'What kind of question was that?!'
'How could such a cold sentence come from such a beautiful mouth?!'
Richard froze, trembling slightly from disbelief.
'Clorinde really was getting bold, three days without being disciplined, and she was already trying to tease him like she did Furina!'
'And seriously, what's wrong with being a virgin?!'
'It's not like virgins are eating your rice!'
Seeing that Richard didn't reply for a long time, Clorinde's confident look faltered.
The cool, elegant duelist suddenly shrank back behind Furina and mumbled, "...Wait, did I actually guess right?"
She had guessed right.
Despite his charming demeanor and years of experience mingling with beauties from every corner of Teyvat, Richard was, in fact, still untouched, a completely unplucked, pristine chick.
Furina, of all people, hadn't expected this revelation.
In her mind, someone as smooth-talking as Richard, even if he wasn't a playboy, surely had at least two or three romantic partners.
At the very least, a few "close companions."
Back when Yae Miko visited Fontaine, Furina had even suspected that Richard must've deceived her emotionally or physically, given how that kitsune priestess came all the way from Inazuma to find him.
But now, it seemed he hadn't deceived her physically… just emotionally.
And quite deeply, too.
After all, by Richard's own account, he hadn't set foot in Inazuma for over a hundred years, yet Yae Miko still remembered him fondly. That had to mean something.
Furina suddenly wondered…
'If he disappeared one day, would I go looking for him?'
Probably not.
Not until the prophecy crisis was over, not until she could finally lay down her burdens as the Hydro Archon.
Still, that realization made her feel… defeated somehow.
She wasn't sure why she felt like she'd lost, but she did, a little angry, a little sad, and perhaps even a bit unworthy of such a self-disciplined man.
'Wait-'
'Why was I even thinking about marrying him?!'
'Were just friends!'
'...Friends who happened to have left marks on each other.'
"From the way you're all talking," Richard said dryly, "it sounds like you're eager for me to do something to Lynette?"
Furina's eyes darted away.
Clorinde looked down at her chest.
In truth, neither of them wanted him to do anything to Lynette.
Still, there was an unspoken tension in the room, something that all three women felt but never addressed directly.
Whether they admitted it or not, each had developed her own complicated feelings toward Richard.
Clorinde's was more physical, she just wanted to touch him.
That would already make her happy.
But for Furina and Lynette, it was different.
They liked him, the person, not the appearance.
Fortunately, Lynette's cool personality and Furina's pure, kind heart kept them from clashing.
As long as the "triangle" stayed balanced, things would remain peaceful.
Unless… one of them stopped being just a friend.
"So," Richard began, sitting down in Furina's minister's chair, "what strange ideas have you all been fed this time? Rumors? Gossip?"
The three women sat obediently on the sofa like students waiting for scolding.
Even Clorinde, who had been the boldest earlier, now sat stiff and silent, entirely focused on keeping her mouth and eyes under control.
No talking nonsense. No staring at forbidden places.
"Why do I have to sit with them?" Lynette protested, raising her hand. "Their rumors have nothing to do with me."
'I'm innocent!' - Lynette, probably.
"You drank wine and unbuttoned your shirt," Richard replied flatly.
Lynette immediately sat down again.
Soon enough, Furina and Clorinde confessed everything, their suspicions, gossip, and half-baked theories.
Richard sighed. "In a sense, Neuvillette wasn't wrong."
"I know my own flaws, I've never denied them."
"Then… do you still have, um, worldly desires?" Furina asked, her eyes drifting downward.
Richard's face darkened. "My body is perfectly fine, thank you."
That was not something he was going to let be misunderstood.
"Then why do you look at Clorinde with such… decent eyes?" Furina pressed on. "Not even a hint of… well, lust."
"Why should I look at people that way? Not all men are the way you imagine, Lady Furina," Richard said, determined to defend the honor of his gender.
Furina pondered this… then suddenly reached out and patted Clorinde's chest.
The towering "mountains" trembled, and Richard, valiantly trying to remain proper, immediately failed his self-control check.
"Well, that reaction's more normal," Furina said thoughtfully. "But your eyes still look a little too pure."
From a director's perspective, she decided Richard's acting lacked passion.
A normal man, faced with such a sight, would have at least crossed his legs or hunched forward.
But Richard?
He sat upright, like a portrait of virtue.
Something was definitely wrong here.
Furina decided to conduct an "experiment."
She turned to Lynette.
