In Arknights, Starting as Griseo

After agreeing, Griseo put away the painting she had just finished and her art supplies, then followed Alina outside.

Griseo felt she really needed to go out and relax. Otherwise, staying in one place for too long would easily lead to overthinking…

She should definitely interact more with Yelena, build a good relationship, and then protect her! And maybe unlock another character.

Speaking of which, Griseo hadn't really thought about how to use the identity of Sakura at all…

But no matter what, having an extra identity was like having an extra trump card, especially since Elysian Sakura wasn't weak.

The sky over the snowy plains quickly darkened, and it was soon time for dinner. Everyone gathered around the bonfire again.

Tonight, Griseo sat by a bonfire with Yelena and the Yetis, while Patriot sat with Talulah and the others because he had something to discuss with them.

Dinner wasn't great again tonight, but just like before, Griseo didn't care about such things.

However, some other things did catch her attention…

ps: Oops, looks like another all-nighter. I actually started writing this afternoon, but I wrote two thousand characters and wasn't satisfied, so I deleted it all. This chapter feels like a sudden change in style, I wonder what you all think?

Chapter 16 This is because Cosmo said he preferred it this way.

"……?"

What Griseo found very strange tonight was that although Yelena's way of treating her and her gaze hadn't changed at all… the Yetis' eyes sometimes looked at her in a very peculiar way.

As for why she described it as peculiar…

Because Griseo always felt like the Yetis were curious about something… Not all of them, but most of the gazes directed at her carried a hint of curiosity.

However, she wasn't the type to keep problems to herself.

After finishing dinner, Griseo gently tugged on Yelena's sleeve and looked up at her with her big eyes, asking, "Sister Yelena, do you have any questions you want to ask me?"

"…Little Griseo, why do you ask that?"

Yelena was slightly taken aback by Griseo's question, clearly not understanding immediately.

"Um… the Yetis looked at me with so much curiosity tonight, as if they had something they wanted to ask me." As she spoke, Griseo looked up at the Yetis sitting by the bonfire.

Since Yelena wasn't the one being observed, and the Yetis were all wearing thick clothing, it was only now that she noticed the curiosity in her teammates' eyes as they looked at Griseo.

For a moment, facing Griseo's innocent and confused gaze, Yelena, the big sister of the Yetis, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth…

"Ahem… It's nothing, you don't need to mind them. They're just bored and haven't trained enough…"

"Yes, big sister is right, we're just a bit too idle."

"Exactly, we're just too idle, and Little Griseo, you're just too cute, we couldn't help but want to look at you a bit more."

"So that's how it is…"

Saying that, Griseo nodded her little head gently, indicating she understood. Then, she carefully snuggled into Yelena's arms, acting cute without a sound.

Although she was still a bit curious about what the Yetis were curious about, since Yelena didn't want to say, Griseo didn't intend to pester her for an answer.

"Um… Speaking of which, I've always had a question."

Seeing the little loli snuggling into Yelena's arms and acting cute, Lois finally managed to squeeze out a question.

As soon as she said this, the Yetis, who had just managed to relax a little, instantly tensed up again. They were afraid Lois would reveal the reason for their curiosity.

"Hmm? What question…"

Griseo, who thought she wouldn't get any more information from the Yetis tonight, slowly lifted her head from Yelena's embrace, her violet eyes blinking curiously.

"That is, even though Little Griseo, you don't feel the cold, why do you always go barefoot? Doesn't it hurt your feet?"

As she spoke, Lois's gaze swept over Griseo's bare, snow-white feet, which were clearly visible as she stepped on the ground.

"...You're talking about that? Because Cosmo said he preferred it this way."

Griseo hadn't expected Lois to ask about that, but she still answered truthfully.

"Wait, who is Cosmo? And he told you not to wear shoes?"

"??? What did I just hear!"

"Unbelievable, why would Little Griseo listen to him!"

Clearly, Griseo's truthful answer was like a drop of water splashing into a hot oil pan; the surrounding Yetis exploded.

Even Yelena, who was holding the little loli, tightened her grip…

"Cosmo is Cosmo, he's my family, but… I can't find him right now." As she said this, Griseo lowered her little head, her expression becoming slightly dejected.

Both the transmigrator and the original "Griseo" knew very well that in the Honkai world… Cosmo was already dead.

"It's okay, we'll keep you company…" Looking down at the dejected little loli in her arms, Yelena reached out and gently patted her back to comfort her.

"That's right, that's right, don't be sad, we're here with you~"

"I knew I shouldn't have asked, I'm so talkative!"

"And who exactly is Cosmo, I'm so jeal… hateful!"

"Mmm… I'm okay now."

Listening to the sounds of playful chatter and looking at the warm yellow colors filling her surroundings… Griseo, whose emotions had been a bit down, quickly recovered.

***

Another campfire—

"I… I came today because I wanted… to know one… thing."

Looking at Talulah and Alina sitting opposite him across the campfire, Patriot lowered his voice and began to speak.

His voice was still hoarse and he stammered, but there was nothing he could do about it. The Oripathy was gradually worsening, damaging his vocal cords…

"What is it? Tell us."

Talulah already knew why Patriot had come, so she wasn't surprised by his sudden opening.

"That… girl, what… is her origin? She… can imitate… us… and it's not… a clumsy… imitation. I feel… danger, so… please give me… a reasonable… explanation."

Without any hesitation, Patriot asked the question that had been bothering him. Of course, he also controlled his volume so that no irrelevant personnel could hear him.

