𝐈'𝐌 𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐈'𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐋! | genshin impact

Birthday Special: Acer Palmatum

Kazuha opened his eyes to find himself in a completely new and strange environment. As he looked around, he saw trees that weren't native to Inazuma and Liyue, and buildings of unfamiliar architecture. He blinked, confused as to how he arrived here in the first place. He was standing by a wide road that had motorcycles, cars and trucks driving past him- Wait, how did he even know the names of these moving metal mounts?

Kazuha pressed a palm against his forehead, and that was when he made another discovery. These aren't his clothes. Looking down, he examined himself and saw that his haori, kimono and hakama had been replaced with a long black coat, a maroon turtleneck sweater and a pair of black trousers. He was also wearing fingerless maroon gloves and black lace up boots. Feeling something on his face, he lowered his hand and touched a pair of square-framed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. The moment he took them off, his vision became blurry which prompted him to wear the glasses again.

... Now hold on a second, why does his hair feel loose? Kazuha quickly ruffled his tresses and realised that his usual side ponytail was missing and that his hair was much shorter than before.

'What's going on?' he thought, knitting his eyebrows together. It's as if he became a completely different person - but why does everything around him feel familiar yet foreign at the same time?

"Kazuha! Sorry to keep you waiting, I overslept!" a familiar voice called out. Eyes widening, he turned around to see (y/n) running towards him, wearing clothes that he had never seen on her before. She donned a grey sleeveless dress that stops just above her knees over a black turtleneck shirt and tights. Her footfalls were accompanied by the soft clacks of her short black heels, and a silver watch on her left wrist glinted under the sunlight.

(Y/n) beamed when she stopped right in front of him and then linked their arms together. "Let's go. We're gonna be late for class." As she began to pull him along, he stumbled after her, his mind still in disarray from the inexplicable turn of events. What happened to him? Where, when, how-

"(Y/n)-chan, where are we?" Kazuha asked, unable to hide the distress in his tone, "This isn't Inazuma, yet you seem to have adjusted well." His words made her halt in her tracks and she spun around to face him with a look of surprise.

"Huh? Did you fall off your bed when you woke up this morning? We're in Egham," she replied, cocking her head slightly to one side.

Now it was his turn to be surprised. "Egham? Where's that?"

"Jeez, you need to work on your jokes," she said with a laugh, "Egham is a university town in England! You know, in the United Kingdom? Did you somehow forget that you're an undergraduate student at Royal Holloway? You must have stayed up playing Genshin Impact last night because of the 2.0 update."

University town? England? United Kingdom? Undergraduate student? Royal Holloway? And what on Teyvat is Genshin Impact? Kazuha's head was spinning from all these new names.

(Y/n) clapped his back. "Wakey wakey, mister! I know you're not a morning person, but you can't skip your classes today!"

"C-classes?" he repeated with a stammer. She gave him a deadpan expression.

"Don't tell me you forgot your modules this term," she muttered as she reached into his back pocket to pull out his smartphone. He immediately stiffened when he felt her fingers brush against his bottom, but she appeared to be unfazed by her own action. Once she got his phone, she unlocked it and searched for his timetable before showing it to him. "Here. The rooms where your classes are held are clearly indicated too."

Kazuha felt as if someone else's memories were intruding his mind when he stared at the glowing screen in front of him. Suddenly, his discomfort of being in an unfamiliar world wholly dissipated, leaving behind the warmth one would feel in the presence of someone they hold dear. He then focused on a certain name on top of his schedule for this week.

Kazuha Sumeragi.

Is that his name here?

"Oh, thanks," he said as (y/n) returned his phone to him. When the pair entered the campus of their university, (y/n) pointed at a four story building to their right.

"In case you've forgotten, the International Relations department is in there. I belong to the Criminology department, so I'm in a different building," she told him.

He nodded. "Alright."

Smiling at her best friend, she gently patted his shoulder and then parted ways with him. "I'll see you later!"

He silently watched her leave, and once she was out of sight he opened the camera app on his phone and flipped it to the front camera. His physical appearance in this world was identical to his appearance in Inazuma, save for the fact that his ponytail is gone and his eyes are dark brown instead of red. With a muted sigh, he locked his phone before slipping it inside his back pocket.

This is so weird...

❀

Whatever had been taught during his classes did not stick in Kazuha's head. Although Sumeragi's memories did help him understand the lectures a little bit, he still struggled to comprehend the mind-boggling topics. Kazuha Sumeragi was supposed to be a smart student, but Kaedehara Kazuha certainly did not feel that way today.

"You've been staring off into space for a while now. Are you daydreaming about your fanfictions again?"

(Y/n)'s voice snapped him back to reality, and he quickly lifted his gaze to meet her eyes. The two friends were sitting across each other at a table in the bubble tea cafe on their campus.

"I write fanfictions?" he asked, puzzled; he didn't recall Sumeragi having such a hobby.

"No, but you read a lot of 'em," she replied before sipping her bubble tea, "Anyway, as I was saying. Let's go to London and have lunch at Shibuya the day after tomorrow. The ramen and bingsu there are delicious, and I'm sure you'll love them." She flashed him a grin. "Since it's going to be your birthday on that day, it'll be my treat."

Kazuha blinked as his mouth formed a small o. He then nodded and mirrored her expression. "Sure. I can't say no to a free meal after all."

"It's a good thing we both have no classes on your birthday," she commented with a giggle. Finishing their drinks, Kazuha and (y/n) then left the cafe and began walking home together. She reached out to link her arm with his like this morning before laying her head on his shoulder, prompting him to glance at her with a soft smile on his lips.

Even though everything is still somewhat strange to him, living a peaceful life like this with (y/n) isn't a bad thing.

She looked happy, and that was all that mattered to him.

The next day, Kazuha woke up late for his afternoon classes. Sumeragi had a messed up sleeping schedule, which Kazuha had completely forgotten about. He scrambled around his room to get ready and once he was all set, he left for his campus. On his way to Royal Holloway, he spotted a familiar (h/c)-haired woman crossing the road. Recognising her as (y/n), he raised an arm and was about to call her name when he saw a truck heading straight towards her. His pupils dilated.

Before he could yell a warning, (y/n) was hit.

She was left bleeding on the road.

Her body wasn't moving at all.

The shock he felt after witnessing a truck smash into his best friend made him freeze in place. His throat suddenly felt dry, and he found it hard to breathe as the airways in his lungs constricted painfully.

(Y/n) is...

Kazuha awoke with a loud gasp as his eyelids flew open. He then saw (y/n) staring down at him with wide eyes, his arm extended towards her face as if he was about to cup her cheek. The two of them were outside, and he had been resting his head on her lap. She blinked, noticing his horrified expression.

"Bad dream?" she asked, offering him a comforting smile, "Happy birthday by the way. The fish you grilled earlier tastes good." Tears of utter relief pricked the corners of his eyes when he realised that it was all just a dream and that (y/n) was still alive.

Sniffling, he draped his arms over his eyes and quietly replied, "Thanks... and yeah, something like that."