‘I only have five thousand Mora.
I hope Miss Diona can go easy on me!’ Stelle only said that in her heart.
For the moment, she didn’t have the courage to say it out loud.
To delay things as much as possible, she could only take tiny sips, one at a time.
The small cup of drink really wasn’t much.
For an ordinary person, it would be finished in just a few gulps.
But even after ten minutes, Stelle hadn’t even finished half of it.
It made Diona start to doubt herself.
Could it be that the drink she made actually didn’t taste good, and everything that big sister said earlier was just to comfort her?
That shouldn’t be the case…
Ever since Diona started bartending, no one had ever said her drinks tasted bad.
On the contrary, every time those detestable drunkards gave their evaluations, it was always, “Little Diona has improved again.” Which made her so frustrated she wanted to meow in annoyance.
“Um, it’s actually because it’s too delicious.
I really can’t bear to finish it all in one go…” Stelle noticed Diona’s strange gaze and quickly came up with an excuse.
“After all, it’s such a precious limited drink…” “If you…
if you don’t want to drink it, I—I can make more for you later.” Diona said softly with a flushed face, then quickly turned her head away and crossed her arms.
“D-don’t misunderstand!
I just think you’re different from those drunk adults, it’s not for any other reason!” “Then I’m truly honored.” Stelle smiled awkwardly.
From the discussions of the other people in the tavern, it seemed that Diona rarely made this drink.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you in Mondstadt before.
Where are you from?” Diona leaned on the counter and looked at Stelle curiously.
Whether it was her clothing or her appearance, Stelle clearly looked different from them.
She was obviously an outsider.
“From far away,” Stelle thought for a moment before giving a vague answer.
“How far?” “So far that I don’t even know how to get back,” Stelle sighed deeply, lowering her head and staring blankly at the seemingly endless drink on the table.
Her memories were still somewhat blurry.
Many things from before were hard to recall, let alone how she had come to this world—she had no idea at all.
Sometimes she even wondered whether she was truly the original owner of this body.
But no matter what, the emotions deep within her heart could not be faked.
Right now, she only had one thought: to go back, to return to the family of the Astral Express.
“Mm…” Seeing Stelle like this, looking so dejected, Diona felt a little uncomfortable as well.
Her cat ears drooped, and her tail stopped swaying.
“Well, it’s nothing.
I have plenty of time anyway.
One day, I’ll definitely find a way to go back.” Stelle noticed Diona’s expression.
Seeing that this cute little catgirl had been affected by her mood, she quickly spoke to comfort her—and herself.
“Mm!
Big sister is a good adult who doesn’t drink.
You’ll definitely be able to achieve your wish!” Diona nodded.
“A good adult who doesn’t drink?” Stelle tilted her head in confusion.
She really didn’t drink, but hearing that from a bartender somehow felt a bit strange.
“Why does not drinking make someone a good adult?” Stelle was very curious about the little catgirl.
Clearly a bartender, yet she seemed to dislike alcohol.
Earlier, when Stelle asked for a non-alcoholic drink, she could clearly feel Diona’s excitement.
“Those drunkards—when they’re drunk, they’re like wild boars rolling in mud after stuffing themselves!” Diona puffed up angrily.
Even her most respected father was the same.
When he got drunk, he was like a completely different person.
“This is all alcohol’s fault!
Alcohol is a bad thing that bewitches people and makes them stupid!” Diona looked at Stelle, a hint of scrutiny flashing in her eyes.
“Big sister, don’t become like that in the future, okay?
Otherwise…
otherwise…” “Otherwise I’ll have to destroy the entire wine industry.
That would be way too much work.” After hesitating for a long time, Diona still couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh to Stelle.
“Haha, don’t worry.
I don’t really like drinking.” Stelle smiled gently.
“But why would the ‘Mondstadt Wine Industry Slayer’ become the signature bartender of a tavern?” She asked a question she had been curious about for a while.
But the moment she said it, she noticed that Diona’s mood suddenly changed.
She looked angry, yet also a little wronged, as if she was about to cry.
Stelle instantly panicked, wondering if she had said something wrong.
“Sorry!” Sensing something was off, Stelle quickly clasped her hands together and apologized loudly before Diona could speak.
“Fine, I’ll forgive you.
After all, it’s your first time in Mondstadt.” Diona pouted, but let it go.
Then she began telling Stelle about herself.
Talking about her troubles—how no matter what she did, she simply couldn’t make a bad-tasting drink.
Stelle listened silently and thought of herself.
Her current body also seemed to have some kind of issue, but for now, it didn’t seem to cause her any trouble.
And in a way…
maybe it wasn’t a bad thing?
…
It seemed Diona hadn’t chatted this happily with someone in a long time.
Time passed little by little, and coincidentally, there weren’t many customers to interrupt them.
Before she knew it, the sky outside had gradually darkened.
Like waking from a dream, Stelle realized that the not-so-large cup of drink had somehow been completely finished.
“Are you leaving?” Diona glanced outside the window, then turned to ask.
At this hour, there weren’t many customers left in the tavern.
Normally, the later it got, the better business would be.
But because of the dragon storm, everyone went home early at night.
“Mm, I should go.
I made plans to meet someone.” Stelle nodded.
On the surface, she seemed calm, but inside she was extremely conflicted.
She had no money…
“Then…
will you come again?” Diona looked at Stelle with hope.
“Cough…
m-maybe.” Stelle choked slightly.
She couldn’t exactly tell Diona that she had no money and probably wouldn’t come again, could she?
“That’s good…
Don’t misunderstand, I just want you to help me taste non-alcoholic drinks.” Diona looked happy, but then deliberately put on a serious face.
“Diona, um…
how much does this drink cost?” Stelle gritted her teeth and finally asked.
She had to face it sooner or later.
Avoiding it wouldn’t help.
“Hmm?
Twenty thousand Mora per cup,” Diona answered honestly.
This price was actually reasonable.
Not too expensive.
Objectively speaking, even a jar of jam in Mondstadt sold for over 1,300 Mora.
A drink like this, combined with Diona’s unique skills, costing twenty thousand Mora was quite fair.
It wasn’t much more expensive than alcohol.
“Can I put it on credit…?” Stelle cautiously raised her head and glanced at Diona.
“Huh?!” Diona’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting such a sentence to come out of Stelle’s mouth.
“You didn’t bring any money?” “Uh…
I actually don’t have any money.”