Two down, three to go.

"Are you ready for Vision Studies?" Thoma asked as we walked to our next class together. "You brought your notes with you, right?"

I patted my bag. "Got 'em right here. I should be the one checking in on you. The Vision part of Vision Studies isn't something I have to worry about."

"I've got the hang of everything Pyro," he shrugged. "Overload, melt, vaporize—I'm not sure exactly what Professor Minci has in store, but it shouldn't be anything we haven't covered. The only thing I really need to watch out for is getting distracted."

"Distracted?" I frowned slightly. "You've never had trouble staying focused before. What makes today any different?"

"Ah, well," he coughed. "There's just a lot to think about. In particular, I'm more excited about finally being alone with you rather than getting these midterms out of the way."

My eyes widened at the reminder. We did decide to finally have our talk once midterms were over. The talk in which I would reveal to Thoma my secret, and he would tell me that he…Thoma would confess his…

"When are we doing that, again?" I squeaked. "Right after class?"

Thoma fiddled with the braided strap on his bag. "Actually, I know we said to meet in your room, but I had an idea to set something up on campus. Don't worry, it will still be private—no one will barge in or anything—as long as that's alright with you, of course."

We wouldn't be in my room? For some reason, I felt marginally relieved and nodded. "It's not a problem. Where are we going?"

"That's a secret." He winked and held a finger up to his lips. "I'll meet you outside of the dorms to take you there. I know today is busy for everyone, and who knows where our energy levels will be once classes are done. How about tomorrow morning?"

"After breakfast?"

Thoma shook his head. "Before. We won't need to stop by the dining hall."

"Well, I can't guarantee my stomach won't be complaining the whole time." I eyed him. "Are you making something for us to eat?"

"Secret," he grinned.

"Fine, fine," I smiled. "Keep your secrets. I can wait till tomorrow morning. Just so you know, I have a secret for you, too."

"What kind of secret?"

"Can't tell you," I sniffed. "That defeats the purpose."

"Ah, you're teasing me because I won't give you a hint? That won't work on me." Thoma laughed quietly, and his face slipped into a thoughtful expression.

He seemed to be contemplating something important, and I wondered if it had anything to do with his secret plans. At this point, I wasn't sure if there was anything he could arrange that would impact me nearly as much as what he had to say. Just thinking about it made my heart squeeze—definitely not a normal reaction.

Before, I had been worried that my newfound reactions around Thoma were because of his possible feelings for me. I thought they may never have manifested if I remained unaware, but now I'm beginning to believe that wasn't the case. It's not that my heart pounded harder with the thought of someone crushing on me, it was the realization that I felt the same way. I definitely didn't see Huffman any differently after he'd professed his attraction. A shudder threatened to take over my body after remembering Huffman's confession.

"I see you patched things up with Childe." Thoma jolted me from my thoughts. "He was eating at our table as though nothing happened at all. The two of you also had the best synergy in Physical Combat today than all the other pairs."

"He cleared some things up for me yesterday," I explained. "If I'm being honest, I believe everything he said. I learned a lot that I didn't know before, and I can see that he's put in the effort."

"He must have really wanted to get back on your good side."

"I think it was more about becoming a better person."

"I'm sure that had some influence, but I don't doubt that keeping away from you—that would be hard on anyone."

"Anyone?" I scoffed. "There are tons of students who I still haven't met. I'm sure they're doing just fine."

"Anyone that's gotten to know you," Thoma amended solemnly. "At least, I know I'd have a difficult time bearing with it."

"Hey," I looked up at him. "What's with that face? I don't plan on going anywhere. Besides, I didn't drop Childe on a whim or anything. It takes a serious moral offense to push me away, so you have nothing to worry about. Out of everyone I've met here, you're probably the most compassionate and supportive, friendly and warm—someone who I can always trust to—"

"Lumine," Thoma interrupted, his cheeks painted with red. "That's…thank you."

I realized that I accidentally went too far in expressing how I felt about him. It would have been enough to say that he was a nice person, even though he was so much more. I cleared my throat and felt the beginnings of a blush creeping its way up my neck. Ah, well, I should probably get used to this. Otherwise, there's no chance of me maintaining my composure tomorrow. Tomorrow—how would I respond?

We entered the lecture building and followed the crowd of students down the hall. Though there were a lot more people surrounding us now, it felt as though Thoma and I were in our own space. I stepped closer to him so I wasn't in anyone's way, and he surprised me by placing a hand on my back, guiding me to walk alongside the wall. His touch lit a fire under my skin.

"Ah!" someone collided into Thoma—where I was standing just a moment prior—and Thoma bumped slightly into me. He recovered quickly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder so I wouldn't knock into the wall.

"Sorry about that!" It was Bennett. "Oh, it's you guys. That's good. As long as you two are still out in the hallway, I'm not late for class."

"We've got a few minutes." Thoma removed his arm, but the sensation lingered. "Not enough time to crunch in any extra studying, but by the looks of your notes, I think you'll crush it."

