Genshin: The Serenity System

Time flew by, and soon, it was already nearing nighttime. Many people, from young to old, were starting to fill the streets of Fontaine to return to their homes where the warmth of their family or bed awaits them.

Some children welcomed the sight of their father who just returned from work, some drank coffee for overtime to earn just a bit more money, some met their friends and drank together merrily, while some went straight to their beds, their warm blanket encapsulating them.

Be it as it may, just as it was any other day, every household and building was teeming each with their own stories. Some might be warm, while some are cold, but in the end, they are all unique to those who reside in them.

At one inconspicuous corner of Fontaine, where a cafe with a humble exterior laid quietly, the warm light from inside peered out from its windows.

On the streets just outside of it, however, laid piles of thick snow which just kept piling up. Despite this, the warmth that the cafe gave to the soul simply overpowered the cold.

At the front of the cafe, meanwhile, a figure stood.

"I'm here..."

Charlotte muttered to herself as she stood in front of the doors leading inside.

Currently, due to the cold weather, she had to wear a cream-colored cable-knit sweater and cardigan with buttons on top. Accompanying it was a red plaid scarf, thick and warm, draped around her neck that paired well with the color of her hair.

Pairing with this were checkered trousers in a neutral tone, followed with a black lace-up ankle boots, sturdy and practical, with a slight heel.

All in all, despite the demand for thicker clothes for the cold, she still looked fashionable and casually cozy.

"I wonder who else would be attending..." She asked herself that question, her hand subtly reaching over to the item hanging on her.

Although she currently wasn't at work and is merely attending as an invitee, she still couldn't help but think of bringing her Kamera, in case it was needed.

Just then, while Charlotte was in the middle of spacing out, the door of the cafe opened and a figure greeted her.

"What are you waiting around in the snow there for? Trying to catch a cold?"

Faced with the sudden words of the person, Charlotte jolted and looked back at the person, her face somewhat embarrassed.

"O-Oh, right! Sorry, I was spacing out there a bit..."

"Be careful, little one. Having your thoughts up in the clouds for long periods of time is quite dangerous... Isaac even said something about your brain rotting if you do it long enough... whatever that means."

The person commented as she opened the doors wider. "Well then, are you coming in? You are invited, right?"

"Yes, I am. I was invited by Mr. Lyney earlier today."

Hearing this, the woman at the door nodded, her fox-like ears flickering slightly from the cold. "Alright, that's good enough. Now get in. I'm starting to get cold out here."

"Okay." Having received permission, Charlotte entered the cafe.

Immediately, right after she entered, the warmth of the cafe permeated her senses, instantly driving out the cold which had troubled her on the way here.

The cafe's interior, on the other hand, contrasted deeply with its exterior. Contrasting with what she had in mind, the interior was by no means small; but rather larger than the exterior, allowing it to accommodate more people.

However, before she could appreciate the warmth and coziness brought by the cafe, she was momentarily stunned by what she saw.

'Is that... The Duke of the Fortress of Meropide?!' Her eyes dilated upon seeing a familiar figure from the distance, his tall figure and face all too familiar to her.

He held a silver platter while trying to get some snacks for someone he brought with him, an adorable melusine that looked oddly human.

However, the surprises didn't end there.

'That's...'

Not far away, at another corner, the president of the Spina Di Rosula, Navia, was chatting with Chiori, a renowned designer and seamstress.

Meanwhile, the siblings she saw earlier; Lyney, Freminet, as well as their sister Lynette were also present.

Soon, she began to see more and more important Fontanian figures in the cafe, either enjoying their time or chatting with others. Some were eating while some sang using Isaac's TV.

Upon seeing this scene, she couldn't help but silently thank Lyney for the invite. 'Just as I had thought... A lot of the important figures in Fontaine would be here!'

Honestly speaking, who wouldn't come? This was, after all, a party thrown by a promising actor and someone who holds a consistent rank in popularity in recent times. Not only that, but he was also close with the nation's Archon. Attending such a party was a perfect opportunity for many to either build connections or to simply get to know the host better.

However, even though there were many people here, Charlotte's eyes still couldn't find one person she was trying to find amidst the crowd. 'I wonder if Lady Furina is here...?'

