Genshin Impact: Arataki Itto, No Longer the Clown!

Morning—no, more accurately, late morning.

The sun was already high in the sky.

Shinobu and the others stood outside Itto's door, exchanging uneasy glances.

They had planned to check on Itto and take him out to Hanamizaka to lift his spirits. But now, it was almost noon, and he still hadn't emerged from his room.

"Shinobu, do you think the boss… might have done something drastic because he lost his Vision? Like… hanging himself?" Atsu asked nervously.

Shinobu gave him a flat look. "Do you even know the boss? He's not the type to do something like that. He probably just overslept."

"Overslept? But…" Atsu trailed off, realizing that Itto was indeed the type to sleep in.

"Let's wait a bit longer. The boss might be feeling down, so it's normal for him to sleep in," Shinobu said, trying to sound reassuring.

Half an hour later…

Atsu, Genta, and Akira were trembling under Shinobu's icy glare. Despite the summer heat, they felt a bone-chilling cold radiating from her.

"Uh… Shinobu, should we… keep waiting?" Atsu ventured cautiously.

Shinobu didn't respond. Instead, she took a deep breath, walked up to Itto's door, and knocked gently.

Knock knock knock.

"Boss~ It's already late morning. Time to get up. I know you might be feeling down, but you can talk to us. We'll help you figure things out," Shinobu called in a sweet, soothing voice.

No response.

Shinobu's expression darkened.

She knocked again, this time more forcefully.

Bang bang bang!

Still no response.

Shinobu's patience was wearing thin. She reached for the doorknob, only to find it locked.

"Locked?!" Shinobu muttered under her breath.

She scanned the area, her eyes landing on Atsu, Genta, and Akira, who were huddling together in a sunny spot. She waved them over.

The trio exchanged uneasy glances. Their instincts screamed at them to stay put, but they knew better than to ignore Shinobu's summons.

"Rock-paper-scissors. Loser goes," Atsu suggested.

The others agreed.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Genta lost.

"Why me?!" Genta wailed.

Atsu and Akira couldn't hide their smirks.

"Good luck, buddy," Atsu said, patting Genta on the back.

"Yeah, don't keep Shinobu waiting," Akira added.

Genta glared at them but reluctantly trudged over to Shinobu.

"Genta, the boss locked his door. Kick it open," Shinobu ordered.

"WHAT?!" Genta nearly tripped over his own feet.

He was now faced with two terrible options: kick the door open and face Itto's wrath, or refuse and face Shinobu's wrath.

Either way, he was getting beaten up.

"Shinobu, maybe we should just let the boss sleep a bit longer. He's probably feeling down," Genta tried to reason.

"No! We can't let him wallow in his misery. We need to pull him out of this slump before it's too late," Shinobu insisted.

Genta wanted to argue that Itto was probably just sleeping in, but the look on Shinobu's face made him think better of it.

"Fine, I'll do it," Genta said, resigned.

He stepped back, took a running start, and launched himself at the door, aiming a powerful kick at it.

Just as his foot was about to connect, the door swung open.

Itto stepped out, his hand shooting up to catch Genta's foot mid-air.

Genta froze, suspended in mid-kick, his face a mask of horror.

"Boss! I—"

"Genta, are you rebelling?" Itto asked, his voice calm but laced with amusement.

Genta hung there, his foot still in Itto's grip, as the others stared in stunned silence.