I woke in shock.

There were two things that left me confused. The first was that I didn't remember going to bed at all. Kaeya and I had gotten deep into explaining to Childe everything he needed to know—from my Anemo origin story all the way to the Abyss Order's movements. Childe had seemed increasingly concerned once I brought up my nightmares, but that was out of our control, at least, it was unavoidable without my trustee Almond Tofu. I didn't get the chance to tell the two of them about that, but I felt it'd be hard to convince them that Almond Tofu had such a special property in the first place.

Sunlight spilled out from under my curtains, and my eyes squinted as I tried to recall how the rest of the night went. When had I gone to bed, and how is it that my sleep was uninterrupted by nightmares? It felt as if we'd talked for hours. I remember getting drowsy, but I spent the entirety of the conversation sitting at my desk. At some point—probably when I had fallen asleep—they must have left. It was odd how I was now tucked in bed, though. Had one of them moved me?

Shyness overtook me as I thought of who it could have been. Did Kaeya get off the bed and carry me over? Or did Childe shoo him away and make a place for me? Kaeya's scent lingered around my bed, so maybe it was him. Then again, he did keep my pillow close to his chest the entire time.

I fluffed up my pillow, hugging it just as he did. It smelled nice—as though his presence still lingered. Comforting. My breath caught. The pillow—no—Kaeya soothed me just as Almond Tofu did. Albeit in their own unique way, the feeling was the same. Despite not having any Almond Tofu yesterday, my sleep was nightmare-free. Was this because of Kaeya? Wrapped up in that idea, I examined the pillow closer until a more pressing matter popped to the forefront of my mind.

Thoma was probably waiting for me outside of the dorms right now. I rushed through my morning routine and opted for my regular outfit since it was the weekend and uniforms weren't necessary. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I adjusted the ends of my hair so they looked symmetrical enough. Were my flowers crooked? I tweaked them once, then twice, and then I began to question the look of my feather accessory. Maybe I should move it higher? Lower?

The longer I spent worrying, the longer I was keeping Thoma. Forgetting my nerves, I finished off by pinning the feathers in their original position, throwing on a jacket, and hastily leaving my room. Luckily, being on the first floor meant a quick exit. I found Thoma sitting on a bench to the side of the main entrance, and he noticed me at the same time.

"Lumine, hey," he waved. "It's good to see you."

How long had he been sitting there? "Sorry, I'm late."

He shook his hands out in front of him. "No, no, not at all! I actually just sat down. You have nothing to worry about."

"Oh," I blinked. "In that case, should we head to this super-secret location of yours?"

He laughed. "I wouldn't call it a super-secret. There are a few who know this spot, but it's generally hidden in comparison to other places on campus. Come on, you must be hungry, right?"

"Is that what you've got in your bag? Breakfast?" I tilted my head to get a better look at the bag hanging from his shoulder.

"You'll find out soon enough." He winked and took the lead. "Oh, by the way, did you hear the news about Signora?"

I sped up my pace to walk at his side, intrigued. "What about her?"

"She's been expelled. Apparently, she was caught harassing some student on the night before midterms by the Raiden Shogun herself." Thoma let out a low whistle. "It's about time Signora got punished for her actions, but I didn't think they'd go so far as to expel her entirely. What she did must have been really serious. Anyway, people are especially invested in this because her expulsion means that she'll be sent back to Snezhnaya—ultimately breaking the Sakoku Order. Ah, well, it can't be helped."

"Is she gone now?" The shock on my face wasn't fake. I didn't expect the news to spread so quickly.

Thoma shook his head. "I heard they're sending her off on a boat tonight. The whole ordeal is supposed to be heavily supervised, and I can imagine why. I'd never heard of a student being expelled before—dropping out or being suspended, sure, but nothing this severe."

"She had it coming," I sniffed. "At least her followers stopped being so nasty when they did. Otherwise, they might have been implicated in her actions and expelled as well."

"You're right," Thoma nodded. "But I also hope this is a chance for Signora to reflect. It's not every day she gets exposed for who she is, so this could be a good wake-up call for her."