Bennett held a thick notebook in both of his hands. There were colored tabs sticking from the edges, and wayward sheets also fluttered at the sides. He raised the notebook to his chest with a fierce look. "I made sure to keep my notes in my sights all day," Bennett asserted. "If they disappeared for even one second, I'd lose them for sure. I just hope knowing all this stuff will actually come in handy for the Vision practical." He shook his head as if to clear away any lingering negativity. "Don't worry. I got this."

Professor Minci was leaning on the podium with a neat stack of papers. A line had formed leaning up to her, and students found their seats after she'd handed them each a copy of the exam. I got into line behind Thoma, and then I noticed Ellin step behind me.

"Hey, Lumine," she smiled brightly. "Aren't you so glad we only have to worry about the first half? I think I might take a nap right after, what about you?"

I hadn't thought about what to do after turning in my exam. It's true that because we wouldn't be participating in the Vision practical, we were allowed to leave class early. While it might be a good idea to use that free time to study more for my History midterm, I think I'd done enough of that already.

"Maybe I'll watch the Vision practical," I decided. "It'd be another way to learn."

Her jaw dropped. "As expected of you, Lumine. You're always thinking one step ahead. Alright, I'll do that too!"

"Ellin!" someone called and we both turned to see Cici waving from her seat. "I already grabbed one for you."

My eyes widened with the shock of such a thoughtful gesture. Childe had made sure Cici and Cicin weren't committing any bad actions, but I didn't think either of them would be so inclined to actually be helpful for once. Ellin showed an equal amount of surprise, but that quickly fell away to pure joy.

"Thanks, Cici!" she waved at her partner and left her spot in the line.

We inched closer to the podium, and Thoma half-turned to look at me with bewilderment. He must have overheard. I simply shrugged—there wasn't much I could say without causing additional confusion. He turned back around to accept his exam from Professor Minci. When it was my turn, she handed me a thin packet. However, when I tried to pull it from her, she wouldn't let go.

I looked up at her, confused. It was only after she shot me a sly wink that she released the exam. No words were exchanged, but her teasing eyes flicked to where Thoma was walking away, and I knew. Quickly, I turned away from her small giggle and banished anything unrelated to Vision Studies to the recesses of my mind. With my notes and my exam, I sat down and deliberately angled myself away from Thoma. Focus. I needed to focus.

A tiny slip of paper landed next to my notebook.

Cautious, I reached out to grab it. Thoma was also positioned away from me, but because I sat at the very end of the row, he was logically the only one who could have passed it over. He hummed a quiet tune, waiting for Professor Minci to give further directions. I unfolded the slip and read the simple note with a heart sketched in the corner.

your hard work is about to pay off! i believe in you, lu

In utter awe, I traced the heart's outline with my finger. Thoma was still facing the other direction, but he couldn't hide the color blooming at the tops of his ears. A soft smile crossed my lips as I reread the note.

Lu.

He'd never called me that nickname before. Maybe he'd done so because it was quicker to write? I found that I didn't care about the reason, only that it cleverly rhymed and made my breath catch. Before I could even begin to think of a note to send back, Professor Minci announced we were allowed to begin.

"Piece of cake," Xiangling giggled. "I don't know why I was so worried."

We'd freshly finished our Horticulture midterm, and for once I was eager to immediately join Xiangling for dinner. Amber and Bennett were already here, and they looked ready to fall over from exhaustion. I felt the same fatigue and hoped to stuff up on enough food to put me in a deep sleep—deep enough that my brain wouldn't have the energy to conjure up a single dream. The best-case scenario would be a blissful night of pure nothing.

"Thanks to our dinner dissections, I bet," Amber winked. "Those Sea Ganodermas were sure tricky to cut through. Mine almost slipped off the table."

"Sea Ganoderma?" Xiangling cocked her head. "We were given Naku Weed and Noontide Silkpods."

"Professor Baizhu said each Horticulture class would be getting different specimens," I reminded them. "That way, students wouldn't give the future classes a heads-up."

"Paranoid for no reason," Xiangling waved a dismissive hand in the air. "It feels so good to finally have everything done."

Bennett cut through his Teyvat Fried Egg. "Tell me about it! I think the trickiest one for me was the Vision practical. It makes sense that we'd interact with other elements, but I didn't think the professor wanted us to trigger at least four different reactions within two seconds. It took my group forever to get that down."

"That's what you guys did?" I had no clue.

Unfortunately, Ellin and I weren't allowed to spectate the Vision practical as we'd hoped. Once everyone turned their exam packets in, Professor Minci took students to a separate room in groups of four. I didn't know what their task was, but I did catch that for all the groups, each student held a different Vision element.

"Yeah," Bennett slumped. "Rosaria looked like she was ready to freeze my fingers off with how many times I messed up. Luckily, Xingqiu managed to calm her down."

Amber beamed. "My group had so much fun! Barron Bunny did a great job."

A tray stacked with Tri-Color Dango appeared on my right, and Thoma greeted everyone with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm a bit late. I was helping Professor Kreideprinz clear off the crafting benches with Sucrose." That was a name I hadn't heard before, and Thoma caught my confusion. "She's a third-year and the professor's assistant for Alchemy courses."

