The Adventures of a Mushroom | Genshin x Child!Reader

Chapter 32: Albedo and Sucrose

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You would have set off right away, except Scaramouche had taken Sucrose's map and she insisted on giving you one, too. While Sucrose scrambled to redraw a second map, you snatched a sheet of paper and knelt on a chair beside her at the dining table, struck by an idea.

Now what does Big Sis look like, hmm...

You conjured your memories and grabbed a crayon, scribbling furiously.

"Interesting composition," said a cool voice from behind you.

The voice came from a man with fluffy chalk-colored hair pulled back to reveal princely cheekbones and intelligent turquoise eyes. Despite the cold, his face showed no signs of rosy flush.

Sucrose jumped about three feet in the air. "Master Albedo! I was just drawing a map for (Y/N) here. They delivered a batch of Sweet Flowers for the lab, and... I thought we... that is, I... would return the favor."

"A kind notion," observed Albedo. Leaning closer, Albedo pointed at your drawing. "Who is that?"

Rendered in a child's clumsy strokes, Lumine smiled up from the paper, as she used to before everything went wrong. But then you remembered all the bad things she'd done since then.

"Just someone (Y/N) knows," you whispered. Rolling up the flyer, you tucked it into your sleeve. So lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice Albedo studying you with something like concern in his eyes.

Sucrose hovered nearby, balancing a plate of fried eggs. "B-breakfast?" she asked, tilting precariously as an egg slid off the plate with a sad plop.

"Thank you, Sucrose. We'll eat on the go," Albedo said.

"Go?" Sucrose blinked, adjusting her glasses. "B-but we haven't recorded the results of the experiment—"

BOOM!

A glowing green potion bottle exploded in a puff of smoke, splattering the other objects on the shelf. The moldy bread next to it turned into a mold-green frog and hopped away.

Sucrose squeaked in horror, but Albedo just looked mildly amused. "I think we have our results. A little less Dendro residue next time, I think, and we might acquire better results."

"B-but Master Albedo... where are we going?" Sucrose asked, scooping the shattered potion into her gloved hands. "There's still so much to do before Phase 3 trials..."

"As responsible members of the Knights of Favonius, we ought to accompany (Y/N) down the mountain and ensure no harm comes to them," explained Albedo, tucking a pencil behind his ear.

Sucrose's gaze swept over the breadcrumbs littering the dining table, the acrid smoke billowing from several potions, and the half-finished drawings scattered all over the ground. A mold-green frog croaked from a cobwebbed corner.

"Responsible," she agreed nervously. "That's us."

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Before leaving, Albedo wrapped you up in a fluffy red cloak, which smelled of cinnamon and smoked fish. "It's Klee's," he explained. "I don't know if you've met her before."

You nodded vigorously and tried to speak through the fluffy bit around your neck. "Mm! Mmmf!"

Finally, you were ready to set off. Albedo knew the route by heart, so Sucrose left her map on the table, though you saw her glance at it sadly once or twice.

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"Not to be a bother, but where exactly are we going?" Sucrose asked after a while. You had left the snowy slopes of Dragonspine for warmer territory. After so long on the icy mountain, it felt weird to see grass growing so abundantly.