Late Night – Palais Mermonia
Furina buried her face into her pillow, her legs kicking idly. Every so often, her small feet landed a kick on the large pillow at the foot of her bed with Luo Qing embroidered on it.
The day’s events had left her in a foul mood. The Oratrice had embarrassed her publicly with its unexpected verdict, and Neuvillette hadn’t even spared her a shred of dignity in front of everyone.
To make matters worse, that scoundrel Luo Qing hadn’t shown up at all, as if he’d forgotten her entirely. That thought made her even angrier.
Hmph! If I don’t seek him out, he won’t come to me either?
Fine. Let’s see who can hold out longer!
She rolled back and forth on the bed, her frustration bubbling over as she recalled the humiliating scene earlier in the day. She wanted to dig a hole with her toes right into the mattress to bury herself.
Why on earth did the Oratrice declare Childe guilty?!
No, no, stop thinking about it. If I keep this up, I won’t sleep tonight.
Furina gave herself a light slap on the cheeks before grabbing her Void Terminal from the bedside table. She decided to finish watching the series “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” on the Void Network.
She had barely put on her earpiece when a chilly breeze blew into the room.
Her feet, sticking out from under the blanket, felt cold. Just as she was about to pull them back under, a familiar male voice spoke from the foot of her bed.
“Well, well, I didn’t know Lady Furina thought about me so much. You even embroidered my name on a pillow?”
“Wha—?!”
Furina bolted upright, her eyes wide as saucers as she saw Luo Qing sitting at the foot of her bed.
“Luo Qing! H-how did you get in?!”
Her immediate reaction was to pull her feet back, wrapping her arms around herself as if shielding her vulnerable toes from the wicked clutches of his hands.
“Why can’t I come in?”
Luo Qing chuckled, casually picking up the pillow with his name on it.
From the creases in the fabric, it was clear the pillow had been subjected to frequent, vigorous kicking.
Still warm, too. She must’ve been at it just now, he thought, amused.
“W-what are you doing with my pillow?”
Furina shrank toward the headboard, curling herself into a ball in her pale blue pajamas, looking like a small, defenseless lump.
“So, you have quite the opinion of me, don’t you?” Luo Qing waved the pillow in front of her, the embroidered name clearly visible.
“I’m here now, Lady Furina. If you’ve got grievances, feel free to vent them at me directly. No need to take it out on the pillow, you know~”
“I-I don’t… You… stop making stuff up!”
Furina stammered, retreating further until she was pressed into the corner where the headboard met the wall.
“Why are you here?” she asked weakly. “And just so you know, with that whole Childe thing, it wasn’t me—it was the Oratrice’s verdict! If you’re looking for revenge, go find Neuvillette!”
“…”
Luo Qing fell silent for a moment, staring at her.
She’s supposed to be the Hydro Archon, but… she’s really this scared?
“What are you cowering for? Come here.”
“N-no way! You’re definitely going to hit me!”
“…”
“Come here. I won’t hit you.”
“I-I don’t believe you! Even if you don’t hit me, you’ll tickle my feet!”
“…”
“Come here. I won’t hit you or tickle your feet.”
“N-no, I’d rather not…”
“If you don’t come here, I’ll just climb into bed and grab you myself.”
“…”
Furina glanced at Luo Qing nervously. After a long moment of hesitation, she scooted forward inch by inch until she was about a meter away from him.
“Okay, I’m here. If you have something to say, just say it.”
“…”
“Oh, come on.”
With a swift motion, Luo Qing reached out, grabbed her ankle, and pulled her closer until she was right beside him.
“Don’t—don’t tickle my feet! I really don’t know anything!” Furina panicked, clutching her small feet protectively in her hands, as if shielding them from his nefarious clutches.
“I already said I wouldn’t tickle your feet.” Luo Qing huffed, reaching up instead to pinch her cheeks.
“But I didn’t say I wouldn’t try other methods~”
He began kneading her soft cheeks, squishing them into various shapes—round, fish-lipped, and everything in between.
“…”
Furina was filled with regret.
I should’ve known not to believe a single word he says!
“Let me guess,” Luo Qing said teasingly, “when I’m not around, you kick this pillow a lot, don’t you?”
“…”
“I… I’m sorry,” Furina mumbled, her voice slurred by her squished cheeks. “I won’t do it again…”
“There’s a next time?”
Luo Qing smirked and continued pinching her cheeks.
Admittedly, the soft, slightly chubby texture of her cheeks was among the best he’d ever felt.
“No… no next time,” Furina whimpered, her eyes watery with frustration.
I only wanted him to come see me, not to come seek revenge!
Finally satisfied, Luo Qing released her cheeks and straightened up.
“Alright, next question: what’s the deal with the Oratrice’s verdict earlier? Didn’t the missing girls’ case have nothing to do with Childe?”
“…”
Furina rubbed her red cheeks, looking pitiful.
“You disappear for days, and the first thing you do when you show up is interrogate me? I was humiliated in the opera house today! You could at least comfort me a little…”
“…”
Is she seriously sulking now? Luo Qing thought.
“Well? Are you going to talk?”
“Fine! I’ll talk!” Furina snapped, glaring at him. “The Oratrice doesn’t base its verdicts on just one case. Maybe Childe did something else wrong, and the Oratrice found out!”
“Like what?” Luo Qing pressed.
“How should I know?” she muttered, pouting. “I don’t know how that thing thinks…”
“…”
“Alright.” Luo Qing mulled it over, realizing she genuinely had no idea.
He had come here suspecting she was hiding something, but her flustered honesty suggested otherwise.
“Then there’s nothing more to ask.”
He stood up and turned to leave, but Furina’s soft voice stopped him.
“Hey, wait…”
She sat on the bed, her lips pursed into a pout.
“You barged into my room, squished my cheeks, asked your questions, and now you’re just leaving? What do you take me for?”
“Oh?” Luo Qing raised an eyebrow, turning back to face her.
Is she… trying to provoke me?
A mischievous glint lit his eyes as he leaned down, bringing his face just a few centimeters from hers.
“So… does that mean Lady Furina wants me to stay the night?”
—
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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