The atmosphere suddenly grew silent and heavy, as though the very air had sunk into a suffocating swamp.
Venti swallowed nervously, like a prisoner waiting for his verdict.
'Did they believe me or not?!'
No—judging from Nagami and Lumine's expressions, they clearly didn't believe a word.
But in truth, whether they did or not didn't matter much.
Those two didn't need a reason to bully him—if they wanted to, they would.
…Why did that thought sound so depressing?
Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Venti's gaze cautiously shifted to Zhongli.
The old man had already lifted the enticing jar of wine and carefully poured it into five porcelain cups.
Five cups.
One for Nagami, one for Lumine, one for the purple-haired, cat-eared stranger, one for Zhongli himself… and the last one—for him.
So… was Zhongli not planning to hold a grudge over last time?
Relief blossomed across Venti's face, and a hopeful smile tugged at his lips.
He eagerly reached out, ready to accept the cup being passed to him—
But his hand froze midair.
The smile stiffened and died on his face.
With all the stiffness of a rusty automaton, Venti's head creaked around, following the direction of Zhongli's hand.
'Paimon?!'
Why was the emergency food being given wine?!
Blinking in surprise, Paimon pointed to herself, wide-eyed, as if to ask: 'Me? Really?'
While she hesitated, Venti's brain kicked into overdrive.
'Think. Think! I have to find a way to save that cup. That wine is mine!'
His gaze darted around desperately until it landed on a certain small creature, swaying side to side near Lumine's legs and munching happily on something.
"That little guy… is he okay?"
Venti flashed a fawning smile, pointing toward Guoba, who was busily chewing away.
And just like that, everyone's attention shifted.
A heartbeat later, Keqing's panicked voice rang out:
"He—it ate—!"
Her wide violet eyes locked on the now-empty plate before her.
Only a single shrimp tail shell remained on the spotless dish.
'My island villa… my dream island villa!'
No—that wasn't it.
"Wuwu… Golden Shrimp Balls, my beloved golden shrimp balls…"
Her proud energy deflated all at once.
Keqing's fair, refined face crumpled into a look of loss and grievance.
She shut her eyes in anguish, unable to look at the empty plate any longer.
"Guoba!"
Normally, Guoba would never steal from a guest's plate.
But because Lumine was such a close friend of Xiangling's, he was especially affectionate toward her.
Around Lumine, he occasionally let his mischievous side show.
And Lumine adored the little guy.
On their adventures, she often borrowed him from Xiangling, and in her mental ranking of Pyro "assistants," Guoba actually ranked above even Uncle Diluc.
He always did whatever she asked, faithfully and cheerfully.
A perfect little companion.
If not for the fact that Lumine already had a Paimon of her own, she might have long since tried to "borrow" Xiangling's Guoba permanently.
Of course, if she were forced to choose between Paimon and Guoba, the answer was obvious: Paimon. After all, Paimon had far more… "uses."
"Not a single one left, huh? Don't worry, Miss Keqing. There are still plenty more plates coming—we'll have enough to share."
Nagami clenched a fist in his heart.
'Today, no matter what, I'll make sure the Golden Shrimp Balls reach the hands of this culinary master—even if our opponent is a god himself!'
…Or at least, that's what he could have said.
But in truth, all he felt right now was amusement.
Watching Keqing's normally composed face melt into such pitiful dejection—it was so adorable he nearly burst out laughing.
The usually dignified Yuheng of the Qixing carried herself like a noble lady, polite and approachable despite her station.
Yet there was always a sense of natural elegance about her.
To see that contrasted against her current teary, pouty expression? The gap was overwhelming. Absolutely charming.
"Don't be sad, Keqing. I'll scold Guoba for you right now!"
Lumine's delicate face softened into a gentle smile.
She pulled Keqing into a half-embrace, her voice tender as water, stroking the girl's lilac hair with the care one might give a frightened kitten.
Nagami simply watched, expression blank.
