Be Careful When Agreeing to Terms and Conditions

3. Return to Mondstadt (2)

Lumine meeting the young man was a coincidence. Well, to call it a coincidence might not be accurate; the term ‘fate’ might be more fitting. It happened shortly after Lumine, having battled an unidentified goddess and parted ways with her brother, was left alone.

While fishing to find ordinary food, Lumine’s fishing rod received a signal. It was a solid sensation. Lumine sensed that she had caught something significant and pulled the fishing rod. With a sound like a snap, something jumped out of the water. It was a young man.

Lumine was bewildered. Why on earth would a person be caught on a fishing rod? She wondered if it was a corpse, but seeing him coughing and spitting out water, it was evident that he was alive.

That was their first meeting. The first encounter with ‘Xiao.’

Lumine’s initial emotion towards Xiao was sympathy, a shared pain of those suffering from the same affliction. Stranded in a world where they knew nothing, Lumine, who had been living alone, could somewhat understand Xiao’s feelings.

Crying every night, staring blankly at the sky, muttering curses to himself. For a while, Xiao behaved like someone who had lost something, an empty person.

It was understandable. He had been dropped into a world where he knew nothing. It was like the sensation of having the roots of his life forcibly pulled out. Losing everything he had done and planned in the previous world, returning as the loneliest human.

Watching Xiao, Lumine recalled the time when she lost her brother and became an outsider for the first time in her life. Yes, Lumine and Xiao were not so different. Stranded alone in this world, becoming an outsider with no one familiar. So Lumine couldn’t just leave Xiao alone.

That’s how Xiao joined Lumine on her journey.

Xiao, who showed strange behavior for a few days, gradually became more stable as time passed. Only then did Lumine understand Xiao’s innate nature.

Despite his somewhat sharp eyes, Xiao was a kind person. He was considerate and independent. Although Xiao, being an ordinary person without any abilities, couldn’t participate in battles, he took care of various chores. It seemed like his way of repaying Lumine.

Lumine found it a bit fascinating. Most humans couldn’t do that. When faced with extreme circumstances, they usually blamed their surroundings first. Then, they would gradually accept the kindness extended to them and settle within it. This was a fact Lumine had confirmed without exception as she traveled through numerous worlds. However, Xiao was different. It seemed like he wanted to find his proper role even within this situation.

Then one day, Lumine fell ill. The exact illness was unknown, but she had a high fever and extreme fatigue. Dizzy, Lumine could do nothing but lie in the tent.

It must be because she lost her strength. After the mysterious battle with the goddess, Lumine lost most of her strength. Despite still possessing combat abilities far beyond an ordinary person, her weakened body couldn’t avoid illness.

It was a cold she hadn’t experienced in a long time. No, perhaps it was the first time. Lumine groaned. The fact that her brother was not here, the realization that the presence that had always supported her was gone, had never felt as palpable as at that moment.

Where is my brother?

It was a profound loneliness. Born as twins on the same day at the same hour, Lumine had never been separated even once. So, Lumine was unfamiliar with the sensation of being ‘alone.’ However, since losing strength and falling to the Teyvat continent, Lumine felt that sensation keenly every day. It was a feeling more intense than the helplessness of losing power, like a piercing thorn digging into Lumine’s chest.

The day Lumine, who had been suffering all day, opened her eyes was that night. The sound of a crackling campfire reached her ears. Lumine opened her eyes gently.

Surprisingly, the inside of the tent was warm. Lumine found it strange. Every night, the chilling silence and the cold loneliness would seep into her skin, making Lumine huddle and chew on her solitude. But why could she feel warmth today?

Lumine’s blurry eyes scanned the surroundings. A man caught her eye. Leaning against the pole that supported the tent, a man was dozing off.

It was Xiao. He had shallow wounds all over his skin, and his clothes were slightly torn, indicating he had been somewhere, Lumine didn’t know where. The unmistakable fatigue emanated from his lonely face. At that moment, Lumine noticed a towel placed on her forehead.

