"Hey, you two idiots over there…"
"If you've stared enough, hurry up and get over here."
Yingda had noticed the gazes of the two little fools long ago.
Putting down her teacup, she waved at them helplessly.
"Uh…"
"Yingda's talking about us, right?"
Paimon stared, pointing at herself, looking as if she couldn't believe it.
"Who else?"
Lumine shook her head in resignation, then started walking toward the three.
"Hey!"
Paimon stomped her foot in anger.
"What do you mean, 'who else'?"
"She just called us idiots, Lumine! You're not even going to argue back for us?"
"How do I look like an idiot, huh?"
"I'm super smart, okay?"
She'd always been the one slapping nicknames on other people.
She'd never expected someone to stick a "little idiot" label on her one day.
How was she supposed to show her face after this?
No way—she had to give this Yingda woman a proper talking-to.
Honestly, Lumine wasn't even helping her argue back.
"…"
Lumine's steps paused for a moment, then she continued forward,
swallowing all the complaints that had been about to spill out.
What do you mean, you're very smart?
All you did was deny that you're stupid and insist that you're clever.
So that makes… me the only idiot here, doesn't it?
What exactly are you "arguing" against?
She didn't feel like arguing at all.
Mouthing off was pointless.
Yingda aside, those other two were clearly not ordinary people either.
They were probably all among Liyue's "honored adepti guests."
I'll just wait and see how you argue with them, Paimon.
Hopefully you won't end up scared and hiding behind my back again.
The path wasn't long.
In just a moment, they arrived.
Paimon, who had started out all fired up and ready to "reason things out,"
had somehow turned into a trembling little thing hiding behind Lumine's back.
Lumine saw all of this very clearly.
All she could do was silently think to herself that Paimon was hopeless.
"You're here. Want some tea?"
Yingda lifted the teapot, smiling as she looked at Lumine.
"No, thank you~"
Lumine smiled and shook her head, then shifted her gaze.
"Yingda, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Introduce you, huh?"
Yingda pointed toward Huoliya.
"Right, this is Sister Huoliya, the manager of Treasure Pavilion on Feiyun Slope."
"And this is my master, Mr. Taro."
Huoliya and Taro both gave slight nods.
That counted as a greeting.
Lumine, however, blinked.
…That was it?
So simple?
"Nice to meet you."
Lumine nodded lightly.
"My name is Lumine, a traveler from far away."
"And this beside me is Paimon… mm, emergency food."
Your own introduction is pretty short too.
Just a name and "traveler from far away," and that's it.
"Hey~!"
Paimon was so angry she forgot to keep hiding and shot forward.
"What do you mean, 'emergency food'? I'm the best guide in all of Teyvat!"
The "best guide" who kept getting them lost?
If you say so.
Lumine honestly couldn't be bothered to complain anymore.
"Fine, fine. The best guide, and the best partner."
"Now that's more like it."
Only then did Paimon nod with satisfaction.
Then she suddenly realized—
she was being stared at by four pairs of eyes.
Her neck shrank back as she gave a dry laugh,
and she quickly retreated behind Lumine again.
"Um… you guys talk…"
"I-I won't bother you."
Who knew how much pressure it was, being stared at by that many eyes?
Paimon was really regretting it now.
It wouldn't have killed her to let Lumine roast her a little longer.
Why did she rush out just now…
"Pfft~"
Huoliya covered her mouth and chuckled.
"This little one has a pretty good grasp of the situation."
"Quick on her feet too—looks like she's very used to hiding behind someone."
"She must have darted behind you quite a lot before."
"…"
Paimon twiddled her fingers, face full of embarrassment,
still not daring to talk back.
She had no idea why,
but just looking at these people made her incredibly nervous.
It wasn't as if she hadn't met important figures before.
Jean in Mondstadt, Venti, the Tianquan of Liyue, Guizhong…
Those people either held high positions or were gods,
yet they had all felt relatively easy to get along with.
None of them had ever made her this tense.
So strange…
Paimon peeked and peered,
and in the end locked onto the culprit:
the man called Taro.
She didn't even dare look straight at this guy.
It felt like if she stared one second longer, she'd explode.
The very thought made her chest tighten.
Lumine's brows lifted slightly, then relaxed again.
She knew very well that Paimon was no ordinary being,
that her identity was anything but simple.
But even so, today's reaction surprised her a little.
Paimon didn't look scared—
more like she was deliberately avoiding something.
It's Taro…
Paimon's trying to avoid him?
In an instant, Lumine caught hold of these threads of thought.
Everything suddenly became clear in her mind.
She and Paimon had already met Yingda before.
Back then Paimon had been cheerful and chatty.
She'd never met Huoliya,
but Lumine could sense that Paimon wasn't trying to avoid Huoliya either.
So the answer was obvious.
She already knew the man before her was anything but simple.
But to make Paimon instinctively want to hide…
this was the first time.
Why?
Just as Lumine was wondering how to broach the subject,
Taro's voice sounded.
"You came to my place to ask about your brother Aether, didn't you?"
"…"
Lumine's eyes flew wide open.
Her heartbeat instantly sped up.
She was indeed looking for her brother.
Everyone in Mondstadt knew it; there were even missing-person notices posted.
She hadn't tried to hide it in Liyue, either.
But she had never, ever told anyone her brother's name.
She always only described his height, appearance, clothing and so on.
Even Paimon didn't know his name.
He knows about Aether.
He definitely knows something!
"Mr. Taro, you know something about my brother?"
Lumine's breathing grew a bit rushed, her eyes shining as she looked at Taro.
"Please—I'm begging you. Please tell me Aether's whereabouts."
"I can~"
Taro's lips curled.
"He's still alive."
Alive… as long as he's alive.
The first boulder in Lumine's heart dropped heavily.
Her greatest fear dissolved in that moment.
"A-And… anything else?"
Lumine lifted her head carefully, face full of pleading.
"There is."
Taro nodded again.
"Yeah, he's doing very well."
"Wherever he goes, there are people waiting on him. He's got a bunch of people working under him."
"He doesn't have to worry about food or drink."
"What?"
Paimon yelped, reaching out to poke the back of Lumine's head.
"Hey, Lumine, your brother sounds super unreliable."
"Just from that description you can tell he's strong and influential."
"He's eating well, drinking well, got a bunch of people running around doing things for him, living carefree—so why isn't he coming to find you?"
"It's just…"
Right there, Paimon clapped a hand over her own mouth.
If she kept going, Lumine would probably get upset.
Better to stop.
"…"
Lumine understood what Paimon was getting at.
She just pressed her lips together.
She and her brother didn't exactly lack enemies in Teyvat.
If her brother was hiding his identity and not publicly searching for her,
she could understand that.
But… something still felt off.
She was already famous in Mondstadt.
Could her brother really not know that?
(End of Chapter)
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