—Inside one of the Abyss Dimension
"What… what did you just say?"
The sudden revelation made Aether's eyes widen in shock.
He stared blankly at the Abyss Apostle before him for several seconds, as if a tidal wave had crashed through his mind.
The news was so outrageous he almost couldn't process it.
He rubbed at his ear, his expression one of utter disbelief, as though he had misheard.
"Say that again!?"
"Your Highness…" The Abyss Apostle knelt on one knee, lowering its head with utmost loyalty.
"This subordinate speaks only the truth. According to the black-haired youth's words, he and your blood relative share a special bond—a human companion of the highest order. Furthermore, I personally witnessed him with the Princess…"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Aether's voice rose sharply, filled with unshakable certainty. His gaze turned grim, horrified.
There was no way—none at all!
Had this Apostle fallen victim to some kind of mental manipulation?
He briefly considered the possibility.
But no… in all of Teyvat, there were no such powers of the mind.
Even so, Aether's heart rejected the thought outright. Just imagining it made his head tremble in protest.
It wasn't the idea of someone dating his sister that shocked him.
He and Lumine had walked the endless stars, traversed countless worlds, and lived through ages.
They had eaten more salt than most mortals had ever seen rice.
Time, which slipped like sand through ordinary fingers, meant little to long-lived beings like them.
Indifference was their nature, honed over millennia.
But this? A mere local pig daring to nibble at his millennium-old titanium cabbage!?
What kind of cosmic joke was this!?
And another thing—how did Lumine know about his ties to the Abyss?
Questions flooded his mind like a tide.
Still, one thing was clear: Lumine might be trying to lure him out, but this time, he had to go.
Her connection with that black-haired boy was definitely not ordinary.
Aether didn't believe for a second that he was her so-called husband-to-be.
But if he were just another companion, Lumine would never go so far as to sacrifice herself for the ruse.
And if it were true… then Aether would stop at nothing to keep Nagami within the Abyss until the wedding was complete.
Because finally—finally—someone was willing to take this troublesome sister off his hands.
Why would he ever object?
Every world they visited, Lumine snatched away the pretty girls.
And every single time, she succeeded.
It was enough to make Aether question his own charm.
Was he truly that bad at winning women compared to her?
As for the usual brotherly reluctance about sending a sister off to marriage?
That had burned away thousands of years ago.
The feelings of immortal siblings were something else entirely.
There was almost no chance Lumine had been deceived.
Love might dull the wits of a maiden—but she was no mere maiden.
She was a ten-thousand-year-old veteran.
Though Aether hated to admit it, he was certain of one thing: even if someone tricked him into crossdressing at a brothel, Lumine herself would never fall for such schemes.
Yes. An older brother's words were always this blunt.
Not that he would ever say such things to Lumine's face. That would be worse than death.
He still remembered the last time he had dared bring up her age. His memory of what followed was a blank void of pure terror.
"Summon the Apostles. Take me to the ruin where the ritual was held."
Today, Aether would meet the so-called hero who had subdued his sister.
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"Wha—!? Lumine, are you and Nagami… you know, like that?" Paimon pressed her index fingers together, her tone shy and hesitant.
After all, the two had been holding hands almost nonstop since appearing together.
And Nagami kissing Lumine outright—that was explosive news for anyone who knew her.
"Mhm, mhm, I knew it~" Venti nodded sagely, arms crossed as if everything made perfect sense.
"Ehm…"
Lumine didn't see much point in hiding her connection with Nagami.
The real problem was defining it. "Lovers" wasn't exactly right.
"…Forget it. Just think of it that way if you like." She scratched her head helplessly, unable to come up with anything better.
Her vague reply made Paimon and Venti exchange a bewildered glance.
'What does 'just think of it that way' even mean?'
"Right, Lumine—earlier you called yourself a Princess. What did you mean by that? Does your brother have something to do with the Abyss Order?" Paimon tilted her head, puzzled.
"I don't really know either. But apparently… my brother has become the leader of the Abyss Order. Nagami was the one who told me…"
She trailed off, her gaze calm.
For now, all she had to do was wait for Aether to appear.
There would be time enough to explain everything.
Of course, if he still chose to play riddler, then don't blame me when the Ranma Water in my hand shows no mercy!
If Aether decided to speak like a normal person, Lumine could show some kindness and pour less of the spring water.
Otherwise, even after ten thousand years, her family would still have only an older sister!
