Henry didn't waste time the next morning, because the moment he stepped into the empty shop near Wanmin Restaurant and looked at the bare wooden interior, he could already see what it was going to become, and more importantly, what it needed before that could happen.
The location was perfect—people constantly passed by, drawn in by the restaurant, while the nearby exit ensured a steady flow of travelers coming and going, which meant visibility, curiosity, and eventually demand; everything lined up in a way that didn't happen often.
But a good location alone didn't run a business. Henry needed structure, and that meant people.
So he stepped back outside, wrote up a proper notice, and put it where it would actually be seen—a ledger keeper cum shop manager, someone who could handle accounts, manage inventory, and keep things running when he wasn't around, because there was no way he planned to stay tied to one shop when expansion was already on his mind.
Once he was done drafting the notice, he headed to the Adventurer's Guild and handed it over to Katheryne.
With that taken care of, Henry turned and made his way toward his new shop.
That was when he noticed her.
A girl stood slightly off to the side of the street, not quite part of the crowd and not entirely separate from it either, her attention shifting from one direction to another as if she was trying to decide where to go but couldn't settle on anything.
Henry slowed, then walked over.
"Hey! You there. Are you looking for work?" he asked.
She blinked, clearly caught off guard, before nodding a bit too quickly. "Y-Yes… I just arrived in Liyue, and I was hoping to find something."
Henry studied her for a moment and after a second, he made his decision.
"Good," he said. "Then you can start with me."
She blinked again, slower this time. "…Start… what?"
"I need a mechanic," Henry said, keeping it simple while watching confusion immediately appear on her face. "Someone who'll learn how to handle, maintain, and repair what I'm selling."
"…Repair what?" she asked, clearly not following.
Henry let out a small breath, somewhere between amused and expectant. "You'll see. What matters is whether you're willing to learn."
"I am," she answered quickly, almost too quickly, but there was no hesitation behind it.
"Then you're hired."
This time, the silence stretched a bit longer, because she clearly hadn't expected things to move this fast.
"You haven't even asked my name…"
"Then tell me."
"Atsuko," she said.
"Atsuko. Hmm… this name sounds familiar."
"Henry," he replied, and just like that, the decision settled into place.
"I'll train you," he added, already turning slightly as if the matter was decided. "You won't know what a bike is yet, but by the time I'm done, you'll be fixing one blindfolded."
"…Bike?" she repeated quietly.
Henry just smiled. "You'll learn."
—
By the time he stepped back out into the main streets later, the shop already felt less like an empty space and more like something in progress, and with Atsuko set to start soon and the manager position waiting for the right candidate, things were moving exactly how he wanted.
Which was when he ran into someone familiar.
"Miss Ganyu."
She turned at the sound of her name, recognition coming almost immediately, though the documents in her hands suggested she had been in the middle of something important.
"Mr. Henry," she greeted, her tone polite but not distant.
"Are you busy?" he asked, not bothering to overcomplicate it.
She paused, thinking for a moment before answering, "…Not at the moment."
"Good," he said. "Please show me more of Liyue. Beidou did not show me around much."
That caught her slightly off guard, because while requests weren't unusual, this one didn't come with any formal context or obligation.
"…A tour?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied easily. "You know the place better than anyone, and I'd rather hear it from you than some guide repeating the same lines."
She looked at him for a second, then gave a small nod, and just like that, the decision was made.
"…Alright."
They walked together through the city, and while Ganyu started by explaining things out of habit routes, important locations the conversation gradually shifted into something less structured, because Henry didn't treat it like a formal tour, and without realizing it, she stopped sounding like she was reciting information and started speaking in an informal way.
"You don't do this often, do you?" he asked after a while.
"…Do what?"
"Take time for yourself," he said, glancing at her briefly. "Walk around without it being about work."
She looked ahead for a moment before answering, "…No."
After a bit, Henry spoke again.
"Want to try something new?"
That got her attention immediately.
"…What do you mean?"
"The thing I'm bringing to Liyue," he said. "Figured you might as well see it before everyone else does."
She hesitated, curiosity already winning over caution. "…Alright."
They moved outside the city, where the crowded streets gave way to open plains, and the air felt lighter without the constant noise of trade and movement pressing in from all sides.
Henry brought out the bike.
Ganyu stared at it, stepping closer as her eyes moved over its structure, trying to understand it.
"How does this work?"
"I'll show you."
Instead of explaining, he demonstrated, riding it just enough to make the point clear without turning it into a spectacle, and when he stopped, the way she looked at it had already changed.
"…It's fast," she said.
"Yeah," he replied.
There was a short pause before she asked, more quietly this time, "…Can I try?"
Henry smiled. "That's why I brought it."
She got on carefully, but the moment she tried to move, the bike wobbled under her, and she stiffened immediately.
"It's moving too much—"
"You're tensing up," Henry said, stepping closer. "Relax on the handles a bit."
"I am-" she stopped as the bike tilted again, her balance slipping just enough to make her panic. "…I'm going to FALL."
She looked at him almost immediately.
"Please help me, Mr Henry"
Henry moved behind her without hesitation, one hand steadying the seat.
"I've got it.Relax."
She exhaled quietly, shoulders easing just a little.
With him holding the bike, she tried again. The movement was slow and uneven, her control still shaky, but this time she didn't stop right away. The wobble was still there, though now it was contained, corrected each time it leaned too far.
"…This is harder than it looks," she admitted after a few seconds.
"Yeah," Henry said. "But you're doing fine."
She didn't answer, focusing instead on keeping the bike straight, though even with his support, she never quite found her balance.
After a short while, she slowed and came to a stop, still gripping the handle tighter than needed.
"…I can't do it on my own yet," she said.
"I didn't expect you to. No one can learn on their first attempt" Henry replied.
There was a brief pause before she added, smiling.
"I enjoyed riding it."
Henry leaned slightly closer, still holding the bike steady.
"You should smile more," he said. "It suits you."
"…What?"
The reaction was immediate, a faint blush appearing before she could hide it, her grip tightening again for a second as she avoided looking at him.
"I-That's-"
She tried to regain her composure, but her mind still lingered on Henry's words.
No one had ever approached her like that, let alone directly compliment her—whether it was her smile or anything else. She had never paid attention to things like finding a partner, and most people wouldn't have dared anyway, not when she was the general secretary of the Liyue Qixing.
---
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