Genshin Impact X BNHA (*Rewriting*)

ten thousand mora and ten thousand more

Aether slips on his hero costume (really his regular outfit) after changing out of his uniform. He heaves a sigh of relief, feeling the comfort of his normal clothes. Don't get him wrong, the UA uniform was cute and looked really nice on Xiao plus Aether was definitely enjoying the chance to act like a teenager but there was something about the familiarity of his own clothing that soothed him. Thinking about the uniform, he wondered what was the smallest size it came in. Chuckling, Aether began, "I bet the uniform would look ridiculously big on you-"

Aether turns to the side only to see an empty dressing room.

Right, Aether thought while he shook his head, Paimon isn't here. He exited the changing rooms to head to where his class was, feeling a certain ache bloom in his chest. I suppose it's a good thing she isn't here, she'd fail this exam for sure' Aether pictured Paimon with him and imagine her flying around uselessly while making him do all the work. Without her here, it was a lot more quiet and Aether had a lot more time to himself. It was nice to have some time to himself, Aether assured himself, even if that time came with a hollow loneliness that occupied his chest.

Lifting his head, Aether spotted Childe and Zhongli ahead, talking together. Zhongli smiled as Childe said something and if he was someone who didn't know any better, he would've thought they were back to normal but Aether knew better. Zhongli was holding his hands behind his back, one hand gripping his other wrist in some form of self-restraint. It looked like there was this wall between them that prevented them from coming closer and it was large enough that Aether figured he could walk right between them if he wanted. Everyone in Liyue knew that Zhongli and Childe were joined at the hip so it was pretty clear that this wasn't normal behavior, but it was understandable considering the whole debacle between Xiao and Childe.

Honestly, even right now all Aether wanted to do was shake Xiao and dissect what's going on inside his brain but he had some self-restraint. Work now, personal stuff later. If he could put off finding his sister to save a whole ass nation then this was a piece of cake. He's sure everyone else thought the same. Even with Childe's frivolous nature, he could be serious when it came down to it. It wasn't explicitly stated, but it was obvious their accommodations, food, money and necessities weren't free. They had to show UA that they weren't wrong for placing their trust in them.

Their kindness would not go unpaid.

"Aether-kun, over here!" Iida calls out and Aether squeezes through the crowd. The amount of bodies cramped in a small space was not to be trifled with, 'There so many people. Damn it'

It's not that he minds being around people but he couldn't help worrying for Xiao who wasn't used to such crowds. He scans the place for a teal-haired adepti, only to snort at what he sees.

Xiao was radiating bloodlust, glaring at anyone and everyone who dared to come near him. He had somehow made a miraculously perfect circle of empty space around him, no one daring to enter his personal bubble. Aether understood, Xiao looked like he was going to behead anyone who would step an inch closer.

"Eh... sooo we'll do that provisional license... thing..." spoke a sluggish man with dirty hair who was at the front of the room. He had introduced himself as 'Mera' from the Hero Public Safety Commission. "My favorite kind of sleep is non-REM sleep.." Aether squints his eyes to make sure he's seeing right but is the dude falling asleep? In the middle of his speech? "...Nice to meet you..."