Mondstadt.
On a certain street.
A man and a woman were strolling leisurely side by side.
The man had strange golden hair and wore a dark blue suit with a flowing cape.
Though his appearance was somewhat unusual, it gave off a uniquely striking vibe.
The girl beside him, however, looked far more normal.
She had delicate features and long, smooth blue hair.
Though her face carried no smile, her adorable appearance was impossible to ignore.
This unusual pair immediately drew plenty of attention from Mondstadt's citizens.
"Eh? Who are those two? I've never seen them before."
"Who cares? I think I'm in love. That girl is so cute!"
"Yeah, yeah! She frowned at me just now—she definitely has feelings for me!"
"You must've had too much fake wine. Daydreaming in broad daylight?"
"Am I the only one who thinks the guy's hairstyle is kinda cool?"
"That explosive hair is cool to you?"
"Honestly… the more I look at it, the cooler it seems. But I'm a guy. Wait… have I been single too long?"
As they passed, people whispered excitedly.
But the two kept straight faces and ignored them.
Only after leaving the busy street and reaching a quiet suburban area did they finally relax.
"Being stared at like that is annoying… but at least they've got some taste."
The golden-haired man—Aether—smiled.
The Dark Yugi outfit he'd obtained yesterday had seemed ridiculous at first.
But after some time, he'd grown fond of it.
So he kept the look.
Of course—besides liking it, there was another reason.
Combined with his disguise, the bizarre hairstyle made him completely unrecognizable as the Abyss Prince.
It served as excellent camouflage.
"Hmph. They couldn't even tell my gender. What 'taste' do they have?"
The girl looked dissatisfied.
But paired with her adorable face, it was impossible to find her expression off-putting.
"Ahem… Dain, you can't blame them. You really do look like a girl right now."
Aether chuckled.
That's right.
This cute girl was none other than Dainsleif, who had obtained the Rimuru roleplay card.
After a long night of thought, he had finally come to terms with it.
For the sake of gaining power to save Khaenri'ah, he decided to maintain this appearance.
As long as few people recognized him, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Though mentally prepared,
when so many people treated him as an adorable girl earlier—
he'd nearly lost composure.
If they had lingered any longer, he suspected some might've rushed up to talk to him.
But what could he do?
Rimuru was simply too cute.
Still, for safety's sake, Dain reminded Aether:
"My name right now is Dain. Dainsleif's younger sister."
"Haha, I know. You repeated that many times last night."
Aether nodded with a smile.
Instead of returning to the Abyss Order last night, he had gone to Dain's residence.
Having not seen each other for so long, they talked through the night.
But their beliefs remained fundamentally opposed.
Neither could persuade the other.
So they made an agreement:
Elsewhere, they would remain enemies.
But in Mondstadt—and inside the manga shop—
they would still be old friends.
It was also then that Dain fabricated his new identity:
Dainsleif's younger sister.
A member of Khaenri'ah.
"Good. I don't want others finding out."
Dain nodded seriously.
After all, a man turning into a girl was… still strange.
"Let's go. Time to visit Boss Han—your 'brother-in-law's' manga shop."
Dain teased lightly.
From yesterday's interactions, he had already guessed something about Lumine and Han Feng.
"Sigh. Hopefully my 'brother-in-law' gives me a good reward this time."
Aether sighed.
He still needed greater power to deal with Celestia.
As for their relationship…
Things were already like that.
What could he do?
Of course—
forgive them.
Not far from the manga shop, what used to be a large open field
now housed a massive new building.
Its modern aesthetic stood in stark contrast to Mondstadt's traditional architecture.
"So this is what a nightclub looks like?"
Kaeya stood outside, admiring it with amazement.
From noon until now, he and Diluc had cleared the surrounding area.
The nightclub had been successfully placed.
Now all that remained was to familiarize themselves with the interior— and recruit staff.
Diluc had gone to handle that.
Kaeya stayed behind to guard the entrance.
To prevent random people from wandering inside.
"Huh? When did this building appear?"
A voice came from behind him.
Kaeya turned.
It was the guy with the outrageous hairstyle— and an adorable girl.
"Oh, it's you."
Kaeya was slightly surprised.
He recognized him immediately.
That hairstyle was unforgettable.
"This is a reward my brother obtained from Boss Han. It's filled with things meant to help people relax."
"Relax?"
Aether looked curiously at the unique building.
"Yep. Boss Han said there's singing, dancing… and something called 'clubbing.' Apparently it's incredibly fun!"
Kaeya hadn't seen it himself.
But that didn't stop him from selling the idea.
After all, these two were potential customers.
And since Boss Han had said it— it wasn't exaggeration.
"Clubbing?"
Aether and Dain exchanged glances.
Both saw confusion in the other's eyes.
What was that?
Just jumping around?
"Hehe. It's not ready yet. Go read some manga first. By tonight, it should be good to go."
Kaeya said mysteriously.
"Alright. We'll come back tonight."
Aether smiled.
He'd been constantly tense over confronting Celestia.
Perhaps—
It was finally time to relax a little.
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