"Lumine, are we still going to go see the former Geo Archon?"
North Wharf.
Lumine and Paimon wandered the streets aimlessly.
"Seems like it doesn't matter anymore." Lumine answered calmly.
She'd already gotten news about her brother.
They'd already met—he'd left behind a few maddening riddles, then ran off again.
She wasn't in a hurry anymore.
"Then… next—" Paimon floated beside Lumine with her hands clasped behind her back, asking a little nervously. "Are we heading to the next nation?"
Their journey had only just reached the second nation.
There were still five countries they hadn't visited yet.
"We're going, but not right now." Lumine shook her head, unruffled. "Since Aether wants me to walk through all Seven Nations, then fine. I'll walk them for him."
"As for whether we meet again in the middle of it—doesn't matter."
She still had to go through the Seven Nations.
But getting her own power back came first.
And besides that… there was something else that mattered.
When you're on the chessboard, you don't get to choose.
People always said a Descender's fate wasn't bound by Teyvat's destiny…
But her situation—heh—wasn't much different from being bound.
Destiny can't arrange her?
Then something stronger than destiny just steps in and forcibly arranges things for you—right to your face.
"Relying on myself to get what I want is hard." Lumine clenched her fist. "They say the difference between people can sometimes be bigger than the difference between… 440 people and a dog."
"Descenders aren't an exception."
If I can't do it… why not just find someone who can, and slap myself on as an accessory?
Let a big shot carry me. Easy.
"Oh~" Paimon suddenly understood. "You mean that guy, Taro, right?"
"You're planning to get on his good side?"
The moment Lumine brought up a powerful backer, Paimon immediately knew who she meant.
Paimon personally felt the Seven were plenty strong too…
But if Lumine was choosing this, she had her reasons.
"Mm." Lumine nodded lightly. "Even if we haven't fought, some things don't require trading blows to see."
"With nothing but a wooden stick, he casually subdued Aether—even when Aether had regained his strength, maybe even become stronger."
"Taro-sensei is absolutely strong."
At minimum, he wouldn't be weaker than that white-haired god who called herself the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles—the one they'd crashed into back then.
After all, whether it was her or Aether…
In anyone's hands, they were both something that could be grabbed and squeezed at will.
Just thinking about it made her furious.
"Yo, Lumine-chan. Back from Mondstadt?"
A familiar shout rang out from ahead.
Lumine and Paimon looked up at the same time.
"Lumine, look—Yingda!"
"Yeah. I see her."
Lumine stepped forward on her own. "We meet again. You out strolling the night market too?"
"Of course~" Yingda said with a smile. "Three new members moved into the house. I'm mainly taking them out to pick up daily necessities—strolling the night market is just a bonus."
"Oh, right. Speaking of which—what's going on with your brother?"
"What fun stuff did Sensei secretly give you?"
"Huh?" Lumine blinked, completely unable to follow Yingda's train of thought.
Then, in the next instant, her expression changed.
"Did Aether come to Liyue?"
"He did~" Yingda nodded. "With panda eyes and everything—went straight to the front door."
"—!" Lumine sucked in a sharp breath, her heart jolting.
Aether was that bold?!
"Was Taro-sensei hurt? And what about Aether?"
One had helped her. The other was her brother.
Her head felt numb just thinking about it.
So after Aether ran off, he came straight back and picked a fight at the doorstep?!
"Not sure about the details~" Yingda spread her hands. "But it doesn't seem like they actually fought."
"Sensei and your brother looked like they reached some kind of agreement."
"Hey, Lumine—didn't you talk your brother into coming back?"
"…"
Lumine first let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then her face slowly darkened.
Just how unreliable did her brother have to be?
She'd been thinking about whether she could build a good relationship with Taro-sensei…
And now she turns around and gets told Aether already barged in?!
Was he seriously that dedicated to screwing her over?
"Yingda… Taro-sensei isn't here with you guys, is he?"
Lumine took a deep breath. She was already thinking about going to apologize in person.
The mess her brother made—she, as the little sister… had to show something.
Even if she couldn't become friends with him,
at least she couldn't let things get too stiff, right?
"Nope." Yingda narrowed her eyes. "Sensei's flirting."
"We wouldn't dare disturb him."
"…Hah."
Lumine's eye twitched.
Flirting…?
Wait—your Sensei is flirting, and you're not anxious at all?
Don't act like I can't tell what you mean by "Sensei" either.
Hold on.
A possibility hit her, and Lumine's eyes slowly widened.
Don't tell me… it's approved?
"Flirting?" Paimon scratched her head, confused. "Lumine, what does 'flirting' mean?"
"Uh…" Lumine thought for a moment and swapped in a safer concept. "It means… making friends."
Broadly speaking, it really was making friends.
She wasn't lying.
It's just that these "friends" were a little special.
"Oh~ got it." Paimon nodded. "So they must be very important friends."
They really were important.
Lumine and Yingda nodded in sync.
"Um… there's a question I don't know if I should ask."
"What is it?"
"…Like, that thing. Aren't you bothered?"
"My onee-san set it up. Everyone agreed."
What a nice "everyone."
You people really know how to play!!!
Lumine was stunned to her core.
So she'd misjudged it earlier—there wasn't just one in the first place.
"Then… how did you even meet?"
Curiosity suddenly overtook Lumine.
"This?" Yingda's lips curved. "A life-saving debt you can't repay, then love at first sight, and then mutual feelings."
"Yeah. That simple."
"…"
Okay. She shouldn't have asked.
"I see~" Paimon was still a little lost, but that didn't stop her from changing topics. "Come to think of it—Yingda, you're an adeptus of Liyue, right?"
"Yep." Yingda nodded.
There was no point hiding it anymore.
Sensei's goal had already been achieved.
Being open about it didn't matter.
"So you really are?!" Paimon's eyes went wide. "You're just admitting it?"
Paimon had only been guessing.
She didn't expect Yingda to admit it that fast.
She was totally stunned.
"Yaksha Adeptus under Rex Lapis—Fire Rat General, Yingda!"
Yingda planted her hands on her hips, pride written all over her face. "Hmph-hmph! Well? Shocked yet?"
"Yaksha Adeptus…"
Hearing that, Lumine finally understood.
During her time in Liyue, she'd gathered a lot of information about the Yaksha.
Under Rex Lapis, there were once five great Yaksha.
But aside from Xiao, the other four—one went missing, and three died.
Which meant Yingda was one of the three who'd "died."
No wonder Yingda said Taro-sensei had saved her life.
So Taro-sensei was really that outrageous?
Someone who'd been gone for centuries—thousands, even…
and he could just revive them because he felt like it?
That was completely unreasonable…
(End of Chapter)
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