I scrunched up my nose. "Are you saying she can be redeemed?"

"Not Signora as she is now, but maybe somewhere down the line. I think everyone has a chance to change—for better or for worse."

"Well, I don't think she could get any worse," I shuddered.

"I'm happy that everyone can breathe a little easier now," he hummed. "Though, I wished I could have done something about it myself before she got caught. As I am right now, she would have made a lot of trouble for me, too. Ah—we're almost there."

We had reached the art gallery, and it was when Thoma turned to walk around the building and off the main path that I was struck with a sense of familiarity. It had only been the other day when I found myself going along this same route, but the situation was drastically different. With the sun shining and Thoma here for conversation, the scenery felt new as he led me to that same grove of trees concealing the gazebo.

"Here we are," he walked down the stone path, sitting on the built-in bench that stretched around the gazebo's interior.

I hadn't noticed there was a bench before, nor did I notice the clusters of Windwheel Asters that dotted the surrounding area. After getting caught in Signora's web, there had been other things on my mind at the time.

"It's beautiful," I breathed. "And quiet."

"The view here isn't as spectacular or grand as other places on campus, but if you're looking for a relaxing spot, you can't beat this one. It's perfect for what we had in mind." He reached into his bag. "But first, we should fill our stomachs with something. How about some Almond Tofu?"

I gasped and immediately sat beside him. "You're kidding."

He laughed and pulled out a square container. Sure enough, its inner contents held enough Almond Tofu to serve two people.

"But," I looked at him in awe. "How? I thought the almond shortage made it impossible. Did you substitute it with something else?"

Thoma smiled. "Nope. I was actually late to dinner yesterday because I was busy getting Professor Kreideprinz's permission to harvest some almonds from the greenhouse. He co-manages it with Professor Baizhu, so then I had to find him as well."

"You went almond hunting just for me?"

"I know how much you've taken a liking to it recently." He pulled out two forks wrapped in a napkin. "And I couldn't bear seeing you so upset over the menu, so I thought I'd try and make some for you."

My heart swelled. "That's really sweet of you, Thoma. Thank you."

"I'm not the only one who deserves your thanks." He fiddled with the forks. "I had to call in a favor with Xiangling. I'm familiar with cooking a lot of dishes, but Almond Tofu was something I'd never tried before. She walked me through the proper steps of preparing the tofu. You should be warned—it probably won't taste as good as what they serve in the dining hall."

"I'll thank her when I see her," I smiled. "And your Almond Tofu will taste amazing."

"You haven't had any yet. How can you be so sure?"

"Because you made it," I grinned, reaching for a fork. "Now, let me try."

Thoma handed me a fork and held the box out to me. As far as appearances went, it looked the same as the dining hall's Almond Tofu. Knowing that the dish originated from Liyue, I made a mental note to see how it tasted there, but my thoughts were chased away as soon as I took my first bite. Somehow, Thoma's version was even silkier and nuttier than any Almond Tofu I'd ever had. So shocked by its flavor, I forgot to express any outward reaction.

"Do you like it?" Thoma asked hesitantly. "You paused a little. Is there something wrong with the texture? My first batch did come out sort of chunky, so maybe that's what—"

"It's delicious," I interrupted. "Really. I've never had better Almond Tofu in my life."

"You flatter me." He scratched his jaw. "Though, if you really like it so much, feel free to have the rest."

I shook my head, pointing into the box. "That's nonsense. You eat some too. I can't be the only one floating on cloud nine."

"Who said I wasn't?" Thoma shrugged and picked up some tofu with his own fork. "Wow, this really is good! I guess I got lucky."

I didn't bother countering him, too absorbed with how good the Almond Tofu was and even more absorbed with the amount of effort he put in to make this happen. I never would have guessed I'd find myself back in this spot—just two days after being attacked by Signora—enjoying a pleasant meal. I took a peek at Thoma with growing emotion. He seemed content as he always did, but there was more than what his smile let on. He'd noticed I was upset over the Almond Tofu business and even went out of his way to gather the ingredients and learn to make it just for me. He'd managed to turn this gazebo into a positive memory, a place where I truly could relax.

