Seeing that Yae Miko and Beidou had come to visit, Lumine was very enthusiastic.
Especially toward Yae Miko—pouring tea, preparing fruit platters, attending to her every need with the utmost care.
This left Ye Xi rather puzzled.
And so, while Ganyu, the scrappy fox, and Beidou were touring the little villa, he asked about it.
"Eh!?"
Hearing this, Lumine froze for a moment, then her face filled with a mischievous grin: "Ye Xi, let me just ask you—don't you want to take this fox home and keep her!"
"What scheme are you cooking up now?"
"What do you mean, scheme? This is clearly a divine assist!"
Lumine snorted and planted her hands on her hips: "Back before I came to Sumeru, when I was traveling in Inazuma."
"At that time, I ran into all sorts of troublesome things in Inazuma!"
"It was this very fox who led me around in circles! Even though things turned out fine in the end, it was so infuriating!"
Recalling her experiences back in Inazuma, Lumine felt as though she'd been toyed with in the palm of someone's hand.
From the very moment she set foot in Inazuma, she fell into all kinds of traps.
And the most hateful part was—!
"Fine, I got used as an errand-runner! But this fox wouldn't even let me touch her tail!"
"Hmph!"
"This fox is cunning to the extreme! I have to find a way to make her your wife!"
"By then, won't I be able to rua her tail however I please!?"
"Once she turns into a little fox, won't I be able to cuddle her whenever I want!?"
"And then, heh heh heh—!"
This whole spiel left Ye Xi caught between laughter and tears.
He really couldn't figure out what was packed inside the head of this blonde little idiot.
He never imagined that this little brat was nursing such a petty little scheme in her heart!
But thinking about it carefully, putting himself in Lumine's shoes, it was rather understandable.
To begin with, in Mondstadt she'd been put on Mondstadt's wanted list, and in Liyue she'd been put on Liyue's wanted list.
And going to Inazuma was no better—wanted there too!
She'd originally just wanted to meet the Raiden Shogun and ask about her brother's whereabouts, never expecting to be ordered around by a fox.
Endlessly running errands, endlessly serving as a tool.
And in the end, she wasn't even allowed to touch the fox's tail.
It really was infuriating!
Seeing Ye Xi wearing a thoughtful expression, Lumine grew a little worried: "You wouldn't happen to dislike that fox, would you!?"
"Let me tell you, a fox's tail is wonderful to touch!"
"The texture is top-notch—holding it while you sleep at night is so comfortable!"
"And besides, she doesn't have just one tail!"
"She's got several! At night it's just like having a blanket over you—it'll definitely be so warm!"
Ye Xi burst out laughing, his gaze full of amusement: "That's not what I'm worried about."
"I just feel that even if she did come with me, you might not be able to out-play her."
"I'm afraid you'd end up losing the bait without catching the bird, and from then on get toyed with in the palm of her hand every single day at home!"
"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
Lumine smugly propped her hands on her hips, her eyes brimming with spirited confidence as she spoke: "I'd never be so foolish as to confront her head-on!"
"Me, I'll just wait until she's with you at night... and then launch a sneak attack!"
"She's cunning in front of me, but in front of you, won't she be tamed into perfect obedience?"
"By then, I'll seize the moment when her feelings are about to [whoosh into liftoff], and ambush her from behind, wildly rua-ing her tail!"
"Don't you dare tell me you can't out-play her!"
"All these wives of yours—which of them hasn't been tamed by you into perfect, docile obedience?"
"I believe in your abilities~!"
After listening to Lumine's long string of words, it was these last few lines that sounded especially gratifying.
At the very least, they left him, as the Master, quite satisfied in his heart.
He couldn't help nodding in agreement again and again, reaching out to pat Lumine's little head as he laughed: "And what about you?"
"Are you perfectly obedient?"
Lumine folded her arms, snorted, and muttered under her breath: "Tch, I'm already your woman, what are you even asking that for!"
"Mm~ satisfied! Very satisfied! I'll give you a hundred out of a hundred!"
Seeing Ye Xi's beaming, delighted expression, Lumine smilingly rubbed her little hands together: "Then, Master, it's settled!"
"I'll help you win over this little fox—just don't go locking your door when the time comes!"
Ye Xi made an [ok] gesture: "Relax. I, the Master, am not the sort to ditch the donkey once the grinding's done."
Although Yae Miko had already become his kin, obeying his commands, he wouldn't resort to force either.
Since Lumine was being so proactive, wanting to help bring a wife home for him, what reason did he have to stop her?
Besides, the whole thing felt rather interesting.
Going along with Lumine might just let him witness a lot of interesting things.
In this household, with more people around there ought to be some fun to watch—that way life would be all the more entertaining.
Lumine was very pleased, but then suddenly caught on: "Eh? Wait! Who are you calling a donkey!"
Ye Xi started laughing.
A fool is a fool—foolish in the most adorable way.
...
To keep the pink-furred fox around, Lumine's plan was simple.
That was to let Yae Miko experience just how happy and comfortable life here could be!
