Angel's Share.
"The stinky fox will definitely show her true form after getting drunk. I bet she'd taste great roasted."
Holding a drink and eyeing the shrine maiden across from her, who was delicately sipping dandelion wine, Wendy said, her gaze gleaming with anticipation. Whenever Wendy and the shrine maiden met, she never missed an opportunity to tease her.
'This stinky brat...'
'It seems she really has it out for me...'
Setting down her glass of dandelion wine, the shrine maiden realized the true depth of Wendy's grudge. Even now, Wendy seized every opportunity to tease her.
"I think the stinky brat would taste pretty good fried too. I should try it sometime."
The shrine maiden knew she had to retaliate.
"Oh? You'll never get the chance in your lifetime, but I can fry the stinky fox whenever I want."
Wendy regarded the shrine maiden with utter disdain. After all, the chasm in their combat strength was immense.
"Alright, alright, let's drink. Oh right, Wendy's having a drink, not alcohol—burp—"
Venti, already slightly tipsy, had to intervene, seeing them on the verge of another argument.
'This Anemo Archon...'
'Still the same as ever...'
Looking at Venti, who had already drained several glasses, the shrine maiden marveled silently. She hadn't seen the Anemo Archon in a long time, yet he was still the same as she remembered.
There was just one thing she couldn't understand: why had the Anemo Archon changed? What could have happened?
After staring at the Anemo Archon for a long time, the shrine maiden finally looked away and continued drinking her dandelion wine.
There was nothing she could do. This wasn't the right place to delve into such matters, and she didn't want to spoil Venti's mood.
'If that failed...'
'She would have to go back and ask Raiden Mei about it...'
Draining the last of her dandelion wine, the shrine maiden silently thought this to herself. At first, she had thought Raiden Mei's intentions weren't entirely pure, but clearly, she was wrong.
The grudge-holding brat before her truly was the Anemo Archon.
'Hmm?'
'Isn't that Captain Kaeya from earlier?'
Just then, the shrine maiden suddenly noticed the man named Kaeya, whom she'd seen earlier at the city gate, entering the tavern. He spotted her too and nodded before settling down at an empty table nearby.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Let's go somewhere else."
Just then, Venti, setting down his glass, suddenly declared.
'Enough?'
Not understanding why the Anemo Archon would suddenly say such a thing, the shrine maiden regarded him with a puzzled expression.
"We have to go somewhere else? Can't we stay here?"
While the shrine maiden was merely confused, Wendy directly posed the question.
"Hehe, let's go to Windrise. It must be nice and cool there now—burp—"
As he spoke, Venti punctuated his sentence with another drunken burp.
'Windrise?'
'Is he planning to talk about why he's no longer the Anemo Archon?'
At this point, the shrine maiden seemed to understand, and she rose to follow Venti.
"Running around is such a hassle."
Though she grumbled, Wendy still rose.
'Windrise?'
'They're going to Windrise?'
'What should I do?'
'Should I follow them?'
Kaeya, who had just settled down and ordered a drink, awkwardly overheard the Anemo Archon and his companions planning a trip to Windrise.
He was torn about whether to follow. After all, if the Anemo Archon wished to discuss secret matters, he would be eavesdropping.
But if he didn't follow, and Venti left just like that, how could he explain their departure to the Acting Grand Master?
'This is troublesome...'
"We'll just be gone for a little while. We'll come back soon."
Just as Kaeya still hesitated about whether to follow, the poet's words unexpectedly resolved his dilemma.
'If they're coming back soon, I'll just wait here...'
Watching Venti and his group leave, Kaeya silently thought this to himself.
Windrise.
"The wind here at night is always a bit different."
Spreading his arms as if embracing the world, Venti, eyes closed, felt the wind sweep through him.
"Do you want a stronger wind?"
As he spoke, Venti manipulated the surrounding air currents, conjuring a gale.
Whoosh—
"Hey, hey, hey, don't do that, Wendy."
Feeling the wind suddenly pick up, Venti quickly opened his eyes and urged Wendy to stop.
'I wonder if Raiden Mei can teach this little brat a lesson...'
Silently watching Wendy whip up the gale, the shrine maiden couldn't help but think this. She really wanted to see this little brat be taken down a peg. That would definitely be very interesting.
"Shrine Maiden, aren't you curious why I'm no longer the Anemo Archon?"
Just as the shrine maiden was still envisioning Wendy being taken down a peg, Venti suddenly said this to her.
"Then... I'm all ears."
On such a matter, the shrine maiden was quite serious.
"It's like this..."
Under the shrine maiden's gaze, Venti recounted his first encounter with Wendy and Kaito, and how he later believed Wendy capable of protecting Mondstadt, prompting him to bestow upon her the Gnosis.
Shrine Maiden: ???
It had to be said, after listening to Venti's story, the shrine maiden was filled with questions.
Aside from the casual manner in which Venti had relinquished the Gnosis, the mere fact that this little brat, Wendy, was Kaito's girlfriend greatly shocked the shrine maiden.
She would never have imagined that Wendy, this little brat, was actually Kaito's other girlfriend.
Originally, she had thought Wendy merely knew Kaito and Raiden Mei, but it turned out their relationship ran far deeper.
'No wonder Raiden Mei isn't afraid of me stealing Kaito away...'
At this point, the shrine maiden finally understood Raiden Mei's earlier nonchalance.
"Is there a need to be so shocked? Stinky fox."
Actually, Wendy didn't know what the shrine maiden was so shocked about, but she said this first anyway.
"Yeah, you've shocked me to death."
Knowing that further arguing with this little brat was useless, the shrine maiden adopted a strategy of feigned agreement. She knew that in this state, the other party would quickly lose interest.
"I knew you were scared."
Shrine Maiden: ???
Still musing about how Wendy would eventually get bored, the shrine maiden didn't expect her to interpret her astonishment in such a manner.
'When did being shocked become being scared?'
'What is she even thinking?'
Looking at Wendy's smug expression, the shrine maiden was utterly dumbfounded.
Clearly, she couldn't maintain her feigned ignorance. That would only inflate Wendy's ego further.
___
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