章 36: Chapter 36: Irreplaceable
"Alright, I was just joking, no need to take it seriously," Yu Xie couldn't help but laugh.
It was hard to imagine Clorinde, who was usually so serious, cheering him on like a cheerleader.
On the other hand, Clorinde fell into a brief silence, as if she was hesitating, or perhaps gathering her thoughts.
After what seemed like a long time, Yu Xie suddenly heard a shy-sounding "Good luck" from beside him.
Saying "good luck" wasn't difficult for Clorinde—it wasn't that she couldn't speak, she just wasn't one to smile or joke around.
But the shyness hidden in her tone took Yu Xie by surprise.
Could it be that… Clorinde had imagined herself as a cheerleader in her mind, and after some inner struggle, she couldn't quite overcome the awkwardness?
Was that why there was something more behind her "Good luck"?
"Alright, I got your 'good luck,' the dinner will be ready soon!"
Not long after, the two of them sat down at the dinner table.
The dishes on the table were simple, homestyle meals.
But Clorinde really liked them. Every time she ate food prepared by Yu Xie, she always finished everything on her plate.
She said she really liked this kind of Liyue-style home cooking.
After dinner, the two of them sat on the couch. There were no other activities, and they both sat in a daze.
Although they were both duelist agents, when they were together, they never talked about work.
"Are you full?" After a moment of silence, Yu Xie suddenly asked.
"I'm full," Clorinde nodded.
"But I noticed that when you finished eating, you still seemed a bit unsatisfied," Yu Xie recalled the moment when Clorinde put down her bowl and chopsticks earlier.
"Actually... my stomach is full, but my mouth still wants more," Clorinde said. "The food you made is really delicious."
"Should I cook another dish?"
"No need," Clorinde replied. "By usual standards, I've already exceeded my food intake for today. It's starting to affect my diet plan, so I can't let it get worse."
"You don't need to lose weight. If you lose any more, you won't look as good," Yu Xie said seriously.
"It's not about just being skinny; the right places should have some flesh. That's what makes a perfect figure."
Yu Xie thought that Clorinde's figure right now was already perfect.
"Really?" Clorinde seemed a bit incredulous as she turned her gaze toward Yu Xie's eyes.
"Of course, really. You don't need to lose weight at all. You look great just the way you are, perfect," Yu Xie smiled and said. "Oh, by the way, you mentioned earlier that you were waiting for me here before dinner. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
Clorinde hesitated for a moment, and a faint, slightly different emotion flickered in her violet eyes.
"It's just that I have a question for you."
"Go ahead and ask."
"You... how do you view me and Navia?"
Yu Xie was caught off guard.
This question was a bit difficult for him. If he were to express his true thoughts, he wasn't sure how Clorinde would react...
"We've known each other for a long time, but I've never really known what you think about Navia and me," Clorinde added.
"You both are very important to me," Yu Xie thought for a long time before answering. "Very important, irreplaceable."
Yu Xie's emotional intelligence wasn't high enough to give a perfect, eloquent response. He could only express his feelings in a way that was a little off the mark, but still genuine.
However, in some ways, this answer could be considered the "most gentle wrong answer."
But Clorinde was very satisfied with this response.
"Irreplaceable"—wasn't that enough?
Although she wasn't the only one, this still meant that Yu Xie had a place for her in his heart, and she was content with that.
"I understand," Clorinde said as she stood up. "Thank you for dinner today. Next time, come to my place, and I'll cook for you."
"Are you leaving?"
"Yeah, it's getting late. If Navia finds out I stayed here... well, anyway, I should go."
"I'll see you off."
"No need."
With that, Clorinde quickly left, closing the door behind her.
Standing outside the door, Clorinde took a deep breath, her full chest rising and falling. A slight blush colored her cheeks.
She had thought about this question for a long time before deciding to ask it.
Thankfully, the answer wasn't something like "I see you both as sisters" or anything like that.
After Clorinde left, Yu Xie returned to his bedroom and sat on the bed.
It had to be said, after Clorinde had lain there, the sheets seemed to carry a familiar scent.
...
The next day.
Yu Xie went about his day as usual, working at the office.
There wasn't a trial scheduled today, and since Furina hadn't come to drag him anywhere, he spent the day in his office.
He brewed himself a cup of Liyue's "Chenyu Adeptea", and the fragrance of the tea slowly filled the air.
As he sipped the tea, his mind was occupied with thoughts of Marcel.
Yu Xie had already dispatched people to keep a close watch on Marcel, waiting for him to slip up and reveal any flaws.
Marcel was certainly cautious, but as long as he made a move, it was impossible for him not to leave behind some trace.
Since the traces he left behind before were no longer visible, Yu Xie decided to force him to leave new ones.
"The Marechaussee Phantom suspects him of selling Sinthe," Yu Xie thought. He was confident that Marcel wouldn't risk ignoring this information.
If it turned out to be true, and Marcel took no action, he would end up facing a new life in Fortress of Meropide.
Marcel wouldn't want to go to Fortress of Meropide and twist screws.
Knock knock—
At that moment, there was a knock at the door.
Before Yu Xie could react, a clear voice came from outside the door.
"Yu Xie, are you there? I'm coming in."
Furina pushed the door open and walked in.
What was strange, though, was that today Furina looked slightly tired.
She seemed very exhausted, moving slowly as she made her way over and sat down on the sofa.
"What's wrong?" Yu Xie asked.
"Oh, nothing," Furina casually replied. "I just met a few of my fans earlier. It wore me out a bit."
I see.
This girl, who had been playing the role of a Archon for nearly five hundred years, had to maintain the appearance of a Archon in front of the public every time. It would be strange if she wasn't exhausted.
Originally a fragile girl, perhaps she had forgotten her true self after playing the role of a Archon for so long... Would she, on some quiet, lonely night, look out of the window, lost in thought, and suddenly burst into tears?
"Have some tea." Yu Xie walked over to Furina with a cup of tea. "This is Liyue's Chenyu Adeptea. It's really good."
End of chapter
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