TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!
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Late at night, the apartment where Shao Yun was staying was unusually quiet.
Shao Yun had just finished showering, and as he wiped his dripping-wet hair with a towel, he muttered softly, "Fontaine really is incredibly developed! Hot water actually comes straight out of the faucet—this feeling is so familiar, it's honestly nostalgic…"
Shao Yun was very satisfied with this place; although it could be troublesome at times, life here was undeniably convenient.
Crossing the living room, Shao Yun walked into the bedroom.
Lumine was sitting neatly at the edge of the bed, her posture straight, her expression serious and focused.
When she saw Shao Yun come in, Lumine suddenly spoke, "Shao Yun, I want to discuss something with you. Is that okay?"
Shao Yun feigned composure and asked, "Oh? What is it?"
Lumine took a deep breath and said, "Tomorrow… can we go watch that trial together?"
Hearing this, Shao Yun frowned and replied, "Why waste time going to a place like that? What's there to, see?"
However, Lumine didn't give up because of his refusal.
Instead, she immediately put on a pitiful expression, clasped her hands together at her chest, and pleaded sweetly, "Please, let's go take a look! Okay?"
Seeing Lumine pull out her ultimate move—the three words "please"—Shao Yun knew he probably couldn't refuse her this time.
After all, once Lumine made up her mind, changing it was never easy.
Left with no choice, Shao Yun nodded reluctantly and said, "Alright, alright. I'll go with you and take a look."
After getting Shao Yun's confirmation, Lumine immediately broke into a bright smile.
She excitedly wrapped her arms around Shao Yun's arm, pressed her cheek against him, and gently rubbed against him like a little cat.
However, Shao Yun was not someone who would simply let things end there.
Although he had agreed on the surface, in reality he had already come up with a way to stop Lumine from attending the trial tomorrow.
So, he casually changed the topic, smiling as he softly asked, "Lumine, do you think the wish we made this morning will really come true?"
Hearing this, Lumine's pretty face instantly flushed bright red, shyness and embarrassment intertwining.
She stammered, "Y-you mean… that thing about praying for a child at the Fountain of Lucine? You didn't actually take that seriously, did you?!"
Seeing her reaction, Shao Yun hurriedly coaxed her gently.
"How about we try it? Maybe there'll be an unexpected surprise…"
In truth, Shao Yun was secretly calculating that this time he would thoroughly wear Lumine out. If she refused, he would use his trump card—the calming incense his brother-in-law had once given him—to make Lumine and Paimon oversleep and miss the important trial.
Of course, aside from stopping Lumine from attending the trial, he had other intentions as well…
Lumine looked a little shy and uneasy. She lightly pressed her pink lips together, hesitated again and again, and finally nodded, responding softly, "Alright… I'll listen to you this time. I'll let you have a taste."
Seeing Lumine agree, how could Shao Yun possibly hold back?
Without another word, he forcefully pressed Lumine down onto the bed.
Originally, Shao Yun had planned to send Paimon away, but Paimon merely pouted dismissively, thinking to herself that whatever Shao Yun and Lumine were doing couldn't possibly take very long.
So, she simply covered her ears, turned around, and faced away from them.
However, Paimon clearly underestimated Shao Yun's stamina.
The commotion continued all the way into the latter half of the night. The embarrassing sounds never stopped, while Paimon could only endure it while silently praying for it to end.
By the second half of the night, Paimon felt as if her upper and lower eyelids were glued together, completely unable to open. Her head felt heavy and muddled, as though countless little bees were buzzing inside.
Lumine wasn't doing much better either.
Finally unable to endure the torment any longer, Lumine clawed and kicked at Shao Yun, shouting, "Stop! Stop already!"
Aside from needing to rest to watch the trial tomorrow, she was also afraid Shao Yun would rub her skin raw.
After all, she simply couldn't withstand such prolonged "torture."
...
Seeing that Lumine and Paimon entered deep sleep in less than half a minute, Shao Yun still felt uneasy and decided to use the calming incense.
After Tighnari's treatment, Lumine shouldn't have any adverse reactions anymore, so it could be treated like an ordinary sleep aid.
Without hesitation, Shao Yun lit the calming incense and gently waved it in front of Lumine's and Paimon's noses.
Before long, Lumine and Paimon—who had merely been sleeping soundly—went completely limp, collapsing onto the bed as if all their bones had been removed, almost like corpses, if not for their breathing.
...
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was noon the next day.
Inside the apartment bedroom, the scent of the calming incense had mostly dissipated.
Paimon was the first to be jolted awake by the blinding sunlight streaming in through the window.
She instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes, her brows tightly furrowed as she muttered, "Ugh, it's so bright! My eyes are going to go blind!"
After a while, she slowly opened her eyes and looked around in confusion.
Then she shakily sat up, rubbing her temples as she murmured, "Ugh… why does my head feel so dizzy? What time is it now?"
At that moment, Paimon's eyes casually swept over the Fontaine mechanical clock sitting on the bedside table.