Of course it wasn't jealousy—definitely not.
He was only wondering whether he, too, might be getting a little too mischievous.
In fact, she wasn't just holding back laughter.
She was already planning ahead: the next time Golden Shrimp Balls arrived, she would "accidentally" give Guoba another chance to sneak a bite.
Just imagining Keqing's face when that happened sent a thrill of anticipation through her.
With those wicked thoughts in mind, Lumine crouched down to scold Guoba, secretly using the hand signals she'd taught him during their adventures.
The little creature was clever enough to understand perfectly.
"?"
Maybe too clever.
A huge question mark practically appeared above his head as he tilted it in confusion.
Listening to Lumine's lecture while also watching those pale, delicate fingers secretly signaling him to sneak more food, Guoba tilted his head in utter confusion.
At that moment, Nagami suddenly understood why Aether had looked at him with such a strange expression the first time they met.
If even a flawless beauty like Keqing—fair-skinned, long-legged, slim-waisted, with curves in all the right places—couldn't escape Lumine's schemes, then as for her own brother... well, hehe...
That look in Aether's eyes back then must have been pure gratitude:
'Finally, someone's taking this little devil away from me!'
Thinking back on it now, Nagami couldn't help but sigh.
Just what kind of living hell had poor Aether been enduring before this?
After Lumine and Guoba finished their little secret "exchange," Nagami slipped an arm around Lumine's slender waist.
Even through the thin layer of fabric, he could feel the softness of her body.
He ignored the stares of everyone around them—and even Lumine's exasperated glare—before pulling her onto his lap.
Her fair, smooth skin and the faint fragrance clinging to her body made it feel like the world itself had become a little brighter.
He linked his thoughts with hers, digging through her memories of how she used to torment her brother.
How to describe it... It was like watching a sly, overpowered version of Jerry bullying a hopelessly honest version of Tom.
Seeing Aether's tragic past didn't stir even the faintest sympathy in Nagami.
Instead, it only filled him with glee.
In fact, it made him want to crank the torment up a notch—after all, he and Lumine were one and the same, weren't they?
The awkward silence from earlier had already been broken thanks to Guoba stealing the golden shrimp balls.
Zhongli shook his head with a quiet laugh, then extended a finger to lightly tap Paimon's forehead before handing the cup of wine over to Venti.
"It's been a long time, and you're still the same. But this wine really is excellent."
After all, it was the best wine Nagami had managed to acquire from the Honkai world.
"Hehe~" Venti carefully accepted the cup, then plopped himself down beside Zhongli and raised it toward him. "Looks like you've come around, old man. From now on, we're kindred spirits! Since we finally get a break, let's drink to that!"
"A break, hmm..."
Zhongli clinked his cup against Venti's, though his gaze wandered instead toward the boy and girl in front of him—so wordless, yet so perfectly in sync it was as if they shared the same heartbeat.
He gave Venti only a faint glance.
And then, after Venti downed the drink, Zhongli's expression shifted.
The faintest flicker of confusion crossed his usually composed face, as if even he hadn't expected what just happened.
Venti, for his part, seemed oblivious to the change in himself.
He let out a silent sigh, lips twitching.
'Ah, right. Normally, I should be lounging around in Mondstadt, drinking away my days.'
'Sure, I'm still drinking now... but why does this feel like actual work?'
And the more he thought about it, the heavier that weight became.
'Ugh... watching over beings on par with Celestia itself? What a pain...'
"Huh? Why did everyone stop eating? Do I have something on me or—"
Noticing that Zhongli and Keqing were watching him with subtle curiosity, while Nagami and Lumine had glanced once and then looked away, Venti trailed off mid-sentence.
That's when he realized something was off.
His voice.
It was clear, melodic, and gentle—like wind chimes dancing in the breeze.
Venti—no, Miss Venti—froze.
Slowly, she raised her fair little hand and smacked her own cheek with a resounding slap, as if trying to wake herself up.
Then she slipped on the mask of agony.