She should be. If what she had witnessed earlier was real and wasn't a hallucination, then perhaps tonight would be the night that the relationship between a God and a Human would be spilled.

Just then, while Charlotte was lost in her thoughts, the Kitsune lady who greeted her outside walked beside her, her voice as alluring as ever.

"Well don't just stand there in place, little one. Go on and enjoy the party."

"Oh, uh, yes!" Looking back at her, Charlotte agreed, snapping back to reality. She then looked around. "Um... May I ask where Mr. Isaac is?"

The Kitsune hummed. "He's currently at the back preparing for a show he planned later. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask him why he threw such a party all of a sudden."

"Oh? Are you perhaps a journalist?"

Taking out her Kamera for the Kitsune to see, Charlotte smiled lightly. "That's right."

Seeing her Kamera, the Kitsune lady hummed for a brief moment before crossing her hands, her ears swaying gently.

"Well, perhaps it would be better for you to wait until later. Right now he's... a bit busy."

"That's fine. I..."

Just then, a commotion from the crowd interrupted Charlotte, her word trailing off and cut off.

She turned around and saw that the attendees were all looking in a certain direction. She followed their gaze and saw that, on top of a wooden stage placed on the floor, Isaac appeared, still looking as voguish as ever.

"Everyone, thank you for attending my party tonight." He spoke, his voice gentle and soothing as it was heard all over the vast hall. "I know some of you are curious as to why I held it in the first place, but rest assured that, before this party ends..."

He then smiled enigmatically; a signature of his that everyone has come to know.

"You would all be in for a nice surprise."

He then continued, his stance confident and straight as he looked at the crowd, his voice firm yet gentle and soothing. "Until then, everyone, enjoy the party. I assure you all that the meals prepared tonight would be exquisite— so please, enjoy yourselves."

"Mr. Isaac treating his customers? What a miracle!" Amidst the crowd, Lyney joked as he raised his glass of apple juice.

Soon, the crowd laughed as they too knew how miserly Isaac was, and how it was rare for him to share his fortune.

Isaac laughed too, his wry smile plastered on his face. "That's right, Lyney. So you better enjoy yourself tonight since this is your only chance, haha."

Then, taking a glass of wine, he cradled it briefly before slightly raising it. "Well then, I'll be back later, ladies and gentlemen. When I come back, there would be a musical and the surprise I talked about so... Stay tuned."

He was just about to turn and leave when he abruptly stopped. Then, turning around with a light smirk on his face, he winked at the audience. "And remember, folks..."

"There ain't no party like an Isaac party."

With that, he went back stage, leaving the lively party to themselves. Even without him serving as a host, they still entertained themselves. Though, they especially liked Isaac's TV that had a karaoke which, sure enough, was causing a lot of them to tune in.

The Kitsune lady beside Charlotte then sighed, a clear unwillingness laced in. "There's that... I better get going."

Noticing how she was wearing the same kind of outfit as Isaac as well as the other staff in the cafe, Charlotte turned to her and asked.

"Will you be helping Mr. Isaac in what he's doing?"

"Unfortunately for me, yes. That little rascal has a plan in mind and decided to drag all of his staff in it." The Kitsune lady mumbled before walking away. "Well, I better go and help him with it... Have fun, little one. Farewell."

Just like that, the Kitsune lady left and entered the back, going somewhere unknown to fulfill Isaac's enigmatic plan.

Charlotte, now left alone, held her Kamera and looked around, not knowing what to do next.

Just then, a familiar figure approached her, a bright smile plastered on her face. "Excuse me... You're Charlotte, right?"

"Ms. Navia? Yes, that's me! Is there anything you need?"

"Really? That's great!" Upon confirming who it was, Navia's eyes shifted and looked at what Charlotte held. "And that item... That's a Kamera, is it not?"

"Indeed it is."

"I see. I'm sorry for suddenly requesting this, but can you come and take a picture of me and my friend Chiori? I want to preserve our moment here. Pretty please?"

Watching the president of the Spina Di Rosula plead to her cutely like that, Charlotte, who was in her right mind, didn't even have an ounce of thought of rejecting her request.

