A MILLION MILES AWAY | xiao

- ꕤ 8: MORTAL

PSA: Hi! I use the word "Fangirl" in a gender-neutral manner in this chapter. I don't typically use the word "Fanboy" cause I use and associate "Fangirl" with every gender! But if it makes you uncomfortable, I am more than willing to change it. Thank you so much!

🍃

Once you collected yourself and calmed down from your fangirl moment, you made your way downstairs.

You greeted Verr Goldet cheerfully, which confused her. Though, she just assumed you wanted to be positive and shrugged it off. It's hard adjusting to a new setting after all.

"May I use the kitchen?" You asked the boss, placing your intertwined hands on your chin.

"You're more than welcome to! Though, it would be best to ask Yanxiao first."

"Will do, boss!"

You knew she hated being called boss lady, so you removed the excess word. Got to get on her good side.

Wait— she works for Ningguang, right? Maybe she already told the Tianquan about you... How exciting!

If Ningguang's heard of you, then maybe she'll invite you to the Jade Chamber. It's only been rebuilt recently! And maybe then you'll meet Ganyu and Keqing... Oh! Or maybe Beidou, then she'll introduce you to K—

"Right, the kitchen." You snapped yourself back to reality. Now's not the time to let yourself fangirl over such things when you have a goal in mind.

Operation: Get Xiao to like you!

You see, you were no Lumine or Aether. You weren't the protagonist of a hit game who had the typical main character's strength, wit, and charm. Absolutely not!

It would be much harder for Xiao to like you even if you knew his inner mind. You'd have to be the Traveler, but you weren't. So now you must try your best to win him over and make sure he becomes your friend.

Might as well have one while you're stuck here.

So the first order of business was to make him the only food he can consume: Almond Tofu! Or as his specialty dish reads— Sweet Dream!

Smiley Yanxiao graciously let you in the kitchen, even lending you the recipe for Almond Tofu. He's made it so many times for Xiao that he already memorized every step and every ingredient.

You, on the other hand, struggled.

As it turns out, cooking in-game and in real life are not the same. While the game only required three ingredients and had a cooking bar, the reality wasn't as easy as that. It required way more ingredients and took so much more time.

But you are a scientist! This won't be too hard if you've had a similar experience during your experiments.

And thankfully, you finished one plate of Almond Tofu. It only took you an hour, but you did it! It had a sweet aroma and looked as soft as clouds. You couldn't wait to make yourself one in the future.

"Wow, that looks great! You sure learn quick, kid." Smiley Yanxiao complimented. "I'm looking forward to teaching you my other recipes."

You smiled heartily.

"That's wonderful! I'm looking forward to it as well."

Everyone was so sweet around here! So much different from your world.

I mean sure, rude NPCs— people, exist in Genshin Impact too. But so far? Everyone you've met has been incredibly kind and helpful. It was a pleasure to stay in such a place.