Paimon's words made that already delicate and beautiful face flush red once again, a sight so enchanting it could dazzle anyone.
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[What the heck is this emergency food saying!!!]
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A flustered, indignant voice echoed in Nagami's mind.
He turned his gaze toward the golden-haired girl in the kitchen, dressed in her usual white dress, his eyes carrying a deep, unreadable meaning.
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[Speaking of which… don't tell me… you're pregnant?]
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Because of Code's special properties, Nagami and C.C. could do whatever they wanted without restraint.
And since Lumine was also technically another version of himself, Nagami never treated her differently from C.C. in that regard.
Which meant—if Lumine's body still retained that function, pregnancy wasn't impossible.
But then… if he and his "other self" really did have a child together…
Should he start stocking up on baby formula? Or diapers?
Would it be a boy or a girl?
What name should he give a boy?
What name should he give a girl?
No, no, no, no, no!
This is not the time to be thinking about that!
The more seriously he considered the possibility, the more Nagami felt like his chest was clogged with mud, his breathing heavy.
Cold sweat beaded across his forehead.
Even his iron will was starting to crack!
And what would you even call a child born under those circumstances!?
No way! Stop right there!
This isn't the set of Predestination!
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[What on earth are you thinking!? Of course that's impossible!]
[My body and Aether's are just like C.C.'s—frozen in this current state.]
[I might end up as an aunt one day, but Aether becoming an uncle? Not happening—unless something really unexpected or… unnatural occurs.]
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Her quick, trembling thoughts flowed into him, and Nagami finally breathed a small sigh of relief.
So even Lumine's principles couldn't accept the idea of creating a "love child" with herself.
Besides, this wasn't even love!
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[So basically… this is just you shifting from maiden to… married-woman vibes, huh.]
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Nagami nodded thoughtfully.
From that perspective, even after living thousands of years, Lumine had still been a pure "maiden"—at least, until last night.
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[...]
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Lumine placed a hand on her chest, breathing in and out several times to steady herself, doing her best not to let Nagami sense the storm of emotions swirling inside.
Her eyes flicked to the seasonings on the counter.
After a pause, she grabbed the salt jar and dumped in half the bottle.
Today—no matter what—it was going to be Paimon's turn to choke down every bite of this breakfast!
And then she was going straight into the pot herself!
At this moment, Paimon's role had shifted from "emergency food" to "salted seasoning"!
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[Quit thinking about weird stuff already!]
[Just now—you mentioned hidden dangers behind the Vision system…]
[With your eyes out of commission, can you even prove it?]
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Sensing the wild images flashing through Nagami's head after she reassured him she couldn't get pregnant, Lumine coughed twice, forcing herself to calm down as she quickly changed the subject.
If the price of wielding a Vision really was that steep, then she'd need to find a way to save the girls around her.
And if that meant she could play the role of hero… cue a whole wave of affection flags being raised!
Wait.
Speaking of affection points… doesn't that naturally lead to the whole "getting closer" stuff after they max out?
But having personally experienced what it was like to "get close" to Nagami… Lumine suddenly hesitated.
Maybe it was better to let her other self handle that kind of thing!?
It wasn't like she had some weird fetish.
But this didn't really count, right? After all… it was just "herself."
She willed that part of her mind into silence, so all Nagami could sense was fragmented, fleeting scraps. His heart didn't so much as ripple.
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[Relax. About the price of Visions… maybe I exaggerated earlier.]
[Honestly, it's not such a big deal.]
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Nagami rapped Paimon lightly on the forehead with a hand chop, rolling his eyes. This little creature nearly scared him into a heart attack!
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[Even without my Eyes, I can verify it anytime I want.]
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If his theory was right, all it would take was for the Apocalypse Virus' mental network to burst out with a wave of human willpower, like when they desperately chase their own desires for the gods of Celestia to detect it.
In theory, people from other worlds weren't qualified to receive Visions.
They were a power exclusive to Teyvat's natives.
But members of the chat group who carried the title of "Fated Ones" were the exception.
Countless multiversal rules could be assimilated—so what's one little leaf on the Imaginary Tree?