That wasn’t all. Next to Lumine, there was a bowl. It was a porridge made by finely tearing dried meat, melting it in water, and boiling it into a lump. It seemed like a preserved meal turned into a patient’s meal. And besides that, there were mushrooms and fruits whose origin Lumine couldn’t determine.

Lumine couldn’t understand the situation for a moment. Maybe it was because the heat hadn’t completely left her head yet. However, Lumine’s mind began to return a little, thanks to the man’s voice.

With a yawn, the man opened his eyes. Xiao looked at Lumine and, with a face that seemed relieved only then, asked.

“Are you awake now?”

It was a low and gentle voice. Somehow, that voice felt like it was digging into Lumine’s heart, so she pretended not to be bothered and asked.

“…What are these?”

The words didn’t come out properly. A faint warmth was felt in the voice. Nevertheless, it was enough to convey the message.

In response to Lumine’s question, Xiao’s attitude was one of asking why she was asking such an obvious thing.

“You’ve been lying down all day and haven’t eaten anything. But to regain strength, you need to eat something. I thought even fruits could help with immunity…”

Still half asleep, Xiao mumbled something incomprehensible, but Lumine didn’t hear it.

She imagined the sight of an ordinary person with no strength, wandering around to pick those tree fruits and mushrooms. Teyvat was not safe. There were wild animals everywhere, and even monsters. Moreover, this place was not a roadside but a forest. Naturally, there were more dangers.

Xiao knew that fact well. So, he must have hidden and moved through the grass. Enduring the pain of scratches all over his body. The scratched wounds and torn clothes would be evidence of that.

The first words Lumine uttered when she recalled that sight were neither words of praise nor gratitude.

“…Are you an idiot?”

Siwoo, who had been rambling on, suddenly stopped, wondering what he had just said. Lumine responded with a voice full of disbelief.

“So, if someone attacks the campsite, what were you planning to do?”

Siwoo, glancing around to figure out what Lumine meant, soon made a sound like he understood what she was talking about.

He cleared his throat as if feeling awkward. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was just so surprised because you seemed unwell…”

Lumine, after sending a bewildered glance at his immature appearance, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

He was a truly strange person. It was just the awkward kindness of a strange person, yet for some reason, a corner of Lumine’s heart warmed up. This was the warmth of a human, Lumine finally realized.

It was the first time. Another man, besides her brother, had become special to Lumine.

So, Lumine’s second emotion towards Siwoo became curiosity.

With curiosity emerging, Lumine’s gaze towards Siwoo changed. Somehow, her eyes kept being drawn to what Siwoo was doing.

Siwoo laughing, Siwoo looking sad, Siwoo deeply engrossed in something.

Normally, Lumine wondered what he was thinking, and before falling to the Tibet continent, where he lived. They ended up sharing stories when time allowed. As a result, the space ‘Siwoo’ occupied in Lumine’s heart gradually grew.

Then, one day, Lumine became curious. Did Siwoo have no interest in women?

Lumine objectively knew she was pretty. Most of the men she had met so far sent greedy glances her way. It was like a kind of instinct, Lumine understood.

However, Siwoo didn’t show much of that. It wasn’t completely absent, but deliberately restraining it was quite evident. Lumine became increasingly curious about what lay beyond that.

So, she deliberately teased him. In fact, it was the first time she put the saying ‘teasing’ into action, so she had no choice but to adopt behaviors she had heard in love stories from traveling to other worlds. She would make playful eye contact, throw half-serious jokes with a hint of sincerity, deliberately approach closely. It was enough to have an effect.

Every time she did that, Siwoo would blush and try to avert his gaze. Yet, even while doing so, Lumine thought he still looked like a man. Well, a man is a man, after all.