"I'll explain this, since I brought that child back. Talulah, you can listen in too." Before Talulah could speak, Alina interjected.

After Alina spoke, both Talulah and Patriot turned their gazes to her, awaiting her explanation.

"First of all, I don't know Griseo's origin either. She's very mysterious in that regard. Even now, I haven't been able to figure out her race."

"However, I do know what you mean by imitation."

Saying this, Alina paused for a moment to think before continuing, "It's true that it's not a clumsy imitation. If I had to use an analogy, it's like Griseo is a completely blank canvas."

"Once she spends a long time with someone, she'll pick up their colors. But this usually doesn't last long. As long as she keeps her distance and is left alone, she'll quickly return to normal."

"So… that's… how it is."

"But… this… power… and mysterious origin, this… child, what… do you plan to… do with her? You know… she's not… an Infected…"

After hearing Alina's explanation, Patriot's expression became serious, and he cut to the heart of the matter with a pointed question.

ps: I'm making the same declaration tonight as I did last night. I'll write early tomorrow and go to bed early. I'm completely exhausted. And the quality of my writing when I stay up late isn't great… If there are any issues with this chapter, please let me know.

Chapter 17: Urgency and Change

Tonight was similar to yesterday for Griseo… After dinner, she stayed in Yelena's embrace, listening to the Yetis tell stories.

During this time, the little loli also picked up some of Yelena's colors due to close contact, but it didn't last long before she reverted.

However, Griseo remembered the colors. She planned to find some time later to paint a picture with this color and give it to Yelena as a gift.

"Mmm…"

Suddenly thinking of something, Griseo snuggled further into Yelena's embrace, transferring as much of her body heat as possible to warm her.

"What's wrong?"

Yelena looked down at the little one who had snuggled closer into her arms and asked in a gentle tone.

"Yelena sister's body… and everyone else… Griseo can also fight. I want to protect you all."

Hearing Yelena's gentle voice, the little tuft of hair on Griseo's head trembled. After a moment, she looked up, her eyes filled with seriousness.

Although Griseo didn't know what the Yeti Squad had been doing today, after prolonged contact with Yelena's body, she noticed that the person before her seemed a bit weaker than yesterday.

This made Griseo's mind wander… Finally, she arrived at what she considered the most reasonable explanation.

She guessed that the Yeti Squad must have encountered some enemies today, and Yelena had intervened, using her Originium Arts to worsen her Oripathy, leading to her weakness.

This speculation caused Griseo's previously happy mood, brought on by the Yetis' comfort and the warm yellow surroundings, to sink again.

A sense of powerlessness washed over her. At this moment, Griseo truly and deeply understood… this continent devours people, and it particularly enjoys devouring those with white hair.

And for the first time, she felt the urgency of time…

Even though "Griseo" wasn't ranked highly among the Elysian beings, she was still very strong to the people of this world.

However, this strength was currently useless…

Because her strength was in power, and it couldn't bring back the people she wanted to protect from Oripathy…

"……"

Hearing Griseo's sudden words, Yelena and the surrounding Yetis were slightly stunned. The atmosphere in the area instantly quieted down.

"I didn't expect you to notice… But don't worry, sister is fine." After reacting, Yelena reached out her hand and gently stroked Griseo's little head to comfort her.

After discovering Griseo's special nature, Yelena no longer saw her as an ordinary child. So, she wasn't very surprised when the little one noticed her weakness.

But even if she wasn't ordinary, she didn't think she had weakened to the point of needing a child to protect her.

"Hahaha, we appreciate your kind intentions, little Griseo, but your brothers and sisters haven't fallen yet. How can we let a child like you stand in front of us?"

"That's right, that's right. Little Griseo, you don't need to worry. We're still doing fine!"

"Exactly. We can still fight for a long time. And we'll protect Big Sister too, after all, she's our Yeti princess!"

"..."

Listening to the comforting words in her ears and looking at the rekindled enthusiasm and the warm yellow light surging around her, Griseo couldn't feel happy at all this time.

She knew that the people around her were all big liars who deceived children... they only said things that couldn't be fulfilled.

But...

It was precisely because of this that Griseo wanted these words to come true one by one...

After discussing with Patriot on Talulah's side, Alina came over to pick up Griseo.

Although the conversation with Patriot left Alina with some complicated feelings, she hadn't forgotten the other thing she had to do tonight.

However, upon receiving Griseo, the meticulous Alina keenly sensed the little one's unhappiness, but she didn't rush to ask.

It wasn't until they left the crowded area and were almost back at the tent that Alina finally asked, "What's wrong? You seem so unhappy tonight."

"I'm just thinking about how to protect everyone..."

In response to Alina's question, Griseo raised her little head and replied calmly.

"Hmm? Why is little Griseo suddenly thinking about this?" Clearly, Alina was somewhat surprised by this answer.

"...Because I'm not a child anymore."

After a moment of silence, Griseo ultimately decided not to reveal the real reason. Revealing it would be futile and would only dampen others' moods.

At this moment, Griseo yearned to unlock new characters more than ever. If she had been content to let things happen before, seeing Yelena's dire physical condition had made her anxious... truly anxious!

Although she knew that everyone in Reunion were infected, she never expected it to happen so quickly!

It was so fast that Griseo felt as if she saw the Grim Reaper holding a scythe to everyone's necks, waiting for their deaths...

Therefore, Griseo's ranking of characters she wanted to transform into had changed. Mobius was now at the top of the list, pushing aside everyone else, even Aponia