Nagami wasn't particularly picky about tea.
He couldn't say he loved it either—but the tea at Komore Teahouse was genuinely good.
Still, compared to the blend Rita carefully prepared for him, it came up just a bit short.
After sampling a few sips, Nagami and Lumine left the teahouse and returned to the pocket dimension within the ring.
Lumine seemed distracted, but the slight curve at the corner of her lips made it obvious—she was in an extremely good mood.
Practically glowing, she leaned against Nagami, and her attention completely fixed on C.C. and what she was doing.
In one sentence: Miss Lumine was in heaven. Absolute heaven.
At the edge where the blue sea met the golden sand, a group of stunning girls—fair-skinned, long-legged, slim-waisted, and with curves that would make any goddess jealous—were joyfully playing together.
Smooth legs gleamed in the sunlight, slender arms glistened like jade, and their laughter mixed with the ocean breeze.
Droplets of seawater sparkled on their skin, scattering rainbows of light.
It was dazzling. Almost too dazzling.
Slurp.
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[Nagami]: Hey, hey—wipe your mouth, you're drooling.
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Among those beautiful girls in front of him, he could only describe the scene as paradise.
The wholesome "pure space" had been broken—by none other than C.C. herself.
And while the sight of several completely naked girls might've been… well, quite something, a beach scene without swimsuits just didn't feel right.
And so, the girls' swimsuits appeared—each one somehow perfectly matching their personality and charm.
Of course, that wasn't exactly why C.C. gave them swimsuits.
The real reason was that poor little Seele, pure and innocent as ever, and the conservative shrine maiden were so flustered when their clothes disappeared that they could barely function.
Their faces turned scarlet, voices trembling with embarrassed little sounds, their slim figures shaking helplessly in confusion, eyes spinning in panic.
Kurumi, on the other hand, barely batted an eye.
She'd expected something like this from C.C. the moment that troublemaker dragged them out here.
This kind of thing was exactly what she'd been anticipating.
Sure, the initial shock of being caught completely unprepared was… an experience, but she recovered fast.
Even though C.C. kept insisting that there was nothing to be shy about.
They were all beautiful girls, it was basically like bathing together—Seele and the shrine maiden were far too embarrassed to move.
Their minds short-circuited, and they couldn't even speak properly.
Their long legs clamped tightly together, refusing to take a single step.
After a moment of silent appreciation, C.C. sighed and recreated some swimsuits from memory, slipping them onto Seele and Yae Sakura.
Only then did the two regain the ability to function.
And, of course, she couldn't just stop there.
Since Seele and Sakura got new swimsuits, it was only fair that Kurumi got one too—a… slightly more "exciting" design, let's say.
After all, of all the girls close to C.C., Kurumi was the one she truly couldn't afford to provoke.
A countless number of alternate-timeline clones?
Yeah, that wasn't something you wanted to mess with.
Right now, C.C. was patiently teaching little Seele how to swim—one hand supporting her soft, flat stomach, their bodies pressed close as she guided the girl's movements leg by leg, arm by arm.
Let's just say… two bodies are better than one.
Feeling the soft, slippery touch of the girls' skin through the air, Nagami felt a certain kind of… stimulation.
Sitting on the couch, he pulled the golden-haired girl into his lap—more for "tactical control," as he told himself, than anything else.
If it weren't for the two extra guests and the two children still in the villa.
Those two hopelessly shameless narcissists would've probably started something right there in broad daylight.
Miss Lumine was not amused.
She'd already started plotting revenge in her head for those two nuisances who ruined her fun.
But when she noticed Venti and Zhongli, she picked up on the strange, awkward atmosphere hanging between them… and couldn't help but smile with wicked amusement.
She decided to spare them—for now.
With nothing better to do, everyone joined a card game at Nagami's suggestion.
Not "Fight the Landlord" this time, but a ridiculous game they called King of Bluffing.
Time slipped by unnoticed. Before they knew it, the next day had arrived.
"Hey, Miss Guuji, aren't you going to check on your shrine? You've been missing for so long, the miko must be panicking by now," C.C. asked, lounging lazily on a beanbag chair.
Her slender legs covered in white stockings swaying idly as she held a handheld console in her hands.
"Not a problem," Yae Miko replied without looking up from her light novel.
She reclined on another beanbag, fork in hand, popping a bite of cheesecake into her mouth. "I already asked Sakura to take care of things this morning."
"She may have just been an ordinary shrine maiden before, but she's more than capable of handling my duties now."
If multiversal versions of someone could be considered the exact same person, then parallel versions could easily be thought of as sisters.
With that bond, it didn't take long at all for the two fox girls to grow as close as real siblings.
When it came to age, Yae Miko had at least a decade over Yae Sakura—so she was naturally the "big sister."
For Sakura, who had always been the one taking care of her younger sister Rin, suddenly becoming the little sister felt… strange, but not unpleasant.
