Everyone knows this: the world only makes sense because boundaries exist.
Without a water's surface, there can be no lake.
Without ridgelines, mountains and skies could never take shape.
If boundaries disappeared, everything would blend together—light and dark, pure and impure—until the world collapsed into chaos.
Among the countless powers yokai possess, there is one that rivals even creation gods: the ability to control boundaries.
Dangerous, terrifying, and nearly limitless.
But here's the key point—those lofty claims only hold true if the wielder has the energy output to sustain it.
The bloodline of the Gap Yokai grants its bearer the ability to slip through rifts in space, teleporting anywhere in an instant—or even moving just a single part of their body.
More outrageous still, these gaps aren't limited to physical space; they extend into paintings, dreams, even stories themselves.
Of course, such feats require the true power of boundaries to back them up, so the heart of it all is still boundary force.
Frankly speaking, Yukari Yakumo's output alone isn't enough to unleash the full might of boundary manipulation.
Otherwise, Gensokyo wouldn't have needed to confine itself within a tiny Hakurei Great Barrier.
If she could use the power fully, creating an entirely new world would be child's play.
Even so, just the raw ability to manipulate boundaries made Yukari Yakumo a workhorse across countless multiverse chat groups—always the ultimate "golden cheat character."
And really, when you think of Yukari: blonde hair, golden eyes, scheming old witch, eternally seventeen…
Sometimes a cold, calculating BBA. Other times, a sweet, pure loli act.
Sound familiar?
Nagami lowered his gaze to Lumine, whose excited face glowed with a charming blush.
Her delicate frame leaned softly into his chest, head tilted slightly upward.
A scene that should've melted anyone's heart—yet all Nagami could imagine was Lumine one day peeping through gaps everywhere, tossing anyone who mentioned her real age into the void.
'If only I had the energy to wield boundary power at its true level…' Lumine sighed inwardly.
But Nagami felt no trace of regret. Instead, the excitement radiating from Lumine's heart spilled over into him, impossible to ignore.
For now, both her Gap Yokai bloodline and her boundary powers were only in their infancy.
Reaching Yukari's level—or truly unleashing boundary force—would take ages.
Luckily, she and Nagami were counterparts.
And with Nagami's special eyes that could analyze all phenomena across worlds, once he parsed the essence of boundary power, Lumine could synchronize with him to deepen her own mastery.
That meant it wouldn't take her centuries to catch up to that scheming old witch—just time, and Nagami at her side.
[Alright, alright, now you know what it means to be a true gacha god.]
[Save that excitement for tonight,] Nagami teased, pinching Lumine's flushed cheek.
[And besides… shouldn't you reward "yourself" for such a lucky break?]
The moment Lumine caught his thoughts, her body tensed, lashes trembling as her breath hitched.
But she didn't refuse—because Nagami had a point.
Truth be told, even Miss Lumine couldn't resist the triple sensation.
For someone tasting forbidden fruit for the first time, it was… addictive.
She tried to steady her mind, but the thrill of flipping her fate from eternal "unlucky" into jackpot winner was overwhelming.
She couldn't calm down at all.
Naturally, Nagami read every flicker of thought perfectly, his lips curling into a satisfied grin.
Catching his shameless expression, Lumine shot him a sultry sidelong glance, twirled a strand of her silky hair around her finger, and tucked it behind her ear with practiced nonchalance.
Their conversation was entirely telepathic, which to outsiders made their actions look bizarre.
But the unspoken bond, that impossible-to-describe harmony, was undeniable.
Wendy had been stuck as the third wheel the whole time, silently playing lightbulb.
No words, no complaints—just the quiet yearning to hurry back to managing Mondstadt.
Paimon hovered with arms crossed, deadpan stare fixed on the two.
She'd endured constant bullying already, but now even in the middle of an adventure she was force-fed dog food? Unforgivable.
When would Emergency Food finally rise up!?
————————————————————————
[Lumine]: They're here.
————————————————————————
Gap Yokai were absurdly rare—so rare that Yukari Yakumo was the only one in all of Gensokyo, a race of one.
And as everyone knows, rarity often signals power.
Though Lumine had only just been "born" as a Gap Yokai, her sense of space was already extraordinary, amplified further by Nagami's counterpart link.
A dark abyssal gate opened nearby, and from it emerged a golden-haired boy alongside an Abyss Herald, their presence radiating authority.
'What arrogance.'
Lumine's arms tightened subtly around Nagami's neck, her golden eyes narrowing.
And then—at the worst possible moment—Aether walked in on the two locked in an embrace, lips just parting.
He froze mid-step, rooted in place.
His gaze lingered on the blonde girl in a white corset dress trimmed with gold, golden-heeled boots gleaming beneath the hem.
Her long, snowy legs glistened, flawless and alluring.
The familiarity struck him like lightning. This was his sister.
No impostor could replicate that presence.
Satisfied with the truth, Aether turned his eyes to Nagami.
The black-haired youth with clear, refined features met his stare calmly.
Those dark eyes even seemed tinged with violet.
Better-looking than him, Aether admitted reluctantly.
He gave the faintest approving nod—Nagami would do.
He spared only a glance at Wendy in the distance before dismissing him.
There was no time to waste on gods.
"Hello. I'm Aether—Lumine's older brother. Given your relationship, I'm sure she's told you about me."
His smile was warm as spring sunlight, his voice gentle, measured.
Not at all like the leader of the Abyss Order, but rather a friendly, approachable young man.
It had to be that way.
He couldn't risk scaring off this future brother-in-law.
After all, they say an elder brother is like a father.
Even if he and Lumine were twins, he was born a second earlier—that still made him the elder!
And as her big brother, wasn't it natural to nudge along his "late-blooming" sister's love life?
But his words lit Lumine's anger aflame.
Unbelievable. In the game, the first thing he did upon seeing her was ask about Dainsleif.
And now, without that outsider here, he skipped greeting her entirely to address Nagami.
Even if Nagami was also her, Aether didn't know that. So it didn't count!
Her happy smile vanished, replaced with a dark scowl, like storm clouds blotting out the sun.
Then, with icy resolve, she reached for a bottle of enchanted spring water and twisted the cap open.