When I came to, I found myself flat on my back on the coarse ground filled with dirt and stones. Blinding light shined through the thick forestry surrounding me and momentarily illuminated the puddles of water to either side of my legs. At first, I couldn't properly get a grasp of my surroundings regardless of how well I knew the game. Part of it was because I had just woken up. The other thing was that I'm not aware of many forests that were so well lit like this one.

I slowly got up and looked down at the water to my right. Staring back at me was the appearance of a young boy wearing a red track jacket and a black t-shirt underneath. I looked young. Maybe around the pre-teens? My hair was messy, and my face looked a little different from what I remembered it to be. It was then that I remembered that the Unknown God had reincarnated me into the world of Teyvat so that I wouldn't instantly die upon being brought here. This was done for me to try to bring order to the future, though I had little to no information on what to do.

Meaning I was allowed to do as I pleased, right?

I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair to try to comb it a bit. With a bit of water, I moved some of my bangs to the side and out of the way of my eyes. Somehow, this forest looked quite familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Behind me, there was a large stone platform that was embedded into the ground. Carelessly, I decided to jump right onto it and took a good look around. The area seemed to be on top of a hill and was enclosed by a larger mountain behind it. I had an idea of where I could have been, but before I could, my vision shook and my balance was thrown for a loop.

The area around me got dark.

Blue, ethereal lights started appearing all around me.

However, instead of being confused, this all justified my hypothesis.

I was on Wuwang Hill- a location in Genshin Impact associated with ghosts.

Geographically, this location was in Liyue- the nation right next to the one where the Traveler would start their journey. From here, there were a few directions I could go in, but for now, I needed to get myself to a human settlement. I wasn't too sure about which direction would be for the best. However, I knew standing around wouldn't do me any favors. Especially now that my body was roughly that of a 12-year-old.

Stumbling, I got off the platform at an awkward angle. My vision was starting to deteriorate. The surrounding area of Wuwang Hill became increasingly blurry as I stumbled about like a drunkard after one too many drinks at the bar. Was this a side effect of reincarnation? Or was it just Wuwang Hill itself that was messing with me? I couldn't tell. I found something resembling a path and started making my way down. One step after the next, my feet heavily hit the ground as I noisily marched like a zombie through the forest.

At some point, it finally registered to me to use my phone to try to resolve my problem, but it was too blurry for me to even read. I couldn't even get past the lock screen. My senses were far too distorted to figure anything out. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I heard a hostile growling noise off to the side. Footsteps paired with a collective sound of rustling grass and breaking branches reached my ears. Instinctively, I turned toward the source of the incoming creature and came face to mask with an iconic entity from Genshin Impact.

Armed with a club and covered with minimal amounts of clothing and wrappings, the masked enemy darted through the grass and leaped towards me. With my distorted and twisted sense of perception, I somehow managed to step to the side while leaning back, but I ended up losing my balance and falling back on my rear. The enemy was an entity called a Hilichurl. They appeared as seemingly primitive wandering inhabitants in the world of Teyvat and typically lived in tribes. Upon seeing the players of Genshin Impact, hilichurls reacted very negatively.

I wasn't afraid of dying. However, I still had things I wanted to do, and things that I needed to do. My desire to live certainly outweighed that of dying. This feeling of nausea and dizziness kept plaguing my mind. The hilichurl turned towards me while raising its wooden club. I couldn't see beneath its mask, but from its growling, I was able to discern several things. Anger, fear, and pure animalistic violence. Hilichurls were simple creatures that believed that might was right. If I was still my older self, I wouldn't have broken a sweat with these creatures. I think. Right now though, the circumstances were vastly different.

For now, I needed to get away from this guy. Not only do I not know how strong I am as a kid- or rather, how weak I am- I don't know whether the hilichurl had any friends with it. Considering that hilichurls usually lived in little tribes, I was worried about having more than one fellow to deal with. Not to mention, I'd preferably avoid killing these guys if I could help it. Then again, my only means of doing anything meaningful is all inside my phone. Quickly getting onto all fours while twisting my body, I pushed off the damp forest's soil and darted down the hill. With my smartphone tightly held in my hand, I shakily ran while under the influence of this odd vertigo.