Laughing inwardly, Lumine felt oddly content. Even as she wondered why she felt this way, Lumine couldn’t help but enjoy the fact that Xiu’s face turned red because of her. So, she couldn’t stop teasing Xiu.

Until now, Lumine had considered the gaze of men to be unpleasant. Except for her brother, all men looked at Lumine with eyes filled with desire, and despite thinking it was unavoidable, Lumine sometimes felt intense discomfort with that fact.

But Xiu was different. As much as the look Xiu gave her, it made Lumine proud. And it made her heart flutter. It made her excited, making it impossible for Lumine to take her eyes off Xiu’s face.

Yes, that was Lumine’s current emotion towards Xiu.

Love, she thought.

Lumine was understanding it instinctively without realizing. Xiu was not just an object of pity or someone filling the void left by her brother occasionally. He was just ‘Xiu.’ Just being himself had taken up a bigger place in Lumine’s heart than anything else.

Xiu was Lumine’s first love.

**

After parting with Xiu, Lumine waited for him every day.

It was only natural. He was the man she loved, and Lumine had painful memories of parting with a precious person. Lumine’s sensitivity to Xiu’s whereabouts and her tendency to be somewhat obsessed were all because of that. She didn’t want to lose him again.

Her concern for Xiu even delayed matters related to the Wind Dragon. The plan to persuade the Wind Dragon by restoring the power to the Harp of the Celestial Hollow, a divine instrument of Barbatos, had not progressed much during Xiu’s absence.

After Xiu left, Lumine’s daily life consisted of sitting in the inn without Xiu, sighing deeply. Even the teasing little elf, Paimon, who could be considered the most meddlesome in Teyvat, seemed exhausted from trying to comfort Lumine.

She worried that much. It must have been how a wife felt when her husband went to the battlefield.

But the Xiu whom Lumine worried about so much returned from his journey to Liyue with a girl. It was like a husband returning from the battlefield with a new woman.

If she were just a ‘woman,’ it would have been fine. Lumine was somewhat possessive, but she respected Xiu as an independent individual. She understood that working outside meant forming relationships with others.

But this girl was different. The girl named ‘Fischl’ had golden hair and emerald eyes, cute and pretty. She only covered her right eye with an eyepatch and had a slightly peculiar fashion sense, but even that, combined with her haughty tone and boastful posture, created a device that revealed the girl’s charming innocence.

It was fine until she was just a ‘girl.’ ‘A pretty girl,’ this was a bit risky, but Lumine could endure it. After all, Xiu was naturally insensitive. It was rare for him to harbor feelings on his own.

However, Fischl was different. Fischl was constantly stimulating Lumine’s intuition in some way.

“Hmm, indeed the leading servant of the princess. A sacrifice carefully tailored to the taste of Her Highness.”

“At times, claiming that meals are merely a means to maintain the illusion of the flesh?”

“…There are moments when acknowledging the devotion of a loyal servant becomes a noble duty for a person of high standing.”

The conversation between Xiu and Pisel seemed perfectly fine based on its content alone. It even had a playful tone. Xiu, with a sigh that seemed inevitable, responded to Pisel’s words, and Pisel, despite feeling embarrassed, seemed secretly pleased with the conversation.

However, Pisel’s flushed face and the sweet gaze that only appeared when looking at Xiu.

Lumine’s insides were boiling. The words Pisel had thrown at Lumine for the first time were still burning like logs in Lumine’s chest.

‘Former companion’? Are you suggesting we try that now? Xiu was Lumine’s companion, both now and in the future. That fact wouldn’t change. But just because they had been together for a measly month, Pisel was acting so high and mighty.

Lumine lit up with anger, thinking that Pisel was taking advantage of Xiu’s kindness. The tail wagged, swish.

Of course, Lumine had also tried to tease the insensitive Xiu in various ways, but that fact had long been erased from Lumine’s mind.

After observing for a while the interactions between Xiu and Pisel, filled with discomfort, Lumine decided to intervene.

