The streets bustled with life, yet all eyes were drawn to three figures: Mondstadt's famous Honorary Knight, the city's beloved shining idol, and… a completely unfamiliar boy no one had seen before.
Something amusing seemed to be going on between them.
No doubt tonight, the taverns of Mondstadt would be full of bards spinning their own versions of this little encounter.
For Lumine, though, there was no way this was turning into some kind of love triangle drama.
That kind of nonsense simply didn't exist in her life.
She hadn't even raised any girl's affection past the warning line yet, so technically, nothing could be considered a failure.
Still… the feeling of being stabbed in the back by her own self left her wanting to curl up in a corner.
With a quick roll, Lumine slipped out of Nagami's arms.
Acting as if nothing had happened, she waved cheerfully at Barbara, her signature goofy grin back in place.
"Morning, Barbara~ What are you up to? I was just about to go looking for you!"
Nagami, standing right behind her, wore a serious expression as he studied Lumine carefully.
He was determined to learn from this "ancient grandma's" girl-handling techniques—skills that would definitely come in handy someday.
"Uh… good morning…" Barbara answered automatically, her polite reflexes kicking in.
She glanced up at the brilliant sun hanging in the sky.
Its warm glow wasn't harsh, but still, she couldn't help being distracted by the traveler's bizarre sense of time.
Nagami, noticing that, secretly sucked in a sharp breath.
'So this is the technique of an expert, huh?'
It was like those classic questions every teacher asked: "Class, explain the deeper meaning behind the character's words: 'Good night!'"
Now it could be rewritten as: "Class, analyze the deeper meaning behind Lumine saying: 'Good morning.'"
Truly worthy of being the eternal spinster.
She could pull off effortlessly what Nagami never could.
As expected… he was still the trashier one. Nagami conceded defeat.
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[Lumine]: What the hell!? Are you a pervert? Hurting yourself feels good or something? I don't have an M setting, dammit!
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Between being called an ancient granny on one side and a thousand-year-old virgin on the other, not to mention "immortal species" thrown in for good measure.
How was the eternally 18-year-old Lumine supposed to endure this?!
And worst of all, these words came from herself—and she knew her own age was her biggest taboo!
Inside, she was fuming.
But in front of Barbara, Lumine's delicate, adorable face shone with a smile even brighter than the sun overhead.
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[Nagami]: If I'm a pervert, then so are you. Isn't yelling at yourself just as stupid as what I did earlier?
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Nagami sighed inwardly.
This skill of hers wasn't something easily learned.
It was the kind of finesse that only came from years of experience and the passage of time.
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[Lumine]: Screw you! Quit sighing!
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Since Nagami wasn't actively blocking her with his Apocalypse Virus defense network, every stray thought running through his head was wide open to Lumine.
She reached out with her pale, delicate hand and gave his waist a vicious twist.
As Nagami grimaced in pain, she gave a cold snort… then quickly rubbed the spot when she thought he couldn't see.
Feeling the gentle massage against his side, Nagami immediately put on his dead-fish eyes.
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[Nagami]: This isn't "kill a thousand, lose eight hundred." This is straight-up losing two thousand for nothing! Why do this to yourself!?
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The speed of their telepathic banter far outpaced spoken words.
Though it seemed they were going back and forth for a while, in reality, only two seconds had passed.
Barbara, meanwhile, frowned deeply at the bizarre sight of the traveler suddenly hurting herself. Her voice was urgent, filled with concern.
"Lumine, what's wrong? Why did you suddenly pinch yourself like that? And…"
'And you pinched yourself so hard…' Barbara could clearly see the red marks blooming on Lumine's soft, pale skin.
"Did you get cursed during an adventure? If that's the case, I can help lift it!"
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[Lumine]: Flesh…
[Nagami]: Curse-breaking…
[Lumine & Nagami]: Hehehe~
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As expected of being counterparts, their thoughts aligned perfectly, without even a stray punctuation mark out of place.