By some miracle, I managed to avoid crashing into any trees, but just as I thought that a whizzing sound in the air reached my ears. With no time to think, I hit the deck once more as an arrow lodged itself into a tree after shooting right through the space where my upper body was just moments ago. Desperately, I reached out for the side of the tree trunk to balance myself while getting up and spun around to take cover behind it. My breath was shaky. My heart was pounding. My eyes couldn't focus on anything more than five feet in front of me. I lifted my trusted magic device and finally managed to access it. After plugging in the password I've memorized instinctively by muscle memory, I tried to access my battle spells.

Modern Magi during my time utilized smartphones as little catalysts for convenient quick casting spells. It was a means created by a hard-working dude in glasses. Kind of like Steve Jobs, but a lot harder and stuff. There was a large transitional period for the existence of magecraft to appear and become normality, but it eventually happened after a dozen years or so. Kids at the age of 10 or so would get their new magic devices and download spells that take up their energy to automatically cast the spell. It was a very convenient world that allowed for quick spell casting for the masses. Except this did me NO FAVORS in this situation.

In horror, as I swiped at my phone, I realized that none of my downloaded spells were available. The techniques and spells I had crafted, bought, and acquired with blood, sweat, and tears were all gone. In their place were only two apps besides the smartphone's regular functions. I didn't even know what they were supposed to be, but I knew for sure they weren't attack spells or mobility spells - the two things that I needed the most at this moment. I tap the power button of my phone and pocket it before running sloppily down the hill. I could still hear the hilichurls coming after me. The sounds of grass shuffling, tree branches breaking, and angry growling continued to tail me throughout my descent.

It didn't take long for the hilichurls to catch up to me. I was much slower and still highly disorientated after all. While I would have preferred to avoid fighting, I was slowly being cornered into a position where I needed to fight. Just as I was trying to organize everything in my mind, an incessant buzzing sound filled my ears. They were much closer to me compared to the hilichurls. Before I could identify what they were, electricity struck my body from the back. A high-pitched yell of pain broke out as I immediately kicked off the ground to dash away regardless of how dizzy I still was. I stumbled down a grassy slope and collapsed. I no longer heard the hilichurls, but the buzzing noise remained in my ears. My legs had probably been bruised many times over, and the previous lightning attack had already taken a lot out of me.

I knew I couldn't stop though. Stopping wasn't a choice that I was willing to make. Heaving my heavy body, I found a wooden structure leaning over the ledge. My eyes scanned the area below and settled for a spot before I threw myself off the ledge to escape my pursuers. Unfortunately, my landing was anything but stylish and heroic as I twisted my body to hit the slant of a blue rooftop tile. My body was carried by gravity and rolled down the roof while taking down several tiles with me. Upon stopping, I hit the solid ground face down after falling off the rooftop. The house itself was broken down and abandoned with the back wall completely in tatters. Needing a place to stop and rest, I crawled in and gathered my breath.

The feeling of dizziness and nausea was starting to lessen now that I was away from where I started on Wuwang Hill. I wasn't too sure what caused that, but considering that the hill was supposed to be full of ghosts, I didn't question whether it took much. The monsters were also a normal occurrence, so if anything, it was just an unlucky isekai moment. Heck, I don't even know why I was transported to Liyue in the first place. Was there something here that was calling for me? Was this premeditated? After some thought, I couldn't think of anything other than some trivial game knowledge. I closed my eyes to gather my thoughts before slowly getting up.

And hit my head on a wooden beam.

Cursing to myself in pain and seven different languages, I looked at my phone once more. This smartphone was a revolutionary device when it was first released and was catered to the common masses. Still, the means to acquire one weren't that easy. Just straightforward. Normally, magi would have to study various formulas and techniques, but the phone was essentially like using a graphing calculator for math. Except it's a lot better. As such, it was highly disappointing that I couldn't just cheese my way through this world of Teyvat. Then again, according to the Unknown God, most of my magecraft wouldn't have worked here in the first place. It's a shame.