She agreed immediately. "Of course! It would be my pleasure, Ms. Navia!"

"That's great!" Seeing her agree, Navia held Charlotte's hand and dragged her off. "Well then, let's go!"

"Y-Yes!" Suddenly caught by her, Charlotte followed along.

Tonight, she was going to hoard pictures of a lot of important people— something she thought would not have been possible.

---

The party inside continued, however, Charlotte had to take a breather since she was being called by everyone to take a picture of them.

Lounging about in the restroom on the second floor, she leaned her face out the window, feeling the cold breeze attacking her. Yet, once more, the warmth of the cafe behind her neutralized the cold.

'It's hard having the only Kamera around...' She thought. 'But on the positive side, I'm now acquainted with more influential people, so there's that! And I even have some of their pictures to use for future articles!'

She had made some new acquaintances as well as new friends, and she enjoyed the party overall.

Truly, attending the party was a great decision she made. However, amidst her joy, a single strand of despondency managed to seep in, mixing with her mood.

Her smile turned mellow and light, her eyes softened as she held her Kamera while pointing it at the roofs of Fontaine's houses.

'Now that I think about it... I wonder if criminals experience this feeling too? Do they hang out with their friends and laugh merrily, or do they visit their family and spend some time with them?'

Such a confounding thought riddled her mind as she adjusted her Kamera lens, focusing on the chimneys in the distance. 'And... What about the Nameless King? Would someone like him even have a home to go back to? Is he really a crooked criminal, a kingpin, or perhaps...'

Just then, as she was thinking of the man that had caused a great change in Fontaine, something moved in her Kamera's lenses.

'Huh?'

Her eyes dilated a bit as a figure began to manifest in the distance. A mysterious man covered in darkness suddenly appeared right beside the chimney.

Shadows loomed over his figure, but the moonlight shining just above illuminated his figure well. Although he was still a bit obfuscated due to the snow, his figure was still caught in her lenses.

There, standing in darkness, the man then pulled a sack from his back open and began rummaging inside it.

'Are those... The sacks that those two figures from earlier were holding?' Zooming in on what was happening, Charlotte's mind raced as her heart beat faster. Her eyes dilated as she couldn't believe what she was witnessing. 'It can't be... Right...?'

Then, after rummaging through the sack, the man took out an item— a box covered in a red wrapping with a ribbon on top, and dropped it down the chimney.

With that done, the man closed his sack and was about to leave, intending to head to the next chimney.

'Wait!' Realizing what was happening, Charlotte, faster than she could think, pressed the shutter button on her Kamera and took a picture of the mysterious man.

The mysterious person who she believes to be... None other than the Nameless King who was rumored to be perpetually clad in darkness.

The shutter flashed, and, before she could take another picture, the man had already left, seemingly never had been there like a phantom.

"That... Was that really him...?" She asked herself in disbelief. However, there was only one way of confirming her suspicion.

Looking back at her Kamera, she waited patiently for the film to finish. Once it was done and the familiar white film was spewed out, Charlotte immediately looked at it.

"Th-This is... The Nameless King...?"

She herself didn't even know if what she was seeing was right. The picture wasn't able to capture the Nameless King's full body, unfortunately, and only managed to get a picture of a cap he wore.

In the picture, where the darkness of the night served as the backdrop...

A conical red cap with fuzzy lining at the bottom and a similarly fuzzy ball at the end of the pointed cap was shown.

That night, all over Fontaine, countless children received mysterious gifts that were dropped down from their chimneys, the gifts containing toys and tools that children loved.

The parents didn't know who or what gave their children these gifts, but seeing them happy, they gave not much of a complaint.

Of course, they would soon regret this as in the following years, these children would insist upon their parents for similar gifts and to repeat this mysterious miracle, and thus create a new yearly event in Fontaine.

Some would eventually believe that the gifts were a miracle given by their God, Furina, thus finding this specific day as a Holy Day.

A Holiday, even?

---

A/N:

Happy Holidays, bozos.

One more chapter tomorrow to wrap up this Christmas special.

...get it? Wrap? Since... Since a gift is wrapped and these chapters are the gift that I'll wrap, and by ending it I'll wrap it up... You get it. I'm funny.