(The plot is about to pick up speed in a big way, so please fasten your seatbelts! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و)
"Hey, system, come out! I want to check in!" Bai You called out in her mind.
[And here I thought you weren't checking in today, host. The lottery already gave you a whole pile of good stuff, after all. People... fish should learn to be content.]
"...Cut the crap. Hurry up and check me in, and give me something good."
[Congratulations, host. Check-in successful. You received a spatial storage bag ×1. The reward has been placed in your system inventory. Please check it yourself.]
Bai You flipped to the system inventory tab and checked the details.
[Spatial storage bag: Contains a space measuring 10m × 10m × 10m, or 1,000 cubic meters. It can hold all kinds of items. Time stands still inside, keeping stored items in their original condition. Items can be stored and retrieved with the host's thoughts; holding the bag is unnecessary. There is no weight limit.]
Bai You opened the details, and her eyes lit up little by little as they swept over the number "1,000 cubic meters."
"Wow... that's amazing," Bai You murmured. "A thousand cubic meters is about as much space as two and a half floors of a building. That can hold so much stuff."
[Of course. Just look who gave you the reward,] the system said smugly.
"System, how do I use this storage bag?"
[Just use your thoughts. Think of what you want to put in, and it'll go in. The range is limited to about two meters around you. Taking things out works the same way.] The system sounded lazy.
"Then can I put Varesa in there... hehe." A thought surfaced in Bai You's mind.
[But I should warn you, living things can't be stored. Don't get any funny ideas.]
"Who's getting funny ideas?!"
"Forget it. You're an old system, so I won't stoop to your level. I'm going to sleep. I've finished checking in, and sleeping in Varesa's arms is much better than talking to a system like you."
[...If it weren't for me, would you be sleeping with Varesa right now?]
Seeing the system start bickering again, Bai You decided to close the system panel.
[No, no, no!!! Don't close it yet. I forgot to tell you something.]
[The Traveler Lumine will begin her journey in Mondstadt three days from today.]
"!!!" Hearing the system say that, Bai You finally remembered the Traveler.
A moment later, something else occurred to Bai You.
"The Traveler's in Mondstadt, and I'm in Snezhnaya. We don't have anything to do with each other."
"Then what's the point of telling me that, system?"
[Think about it. With the Traveler's arrival, La Signora of the Fatui Harbingers is also preparing to head to Mondstadt. It won't be long before the Traveler reaches Inazuma, and it's not like you don't know how that ends.]
[La Signora's death might not affect you much, but what about Odette, who you spend time with now?]
"That's right, Odette. When I played through the story before transmigrating, Odette and La Signora never resolved their feud in the game, right up to La Signora's death. There was a huge misunderstanding between them, and that regret was something I couldn't accept either."
"And when Odette learns the truth later, she'll be utterly distraught. Varesa will be sad too."
"No, I can't let that happen."
[My host has finally come to her senses. I'm so gratified... boo-hoo-hoo.]
"Fuck you! What are you putting on an act for, system? Hurry up and give me some more good stuff."
[Sorry, this system does not support that function.]
Bai You: ...
[The system suggests you apply to become the twelfth Fatui Harbinger.]
[That way, not only can you save La Signora with good reason, but you'll also get lots of Mora every month.]
[More importantly, you can use your funding to carry out missions in different nations (have fun). And after becoming a Harbinger, you can use your position to make Odette do all sorts of things...]
Bai You thought it over after hearing the system, but soon dismissed the idea.
"System, looking like a little girl as I do, I'd probably be taken to the police station as a lost child before I even got into Snezhnaya Palace."
"Besides, there have only ever been eleven Harbingers, never any more. Where would I even apply?"
[You can use the invitation you got from the lottery. That invitation was issued when the Tsaritsa ascended to power. There are no more than a handful of them in all of Teyvat.]
[However, please note, host, that the invitation only guarantees you a meeting with the Tsaritsa. The rest is up to you.]
Bai You said, at a loss for words, "Then what use are you, system? I still have to rely on myself in the end."
[You can do it, host. I believe you'll succeed. Be brave and give it a try.]
Bai You: "...System, like I said, get lost. Stop bothering me while I sleep in Varesa's arms."
Bai You promptly closed the system interface and gently nuzzled her head against Varesa's chest.
"But the invitation only gets me a meeting. How am I supposed to become a Harbinger..."
The more Bai You thought about it, the slimmer her hopes seemed. Still thinking it over, she fell asleep in Varesa's arms.
The next morning, sunlight woke Bai You.
She opened her eyes groggily, and the first thing she saw was Varesa's chin.
Varesa was still asleep, breathing evenly, with one hand resting on Bai You's waist and holding her firmly in her arms.
Bai You shifted, intending to get up, but the hand around her waist immediately tightened.
"Don't run..." Varesa mumbled as if talking in her sleep, pulling her closer.
Bai You smiled helplessly and could only let Varesa hold her. She closed her eyes, but her thoughts drifted involuntarily to her conversation with the system the night before.
The Traveler would reach Mondstadt in three days. La Signora would go to Mondstadt, then Liyue, and then, in Inazuma...
She didn't want to think about it anymore.
She could do nothing and stay in Snezhnaya without a care, stay at the theater, and stay by Varesa and Odette's side.
But if she did nothing, she would be letting Odette down. When the time came, Odette would still be left with regrets, just like in the game.
"What are you thinking about?"
Varesa's voice came from above her, husky with sleep.
Bai You looked up and met her eyes, which had just opened. They were still a little sleepy, but Varesa was awake.
"N-nothing." Bai You shook her head.
"Liar." Varesa reached out and pinched her cheek. "You've been frowning since you woke up. You're definitely thinking about something."
Her face squished out of shape by Varesa's fingers, Bai You mumbled, "It's really nothing..."
Varesa gave her a doubtful look, but finally let go. "All right, let's get up. Odette's probably already waiting for us."
The two took their time getting up and washing. When they reached the dining room, Odette was indeed already sitting there, a cup of black coffee in front of her.
"Morning." Odette glanced up at them.
Bai You was thinking about how to persuade the Tsaritsa to make her a Harbinger.
Hearing Odette's voice, Bai You absentmindedly followed Varesa's lead and said good morning too.
Odette's gaze lingered on Bai You's face for a moment. "You don't look well. Didn't sleep well?"
"I slept fine, I did." Bai You hurriedly pulled out a chair and sat down. "I just had a dream."
Odette asked no more questions and pushed the menu toward her.
Throughout breakfast, Bai You kept stealing glances at Odette.
She looked no different from usual, her expression impassive and her movements elegant as she drank her coffee. Every now and then, she gave a brief response to Varesa's idle chatter.
When the day came that La Signora died and she learned the truth... it would be just like in the game. The misunderstanding between them would become a sorrow she would never recover from for the rest of her life.
Bai You tightened her grip on her fork.
No, she couldn't let that happen.
"Bai You?" Varesa waved a hand in front of her face. "What's wrong with you today? You keep spacing out."
"Huh?" Bai You came back to her senses. "N-nothing."
"You've been acting strange since you woke up." Varesa frowned. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm really not." Bai You forced a smile.