Sighing, I looked through the apps on my phone. Besides the usual ones, two new apps had taken the spots of my previous spells. The first was a nameless app featuring the silhouette of the Traveler's head. The second had a unique spell formula akin to the usual summoning circles, but for some reason, it was a lot more different than how I remembered it. Remembering the words of the Unknown God and recognizing that I don't have enough power to even try to summon a Servant in this situation. So, by the good old process of elimination and pure curiosity, I tapped on the first app.

Colt Jager

[Attributes]

Ascension: 0

Level: 1/20

HP: 345/829

MP: 18/50

ATK: 22

DEF: 47

Elemental Mastery: 0

Max Stamina: 50

-Details-

Weapons

Artifacts

Talents

Servants

Inventory

Just like the game, there was a variety of Genshin Impact terminology and know-how sorted out in an organized fashion to visually show my capabilities. As expected, I was not going to be tangoing with those hilichurls and other monsters any time soon with how I was at the moment. Upon clicking the other sections, this realization was even more painfully clear. My only weapon was my smartphone, but it gave me 0 Attack Power and was virtually useless for magecraft besides summoning.

This game is already unfair to me.

Knowing I couldn't do much, I looked around and spotted a treasure chest. It was a wooden crate akin to that of the classic pirate chests. Time had worn down its appearance, but knowing how the game worked, I was confident that something useful might be inside here. With no hesitation, I popped it open and stuck my hands into it hastily. My prize consisted of some oddly fresh carrots, a raw piece of chicken-like thigh, a brown book, some crystals, some golden coins- Mora- and a spear.

Level 1 Beginner's Protector

Rarity: 1 Star

Base ATK: 23

Secondary Stat: None

Ability: None

Well, it was a lot better than having nothing on me. I'll take this over having to fight things with a brick of a spell casting device or my fists any day. Not to mention, I had received training from a great Trojan Hero in the past. While I'm not in shape, I still have the reflexive memories ingrained in my mind and my warrior's soul. If it could be called a warrior's soul in the first place. Still, it wasn't the most ideal situation. Even if I knew the movements, my body doesn't have the exact muscle memory that I can depend on to make the right movements. On top of that, this body is that of a pre-teen who hasn't exactly been working out or anything. Even the spear in my hands right now felt heavy and dwarfed me in height alone.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

I sighed. I didn't know how long it would take for me to get to the nearest town or village. While I could confidently say I could navigate myself around more or less, my little boy legs and paralleled amounts of stamina were rather abysmal for traveling long distances. Frankly, I wasn't even sure if I could get that far. Regardless, the only way to figure out anything was to just do it and see if I could manage. Most of the materials I acquired from opening the chest had disappeared. Knowing how the game works, it most likely went straight into my inventory. My weapon was no longer the useless phone only used to check on my stats and summon Heroes, but instead, it was now a sturdy, pointy stick that I struggle to even wield properly.

Beginner's Protector my ass.

If I wasn't well versed in fighting and knowing my limits, I would have gotten overconfident and ran straight into a fight I had no chance of winning. Being from a crude and straightforward world where one's capabilities defined their future, I was forced to accept reality multiple times. Heroes only live on as myths. If they happen to exist in the present, there was only so much time until they would get themselves killed. Yelling and kicking in frustration doesn't get you anywhere. Only by performing the appropriate actions can you properly advance. Waiting and seeing was also a recipe for disaster leading to a downwards spiral of even more waiting and seeing that ultimately leads to doing nothing at all.

My hands gripped the Beginner's Protector.

