"Tch!"
The voices of Cloud Retainer and Madam Ping finally drew Lin Ze out of his room.
But the moment he appeared, something about him felt… off.
His right arm was raised, palm hovering in the air, fingers slightly curled—as if gripping something invisible.
Whatever it was, neither Cloud Retainer nor Madam Ping could see it.
Still, neither of them had the presence of mind to question that strange posture.
Because the expression on Lin Ze's face was extremely unfriendly.
"This doesn't look good," Cloud Retainer muttered.
"We're the ones who came," Madam Ping replied calmly.
"..."
That brief exchange made Lin Ze pause.
The hostility on his face slowly faded.
"…That was a pretty amusing exchange."
He tilted his head slightly.
"I don't recall putting that one in the meme encyclopedia."
His mood visibly improved.
"Alright. I'm in a better mood now.
Explain it to me—why are you so desperate to stop me from destroying this thing?"
The irritation hadn't vanished, but it had softened into something odd and restrained.
Lin Ze genuinely didn't understand why Cloud Retainer and Madam Ping were panicking so much over the diary system.
"If you're worried that destroying it would drag you down with it, you can relax."
"In my hands, it doesn't even get to choose how it chats."
"It's just a construct made of rule-power, wish-power, and a fragment of world origin. Somewhat novel—but it's nothing compared to the Black Flag."
He assumed that was their concern and explained it casually.
"…Good. He's still willing to explain."
Cloud Retainer finally let out a breath she'd been holding.
"Lin Ze, please calm down. Let me explain properly."
Madam Ping nodded quickly and began to elaborate.
As she did, Ningguang, Keqing, and the others arrived, gathering in the courtyard.
Their concern was never that the diary system would explode and take them with it.
What they cared about was its value.
This diary system was… strange.
But it was also incredibly useful.
Even setting aside the fact that it could function as a five-star artifact-level object, the system's built-in instant comprehension ability alone made it priceless.
Whenever Lin Ze mentioned concepts outside of Teyvat—
Genshin, Honkai Impact, Honkai: Star Rail—
the system automatically provided detailed explanations.
Through Honkai Impact, they learned about the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta.
Through Star Rail, they learned that the stars contained countless civilizations—and beings known as Aeons.
It broadened their horizons.
Inspired ideas.
In short—
What Lin Ze saw as useless junk
was, to them, a treasure trove of external knowledge.
There was also another reason Madam Ping chose not to say aloud.
As long as the diary system existed, they could observe Lin Ze's movements in real time.
They didn't even need him to "write" properly.
As long as he treated it like a venting space, a place to complain or boast casually, that alone was invaluable to them.
It wasn't about rewards.
It was about understanding.
"…So you want to use the diary's comprehension feature to broaden your knowledge, explore new paths, and grow stronger."
Lin Ze murmured, rubbing his chin.
He understood their reasoning.
But—
"That thing listened to my inner thoughts."
"I'd rather destroy it."
"What you want, I can give you myself."
"And honestly—do you really enjoy peeking at someone else's diary that much?"
"Not that I even write one. I just complain, brag, update memes, or save screenshots like it's a phone."
Their arguments made sense.
But Lin Ze still couldn't accept it.
If it had only been written thoughts, that was one thing—he'd known from the start they'd be seen.
But inner thoughts?
That crossed a line.
Then—
A soft, hesitant voice spoke up.
"But… there are benefits, aren't there?"
"People can understand you better."
Ganyu stepped forward.
Her voice was gentle, a little unsure.
"You came to a world that's familiar, yet unfamiliar. That must be lonely."
"…I think I can understand that loneliness."
She hesitated, then continued.
"I'm half-adeptus, half-human. I've always been trapped between the two."
"The loneliness of Liyue Harbor… is even worse than Jueyun Karst."
Those were words she herself had once spoken.
"If the system remains, maybe people can understand you better."
"You'd have people to talk to. Friends who can listen."
"Even if you say words that don't exist in Teyvat, someone would still understand."
"But if it's destroyed…"
Her voice slowed.
"…If it's destroyed…"
Her aura subtly changed.
"…That might be good too."
"…Huh?" Everyone
Something strange radiated from Ganyu.
Loneliness. Resonance.
Her gaze toward Lin Ze grew… warm. Intense.
"If it's destroyed… then we'll all be lonely."
"Then we'd be the same."
"We could talk heart to heart… share our thoughts…"
"Slowly… feelings would grow…"
"And then… one day…"
Her cheeks flushed crimson.
"…we'd leave Liyue Harbor together…"
"…Return to Jueyun Karst…"
"…Live freely, like Cloud Retainer…"
"…Just the two of us…"
She covered her face with both hands, body swaying slightly, fully immersed in her own imagination.
The courtyard went dead silent.
This…
Was this really something Ganyu could say?!
Cloud Retainer, however, looked deeply satisfied.
Excellent.
My precious disciple finally learned how to chat.
And she's finally thinking about finding a partner.
Without hesitation, Cloud Retainer declared:
"I approve this marriage!"
"Eh—m-m-marriage—Master?!"
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