"Unfair! Unfair! Why are you so gentle when you're with Venti, but when you're with me, you pin me to the bed? This is differential treatment! I want to complain! I want to protest!"
Apparently, Durandal did not let Lumine's actions succeed. The moment she pounced on her, she grabbed her head and pinned her to the bed, and also had clones extend hands from the shadows to hold down her limbs, preventing her from struggling.
Lumine knew very well that although Durandal seemed petite, her strength was terrifying. Several adult males were no match for her with one hand, let alone her.
So she simply stopped resisting and just lay on the bed, shouting continuously, making Durandal consider whether to tie her mouth with a cloth or stuff a fruit or something in it.
"Give up, Lumine. I can't do that kind of thing with you."
"Why?" Lumine asked defiantly: "Why can you do it with her but not with me? What am I lacking compared to Venti?"
"I like you too! I want to be closer to you, is there a problem with that?"
"Is that really liking? Every time you see a new Damselette, you stop in your tracks, often leaving me aside to chat with other Damselettes. When you chat with me, the main topic is also other Damselettes. Is this really liking me?"
Durandal voiced her long-standing doubts. Through Venti and Shenhe's efforts, she somewhat understood what liking felt like.
But Lumine's various actions were very different from the liking she understood. Could her current behavior really be classified as liking?
(⊙o⊙)... Lumine paused her movements. Thinking back carefully, she seemed to have really done that.
No matter what, there were so many cute Damselettes in Liyue Harbor. Lumine would meet them every time she went out on a commission, and every day she wanted to tell Durandal about her experiences.
But the main events she experienced were primarily about those Damselettes, which led to her conversation topics being mainly about other Damselettes. This was something she couldn't control; it really wasn't intentional.
"You... you listen to my excuses... explanation. Things aren't what you think, Durandal."
"I don't know what you're going to say, Lumine. But I can tell you, your actions don't make me feel the way I do when I'm with Venti. At least with her, I can feel that she cares about me. Her eyes are only on me, but in your eyes, I can see more than one Damselette."
Why did Durandal, when she was with Venti and Shenhe, have so many opportunities to push them away, but she never did? Why was even her struggle very weak?
Because their overly strong emotions infected Durandal. It was under the influence of those strong emotions that she became like a normal Damselette, unable to resist.
Think carefully about Durandal's past. Ever since that damned Hulder brought her to the Demon Realm, she hadn't had a single good day. Every day she endured either fear or various inexplicable aversions.
She had experienced so much darkness, and when the sun suddenly appeared in her dark life, she was naturally drawn to it.
Initially, it was because of Klee that she was willing to enter Mondstadt, and because of Lumine's invitation that she was willing to leave Mondstadt and come to Liyue; it was the appearance of these 'lights' that made her feel warmth, which is why she made these changes.
Beyond these 'lights,' she felt an even stronger emotion, an emotion called 'love.'
She still couldn't grasp the meaning of this emotion, but she didn't dislike the feeling, so she remembered the expressions of Venti and Shenhe, understanding that their feelings could be called 'love.'
She wasn't sure if Lumine had such feelings for her, but currently, she couldn't make herself feel the same way she did when facing Venti and Shenhe, so... she was sorry, she couldn't treat Lumine the same way she treated Venti and Shenhe.
"Is that so? There's no way? Right, I also understand what kind of person I am."
After calming down and thinking, Lumine gradually gave up struggling. She also understood her own personality; although she was a beautiful Damselette, she would always stop in her tracks when she saw other beautiful women.
Although she also liked Durandal very much, she just couldn't control herself, always unconsciously glancing at other girls.
Though their time together was not as long as with Venti, Lumine still understood what Durandal lacked most—a sense of security.
She was very powerful, so powerful that even the Seven Archons couldn't rival her, yet she surprisingly lacked a sense of security.
It seemed her actions couldn't give Durandal a sense of security, which is why Durandal couldn't accept her wavering stance.
Venti's stance was actively firm; he only had Durandal as his beloved, so Durandal was touched by the emotions he released. As for herself... she couldn't reach that level yet.
"ε=('ο｀*))) Ah~ I understand, I know where I lost. This time, I'm truly convinced."
Continuing to be so willful was not a solution; doing so would only provoke Durandal's dislike. Everything had been said, and she had no reason to continue this way.