I sighed. With a casual attitude, I walked out from underneath the makeshift shelter and tossed the spear. My mind focused on it, and with a shing, the weapon disappeared into my inventory. Seeing how I was able to switch weapon types freely, I felt a lot of liberty and empowerment. The Main Character type vibes to be exact. Albeit, I don't have a proper handle on bows and you wouldn't catch me trying to use a claymore bigger than myself. So that left me with Swords, Spears, and Catalysts. Honestly, it's not too bad. Though, not having a Vision- a device in Genshin Impact given by the Gods to utilize the power of the elements- would definitely hurt in the long run. I did recall the Unknown God saying something about that, but I don't fully remember.

Maybe I'll get lucky one day.

Considering my Gacha Luck though, I wouldn't really count on it.

Guess I should assume I'll be Visionless for a while.

Just as I was ready to set off on the epic journey that was supposed to cement me in history, I encountered something that never should have existed here. A large, robotic entity with a singular beady eye for a head came across my path. My little body hurried to hide behind a tree. My head peeked around the corner cautiously. Yet another potential enemy from the game had appeared before me, and this time, I seriously had to avoid this one.

The Ruin Guard.

Someone at the Hoyoverse Company must have watched too much Gundam because they thought that throwing in giant robotic enemies that can shoot missiles at you would be a good idea. Well, to be fair, I thought they were cool too. A man's romance if you will. However, right now, little ol' me had no means of surviving half a dozen rockets to the face. Even with my nice Main Character vibes, switching my weapon from a pointy stick to a brick of a magecraft device wasn't going to do me any favors.

There was no other choice but to use my secret technique.

Hiding behind the tree once more, I steadied my breathing. In and out. In and out. After I gathered the necessary courage in my mind, I took a quick peek from behind the tree once more. The Ruin Guard was slowly turning around and making its way down the opposite direction. Perfect. With its back turned towards me, I had an optimal advantage in this situation. I pulled myself together as I tightly balled my hands into fists. I took a step forward.

Then, with all my might, I started running away from the Ruin Guard.

NIGERUNDAYO

JAGER!

YOU THOUGHT I WAS AN OP ISEKAI MC

BUT IT WAS I!

COLT JAGER!

At least, that was what I fully intended on doing at first.

A split second right after I started running, the voice of a young girl had just barely reached my ears. She sounded like a complete brat, but it was a cheery and optimistic tone that you really couldn't bring yourself to hate unless you had to hear it every day for the rest of your life. My feet skid to a stop as I turned. The Ruin Guard had stopped moving, and its singular beady eye flashed as it identified and locked onto a new target.

Through the thick forestry past all the trees between myself and the Ruin Guard's path, I was able to spot a little butterfly fluttering around. No, it wasn't an actual butterfly but a kid with long sleeves longer than her arms and brown hair tied up into twin ponytails. Her movements were erratic and spontaneous, yet they were smooth and graceful. I wasn't able to get a clear look at her face, but just her actions alone exuded curiosity and wonder.

As the saying goes though, curiosity kills the cat. I hesitated. I was leaning towards ditching this unknown chick and saving my own ass. However, it was then I felt it. Something was Rising and it was not the Shield Hero. Please leave me alone. I was ready to forget that this incident had ever happened, but for whatever reason, I knew my guilty conscience wouldn't let this go.

The 1% of me that was anything close to being an acceptable human being was screaming to go help the little girl. I don't know which dumbass would follow such a small voice of reason to do something so suicidal with little to no benefits, but surely it wasn't me.

Sadly, it was me.

I sighed and threw up a prayer to my past partner who will probably never remember me, the Trojan Hero, Hector. Sorry bud, but looks like I won't be living a happy and peaceful life. My Hero Boner won't let me ignore this damsel in distress.

Like the wind, my feet carried my half-rested body across Wuwang Hills. Darting between the trees with my breath scarcely slipping through my lips in little bursts, I made my way towards the girl just as the hostile robotic enemy started cocking back its arm for an attack.

"Ohh~ so this is what a Ruin Guard is like!" exclaimed the bratty twin-tailed girl.

Just as I screamed at her to move, the Ruin Guard swung its arm. Its long arm came crashing down towards her from the side, but at the last possible second, it seemed to hit only air. In the place where the little girl's body was, a few golden butterflies fluttered away.

