They lingered there for another ten minutes or so.
Bai You was held in Varesa's arms. She was actually no longer sleepy, but she just didn't want to move.
I feel so comfortable lying here, I don't even want to lift a finger.
I don't know how long I lingered there, but then I heard a faint sound coming from the kitchen downstairs. Pots and pans bumped together, followed by the familiar hum of the oven preheating.
After a while, a faint scent of wheat drifted in through the crack in the door, mingling with the warmth of the heating, and slowly floated to the bedside.
Varesa has a keen sense of smell; she smelled it first, sniffed twice, and was a little surprised:
"Hey, Odette's already baking bread! Aren't you going to the restaurant? Why are you doing it yourself?"
"Besides, doesn't she not really like eating bread? Why is she acting so strangely today?"
She peeked out the window; it was already daylight.
"No, everyone's already up. It wouldn't be right for us to stay any longer."
She then let go, gently patted Bai You's head, and said, "Take a couple of minutes, I'm going to wash up."
As soon as the covers were pulled back, a chill ran in, and Bai You shrank her neck, reluctantly letting out a soft "Mmm."
Varesa put on a coat and slippers and went into the bathroom; the sound of running water soon followed.
Bai You was the only one left in the bedroom. She stared at the ceiling for two seconds, then suddenly remembered the sign-in thing and quickly called out to the system in her mind.
"Hey, what's that Moon Fragment?"
[What's the rush? You're disturbing my sleep.] The system's voice was lazy, as if it was about to fall asleep.
"Don't sleep, you can sleep later. Quickly check the details for me."
[You could have checked it yourself, you didn't have to wake me up...]
[The host is so mean... Waaaaah.]
"..."
[And host, are you still half asleep? A normal person would immediately guess it's about Columbina.]
"I'm a fish, not a human," Bai You deliberately twitched her two cute fish-fin ears on the side.
[??? Host, you win...]
[ Moon Fragment: Contains a small but very strong portion of Kuuvahki, which can help restore power. When used on Columbina, it can also reduce the repulsive force of the Teyvat world.]
"Wow, that's amazing!" Bai You's eyes widened. "If I sign in more often and get more of these fragments, will Columbina be fine?"
[There's no such thing as a free lunch.]
The system snorted.
[It seems you've only been going through the story, you've forgotten all about it. This fragment can at most help her regain a small portion of her power; it's a temporary fix, not a permanent solution.]
Her strength is decreasing every day, and the amount of decrease is increasing accordingly, causing the rejection to become more and more intense.
[We still need to help her find her real name so she can contact Teyvat, be anchored by Teyvat, and be accepted by them.]
"Sigh, alright then." Bai You suddenly had another idea, "Why don't I just tell her her name is Columbina Hipper Seleneia? Wouldn't that be much simpler?"
[No, she needs to find and accept this name herself.]
The system paused, its tone unusually serious.
[If you tell her now, there might be some unpredictable consequences.]
[This caused her to no longer accept the name she had originally accepted, leaving her without a name to anchor her existence in this world.]
In that case, her only fate is to vanish.
"Is it that serious?!"
[Anyway, that's it. Your girlfriend's coming out soon, I'm outta here.]
At that moment, the bathroom door clicked open.
Varesa walked out, drying her hair, the steam rising from her body carrying the faint scent of toiletries.
She changed her clothes, her long hair still loose as before.
Varesa looked up and saw Bai You still sitting on the edge of the bed, without shoes on.
Her feet dangled off the edge of the bed, swinging back and forth, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
"Hey." Varesa waved her hand in front of her eyes. "What are you thinking about? You're totally out of your mind."
Bai You snapped back to reality and exclaimed, "No, no!"
"It's nothing, go wash up quickly, I've saved some hot water for you."
Varesa bent down, kicked her little slippers over from the foot of the bed, and then ruffled her messy, spiky hair.
"If you dawdle any longer, Odette and Columbina will finish their breakfast."
"Odette wouldn't eat that much..."
No, Columbina... there really won't be any breakfast left.
Bai You muttered something, but obediently slipped her feet into her slippers and jogged into the bathroom.
There was still some moisture in the bathroom, and the mirror was covered with a thin layer of fog.
Bai You got some water and started brushing her teeth. As she brushed, the thought of the Moon Fragment kept popping into her head again.
She was so distracted that toothpaste foam dripped down the corner of her mouth without her noticing.
"Look at yourself." Varesa had followed them in at some point.
Varesa reached out and gently wiped the white foam from her chin with her fingertips, then dampened a towel and handed it to her. "You can even space out while brushing your teeth? Didn't you get enough sleep last night?"
"I've had enough sleep, I've had enough sleep," Bai You mumbled, toothbrush still in her mouth, before grabbing a towel and haphazardly wiping her face.
The cool water splashed on her face, and Bai You felt much more awake. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror, and saw a little girl with messy hair and water droplets on her face.
Standing beside her Varesa, who was smiling and combing her long hair.
"Come here." Varesa waved to her.
Bai You moved closer and stopped in front of her.
Varesa turned her back to her, took another comb, and gently smoothed her messy hair little by little.
The comb teeth brushed against her scalp, sending a tingling, numb sensation through her. Bai You squinted her eyes in comfort, like a cat being stroked.
"I'll give you pigtails today," Varesa said, deftly parting the strands with her fingers, "So you won't keep complaining that your hair is in your eyes."
"Okay."
Varesa's fingers occasionally brushed against the back of her ears and neck, slightly cool from having just washed her hands, yet the movements were incredibly gentle.
Bai You stood quietly, looking at Varesa's serious profile in the mirror.
"It looks so good!"