And that, of course, had to be made about food, clothing, shelter, and travel!
As for food, there were Sumeru's fruits—sweet, juicy, and utterly delicious.
And the poultry raised here in the Serenitea Pot would have wonderfully tender meat too.
Once Dehya and the others caught some poultry and brought them back, the delicious ingredients would be ready!
As for clothing—that's easy!
Just buy, buy, buy.
Liyue's finest silks, fabric made from Silk Flowers—absolutely top-notch!
As for shelter, that goes without saying.
The environment here is so wonderful, and no one would disturb you at all!
Blue skies, white clouds, the sea, the beach... everything you could want.
If you wanted to, you could even go for an utterly unrestrained naked dash.
And the little villa is so comfortable, with modern furniture—it's absolutely a dimensional-reduction strike across Teyvat.
Even Liyue's Adepti don't live as comfortably as this!
As for travel.
Everything here connects in every direction—how could that not be convenient?
When the time comes, from here you can go to Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru, and Inazuma—wherever you want to go!
As long as she could make Yae Miko feel the wonderful life here, how could she not be won over?
And so, Lumine launched her courtship campaign!
She ceaselessly fed Yae Miko all sorts of Sumeru fruits, then took her around to tour the little villa, up and down.
The convenient Mist Flower refrigerator, the Water Slime washing machine that cleaned clothes, the faucet that gushed water with a single twist, and the lamps that lit up at a single touch.
In her heart, Yae Miko marveled again and again.
She'd never imagined that everything here could be so convenient!
Using Mist Flowers to freeze food—this kind of creativity was truly novel!
The fruit shaved ice it made was delicious too!
And then there were the obedient Slimes.
No need to even guess—this was obviously Ye Xi's contract skill.
Using Water Slimes to wash clothes was truly an ingenious idea.
What made her even more curious was why clean water flowed out from the pipes.
After completing the whole tour, she discovered that everything here was far, far more comfortable than her own home at the Grand Narukami Shrine!
"What a pity, though—there's just nowhere to take a bath."
Hearing Yae Miko say this, Lumine instantly propped her hands smugly on her hips: "Do you think Master Ye Xi would overlook a detail like that?"
"Would he let his wives go to sleep all sweaty and smelly every day?"
"Oh?"
Yae Miko found this quite reasonable, and said with a smile: "Little one, now you're keeping me in suspense."
"Just what other highlights are there? Tell your big sister~?"
Lumine pulled Yae Miko along to the back courtyard.
Passing through the outdoor corridor, a hot spring wreathed in steamy mist appeared before them.
"How about it? Satisfied? Lady Miko?"
Seeing this hot spring, Yae Miko simply could no longer resist the temptation.
Normally, back in Inazuma, she very much enjoyed going to the hot spring hall at the [Akisa Bathhouse] to soak.
However, coming down from Mt. Yougou and heading into the city to the hot spring hall was no short distance.
Even for a great youkai like her, it took a fair bit of walking.
Each time after soaking, by the time she returned to the Grand Shrine, she'd feel somewhat weary again.
This counted as one of life's little imperfections.
But here in the Serenitea Pot, this problem was perfectly solved!
Just go downstairs and you can soak in a hot spring—what a wonderful life!
"Oh my, this place really is just too marvelous!
"Big sister doesn't even want to leave anymore~!"
Hearing these words, Lumine's eyes instantly lit up, her heart full of a sly, triumphant smile.
She seized the moment and spoke up: "Since Lady Miko is so inclined, why not stay for a few days first?"
"Lodging at a friend's home for a few days—isn't that nice?"
If she'd demanded right off the bat that Yae Miko move in, it would surely have been inappropriate and struck people as going too far.
But to have her stay over first—that was perfectly reasonable.
As long as she was willing to stay, there'd be no fear of this fox not taking the bait!
She might say she'd stay for two days, but how long she'd actually stay—and whether she'd end up in Ye Xi's bed—well, that was hard to say!
Yae Miko nodded.
Adeptal energy lingered in the air here, which was wonderful for the skin, and on top of that, with all the various surroundings, she really was quite tempted.
Thinking it over carefully, since Ye Xi had agreed to go to Inazuma tomorrow anyway, and this was Ye Xi's home, waiting here meant no worry about Ye Xi slipping away.
Although she'd just joked about wanting Ye Xi to set aside a room for her so she could move in.
Still, after all, there had been no proper, legitimate reason.
Now, with Lumine's invitation, staying over for a night was rather understandable, wasn't it?
"He-he..."
Yae Miko covered her little mouth and laughed: "When did the little one become so enthusiastic? It makes big sister so happy~"
"All right then, since you're inviting me like this, I'll stay over for one night~"
"I want to thoroughly enjoy the hot spring here~"
Hearing Yae Miko say this, Lumine's heart practically burst into bloom with joy!
She turned to look back at Ye Xi, who was together with Beidou, Ningguang, and the others, and flashed a scissor-hand sign.
Her little gaze was full of smugness, as if to say:
[Done deal!]
.....
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