“Xiu, how about we stop here and go inside to rest? You must be tired from traveling such a long distance…”

While Lumine offered words of concern to Xiu, she didn’t forget to send a cold gaze to Pisel.

In essence, it meant, ‘Xiu must be tired from the long journey, so could you stop sticking around without consideration? Wouldn’t it be better for you to leave now?’

Furthermore, Pisel, despite being in a position to part ways with Xiu after the meal, subtly emphasized Lumine’s position as someone sharing both meals and accommodations with Xiu.

Pisel, not oblivious to the atmosphere becoming strange, felt the sudden chill in Xiu’s face. Her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Sensing that something was amiss, Xiu, although bewildered, seemed to reluctantly accept Lumine’s words.

“Uh… huh? W-Well, yeah. I am kind of tired. It seems like everyone has eaten enough. Shall we tidy up a bit?”

At this point, Lumine’s mood slightly lifted. Xiu, by agreeing to Lumine’s suggestion, appeared to be somewhat concerned about Lumine’s complexion. Xiu was, after all, Xiu. He cared for Lumine. That fact made Lumine feel rather pleased, and with a triumphant expression, Lumine looked at Pisel, whose face had suddenly turned cold.

Peasle smirked, his face cool and indifferent. On the other hand, Peasle seemed to be in a bad mood.

“Jongbok. Our bond, forged through life and death, can’t be severed like this, can it? The princess who witnessed the contract we made on the night of fate, when even the moon hid, still holds it dear.”

What does he mean? Lumine was a little confused by Peasle’s words, which seemed to hold some important meaning, but she couldn’t interpret it.

Whether Lumine’s intuition was correct or not, Oz, the talking raven who followed Peasle, looked startled.

“Oh, miss. It would be better for you to go back for now. Won’t it be troublesome for Lord Siu if you two keep going like this?”

However, Peasle had an uneasy expression. Siu seemed to not understand what he was saying. Siu, who seemed to understand Peasle’s words to some extent, also seemed unable to guess what he meant.

Peasle seemed to want to say something, hesitating for a moment. His face became more serious.

“Well, um….”

Peasle seemed a little hesitant. Then, after glancing at Lumine’s face once again, he closed his eyes as if he had made up his mind.

“We, we slept together….”

A sound of something snapping echoed in Lumine’s mind.

The voice of a shy girl, a lowered head. And at the same time, a fleeting gaze that glanced at Siu’s complexion.

Siu, on the other hand, seemed to be pondering something, but all he did was make a sound, “Ah…”

“At that time? Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a contract….”

At that moment, Lumine suddenly sat up with a thud. The sound was the sound of Lumine slamming the table with her palm.

Lumine staggered a little. She felt dizzy.

“I, I’m leaving. I’ll go upstairs.”

Her voice trembled. Whether it was anger or tears, Lumine couldn’t tell.

To be honest, she didn’t have the right to do this. Lumine wasn’t Siu’s lover.

But still, she thought. Until now, Lumine had faithfully followed the path that led to Siu and their relationship.

Lumine shot a glance at Xiu. I was supposed to be first; you were supposed to be first. Even though many words had been exchanged, Lumine’s words, in the end, were none of them.

“… And Xiu, don’t think about seeing me today,” Lumine said in a chilly voice and ascended the stairs.

Looking back, there were so many things I wanted to say if Xiu came…

It was a miserable feeling.

**

I sighed deeply. It was the worst meal. For some reason, Pisel, with a cold face even after Lumine left, just chuckled and waved me off, saying, “Let’s see each other next time.”

Oz kept bowing repeatedly, apologizing. Well, was it Oz’s fault? Actually, if you asked whose fault it was, I couldn’t tell, but judging by Lumine’s reaction, I decided to take the blame myself.

Yes, I was the sinner. I sighed deeply and organized the remaining dishes. Should I have a drink? Lately, I found myself craving alcohol more often.

