Genshin Impact Simulation: Starting with Melsin's Friend

After the minor incident, the rest of the time passed uneventfully amidst a somewhat boring stroll.

As evening approached, the hunters returned triumphantly with their spoils—a large wild boar.

As dusk fell, wisps of milky-white smoke rose from the burning fruitwood, disappearing among the rising stars.

The wild boars that were once enormous have now become rows of sizzling steaks on the grill, their fat dripping into the fire with a delightful crackling sound.

"Diona, be good, wait a little longer."

Mu Feng gently tugged at the kitten that was peeking out towards the fire, to prevent the flying sparks from burning her hair.

The cat-eared girl obediently responded, then reluctantly glanced back at the roasting meat turning on the wooden rack, swallowed hard, and then nestled softly back into Mu Feng's arms.

But not long after, her stomach started to protest.

"……Hungry."

Little Diona uttered a pitiful syllable, her lake-green eyes glistening with tears, her ears drooping limply.

At this point, even the marble used to build Mondstadt's walls should have been tempted to give way, and of course, Mu Feng was no exception.

He thought for a moment and took out an oil paper bag from his backpack.

This was something I picked up while buying spicy dried fish for Barbara from a passing Liyue merchant. He thought to himself that the pink-haired kitten would definitely love this treat.

The rich aroma of the dried anchovies instantly caught Diona's attention, and she temporarily stopped thinking about the steaks on the grill.

The kitten, whose milk teeth had just come in, was still struggling a bit with the dried fish, but that didn't stop her from happily taking small bites.

Mu Feng gently stroked her ear while patiently wiping away the drool that was dripping from the corner of Diona's mouth.

You see, this will be a topic of conversation in the future, Diona as a child...

Ahem, I can't think about this anymore. If the kitten in my arms knew, it would definitely scratch him.

The waiting time was always tedious; the aroma of spices irresistibly lured every passing guest, but what they were always met with Mrs. Block's indifferent reply.

"It's not time yet. If you don't want to eat raw meat with blood on it, you'd better wait a little longer."

Meanwhile, Dulaf was busy greeting the guests coming and going. As the leader of the hunters, he had quite a few people visiting today.

To exaggerate a bit, most of the hunters in Qingquan Town were present, chatting and laughing in small groups.

The conversation naturally revolved around hunting, ranging from tricking flower slimes to wild boars frozen for thousands of years by the Cryo Tree—all popular topics among hunters.

The knight Morse, who was on leave, was also there, which slightly lessened Mu Feng's earlier unease.

Perhaps he's just being a little paranoid.

As the conversation got more lively, drinks were inevitably involved.

Before the pork on the grill could even be served, the clinking of glasses and bottles was already echoing all around.

After finishing the dried fish, Diona stretched lazily and listlessly fiddled with the birthday present she had just received on her wrist, completely oblivious to being the birthday girl.

Rather, she doesn't quite understand the meaning of birthdays.

Well, besides having more guests and wild boar meat that we don't usually get to eat, there are also many sparkly little gifts.

The crystal-carved cat pendant refracted a colorful luster under the firelight. She held it up enthusiastically for the person behind her to see, and then received a gentle pat on the head in return.

Diona didn't seem to mind much, or rather, judging from the kitten's soft purring, she seemed quite happy.

This made the other hunters nearby extremely envious, since it's not common to see someone who can hold little Diona and touch her ears without getting caught.

Katzrein isn't a cat, but then again, who wouldn't love the adorable little Diona?

Unfortunately, most of the time, the kittens are very wary of them, or rather, they keep a respectful distance.

Faced with a crowd of envious gazes, Mu Feng was speechless.

First, I suggest you all look for the reasons within yourselves. The smell of alcohol on you is so strong that even the spices on roasted wild boar can't mask it. It would be strange if Diona liked to be near you.

However, getting these guys to quit drinking will probably be even more difficult than getting all of Lawrence's group except for Yura to have a change of heart tomorrow.

"Hey, it's a good thing little Diona likes you, otherwise I'd be worried about who to find to help take care of her."

At this moment, Dulaf, who had been busy all day, finally had some free time and patted Mufeng on the shoulder with a cheerful smile.

"The biggest piece of wild boar meat will definitely be yours later."

The hunter chieftain patted his chest and made a heartfelt promise, but Mu Feng was busy pushing his greasy hand off his shoulder, while also adding a casual reminder:

"Uncle Dulav, today is little Diona's birthday. Don't get drunk like last time."

This displeased Dulaf, who glared at him with a huff.

"Nonsense! Last time, that was... that little brat Allen set me up with strong dandelion liquor."

"Otherwise, I could drink ten more bottles without any problem!"

Mu Feng revealed his classic crescent-shaped eyes expression. Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Dulav snorted and simply dropped the topic, turning to tease little Diona instead.

However, the kitten turned and hugged Mu Feng's neck, uttering a few muffled syllables in its babyish voice.

"...Meow~, alcohol, it smells bad, I don't like it."

Dulav's hand froze in mid-air, and he scratched his head awkwardly.

Does he smell strongly of alcohol?

Mu Feng nodded solemnly, while trying his best to recall sad memories to keep himself from laughing out loud.

He was professionally trained; he forgot the beginning and the end, but all he could do was go back and secretly laugh to himself.

The draft from his sweet little darling hurt Dulaf deeply. What was going on with this sudden cold snap in early spring?

It was at this moment that Brock, who was in charge of grilling the meat, announced that the main course was successfully completed, which relieved the hunter chief from his predicament.

By this time, it was completely dark.

The aroma of roasted meat mingled with the scent of cider, and the atmosphere gradually warmed up as the campfire was lit.

Since all the hunters present were ruthlessly turned away by Diona because of the smell of alcohol on them, the responsibility of taking care of the kitten once again fell on Mu Feng's shoulders.

Happy birthday, little Diona.

Holding the birthday boy and blowing out the candles, the party began amidst the hunters' off-key birthday song.

No one noticed that one of them quietly left the banquet venue and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

……