After some discussion, and learning from Noelle that Quinn was one of Mondstadt's famous Four Drunken Kings, everyone immediately decided to pick a gift related to fine wine to help Bea break the ice.
Come to think of it... Four Drunken Kings was a hilariously ridiculous title, but it did sound pretty badass...
There are four kings. Tone-deaf bard, are you one of them?
"When it comes to gifts, everyone has different tastes. Only something that suits them will really touch their heart... Personally, I'd love roses!"
"As for the Honorary Knights... hmm..." Noelle looked curiously at the two girls beside her. "Would you like something handmade?"
"I'd be happy with either roses or something handmade~" Lumine said with a smile.
Only after hearing Lumine's answer did Noelle realize how suggestive her own words had sounded. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Ah-I-I was just trying to put myself in someone else's shoes..."
"...What about you, Miss Gabrielina?"
Though they had only spent a short time together, Noelle could already sense Lumine's unique gentleness. She was like a stream of snowmelt in early spring, quietly embracing every rough edge and imperfection along her path.
Perhaps that was why she had answered her that way.
But Gabrielina was different.
Noelle still couldn't quite figure her out.
There was something strange about that girl. She always seemed so confident, more intensely so than any knight or noble Noelle had ever met, almost like a proud monarch.
Yet she could patiently accept Miss Bea's absurd request, and play without restraint alongside Klee, as though her arms were open to everyone.
Who was special in her eyes?
Perhaps those golden eyes held many things she had never spoken of, emotions she had never shared.
Noelle had always been good at noticing changes in other people's emotions. It was an important part of her "training," and her own way of protecting Mondstadt.
Now, the girl was gathering her courage, trying to take one step closer to the angel.
"Me...? There aren't really any gifts I want right now..."
In truth, ever since she had simply gone to sleep and awakened with such immense power, Gabrielina had been feeling as though she already had everything she needed.
Are kings and nobles born to rule?
If it weren't for that fellow overhead who could drop Heavenly Wrath at any moment, Teyvat would've had a new ruler long ago!
"Huh?"
Gabrielina tilted her head toward the girl beside her and smiled naturally. "Does the answer matter that much to you, Noelle? I just think the gift itself isn't important. What matters more is understanding each other's feelings... like with Quinn and Bea."
"Miss Bea?" Noelle blinked in confusion.
"Ah... I remember there was a pretty classic saying..." As she spoke, the girl rubbed her forehead in frustration.
Lumine, who had been walking off to the side by herself, also pricked up her ears and quietly edged closer.
"...When they don't love you, everything you do is wrong."
Yes, it wasn't really a matter of right or wrong.
Some people could never win another person's affection, no matter what they did. If a girl didn't love you, then everything you did was wrong.
Of course, none of the girls present had much experience with romance, and they all found the words rather baffling. Even Gabrielina herself was merely quoting something she had heard.
"...That sounds really complicated. Gabrielina, do you have someone you like?" Klee gently tugged at the angel's fingertips, her face full of innocence.
Lumine: "!"
Gabrielina gently closed her fingers around the little hand that had slipped into her palm, but an indescribable bitterness spread through her heart.
Someone I like?
Asking me that... even holding hands with someone of the opposite sex is something I've only done in childhood, and that was just with Dad...
Perhaps a certain gaze had finally grown hot enough to sting. Gabrielina's eyes drifted toward Lumine beside her. Through the strands of blonde hair stirred by the breeze, an intense stare seemed to reach her, as though trying to sear her outline into those eyes.
She remembered the faint scent of shampoo that had lingered at the tip of her nose when they drew close last night.
She remembered the warmth of the girl unconsciously curling into her arms in her sleep.
And the heartbeat that had persistently reached her through two thin layers of clothing in the darkness of midnight.
Gabrielina parted her lips. For some inexplicable reason, she swallowed the "no" she had already prepared, letting out only an indistinct sound through her nose.
"Kids don't need to be curious about things like that. (No mercy.)"
Klee nodded without quite understanding, and soon put her earlier confusion out of her mind.
Noelle, meanwhile, still seemed to be pondering something, her lips pressed together thoughtfully.
"All right! Helping Miss Bea pick a gift comes first. Let's not keep her waiting." Lumine clapped her hands and skipped ahead.
The wind chimes at With Wind Comes Glory rang brightly.
The woman standing in front of the display window noticed the group approaching.
"Welcome to With Wind Comes Glory! Oh, Noelle and the Honorary Knights... quite a crowd!"
Miss Marjorie swept her gaze over them and greeted them warmly. "What brings you all together? Even little Klee is here! I don't often see Noelle out shopping with anyone, either~"
"Huh, really?" Lumine asked curiously.
"Well, whenever Noelle's working, she always finishes everything all by herself~" Marjorie said as she polished the accessory in her hands. "But as soon as she finishes one job, she has to start another... it feels like she barely gets any time to rest."
...Could this be any more in character? Not the slightest surprise.
"Honestly, Noelle... you're not a little kid anymore, are you?"
"If you don't spend a bit more time on yourself, you'll regret it someday."
Noelle hurriedly twisted the edge of her skirt, her voice growing softer and softer. "I-I am taking a break today... there were just a few complications along the way..."
"Hmm? You're taking a break today... with the Honorary Knights...?"
Looking at the two girls standing on either side of Noelle, Marjorie's gaze gradually sharpened.
She beckoned as though calling over a small animal. Though puzzled, Noelle obediently approached.
Marjorie leaned close to the girl and whispered, "Oh, Noelle, this really is... worth celebrating. But as your big sister, I still have to give you a little advice."
"...?"
"You can't hide loving one person, but if you love two, you'd better keep it hidden."
Noelle blinked in confusion at first. A few seconds later, she seemed to finally grasp what Marjorie meant, and an adorable crimson flush swiftly spread from the tips of her ears down to her neck.
"I'm not... mm-"
She clapped a hand over her mouth in a panic, her armor giving a soft clink as she stepped back. In the end, all she could do was glare "fiercely" at the beaming woman.
"Damn NPC! Pure love is invincible!" the system screeched.
...You damned system. So you're a pure-love crusader, too?
Lumine stepped forward in confusion and steadied the swaying Noelle. Gabrielina, meanwhile, gave Marjorie a rather speechless look. "You've misunderstood. We're here to pick a gift for someone else."
"Oh! You have excellent hearing, Miss Gabrielina... haha, but it doesn't matter. Give and take, you know!"
"P-please... stop teasing me..."
Before you continue