To someone like me, Paimon spoke.

Paimon, with the face that looked at the most pathetic person in the world, asked me, “Xiu, what are you doing now?”

To that question, I sighed deeply again. Why is Paimon asking this too?

“I’m cleaning up.”

“What about the traveler?”

At those words, I glanced at Paimon. With clenched fists, it seemed like he had entered preaching mode.

I asked in puzzlement, “Didn’t Lumine say not to see anyone today?”

In response to my words, Paimon, unable to hold back, shouted angrily and began kicking me with his small feet.

“eeek!! You fool, idiot, sea cucumber, meddler, playboy!!”

“Ah, ow! Th-that kinda hurts, Paimon!”

I couldn’t anticipate Paimon’s anger, so all I could do was take the hits as Paimon unleashed. I had underestimated Paimon’s combat prowess, thinking it was at a child’s level, but after a few hits, it surprisingly hurt.

Yet, despite my protests of unfairness, Paimon continued to scold me for a while, finally speaking up with determination.

“Are you stupid? Do you believe that? Instead of whining, why don’t you clean up and get up there right now?!”

Paimon had an unusually stern attitude. I sighed deeply, not knowing how many times I had done so, and reluctantly turned away. Today was particularly tough. I wondered if the road to Liyue would be less challenging than today.

But so far, following Paimon’s advice hadn’t led to any losses. Somehow, Paimon was an excellent guide.

A few minutes later, I found myself standing in front of Lumine’s room. The door was tightly closed.

No sound came from inside. Was Lumine in there?

I cleared my throat and, with a slightly trembling feeling, opened my mouth.

“……Lumine?”

As expected, there was no response. But since I had come this far, I decided to proceed. In a voice mixed with sighs, I said,

“……If there’s no answer, can I come in?”

Still, there was no audible response. Whether to come in or not, it was impossible to understand Lumine’s feelings, but cautiously, I opened the door and stepped inside.

Inside the room, near Lumine’s bed, something bulged upward. As I approached, I heard a faint breathing. It seemed like Lumine was flipping the blanket.

I sat near the edge of the bed without saying anything. Even then, Lumine remained silent.

“Lumine, I’m not sure if there was a misunderstanding, but on the way back, there was an incident, and Paimon’s life was in danger. So, I only comforted scared Paimon in the tent that day, that’s all.”

“…So?”

A small voice came from under the blanket. It was a moist voice. As soon as I heard Lumine’s voice, my resolve weakened.

Somehow, if Lumine’s voice had even a hint of moisture, I couldn’t be strong. I sighed deeply.

“That’s it. Paimon is just a kid.”

Silence fell once again. I couldn’t tell what Lumine was thinking, so I decided to continue with what I wanted to say.

“Actually, there were a lot of things I wanted to talk about when I came back. I met many people in Liyue. It’s an interesting place, Liyue. Especially the night market, it’s somewhere I wanted to go with you someday.”

That’s how I brought up the memories from Liyue. The stories in my heart that I wanted to share with Lumine and Paimon.

“And I made new friends in Liyue too. They’re pretty important people, except for the fact that they love alcohol. There’s Tartaglia, who’s a really friendly person, and Zhongli, who’s incredibly knowledgeable… Um….”

Suddenly, I felt a bit embarrassed. It was because I remembered the conversations I had with Tartaglia and Zhongli. Come to think of it, I wanted to tell Lumine about it.

In the end, I took out the gift I had prepared from my pocket. The gift I wanted to give to Lumine.

It was a necklace. The necklace made of pure silver symbolized the wish to avoid misfortune and ward off evil spirits. And above all, the mysterious blue gem hanging from the necklace.

I recalled a conversation I had recently. It was when I had a drinking session with Tartaglia and Zhongli.

“Well, I have a special woman in my life… I’m thinking about what kind of gift to give her.”

