"Breaking news! The gods of Mondstadt and Liyue were almost forced into something unspeakable by an ordinary uncle—utter madness!"
Nagami exclaimed dramatically, looking at Zhongli and Venti, who were this close to being made to wash dishes to pay their tab.
"I bet that would make front-page news in the Liyue Daily, don't you think?"
By the time they emerged from the dimensional ring, it was already dusk.
After two joyful hours exploring Liyue's night market, it was finally time to rest.
At this point, even if Ganyu and Keqing came over begging Miss Lumine to stay up for some late-night overtime, she wouldn't do it.
Seriously—how could a coconut goat and a workaholic cat-girl ever be more important than herself?
With flawless skin, long legs, a tiny waist, perfect curves, and that mature, witchy allure, Miss C.C. had a charm Lumine simply couldn't resist.
One teasing smile and a crooked finger from her—and Lumine would pounce all over again.
And then there was Nagami… who had practically opened the door to a whole new world for Lumine.
After fifty thousand years of saint-like restraint, all it took was a spark—and perhaps some lingering side effects from syncing too long with that blonde granny—for Lumine to lose every last bit of her composure.
In front of herself, things like dignity or self-control were just… unnecessary baggage.
Toss it out!
Naturally, once they returned to the ring space, the three-in-one "self" wasted no time diving right back into another round of sleepless nights.
It wasn't until the next morning—after a bowl of hot porridge carefully prepared by Nagami.
That Miss Lumine suddenly remembered: those two five-star freeloaders she'd "borrowed" might've been left behind somewhere.
After helping C.C. and Nagami clean up the kitchen, the blonde girl impatiently pulled Nagami along.
Time to go retrieve their rare, high-value "tools."
She still remembered, back in the game, that damn old man in Inazuma who had the audacity to ask the Traveler to pick hundreds of Qingxin flowers for him!
That was definitely just an excuse to dump chores on her. An insult to the Traveler's dignity!
Well, this time, Lumine decided she'd show him what a real Traveler could do.
And for that mission—those two divine "helpers" were absolutely essential.
When they finally found Zhongli and Venti, it was already the next day.
Since no one had shown up to pay their bill, the two gods had almost been forced to perform in the streets to work off their debt.
"I thought old man Zhongli had mellowed out by now," Venti said with a fake sob, his tone full of helplessness. "Couldn't he have just created some Mora to pay?"
"Once I chose to step down as the Geo Archon, I also gave up the privileges that came with that title. It's part of my contract," Zhongli replied, utterly calm—clearly no stranger to this sort of embarrassment.
After all, when you're a god of stone, your face is probably just as thick.
"Unbelievable. If the people of Liyue found out their god turned into a freeloader, I wonder what they'd think," Paimon muttered, shooting them both a disgusted look.
Zhongli only smiled faintly and shook his head.
"The gods in this world…" Seele tilted her head, blinking at Zhongli 'eats-and-runs' Li and Venti 'lazy-bard' Di, before glancing toward the green-haired girl holding her hand. "They're kind of… different from what I imagined gods to be."
"They're special cases," the green-haired girl replied lightly. "There are gods who still do their jobs properly, like… uh… never mind."
The Seven Archons—one dead, one is just a successor, three weird, one troublemaker, and one total mysteries.
Hardly the best résumé.
Kurumi smiled sweetly, looping her arm through Nagami's as she chatted with Miss Lumine.
But as she studied Lumine's bright, slightly dopey smile, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was… off.
Lumine was gorgeous—beautiful face, perfect figure, radiant presence.
Considering Nagami's personality and relying on a woman's secret weapon—intuition—Kurumi was certain that something must've happened between them before.
But what, exactly…?
Kurumi subtly tightened her arms around Nagami's, pressing herself closer.
Her soft body brushed against Nagami's shoulder, and she could see the momentary stiffness in Nagami's expression.
Noticing that, Kurumi gave a tiny, knowing nod—and then turned her gaze toward Lumine.
But Lumine's face remained all smiles, radiant and sincere, her amber eyes glowing with warmth and calm.
Still, something didn't add up. Kurumi just couldn't figure out what it was.
Could it be that Lumine… had some kind of special kink?
Like, maybe she liked watching…? Or being dominated?
There was no other explanation that made sense!
As a certain wise man once said—once you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how absurd, must be the truth.
And so… Kurumi's gaze toward Miss Lumine grew increasingly peculiar.
Who would've thought—sweet, innocent-looking Lumine, the adorable and charming traveler—actually harbored that kind of unusual kink?
Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover.
"What's wrong, Kurumi?"
Nagami could clearly sense the odd, searching look Kurumi was giving "herself."
"…"
Kurumi stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, then decided to test her theory. "Oh, nothing at all, darling~" she purred, her voice smooth and hypnotic—like the sirens in Greek mythology who lured sailors to their doom.
Suddenly, Kurumi lifted her head from Nagami's chest.
Her flawless, doll-like face bloomed into a seductive smile, and those wine-red eyes gleamed with dangerous allure.
Without warning, she leaned in and brushed her soft, damp lips against his.
A kiss—light as a whisper, quick as a spark.
Nagami froze, startled, completely unsure what Kurumi was up to this time.
But Kurumi's focus wasn't on him.
Her attention snapped to Lumine, whose lips had curled into a wide grin, her fair cheeks flushed pink with excitement.
Kurumi gasped sharply and instinctively took two steps back.
'Oh no. It's true. Lumine… actually had a masochist streak!'
She'd only ever seen this kind of thing in light novels or doujinshi—never in real life!
A strange mix of shock and pity crossed her eyes.
Though Lumine might technically be a "rival"… actually, no.
A girl like Lumine probably didn't see anyone as her enemy.
The more women who had a "special connection" with Nagami, the happier she seemed to get.
Poor thing…
Nagami and Lumine exchanged puzzled glances. Lumine shrugged and spread her hands, looking genuinely clueless.
————————————————————————
Meanwhile, far out at sea near Inazuma, the storms raged endlessly.
Thunder, lightning, and howling wind—it never stopped.
Normally, the only way to reach Inazuma safely was aboard Captain Beidou's Crux Fleet, the most fearsome ship squadron across the seas.
Sure, Nagami could just fly across.
Breaking through a storm like that would be child's play for him.
But that would instantly alert Miss Raiden Shogun, who'd definitely come to check it out herself—and that would ruin the surprise they'd planned for Zhongli and Venti.
Luckily, Beidou's flagship, the Alcor, was currently docked near Guyun Stone Forest for supplies.
Thanks to the Genshin data Nagami had shared long ago, he'd already befriended Beidou and Kaedehara Kazuha during a past seafaring adventure.
No one ever doubted Lumine's ability to make friends.
Wearing her signature sunny smile, she waved and greeted every passing crewmate as they boarded the Alcor without a hitch.
"Lumine! Long time no see! You sailing out with us again today?"
The cheerful greeting came from a familiar voice—and then a young man appeared, silver hair tied in a short braid, twin ahoges bouncing above a red-tinted streak matching his eyes.
"Yo, Kazuha!" Lumine called, waving energetically. "My friends and I are heading to Inazuma. Think you could give us a ride? Of course, I'll pay for the tickets." She glanced around the deck, looking for someone. "By the way, where's Captain Beidou?"
"Haha, don't worry about the fare—I'll pretend you were joking just now," Kazuha replied warmly. "As for Captain Beidou, she's busy preparing for the upcoming Crux Clash tournament. She'll be back soon."
Naturally, Beidou wouldn't invite Lumine to participate this time.
After all, that tournament was meant for ordinary fighters without Visions—and Lumine, who could wield elemental power without one, would absolutely break the balance of the whole event.
After quick introductions, Kazuha led everyone inside the ship, chatting pleasantly as they walked.
But as they talked, his gaze subtly swept over the group—from Nagami to the visitors from another world—before finally lingering on Venti and Zhongli, his expression turning unusually serious.
You see, Kazuha possessed a rare, almost instinctive sensitivity to the world around him.
He could feel things—like a sixth sense that let him perceive the essence of what he saw and heard.
Almost like Haki, but tuned to nature itself.
He could understand the whispers of the wind, the songs of rivers, the murmurs of trees…
From Paimon, that mysterious floating creature, he sensed something profoundly complex—like the scent of the unknown.
From Lumine, he caught traces of wind, earth, and even… the stars.
From that carefree green-haired bard, he felt the pure essence of wind itself—so strong it almost stung his nose.
And from Zhongli came the heavy, ageless scent of ancient stone.
Yes… Lumine's companions were definitely not ordinary beings.
Taking a seat without hesitation, Lumine watched Kazuha chatting with the others. Her gaze slowly drifted downward—to the crystal spheres hanging from his waist.
One glowed with a vibrant teal light, pulsing faintly with intricate markings.
But the other… was dull and gray, its brilliance long gone.
A Vision—long since extinguished.