Genshin Impact: This fireplace house is your graveyard.

Chapter 53 Pure Water Celebration Chapter 1

As the sun was just rising and the sky was not yet fully bright, Funina was still asleep in the Momang Palace when the aroma of delicious food, desserts, and cakes wafted from her room.

The aroma eventually filled the entire Momang Palace, and even Sedna, who was on duty, smelled it. "Smell... Hmm?... This is... the smell of small cakes? And... roasted meat?"

Inside the suite, Funina was fast asleep, hugging a cushion. The aroma of delicious food wafted into her nose, and she began to drool, muttering in her sleep with a silly grin.

"Ah, haha, little cakes, more, more!" She then started munching on the pillow in her arms. The fragrance grew stronger and stronger, eventually luring Funina awake. She slowly sat up, bubbles still rising from her head.

Still looking half-asleep, she walked to the door and pushed it open. There stood Qiuhe, holding a plate of honey-glazed carrot and pork stir-fry, with a table laden with food and desserts. Their eyes met.

A bead of sweat dripped down Qiuhe's face, and he finally gave an awkward laugh. "Uh, haha, Funina, you're awake." Qiuhe knew that Funina had apparently been awakened by the fragrance.

Qiuhe arrived at Momang Palace at 4 a.m. He initially thought he could just use his pass to get in, but then he reconsidered. He wondered if coming to see the Water God so early would seem strange, especially if Vilette was there.

I reckon I'll be called into the office again for tea—no, I should say water. Qiuhe finally managed to reach Funina's room only after using the Void Rift Crossing technique to possess Sedna outside the Mo Mang Palace.

Funina narrowed her eyes, looking at Qiuhe before closing the door. She jumped back onto the bed, mumbling incoherently, "I'm going to sleep a little longer. Come wake me up when you've finished cooking."

Qiuhe, who was outside the door, was also confused when he heard this, thinking that she was sleepwalking. After a while, when all the desserts and delicacies were ready, Qiuhe gently knocked on the door of Funina's room.

"Uh, well, everything's ready, we can eat now," Funina said, a little confused by the knock. Still half asleep, she slowly walked to the door, opened it, and found Qiuhe standing right in front of her.

The table behind her was also laden with food and desserts. Funina stared at this scene for several seconds, then rubbed her eyes, pinched her cheek, and finally came to a conclusion.

"Uh, ah~! This isn't a dream!" Qiuhe exclaimed. He finally understood; he had thought he was dreaming. "Y-you, you, you, Qiuhe, what are you doing here? And what are you doing here?"

Looking at the steaming, fragrant food and desserts on the table, Funina's mouth watered uncontrollably. Realizing she was being a little rude, she quickly wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

"Ahem, so early in the morning. Is there something you need to see the great Water God?" Qiuhe replied with a smile, "I heard that today is the Pure Water Festival, and also the Water God's birthday."

"So I took the liberty of making some delicious breakfast for the Water God. I hope the Water God won't mind."

"Come and eat quickly, or it will get cold. This is my first time making these desserts and dishes, so I hope the Water God won't find them too bad," Funina said proudly.

"Very well, since it's a delicious breakfast you've offered to this Water God, then, Your Majesty the Great Water God, I shall accept it," Funinna exclaimed as she ate, looking at the feast laid out on the table.

"Wow~ Qiuhe, you can make so many desserts!" Funina's eyes lit up after taking a bite of the almond tofu.

"Mmm, so delicious! Qiuhe, what's this?" Qiuhe finally introduced all the dishes on the table to Funinna.

Even Qiuhe himself found it unbelievable, after all, he didn't even know why he could cook the dishes in Genshin Impact. At this moment, Qiuhe used a knife and fork to cut off a piece of honey-glazed carrot and fried meat and held it to Frynn's mouth.

"Well then, Lord Water God, how about trying this? This is Mondstadt's honey-glazed carrot and pork stir-fry, it's delicious," Frynn said, a touch of emotion welling up inside her as the child offered her the stir-fried pork.

I wondered if we were being a little too intimate, but then I remembered that the other person was just a nine-year-old child. Although they came from another world, they were still just a child.

Finally, Funina smiled slightly and took a bite. Immediately, the ahoge (cowlick) on her head stood up, quickly forming a heart shape. Seeing this, Qiuhe inwardly chuckled.

This scene is so cute! I usually read other people's feelings through their eyes, but this is the first time I've seen someone's mood from their ahoge (cowlick).

The two chatted while eating, and Akikawa shared his Mondstadt journey with Fryna. After hearing Yura's story, Fryna felt a pang of sadness for her.

"Even if someone is born into nobility, they might still be disliked because of their family background. That's really pitiful. They haven't done anything wrong, yet they have to endure so much that they shouldn't have to bear."

"Qiuhe, weren't you afraid back then? Doing something like that in front of everyone, weren't you afraid those people would cause you trouble?"

Qiuhe responded, "Of course I'm not afraid. I can't just watch a girl be corrupted by those foul-mouthed guys."

“No matter how many times we have to do it all over again, I will still help him,” Qiuhe said, sighing slightly. “At first, I wanted to offer him some comfort, but I know that empty words won’t work on him.”

“I know her past, just as I know yours, Furina. Unlike you, he can live freely. He doesn't need anyone's comfort; he doesn't care about the gossip.”

"Even amidst all that harsh words, he can still live a vibrant life. Unlike you, Funina, who bears the heavy responsibility of saving the nation, spending centuries in solitude with no room for complacency."

After hearing this, Funina felt a little down. Indeed, if she hadn't met Qiuhe, she would probably still be enduring loneliness, endlessly moving forward in the river of time.

The pain and sorrow in her heart had no one to confide in, no one to understand; only endless darkness and loneliness accompanied her. Finally, Qiuhe smiled and said, "Alright, today is the Water God's birthday."

“Let’s not talk about these unhappy things, it will affect the Water God’s mood,” Qiuhe then took out the pipa from under the table. “Well, this is my birthday present for the Water God, I hope you like it.”

Upon seeing the gift, Funina's spirits soared again. Unwrapping it, she found something that looked like a musical instrument, but she had never seen anything like it before. "Huh? Qiuhe, what kind of instrument is this? Even I've never seen it before!"

"This instrument is called a pipa. It's an instrument from my world, and the music it produces is incredibly beautiful. Come, let me teach you," Qiuhe said, picking up the pipa and patiently teaching Funina how to play it.

Looking at Qiuhe sitting next to her, Fu Ningna, who hadn't paid much attention before, now noticed up close how handsome he was. She felt an urge to pinch his cheeks.

But Funina also sensed something was off. Although she hadn't looked closely before, she had initially thought his face was very cute, almost like a girl's. But now it seemed more handsome.

Her face looked even more boyish than before, and Funina couldn't resist reaching out to pinch it. "Just hold it with your left hand, and then play it with your right."

"Actually, it's just like a regular piano, only the melody and sound are different. I'm sure the clever and intelligent Lady Funina will be able to learn it quickly."

Akikawa smiled at Funina, but just as he turned his head, he found Funina's hand near his face. In that instant, Akikawa instinctively reached out his hand.

He quickly grabbed Funina's wrist.