"No, no!"
Luc Vaudelier waved his hands frantically in front of him, attempting to explain.
"50 Mora. To lose a game…?"
Luc stared at her, utterly confused. Why would Furina do this? Sure, 50 Mora wasn't a large amount—but using it to buy a win in a casual game of Go? That felt unnecessary.
In a formal tournament, sure—there were spectators, pride, prestige involved. But here? It was just the two of them. Buying the win wouldn't make her a better player.
"You've made great progress," Luc offered carefully, trying to comfort her.
"Oh?" Furina tilted her head with curiosity and expectation. "Then tell me exactly where I've improved."
Luc hesitated, scratching at a nonexistent itch on his cheek, eyes darting to the side.
"Well… uh… compared to last time, your moves were a lot more… confident. And most importantly, you didn't try to cheat this time."
Furina stared at him silently.
"So I'm still not suited for this kind of high-IQ game, huh?" she pouted, white-hot exasperation practically steaming from her head.
Luc sighed. He had to change the subject before she flipped the Go board.
"Wait a sec, I'll use that magic bag to find something more your style."
Furina followed him curiously as he returned to his room. He grabbed the mysterious sack from the bed and reached inside.
"Wow!" Furina gasped as Luc pulled something out.
Luc blinked in confusion—
"Oh sh—"
In his hands was a pair of dainty blue high-heeled shoes. Her shoes.
"Pervert! You stole my shoes?!"
It hit Luc like a Hydro Slime to the face. He remembered now—he had jokingly wished for something Furina wore, just to test the bag. And apparently, the universe took it literally.
He shoved the shoes behind his back and tried to stay calm, but Furina was staring at him like he'd grown horns.
"Why do you have my shoes?"
"Wait, wait, you probably have a bunch of shoes. Maybe go count them first?"
"Stay here." She narrowed her eyes. "Don't move."
Furina marched off and counted. To her shock, one pair really was missing. But strangely enough… the exact same pair was still in her cabinet.
"One pair is missing," she said, returning.
"…Huh?" Luc blinked. "Then how…?"
So the bag duplicated them? But why were they missing from her inventory if the original was still there? Could the bag be copying from reality instead of creating something from scratch?
"But here's the weirdest part—" Furina said, "This pair? I only ever bought one like it."
Luc stared at her. Then at the shoes. Then at the ones on her feet.
"Did you… forget you were wearing them?"
She froze. Then slapped her forehead.
"Oh Archons… you're right!" She stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "How embarrassing…"
Her ahoge drooped for a moment, nearly collapsing from the secondhand shame.
Still, her gaze drifted back to the shoes in Luc's hands.
"Wait a minute… since those are mine—why would you, a guy, want a pair of women's heels?"
Furina inched closer with that strange, almost mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Luc's mind kicked into overdrive, desperate for an excuse.
"Uh… well… I… just wanted them. I mean, I like them."
She leaned in. "What do you mean, 'like'?"
"I mean—" he stammered, cheeks burning. "I just… like high heels, okay?"
Furina blinked. Then grinned like a Snezhnayan fox.
"But aren't those for women? Do you like wearing them too?"
Luc swallowed hard. "Y-Yeah. But only ones worn by Furnina!"
He immediately regretted that phrasing.
Furina's brow furrowed for a second then her smile widened like the maw of a mimic.
"Hehehe… what a unique hobby."
She shoved him toward the living room and made him sit. Then she ran off—only to return moments later with a mountain of frilly clothing stacked taller than herself.
Luc stared at the pile in horror.
"What are you planning…?"
"These are outfits I bought but didn't like after trying them once. Since you like this stuff so much, I'm donating them to your cause."
"W-Wait, hold on—!"
"No arguing! Put them on!"
Luc sighed, then accepted his fate. He was a gentleman, after all—and Furina, for all her theatrics, was still the Hydro Archon of Fontaine.
Soon, Luc emerged wearing a forest-green miniskirt and a matching headband.
Furina was practically drooling.
"I didn't expect it to suit you so well! Look at that tiny waist!"
Luc, defeated, trudged back to change again.
He reappeared in more outfits:
Maid uniform
Bartender ensemble
Bunny girl costume
Sailor suit
Furina clapped and cheered with every reveal, eyes gleaming with mischief and glee.
She even began imagining dramatic poses for him—teary-eyed bunny girl clutching a mop, or tragic sailor gazing at the sea.