More than ever, I believed what Lisa told me that day. More than ever, I was certain that there was something there within me, too. Thoma was special to me.

We finished the Almond Tofu together much faster than I'd anticipated, and a moment of silence befell us. Thoma fiddled with the strap on this bag, something I noticed he did when nervous, and I knew the time had finally come.

"It's funny how I've been anticipating this moment for so long now," Thoma chuckled. "And yet, suddenly I find myself at a loss for words. Please bear with me while I try to not trip over my tongue. This is the first time that I've ever—well—you're the first person who has…Lumine?"

"Yes?" I held my breath.

"I…I don't want you to take this the wrong way. Before I say anything, I want you to know what's most important first. Whatever ends up happening after this, I don't want to risk losing you, so please don't feel pressured by anything. I've never felt so strongly before, but I don't want my emotions to force you into a bad spot. Whether or not you accept my feelings, or if you reject them outright, I still hope that we can remain friends."

I nodded.

"Well, I think it's a little obvious where I'm getting at by this point," he blushed. "But sometimes, I assume something is obvious, yet you don't quite catch on. So, I'll say it straight. Lumine, I've…I've fallen for you."

My heart thudded loudly in my ears at his blatant confession, but Thoma wasn't done.

"If you ask me when—I can't say there was an exact moment. Somehow, in the moments we shared in Vision Studies, studying in the library, and even just walking to class, I've been entirely captured by your radiance. I can't think of any other way to put it. The way you interact with others, the way you stand up for your beliefs, your perseverance, your kind heart—I…I love it all. You have a beautiful soul, Lumine, and I can't be any more grateful that I've been able to meet you."

Even though I had expected this, I was still stricken with his honesty. In this moment, Thoma was bold in a way I'd never seen him before, and my face was aflame with his confession. In the weeks that led up to this, what was going through Thoma's mind each time there was a setback? How was he able to contain such an intense emotion without me noticing?

Then again, this wasn't the first time I was so unaware. Without Amber's prompting, who knows when I would have realized Diluc's feelings toward me and the ones I had in return? Diluc. Diluc and Thoma. While I had come to terms with their emotions for me—with my emotions for them—I still hadn't figured out what to do with feeling this way for them both at the same time.

"Thoma," I spoke. "Your feelings—I recognize them. I even find myself sharing the same for you."

His expression lifted with hope, but there was some hesitancy in his eyes. "Lumine, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that, but why do I sense there's a 'but'?"

"Because there is," I sighed.

"I'm not—If you're not ready for a relationship, I understand," he added. "I didn't tell you this because I wanted to start one right away or anything. Though I'm sure that would be as lovely as you are, my initial point still stands. I'd be perfectly okay with remaining friends."

"No," I shook my head. "It's not that. I just, well, I feel horrible for what I'm about to say."

"Knowing that part of you feels the same way, nothing you could say could be so terrible." Thoma reached out to hold my hand. "Trust me, you have nothing to be worried about."

"You're not the only one," I rushed out. "You're not the only one who I've connected with like this. I know it seems unreasonable because I'm only halfway through my first semester here. How could I possibly have developed such deep feelings for more than one guy? Anyways, it's not fair to you for me to split my feelings like this. You deserve someone who can give you their full affections."

Thoma paused for a moment, his expression unreadable. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I assumed he'd concluded that there was no use in trying to pursue this any further, but he surprised me.

"I can't say that I understand having feelings for more than one person at a time," he began. "But I'm not surprised you find yourself in this situation. It's as I said before, you have a kind heart. When it comes to someone as open and caring as you are, it's not unlikely that your affections would be captured more than once. I can't expect a heart as big as yours to only have room for just me."

"So," I hesitated. "What does this mean?"

