Lumine and Paimon walked into the private room.
Lumine's gaze fell on Aether, who was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, and she asked with a suspicious look, "Brother, you… what exactly happened here?"
At the side, Shao Yun slowly turned his head, looked at the slightly uneasy Aether, and asked, "Aether, will you explain yourself, or should I explain for you?"
Aether took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and turned his gaze to Shao Yun.
"I'll say it myself. But before that, why don't we all sit down and eat something first?"
Hearing this, Paimon, who had been immersed in confusion, had her attention instantly diverted.
Her eyes widened at the sight of the table full of delicious and enticing dishes, and she couldn't help exclaiming.
"Waaah! There's so much yummy food!"
Paimon completely forgot the strange atmosphere, cheerfully flying over to the table.
Her face bloomed with joy as she rubbed her hands together, muttering to herself.
"Hehehe, then I won't hold back!"
However, when she took a closer look at the table, her expression suddenly showed surprise, and she muttered again.
"Huh? Why are there only two sets of tableware?"
Seeing this, Aether quickly used the Abyss's unique communication technique to contact Enjou, who had just fled in a panic through the window.
At that moment, Enjou was gently rubbing his injured ankle, silently cursing his luck.
When he jumped down earlier, he had twisted his ankle, and the pain made him grit his teeth!
Suddenly, Aether's familiar voice rang in Enjou's ear.
"Enjou, hurry and get someone to bring three sets of tableware, and order some extra food. Have the boss of Uyuu Restaurant send it quickly."
Hearing this, Enjou abruptly looked up toward the open window on the second floor and asked in shock, "Your Highness, you didn't run away?"
Inside the room, Aether frowned, clearly impatient, and replied bluntly, "Where's all this nonsense coming from!"
With that, Aether stopped speaking, and Enjou sighed helplessly.
After all, Aether was the noble prince—he could only obey.
…
Inside the private room, Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and her brother sat around the table eating.
Aether sat alone on one side, while Shao Yun, Lumine, and Paimon were squeezed together on the other side.
Aside from Paimon, who was fully focused on devouring the feast, the other three were distracted, each lost in their own thoughts, barely eating a bite.
Finally, Lumine picked up a piece of green vegetable, chewed it for a moment, then slowly set down her chopsticks and looked at Aether, who sat opposite her.
"So, Brother, what exactly brings you to Inazuma City?"
Aether slowly put down his chopsticks, paused for a moment, and said, "The reason I came… well, I think you already know, Lumine."
"I recently heard about what happened between you and Shao Yun, and I was worried, so I came to check on you."
He didn't mention that he also needed Shao Yun's help.
In his telling, the reason for his visit was merely a casual check-in from an elder brother to his sister and her husband.
Hearing this, Lumine thought to herself that it seemed her brother already knew about the conflict between her and Shao Yun.
So, she lowered her head and softly replied, "Oh, I see."
A few seconds later, she raised her head, forcing a small smile as she tried to sound relaxed. "Actually, it's nothing serious."
Seeing this, Aether raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really just a trivial problem? Then who told Shao Yun that I missed you?"
At this point, Lumine knew there was no point in hiding it.
Her hands twisted together nervously as she stammered, "Brother, I wasn't trying to sulk or quarrel with Shao Yun!"
"I just… I just didn't know how to describe my feelings, so I went out for a bit to clear my head."
Having said that much, she didn't hesitate any longer and spoke the thoughts buried deep in her heart.
"You know the original reasons we set out on our journey: one, to regain my power; two, the task entrusted to us by the Anemo Archon and Geo Archon."
She didn't mention the third reason, because that was a secret between her and Aether—one Shao Yun could never know.
"I'm worried that because of killing a god, Shao Yun might face consequences beyond my imagination… I just… can't figure it out for now…"
Shao Yun turned his head, looking firmly at Lumine. "For you, any price I pay is worth it! And it was Baal who was in the wrong first! She's the one who hurt you…"
Lumine bit her lip, her expression heavy, and replied with slight embarrassment, "I know you did it for me, but you should think about yourself too."
"Remember what I told you about what Dainsleif said. I'm really worried about you! I don't want to see you end up like Khaenri'ah!"
Shao Yun spread his hands indifferently. "But I'm not dead. I'm living just fine, so you don't have to worry!"
Seeing that the two, though both thinking for the other's sake, were about to argue again, Aether hurriedly intervened. "Alright, alright, don't fight—can you just hear me out for a moment?"
Hearing her brother speak, Shao Yun immediately shut his mouth.
Lumine smoothed her hair, which had been slightly mussed by her agitation, and looked at Aether, steadying her breathing.
"Mm, go ahead, Brother."
Aether looked at Lumine and slowly spoke his mind. "Lumine, I understand your deep worries about the possible unknown consequences of Shao Yun killing a god."
Then, his tone suddenly shifted as he asked, "But, Sister… do you think Shao Yun avenging you was wrong?"
Lumine fell silent, clearly conflicted, before murmuring, "Of course I know Shao Yun cares deeply for me, but…"
She tapped her forehead lightly, trying to calm her swirling thoughts, then turned to Shao Yun with worry. "I really don't want to bring up Dragonspine again."
"But what if, after what happened in Inazuma, you… got addicted to killing? Then what would we do?"
She took a deep breath, finally voicing the fear she had buried the deepest.
"What if the God of Wisdom in Sumeru, or the God of Justice in Fontaine, threatened me? Would you kill them too?"
"Maybe this time you didn't suffer any backlash for killing a god… but what about next time?"
Luck always runs out!
Shao Yun's mind raced ahead to their next destinations—Sumeru and Fontaine.
