It was a luxurious villa, its elegant interior faintly visible.
A crystal chandelier glittered overhead, scattering dazzling light across the hall.
C.C. raised her pale, slender hand, and with a crisp snap of her fingers, the entire villa dissolved into radiant streams of particles, scattering into the void.
"The Herrscher of Reason… in so many ways, this power really is convenient."
Kurumi tilted her head slightly, her wine-red eyes glimmering with genuine admiration.
She shifted her gaze toward the petite green-haired girl beside her.
"So then, what are we going to do next?"
A sly smile curved across her lips as she added, "Heh, we're not going to be tagging along with that friend of yours's, are we? After all… our presence might get in your way~"
Her tone carried a strange nuance as her eyes lingered on C.C., who was holding hands with an adorable little girl.
After all, when she passed C.C.'s room last night, it had been empty.
And this morning when she returned, there was still a faint fragrance clinging to her that most definitely hadn't been there before.
Kurumi didn't need much imagination to know what C.C. had been up to.
Not that she was jealous—not at all.
Normally, she might make such comments out of half-hearted teasing, but this time her words came straight from the heart.
In fact, Kurumi couldn't help but feel a hint of respect for Nagami.
True respect!
That was his first time meeting that girl called Lumine, wasn't it?
And he actually managed to get her into bed!
Even though Kurumi already had a pretty good grasp of Nagami's personality, seeing him speedrun romance in such a way was still jaw-dropping.
Truly terrifying. Terrifying beyond belief!
Of course, Nagami hadn't told anyone that he and Lumine were alternate versions in different universe.
It wasn't exactly the kind of thing you went around explaining.
"W-we'd be disturbing him, wouldn't we… if we went to meet Nagami-nii's other self?" Seele shrank her shoulders, her soft voice tinged with panic.
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[Tch, what are you even worried about!? Disturbing them would be way better!]
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Veliona's sharp words cut in mercilessly, though she stopped herself short when she suddenly remembered—the green-haired girl in front of her was Nagami too.
With a pout, she swallowed down whatever else she'd been about to say.
"We won't be traveling with them," C.C. explained, sighing inwardly as though resigned to being misunderstood as some kind of shameless pervert. "But not for the reasons you're imagining."
To be honest, if she and Lumine weren't alternate selves but merely friendly companions from the chat group, it would've been impossible to win over that ageless… cough… "girl."
The plan was simple: head near Liyue to track down the Abyss Heralds and then follow the trail back to that so-called "Brother Dragon."
In this case, the fewer people involved, the better.
Especially since Seele still couldn't properly control the Herrscher of Death's powers.
If Aether saw someone with a power resembling that of Celestia traveling alongside Lumine, there was a very real chance he'd just stay hidden—or worse, rally the Abyss Order for an all-out assault.
"Before we set off across Teyvat, there's something important we need to take care of." C.C. tried her best to put on a serious expression, but the moment her eyes fell on Seele's soft, innocent little face, her tone softened unconsciously.
"I need to teach you how to better control and wield your Herrscher powers."
As someone with the "Bonded One" trait, Kurumi could already tap into the Core of Restraint's power even before fully completing her Herrscher transformation.
At any time, she could become the Herrscher of Restraint in full.
But since they were in Teyvat, who knew what sort of Honkai Will might respond if she did?
Honkai existed throughout the Imaginary Tree.
If the consciousness of the Honkai from its own world bled into this one… things could get messy. Very messy.
Such a ripple might even boost Celestia's strength. If that happened, the fragile harmony of this continent could easily collapse.
The Abyss wanted to drown the thrones.
But who could say that Celestia didn't also want to wipe out the Abyss in one decisive strike?
So, to avoid giving this land any nasty "surprises," Kurumi had chosen to postpone her full Herrscher awakening until she was safely back in the Honkai world.
The three of them walked along a forest path, fresh green leaves surrounding them and filling the air with a refreshing scent.
"By the way, Seele," C.C. asked while scanning the area for a suitable training ground, "back at Cocolia's orphanage, did you ever go to school with the other kids?"
Judging from Seele and Kurumi's academic backgrounds, she might have to use some rather… unconventional teaching methods at first.
If it had been Bronya or Himeko, C.C. would've just thrown them a pile of exercises on limits, calculus, linear algebra, series, ODEs, advanced physics, quantum mechanics, and higher-level chemistry, and let them self-study.
"School… There were teachers at the orphanage who taught us reading and arithmetic," Seele said softly. "But Seele was terrible at math… I could never keep up with Bronya onee-chan."
Her azure eyes dimmed at the memory of her fellow orphans, a faint layer of sorrow clouding her small face.
But when a gentle, warm hand squeezed hers, the sadness melted away.
Seele brightened at once. "With Nagami-nii here, we'll see everyone again soon! And Bronya onee-chan… too."
"Is that so."
C.C.'s pretty face held its gentle, warm smile, but inwardly she sighed with a weighty sense of resignation.
Another problem student, huh.
In the original timeline, Bronya had been trapped in the Sea of Quanta trying to save Seele.
Seele's deep love for her big sister and iron will had sparked a miracle—the girl had smashed her way out of the Sea of Quanta with seven fists.
Miracles like that are great and all… but they don't show up on math tests.
You just don't get it—you really don't.
As the Herrscher of Death, Seele preferred the life-giving power of creation that healed wounds. Her most important subject was biology.
But math is the foundation of everything. This is troublesome. The only option was hands-on lessons about energy flow.
"Kurumi, how about you? You've been a spirit for a while now, right?"
C.C. turned to the green-haired spirit walking beside them, forcing a dazzling smile while trying out a voice threaded with the faintest edge of mischief. "I hope you didn't, like, never go to school ever since you became a spirit… haha—hah…"
Kurumi's easy grin froze the moment the spotlight hit her.
Her pale cheeks flushed a little; she nodded, then quickly shook her head.
"I read… magazines. Fashion stuff."
Under C.C.'s oddly glowing golden stare, Kurumi's voice dwindled until it disappeared.
What's wrong with not studying?
You became a spirit—shouldn't you be using all that extra 'time' to gobble up physics and math books?
C.C.'s pristine, composed face lost its smile.
Tapping her forehead with bent fingers, she felt her lofty goal—turning every Herrscher into a top-tier student—slipping further away.
"Well, we'll just try anyway!"
You can't chicken out because the students' basics are weak.
She had even taught paramecia for a while—if that wasn't proof of her teaching chops, what was?
(Though, admittedly, the paramecia's "progress" might not have been entirely academic…)
They finally reached a lakeside that looked perfect for training: clear water, lotus pads, and red-fin perch that might make a tasty meal.
"Right here."
C.C. faced Seele and Kurumi standing beside her and nodded.
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…Outside Mondstadt, the wilds were not entirely safe.
Groups of Hilichurls who revered the Pyro deity sometimes roamed the outskirts.
Caravans traveled with guards, and only adventurers or knights patrolled alone.
Seeing a tiny, doll-like girl skipping down a path alone would make anyone worry—unless that person was a local.
Klee, in her trademark fire-red outfit and a brown backpack, bounced along, her little frame swaying like a blooming lily.
Her short legs churned as she ran, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Da-da-da~ New bomb prototypes complete!"
The Captain finally let her out of confinement!
During her "time in isolation" she'd come up with several new explosive… recipes, and today she'd chosen a random nearby lake to test them.
The fish that came flying out would definitely taste even better.
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