"Miss Kokomi, your shoe...!"
Qin Yu reluctantly lowered his hand.
Why did she suddenly leave while he was just drinking water?
It was as if he was going to do something improper to Kokomi when no one else was around.
What a joke! He was a principled, upright person who fully respected a girl's wishes!
"Sigh, I'll find a chance to explain later,"
Qin Yu sighed lightly and was about to get up.
Suddenly, an abandoned shoe by his side caught his attention.
It was small and exquisite, and from a glance, it was clearly a girl's size.
Faintly, he could even smell a peculiar, pleasant fragrance wafting from it.
That's right, beautiful girls were fragrant all over.
"..."
Qin Yu opened his mouth and fell into thought.
This shoe must have been left behind by Kokomi.
Should he pick it up?
But it would be very impolite to casually pick up a girl's used shoe.
If Miss Romance Advisor found out, or told the girls at the tea house...
The consequences were obvious.
But if he didn't pick it up, he felt like he was missing out... cough, no.
What a truthful statement!
Qin Yu coughed lightly and shook his head seriously.
Forget it, he'd pretend he didn't see it.
Just as he was convincing himself, he suddenly froze.
He subconsciously patted his pocket, only to find something missing.
When Sandrone left with the Tsaritsa, she had secretly left behind a tetrahedral core.
If Qin Yu guessed correctly, it could control the executive matrix and had extremely high authority.
Where had such a crucial item fallen in the chaos?
"It couldn't have fallen into Kokomi's shoe, could it..."
Qin Yu chuckled.
Then, his smile vanished.
He looked at the shoe, which suddenly glowed with a bright blue light, and fell into thought.
Could it really be that coincidental?
This wasn't right! Who was trying to frame Qin Yu today!
"...It seems I have no choice but to take it."
Qin Yu confirmed that no one was around and picked up the shoe.
It was small and fragrant, fitting perfectly in his hand to hold and play with.
After pouring the tetrahedron out of the shoe, Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
The tetrahedron was intact.
It somehow felt like it had picked up a scent.
Qin Yu held the tetrahedron and leaned closer, lowering his head.
Don't misunderstand, he was checking if the mechanical structure was damaged.
He rubbed the tetrahedron a few times, confirmed it was completely fine, and put it in his pocket.
As for the shoe...
Now that it was in his hand, he couldn't just throw it away.
He'd keep it, it might be useful later.
He would return it to Miss Kokomi.
He recalled her slender, beautiful legs, wrapped in delicate white stockings, which were now wet.
She couldn't go barefoot.
What if something tore them and injured her feet?
"Heh, what am I thinking."
"Let's go see Keqing and Furina over there."
Qin Yu smiled and walked away along the beach.
...
It was a pity that he didn't notice the strange situation in the small grove.
Nor the beautiful girl hiding behind a tree, biting her lip.
"Mr. Qin Yu...!"
Kokomi whispered and walked out of the small grove.
She looked in the direction Qin Yu had left, her watery eyes filled with complex emotions.
Surprise, panic, and embarrassment.
"Although I know you were kindly helping me retrieve my shoe..."
"But... how could a boy just reach out and grab it..."
Facing the sea breeze, Kokomi murmured softly, gradually regaining her composure.
"..."
Finally, she sighed lightly.
The shy side of a maiden was not her entire being, after all.
As the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, Kokomi had her own stance and plans.
She had come to Inazuma City to seek a future for Watatsumi Island.
She had also stayed at the Komore Teahouse to observe Qin Yu.
And the more she interacted with this legendary man, the more she felt his sincerity and warmth.
"Everyone at the teahouse also seems so relaxed and happy."
Qin Yu seemed to have a kind of magic; everything became beautiful because of him.
Then, could Watatsumi Island also...
Kokomi lowered her eyes.
"Keqing said... you don't need to be limited by or rely on the old gods?"
She sighed softly and took off her remaining shoe.
Keqing was right.
When the divine being created Watatsumi Island, it was to give the Watatsumi people a truly free land.
Not to set shackles for the sake of a divine name.
If that divine being saw the descendants of Watatsumi, stagnant because of them, they would also be disappointed.
Kokomi took a step, her feet landing on the sand.
Her small feet, clad in white stockings, left imprints next to Qin Yu's footprints.
"Mr. Qin Yu, will you be the one who guides my path?"
Kokomi looked at the one large and one small set of footprints, revealing a shallow, captivating smile.
Take it slow.
...
Meanwhile.
Unaware that he had been discovered, Qin Yu found Keqing and Miss Furina, who had been waiting for him.
"Qin Yu—!"
Keqing, like a cat, pounced and tightly hugged Qin Yu, clinging to him.
"Hehe... why are you so proactive this time?"
Qin Yu wrapped his arms around Keqing's slender waist and spun her around.
In the end, his hands became restless again, cupping her buttocks, eliciting a soft groan.
"Hmph... asking the obvious."
Keqing's eyes were resentful. She hugged Qin Yu's neck and lightly bit him.
She had said, how long had it been since they had alone time?
The tsundere cat who was "eaten" would become a clingy kitten in private.
"..."
Miss Furina watched with amusement, smiling without a word.
She wasn't a god who lacked understanding and intentionally ruined the mood.
Let this love-struck little girl be happy for a while longer.
"I'm sorry, too many things have happened recently."
Qin Yu gently stroked Keqing's soft hair and whispered in her ear.
The Divine Sakura Cleansing, and then the Archon War.
Thinking of this, his heart was filled with apologies.
"Hmph, you know that yourself."
Keqing proudly turned her face away and huffed.
But the slight upward curve of her lips couldn't be suppressed.
She was acting like a clingy little wife.
"Let's go for a walk together."
Qin Yu held Keqing's hand and waved at Miss Furina.
"?"
Keqing looked at the little cat Furina and instinctively sensed danger.
Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at Qin Yu.
Was he getting other cute cats behind her back?
A certain Lumine cat sneezed.
"Good girl, no need to be jealous."
"Who's jealous!"
...
On the beach, Qin Yu and Keqing walked hand in hand, their atmosphere warm.
"Are you getting used to living in Inazuma recently?"
Qin Yu tilted his head, admiring the delicate profile of his beloved, and smiled.
He recalled that back then, Keqing was just a girl who came to Inazuma for a few days.
Now, she had become his little wife.
The cat who boarded his ship couldn't escape.
"Yes! Thanks to your communication device, I can complete all sorts of work for the Liyue Qixing even at the teahouse."
Mentioning work, Keqing's eyes lit up, and she started talking.
"Is that so? That's good."
"When there's an opportunity, I'll go back to Liyue with you."
Qin Yu gently hugged Keqing and inhaled the faint scent of her hair.
"...Mm."
Keqing's cheeks blushed, and she shyly lowered her head.
Going back to Liyue meant meeting the parents.
She, she definitely wasn't thinking about marrying Qin Yu... !
So, for the wedding banquet, should they go to the Xinyue Kexuan or the Liuli Pavilion?
Why not book both.
The wealthy Keqing was already planning the guest list.
"No rush, take your time to think."
Qin Yu playfully poked Keqing's cheek and smiled.
If she kept thinking, she'd probably name their children already.
"Hmm... Before that, I have to introduce you to my friends."
Keqing nodded, full of enthusiasm.
She might as well use the communication device and video call them now.
"Okay."
Qin Yu smiled, took Keqing's small hand, and sat down under a tree.
It was a good opportunity to meet new friends.
"The first one... Ganyu!"