Nagami, already linked with Lumine's mind, had prepared the spring water the moment she began explaining.
And not just any version—this was an upgraded one, fully analyzed and optimized with his Alpha Stigma Eyes.
Anyone splashed by this water would instantly become female.
Touching hot water would turn them back into a boy, touching cold water into a girl again.
That much was the curse's foundation and couldn't be altered.
The difference with this enhanced version was the "hot" and "cold" thresholds.
For example, if Aether got turned into "Aether-sis," he would need water at tungsten-melting temperature just to switch back into a guy!
Nagami wasn't entirely cruel, though.
He kept the "cold" threshold at something more reasonable—just under 98°C.
At least it left Aether-sis a sliver of hope.
Since Nagami had completely analyzed the spring water, he could remove the curse anytime he wanted.
In other words, whether Aether kept his… manhood… all depended on Lumine's mood.
That was a special privilege for being her brother.
Venti, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He'd only get tossed into the regular version.
Hopefully, when he learned the truth, he wouldn't complain about favoritism~
"Preparation complete!"
A cheerful shout cut off the trio's conversation.
Paimon and Venti both turned to see two bottles of what looked like ordinary mineral water floating in front of Nagami.
"Nagami, what's this?" Paimon floated closer, putting a tiny finger on her lips. "Is this for us to drink? Now that you mention it, I am kinda thirsty. Then I won't hold back!"
Just as she reached out for one, Lumine's small hand smacked hers away.
"This isn't for you. Even if you drank it, it'd do nothing. Just a waste of my power."
Taking the bottle from Nagami, Lumine and he shared a knowing glance.
Both their lips curved upward at the same time, their smiles stretching wider and wider until they broke into mischievous grins.
Seeing the red star-shaped glow in their eyes, Paimon shivered and scooted closer to Venti.
Right now, the pressure they exuded completely overshadowed the Abyss Herald from earlier.
"They really look like a shady, scheming married couple…" Venti muttered under his breath, so softly even he could barely hear it.
He was Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, but also a survivor above all.
He didn't know what that water was, but one thing was certain—it wasn't anything good.
He definitely wasn't about to try it.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: Aether shouldn't be here for a while yet. Why don't we roll the gacha now? Think of it as sacrificing Aether's manhood for luck.
With such a huge price, the pulls are bound to be amazing!
———————————————————————
Nagami sent his chat group points to Lumine in the form of a red packet.
———————————————————————
[Lumine]: Mm!
———————————————————————
For once, her face showed unprecedented seriousness as she accepted it without hesitation.
Her heart rippled as she stared at the record-breaking number of points on her panel.
When she opened the gacha pool interface, her slender pale hands trembled uncontrollably.
Unconsciously, she clutched one of Nagami's hands tight.
For Lumine, a hopelessly unlucky player, pulling the gacha was a sacred ritual.
But for Nagami, a true gacha whale and luck incarnate, it was effortless.
Whatever banner he rolled, he got the featured unit.
His luck was so absurd he could even voice-command his pulls…
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[Nagami]: Don't worry. Trust my luck.
———————————————————————
The difference in mindset between an unlucky player and a born lucky one couldn't be clearer.
Sometimes, luck was simply undeniable—some people really could get a perfect Honkai 10-roll with every weapon and stigma, or a Genshin 10-roll with five golds at once.
Others, meanwhile, only ever won on hard pity.
But under the influence of Nagami's confidence, Lumine gave the command.
On the screen, countless stars streaked like silver meteors, converging toward the center.
Brilliant, pure light erupted—followed by dazzling gold, radiant beyond belief!
———————————————————————
[Lumine]: It's gold! It's gold! A five-star drop!!!
———————————————————————
Her heart skipped, then pounded like thunder.
Overwhelmed with joy, Lumine rose on tiptoe, grabbed Nagami's face, and kissed him hard.
The longer you've been unlucky, the more unbearable the excitement of crossing from "Africa" to "Europe."
Nagami blinked at her sudden assault, then chuckled softly.
His special nature as a counterpart let him read the item's information directly.
But when he saw what ability it was, his expression twisted strangely.
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[Gap Youkai · Boundary]
[Source]: Touhou Project – Youkai Sage Yukari Yakumo.
A special youkai bloodline possessing the ability to manipulate all boundaries.
Capable of overturning the very foundations of reality—creating new things in theory, and erasing old ones just as easily.
[Note]: All abilities are constrained by the user's own energy output.
[Evaluation]: ★★★★★
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