In an instant, her previously sleepy eyes widened to the extreme.
A piercing scream echoed through the room.
"Ah! It's already noon?!"
As she screamed, Paimon stretched out her small hands and slapped Shao Yun and Lumine, who were still sleeping soundly on the bed, completely oblivious to everything.
While hitting them, she shouted, "Wake up, wake up! We overslept!"
After being shaken like that, Lumine finally stirred awake.
She slowly opened her eyes, still half-asleep, and muttered, "What's going on…?"
However, when she followed Paimon's pointing finger and saw the clock on the bedside table, she jolted awake as if struck by lightning.
She suddenly grabbed the blanket, clutched it tightly to her chest, and sat upright in panic, crying out, "What?! How did we sleep this late?!"
She then turned to look at Shao Yun, who was still sleeping soundly beside her, and immediately understood what had happened.
It had to be this guy clinging to her all night that caused such severe oversleeping.
Fury surged instantly. Without thinking, Lumine raised her hand and slapped Shao Yun hard across the face.
Smack!
Caught completely off guard, Shao Yun was struck into a daze.
He groggily opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused, and mumbled, "W-what… what's going on? Is the ship to Cuba sinking again?"
Seeing him still half-dreaming, Lumine puffed out her cheeks in anger and snapped, "It's all your fault! Everything you did last night made everyone oversleep!"
As she spoke, she shot Shao Yun a fierce glare.
Shao Yun calmly glanced at the bedside clock, secretly rejoicing inside—he knew his carefully planned scheme from last night had succeeded.
On the surface, however, he put on an apologetic expression and said guiltily to Lumine and Paimon, "Sorry… this really is my fault. I'll be more careful next time…"
But inwardly, Shao Yun thought to himself, Hmph, Lumine, Paimon—you'll understand my good intentions soon enough.
If I hadn't done this, when you saw Furina personally expose Lyney and Lynette, you'd probably cry your eyes out…
...
Despite Lumine and Paimon using every ounce of strength they had and dragging Shao Yun along at full speed, rushing all the way to the Opera Epiclese, it was still too late.
When the three of them stood there panting in front of the grand building, their hearts instantly sank.
Spectators were already trickling out of the Opera Epiclese, and there weren't many of them—the trial had clearly ended.
Seeing this, Paimon's heart sank halfway into despair. She stomped in midair in frustration and muttered, "Oh no… we still came too late!"
At that moment, Navia—who was standing at the entrance speaking with Yanfei—caught sight of Shao Yun's group out of the corner of her eye.
She paused slightly and said, "Oh? Lumine, Paimon, and Shao Yun? Why did you arrive so late?"
Paimon hurriedly flew over to Navia, her small face flushed red as she anxiously asked, "Did we come too late? Is the trial already over?"
Navia exchanged a glance with Yanfei beside her, her expression growing complicated.
She let out a soft sigh and said, "Yes, the trial has already ended. The process was full of twists and turns, but the final result was… acceptable. It's just that…"
She trailed off, clearly hesitant.
Then, Navia and Yanfei began recounting in detail what had happened during the intense trial that morning.
...
At eight o'clock in the morning, at the trial venue.
The proceedings had originally been going quite smoothly. The evidence Yanfei presented was clear, tightly connected, and highly convincing.
However, just as everyone thought everything was about to be settled, the mysterious and strange voice that had appeared during the performance became a critical issue.
Lyney claimed he had no knowledge of any strange voice, which instantly put Yanfei on the defensive.
This troublesome problem should originally have been resolved by Lumine and Paimon, but now it fell to Yanfei.
Just as she was racking her brain for a way to respond, something even more shocking happened.
Furina stood up with a solemn expression and, in front of everyone, announced a bombshell revelation.
Lyney and Lynette are Fatui!
"Fatui?!" Yanfei was visibly shocked. She abruptly turned her head, staring straight at Lyney and Lynette, her face filled with disbelief.
Her lips trembled as she questioned them in a slightly disappointed tone, "What is going on here? Why didn't you tell me about this yesterday?"
Seizing the heated atmosphere in the courtroom, Furina raised her voice and called out to the audience.
"Everyone, please think carefully—what kind of reputation do the Fatui have across the nations?"
At this moment, murmurs broke out among the spectators.
One voice said, "I've heard of them! They're said to be cruel and ruthless, with hearts like venomous snakes—extremely dangerous!"
Another voice quickly chimed in, "Exactly! If it was the Fatui, then everything suddenly makes sense."
"After all, for an organization capable of planning and carrying out terrorist attacks, committing heinous crimes like a series of young girls going missing isn't exactly surprising."
At this point, seeing the situation gradually turning unfavorable, Yanfei immediately submitted a request to Neuvillette, who was seated at the judge's bench.
"Honorable Chief Justice, I request a temporary recess so that I may reorganize and reassess the clues currently in our possession."
Neuvillette nodded, approving Yanfei's request, and then announced to everyone present.
"Very well. This trial is adjourned for twenty minutes."
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