Kael's expression froze when he heard Amber's words.
They'd been married once. Had a child.
If that wasn't a close relationship, what was?
But judging by Amber's current state, she clearly didn't remember that past.
Only her emotions had been affected.
And Kael had no intention of admitting they'd ever met.
Marriage in the simulation was one thing—this was reality.
This was his first time actually meeting Amber.
At most, he had a little fondness for the girl.
But that was nowhere near the point of getting emotionally chained down.
"Miss, I'm quite certain we've never met before. And honestly, this kind of pick-up line's a little outdated, don't you think?"
"I… I'm not trying to hit on you… what I said is real!"
Amber burst into sobs. "I know I sound crazy! I don't even understand what's happening to me… but please believe me…
My feelings are real… Please believe me…"
She couldn't explain it, couldn't even put it into words—just repeated herself over and over, desperately begging for him to trust her.
Watching her cry so hard she was practically gasping for air, Kael couldn't help but soften.
"…Ah, fine. Don't cry. I believe you. I believe your feelings are real."
Seeing such a cute girl cry her heart out—
This is all the system's fault!
Kael cursed it out internally.
What the hell was wrong with the simulation system?!
How was what happened in there bleeding into real life?!
You heartless hunk of code!
"Mr. Kael, here's the money for the three boars—"
Sara's voice came from the side. "—Huh? Amber? You're here too? What's going on? Why are you crying?"
Lifesaver!
Kael quickly grabbed the Mora, scooped up the remaining three boars, and made his getaway.
"Thanks for the business, Miss Sara! I gotta run!"
"Oh—uh, sure."
He ran all the way to Angel's Share, Mondstadt's tavern, as fast as he could.
He just needed to sell the other three boars, then leave Mondstadt ASAP.
Originally, he was planning to stay in the city for a while.
But after what just happened? Nope. Time to bail.
Until he figured out what was going on with the system, it was better to keep some distance from Amber—
Or risk accidentally triggering her feelings even more.
Kael dropped the boars down outside the tavern, catching his breath.
But just moments later…
He saw Amber gliding straight toward him on her wind glider.
She landed right in front of him, folding the glider away without saying a word.
"..."
Kael looked at her expressionlessly.
Amber pressed her lips together, her gaze firm but silent.
"Miss, I just got to Mondstadt. I really need Mora.
Would you mind not interfering with my business?"
"My name is Amber."
"Huh? What?"
Amber looked him dead in the eye. "You can call me Amber. Don't call me 'Miss' again."
It sounded too distant. Too cold.
Kael sighed in resignation. "Alright, Amber. I'm trying to run my business here.
Can you please stop following me?"
But Amber acted like she hadn't heard him at all.
"You're Kael, right? Well, now that we know each other's names… that means we've met.
So now we're friends. And you can't just chase a friend away."
What kind of bandit logic is that?!
Kael opened his mouth to argue, but when he saw Amber's clenched fists and the way she looked like she was about to cry again…
He sighed deeply.
"Fine. You wanna follow me? Follow me."
Amber's eyes lit up with a genuine smile. "Mm!"
It was the afternoon now, and Angel's Share hadn't hit peak hours yet.
But walking into a tavern with three giant dead boars wasn't exactly subtle.
"Amber, can you watch the boars for me? I'll go in and ask if they're buying."
Kael turned to head inside—
But felt a tug at the hem of his shirt.
Looking down, he saw a small, fair hand clutching his coat tightly, so hard the fabric had wrinkled.
Amber looked up at him, anxious. "You're not gonna leave me out here and sneak out the back, right?"
...Guess his earlier escape really traumatized her.
Kael gave her a helpless smile. "Relax. I'll be right back."
Only then did Amber let go.
"Okay. But hurry back! I'll be waiting right here!"