Zhongli summarized my long-winded story and question in a few words. It was a bit embarrassing to have it shortened like that, but it wasn’t wrong, so I decided to be positive.

“Yes, well… that’s right.”

Zhongli fell silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and seemed to be contemplating various options in his mind. And then, what happened a little later was…

“If that’s the case, I have something suitable. Have you ever heard of ‘Jadeite’?”

“Yes, I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it a gem in Liyue? It’s difficult to assess its emotional value, and the highest-grade Jadeite is considered extremely precious…”

Zhongli nodded as if my words were correct, and continued speaking.

“That’s right. ‘Jadeite’ is the representative gem of Liyue, but it’s so difficult to assess its quality that the highest-grade Jadeite is called valuable as if it were a name. However, when giving a gift, it’s not just about the value. You have to consider the sincerity as well.”

As he spoke, Zhongli briefly summarized a story that could have been much longer.

“There is a tradition in Liyue. It’s a tradition to give a Jadeite necklace to someone you like. Because it’s difficult to assess the quality of Jadeite, you have to observe it for days on end to know which one is good. And when you’re certain that it’s a good Jadeite, you entrust it to a skilled jeweler to make a silver necklace. The ‘Jadeite Necklace’ made through this process is not only a valuable gem, but also a wonderful gift that shows your consideration for the other person, as it took a long time to observe the Jadeite and think about the recipient.”

Oh, I exclaimed in admiration. It was truly a piece of information befitting of Zhongli. But there was a phrase in his words that caught my attention, so I scratched my cheek with my index finger and said somewhat embarrassedly.

“Well, but to the extent of calling her someone I like…”

However, my explanation, which I don’t even know who it was for, got tangled up before it could come out properly. It was because Tartalia burst into laughter.

“Hmph, hahahahaha! Did you hear that, Jongrye? Just a moment ago, he was talking about it like ‘someone I like’… and now he’s saying this?”

I was a bit annoyed, but I ultimately bit my tongue at Jongrye’s compassionate voice that followed.

“Well, the love of young people is sometimes like that.”

No, both of us are not much apart in age. I grumbled inwardly, but that’s all. Gratefully accepting Jongrye’s advice, I was able to spend several days preparing the agate necklace.

Honestly, the design felt a bit plain. However, the blacksmith strongly recommended it, saying, “It looks more sophisticated that way,” so I decided to heed the expert opinion.

Even when I placed the necklace at Lumine’s bedside, Lumine said nothing.

“Lumine, it’s a gift. It’s a bit late… but there’s a tradition in Liyue to give an agate necklace to a special person. The process of choosing agate is a bit meticulous.”

And I thought about adding something like ‘I prepared it with you in mind,’ but then I remembered the teasing from Jongrye or Tartalia and decided against it. Just imagining it made my face turn red.

But I decided to say one thing. With a sigh, I stood up and said,

“Lumine, I don’t know why you’re angry… but I sincerely prepared this necklace. It might be my selfishness, but I hope you accept it.”

Lumine, then, seemed to lift her body a bit. I felt like Lumine was silently staring at the necklace placed by her bedside.

Will she accept it? I hoped so. Thinking that way, I concluded with my final words.

“…Well, I’ll leave now. Rest well.”

And just as I was about to take a step.

Suddenly, my body was pulled. It happened in an instant. Lumine grabbed and pulled my arm.

“Huh,” I exclaimed as my posture collapsed. I awkwardly sat back on the bed and finally saw it.

Lumine’s moist eyes. Those pumpkin-colored eyes were right in front of me.

Would she accept it? I hoped so. While thinking that, Lumine’s lips touched mine.

“…Then, what about me?”

I couldn’t say anything. Was it because I was flustered? Yes, and because Lumine was so beautiful. I felt like my breath was being taken away.

“If Pisel is a brat, then what am I?”

Like that, Lumine whispered to me with her sweet voice, her beautiful lips slightly trembling.

It was as if she would reward me depending on my answer.