After Lumine's flawlessly smooth "operation" and her strategic small talk with Ayaka, the conversation finally circled back to the real issue.
Trying to imagine things from Ayaka's point of view, Nagami could feel cold sweat trickling down his back.
She was basically a walking, talking weapon of mass persuasion—one that only worked on beautiful girls!
Even Thoma, sitting quietly nearby, was giving Nagami a rather suspicious look.
Only Paimon, clutching the small fox spirit, was trembling in a corner, silently praying she wouldn't be next.
Of all people in Teyvat, Paimon was one of the few—besides Nagami and Aether—who knew what Lumine was really like.
"The Raiden Shogun's will is like thunder and storm—merciless, unrelenting, never sparing a thought for mortal hearts."
Taking a slow breath to calm herself, Ayaka pushed down the fluttering warmth still lingering in her chest and forced her focus back to the matter at hand.
"Those who've lost their Visions because of the Vision Hunt Decree are suffering deeply right now, Nagami. How… how do we stop it?"
At some point—without even realizing it—Ayaka had started following Nagami's lead.
He hadn't even done much: just nodded, smiled, and responded in kind with Lumine's cues, yet the conversation's rhythm was entirely in his hands.
Nagami shot Lumine a sidelong glance, the golden-haired girl looking innocent as ever, before turning toward Ayaka's calm, elegant face.
"All you need to do is recommend me for an audience with the Raiden Shogun. I already have a plan in mind—but I can't reveal the details until it succeeds."
The truth was, Nagami had everything mapped out already—first surprising Ei by showing up with two familiar faces.
Then working with Yae Miko inside the Plane of Euthymia to "convince" her (mostly through… physical persuasion).
No way he was explaining that to Ayaka, though.
Ayaka's eyes narrowed slightly, a gentle curve forming at her lips.
"So you already had a plan… I knew it."
Her gaze softened even further.
'I was right all along.'
Even if she hadn't come to ask for his help, Nagami's kind and selfless nature wouldn't allow him to stand by and do nothing while others suffered.
"Then, I leave everything to you," she said, reaching out to clasp his hand resting on the table. "It's truly an honor to meet someone as noble as you, Nagami."
"Heh, don't worry. I'll take care of it."
Their hands met—her fingers soft and warm, his grip steady and reassuring.
And while Ayaka blushed, Nagami's inner monologue was going wild.
————————————————————————
[Nagami]: Lumine! Was this all part of your plan too!?
————————————————————————
He could feel the heat rising in Ayaka's cheeks, the subtle shift in her posture—every tiny detail.
On the surface, he smiled calmly, but inside he was barely holding back a laugh.
'This woman is terrifying. This is a god-tier level setup!'
And "noble"? That was… the first time anyone had ever called him that.
"Heh~" Lumine hummed smugly in his mind, lips curling into a smirk.
Nagami sighed inwardly.
He gave Ayaka's delicate hand a light squeeze—only realizing what he'd done when she gasped softly, snapping out of her trance.
Like a startled deer, she quickly withdrew her hand, eyes wide and face flushed pink.
"R-right, Nagami, Lumine—this is…"
She fanned herself rapidly with her folded fan, trying to cool her burning cheeks as her gaze landed on the small fox spirit munching away on deep-fried tofu.
"Could this be… a fox envoy?"
"A fox envoy?" Lumine blinked. "What's that?"
Ayaka smiled faintly, eager to steer the topic elsewhere.
"You must have met Lady Yae Miko, yes? She's one of the fox envoys who serve the Shogun."
"Ohhh, that makes sense," Paimon chimed in, nodding sagely. "We've always figured there might be other fox envoys around Inazuma too!"
The little fox puffed out her chest proudly.
"I'm not one of those, though! I'm Higokumaru—the emergency… uh, the brilliant assistant! Totally different category!"
Settling comfortably on Nagami's shoulder, she looked awfully smug for a spirit the size of a teapot.
"So… does that make you one of Inazuma's adepti then?" Paimon asked, tapping her chin.
"Adepti?"
"Yeah! We're from Liyue—lots of them there! There's the flying ones, the underground ones, the swimming ones, the buried ones…"
Nagami sighed.
'Yep, she's been hanging around Lumine too long.'
Technically, she wasn't wrong—but calling the Liyue adepti "buried ones" was just begging for trouble.
If she ever said that in front of the actual adepti, they'd probably turn her into a snack.
"I see," Ayaka said thoughtfully. "I've read about such beings in old books, but never met one myself. Liyue must be a land of rich legends indeed."
"You should come visit sometime," Nagami offered smoothly. "The food alone is worth the trip—Liyue cuisine has a charm you'll never forget."
'Especially Xiangling's new experimental dishes… they leave quite the impression.'
"Really? That sounds wonderful!"
Ayaka's eyes sparkled with genuine excitement.
Nagami couldn't help wondering just how high Lumine's charisma hacks had pushed her affection level.
He coughed lightly, regaining his composure.
"Ahem—anyway, let's focus on stopping the Vision Hunt first."
A stray thought crossed his mind.
'If only Mei were here… I bet Ei and her would be hilarious together.'
Two counterparts from different worlds: one could do everything except cook, and the other could only cook and nothing else.
"Understood," Ayaka nodded gracefully. "I'll begin the arrangements for your audience with the Shogun right away.
In the meantime, please stay and rest here at the teahouse tonight. I'll send Thoma for you once everything's ready."
With that, she rose to her feet, giving Nagami one last soft, lingering smile before leaving the teahouse with Thoma in tow.