Beware of Liyue Women (Genshin Impact)

Qin Yu had a dream. In it, she was a child again, standing beside another girl and gazing at a shimmering, dreamlike sea.

"We finally found it—our very own sea," the girl said.

Perhaps it was the nature of the dream, but Qin Yu couldn't make out her features clearly. They were hazy and indistinct, yet her voice sounded strangely familiar—still childlike, but already carrying a unique quality.

"Mhm," Little Qin Yu nodded emphatically, her eyes fixed on the sea.

Our very own sea? What does that mean...? Qin Yu thought drowsily, feeling like an observer even in her dream.

"There's no one here! It's nothing like the harbor! This is a sea only we can see!" the girl exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, her excitement palpable.

"Mhm!" Little Qin Yu nodded again, equally thrilled.

But then she asked timidly, "But... aren't we too far from the city? The teacher said it's dangerous for children to go outside the city without adults..."

"It's okay here!" the girl replied confidently, hands on her hips. "We're not far from the main road. If we shout, someone's sure to hear us!"

"Oh, okay... if you say so." Little Qin Yu trusted her completely, and her timid expression quickly transformed into a smile.

Who is this girl? Qin Yu wondered vaguely.

"Never mind that... look!" The girl pointed to the beach.

"Wow, a huge seashell!"

"It must have washed ashore. We had heavy rain recently, so there must have been a high tide," the girl deduced, crouching down to examine it.

"#¥% knows so much!"

Qin Yu couldn't quite make out her name.

The unnamed girl's face seemed to flush as she straightened her neck. "W-well, it's nothing really. But you! You never do your homework. The teacher's really angry, you know."

"I don't want to do it! Just tell me what to do, %#¥, and I'll remember!"

"I can't teach you forever," the girl said awkwardly, touching her cheek.

"You won't?"

"No, it's like this—everyone grows up eventually! You'll be able to handle things on your own. That's what it means to be a real adult!" the girl declared proudly.

"That's what the teacher said! And that's not exactly what she said!" Little Qin Yu retorted, puffing up her cheeks in indignation.

"Huh? Really? I could have sworn that's exactly how it went..."

Little Qin Yu shook her head. "Teacher said, 'Humans have lived in groups since ancient times. Our inherited biological nature, passed down through generations, makes it impossible for us to live in isolation; otherwise, we'd feel like we're going to die.'"

"Is that so... That's profound," the girl replied, a little taken aback.

"Yeah, I don't really understand it either. But Teacher also said, 'Simply put, being with others makes us feel safe. We don't have to be alone because our ancestors allowed it.'"

"Qin Yu, you have such a good memory! Why don't you focus on your studies?" The girl drew circles in the sand with a wooden stick, her tone genuinely puzzled.

"I want to play with %¥#!"

"That won't do. You need to study properly, or you'll get dull. But for now, let's just have fun."

"Okay!"

Who exactly was that girl? She felt so close, yet I didn't recognize her... No, there was a strong sense of familiarity. I must have known her once, but I'd forgotten.

Perhaps she was my childhood playmate, Qin Yu mused, her thoughts scattering again as she drifted deeper into the dream.

The two girls stood side by side, watching the waves roll in before them.

"I feel like they'll sweep us away," the unnamed girl murmured.

"Will we?"

"Probably. We're so small."

"If we grow up, we won't get swept away, right?" Little Qin Yu pressed.

The girl crossed her arms, lost in thought. "I think we still would, wouldn't we?"

"If you get swept away, I'll hold your hand!"

"Then we'd both get swept away, and the currents would tear us apart... We'd wake up on deserted islands—I saw that in a story recently," the girl nodded vigorously.

"We'd get separated?"

"Probably. We're so small."

"If we grow up, we won't get separated, right?" Little Qin Yu asked anxiously.

"I think we still would, wouldn't we?"

Little Qin Yu pouted and kicked at the sand. "Humans are so weak."

"You say the most surprising things sometimes... Qin Yu, you don't want to be separated, do you?" The girl looked at Little Qin Yu, her anxiety palpable in her fidgety movements.