She still needed some time to sort out her feelings. Really... her time with Durandal was too short. If it could be longer, she might also be like Venti, with only Durandal's existence in her eyes... perhaps?
Receiving Lumine's affirmative answer, Durandal let her go. Although it wasn't a perfect ending, at least Lumine knew Durandal's attitude.
It wasn't enough to simply express a little affection to move Durandal; she still needed to do more, otherwise it wouldn't be so easy. She was not someone to be taken lightly.
"Wait a moment." Durandal tugged on Lumine's sleeve, "Although I can't interact with you like I do with them, but... this much is possible."
Under Lumine's gaze, Durandal lightly pecked her on the cheek, like a greeting kiss, but Durandal did indeed kiss her.
Ψ
"This is something friends can do; I read it in a book. Beyond this is not allowed, unless you can move me like Venti did, otherwise nothing else is possible."
After speaking, Durandal transformed into a wisp of black mist and vanished from the room, with no plans to continue the conversation with Lumine.
Lumine stood there in a daze, and only after a long time did she touch the spot where she had been kissed, unconsciously revealing a slight smile.
"It seems... it's not entirely without hope."
Besides making herself like Durandal more, there was another way: to make Durandal fall in love with her, to an irresistible degree.
This method was indeed sound, but there was one thing to be concerned about: if Durandal wanted to monopolize her, would she get jealous if Lumine became too close to other female friends in the future?
If the jealousy was too strong, would Durandal do something terrible? After all, the actions of a certain type of person can be quite frightening.
Although that could also be considered a 'moe' point, that was when it happened to other people. If possible, Lumine certainly didn't want to encounter such a person.
"Hmm? Wait a minute, did Durandal just say something worth noting?"
She hadn't paid attention earlier due to Durandal's actions, but thinking back carefully, there were many odd things about Durandal's words just now.
"Can't interact with you like I do with them"? "Them"? Besides Venti, did Durandal have intimate relationships with others?
Lumine fell into deep thought. Although it might just be Durandal misspeaking, she wasn't the type to talk carelessly. Since she said it, this situation was very likely true.
So... who could it be? There weren't many people close to Durandal, and even fewer who could have further development with her. It couldn't possibly be Klee, could it?
Although Durandal doted on Klee, Lumine could see that she treated Klee entirely as a daughter. Lumine herself might have a slight inclination, but Durandal absolutely could not.
"Then, the only suspect is her."
Shenhe's figure appeared in Lumine's mind. Currently, Shenhe had the highest possibility, as she usually stayed by Durandal's side, and she was very dependent on Durandal.
If Durandal desired strong emotions, then Shenhe perfectly fit that criterion, as Durandal was the only person Shenhe cared about.
Huh? Lumine suddenly realized, what if her guess was correct? Shenhe's emotions were very strong, so she could succeed.
She, who came earlier than Shenhe, not only failed to get closer to Durandal but even lost to Shenhe.
Originally, she planned to conquer Shenhe as well, but in the end, neither Shenhe nor Durandal succeeded, and instead, the two of them ended up together.
In the end, only she was hurt! What was going on? Why did a world where only she was hurt come into being? This... this was bullying!
"The world... rejected me."
Saying that line again, the good mood that had just appeared vanished instantly. She slumped onto the bed, disheartened, falling into a state of self-doubt.
"No! It's too early to lose heart now! My journey is far from over, and as my travel companions, there will be many opportunities to spend time together in the future. Even if I fail now, there will be many opportunities in the future."
Exactly! Why are you so downcast, Lumine! A temporary failure means nothing; as long as you catch up later, you can do it. Believe in yourself!
On the other side, Shenhe, who had been waiting for Durandal, saw her appear and rushed forward, grabbing her hand, asking with her eyes if her relationship with Lumine had also progressed.
Durandal shook her head; her relationship with Lumine had not yet reached the level of her relationship with Venti.
Shenhe nodded. Actually, she cared quite a bit about Lumine, as she was one of the few people she cared about besides Durandal.
She still remembered the scene when Lumine invited her to join the team; Lumine's inviting hand... was very warm.
Although there was no progress this time, she believed Lumine still had a chance, because she could tell that Durandal still cared about Lumine.
She was just a bit scatterbrained; if she could be a little more composed, then it would be stable.
She wondered when she would become more composed. Probably... it would take a long time.
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!