Your Name

The wooden door to the room was gently pushed open.

Xingsu strode into the room, his mind already fully prepared and ready to confront her at any moment, but he paused for a moment the instant his gaze met Arlecchino's face.

The resentment and hatred towards the Fatui that had been surging in my heart seemed to have been abruptly paused.

He stared intently at the other person's features, especially those highly recognizable scarlet eyes, his mind racing through fragments of memory. Even though it was their first official meeting in Fontaine, this face evoked an inescapable sense of familiarity.

No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't grasp the specific details, only a vague sense of déjà vu lingering in his mind.

The moment Xingsu pushed open the door and entered, Arlecchino, who had been sitting calmly and waiting, unconsciously tightened her fingers slightly, and a subtle crack appeared in her composed aura during the negotiations.

Even though she had seen Xingsu's portrait countless times through informants and heard reports about his escape, and although she had only caught a glimpse of him from afar that night, the sight of the living person standing right in front of her, with his familiar features and unique aura, instantly stirred up memories that had been buried for many years.

That was the figure from the dark years of the House of the Hearth, the one who fought to the death with Crucabena. Although many years had passed, and the other person had shed the naivety and dishevelment of that time, gaining a more composed demeanor after years of wandering, the strength and hope in her eyes remained exactly the same as in my memory.

The small figure from the House of the Hearth who refused to give up in the face of adversity slowly overlapped with the composed young man before me.

But the moment their eyes met, all the words they had prepared stuck in their throats.

Xingsu's lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word. Only confusion and an inexplicable sense of familiarity overwhelmed all his previous guard and hostility, leaving him standing frozen in place at the doorway.

Arlecchino stared at Xing Xingsu, who stood frozen at the doorway, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her crimson eyes—longing, guilt, and the joy of a long-awaited reunion.

The two remained frozen in silence, a distance between them.

It was Arlecchino who broke the eerie silence first, suppressing the countless questions churning in her heart.

She wanted to ask him why he had reappeared in the world in a completely new form after he had already fallen; she wanted to ask him if he still remembered the memories of their time together during the dark years at the House of the Hearth; she wanted to ask him if, now filled with hatred for the Fatui, he would also reject her as Harbinger; and she wanted to ask him if he was willing to give up his current peaceful life and return to the House of the Hearth with her.

A thousand thoughts choked in my throat; all the heavy past and selfish expectations, in the end, turned into a greeting so light it almost melted into the air.

"Xingsu... Hello."

Her crimson eyes gazed at him gently, the sharp edge she had displayed in the negotiations gone, leaving only a complex mix of emotions she couldn't hide. She deliberately avoided all the sensitive memories of the past, starting this hard-won meeting with the simplest of opening remarks.

"Please don't be nervous. Although I belong to the Fatui, I am here today simply to have a chat with you. I've heard you're a scholar who came from Sumeru, so let's talk about your experiences Sumeru."

"... good."

Xingsu roughly recounts how he originally researched the Wisdom Network in Sumeru, but was later hunted down for touching the core interests of the high-ranking members of the Akademiya, and was also targeted by the Doctor. He had no choice but to cross the desert to escape to Fontaine, where he was eventually Spina di Rosula. Unfortunately, his research results were stolen by someone in Fontaine.

Arlecchino sat quietly opposite him, never interrupting his narration. Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Xingsu, taking in all the hardships hidden in his tone. After Xingsu recounting his experiences, the hall was silent for a moment before she slowly spoke.

"So, Mr. Xingsu, are you Sumeru person?"

Xingsu seemed surprised by her question, paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something and asked suspiciously, "What... what do you mean by that?"

The entire reception room fell silent instantly, with only the faint sound of flowing water coming from outside the window.

Arlecchino didn't seem in a hurry to explain the purpose of her question, but silently observed Xingsu's appearance, her eyes swirling with complex thoughts that others couldn't understand.

Xingsu Arlecchino didn't react, Xing Su gently shook his head and slowly said:

"No, I'm just studying in Sumeru, not Sumeru person. I... I don't even know where I'm from. I shouldn't even be considered Teyvat."

The Lesser Lord Kusanali found me deep within the Irminsul and brought me to Sumeru.

Arlecchino remained silent, though she had a vague premonition of this all along.

But when she heard with her own ears that Xingsu couldn't even explain his own origins and couldn't remember anything about the House of the Hearth, the long-standing concern in her heart slowly eased.

The boy who collapsed in the House of the Hearth back then is truly gone forever. The person standing in front of him now has all his past memories erased and has embarked on a completely new life on his own.

There's no need to dwell on past regrets or obsessively pursue those painful memories. Perhaps for him, who has endured so much hardship, completely forgetting the dark past and living a peaceful life in Poisson is the best outcome.

She slowly suppressed the complex emotions in her eyes, still choosing not to expose any past events, and simply looked quietly at the young man in front of her.

But this might not necessarily be a bad outcome.

Now that he has completely broken free from the mire of the past and has a new and stable life, she should no longer be the one to disturb his peace for the rest of his life.

After a long silence, she finally suppressed all the turbulent emotions in her eyes and spoke softly.

"I see."

Xingsu opposite her, took in all her expressions. Seeing her long silence and thoughtful demeanor, his doubts were amplified.

The lingering sense of familiarity, the other party's sudden question, and their current cryptic attitude all intertwined, making him increasingly uneasy.

He hesitated for a moment, his tone tentative and cautious:

"Excuse me, do you know anything about this?"

Facing Xingsu Su's probing and questioning gaze, Arlecchino gently withdrew all the surging bitterness and melancholy in her eyes, concealing the myriad thoughts of the past, and said calmly:

No, I'm just curious about your background.

She spoke casually, glossing over the whole truth.

Now that he has forgotten and broken free from all the painful past, and has a completely new life, let me protect you this time.

"Alright, Mr. Xingsu, it's getting late. Let's end our discussion here for today."

As she finished speaking, she slowly rose from her seat, her posture upright and composed, the softness of the moment gone, replaced by the aloof indifference of Fatui's Harbinger.

She walked steadily toward the door, as if all the excitement and relief she had felt just moments before were merely fleeting illusions.

The entire reception room fell completely silent, leaving Xingsu sitting alone, his mind churning with emotions that he couldn't calm down for a long time. The doubts in his heart, the inexplicable sense of familiarity, and her momentary lapse in concentration and silence just now, all intertwined in his mind, making it hard for him to breathe. He remained silent, quietly watching the black figure walk towards the bright door.

Just as Arlecchino raised her hand to push open the door, most of her figure already leaned out of the doorway, about to completely leave the room.

Xingsu, who had been frozen in silence, suddenly swallowed hard, his long-suppressed emotions finally breaking free of their restraints. His voice trembled slightly, thin yet stubborn, unexpectedly shattering the stillness.

"Excuse me... have I seen you before?"