"No," Little Qin Yu replied firmly.

"But what if we really did get separated? Just in case, though—we're not even going in the water..." The girl stole a glance at Little Qin Yu's face.

"I'll catch up to you!"

"Huh? How?"

"I don't know, but I'll chase after you and then—whoosh-snap!—grab your hand like this!" Little Qin Yu snapped her hands together like crab claws, seizing the girl's hand in one swift motion.

Her eyes sparkling, Little Qin Yu asked, "What about you? Will you come find me?"

"O-of course!" The girl's face flushed crimson, as if steam were rising from her head. Her voice cracked with embarrassment.

"You won't leave me all alone, will you?"

"Never!"

"Then... you'll teach me forever?"

The girl sighed deeply. "Why does your brain work so fast at times like this? And why do you always act so clingy... though I don't exactly hate it. Fine, I'll teach you forever."

"Promise?"

"Promise, promise. But you have to do your homework too! You can't solidify what you learn without practice!"

"Ehhh—why don't you just do it for me?"

"Absolutely not!"

Little Qin Yu huffed, but didn't press the matter. She kept holding the girl's hand, now with just one of hers.

The girl squeezed back, and they both gazed at the beautiful sea stretching before them.

"This is our sea," the girl whispered, "a special place just for us."

"Will we come back here again next time?" Little Qin Yu asked.

"Probably."

"Together?"

"Yes, together. This is our sea, and we can't be complete without each other," the girl nodded earnestly.

"Wow, the sky and the sea seem to have merged into one!" Little Qin Yu exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. The clear sky and the vast ocean before them appeared to blend seamlessly, the horizon blurring into a thin, indistinct line as it stretched into the distance.

"This must be what they call 'where the sea and sky meet'! Ah, wait, what are you doing...?"

Little Qin Yu tugged at the girl's hand, reaching out to touch the seawater. "Does touching the sea mean we're touching the sky too?"

"I don't know... but it feels so cool..."

"Qin Yu, wake up~"

Suddenly, a voice from the outside world shattered the dream.

Everything within it began to blur and fade away, leaving only the two girls in Qin Yu's vision.

"I'll never forget you," Little Qin Yu smiled at the girl.

"I'll never leave you behind," the girl smiled back.

Then, as if only they remained in that place, Qin Yu's consciousness shifted, returning her to the real world.

Qin Yu's eyes, the bridge of her nose, and her cheeks felt slightly damp. Silently, she was enveloped by the soft sunlight streaming through the window. Groggy, she sat up and wiped the moisture from those three spots with her fingers.

I had such a nostalgic dream.

But the moment she woke, much of it seemed to have slipped away. She remembered only fragments, vague impressions. Yet a few lines remained etched in her mind:

"Finally, we've found our sea."

"Will you come back next time?"

"Probably."

"Together?"

"Yeah, together."

"I won't leave you behind."

If that girl in the dream was my childhood playmate, who exactly was she? Hmm... She couldn't quite grasp it, and a sudden headache flared up.

Will I never remember?

Ugh, this felt so unsettling. Still, the fact that she'd had this dream meant there was still a chance, right? It just seemed impossible to force... Qin Yu yawned, lost in thought.

"Are you awake yet?" Baishi called from outside the door.

Qin Yu immediately straightened up. "Yes, I'm awake! Thank you!"

"That's good then."

It still felt strange that even as Lady Ningguang's personal maid, Qin Yu needed someone to wake her up. But no matter what, she just couldn't bring herself to get out of bed.

Thankfully, her constitution attribute had leveled up a few times, or her body would have been completely exhausted. She really needed to properly thank Baishi and the other two secretaries when she got the chance.

Maintaining good workplace relationships was important, after all. Qin Yu scratched her slightly disheveled hair as she thought this, then sluggishly crawled out of bed and began her morning routine.

While changing into her uniform, Qin Yu noticed the toy ring hanging from her chest. The warm sensation from her dream resurfaced, and she clicked her tongue.

"You promised you wouldn't leave me behind, didn't you?"

She slammed the closet door shut.

"Liar."

Though I'm hardly one to talk...