Chapter 4: To… Furina
"Why…"
After finishing her day's activities, Furina sat on her bed and asked the girl who stood not too far, yet not too close, her voice carrying some hesitation.
"What?"
Liu Yuan tilted her head slightly, looking a little confused.
"This blue rose…"
"Hmm? Oh, are you asking why I gave you a blue rose?"
"Mm…"
Furina had countless questions swirling in her heart, but here — in her room, where she could finally shed her public mask — she silently chose to follow her feelings and ask this one first.
"The book said that if a girl is angry, giving her flowers will make her happy. So… I did that."
"Book?"
"Mm."
As Liu Yuan spoke softly, a faint blue glow appeared on her fingertips. Hydro Elemental power gathered, forming a small orb that floated toward the table in Furina's bedroom.
The water orb gently wrapped around a book resting there and carried it through the air until it hovered before Furina.
With a flick of her hand, Liu Yuan caught the book with ease.
Not a single page was wet, despite having been encased in water. Such delicate mastery of Hydro power…
But Furina's attention wasn't on that. Her eyes landed on the book's cover.
It was a text published by the Fontaine Academy of Sciences, on cultivating plants to create different varieties — The Art of Plant Cultivation.
On its cover was a vibrant red rose. At the bottom corner, in Fontaine's delicate script, a line was written:
"If you upset a beautiful lady, flowers are the best gift."
"Was it because the color was wrong?" Liu Yuan asked hesitantly. "I'm sorry… I can only make flowers of this color for now…"
Her tone was weak, almost timid, as if she feared Furina would dislike her gift.
"No… it's not that."
Furina drew a deep breath, struggling to suppress the sudden storm in her chest, but her heartbeat only seemed to grow louder.
"R-right… why can you suddenly use Hydro Elemental power?"
Flustered, she hurriedly changed the subject, slipping back into her usual performance voice.
Why was she reenacting the role of Hydro Archon in her own room? Perhaps because it was the only way to hide her panic.
"Hydro Elemental power?"
"Yes, Hydro! Wait… don't tell me you don't even know what Hydro is? But you clearly just used it — how do you not know?"
Furina's confusion helped calm her heartbeat, replacing panic with curiosity. At that moment, she remembered the very first question she'd had when she saw Liu Yuan wielding water so naturally.
"So this is… hydro?"
Liu Yuan raised her hand. Hydro gathered obediently from the air, wrapping smoothly around her arm, flowing as if alive.
"I don't really know… I just saw the person with a big dragon behind him use it once, and then I learned it."
"Big dragon?"
"Yes, this."
With a light hook of her finger, Liu Yuan commanded the Hydro around her. It surged instantly, condensing into a vivid illusion: a man's figure, and behind him, a towering blue dragon formed entirely of water.
Furina's lips parted slightly. She quickly raised a hand to cover them, trying to hide her reaction, but the shock in her eyes was impossible to disguise.
"Isn't that… Neuvillette?"
"Neuvillette? Is that his name? I see…"
Furina didn't know what to say.
This "spirit" beside her seemed… far too powerful. She had learned to control Hydro simply by watching Neuvillette once?
Furina's gaze dropped to the blue rose still resting in her hand. After a long pause, she whispered softly:
"Tha… thank you."
Her voice came out louder than she intended — loud enough that Liu Yuan instinctively took a step back.
Realizing her own strange behavior, Furina said nothing more. She yanked her quilt up and pulled it over her head, curling up tightly as if she could vanish into sleep.
Liu Yuan, bewildered, stared at the bundled figure.
Did I… do something wrong again?
---
Under the covers, Furina's wide eyes were fixed on the faintly glowing blue rose.
Why… why am I like this?
Why am I flustered?
Why am I a little scared?
Why am I envious?
And why… am I suddenly happy again?
She kept staring at the delicate petals. The blue of the flower blended with her own eyes, and for some reason, she remembered the way Liu Yuan had looked when she handed her the gift.
So clean. So pure. Without a single trace of impurity.
As if… this flower was given to Furina — the girl — and not "Hydro Archon Furina."
Not because of her title.
Not because she was Fontaine's most beloved star.
Not out of admiration, or duty, or respect for a god.
But simply… because Liu Yuan thought she was upset, and wanted to make her smile.
Furina's chest ached, and she couldn't say why.
Should I… maybe… be a little nicer to her?