Venti POV
I woke up with a yawn and groggily began to open my eyes, I'd slept surprisingly well I realised, with Haruka cushioning me throughout the night, before I glanced over at Kiyotaka and Kikyō with a small smile, I went to sit up but found the unconscious girl beneath me dragging me back.
I suppose I could lie here for a while...
I absentmindedly began to think about the recent events, I knew Ei had another motive, her excuse wouldn't have been believed in a million years by me or Morax.
But...
I remembered the gentle hug she'd given me and was reminded of Makato after the two of us had drunk too much all those years back...
Tears built in my eyes before I quickly blinked them away.
If only I'd had a chance to tell you Makato...
I absentmindedly began to frown as I remembered the less favourable memories of being hugged, primarily from that Kitsune when I'd visited Inazuma, who'd used the chance to try and force me into some variation of feminine outfit, I didn't even think she knew me! At first I thought Ei had sent her to mess with me but then I saw that dog looking boy...
Poor fellow, I'll remember your sacrifice~
I let my mind wonder to our current predicament... I had to accept that we might not go back to Teyvat, not now and maybe not when this school ended... Ei had been convinced we'd been sent here to win, a fact that had been confirmed when Zhongli had told me about their argument, but I'd grown worried that maybe we'd arrived here so we could acclimate without worrying about money or the various modern problems of this world.
I glanced at the three friends I'd met during the time I'd spent here.
If I never went back... Never regained my godhood... Do I really want to age and die without ever truly having someone to call my own? I'd fallen in love before but...
I sighed softly, I'd been avoiding anything more than casual flirting here because I knew how old I was in comparison but... I'd never had a body older than that of a teenager so my mind had never developed further... And my body was now that of one but...
I quickly slapped myself, I couldn't convince myself that it was a good idea, I didn't deserve to be with anyone here, they all had their own lives to live, and I'd had more than enough chances to enjoy life than they could imagine anyway...
Maybe... I could just see what it would be like to feel loved.
I leaned down and gently tapped Haruka's shoulder.
This was a bad idea.
"Mmm... Yeah?"
I should stop.
I felt extremely nervous as I began to speak, my voice soft and innocent.
But don't I deserve this?
"Can I kiss you? I really want to know what it's like to kiss someone for real... Y'know?"
To love?
"You kissed Kushida and Ayanokouji though?"
To mean something?
I sighed awkwardly.
I have feelings as well...
"But that was just flirting, I barely thought about it and... Well I-"
Please...
I was cut off by the girl softly taking my lips, a small smile growing on my face as I felt the world slow, finally feeling as if I was more than an archon, more than a bard...
I felt her gently pull away and stroke my hair.
"Was that okay?" She said gently.
Like she cared.
Like I wasn't just a means to get something.
A small tear came to my eye as I nodded quietly.
I imagined the purple haired girl I used to laugh with was beside me as I held Haruka desperately.
"Can... This not mean anything...?" I asked nervously.
I couldn't be the cause of another person's pain... What if I really had to go back one day...
She looked at me in an almost sisterly way as she spoke.
"Don't worry, I don't have any feelings for you~" She giggled softly as I began to fall back into sleep in her arms.
I let my mind wonder as I drifted.
Maybe I deserve just a little bit of love...
Just this once.
Zhongli POV
I woke up to the sound of frustrated knocking and walked over to the door with a soft sigh before I opened it and smiled politely.
"Hello Kamuro, Sakayanagi."
I immediately caught Sakayanagi as Kamuro instinctively pushed her towards me, momentarily forgetting her illness.
She was quickly reminded however as a cane came crashing into her shin, leading the two to begin arguing.
I chuckled slightly as I watched the scene, being reminded of a handful of gods, such as Makato and Venti, or Rhukkhadevata and Deshret.
I cut into the argument before someone got hurt, most likely Kamuro again.
"Excuse me, but why are you here at..." I checked my phone, "two in the morning."
I saw Sakayanagi go to speak before she was quickly interrupted by the scowling girl behind her.
"Apparently her room had a pipes leak so she came to mine, but I told her to fuck off so now she's here." She said matter of factly, seeming strangely proud of telling a small, handicapped girl to 'fuck off'.
I looked at Sakayanagi disappointedly.
"It's okay Kamuro, I can handle it from here"
She nodded and closed the door as she walked away while Sakayanagi began to look around my dorm, the tired look in her eyes replaced by her smug one.
"Pipes? Really." I said with a hint of disappointment.
"It didn't have to be believable, as long as Kamuro took me here then it worked just fine." She said without even looking at me.
"Why not just come here?" I muttered tiredly, knowing the answer anyway.
"People would get ideas if I just came to your room in the middle of the night."
I turn her around and look at her with a frown.
"Then why are you here?"
She grinned.
"You know your friend Venti?"
I paused as I looked at her.
"You know Venti?"
She grimaced, a reaction I had long since associated to those who knew the bard.
"Unfortunately. You remember that movie that came out in the school cinemas a week or so back?"
Vaguely, I remembered Hashimoto had been looking forward to it.
"The anime movie?"
