Chapter Text
It’s the day you’ve been waiting for months now.
Never would your past self have expected to get into University to study screenwriting, even less to get your tuition paid because you won an award for one of the scripts you wrote for your school's theatre group.
Coming from a smaller city, you are completely overwhelmed by the size of everything in Inazuma city. Even the size of the University feels intimidating.
That’s why you’re glad to breathe some fresh air during the 90-minute gap between two of your lectures.
While strolling around the campus, you discovered a small shop selling snacks, so you decided to treat yourself to some chocolate for your first day of university.
With your chocolate in hand, you look for a quiet spot to calm down. (And maybe to make that spot yours for the rest of university)
While walking around, you get a better overview of the campus and notice its beauty. Everywhere are cherry trees plated, and you even spot a lake. While continuing your search for the perfect, isolated spot, you discover a second, much smaller lake behind two buildings. It is framed by five small cherry trees and only a few meters in diameter, with a single bench on one side.
This is the place, you thought to yourself. Nice and quiet.
Nice and quiet was everything you needed to be able to be creative.
And creativity is what you need the most right now. Forgetting about the world around you and just focusing on the idea you had a few days ago.
You take your notebook out of your bag and scribble down a few ideas next to the others.
After turning the page, you notice that you should buy a new notebook later today because the one you’re using now only has two pages left.
While contemplating whether you should finally start to make your drafts on your laptop, just like the final script, you notice a shadow coming up next to the bench.
When looking up, you suddenly have to try hard not to look like a lightning has just struck you.
The shadow belongs to a boy. The only problem is that he looks stunning with his dark teal hair with teal strands and the quite pale skin of his face.
He wears AirPods and hasn’t noticed you yet, so you decide to take the chance and take one more glance at him.
He’s wearing a black collared shirt and black ripped jeans with fishnets showing through the holes. What also catches your attention are the many piercings and other accessories he’s wearing. Rings on almost every finger, two chains, and a chain attached to his belt.
Quickly snapping out of your thoughts, you hope he hasn’t noticed your staring and look back at your notebook.
On the other hand, he sits down next to you, still without looking in your direction.
You try to watch him through the corner of your eye discreetly.
After sitting down, he removes his backpack, opens it, and pulls a laptop out. After closing the bag again, he wants to place it next to him, where you sit.
And that’s when you see his eyes for the first time. You can’t recall seeing such gorgeous eyes ever before. Their amber color is something you have never seen before, and you only stop losing yourself in his gaze when he furrows his eyebrows.
„What are you doing here?“ He doesn’t sound rude, yet there’s some annoyance in his voice.
You quickly try to get your thoughts back together and stutter an answer.
„I … uhmm … I was just sitting here because … I looked for a quiet spot with no distractions and found this place annnd … yeah. That’s why I’m here.
Oh god, you want to run away now. Where is your usual, calm self that you always receive compliments for?
Without saying another word, the boy next to you puts his backpack on the ground, opens his laptop, and ignores you for the rest of your break.
After unsuccessfully trying to concentrate on your notebook, you look at your smartphone and notice it’s almost time for your next lecture. Because you don’t want to make a wrong impression by coming late on your first day, you collect your stuff and stand up to go. You quickly mutter „Bye“ to the boy sitting on the bench and turn away.
„Yeah, goodbye.“
Hearing him reply surprises you since he’s still wearing his headphones, so you didn’t expect anything. It also makes you feel more happy than it probably should.
Unbeknownst to you, the boy turned off the music and noise-canceling once he noticed you. Just in case you said anything to him. Just in case …
For the rest of the day, your thoughts keep drifting away to the stranger with amber eyes.
After your final lecture of the day, you go to the dorms where you arrived yesterday. You hope to distract yourself by finally sorting all your clothes and items in your room. You wanted to do this yesterday, but after the 7-hour flight from Mondstadt to Inazuma, you were too tired and fell into bed.
While you try to find the keycard to your dorm, heels clicking can be heard on the other side of the door. The door opens slowly, and a tall woman with black hair and blue-dyed ends stands before you. There’s a small smile showing on her face.
„Looking for your keycard, Y/n?“ she reaches into the pocket of her black skinny jeans and pulls out a keycard, holding it in your direction. „Try it with this one next time.“
You realize you left the card in the dorm and take it from the woman.
„Thank you, Yelan, we have known each other for only 24 hours, and you have already saved me! I was in a hurry this morning, so I forgot it.“
Yelan is your new roommate and is also one year above you. She makes a reliable impression on you, and this proves it.
When you enter the small entrance hall, Yelan doesn’t of back inside but outside.
„I waited for your arrival and will now meet with a friend to drink some tea, but I will be back for dinner. Should we eat some Chinese takeout later? Just text me what you want, and I can buy it on my way back.“
„Okay, thank you, I will text you later. Bye!“ is your answer, and Yelan closes the door.
In your room, you start to unpack your suitcase, and while hanging your clothes on hangers, your mind drifts again toward the boy. You wonder if he’s a first-year like you, but after giving it some thought, you conclude that he has to be at least in his second year since he looks very familiar with the environment at the lake.
Yelan may know him, so you decide to ask her about it later at dinner.
Thinking of Yelan, you remember you were supposed to text her what you wanted to eat for dinner. Grabbing your smartphone, you quickly text her your favorite dish and return to the living room to clean the table where you will be sitting.
After another hour, you hear Yelan opening the door, so you get up from the sofa and close Twitter to take the bag with your dinner.
You quickly put the boxes on the table, and Yelan sits down in front of you. During dinner, you discuss various topics and learn that she spent her childhood in Liyue and is studying for a business degree. However, there are some topics she keeps quiet about. Finally, the conversation revolves around relationships when Yelan asks if you’re dating somebody.
