had to swallow it.
After calming down, Hu Tao turned to look at Eula, questioning her own life choices: "Don't tell me this fits you perfectly?"
"Mhm." Eula grunted.
Unconvinced, Hu Tao picked up other styles to compare—without a doubt, all empty cups.
"But you should be able to wear these," Eula said, picking up the matching panties and handing them to Hu Tao.
"Th-this little bit of fabric?!" Hu Tao questioned her life.
They had such things in Teyvat too, just different styles. For bras, chest binding was usually more convenient, so seeing these ultra-minimal styles left Hu Tao in disbelief.
Staring at the palm-sized scrap of fabric, Hu Tao's mouth twitched for a while before she muttered, "But, that said… they're really pretty to look at…"
She really liked the black lace.
"These are all sets. If you need some, have Ken buy them for you. He seems good at picking this stuff—he'll definitely find something that suits you," Eula said honestly.
Hu Tao looked down at herself, then at Eula, and reluctantly admitted, "But it seems like I don't really need them…"
But…
Hu Tao thought again: even if they don't fit, who would know if she wore them underneath?
Everyone would definitely think she'd grown up.
But that only works if Ken doesn't handle it; otherwise that guy would see right through it.
Thinking of this, Hu Tao pouted. "Once we change, how about the two of us go out for a stroll?"
"I'm not very familiar with this place," Eula hesitated.
Hu Tao waved a hand. "Relax, I'm pretty familiar with the area. As long as we ask Ken for some coins, we can buy whatever we want. You can't go wrong following me."
Eula thought for a moment, then nodded.
She had to live here; she couldn't rely on Ken forever.
This Director Hu from Liyue was lively, and since they were from different nations, she didn't judge Eula for her background. That made Eula feel at ease; she didn't mind the feeling at all.
Once Hu Tao had changed, they went downstairs and told Ken their plan.
"Going out is fine, but don't use your Visions. Just walk around the nearby mall, go early and come back early," Ken said, a little uneasy, but he still didn't go with them. He just gave them five thousand in cash.
With more characters to host in the future, he couldn't be everywhere.
Letting the girls explore Blue Star themselves was nice too.
Besides, Hu Tao had gone out with him a few times—she was already very familiar with the area.
After the two girls left, Ken logged into Facebook.
The videos he'd posted earlier about Slimes and the Fatui had already hit over two million views, which was quite good on Facebook. The highlight comments below were endless.
·
["Not addicted to pretty girls anymore—now it's Slimes, huh?"]
[ "Treasure Hoarders and Fatui doing skits—that I didn't expect."]
["I get annoyed whenever I see that Electrohammer dude. Once the shield is up, he's so hard to fight."]
[ "For real, breaking that shield is so hard!"]
[ "There's a big anime con in Magic City in a month. Can't wait!"]
[ "You guys progressed so fast? I'm still savoring Mondstadt's story… Dvalin, one of the Four Winds, tortured by poison for so long—so heartbreaking…"]
[ "I think the sharpest pain is Lumine's. What kind of ending could possibly match all that hardship?"]
"..."
Looking at the lively comments, Ken skimmed the top dozens, and his eyes settled on the con.
Genshin participating was inevitable.
It's an anime-style game. To spark fan creativity and passion, attending big conventions was a must.
As for bringing in-game characters…
Ken felt it would depend on his mood.
If he was in a good mood, he'd bring Hu Tao and Klee around; those two had the freest schedules. If not, the company could just pay COSers to attend—no big deal.
As for the story discussions, Ken just thought…
No surprise Genshin players have learned to go find their own angst.
With these two videos heating up, other game companies were gritting their teeth with envy.
Especially Weather Company.
Thinking that they'd rejected the Genshin pitch made their hearts bleed… If only that old dog Trump hadn't lacked vision, wouldn't they be taking off with this game too?
Though Trump had been removed as chairman, whenever they saw Genshin trending, the other shareholders still virtually lit incense and cursed him out.
Too bad even if they wanted to cozy up to Ken now, they'd have to get in line.
…
Ken had no idea what other companies were thinking. After checking the latest news, he returned to the living room and opened his system.
[Host: Ken]
[Contract partners: Klee, Barbara, Mona, Venti, etc.]