"Yeah, it was called 'Heaven's Feel'. Well, the set was, the movie was 'Presage Flower'."
I remembered now, Venti had tried to convince me and Ei to come, but Ei had already planned to see it with a girl called Ibuki and I'd been busy at the time.
"Yeah?"
"Well after he watched it he rolled up a piece of paper and went around screaming 'excalibur' before slamming it over people's heads, I happened to be an unfortunate victim."
As I saw her pout I couldn't help but picture the bard mindlessly attacking students and began to chuckle before remembering that she'd had an original point.
"Ah, right, you had something to say before we'd become sidetracked?"
Her sour look was replaced by excitement as she began to speak.
"Yes! One of his friends, Ayanokouji, I met him for a short time when I was young, and we're going to challenge him, and his class, to see which of us will win!"
She seemed to miss out a great deal of information but I knew better than to pry so I let my mind wonder back to Teyvat.
I was reminded of Furina as I heard the small girl speak, not just because of their equally diminutive statures but rather because of her original bored and smug look being so quickly replaced due to this new development.
Strangely I got the impression that the hydro archon would have adored the entertainment she got from this school.
I wonder what class she'd be in...
I paused as I saw the girl before me grinning up at me in a way I'd seen her do with few others, I got the impression that she saw me similar to how the director had, and so I reached and held out my hand, akin to how she had when we first met, and spoke.
"Then I will accept this challenge against Ayanokouji, and will be by your side, Arisu."
There was no need to ask more about this boy, I was happy to help push Arisu to grow and got the impression that this would do wonders for her development.
She smiled as I said her first name and took my hand, an honest expression of exhilaration adorning her face.
Ei POV
I sighed as Ryuuen walked towards me with a smirk, I'd been leaning against this railing in hope of some peace and quiet.
I had accepted the truth that I'd have to put a persona of an overwhelmed and overworked girl in front of the class after my little deception, but hadn't realised how tiring all the socialising it brought would be.
I knew there were better options but I'd really wanted to prove I could genuinely outsmart someone without anyone I didn't want knowing the wiser.
I had to prove I could lead without Makato...
Regardless, Ryuuen had bounced back quickly, and once more his opinion of me had changed, from his original being that I was simply a physically competent but otherwise useless girl, to then him knowing I was competent but still believing he could manipulate and use me, to now seeing me not as an equal, I wasn't sure he could ever see someone like that, but rather someone he strives to beat, but that at least gave us a level of partnership.
The greatest asset he gave was his overwhelming lack of likeability, which would prove extremely useful if I wanted to employ a plan that people would dislike me for, since I could just throw the magenta haired boy under the bus and he'd barely care.
He finally stopped beside me and began to speak.
"Thoughts?"
I sighed.
"Venti might still be a risk but right now it's not immediate, class A is a huge threat, especially since Zhongli had aligned with the most dangerous faction-"
Ryuuen quickly cut me off in confusion.
"What's so special about this 'Zhongli'? I get he's your friend but what? You fucking or something?"
I'd recently grown fed up of that statement after I'd been told about Venti's actions on the bus and Ibuki had already asked the same.
"No." I shut down quickly. "But he's dangerous, he's an extremely fast learner with a near perfect memory, he's significantly more physically capable than most people I've ever met and his skill in most combat forms is well above many masters, not to mention his extremely vast well of knowledge about tactics and plans."
I sighed in frustration.
"He's basically a soldier, general, leader and scholar rolled into one, and I've never heard of a single person surpassing his overall ability."
Well, there was one...
I pushed my memories of that time out of my head and focused on the matter at hand.
Ryuuen stayed calm but he seemed to be taking me seriously.
"A week ago I'd have brushed you off but... I've seen your competence, I doubt the level of social wit and cunning you claim is as great as you pretend, but it's enough that if you seem this convinced we'd struggle to win then I'll take him seriously."
I looked out over the water, if it had been him in any other class then at least there would be a window of opportunity to crush him early, but even with class A's rift, I doubt he'd struggle to lead them into a complete and flawless victory against the other classes...
Maybe if Makato were here then the two of us could win together, just how we'd been before...
I grit my teeth before speaking up.
"Our main advantage is that he isn't taking a leadership position right now, so we don't have to find a weakness in him, but rather in the leader of his class."
Ryuuen nodded before showing a wide grin.
"Then let us crush that crippled loli and put them in a grave so deep even he can't drag them out."
I sighed at his wording before looking to the stars.
"Indeed."
_______________________________________
Hey! I plan to have each volume span around ten chapters not including shorts so this one should run until after the midterms and maybe to the island exam, it depends on if anything else happens.
Venti seems torn on whether to live life to the fullest and finally find and claim love or whether to forget it and abandon his chances while the others seem to be focusing on the school itself, or at least the competition.
Also this takes place before Sumeru's quest but will have been after by the time year two comes, so while they remember Rhukkhadevata, if nahida arrives next year she will be from after she's forgotten her predecessor. :)
Hope you've all enjoyed this prologue and I'll see you in the next chapter! I may be busy tomorrow so I'm sorry if you have to wait an extra day.
Bye!