At some point—
The sound of kissing had stopped.
Now, aside from the whisper of the wind through the leaves, only the quiet sobbing of a girl remained.
Keqing lifted her head. Gong Qu was already standing before her, while Ying leaned against a nearby tree.
She turned to flee—
Only to be caught by the wrist, firmly, by Gong Qu.
Ying raised an eyebrow, scoffing inwardly. Heh. Men. When I wanted to leave earlier, you didn't try to stop me even a little.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt… I guess I came at the wrong time."
Keqing avoided Gong Qu's eyes, not wanting to look at him, not wanting him to look at her.
"No. You came at just the right time."
With a willful tug, Gong Qu pulled Keqing into his arms. Then, turning toward Ying, he spoke:
"Let me reintroduce her properly—Keqing, my… partner."
"Huh?"
Keqing's tear-brimmed eyes widened. She looked at Gong Qu, then quickly darted a glance toward Ying.
She had imagined many outcomes—
That Gong Qu would choose Ying, with whom he shared deeper feelings. That made sense.
But never had she thought she would win this quiet war of hearts.
As for Ying, her expression now was far from pleasant. She bared her teeth slightly, like she might bite a chunk right out of Gong Qu's shoulder.
"Hmph! Why are you telling me this?"
"I said it for Keqing to hear."
He gently stroked Keqing's trembling back as he explained:
"From the beginning, I found it strange—Ying was doing things completely out of character."
"It wasn't until just now, when I used Dendro to cut through the interference and finally sensed you, Keqing, that I understood."
"Ying's elemental mastery is far greater than mine. She must've noticed your presence long ago. Maybe it's because she's not feeling well right now that she acted so irrationally. If it made you uncomfortable, Keqing… then blame me. I should've stopped her."
"Tch. Smooth talker. But you're wrong about one thing."
Ying glanced at Keqing, still wrapped in Gong Qu's arms, a trace of envy in her eyes.
"I'm perfectly clear-headed. Even if I enjoy a little chaos now and then, I wouldn't stoop to self-sabotage... Whatever. If there's nothing else, let's head back to Mondstadt. Paimon hasn't eaten in two days. She's probably starving."
But she didn't actually leave.
The three of them stood there, suspended in awkward silence.
Keqing bit her lip. As though steeling herself for something, she pushed Gong Qu's other arm aside, turned to Ying, and muttered with a reckless sort of defiance:
"You coming? There's still a spot here."
Gong Qu opened his mouth, but one look from Keqing's narrowed eyes shut him up instantly.
Ying froze, stunned. For a second, she felt like the manipulative, green-tea girl she'd just been playing suddenly became a clown.
But with Keqing's encouraging eyes fixed on her, her feet moved without thinking.
Muttering under her breath, she stepped into the embrace she couldn't seem to forget:
"Tch. Lucky idiot."
The two girls locked eyes—and in a split second, formed a silent alliance. Four little hands shot out and pinched at Gong Qu's softest spots.
"Agh—!"
He let out a strangled yelp, equal parts pain and bliss.
At Dusk
Eula had just finished off a few high-level monsters and returned to the checkpoint, covered in dirt and sweat.
She unslung her canteen, preparing to rehydrate—only to catch sight of a scene so unexpected, it nearly made her drop it.
Keqing and Ying were each leaning on one side of Gong Qu, chatting away like sisters.
And the man between them wore an utterly helpless expression, each arm slung over the girls' fragrant shoulders.
What is this—some kind of fallen aristocrat's harem fantasy?!
"Oh hey, Eula's back," Gong Qu called out with the relief of a man who'd spotted a lifeboat in a storm.
He dragged the girls with him as he approached.
"What... what the hell am I looking at?!"
"As you can see—mission accomplished. Ying's been found. Time to head back."
"You just skipped over a whole arc! And what is this? Hugging and clinging in public—three of you, no less. Have you no shame?!"
"If I'm not embarrassed, then it's others who should be, right? Besides, both Keqing and Ying are top-tier beauties. Who wouldn't envy me?"
Eula opened her mouth to retort—and failed. She had nothing.
Ying clapped her fist into her palm as if realizing something:
"Got it! Eula wants in too, huh? I'm totally fine with that~"
She raised an eyebrow at Keqing, the clear lead.
"Uhh…"
Keqing looked a little troubled.
From her perspective, a fourth person was a bit much. But this wasn't her call alone—it depended on Gong Qu. She looked to him and offered a suggestion, earnestly:
"Ah Qu, our bed's only so big, and you only have left and right sides. If a fourth joins… what, is she supposed to sleep on top of you? That's not exactly restful."
"What are you even talking about? Why are we suddenly discussing beds and sleeping arrangements?!"
The image hit Eula in an instant—Ying on the left, Keqing on the right, herself lying across Gong Qu's chest.
Her face turned crimson, like a crab boiled alive.
For the straight-laced noblewoman, the idea of three girls playing "push-the-shoulder" games with one guy was just… too much.
"Got a little flutter in your chest?" Ying teased.
"Like hell I do!!" Eula shouted, almost exploding. "Unforgivable! I'll remember this humiliation forever!!"
With that, and a complete disregard for noble composure, Eula stormed off toward Mondstadt.
Not another minute with these shameless degenerates.
Back in Mondstadt – Adventurers' Guild
Paimon floated anxiously above the bar counter, eyes darting toward the door.
Clang!
The guild doors swung open again. Paimon looked up.
A familiar blue-haired knight entered.
"Eula! You're back! Did you find Ying?"
"Found her! And guess what—she was out on the street cuddling and clinging like it was nobody's business."
Eula's voice dripped with bitterness.
"Cuddling and clinging? What do you mean?"
"You'll see. They're almost here."
Sure enough, Paimon looked past her and saw the three approaching like a human pretzel.
"Yo! Paimon, thanks for waiting! Mission success!"
"Ying!"
Paimon rocketed forward like a missile, headbutting Ying right in the chest.
Ying caught her, laughing.
"Careful! You'll flatten my chest! If Ah Qu dumps me because of that, we'll be begging in the streets!"
"Wh-what?! Paimon's not begging in the streets! Ah Qu promised to take care of me for life!"
"Oh? He really said that?"
"Yup yup! We even did a pinky swear!"
She held up her tiny hand proudly.
Gong Qu, meanwhile, could feel the side-eyes from the women flanking him.
Keqing: Ahem. "Ah Qu, I'm not against you seeing other girls, but… Paimon's a bit…"
Ying: "Wow, hubby~ No preference, huh? You gonna go after Klee next? Should I warn her mom in advance?"