[Abilities: C6 Klee, C6 Lisa, C6 Venti, Siren's Aria, C6 Qiqi]
[Life skills: Top-tier cooking, medical knowledge compendium, top-tier forging]
[Physique: Abyssal antibody]
[Signature weapon: Abyssal Chains]
[Remaining pulls: 10]
The arrival of Eula and Hu Tao gave Ken ten free pulls.
"System, pull."
As Ken spoke, a bronze glow spread hazily.
The pulled goods fell like shooting stars, slowly appearing.
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Editable ID Cards ×10]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Top-tier Farming Skill]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Villa ×1]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Driving Skill Cards ×10]
[…]
The ten-pull finished quickly. Aside from these, most were odds and ends, like Qingxin seeds and Glaze Lily seeds.
"Good enough."
Though he hadn't pulled abilities, the rewards weren't bad. At least the villa, ID cards, and driving skill cards were useful…
Holding the deed, Ken found that the villa was right next door.
Even so, thanks to landscaping and privacy, it was over 200 meters away—just right for Ken.
He then looked at the other items.
[Driving Skill Card: Upon use, the user automatically learns to drive a motor vehicle. A driver's license will be automatically generated.]
[Editable ID Card: The host can freely edit the data. Once saved, it takes effect immediately.]
"That solves a pressing need. At least we can use mobile payments."
Ken didn't have much cash on hand. With most payments online now, IDs were essential for the girls to live here.
Since he had IDs, he went out and bought several new phones—one for each person—so they could stay in touch when going out.
After returning, Ken went to inspect the villa next door.
The layout was similar to his current one, and the environment was equally pleasant. It couldn't compare to Teyvat, but in steel-clad Magic City, it was a little haven.
By the time he finished, it was night.
Ken opened a delivery app, ordered dishes, and Hu Tao and Eula came back.
"You're just in time. Use the ID cards first."
Ken handed one to Hu Tao. After she took it and selected "Use," the previously blank ID instantly showed her photo, followed by fill-in fields.
Since many things on Blue Star hinge on being of legal age, Ken set their IDs to adult ages.
Otherwise, everything would be inconvenient.
[Name: Hu Tao]
[Sex: Female]
[Ethnicity: Blue Star]
[Age: 18]
[Date of Birth: July 15, 2004]
[Address: Magic City, District XX, …]
"These are Blue Star passes. You'll need them for lots of daily things. Keep them safe."
Ken filled out Eula's ID and handed them over, then took out the new phones.
"Eula already has one; this is for Hu Tao. Use your IDs to verify. I'll send you money for daily expenses. After this, you can pay on your phones."
Ken found detailed videos on Messenger and played them for the two.
They were both smart, and after several trips to Blue Star, they picked it up quickly, finished verification, and received 20,000 dollar from Ken's transfer.
"This much…" Eula, a bit embarrassed, said, "If you need Starsilver Ore in the future, you can come to me."
Earlier, they went out with five thousand dollar. After eating, drinking, and buying two sets of underwear, they'd only used about a thousand. Eula figured twenty thousand must be a substantial amount on Blue Star.
Hu Tao added seriously, "Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will reserve a package for you. When you need it, I'll give you a burial plot three times larger than others and arrange many young beauties who died in their prime as your companions."
Ken's face went dark. "Scram…"
Huh?
Hu Tao looked at Ken, then at Eula beside him, and, rare for her, showed a hint of shyness. "N-not here, right? Right here?"
Ken: "???"
Seeing the sparkle in those plum-blossom eyes, Ken's face grew darker. He swatted Hu Tao on the butt. "Can you think a little more wholesomely?"
"Aren't you the one who said it?" Hu Tao muttered. "I haven't even called you out for your weird tastes!"
Smack—
Hu Tao's butt took another hit. She jumped up and ran to the stairs, stuck out her tongue. "Hehe… I ate my fill outside; I'll skip dinner. I'm sleeping here tonight!"
Watching the two interact, Eula showed a hint of envy.
To get along so freely with Ken…
It felt pretty nice.
Thinking of Ken spanking Hu Tao just now, Eula glanced at herself instinctively.
Hers seemed even perkier.
…