Few Days Earlier
"Hm hm hm~" Etoma skipped along the street, humming to herself as she made her way toward Eula's house.
Suddenly, someone slammed into her shoulder.
"Ouch—!"
"Sorry," the man in a black robe muttered without stopping, continuing forward as if nothing had happened.
"W-wait! You dropped something!" Etoma called, reaching out. But the man didn't even turn around.
Her hand slowly lowered as she looked down at the object he had dropped.
"What is this…?" she murmured, turning it over in her hands. "Anyway, I need to—"
"Found her!"
Etoma flinched at the sudden shout.
"You thief!" Several men rushed toward her. "Give it back!"
Etoma froze, then quickly raised her hands. "W-wait! It's not mine! The person who dropped it went that way!" She pointed toward the departing figure in black.
"Stop lying!" one of them snapped, snatching the item from her hands. "You think you can get away with this?!"
"I-it's really not me!"
A crowd began to gather.
"What's going on?"
"I heard they caught a thief."
"A thief? In broad daylight?"
Their murmurs pressed in on her, sharp and suffocating.
"N-no! It's not me!" Etoma cried, flailing her hands desperately.
"WAIT, I REMEMBER HER!" A man stepped forward from the crowd—the fruit stall owner Etoma had met when she first arrived in the city.
"She's a beggar I saw years ago! She tried to steal from me!"
"N-no, I didn't—!"
"Thief! Get out of this city!"
"Yeah! What's a thief doing here? Planning to rob us too?!"
"Get out!"
"Get out!"
The chant rose louder and louder, like blades cutting into her chest.
"W-wait…" Etoma's voice was swallowed by the crowd.
"Thief! Scram!" A shove came from behind. Etoma stumbled and fell hard, her knee striking a rock. Pain shot through her as blood began to seep out.
"S-scram!"
"Scram!"
Tears filled her eyes. She forced herself up and began to run, limping as she fled. The crowd parted as she stumbled toward Mondstadt's gate.
At the back of the crowd, the man in the black robe watched silently… before slipping away unnoticed.
Outside the city, Etoma walked slowly, her injured leg dragging behind her. Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
After a while, she turned back.
Mondstadt… Her second home.
She wiped her eyes, then turned away and continued walking.
.
.
Etoma sat inside a small, makeshift shelter—her third home—quietly eating a fruit. Suddenly, a strange, glowing, translucent screen appeared before her.
"Hm?"
[Loading...]
[Loading completed!]
[Hello, host. Welcome to the Tears Collecting System!]
"…???"
Her mind filled with confusion.
"Tears… what? System?" she asked, tilting her head.
[Yes, host. A Tears Collecting System at your service.]
Seeing her bewildered expression, the system began to explain. It took nearly an hour before Etoma finally grasped the basics.
"I see… So by collecting points, I can exchange them to travel to another world?!" Her eyes sparkled. "That sounds like an adventure!"
Then she paused.
"But… why me?"
[To answer your question, host: you are lucky.]
"Lucky?"
[Yes. Our system is distributed through random selection.]
[And you, host, were chosen.]
"…I see?"
[Think of it as winning a lottery.]
"I see!"
[So, do you accept?]
"Hmmm…"
[Reminder, host: once the contract is established, it cannot be revoked.]
[You will be bound to me for your entire life.]
"Hmmm…"
[Do not worry. We will not harm you. This will benefit you.]
[Imagine it, Host—you can travel to other worlds and experience adventures beyond your imagination.]
"HMMM…" Etoma frowned, thinking hard. "Wait! I need to think this through properly!"
After a moment, her gaze drifted toward Mondstadt's direction. Her expression softened… then filled with sorrow.
She sighed.
"…Alright. Fine. Let's establish the contract."
[Understood, host. Final reminder: once established, it cannot be revoked.]
[Do you accept?]
"I accept."
[Establishing contract…]
[Binding successful. Welcome, Host.]
"So… what now?"
[To assist you, we will imprint this world's information into your mind and enhance your intellect.]
"Why do I feel like you were mocking me..."
[Initializing. Prepare for teleportation.]
"Huh—wai—"
Etoma vanished instantly, leaving behind her half-eaten fruit.
.
.
White Space
"W-whoa—!" Etoma fell face-first onto the ground.
"Ouch—ouch… Huh? It doesn't hurt?" She pushed herself up and looked around. "Where am I?"
[Welcome, Host. This is your system space.]
[You may shape it freely with your thoughts.]
"Oh…" A bed suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Woah…" She approached it cautiously, touched it, then sat down. "It's comfy!"
[This will also serve as your workspace.]
"I see… What kind of work do I even do, though?" Etoma said as she started lying down on the bed. "You said I need to collect points, but how do I do that?"
[We will discuss that later. First, I will imprint this world's knowledge into you.]
Etoma's eyes suddenly went blank. Moments later, they regained focus. She remained silent.
[Host?]
"…Ah, System… it's been a while."
[It has only been a few minutes, host.]
"Is that so… I have… a lot to process." Her voice was quiet. "My entire worldview just flipped upside down. The Fatui… the Abyss… the Heavenly Principles…"
Anyone who knew Etoma would have been shocked. The playful light in her eyes had vanished—replaced by something far more mature.
"I'm actually from Snezhnaya. My real family is dead… killed by the Fatui. They were labeled traitors." She paused. "But they only betrayed them because they couldn't accept the human experiments Il Dottore was conducting."
"And it turns out the false accusation I got before being kicked out of Mondstadt was the Abyss Order's doing. They manipulated people's emotions and drove me out so they could continue their plan."
"They did this to reduce the threat to their plan. By making me disappear, Diluc—their biggest threat—would be gone. And possibly some of the Knights as well. What a cunning plan," Etoma scoffed.
"System."
[Yes, Host?]
"After showing me the dark side of this world… what are you planning next?" An apple suddenly appeared in her hand as she started munching on it.
[As I said, Host. This is only to assist your progress. Nothing more.]
Silence lingered. Then she sighed.
"I don't think this will help with collecting points. My excitement for traveling the world has also diminished. You've changed me too much." Etoma spoke, not a hint of emotion showing.
[... My apologies, host.]
"Sigh... If you can manipulate memories… I want you to seal and edit some of mine." Her voice remained calm, but distant.
[Understood, Host. We can begin anytime.]
"I'm counting on you." Etoma closed her eyes.
.
.
A/N: don't worry. The playful Etoma would back. The mature Etoma would gone. Or... should I add a plot twist?