"I didn't know students could be assistants."

"Normally, they aren't." He ate one dango off its stick. "But Sucrose is exceptional at alchemy. You know Timaeus, right? He's been trying to become an assistant for over a year, but Professor Kreideprinz keeps turning him down. There's no one here who can match her knack for alchemy—other than the professor, of course. It's practically her whole life."

"Sounds impressive," I poked at my dinner.

"Are you guys talking about me, again?" Childe made an arrogant appearance and sat on my left. "I'll let it slide, knowing there's only praise to say."

"We were talking about Sucrose." I rolled my eyes. "Do you know her?"

"Sucrose?" he frowned. "Oh, wait, I know this one. Sugar, right?"

I shook my head. "She's a third-year. Alchemy assistant."

Childe stared at me with blank eyes.

"Aren't you technically a third-year? You should know the people in your grade."

"The only sweetness I'm familiar with is you, girlie," he winked. "Well, that's not entirely true. You're quite bitter when you lose."

Thoma cleared his throat. "I think I grabbed one too many Tri-Color Dango. Lumine, would you mind taking some off my hands?"

"Sure," I agreed as I cast a dirty look at Childe.

Tri-Color Dango was sweet, and I already had some Sticky Honey Roast on my plate. I wouldn't want the two to touch, so I'd have to eat one completely before beginning the other. My mind whirred as I thought about it. Dessert before the main dish? Why was Thoma eating something so sweet for dinner in the first place?

I noticed Thoma hold out a stick of Tri-Color Dango in my peripheral vision.

Absentmindedly, I opened my mouth to take a bite out of it. I guess it couldn't hurt to have some dango as a bit of an appetizer. Besides, I'd been eating Almond Tofu for so long, it felt natural to keep things sweet. Oh, what a fun, chewy texture.

"Ah, Lumine?"

"Hm?" I focused my full attention on Thoma, who was oddly blushing.

Pulled from my thoughts, I noticed the table had fallen silent. Xiangling looked rather perplexed, Amber's eyes sparkled with something devious, and Childe's face had hardened to be stone cold. Bennett was the only one who looked relatively normal. His general confusion mirrored my own until I realized what I'd just done.

"Sorry," I quickly apologized and properly accepted the stick of Tri-Color Dango. Lost in thought, I had unintentionally made Thoma feed me the dessert. My mind immediately went back to when Kaeya fed me Almond Tofu. Except this time, Thoma was innocent. I was the one who made the move. "I didn't mean to—I wasn't paying attention."

"It's alright." He recovered from the shock with a closed smile. "I didn't mind."

Amber squealed.

"Well, I did mind." Childe cut through the conversation. "Are table manners obsolete nowadays? Where is the decorum?"

"Since when did you care about table manners?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Since," he sputtered. "Since I always have."

I finished the remaining two dango pieces.

"Did you like them?" Thoma asked.

Childe suddenly reached over, and I had to lean back to get out of the way. "Give me one."

"Oh, sure," Thoma handed him a stick.

Childe snatched it away and fell back into his seat. I would have been amused with how he aggressively pulled off two dango pieces in one bite if weren't for the frosty glare he cut towards Thoma. Childe's mask of resentment slipped momentarily, and I could only guess the dango's flavor got to him. It was then that I laughed.

"You like?" I asked him.

"They're good," he mumbled and held the stick out to me. "I'm full now. Can't finish the last one. Here, you have it."

"Okay," I reached out my hand, but Childe pulled back.

"I can hold it."

"So can I," I countered.

"You don't have to."

"Neither do you."

"I don't get it," Bennett mused. "What's the big deal about holding the stick? Oh! Are you worried you might accidentally jab the inside of your mouth with it? It's happened to me twice, so that's a valid concern."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the final piece of dango with my fingers, sliding it off the stick and popping it into my mouth.

Childe stared from the now-empty stick to where I was happily savoring the dessert. It must not have been a big deal because he simply tossed it to the table with a light chuckle. He normally didn't back down so quickly, but then again, what was he backing down from? Offering me food wasn't a competition…was it? Thoma ended up giving Bennett, Amber, and Xiangling each their own Tri-Color Dango.

"Wow, I didn't jab myself this time!"

"It must be the midterm luck." Xiangling patted Bennett on the shoulder.

Amber jumped in. "Don't jinx it."

"Midterms are over," I shrugged. "What's there to jinx?"

"You don't need luck if you have skill." Childe crossed his arms. "Which is something I can help you with if you're really feeling hopeless."

"Really?" Bennett gasped.

"But of course," Childe grinned. "I love a good challenge, and turning you into a properly functioning person seems to be the biggest one yet."

Bennett nearly fell out of his seat. "This is great!"

That had sounded like somewhat of an insult to me, but Bennett didn't seem to take it that way, and Childe looked genuinely interested in helping him out. The thought of the two of them training together made me smile—it would be disastrously chaotic in the best way possible. For now, Childe instructed Bennett to use his leftover stick as a miniature sword. Together, they looked ridiculous—mimicking techniques with a tiny piece of wood.

I couldn't help but join in on the fun.