[The bread, fruit, and other things have been put in the storage bag you got from today's check-in.] [Keep it up, host. I'm off to slack off~ (＾◇^)/]
"..."
Bai You looked at the storage space, which was packed full of bread and fruit.
"...Good thing things don't rot in here. Otherwise, all this would really have gone to waste. There's so much."
Then Bai You hurried after Columbina on her short little legs, heading in the direction she had gone.
The corridors of Snezhnaya Palace twisted and turned like a giant maze.
The ice-carved walls on either side looked exactly alike, as did the ice-crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. Even the patterns on the floor were identical.
Bai You jogged along in the direction Columbina had gone, but after three turns, the corridor ahead was empty. There wasn't a soul in sight.
"Huh? Where did she go?"
Bai You stopped and looked left, then right.
She had clearly seen Columbina go this way, and the hem of her white dress had flashed around the corner. How had she vanished in the blink of an eye?
She went a little farther but still didn't see her.
The corridor stretched farther and farther ahead, growing quieter and quieter. Only her own footsteps echoed through the empty passage.
The ice-crystal chandeliers gave off a faint blue glow, stretching her shadow out long behind her.
The farther Bai You went, the more confused she became. In the end, she completely lost her sense of direction.
She stopped, put her hands on her hips, and caught her breath.
"System, system, come out! Stop slacking off," Bai You called in her mind.
The system still didn't respond.
"System, come out! Don't mess with me, I'm really lost."
A long time passed, but the system still didn't respond.
Bai You suddenly had an idea:
"System, come out! Did you forget I'm a fish too? Come out and I'll let you touch me (๑•ᴗ•๑)"
[Pff-pfft, host, you're unbeatable.] [What you just said woke me right up when I was about to fall asleep.]
"Never mind that. Where did Columbina go? I can't find her. This place is way too big, like a maze."
[Are you stupid?] The system sounded somewhat exasperated. [She's lived in Snezhnaya Palace for years. Of course she walks much faster than you, so naturally you couldn't catch up. And... it looks like you went in the opposite direction.]
"Huh? The opposite direction?" Bai You froze. "No way. I clearly saw her go this way..."
[What you saw was an afterimage. She'd already turned into another corridor,]
the system said.
[You were just too impatient. Who chases someone like that?]
"Then what do I do now?" Bai You asked, a little dejected.
"I don't even know where I am."
[How should I know? I don't have GPS installed,] the system said. [But... it's not like there's no way... Why don't you look behind you?]
"Behind me? What is it?"
Bai You turned her head in confusion.
Then-
"Waaah!!!"
She jumped in fright, nearly sending herself flying.
Columbina was standing less than a step behind her, her head tilted slightly as she gazed at her gently, a faint smile on her face.
Long red-black hair fell over her shoulders, glimmering faintly in the light.
Her eyes were a pale violet-blue, like two pools of melted lavender flowers.
When had she gotten there?!
There hadn't been a sound!
Not even footsteps!
Bai You patted her chest and gasped for breath, her little face still full of lingering fright. "Miss Co-Columbina? When did you get behind me? How come I didn't notice at all?"
Columbina laughed softly, her voice like the tinkling of a spring and a breeze brushing over harp strings, so lovely it made one's bones turn to jelly:
"I've been here all along."
"Huh?" Bai You froze.
"I saw you when you came out of the meeting room.
"Columbina said gently, "Then you kept following me, walking so fast that even I couldn't catch up with you. Later, you took a wrong turn, so I came after you to see what you were doing. But you kept standing there in a daze, with a vacant look on your face, so I didn't want to disturb you."
Bai You's face flushed red in an instant.
She had been talking to the system the whole time, but to Columbina, it must have looked like she was standing there all by herself in a stupor.
How embarrassing!
"I-I..." Bai You hurriedly tried to explain. "I was just... just thinking about something!"
"Mm-hmm, I know." Columbina suppressed a laugh and nodded, looking as if to say, "I understand, I understand."
"So, Harbinger Bai You, was there something you wanted, following me around like that?"
Having been called out so directly, Bai You grew even more embarrassed.
She scratched her head, her little face red, and said quietly, "Well... I-I just wanted to pay you a visit. I only just joined the Fatui, and I don't understand anything or know my way around, so..."
As she spoke, she took a large pile of fruit and bread out of her storage space and held it out to Columbina:
"Th-these are for you! It's my first visit, and I didn't have anything nice to bring, just some fruit and bread. I hope you don't mind."
Columbina looked at the fruit and bread in her hands, briefly taken aback.
Then her eyes curved into crescents, and the smile on her face grew even gentler.
"Thank you, Bai You." She took the bread and looked it over in her hands.
"Fruit bread... This is my favorite. How did you know I liked it?"
"I-I guessed!" Bai You said hurriedly. "I thought someone as gentle as you, big sister, would surely like sweet, simple things like these."
In fact, as long as you pulled a character, you could see it in their character profile. She had even pulled her to C2 back then.
(How did you guys know I got her to C2 in 160 pulls? ⌯＞ᴗo⌯)
Columbina smiled and didn't press further. She took one out of the bread bag and handed it back to Bai You:
"You have some too. Let's eat together. It's so cold standing here eating. Come on, let's go sit in my room. I can sing for you too."
"Okay!" Bai You nodded vigorously and obediently followed Columbina.
The two walked side by side down the corridor.
Columbina walked very slowly, seemingly making a special effort to accommodate Bai You's short little legs.
Her steps were so light that they made almost no sound on the marble floor, like a feather floating through the air.