"Ryou… I'm fine. Why are you touching me?" Ganyu's body tensed instantly. The moment "Ryou" brushed her hand, goosebumps ran up her arms.
"Sorry. I overstepped," "Ryou" said softly. "But aren't we friends? Friends being a little closer is normal. I'm sure Keqing wouldn't mind."
As he reached for her hand again, "Ryou" clearly wanted to say more—wanted to keep pushing—but Keqing's mind went blank.
She'd always been terrible at feelings. Most of her life had been work, work, work. Once she understood what kind of person Ryou was, she married him. But asking her to "chase" Ganyu like this?
That was beyond her.
With her real identity, she could chat and laugh with Ganyu for hours. Wearing Ryou's face, she didn't know what to say at all. The awkward silence made her scalp ache.
"Ryou," Ganyu said carefully as she slid her hand away, "if you have something to say, just say it. Don't… do that."
"If Keqing finds out, it'll be hard for both of us to explain."
Her eyes sharpened.
This "Ryou" felt off. The real Ryou was warm and natural.
And then Ganyu remembered that stone.
She studied "Ryou" for a long moment, then spoke casually, like she was reminiscing.
"Do you remember that gathering at the Jade Chamber? You said back then you wanted to find someone you truly liked."
"I even thought it would take you years. I didn't expect you to get married so fast."
"Funny how quickly things change."
"Yeah," "Ryou" answered without thinking.
Ganyu's gaze snapped to him.
Keqing froze.
She could've bitten her own tongue off.
Why couldn't she control her mouth? Why did she answer so naturally?
Now it was over. She'd given herself away.
"Keqing," Ganyu said, frowning, "don't you think you should explain?"
"That whole act just now didn't feel like Ryou at all. I tested you once and you fell right into it."
Ganyu didn't understand it.
Was Keqing trying to ruin Ryou's image in her eyes? Or was she so worried Ganyu would steal him that she felt the need to test her?
…Had she already given herself away?
Keqing coughed and forced a dry laugh, then silently willed herself back to normal.
"I—I was just joking," she said, scratching her cheek.
"Don't do it again," Ganyu said. After hesitating, she added, "And honestly, you don't need to test me."
"I like to think I'm a decent person. I won't get tangled up with Ryou in some unclear way."
Even if she didn't feel confident saying it, she still said it.
Keqing's face darkened.
She'd burned all that effort trying to get Ganyu to develop feelings for Ryou, and now Ganyu was telling her she'd keep her distance.
So what—was all of this for nothing?
"Fine, fine. I'll watch myself next time," Keqing said quickly. She didn't push further. Any more, and she'd only make things worse.
After that, nothing else happened.
Once dinner was over, Ryou went with Ganyu to Yujing Terrace.
Ganyu barely spoke on the way. When they reached her office, she placed the stack of work in front of him.
"I'll handle it with you," she said. "I can't just rely on you to do everything."
"It's fine," Ryou said with an easy smile as he sat down. "You and Keqing are close. Helping you out isn't a big deal."
"Mm." Ganyu nodded and finally settled into work.
In her office, in her familiar space, she seemed a little more at ease. She focused quickly, expression serious.
Ryou glanced at her—and an odd thought slipped in.
Ganyu was beautiful. Under the lamplight, quietly working like this, she was… dangerously captivating.
He pulled his mind back immediately.
If he kept thinking like that, something would go wrong. And if anything happened, he'd never forgive himself.
Keqing trusted him. He couldn't betray that.
[Ryou]
[Hand, Brain—get to work.]
[Hand]
[Got it!]
[Brain]
[On my way!]
[System]
[Mind entering Darkened Mode!]
[System]
[Darkened Mode active: paperwork efficiency +500% for 30 minutes!]
[System]
[Hand entering Darkened Mode!]
[System]
[Darkened Mode active: paperwork speed +75% for 30 minutes!]
With both buffs stacked, Ryou's speed skyrocketed.
The mountain of paperwork stopped looking like a mountain.
He grabbed one file, scanned it once, and wrote the solution cleanly. Then another. Then another.
Before he knew it, not even half an hour had passed.
Ganyu had been working beside him without paying attention—until she reached for her tea and saw what was next to him.
The piles were gone. Everything had been sorted neatly.
She rubbed her eyes, then stared.
"Y-You finished all of it?" she blurted out. "In half an hour?"
She grabbed the files and flipped through them, one after another.
The more she read, the brighter her eyes became.