My mind, pumping with adrenaline and nostalgia, instantly recognized who this little daredevil was. Only one character in the game of Genshin Impact moved around like that. Leaving behind butterflies upon each dash, she was one of the most iconic individuals in the game. Hu Tao.

"Oya? Oya oya?"

The brat dared to turn her back on the enemy and moved toward me. With zero hesitation, I manifested the Beginner's Protector into my right hand and threw it with all my might. The Ruin Guard, despite its big frame, easily had two of the most simple weaknesses in the game. One of them was its singular beady eye. Therefore, the moment Hu Tao had turned towards me, the Ruin Guard had also faced my direction. With zero hesitation, I threw the spear as hard as I could towards its eye. That was the plan.

Emphasis on "was the plan."

Was, as in past tense.

I had a lot of things going for me. Firstly, I had a lot more power in me than I had initially thought. I didn't know what constitutes "strength" in Genshin, nor do I know if a person's power directly correlated to just their Attack Stat in real life. However, just feeling the force of the spear throw told me otherwise. Simply put, I was 100% sure that I was stronger than the average human being back in my world. Especially at my age.

Secondly, my past experiences and memories had perfect recollection of my partner's expertise: throwing spears. At my behest (constant begging), I managed to get training from Hector the Great. That gave me a lot more know-how on the techniques. While my current body hadn't been trained for it, the power it surprisingly had was enough to make up for most of the cons. Or at least it was supposed to. Nothing like a natural brute force to solve man's issues.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

I made one slight error though.

The smallest of miscalculations.

It wasn't an issue of aim or strength.

I sure as Hell wasn't aiming for the wrong target.

I knew it wouldn't have missed either.

The problem and the cause for the change of plan were astonishing. Never would I have expected the girl to snatch the spear out of the air. Not only that, but she looked at the thing like it was a toy and merely twirled the spear around. In shock, I stopped moving, but noticing that the Ruin Guard was still locked onto her, I pointed and yelled instinctively.

"Get back!"

"Hmm?" the girl looked confused and tilted her head cutely.

At that moment, the Ruin Guard attacked once more while swinging its arms and spinning its upper body. With an elegant jump, Hu Tao performed a backflip right over the attack. The Ruin Guard spun full circle to swing its arm at her while she was in the air, but with my spear in hand, the brown-haired, butterfly-like girl managed to hit the arm of the robot right when it was about to hit her. With an aerial maneuver and a series of flips, Hu Tao managed to land elegantly by my side. She proceeded to smugly smile at me and gave my spear back.

The twin-tailed girl replied in a relaxed manner saying, "It's just a big hunk you know? It's not that dangerous."

The big hunk then unnaturally twisted its upper half and turned its back on us. Any experienced Genshin player knew what this motion signified. This was the start-up to the Ruin Guard's missile barrage. Frankly, after the first time around, I wasn't worried about this attack- much less any of the other ones. Though, said lack of worry was limited to just the game itself. This wasn't a game. The girl beside me seemed to notice this too as only a single sound came out of her mouth.

"Ah."

Before either of us could do anything, an aura of death engulfed us. The area around Wuwang Hill, which was already dark by default, got even darker. I thought I was hallucinating, but I spotted many black butterflies flying about towards the Ruin Guard. A cold hand tapped my shoulder. I turned to look in surprise, but no one was there. Just as I looked back, I saw an old man with a spear rocking a large hat on his head leaping right at the Ruin Guard. Brandishing his spear with a shining red tip, he pierced the robot straight through its eye from the backside and performed a jump back the moment the rockets from the Ruin Guard shot out.

His spear spun like the blades of a helicopter and moved from side to side as he deflected three of the half dozen or so projectiles to make sure it didn't hit either of the bystanders. His two feet landed almost together on the ground. The old man's posture was that of a master who had trained for seemingly half his life as he spun around his spear. He didn't speak, but he turned around and smiled at the two children before him. With a toss, his weapon disappeared as he patted both my shoulder and Hu Tao's. Despite not uttering a single word, Hu Tao seemed to understand what he was saying and spoke in his steed for him.