The God of Wisdom, Nahida? He thought she probably wouldn't be a problem.
After all, Sumeru's main issue was the Akademiya's God Creation plot—he'd deal with it when the time came.
As for the God of Justice, Focalors? Aside from being a bit… entertaining at first, she didn't seem like much of a threat.
Fontaine's whole drama was about the flooding, and as long as they stayed out of each other's way, there shouldn't be any conflict.
After thinking it over, Shao Yun turned to Lumine and said firmly, "Lumine, my problem with the Raiden Shogun was only because she refused to listen to reason! If she hadn't hurt you, I never would've killed her!"
He held up two fingers seriously.
"Think about Venti and Zhongli. Even if I don't have the best opinion of them, the fact is they've never posed any real threat to you! That's why, as gods, I've given them the respect they deserve."
"The only time I truly wanted to kill was…"
He stopped, memories of Dragonspine flooding back, making his jaw tighten.
Then he shook his head, as if trying to dispel them. "Forget it—I don't want to bring that up again."
"In short, as long as the gods we meet are reasonable and don't harm you, why would I kill them?"
His tone softened. "What I really want is a peaceful, harmonious journey with you."
"But… if someone forces my hand, I will pull the trigger without hesitation. No matter who they are, I won't hesitate!"
God created man; Colt made them equal.
Aether looked at them both and said, "Lumine, Shao Yun—understood. I fully comprehend your situation."
He then turned to Lumine and spoke earnestly, "About Dainsleif—there's reason in what he says."
"But make no mistake: Dainsleif is not Shao Yun; he doesn't have the same deep feelings for you."
Aether paused, thinking of Enjou's recent reports, and said with feeling, "The person who cares for you the most in the world—without a doubt—is Shao Yun. Right now, no one can compare to him, not even me."
"You must understand—not everyone has the resolve and the strength to carry out revenge. But Shao Yun succeeded."
Lumine still felt uneasy.
"But Dainsleif—"
At those words, Aether's anger surged; he felt an unprecedented hatred toward Dainsleif.
He blamed Dainsleif's words for undermining his sister's relationship with her husband.
If Aether weren't aware of Dainsleif's greater strength, he might already have beaten him up.
Aether looked at Lumine seriously and earnestly offered his advice.
"Listen, sister—if you follow Dainsleif's words, listen to me as well: don't put the Seven solely on a pedestal."
"If a god can be a friend, get along. If you can't, then be strangers."
"But if an Archon insists on opposing you, learn from Shao Yun—don't be polite. Teyvat will keep spinning even if it loses an Archon."
His brotherly counsel hit home.
Lumine remembered what Shao Yun had once said to her.
She thought that she might have acted similarly if the roles were reversed.
With that thought, her lingering confusion dissolved.
She nodded and admitted, "Yes—I understand. I was too stubborn before."
Aether beamed at his sister's resolution and teased, "See? All fixed. Why'd you go and be stubborn with Shao Yun and run off to clear your head?"
Lumine pouted and turned her head away, a little defiantly, "Hmph! I wasn't fighting with Shao Yun! And I wasn't alone—I had Paimon with me!"
Her flushed cheeks betrayed her true feelings.
…
After chatting some more, Aether stood, bowed lightly, and prepared to leave.
"I'll go for now. The longer I stay with you, Lumine, the harder it is to part."
Lumine watched him go with concern and asked softly, "When will we meet again?"
Aether sighed with a helpless smile, "It's hard to say. But at the end of your journey, we will meet again."
He waved gently, then stepped out of the private room with a smile.
Shao Yun looked at Lumine's beautiful profile and asked, "So… does this mean we're fully reconciled?"
Lumine tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, turned to Shao Yun, and replied, "We never really argued, honestly. I just went to clear my head."
Shao Yun's lips curved into a knowing smile, "Mm, I understand."
Then Lumine suddenly remembered something and said seriously, "And Shao Yun—while I think Brother's words have merit, in my heart I hope that on the rest of our journey… you know…"
Shao Yun understood: she didn't want another Inazuma incident elsewhere.
"Like I said—if the gods we meet aren't like the Raiden, who can't hear reason, I don't want pointless killing either."
Lumine's mouth twitched in resignation, "I'll take that as a yes."
Shao Yun replied calmly, "Fine, consider it agreed."
…
They had wanted to eat more, but unfortunately Paimon had devoured everything on the table—there was nothing left for them.
Lumine glared at Paimon, who lay contentedly on the cushion, patting her round little belly.
She couldn't understand how Paimon could eat so much—during their Seirai Island adventure Paimon hadn't seemed that hungry.
Shao Yun cleared his throat and asked Lumine, "Lumine, after you and Paimon finish exploring Tsurumi Island, if there's nothing else, shall we leave Inazuma and return to Liyue to prepare for Sumeru?"
Lumine came back to herself and answered, "Alright."
…
Outside the Uyuu Restaurant, Enjou paced like an ant on a hot pan—anxious.
He stared at the door but didn't dare enter.
At last, when Aether emerged, Enjou limped over to greet the prince.
Leaning close to Aether's ear, Enjou whispered, "Your Highness, you finally emerged! We just received urgent news from the Order—the Abyss node reports that Dainsleif has arrived in Inazuma."
Aether froze for a moment, then regained his composure and decisively said, "Very well. Let's leave immediately."
He turned, ready to take Enjou to a hidden spot and open an Abyss portal.
But then he stopped, looked back at the Uyuu Restaurant, and stared at it with longing in his eyes.
Softly he murmured, "I truly hope, brother‑in‑law, that you can lend me a hand…"