Airi's stomach had already begun protesting with loud growls...
But there was nothing he could do. He was completely broke right now...
Just as he was thinking about finding an empty bench to sleep on for the night and figuring things out tomorrow...
He suddenly caught a whiff of something delicious.
So he followed the smell all the way over...
Under the dim glow of a streetlamp, a young girl was sitting on a bench.
She had food in her hand, and that tempting aroma was coming from her.
Several stray cats were gathered beside her, happily eating.
She was feeding them.
Long white hair, delicate features, deep blue eyes...
She wore a blue dress on top and black shorts underneath, and beneath those shorts, her long pale legs were strikingly beautiful...
Then there was that exquisite blue hat on her head, along with the long cowlick curling upward from it, enough to make anyone's eyes light up at once...
Those traits were far too distinctive.
Airi recognized her immediately.
Who else could it be but Lady Furina herself?
At that moment, Furina was feeding the cats while tilting her head up in thought...
"What kind of cake should I have tonight?"
"Chocolate... or cream puffs?"
She held cat food in one hand and petted a cat with the other.
But as she petted them, she suddenly touched a cat that felt... different...
A little strange...
Yet she could not quite explain what felt strange about it...
So she gave that cat's big fluffy ears another squeeze.
"Hm?"
"Were this little one's ears always this big?"
She lowered her head and met eyes with Airi, who was right there eating cat food...
"Wah!"
"Y-You, who are you?!"
"A-Are you trying to attack the Hydro Archon?!"
"Aren't you afraid I'll blow you away with divine power?!"
Airi blinked, still chewing as he shook his head.
"I'm not here to attack you. My name is Airi. I'm an adventurer from out of town."
"I only arrived in the Court of Fontaine today. I lost my wallet, so I'm completely broke. Then I saw you feeding the cats..."
"The smell of that premium cat food was just too good, so I couldn't help wanting a bite..."
"I'm very sorry for startling you..."
Airi only dared get this close because he knew what Furina was like.
He knew this Hydro Archon would not actually do anything to him.
The adorable cat-eared boy in front of her showed no hostility whatsoever. Only then did Furina calm down and begin properly sizing him up...
His fair face still looked a little young, and he was about the same height as her. But those blue-black eyes of his glittered like gemstones...
No matter how she looked at him, this beautiful cat-eared boy did not seem like a bad person.
The worry in Furina's heart finally settled...
She gave a light cough to cover up how startled she had been.
Then Furina lifted her chin and looked down at Airi with a proud expression.
"Hmph hmph... an adventurer from a foreign land!"
"Welcome to the Nation of Water!"
"Standing before you is Fontaine's greatest Hydro Archon, Lady Furina!"
"My divine name is Focalors!"
"Admire me!"
"Revere me!"
Airi nodded solemnly.
"Oh, wow. Lady Furina is amazing..."
Airi knew about this Hydro Archon's past.
He knew what kind of god she truly was...
When he first saw Furina during the main story, he had thought she was there for comic relief.
Her exaggerated acting, the way she looked not all that bright, the way she got ambushed by the Fatui's Knave and jumped in fright...
Then there was the part where she went home and cried, unable even to eat her cake...
At the time, it all gave him one impression.
A paper tiger with no real power at all.
She had practically seemed like a fake god...
And the fact that she had still managed to survive in Fontaine for so many years made it feel as though she could only be relying on Fontaine's Chief Justice, Neuvillette, to remain so fearless.
But later, after seeing the full story, Airi learned about her pitiful fate...
She had been separated from the divinity of the second Hydro Archon, Focalors, and that was how the human Furina came to exist...
In exchange, she gained immortality...
But the price she paid was enormous...
No one could ever discover that she was not the true god, or Fontaine would lose its chance at salvation.
For the innocent Furina, that burden had been far too cruel.
She could not reveal her identity...
She had to play the role of a god she had never even met...
But she was completely, utterly human.
How was she supposed to convincingly act as a god she had never once seen for herself...?
And yet Furina still agreed.
All because of a promise made to the one in the mirror.
And she acted out that role for a full five hundred years.
Bearing centuries of loneliness all on her own...
If that kind of pressure had been placed on Airi, he was sure he would have broken down long ago, let alone Furina...
She might not have been a true god in the literal sense, but in Airi's heart, she was a god worthy of being acknowledged.
All he felt for her was deep admiration.
If she could do that much for her people, then how could anyone say she had failed them...?
Furina looked at the boy in front of her, who was holding cat food and had suddenly gone blank as if lost in memory.
Seeing him eat cat food while daydreaming, she did not think much of it.
She simply assumed the title of Hydro Archon had stunned this outlander into silence.
"Lady Furina, thank you for the food. It's very delicious. You are a kind god."
"But I'm going to sleep now. Good night, Lady Furina. See you tomorrow, and sweet dreams."
After saying that, Airi lay down sideways on the bench as if preparing to sleep right there...
The cats around them gathered close, rubbing affectionately against him as they sprawled over his body...
Seeing the puzzled look on Furina's face, Airi slowly explained,
"Please don't worry, Lady Furina. I'll just stay here for one night. Tomorrow I'll go take commissions and start working. Please don't report me to the Special Patrol."
"I won't report you to the Special Patrol, but... are you really going to sleep here??"
It would get cold at night, Furina thought.
"It's fine, Lady Furina. With these little ones here keeping me company, I won't be lonely."
Looking at the catlike boy in front of her, so cute he practically resembled one of the strays himself, Furina made up her mind about something and raised her head proudly.
"Outlander adventurer."
"This Hydro Archon has decided to take you in."
"Be grateful. Revere me!"
"After all, I am Fontaine's greatest and kindest god."
Watching Furina hold her head high and say all that in a tone like she was performing on an opera stage...
Airi responded in kind.
He placed one hand over his chest and slowly raised the other.
"Oh!"
"Great Hydro Archon, Lady Furina!"
"You are truly a merciful deity!"
"That you would be willing to take in someone like me, a traveler from another land..."
"I am deeply grateful to you."
"But my nature will not allow me to accept your shelter for nothing."
"If you truly wish to take me in, then please allow me to do something in return to repay your kindness!"
The moment Airi finished speaking, he saw Furina standing there in a daze.
Had his acting really been that bad...?
But Furina's attention was somewhere else entirely.
Under the streetlamp, the way the boy had closed his eyes and recited those lines made her heart feel as though it had just been struck...
He was simply too cute!
An outlander had somehow managed to land perfectly within her tastes...
What an interesting boy.
She really wanted to bring him home...
"Then... once you earn some money, bring me some cakes as repayment."
After saying that, Furina held out her hand to him.
This time, Airi did not refuse.
He took her hand and stood up.
After saying goodbye to the cats, he let Furina lead him by the hand all the way to the highest level of the Court of Fontaine...
And into Furina's private room...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Want to stay ahead of the game? Advanced chapters are up on my Patron. If you're enjoying the ride, swing by and check them out."
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"