★Twisted Wishes★ | Genshin x Twisted Wonderland

💜Miko x Rook💜

Blossom: Someone here really likes Rook, so I thought I'd give this to them as a special present. Plus, those of you who prefer these types of stories have been waiting for a while.

Scenario: Rook is tasked to hunt down Miko's beauty secrets.

"'I Woke in the Villains' World?' No, no, no. That's much too common," Yae Miko chided herself, leaning out the window with a sigh. "Hmm... how about... 'The Mysterious Masked Headmaster is My Father?'" She thought for a moment. "Ah, Crowley's too unappealing for that kind of light novel, not to mention selfish. That won't do at all..."

"Something wrong, Miko?" Lilia inquired as he breezed by. "You seem rather spaced out today."

"Just an old fox musing to herself. Not important in the least," Miko assured him with a bright smile. Lilia raised an eyebrow, but moved on.

Actually, it was important. The truth was, Yae Miko needed to come up with a bestselling story.

Back in Inazuma, her light novels weren't particularly popular with young men, but she hoped that this stay at Night Raven College could change that.

What were young men into these days? Adventure? Perhaps romance?

With a sigh, she drummed her fingers on the windowsill. Without the familiar scent of the Sacred Sakura, she found it difficult to concentrate. Miko prided herself on her quick wit—not being able to think on her feet was a severe impediment.

Perhaps a walk would do her tired mind some good. A leisurely stroll through the tranquil forest bordering the campus, surrounded by sunshine and birdsong and an abundance of squirrels to terrorize. Mm, that sounded lovely.

Smiling, Miko made her way outdoors. Walking across the courtyard, she didn't miss the two students watching her. A quick flick of her eyes, and she saw who it was. "Hm," she thought to herself. "This should be... fun."

Even from here, she could hear exactly what they were saying, courtesy of her kitsune ears. Heh. Careless. Did they think that, if they cupped their hands over their mouths, she couldn't hear them?

The first voice, an elegant drawl, commented, "That fox's fur is quite beautiful... shiny and soft, the color of cherry blossoms in spring. Find out how she maintains it."

"Oui, Roi du Poison. As you wish." The second voice, silken and lightly accented, belonged to Rook Hunt, vice housewarden of Pomefiore. Miko had seen him many times before, having taken interest after finding out he was a hunter. Looking at him at the entrance ceremony, she never would have guessed it. "I shall pursue her immediately."

Anyone else on campus, upon hearing that Rook was after them, would have run in the opposite direction as quietly as they could manage. Anyone except Miko, that is. She shrugged, a little half-smile on her face, and walked into the trees without a backward glance. Under her breath, she muttered, "Let the best hunter win."

Four hours later, after an especially frustrating hunt for Rook and a relaxing walk for Miko, Miko walked into a clearing and found Rook hanging from a tree by his foot.

He'd evidently been creeping through the forest and caught unawares by the loop of vine buried on the forest floor. The best part? She recognized that the trap was his own. She'd seen him set it—she'd watched, through the trees, as his fingers deftly prepared the vines.

He was a good hunter, no doubt. But she was better.

To be a good hunter, you had to think like prey. What would a poor, terrified student do in this situation? They'd probably hide in the trees, hoping that the leaves would cover up their tracks and the wind would hide their noisy breaths. A foolish idea. Hiding up a tree was the perfect way to get shot down.

So Yae Miko didn't leave the main trail at all. She did, however, send decoys into the forest to lure Rook in the wrong directions: Electro foxes with tails that swished cherry-pink like her own and paws that scarcely touched the grass.

It was while chasing one of these decoys that Rook had stumbled into the trap.

Now, to make one thing clear: Rook was not the type of person to go walking into his own traps. He was smart—smarter than he seemed, and certainly smarter than most of the other students at this school. Yet in the end, his expectations defeated him, and, captivated by the thrill of the hunt, he failed to recall that he'd set a trap in that clearing.

Of course, Rook realized his mistake a millisecond later, but in hunting, even a millisecond could be everything. And so here he was, trussed up like a ceremonial lamb up for the slaughter. As Miko slid from the shadows, his eyes, a brilliant green, scanned the clearing.

Oftentimes, with his grandiose manner, it was easy for others to see Rook as older than his age: this walking, talking, timeless embodiment of the Victorian gentleman who wore a feathered hat and a cape.

Now, his hair askew in a halo of gold around his face and a flush of surprise coloring his cheeks, Rook looked more like an ordinary teenage boy—alarmed and a little embarrassed. His clothes were less formal than usual, and the taut muscles beneath the fabric betrayed his athleticism.

Even upside-down, Rook looked infuriatingly beautiful, like some poor fallen angel.

Miko walked over and stood right in front of him.

Even Yae Miko's most ardent admirers, after being subjected to her natural whims, tended to flee at the first chance they got, and she expected Rook to beg and plead to be set free. A scream, at the very least.

He didn't. When his eyes focused on Miko, he smiled as if he'd been hunting all his life and finally stumbled upon his true quarry.

His expression warmed Miko inside, sending up a flurry of sakura petals in her heart. She hid it from her face as well as she could, but she had a feeling Rook could see through her.

"I accept defeat, mademoiselle. You are exquisitely talented at hunting," Rook said to her, his voice slightly breathless from being swept up into the tree. He brushed the sweat from his face and laughed cheerfully. "Truly, your soundless movement through the trees—ah, beauté! The scent of cherry blossoms bewilders my senses."

Laughing in the face of danger? If she really intended to eat him, Miko could have killed him by now, and he was laughing. The boy had spirit, Miko would give him that. Besides, it didn't hurt to have a sweet tongue when you were caught in a trap. Or a sweet face. Or a sweet demeanor in general.

Miko hadn't noticed she'd been staring at his face until Rook asked curiously, "Is something on your mind, mademoiselle?"

In response, Miko surveyed the dangling hunter in front of her, a smile playing across her lips. In a nonchalant tone, she mused, "'I Accidentally Captured the Hunter's Heart.' That title does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Back in Pomefiore lounge:

"Rook! I said to bring me her beauty secrets, not fall in love with her!"

"Apologies, Roi du Poison. It appears I misunderstood your instructions."

Blossom: Running on 3 hours of sleep? No problem! Chocolate to the rescue.