The cat-girl immediately crossed her arms and glared defensively.
"What are you doing?" Furina frowned. "You're acting like I'm some kind of villain!"
Clorinde quietly rubbed her chest and declined to comment.
Seeing both of them on guard, Furina realized she'd have to rely on herself.
She straightened her collar, took a deep breath, and let an aura fill the room, the aura of a veteran performer about to deliver her greatest act.
Then she lifted two fingers to her lips, slowly blew a kiss toward Richard, and winked.
(づ￣3￣)づ～♡
Richard stared at her expressionlessly, waiting for the next move.
...But that was it.
That was all she had planned.
And as Richard kept watching, Furina's face gradually turned red.
'Wait-'
'Wasn't I the one supposed to be captivating him?!'
'Still… she did look adorable, blushing like that.'
'But… was that it?'
He didn't say the words, but his eyes said enough.
Furina was defeated.
Turns out, watching romantic dramas didn't make you good at acting in one.
"Lady Furina," Richard said finally, "you don't need to keep testing me."
He sighed, then gestured for all three to listen.
"It's better we speak honestly."
"Ask me what you want to know. I'll answer what I can."
"Why only what you can?"
"Because," Richard said calmly, "some things are better not known."
Clorinde nodded and said, "Lord Neuvillette mentioned that most elemental dragons are incomplete."
"But he said your incompleteness surpasses theirs."
"What did he mean by that?"
Richard shot her a warning look.
"It's about authority, Clorinde. Stop looking down."
"Oh."
She obediently looked away, though she still thought he was being awfully stingy.
He wouldn't even let her look now!
"What about emotional incompleteness?" Furina asked softly.
"I don't think I'm emotionally incomplete…" Richard mused. "But sometimes I feel… distant.
Like I'm watching my own life from the outside."
"In cinematic terms, I often 'break immersion.'"
"It was like being stuck in third-person view in a first-person world."
That detachment, along with what he'd learned in Inazuma about his origins, left him with a constant unease, as though one day, someone else might replace him entirely.
That was why he'd avoided Yae Miko and Ei for so long.
Even Alice told him to visit Inazuma again, but he couldn't bring himself to go.
"Not yourself…?" Clorinde and Lynette didn't quite understand.
But Furina did.
After all, she too had once faced a "self" in the mirror that wasn't truly her.
Maybe, she thought, they were more alike than she realized.
"Sounds like a psychological disorder," Lynette said, concern in her eyes.
"Maybe," Richard admitted. "But I have an idea how to fix it."
"Once I reach the Primordial Sea and become a complete dragon, it should resolve itself."
'Or… it might not.'
If his past self tried to overwrite him, he'd need to anchor himself firmly in this world.
And as he looked at the three women before him, each unique, each unforgettable, Richard realized: they were his anchors.
Well, them… and perhaps one more person, hiding far away, Focalors herself.
"In short," he said at last, "I'm a perfectly healthy, normal man, physically, emotionally, and otherwise. Please remember that."
"Play with fire… and you'll get burned."
Lynette flicked her cat ears, sighing softly.
She had played with fire, or rather, with wine, and lost spectacularly.
One drink and she was out cold.
A lifelong humiliation.
She'd have to train her alcohol tolerance… somehow.
'Why did I even need to drink…?'
Lynette stared off into space, deep in thought.
"Alright," Richard clapped his hands, "now that the misunderstandings are cleared up, let's get back to work."
"Lady Furina, the Liyue Embassy has sent a proposal for a cultural exchange. Their delegation will be led by the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, with an adeptus accompanying them."
"That adeptus happens to be an old acquaintance of mine, a master of mechanisms."
"You were interested in the Jade Chamber's technology, right?"
"This is a perfect chance to exchange ideas."
"So soon?" Furina blinked. "What about the funding?"
"Don't worry about that," Richard said.
"Technology is culture. We can share Fontaine's anti-gravity research; it's not perfect, but valuable. And since I still have some connections in Liyue, I'm sure they'll be happy to cooperate."
He smiled knowingly.
He knew that woman, sharp tongue, soft heart.
If he reasoned with her properly, she'd help him.
Just like last time.
As for funding… well, they'd negotiate later.
Far away in Liyue's Jueyun Karst, Cloud Retainer suddenly sneezed.
She turned toward her disciple, who was packing her luggage.
"Shenhe, you needn't bring so many clothes."
"We're just visiting for an exchange, not moving in."