"I never thought I'd discover such a fun hobby by accident!" she giggled, stuffing a pastry in her mouth.
Truth be told, despite her teasing, she was more fascinated than mocking. Luc's physique, lean and tall, made the clothes fall in strangely elegant ways.
For a moment, Furina found herself thinking…
"If only I'd made Neuvillette wear a maid outfit too…"
***
Luc Vaudelier felt that he had changed into most of the outfits Furina had thrown at him, and it was finally time to transition into the next phase.
"Why don't we find another game to play using these clothes as "fuel"?" he suggested.
Furina beamed. "Of course! Pick whatever I don't wear these anymore."
Humming softly, Luc rifled through the pile of cast-off clothes. Inwardly, he swore that one day he'd find a way to get a pair of Furina's actually-worn shorts. Otherwise, he'd feel like he was missing out.
Looking around, Luc took in the sheer amount of "junk" Furina had hoarded. Everything had clearly been bought at exorbitant prices only to be deemed unnecessary after purchase. The items were luxurious and rare—but completely useless to her.
"Well, I am the Hydro Archon," she had once declared proudly. "I don't need to think twice about price tags."
But to Luc, this was a treasure trove of raw materials. If he wanted to create something useful, this was where to start.
"Alright, time to make something fun. Maybe a cellphone for Furina to play with… though who knows if it'll even connect to anything here."
Luc scrounged up a few useful components—metal scraps, minerals, refined ores—and tossed them into his mysterious satchel. Though he didn't understand how the bag worked, he followed his intuition.
With a flash of golden light, an IKUN-branded phone appeared. The logo on the back featured a chibi figure mid-dunk.
"Oh my Archons, it actually worked!"
Luc picked it up excitedly. Furina, puzzled, tilted her head. "What's so special about this little iron box?"
Luc turned the phone over in his hands. It felt a little off—lighter than expected, like it was made of plastic. He pressed the power button with bated breath. Thankfully, the screen lit up.
A cartoonish chicken figure doing basketball tricks appeared, loading the OS.
"You don't have to love me—but please, don't hurt me… Kun-brand smartphone," the boot screen murmured.
Furina blinked. "Huh? It talks?!"
She poked the screen tentatively. The little figure on the screen screamed in a cartoonish voice.
"What are you doing~ Ouch! Ahahahaha!"
With a shriek, Furina collapsed to the floor, pointing at the device. "What is that?! Some kind of demonic spirit sealed inside?! It screams when I touch it!"
Luc didn't know how to explain. He just wanted to see if he could summon a phone, and it turned out to be this. Should've known better than to aim for something so ridiculous.
"This isn't a demon. It's called a mobile phone. It can do all sorts of things—make calls, send messages, play games… You name it."
Furina narrowed her eyes, staring at the "talking box." It was clearly beyond her comprehension. But considering it could scream and respond to her touch, maybe it really could do what Luc claimed.
Luc activated the voice assistant and programmed it for a wake word: "baby."
"Watch this," he said. "If you want to use it, just say the command word."
"Baby!"
"Open League of Legends."
Furina gasped. "It… obeys?!"
She clutched the phone like it was sacred, marveling at how it responded instantly while her own summons often disobeyed or caused chaos.
"And that's not all—it can sing, too. Watch this."
"Baby, turn on karaoke!"
Furina curiously selected a dramatic ballad, The Other Side of the Forgotten River, and began singing:
"Red, red spider lily petals are scattered all over the ground…
Who cares if she cries…"
Though her voice was lively and sweet—comically ill-suited to the tragic ballad—she still earned a stunning score of 96.
After all, she was the Hydro Archon. Her best score had only ever been a 79.
Furina, eyes gleaming, turned her attention back to the animated chicken on the screen.
She jabbed it again.
"What are you doing~ Ouch! Ahahahaha!"
She grinned like a mischievous child. "It's so cute when it squeals! I'm gonna keep poking it until it faints again!"
Luc groaned. He had programmed a sophisticated voice assistant—and Furina was using it as a virtual punching bag.
"Baby, wake up!"
The chicken popped back up instantly.
Tap…tap…tap—
"Ah~haha ouch!"
Luc stared at her in exhausted disbelief.
I just wanted to hear her say "baby." Now I'm watching the Hydro Archon bully a cartoon AI…
***
Had to cut so much crap from this chapter 🫠