The Cat's Tail.
This place was completely different from the Angel's Share.
Over at Diluc's tavern, there were only heavy drinkers guzzling booze and people passed out cold, snoring away.
Here, it was much quieter.
The moment they stepped inside, they were surrounded by a few cats, whose adorable little meows were endearing indeed. Scattered across a handful of tables, customers sipped their special cocktails while playing Genius Invokation TCG.
Eula was clearly a regular here, so she made her way to the bar with practiced ease.
There, a little girl with cat ears was shaking a cocktail shaker with an utterly displeased look on her face.
A customer beside her wore a fawning expression, while the cat-eared little loli looked positively angry.
"No refills! These drinks aren't tasty at all!"
"You bunch of drunkards! Go home, all of you!"
Faced with such a rude reply, the surrounding customers weren't the least bit offended. On the contrary, they all nodded along, taking no issue with it.
"Diona, make me two specials!" Eula pulled out a pouch of Mora and set it on the counter.
Diona huffed indignantly, "No! No specials! There are no more specials today! None! At! All!... Huh? Big Sis Eula?"
She'd been about to grumble a few more words, but then she suddenly realized it was Eula speaking.
Though she loathed and detested every last drunkard, Eula was the one exception—she could never bring herself to dislike her.
She knew that Eula had a terrible reputation out there. Even though she was an exceptional knight who fought to protect everyone,
just because Eula's ancestors were members of the Lawrence Clan, she was subjected to all sorts of cold glares and discriminatory treatment.
Even Diona couldn't stand to watch it.
On top of that, she'd learned from some of the tavern patrons that Eula was often ostracized at other taverns.
Especially when the drunks lost themselves in their stupor, they'd hurl a barrage of verbal abuse at Eula.
Out of sympathy for Eula, Diona had tacitly agreed to make her tasty drinks.
She hoped Eula could find a moment's peace at the Cat's Tail.
And so, upon seeing that it was Eula, she immediately changed her attitude.
"I—I understand..."
After accepting the Mora, Diona picked up the shaker, but then she suddenly froze. "Two glasses...?"
She lifted her head, her heart full of confusion.
Every time Eula came to drink, she came alone—she had never once brought a companion along.
Moreover, although the Cat's Tail was quiet, there were still people who held prejudices against Eula.
So there was almost never anyone willing to drink or play cards with Eula.
Yet this time, she'd ordered two drinks in one go!
She looked past Eula, and behind her she saw Ye Xi, holding a cat and stroking it.
"Big Sis Eula, is he your... friend?!"
Eula nodded.
A trace of astonishment appeared on Diona's face, and her heart filled with happiness for Eula.
At last, someone was willing to come drink with Eula!
"Big Sis Eula, that's wonderful! You've finally made a friend!"
"Eh—?!"
Eula went blank for a moment, then flushed red. "How rude! I'll have you know I have several friends already!"
"I'm keeping score of this grudge!"
Diona giggled, then began focusing intently on mixing the drinks.
At this point, Ye Xi set the cat down and came over to the bar.
Eula introduced him, "Ye Xi, this is our Cat's Tail bartender, little Diona!"
"It's Diona! Diona Kätzlein—no 'little' about it!" Diona corrected him grumpily, then added, "Since you're willing to keep Big Sis Eula company for a drink, I'll make you a tasty special this once!"
"...But—but let me say this first: if you turn out to be a drunkard, I won't keep mixing drinks for you!"
"Yes, yes, yes, I understand."
Ye Xi nodded with a hurried smile.
In truth, he'd long wanted to come see this Mondstadt cat.
Those tiny little ears—just looking at them made him want to give them a good rub!
With that thought, he leaned in a little closer and asked, "Diona, may I touch your ears?"
"Eh! N-no, you may not!"
Diona snorted and crossed her arms, looking thoroughly unwilling.
Eula burst out laughing. "Ye Xi, I'd advise you to give up on that idea."
"Diona's ears and tail aren't something you can just touch whenever you please."
Hearing this, Ye Xi smiled and said, "Others may not be able to, but for me—that's not necessarily so."
"Diona, would you like some fish?"
"Fiiish—!"
The instant she heard that word, Diona's eyes lit up, sparkling brightly.
But it lasted only a moment before she came to her senses. "Hmph! You—you're trying to bribe me with fish! It won't work!"
"Then... how about canned fish?"
As he spoke, Ye Xi pulled a can of fish from his portable space.
He knew Diona had a particular fondness for this kind of snack.
Normally she couldn't bear to eat it.
Just like an ordinary cat, canned food and little dried fish were her favorites.
The moment she saw the canned fish, Diona's eyes went straight, and she couldn't help but swallow.
"N-no... I can't..."
"You can't?"
Hearing that voice, so faint it seemed it might dissolve into the wind at any moment, Ye Xi pulled out a whole heap of cans in one go and stacked them into a little mountain on the bar.
"Wowaa—!"
Diona's eyes went wide. The little mountain before her seemed like a beautiful dream!
If she could eat this many cans of fish, how happy she'd be!
Just thinking about it made her mouth water!
"Is this enough now?"
"Just let me touch your ears, and all these cans are yours."
"The fish in these cans isn't ordinary fish—it's adeptal fish, raised in the Adepti's abodes in Liyue!"
"They absorb Adeptal Energy every day, so they taste especially good. Are you really not going to try some?"
Ye Xi coaxed her along, step by step.
Eula recalled the matter of the Serenitea Pot.
Not long ago, Dehya and the others had caught a great many fish and raised them by the seaside.
So she chimed in to vouch, "This is indeed true. These fish really do live in the Adepti's abodes—I saw it with my own eyes."
"Adept... adeptal fish!"
Diona could no longer hold back.
The fish she usually ate were all caught out in Mondstadt's wilds.
In all her life, she had never once eaten adeptal fish!
"I—I understand! But you can only touch them for a teeny bit, okay!"
Ye Xi glanced at Eula, looking a little smug, then reached out and stroked Diona's little head.
Eula was stunned.
"You actually got to touch them! Amazing!"
She never imagined that Ye Xi would cater to Diona's tastes and prepare canned fish in advance!
After all, what cat could ever refuse canned fish?
Diona opened a can of fish and was instantly moved to tears by the craving.
"Wowaa! Wh-what a delicious smell!"
The aroma wafting from that can immediately drew in every cat in the entire Cat's Tail.
For a moment, the sound of meowing was endless.
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