In less than an instant, they'd already flipped through the entire "manual" in their shared memory, one page each, while Nagami remember the time where he "play" with Nia.
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[Lumine & Nagami]: Perfect~ As expected of me!
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One moment they were cursing each other, the next they were perfectly in sync.
"No, no, it's fine. Just a damn bug that stung me."
Barely stopping herself from breaking into a creepy grin, Lumine quickly rubbed her face with her small hands, restoring her harmless, goofy look.
"I see… As long as you're okay, Lumine…"
Barbara let out a long sigh of relief, though her expression still looked a little shaken.
Her eyes then shifted to Nagami, who stood silently behind Lumine.
"Lumine… and this is…?"
Lumine widened her eyes at the sight of Barbara's slightly pale face.
Scratching her head awkwardly, she turned just enough to shoot a sharp glare at Nagami, who stood there with arms crossed, watching the scene unfold like it was premium theater.
Bombarded by her angry telepathic messages, Nagami only shrugged helplessly.
He stepped forward, resting a hand gently on Lumine's round shoulder, and his expression softened into a warm, kind smile.
"Hello, Miss Barbara. I'm Lumine's older brother. This may be our first time meeting, but Lumine has told me so much about you. Thank you for looking after her while I wasn't by her side."
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[Lumine]: …Fine, I guess being my own brother isn't really taking advantage of me.
[Nagami]: If that's the case, maybe I should say I'm your father instead. After all, we're technically the same person. It's not really taking advantage… and doesn't that sound even more exciting?
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Lumine's goofy smile froze for a split second before twisting into something more complicated.
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[Lumine]: …Not gonna lie, that does sound kind of thrilling.
[Nagami]: That's good. Seems you've fully grasped how being counterparts works.
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"Eh—Brother!?"
Barbara's expression flickered from shock to doubt as her eyes darted between Nagami's face and Lumine's.
This wasn't at all what Lumine's sketch had shown her.
The blond boy in the picture had looked so closely tied to Lumine that the connection was obvious at first glance.
But this black-haired boy looked nothing like her.
Noticing her hesitation, Nagami seemed to read her thoughts.
He raised a hand to his mouth and leaned closer, whispering in a low voice.
"Miss Barbara, have you heard of the Abyss Order?"
As the Knights of Favonius' Deaconess and the sister of their Acting Grand Master, Barbara naturally had access to information like that.
She knew the Abyss Order was a faction of inhuman monsters, active all across the world, coveting every living being on the land.
Looking into the black-haired boy's solemn eyes, Barbara's expression grew equally serious, and she nodded.
"To tell you the truth," Nagami continued gravely, "the reason I was separated from Lumine for so long is because I angered the leaders of the Abyss Order.
They've been hunting me across the world. To conceal myself, I sought help from an adeptus in Liyue, who altered my appearance and gave me a new name."
"Now, I go by Nagami. Please, Miss Barbara, don't ever connect me with the boy in the portrait Lumine gave you.
If the Abyss Order discovers I'm here… something terrible will happen. They might even attack Mondstadt."
Every word carried a clear cause-and-effect logic, watertight and nearly impossible to disprove.
It was a lie so seamless it had that "Lumine's touch" written all over it.
Lumine nodded to herself, flashing Nagami a discreet thumbs-up from an angle Barbara couldn't see.
"Wh-what!? S-something like that!?"
Barbara's eyes flew wide open, her gaze locked onto the still-stern Nagami, her face filled with shock and panic.
As if seeking confirmation, her eyes darted toward Lumine.
Sharing a mind with Nagami, Lumine naturally mirrored his serious nod.
Barbara drew in a deep breath, her expression hardening as she nodded firmly.
"I understand. I'll never tell a soul… Sir Na—Nagami!"
If Lumine and Nagami ever decided to scam someone together, there probably wasn't a single girl in all of Teyvat who could resist being fooled.
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