"Aren't you supposed to be a genius? You said so yourself, right? Aren't these a little lack luster?" Yomite asked teasingly, shaking one of Hu Tao's legs as retaliation to the squeezes.
She nodded to his inquiry, "Of course I am! The best one there is!"
"Think of something better then, maybe something like...[What's the difference between a coffin and a pile of dead bodies? I don't have a coffin in my room...]
"..."
...
..
.
Hu Tao's mouth opened in shock and her shoulders sunk when she heard his line.
"T-That's amazing! That's so amazing! You finally unlocked your full potential to become my true Assistant! Wow! I need to write this down somewhere immediately!" She excitedly squeezed his neck once more.
"Anything for my lover, I guess."
"Hehehe~ You are so kind...I love you~" burying her face into Yomite's head, too embarrassed to even look anywhere else, Hu Tao could feel her cheeks grow hot as she laughed timidly while pressing herself onto him.
From behind, Barbara let out a dry cough, "It seems like they are in the world of their own again...Is this a normal occurence?"
The other girls couldn't help but nod in silent agreement at the scene.
This happened all the time, although it wasn't usually as adorable as it was today...
The girls felt that Yomite was truly doing his best to make Hu Tao happy after she heard those statements from the townspeople earlier today...
Still, Barbara admired Hu Tao in more ways than one, loving the nature of how devoted she was to him.
There were also moments she admired how easy and straightforward her relationship with Yomite was.
Unlike her failed attempts to make his heart beat for her, Hu Tao managed to win him over, and it was mutual too.
She was openly affectionate toward Yomite without having any reservations. There was no hesitation on her part to be intimate with her partner in front of others, either.
Perhaps that was part of their natural connection as well. Their hearts just seemed to move along together without a problem.
Maybe that was because they both liked tomfoolery and goofiness after all.
As far as she could tell, Barbara was convinced she was far from the only one to have fallen for him with more passion than common sense.
She saw how cuddly he acted with her new friend Fischl, yesterday.
They even kissed each other quite passionately right in front of her.
Which surprised her at first, but also gave her hope that perhaps she still had chance with him, if he followed polygamy convention standards from Mondstadt.
There were only girls in his adventurer's party thus far, which begged a question...
Were they all a part of his harem and were they interested in him, or did they simply share a common goal of being heroes and adventurers?
Perhaps, Yomite held no interest in other girls from his party?
She needed to do her research...
***
**
*
Hu Tao forgot all about the mean comments from earlier, as she was currently elated.
Resting on her Assistant's head like this was beyond comfortable.
His hair was so fluffy, soft, delicate and thick; she just wanted to keep her nose buried deeper into his scalp to inhale the intoxicating scent of the shampoo mixed with his natural scents.
For some reason the smell and texture was far too good to ignore.
His head was better than any bed she slept on, letting her exhausted mind relax in peace, feeling secure as if surrounded by plush clouds.
The spot on his head was also comfier than any pillow she would hug at night, and she refused to climb down from him, so he was forced to bring her inside like this.
After they entered the parlor, a young man with a goatee welcomed them quickly and efficiently, greeting all of them.
"Welcome back, dear Director. We've patiently awaited your return. The elders were worried something might have happened to you, before you sent us the letter, numerous search parties were dispatched to look for—"
Was all the rookie undertaker known as Meng could utter, before noticing that the Director he was talking to was currently sitting on shoulders of some giant.
He turned all white and what came next, startled the crap out of Yomite.
"DIRECTOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO A CLIENT!?"
Meng yelled in a panic and started rapidly bowing in a frenzied manner, as if he'd done something wrong, with a desperate pleading expression on his face.
In reality, he was apologizing in Hu Tao's stead, thinking she climbed Yomite without his permission.
(Jeez...His shout gave me a fright... I'm getting too old for jumpscares... don't try this on me...)
Yomite calmed down his rapidly beating heart.
"I'm terrible sorry, dear customer...Please...Director...Please get down...I apologize...our Director is rather...'cheerful'...but I'm sure you're already well aware... please don't mind her... she's not a bad person or a bully..." The novice undertaker apologized sincerely, while shaking in fear of repercussion.
Hu Tao sighed and rolled her eyes...
"Meng, you dummy! We haven't seen each other in half a year and you've still not matured enough to see through a situation! These are not clients, but my friends!"
She confidently puffed her petite chest out with arms thrown over her heart, still sitting comfortably on Yomite's shoulder as though she belonged there.
"...Eh...Friends? Director...you actually have friends...?"
It wasn't his intention to sound rude, it was a genuine inquiry he presented with complete disbelief.
Soon after, he started trembling unconsciously, tears flooding like waterfalls from his eyes.
"Our Director actually found friends...This undertaker doesn't dare believe it! It's a miracle! Thank the Archons!"
"H-Hey...I-I wasn't 'that' alone... I could get friends whenever I wanted! Stop it! You're embarrassing me in front of them! Stop it!"
Yomite and the party looked on with a warm smile upon their lips.
Even without them, Hu Tao seemed to have individuals who cared about her, indicating that, contrary to popular belief, she was never truly alone.