In fact, she found herself kind of liking it.
After just a bit of gentle coaxing from Miko, Sakura gave in easily.
A quick change of clothes later, she was off to Narukami Shrine, temporarily taking over Miko's duties there.
C.C., sitting nearby with her long mint-green hair flowing freely around her shoulders, lazily tucked a lock behind her ear and gave the fox a flat look.
"Don't tell me you've started copying Ei now," she said, her golden eyes half-lidded. "You're totally treating Sakura the same way Ei treats her puppet."
Miko, completely absorbed in her newfound leisure, looked far too relaxed for C.C.'s and Lumine's liking.
Both couldn't help but think the same thing—had she been infected by the Barbatos Slacking Virus too?
It all added up. Venti was definitely Patient Zero.
And the irony?
Miko used to tease Ei relentlessly for crying whenever she couldn't read her favorite light novels or eat sweets.
Yet here she was—probably even more obsessed with both!
After all, Yae Publishing House, the most popular light novel store in all of Inazuma, was her business. And the "This Light Novel is Amazing!" contest? Also her idea.
She'd said it was to "help Ei discover more exciting stories," but anyone who knew her knew better—it was just an excuse to indulge herself.
"How could you say that?" Miko replied with a sly smile. "Sakura is like a real little sister to me. How could I possibly compare her to a puppet?"
Of course, that was true enough.
But because Sakura was family, it meant Miko could do whatever she wanted—tease her, use her, push her around… all under the guise of sisterly love.
That said, there was one thing that caught Miko's attention lately—Sakura seemed to have special feelings for that boy named Nagami.
And that Nagami… definitely wasn't ordinary.
One glance was enough to tell—he was constantly surrounded by an entire lineup of gorgeous girls, each one different but equally stunning in beauty, figure, and charm.
Even the enchanting witch sitting across from her—C.C.—seemed to share some mysterious connection with him.
Not wanting Sakura to get hurt, Miko decided it was time to do some "sisterly investigation" and test this boy's true intentions.
If he turned out to be insincere, she'd warn Sakura to be cautious and protect herself.
Polygamy wasn't unheard of in Inazuma, and as a kitsune who was practically a living definition of the word "temptress,"
Miko didn't mind humans having multiple lovers—as long as the feelings involved were genuine.
"So, C.C.," she began casually, "you and Nagami are pretty close, right?"
The first step in any good investigation: gather intel.
"Hmm?" C.C. paused mid-bite, then resumed playing on her handheld as if nothing had happened.
Still, a faintly strange glint flickered in her golden eyes.
"Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Why?"
"I'm just very curious about what kind of man Nagami really is," Miko replied smoothly. "Care to tell me more about him?"
She brushed aside her pink bangs, revealing her flawless forehead and those mesmerizing violet eyes that shimmered beneath.
C.C. narrowed her gaze slightly.
What was this fox scheming?
C.C. might've been self-assured, but she wasn't so narcissistic as to think she'd charmed Yae Miko in such a short time.
What did she take her for—some lovestruck little girl like Ayaka?
Well… technically, compared to someone like Miko, Ayaka really was just a kid.
"Oh? Very curious?" C.C. teased, leaning forward until their faces were almost touching. "Don't tell me you've fallen for my partner already?"
A playful smirk curved her lips as she blew a gentle breath across Miko's cheek.
Miko's smile froze for a moment—but she quickly regained composure, masking her reaction with a polite, sugary grin.
"Not quite. It's just that Sakura seems to like him. And as her big sister, I simply want to make sure he's worthy of her."
Her voice was light, but her gaze sharpened beneath her fringe, studying every twitch of C.C.'s expression.
Yet to her confusion, C.C.'s face remained utterly calm.
When Miko mentioned Sakura's feelings, there wasn't even the faintest reaction.
It was as if she couldn't care less.
That didn't add up.
From what Miko had seen, C.C. and Nagami clearly weren't just companions.
So why the detached attitude?
No woman could hear that another girl had a crush on her partner and stay completely unfazed… right?
Miko prided herself on her intuition.
No one could fool her that easily—certainly not with mere acting.
But those golden eyes staring back at her held nothing but amusement, like someone watching a play unfold.
'Damn it,' she thought. 'At this rate, I'll end up turning into the Teyvat Tax Bureau just to audit this nonsense.'
"Hmm… I see," she finally said, nodding thoughtfully.
C.C. almost laughed but managed to keep a straight face.
"Alright then," she said with mock seriousness, crossing her legs and sitting upright. "Let me give you a completely objective introduction to Nagami."
She cleared her throat dramatically, as if about to start a lecture.
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[Lumine]: Ayaka just returned. But her expression doesn't look good. Something must've happened.
———————————————————————
As the one bonded to the ring, Lumine could sense everything happening outside the pocket space.
[Let's go check it out.]
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