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nEverything was going great. Except it wasn’t.

nBarbara was following them in silence. It seemed she was thinking about something.

nYomite was already expecting an attack from her side with a large knife straight into his back, knowing Yanderes.

nAfter all, he did just kiss another girl on the lips right in front of her and he assumed Barbara must have become enranged after such an act of ‘infidelity’ and would now try to take vengeance for being ignored by either brutally stabbing him in his back, or by having his throat slit open when he least expected it.

nOr chopping off his…manhood…to keep as a pet for herself, or turning him into one of those strange machines that required human sex organs to function. And he knew Yanderes were not afraid of anything or anyone, even if they appeared timid or weak most of the time.

nBut so far…

nAbsolutely nothing was happening.

n(Barbara is way too weird…I don’t understand her at all…One time she is cute like a shy maiden, or a puppy, but then she is bold enough to make my blood boil with lust and when she is alone, her stalker tendencies are activated…but at least she seems to be…softer than usual Yanderes…Thankfully…)

nAs soon as they stepped into the Lumine’s room, they saw that the girls were still busy with the card game.

nThe first to spot him was his adorable pet fairy, Paimon, who immediately floated over, sticking to his left arm happily. “Ah! Paimon told you Good Tattoo would come back!”

nHis ethereal companion giggled excitedly.

n“Hoh? Good Tattoo? Been a long time since I heard that one. Usually it’s just, Bad Tattoo or Womanizer or other interesting things.”

n“Ehehe~ Paimon is simply glad you’ve returned! You must have given that poo on a stick a nice beating he deserved!”

n“Is that so? In that case, here is some Mora, you can buy some snacks with it later.” He handed her a small pouch with about fifty thousand Mora inside.

n“Nyehehe! Paimon can finally buy the Ultra Burger with this!” She cheered in delight and quickly snatched the pouch away.

n(Paimon…the Ultra Burger is at least thrice your size…Good Luck…) Yomite smiled faintly, scratching the little fairy’s cheek fondly.

n“Party Leader…you made it safe and sound.” Lumine murmured happily, almost shining radiantly at the sight of him.

nYomite gave her a small wave of greeting, and an unexpected pat on her head, ruffling her golden hair affectionately.

nShe felt it was far too tender, and oddly intimate, yet Lumine didn’t seem bothered by it. Maybe it was just her.

nAnd soon, his favorite loud girl also welcomed him.

n“Ah, if it isn’t my beloved, one and only Assistant! So? How much did you get your butt kicked on the scale of recklessness and showing off~”

nHu Tao seemed like she was nonchalant about him going to fight Childe, but deep down she was also worried because Childe had Trump cards which could prove to be a bit problematic even for her, even if she was confident in beating him.

nBut the moment she saw he returned safely, she had her usual cat-like grin plastered on her face as she threw herself onto him in a tight hug, making Yomite give a baffled look at her sudden display of affection.

n“He was tough, but we are not done yet.”

nOnce he let go, she rubbed her hands together in excitement, “So-So, how much money did we rob him of?”

nWith a laugh, he waved his hand dismissively. “Not that much, actually. Just enough to feed Iris for two weeks.”

n“That’s a nice number!” She clapped her hands happily, earning a laugh from the rest of the party.

nIris also smiled softly, her gaze fixed on her Master, a rare show of happiness from her.

nChilde was looking at Iris with the intention of eating her, Hu Tao teased the poor dragon, but she also added that her Master went to beat him up because of it.

nIris was moved by her Master’s kind gesture and found herself beaming even wider.

nHe provided her with a place to stay, food, and he also beat up anyone that wanted to eat her!

nHer Master was incredible!

nEventually, after everybody was comforted and reassured he was fine, they sat down on the beds to discuss, as everybody was seemingly interested in what happened with the fight and how he met the person who was currently sitting next to him.

nThe Deaconess Barbara, everyone but Iris was familiar with her.

nBarbara looked along the party in unison, smiling politely, rubbing the back of her neck with her index finger idly. “Um, nice to meet you.”

nAs their match was interrupted, Yomite only mentioned some tidbits and the way Childe fought to make them understand his moveset, if they were to encounter him again.

nAll in all, his lips were sealed tight when it came to Barbara and how her presence mysteriously moved from Mondstadt all the way to Liyue…

n(I still have to applaud her determination to follow us through this hot weather…She is truly something else.) Yomite thought inwardly.

nJust as he finished speaking, Lumine also explained what Childe told them.

nYomite wasn’t there when Childe mentioned he knew about Lumine’s brother and his wherebouts. The fact that Childe wanted Lumine to join the Fatui was…frankly, dumb.

nKnowing what kind of people they were, Lumine wouldn’t budge even if it…

n…

n..

n.

n(Wait…)

nIt took him a moment to process the information, but it finally dawned on him…

nLumine’s whole reason for joining his party, was to find her brother and once she did, she would leave. That was an undeniable fact he shouldn’t forget.

n(Would she leave if…)

n…

nHe had to admit he would be sad if she left, but he had no right to force someone to stay in the party.

nOnce she attained her goal, she was free to go and do whatever she wished. Even if that meant leaving the party behind altogether…leaving the world even…

nBut Fatui wasn’t the place…

nHe wouldn’t allow it.

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