"Hey," she started. "Gramps is saying you should come with us to Wangshin Inn for now. It's dangerous out here."

"Oh, okay," I replied absentmindedly.

"What's your name? I'm Hu Tao!"

"Colt Jager."

Communication Skills: 100

Well, we did manage to start a proper conversation from there as we made our way off Wuwang Hill. As we talked, Hu Tao's grandfather quietly lead us down towards Wangshin Inn. That was my first of many interactions with the odd girl, Hu Tao, and her equally unique grandfather.

The way back was long and tedious. My legs felt like bricks, but surprisingly, there weren't many monsters on the way back. When I asked about it while beating around the bush, Hu Tao's grandpa seemed to chuckle. Hu Tao herself looked at me like I was an idiot. According to her, there weren't that many monsters around these parts other than stray hilichurls.

Strange.

That means that the world as I know it may not be as dangerous as I thought. Perhaps it was always this way and the game as I knew it was vastly different given that it was, well, a game. Maybe the main trigger leading to the events of the story had yet to actually happen. There were endless possibilities. As I was thinking quietly about this to myself, I nearly bumped into Hu Tao, who jumped in front of me to get my attention.

She looked a little curious as she nonchalantly poked my head.

"Heyyyy, are you daydreaming? I know I did that a lot when I was younger," Hu Tao told me.

I shook my head and replied.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking about your parents. Are they dead too?"

"Wow, what a direct way of saying it."

The seemingly random and sensitive question caught me off guard. Instinctively, I replied with sarcasm and instantly wanted to take those words back, but instead of seeming offended, Hu Tao seemed to be pleased for some odd reason.

"Right, right?" she started. "Gramps always told me it was one of my good points!"

"I see. It is better to be direct," I replied.

It was a genuine feeling. After all, in my previous world, everyone was a subconscious little prick. Every sentence had a double meaning behind it, and those who missed those social cues and mannerisms were essentially subjected to social isolation. Or in worse cases, public execution. The figurative kind of course.

"To answer your question, I don't have parents here," I told Hu Tao as honestly as possible.

Responding to genuineness with honesty. That was a personal motto I had. Call it pride or hubris, but I felt like if I didn't have a few principles, I would lose my sense of self. The world of magecraft was originally a secretive one full of backstabbers, and as it was publicized to the masses, it became a world of people who stabbed you from the front AND back.

My parents do exist. Though, I don't know what became of them since my reincarnation. Not to mention, even if they were alive in the other world, they're definitely not "here" so to speak. So I responded with that in mind. For better or for worse, Hu Tao was extremely perceptive and asked what I meant by that. I could only tell her that they weren't in this world. To which she looked a little sad for a second and then slapped my back really hard.

"You're just like me then! You're like a little brother!" she exclaimed.

Her cheerfulness was infectious. Even though what she said could have been seen as offensive, I already had a small grasp of what this girl was like. She knew that death was a normal thing and came to terms with the natural order of things long ago. Hu Tao's awareness and acceptance of death were peculiarities that made her stand out as an individual. With that in mind, I responded in kind.

"Little brother? How do you know that I'm not older? You're like 13 yourself right?"

"You seem a little shorter and weaker."

"Hey! You're hurting my manly pride here!"

"Heehee~ grow up a little. Right now, even grandpa is more manly than you."

I couldn't respond. He was cool back there. I don't know if either of them noticed or not, but I was trying to see if he had a Vision on him. To my shock, the old man didn't have one. Meaning he was able to accomplish that through his efforts and techniques. While I won't say that using a Vision takes no skill, it certainly does provide an immense amount of combat potential still.

"Ah! Gramps is laughing! You need to eat more and grow up, Colt!"

"If I eat more and grow taller than you, I'll be promoted to older brother then right?"

"No way."

