guard dog | genshin impact

two

content warning for blood imagery, but it's nothing severe ! this work heavily revolves around the in-game tatarigami lore, so if some parts don't make sense, feel free to ask about it!

...

"R-Retainer?"

You didn't miss the uncharacteristic stutter of Ayaka's voice when she'd said the word. You couldn't blame her.

To your side, Thoma nodded too enthusiastically to be genuine. "You heard right, milady. I discussed it with her earlier this morning, and Miss Kira has agreed to be your temporary retainer. Only until the Kujou clan is out of her hair, of course."

"It would be an honor to serve you, Lady Kamisato," you managed through gritted teeth that could somehow pass for a smile. Thoma still nudged you with his elbow as a warning, though. "Even if it's only for the meantime, I owe it to your family for nursing my injuries. I'd like to repay your kindness however I can."

Ayaka seemed at a loss for words, blinking at you with those silver-blue eyes of hers like it was the first time someone showed her a hint of gratitude. You almost felt bad for being a fraud. Almost.

"I... I don't know what to say," she sighed, staring at the cup of tea in her hands before meeting your gaze again. "Your duty lies with the war between the Sangonomiya resistance and the shogunate. You mustn't waste your time tending to the whims of someone like me."

"Oh, but I will," you insisted, just as the bastard chief retainer instructed you to do. "Besides, with how my, ah, infiltration turned out, the resistance might've listed me off as M.I.A. No one's going to be searching for me for a good while, milady."

After that little...conversation you had with Thoma, you reverted back to your false persona as Kira of the resistance come morning. Though you had absolutely no moral obligation to stand by the terms of your agreement, you decided to play along for now.

Naturally, your voice of reason rebelled against the notion. Letting yourself be manipulated into the situation you're in without a fight? As if.

But...you weren't about to call for back-up like you should, either.

Kujou Sara's feather never left your person. Once Thoma had gotten you a fresh change of clothes, you made sure to slip it inside the intricate folds of your garbs—never to be seen by anyone else.

When the chief retainer confiscated your powdered crystal marrow, you didn't resist. Surrendering your murder weapon would take off the suspicion that you were carrying something else, and Thoma even met your cooperation with a promise of 'a lighter sentence'. Whatever that meant.

Not that it mattered, though. Because even if you kept Masahito's contingency plan around, your pride as a mercenary prevented you from using it.

You were beyond repulsed as you recalled how quickly you bit the bullet the night Thoma had cornered you in the kitchen. Years of relying on no one but yourself, flushed down the drain—all because of some crafty blond foreigner! You rated the humbling experience a 0 out of 10.

And then there was his master plan to turn you into Kamisato Ayaka's friend.

That part was the most confusing. Was Ayaka so sheltered that Thoma had to wrangle in a fugitive like you just so you could be friends with her?

"I suppose there's no harm in accepting," Ayaka murmured, cheeks red with embarrassment. "D-Do tell me if there's anything I can do to assist. I can even have someone contact the resistance for you—"