The ideas were excellent—thoughtful, practical, and incredibly clean. Even if she'd handled them herself, she didn't think she could've done it this perfectly.
"Your approach is… brilliant," Ganyu said, genuinely excited now. She looked up at him. "Can you teach me? I… I never would've thought of these."
Ryou hesitated.
A lot of these ideas weren't "genius" so much as they were borrowed from another world—systems built around real people, designed to be efficient and humane. To Ganyu, who'd never been exposed to that kind of thinking, reaching this level would be extremely hard.
And it would take time. A lot of time.
"You'll need to study more," Ryou said carefully. "And handle more work. That's the only way."
"Ah…" Ganyu's shoulders drooped. She looked disappointed, but she didn't force the issue.
Seeing that, Ryou softened.
"If I have time, I'll point a few things out," he added. "How much you learn after that will depend on you."
"Really?" Ganyu lit up. "Then… I'll call you Ryou-sensei!"
She lifted her cup with both hands. "Sensei, please have tea. It's proper etiquette. If you accept, you have to drink."
Ryou blinked at how serious she was, then gave in. "Alright."
He took the cup and sipped.
"I'll accept you as my student, then," he said. "But I can't promise I'll always have time to teach."
"How about this—visit Keqing more often. If there's something you don't understand, ask me when you get the chance. Sound good?"
"Okay!" Ganyu nodded obediently.
Then her eyes landed on the cup—and a beat too late, it hit her.
That was her cup.
He'd just drunk from it.
Ganyu's face flushed so fast it felt like it caught fire. Her earlier excitement faded into pure embarrassment, and she suddenly couldn't meet his eyes.
Ryou was completely lost.
I didn't do anything, did I? Why is she suddenly so shy?
For a moment, the air turned strangely intimate.
Ryou cleared his throat and kept working. The buff still had a few minutes left, so he used it to help her finish the remaining tasks as well.
Ganyu watched him and went numb all over again.
He'd glance at a page for a second, then write immediately.
Was he even thinking?
Could this possibly be right?
But every time she remembered the solutions he'd already written—so clean they didn't look real—she couldn't say anything.
Her sensei was terrifyingly capable.
Maybe acknowledging him really was the right choice. If she could learn even a little from him, it would be worth it.
"Ganyu," Ryou said, setting his pen down, "I've finished everything. It's late. I should head back."
"I'll walk you out, Sensei!" Ganyu stood up quickly.
"No need," Ryou said, waving it off. "You're a girl—you should be careful when you go out. There are lots of creeps, and you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
And immediately wanted to slap himself.
What creeps? This is Teyvat.
If someone tried anything, Ganyu could send them flying from Liyue Harbor all the way to Natlan with one palm.
Ganyu, meanwhile, turned even redder.
No one had ever said something like that to her before. And "creeps"… were they really that dangerous?
"Th-Thank you for the reminder," she said earnestly. "I'll be more careful."
"Good," Ryou said with an awkward laugh. "I'm going."
He didn't know what else to say, so he turned and left.
Ganyu watched him go, then finally looked away.
When she got home and replayed everything in her head, she hugged her pillow and couldn't fall asleep.
…
Ryou walked back under the night sky, but Ganyu's shy face kept flashing through his mind.
The temptation was… honestly too much.
Tonight, he'd have to "trouble" Keqing again.
She'd already had Ganyu treat her. That meant he could really let loose.
And while he was at it, he could have Hand go learn some medical skills.
Might as well knock out two things at once.
When he got home, Keqing was already lying on the bed.
She'd assumed he wouldn't be back so soon. With his temperament, if he saw her asleep, he'd leave her alone.
Finally—one peaceful night.
Then the door opened.
"Mmph! You're back already?" Keqing stared at him, stunned.
By her logic, even if nothing happened, Ganyu should've kept him there for at least an hour.
And if he was as strong as he claimed… why did he seem so weak the moment he met Ganyu?
Then she saw his eyes—burning hot.
Keqing's heart sank in understanding.
So nothing happened over there.
Instead, he got stirred up over there… and came home to her.
"Husband…" Keqing whispered.
"Mm," Ryou murmured as he walked over, fingers brushing her gently. "Wife, let's go rest in the pocket realm."
"I can't really… perform here. And if anyone hears, it's not appropriate."
Keqing was in neat sleepwear—fully covered, yet somehow even more provocative. The half-hidden lines and soft fabric lit a fire in him instantly.
[End of chapter]
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