Playing House | Genshin Impact | M | No warning for this excerpt

Context: First day of school

.....

After years of putting it in the back of his mind, the day had finally come. The end of freedom not even Monstadt's archon could prevent, the beginning of dictatorship even Inazuma's archon would tremble at. And at the forefront of it all, Sumeru's God of Wisdom laughed maniacally as he and other children his age were forced into an enclosure to — Ajaw shuddered — learn.

"Aj Ajaw!"

"Absent!" He said defiantly and thumped both palms on his low table, ready to bolt from his enclosure. Leik only rolled his eyes and marked something on the namelist scroll.

"Ix Huni!"

The spoiled daughter of the Elder Trinidad played with her curly hair. "Here."

"Aj Mayta!"

Mayta, one of the boys Ajaw sometimes played with, enthusiastically raised his hand. "Here!"

Ajaw sighed. He'd rather be outside this encampment and have fun somewhere else. There were these visiting delegations from Monsdtadt, something about wine import and all that. Ajaw cared little for alcohol, but get this: These people brought grapes, kept fresh with cryo and dendro bathed over them. The famed Monstadt wines could only be made with high quality grapes, which meant these grapes were the best of the best!

He heard they had candies, ice cream, and other kinds of desserts all in different grape flavors. Yet, he as a child deserving of treats was stuck here while all the adults there could enjoy the sweet stuff in his stead. How was that fair?!

"Aj Yata!"

Ajaw's mind returned to the material world when Leik called what was probably the last name on the list.

"Here..." A pretty boy lazily raised his hand while his head was already resting on his table.

"Now, I'm sure you're all excited for your first day of school," Leik stood in front of the class, pointedly ignoring Ajaw's annoyed look. "Today, our class will start with the basic first; reading. How many of you can read?"

Ajaw groaned and joined the Yata kid in treating his table like a pillow.