You tell her that you never actually dated somebody but had a little crush during one year of Highschool on a particular boy, but you never confessed to him.
Yelan hesitates a bit when you ask her the same question.
„Hmm, you could say that I’m dating someone. She is the friend I was drinking tea with.“
„Oooh, really? What’s her name, and how do you know her?“ You are pretty surprised, Yelan wasn’t a person you would have expected to be in a relationship.
„Her name is Shenhe, and she is from Liyue, just like I am. But we don’t know each other from back home. Instead, we met here due to some circumstances.“
You are curious how the two met exactly but decide not to pry further.
Suddenly you remember the question you wanted to ask Yelan about.
„Hey Yelan.“ you begin.
„Yes, Y/n?“
„Have you ever seen a boy on campus with dark teal hair and amber eyes? He probably wears lots of black clothes.“
Yelan pauses for two seconds and thinks.
„Hmm, there is a person in my business class that matches your description. But he keeps to himself and always leaves quickly after the lectures without talking to anyone. Many people ignore him by now because he has been like this since day one.“
You are surprised because that indeed sounds like you would imagine him from how he only talked two sentences with you.
„That could be him! Do you know anything else about him? Like his name or something?“ You ask Yelan, now curious about him.
„His Name is Xiao, if I remember correctly. I don’t know about his last name, however. It’s pretty strange if you ask me. Usually, I know the full names of the people surrounding me, but his never appears on any lists.“
„Okay, anything else interesting?“
„No, nothing else.“
At least you now know his first name, and that he studies something business related for the second year, you think to yourself. Interrupting your thoughts, Yelan leans forward, brings her elbows onto the table, and looks you in the eye.
„Why are you asking questions about him? I would have never expected you to be interested in him out of all people. But I understand why, even I recognize that he doesn’t look bad.“
You can feel your cheeks getting slightly red once she finishes her sentence and look down at the table with an embarrassed expression.
„W-What? I think you’re misinterpreting my questions. I was just curious about him because … because he looked interesting when I saw him walking on campus.“
You know that Yelan sees right through your lie, but you can’t tell her that you can’t stop thinking about a stranger with whom you exchanged less than a few sentences.
To your relief, Yelan switches the topic, and for the rest of the evening, the both of you talk about university and life as roommates.
When you leave your room the following day, you quickly grab something for breakfast and eat it while looking at today's schedule. Again there is a break between two lectures, and luckily it’s only 60 minutes long this time.
After bringing your plate back into the kitchen, you walk to your first lecture of the day.
Much excitement runs through you as you walk into the room of your main course for the first time. Swiftly taking out your Laptop after sitting down, you make yourself ready to take notes. Suddenly someone is touching your shoulder, and you hear a soft „Hey. “
Sitting next to you is a young-looking boy with blue hair, his haircut reminds you somewhat of Yelans.
„Hey, I’m Y/n, “ you smile while you greet him; maybe some social interactions aside from your roommate wouldn’t hurt.
„My name is Xingqiu, “ the other one says. He quickly looks at his watch and turns his head back towards you. „Since there is still time until the lecture starts, mind if we talk a bit? I don’t know anybody here yet.“
„Sure, we can talk! As I already said, I’m Y/n.“
„Nice to hear that. How did you end up in a lecture for general writing?“ Xingqiu smiles, maybe you’re already finding a new friend at University.
„Oh, I was in a theater group during high school, but acting wasn’t for me, so I wrote the scripts for the performances. And I even ended up winning a junior award during my last weeks of third grade and got a scholarship for this university.“
While you tell your story, Xingqiu nods a few times, visibly paying attention. After you finish, it’s Xingqiu's turn to say to you why he is here, so you ask him.
„I started writing my own books a few years ago, and because of an acquaintance who convinced my father, I was allowed to study here to become a better author.“
You want to continue the conversation, but both of you hear how the room door closes and see a pink-haired woman approaching the front desk.
„Hello dear students. I’m Yae Miko, but please call me Miss Yae. I am going to teach you how to properly bring your thoughts onto paper for the next three years, and I hope we won’t have any problems with each other.“
The name Yae Miko reminds you of something, but you can’t recall exactly what, so you turn to Xingqiu and quietly ask him where you could have seen her before.
„Yae Miko is the founder of Yae publishing house, a big bookstore in Inazuma and one of the major publishers of Teyvat. You probably know her because of that. But she is also famous for being the wife of Raiden Ei, the owner of Shougun Tech and one of the biggest sponsors of this university.“
You are amazed by how much Xingqiu knows, he probably reads a lot during his free time.
„Wow, you know a lot, I remember her being the owner of Yea Publishing house, but the rest is all new to me!“
Xingqiu grins „Well, I enjoy reading, so I know a thing or two about the owner of one of the biggest publishers of Teyvat.“
The two of you get quiet for the remaining lecture, and after 2 hours, it is finally over.
You quickly bid your goodbye to Xingqiu and leave the building, heading to the same bench you sat on yesterday. While you’re walking, you think about the first assignment Miss Yae gave you:
Write down one week of your daily life in a style people enjoy.
She didn’t specify what exactly she wants, so you guess this is supposed to show her the individual style each of her students has.
Once you see the bench, you recognize a figure already sitting on it, wearing only black.
Xiao - you remembered his name from yesterday evening when you ate with Yelan - has his Laptop sitting on his legs again. But he looks up when you come close enough for him to hear your steps.
From what Yelan said, you don’t expect him to say anything. However, he begins to speak once his amber eyes look directly into yours.
„You came here again.“