"Where's the fairness in this?!"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

For once, I was enjoying myself. No big fights out of the blue, no one is trying to pick a fight with me, and lastly, no fights that I need to drag myself into. My Hero Boner had calmed down ages ago as I got along with Hu Tao the way family siblings did. It was an enjoyable interaction that I was glad to have as the three of us made our way to the inn.

Frankly speaking, it wasn't like I had a bad life before. It was just that it was exhausting. While my parents in the previous world were generous, respectful, and understanding, there was a weird pressure of needing to fulfill expectations and not trouble them.

I wasn't bullied at school at first because I was conscious of social cues, but I wasn't surrounded by droves of friends either. If anything, by the time I started actively learning magecraft, everyone became each other's enemy or rival instead.

Seclusive, doing their research independently, struggling to get through classes - it was a stressful and gray lifestyle.

I was able to put that behind me this time though. In no time at all, we arrived at the inn. It was visible from a distance due to how huge it was, but being there in the flesh was a unique experience.

The wooden platforms leading up to the open-aired eatery and the majestic elevator that operated based on the amazing waterwheel in the back through pure technical skill and wood were something to behold.

I looked like a newborn chick as I craned my neck and looked upwards at the inn. Hu Tao and her grandfather seemed to get a kick out of it though. With his expert adult skills, Hu Tao's grandfather booked a room for the day and got us lunch at that too.

It was still a few hours until lunch, so after receiving a quick check-up from the respected elder, I was ready to head out to play. Hu Tao was also ready to tag along, but instead, her grandfather handed her a massive book. I didn't know what it said at first, but thanks to me tactfully switching to my phone on the fly, I was able to catch two words: Funeral Rites.

I couldn't get a good glimpse at it though.

"I don't want to study!" Hu Tao exclaimed.

Her grandfather shook his head solemnly.

Tears formed in her eyes as she begrudgingly grabbed the book.

"Fine!" she answered. "I'll read it again!"

I had forgotten that Hu Tao was still a teenager. Barely one at that. It's only normal that she would not like studying over playing with her newfound younger brother or friend. Well, I still don't know if she was joking about the younger brother thing or not. I glanced at her grandpa and gave an awkward smile while scratching the back of my head. He seemed to notice my awkwardness and only gave a small smile in response before wandering off.

I wouldn't call myself an expert on reading people, but I felt that the smile he gave was a sad one. It was then that I remembered a bit of Genshin Impact lore. According to Hu Tao's character profile, her parents were absent from her early life. She would carry on and become the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor at a very young age with her own grandfather's funeral as her first job she was fully responsible.

Hu Tao was roughly around 13, but she seemed so lively that I had nearly forgotten about it. Not only that, but a part of me had been projecting my interpretations of the character in the game onto the younger girl.

It was something I should have noticed early on, but Hu Tao had effectively managed to skirt around and avoid it with grace. Even if she was accepting of death, it didn't mean she was okay with seeing the people around her leave.

Not to mention, her concerns also came with what came after death.

I wanted to slap myself for making such a child-like mistake. As a mentally 20-year-old individual who had experienced much more in the world, I should have taken these matters into account. With these new realizations, I ran off towards the room that Hu Tao's grandfather had booked for us. I was worried for this girl. Perhaps she was frailer than I thought.

Some part of me knew that I couldn't really console her or anything. Heck, I wasn't a "people" person to begin with. Just that there was an uncomfortable part of me that didn't want to leave her alone. If possible, I wanted to lessen the burden and share it even if it's only a little bit. With that in mind, I opened the door.

It was still in the middle of the morning.

The rays of light shone past the curtain and through the geometric sash windows. With each step I took, the wooden floor creaked slightly from my weight. A brown-haired girl was sprawled out on the floor, listlessly looking up at the ceiling. Her glistening eyes shine like crimson jewels. Upon noticing my presence, she turned towards me. Her finger went to her lips as she gave an expression of curiosity.