The reason he hadn't tested it yet wasn't doubt—it was timing.
Because if Nagami could use a Vision to backtrace the beings behind it, then surely those gods could also detect him.
And once they realized this foreign element could threaten their control over the Aether Anchors, their only real option would be… to erase him.
And don't forget, beyond Celestia, there were still higher forces—the Will of the Heavens, and the Abyss' own Dragon King.
Only after coming to this world did Nagami truly realize: Teyvat was never as peaceful and harmonious as it looked on the surface.
The calmer things seemed, the more dangerous they truly were.
The silence before a storm never made a sound, yet beneath the surface, dark currents only swelled stronger and stronger.
And really, what ill intentions could Nagami possibly have as an outsider?
He just wanted to take advantage of the chaos and reap a little profit, that's all~
Of course, before that, there was still one very important matter to handle.
Nagami absentmindedly stroked little Paimon's head while turning to watch the golden-haired girl emerging from the kitchen with a tray of steaming breakfast in her hands.
Lumine's expression hardened, her gaze sharpening as she gave him a firm, deliberate nod.
"Paimon, hurry up and eat. Once you're done, we're heading to Liyue. We've got some really important business to take care of today."
Though she tolerated Nagami's hand ruffling her hair because of his status as the "big spender," Paimon couldn't endure his increasingly presumptuous petting.
With a sharp smack, she knocked his hand away and escaped his grasp.
No need to call the police!
Nagami's actions were purely that of someone playing with a pet—nothing improper whatsoever.
After all, who would harbor weird thoughts about an emergency ration?
Besides, even if you scaled Paimon up into a full-sized pretty girl, she still wouldn't compare to the charm of himself!
"Some kind of scandalous affair?"
Mumbling with her cheeks stuffed like a squirrel's, Paimon froze mid-bite, spoon dangling in hand.
Her eyes flicked toward Lumine, her little head tilting slowly to the side, wide eyes blinking in suspicion.
'Could it be—the Traveler was finally going to do something serious?'
"Hm? Paimon, you actually just ate it like that?"
Realizing the obvious oversight, Nagami pressed a hand to his forehead.
A beat later, the answer pulsed into his mind straight from Lumine's thoughts.
"Eh? What's the problem with—wait, what…!?"
Her words cut off as Paimon's face twisted horribly. Her mouth hung open stiffly, chewing the omelet in her mouth like a rusted robot forcing its gears to turn.
Lumine, who knew Paimon's gluttony better than anyone, had been very careful.
She'd hidden that half-bottle of salt inside the yolk of the pan-fried egg.
And since it was so rare to eat breakfast cooked personally by Lumine again, Paimon had shoveled the entire omelet into her mouth in one big bite.
And the moment the "seasoning" hit her taste buds…
Her complexion instantly drained into a deathly pale white.
Her tiny head lolled to the side as the crown atop it clattered onto the table.
A faint, white wisp—like the ghostly spirit that hovered around Hu Tao—drifted out from her gaping mouth.
Watching Paimon's soul practically ascend, Lumine gave a satisfied nod and clapped her hands.
'That's what you get for running your mouth!'
Of course, she wasn't cruel enough to actually let her emergency food die from over-salting.
Planting her fists on her hips, Lumine tilted her head.
Her shoulder-length, silky blonde hair swayed with the motion, and her amber-gold eyes shimmered as she blinked up at Nagami.
Her delicate, slightly pouty face carried just a hint of goofy charm—and in that unintentional moment, her cuteness was absolutely lethal.
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[Good grief, I'm going to die of cuteness!]
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Nagami's inner voice howled as he raised his hand, creating a small water tank filled with fresh water—just as he'd picked up from Lumine's own fleeting thoughts.
Then, without warning, he leaned in close and brushed a light kiss against her soft, fair cheek.
Naturally, Lumine didn't resist.
Her face only flushed faintly as she gave him a helpless sideways glance.
This man's narcissism was already terminal. Beyond saving.
With that thought, she reached out, grabbed Paimon by the back of her tiny collar, and—with one swift swing—tossed her cleanly into the tank.