Paimon floated beside Lumine, sneaking nervous glances at the oversized sunglasses hiding her friend's face. Her voice still carried a trace of fear.
"Lumine… we're really not going to stop that singing bard?"
She glanced back toward the city gates, half-expecting to see a certain green figure lurking there—but nothing.
Lumine had always teased her by calling her "emergency rations," but now Paimon was starting to wonder if Miss Lumine might actually use her that way.
Especially since Lumine once mentioned something called an "emergency cup" with such innocent eyes… and Paimon had shivered ever since.
Whatever that meant, it couldn't be good.
But Lumine herself was in high spirits.
After turning her brother into a sister, teasing her mercilessly, and leaving in a flourish of background effects, she was practically glowing with satisfaction.
Holding Nagami's hand, she strolled through the bustling, lively streets of Liyue Harbor, smiling like a flower in full bloom.
Even her footsteps seemed to dance to music.
"Of course not. Venti's not someone who can be caught so easily. And my bro— no sister now, is not the type to stick her neck out for him anyway."
Lumine knew Aether's personality inside and out.
Just from how she had reacted after reappearing, Lumine could already read a lot.
That was the bond of twins forged across millennia of traveling together—an unshakable connection that proved how close they really were.
And from the way Aether had looked right before she left—like he might faint from "heartbreak"—Lumine could clearly tell just how much her sibling longed for her.
That alone strengthened Lumine's resolve: once she got the chance, she'd make time to visit her brother who was now fighting for the Abyss.
Well… sister now.
But before that, she had to strengthen her Riftborn powers.
Otherwise, if Aether actually managed to capture her, things would get ugly.
Considering how much chaos she'd just caused, there was no way her sister would let her off easy.
And in recent centuries, her usual tricks—playing cute, begging, acting spoiled—had almost completely stopped working.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]:Honestly, who would buy into the act of a tens-of-thousands-year-old grandma pretending to be a young girl?'
———————————————————————
Nagami's merciless jab froze Lumine's smile in place.
If anyone else had said that, she'd have tossed them straight into a rift without hesitation.
But Nagami was different—he was her.
And any hit he took, she'd feel just as much.
Lumine wasn't a masochist.
[Fine, you're right. But don't say it again!] Lumine puffed her cheeks and glared at him through their mental link.
Nagami only shrugged casually, unfazed, and shifted the topic.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]:As for your Riftborn powers… maybe after I leave this world, you could swing by Gensokyo.
Go look up the legendary youkai sage—Yukari Yakumo. Learn from "Mama Yukari."
———————————————————————
He smirked at the thought.
'Yeah, I'll call her Mama Yukari. What's she gonna do—pop out of nowhere and slam my face into a keyboard?'
Thrill-seeker that he was, Nagami had always wanted to call her "granny" to her face. Sadly, he never had the time to visit Gensokyo.
Maybe Lumine could do it for him.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]:She's the only Riftborn in the world. Once she sees your bloodline, she'll probably be thrilled to take you in as her… little sister.'
———————————————————————
The only problem was… Lumine's sense of shame was already fragile at best.
And if she spent too long in a place like Gensokyo, well—who knew what she might turn into?
Lumine traced lazy circles in Nagami's palm, their thoughts syncing with impossible speed.
She quickly grasped the gist of his plan.
———————————————————————
[Lumine]: Not a bad idea. But calling her Mama Yukari? That's your suicide mission, not mine. I don't want to get wrecked while I'm still learning.
———————————————————————
She wasn't scared of Yukari, exactly. But this was clearly a trap, and she had no intention of jumping in—at least, not until she was strong enough to escape unscathed.
At this point, the two were basically perfect mirrors of each other.
"So, where to next? My travel plans in this world are being decided by… well, myself."
They had been wandering aimlessly through Liyue for a while.
But with Paimon tagging along like a glowing third wheel, Nagami couldn't exactly act on certain… impulses.
Lumine shot him a sideways glare, her cheeks faintly pink. Did this guy only think about one thing?
And the worst part—every time he thought about it, their linked minds dragged her thoughts down the same path.
And once that happened… well, the outcome was obvious.
"Ahem. Of course we're going to see Zhongli. When we do, make sure to show off a little Herrscher power. Let's see if we can snag another free five-star."
Hands on her hips, Lumine lifted her chin and coughed twice, trying to steer both of their thoughts back on track.
———————————————————————
[Lumine]: And then, we'll head for Inazuma! I'll be your wingman, how about that~
———————————————————————
She nudged Nagami with her slender elbow, winking with a mischievous smile that clearly said, 'You know what I mean.'
Even back when it was Aether, Lumine would never have let her sibling steal away a girl she had her eyes on. She always won those battles of charm.
Normally, no sane person—immortal or not—would ever help their own guy build a harem.
But here's the catch.
Lumine and Nagami weren't lovers, or spouses. "Partners" barely scratched the surface. On a higher plane, they were literally the same being.
To them, seeing each other as themselves wasn't just words—it was reality.
So from Lumine's perspective, Nagami's girls were her girls too. And besides… it wasn't like she even had the equipment to "commit the crime."
'…We'll see.' Nagami admitted the idea was tempting.
He already had more than a few girls around him.
And if he eventually took the Herrscher squad from Flame-Chasers into Honkai Gakuen 2… well, things would get even messier.
Other people's love dramas were one thing, but with Herrschers? If they actually started fighting…
The thought alone gave him a headache. He rubbed his temples with a groan.