I was caught in a trance. At some point, I nearly forgot how to breathe. The competent part of me continued to over-analyze the situation in real-time. Judging from the open book on one of the beds, it looked like she did look over it a bit. Glancing back at Hu Tao's face, I knew she hadn't been crying. However, I could guess that she still had a lot of thoughts going on inside her head.

From the floor, Hu Tao smiled brightly at me.

"Hmm? Did you miss your older sister?" she asked in jest. "It was only a few minutes~"

I felt happy yet saddened. Her smile wasn't a genuine one. Just something to put on for show out of necessity. I couldn't tell if she was smiling for my sake or hers. Frankly, I wasn't able to read it. It was a poker face. Not knowing what to do, I followed my instincts and quietly laid down beside her. Only silence filled the room as Hu Tao herself had no idea what I was up to. Well, I didn't know either. I just wanted to make sure she wasn't alone.

Time went on slowly as we both idled away on the floor right by each other.

It was then that Hu Tao slowly spilled. Her parents went away on a business trip when she was young and hadn't returned since. Her grandfather took their place and raised Hu Tao on his own while managing the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. It didn't take Hu Tao long to realize that her grandfather was getting her ready to inherit the business, but reality hadn't hit her until just recently. All life was equal in death, and her grandfather was no different.

The first and final assignment her grandfather had given her was to perform his final rites.

Emptiness filled her chest, but Hu Tao continued to smile brightly for her grandfather. She respected the dead and worked hard to help them move on. She learned everything she could to make sure her grandfather could move on to the next life in peace. The amount of effort Hu Tao put into this work was insurmountable for even adults. Especially considering her age. However, her heart was still wavering. She didn't know if she could send off her grandfather with a smile.

The words she spoke started strong, but they wavered more as she talked.

Like a butterfly in the storm, she was lost and carried away by the winds. Her wings could only flap desperately to keep her afloat, but each time she did so, she grew more tired. What Hu Tao needed the most was time. That was the one thing she was lacking the most though. As I listened, I felt something awaken in me. With my knowledge of Genshin Impact and my past life, maybe I could do something for Hu Tao.

No, it was a purely selfish desire.

I wanted to see this girl smile for real. To do that, I needed to save her grandfather. At the time, I didn't realize that being reincarnated as a younger boy led to the influence of hormones stemming from that. My thoughts were slightly eroded by naivete and hope. Whether this was a good thing or not was another story, but I wouldn't realize what the influence of being a younger boy again would have on me at this moment.

"It's okay, just do what you can," I gently said to her. I didn't look at her, nor did I reach out to her. With resolution, I solemnly told her, "I'll find a way for your grandpa to live a little longer until you're ready."

"You can do that?" Hu Tao questioned.

I didn't know what expression she was making, but from the sound of her voice, I could tell that there was a spark of hope in her. My confidence grew as I slowly constructed a plan to let Hu Tao's grandfather live for at least another 5 years. One of the biggest factors here was going to be my knowledge of magecraft. Somehow, I felt like things would work out. Thus, I made a promise.

"He'll be around until you grow up," I answered reassuredly.

It was then that I felt something drop onto me. A small girl with a ton of energy had sprawled across my stomach and chest. Her laughter was positively infectious, but it felt like there was some tone of relief in her voice.

I could easily feel her shoulders shaking as she laughed in glee. A part of me was determined to see it through for this girl, but in the end, I wasn't ready for the tribulations to come. Instead of thinking about that though, Hu Tao's resolute statement had me enamored.

"In that case," Hu Tao spoke cheerily. "I'll become the next Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor while grandpa is alive! I'll be counting on you, Colt!"

My heart skipped a beat. It was the first time she said my name out loud. Blood rushed up to my face. Was this embarrassment? Happiness? At the time, it was a foreign feeling to me, but it was one of the signs that I was definitely a 12 or so year-old boy right now.

It was also a flag that I should have been much more careful. Regardless, the warmth I felt from Hu Tao set a new goal for me to handle. I was never the popular kid, nor was I really bullied. I had a decent life before, and right now, I wanted to be the one to make her life better.