The wind was unusually quiet that morning, almost as if it too dreaded what was coming: Library Day. Class 4A had survived gliding, rooftop punishment, and Lan Yan's dance drills, but nothing prepared them for the storm of quiet rage that was Faruzan.
"Rise and shine!" Venti shouted, storming into the dorm, twirling a wind flute. "Time to inhale the dusty scent of ancient knowledge!"
Heizou groaned from under a pillow. "Can I just inhale cafeteria food instead?"
"Come on," Kazuha said serenely. "Even old tomes have poems in them."
"And dust mites," Wanderer muttered.
---
Period One: Library Studies with Faruzan
The library doors creaked open like a haunted temple. Inside, rows upon rows of scrolls, tomes, and ancient manuscripts stretched into the distance. In the middle stood Faruzan, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, like a general surveying her troops.
"Welcome to the sanctum of knowledge," she announced. "Speak out of turn, and you will awaken the cursed tome of Dainsleif's Dramatic Monologues."
Wanderer raised a brow. "That doesn't sound cursed."
"Thirty-seven hours of poetic brooding. In Old Teyvatian."
Wanderer shut his mouth.
"Today," Faruzan continued, "you will research your elemental ancestry. Each of you will locate, study, and summarize the origins of Anemo users across the regions. Quietly."
The boys split up. Xiao headed straight to a section labeled Liyue and Lamentations, Kazuha floated toward Inazuman Winds and Wandering, and Heizou darted into Detectives Through the Ages.
Wanderer, however, found himself in the Controversial Figures aisle.
"Why is my section all... ominous?" he asked.
Faruzan smiled sweetly. "You were manufactured by a god, rejected by another, and tried to destroy the world once. It warranted a chapter or two."
Wanderer turned red. "You don't have to announce it to the entire school."
"Oh, sweetie," she said. "Your page has footnotes."
---
The Group Study Disaster
After two hours of flipping through texts, the boys reconvened at a central table.
"My ancestor wielded wind to communicate with birds," Kazuha said, delighted. "Apparently, I descend from a poet-turned-glider."
Heizou grinned. "Mine solved crimes using nothing but wind traces and hair samples. He also had excellent hair."
"Mine fought demons," Xiao said. "And had glowing tattoos."
Wanderer fidgeted. "Mine…" He paused. "...tore down nations in a rage after being abandoned."
Silence.
Heizou raised a brow. "So, like, edgy Shakespeare."
Wanderer turned tomato-red. "Shut up."
Kazuha tried to lighten the mood. "Well, everyone has a complicated backstory. I once got stuck in a bonsai."
"That's... not the same," Wanderer muttered.
---
Lunch: The Great Book Avalanche
Trying to escape embarrassment, Wanderer climbed a ladder in search of something less personal. He found a heavy tome titled "Anemo Anomalies: Why the Wind Hates You."
"This looks neutral," he mumbled.
Unfortunately, the ladder squeaked. A gust of wind from Xiao's direction pushed the tome off balance. The entire shelf shuddered.
"Wanderer, no!" Heizou shouted.
Too late.
A tidal wave of books fell, burying Wanderer up to his hat.
Faruzan appeared, sipping tea. "And that's why we use bookmarks, not climbing."
---
Afternoon: The TCG Break
To ease tensions, Venti swooped in with a surprise.
"Card time! Everyone pick your decks!"
Xiao chose a Liyue Adepti build. Kazuha went with a Swirl + Poetry combo. Heizou brought out a custom deck called "Deduction Domination". Wanderer reluctantly pulled out a half-built deck of Electro + Regret.
The battles were intense.
"You just swirled my whole front line!" Kazuha gasped.
"It's called Wind Checkmate," Heizou smirked.
When it came to Wanderer vs. Xiao, the air tensed.
"You dare challenge an Adeptus?" Xiao said, eyes narrowing.
"I dare challenge fate," Wanderer declared dramatically.
"That's literally your card name," Kazuha whispered.
The match ended with Xiao barely winning. Wanderer stared at his last card, "Solitude Echo", and sighed.
"Maybe I should just main healing next time."
---
Evening: The Dorm Debate
Back in the dorm, the boys relaxed.
Kazuha brewed calming tea. Heizou fiddled with his cards. Xiao cleaned his spear. Wanderer sulked.
"Hey," Heizou finally said. "You okay, tomato boy?"
Wanderer glared. "I'm fine. Just... library days suck."
Kazuha nodded. "I agree. But the embarrassment? It's wind. It'll pass."
Xiao looked over, serious. "Everyone has a past. Yours doesn't define you. Your choices do."
The room grew quiet.
Wanderer blinked. "...That was actually wise. Did you read that off your scrolls?"
"No," Xiao replied. "I lived it."
Kazuha sipped his tea, watching the moonlight drift through the window.
"Xiao," Heizou asked suddenly, "what's with your forehead mark? You always have it. Even at night."
Xiao paused. The others turned.
"It's a symbol," he said quietly. "Of karmic duty. Of the burdens I carry. It's a reminder... that I must always stay vigilant."
There was a heavy silence.
Then: soft snoring.
Heizou had fallen asleep face-first on his pillow. Kazuha was curled up on his futon, smiling in his sleep. Wanderer lay on his back, hat over his face, breathing evenly.
Xiao closed his eyes again.
"Rest well, wind brothers. Tomorrow… we battle in gym."
To be continued...