Thoma's eyes softened. "Nothing has changed for me, Lumine. Knowing how you feel about me, even about someone else, makes me cherish moments like these even more. The fact that I managed to capture your heart at all—I'm satisfied with that. What's more, is that you have no reason to feel ashamed. We can't control who we love, and I think there's something beautiful in that. Whoever it is that you also feel connected to, I know he must be special." He squeezed my hand lightly before letting go. "I'm not asking you to choose. I would never demand you make a decision. With strong feelings of the heart, these things take time to develop and even more time to figure out. Just know that whatever you decide, whether it's me or him—neither of us or both of us—you'll always have me in your corner. "

He finished his piece, and I sat on the bench in silence. Trying to absorb everything that was said, I felt more relieved than anything else. The internal conflict I faced was all but washed away with his words of affirmation, and I was once again reminded of why I admired him in the first place. I was lucky to have met Thoma, to have experienced school life with him, and for him to be so considerate. Diluc had said something similar—about taking my time—though, he wasn't aware of my dual-crush situation. Would he be as understanding as Thoma? I could only hope. What I knew for certain was that this turnout was better than anything I could have possibly imagined, and I wouldn't dream of pushing Thoma away.

"Okay," I said at last. "You're right, we do have time."

"Nothing has to change," he reminded me. "We can still be as we were five minutes ago."

I nodded. "We can, but I don't want to pretend this didn't happen. I want to continue working on my feelings," I hesitated. "And having more moments like this with you."

"I would love that." His eyes brightened with a smile. "There is just one thing I'm wondering about if you don't mind me asking."

"What is it?"

"The other guy," he cleared his throat. "Does he feel the same way?"

I wasn't expecting that, but it made sense that Thoma would be curious. "I—yes. He does."

"Well, then. I can make a solid guess as to who it is."

I sputtered. "How?"

Thoma and Diluc hardly ran in the same circles. I'd love to hear how he was able to pick up on Diluc's feelings—feelings that took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out for myself.

"I thought it was obvious," Thoma laughed. "I mean, as someone who shares the same feelings for you, that is. It's easy to recognize when others might be feeling the same way. I had my speculations before, but it was only within the last few days that I knew for sure."

I frowned. "I haven't seen Diluc since our last play."

"D-Diluc?" Thoma almost fell from the bench.

"Yeah," I widened my eyes. "Were you not talking about Diluc?"

He made a quick recovery. "I barely know Diluc."

"Then who else could it be?"

He stared at me with a barrage of emotions flying across his face. First, there was shock. Confusion followed quickly after. A look of amusement stuck on his face for just a brief moment before a curtain of seriousness took over. A smidgen of worry and a dash of contemplation continued to make it increasingly difficult for me to figure out who this mystery guy could be.

At last, Thoma revealed his guess. "I thought it was Childe."

"Ch-Childe?" my face flamed up again. "You thought that he—that I—"

"Well," he laughed sheepishly. "Can you blame me? Think about it. He was clearly stricken with grief when you shut him out completely. After rejoining our group, he hasn't taken his eyes off you. Actually, he'd hardly done so even before the falling out, but now his dedication has increased a great deal."

"Childe?" I repeated, still in shock.

"If I'm being honest, I was selfishly relieved when the two of you stopped being on good terms. You got along with him in a totally different way from how you acted with me. I guess you could say I was jealous, but only for a moment. Even I was hoping for some sort of reconciliation after seeing how much it affected you," he sighed. "Did you not notice how upset he got over the Tri-Color Dango last night?"

"After you fed me," I was too warm. "He wanted to do the same."

"You really had no clue," Thoma mused. "Of course, I could be wrong about this entirely, so don't take my word for it."

Yes. Right. There was no way to know for certain unless I asked Childe about it directly. Or Amber.

"You're turning really red, Lumine." Thoma leaned in. "Are you sure it isn't Childe?"

"Am I sure?" I thought about it. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure it's not him."

"You stuttered."

"Anyone would stutter after an assumption like that!"

"Would they, though?"

It felt as though both my head and heart were about to explode. How could this have happened to me not once, not twice, but three times, now? Kaeya had said something crazy like this at one point. He also said I was oblivious, and as much as I didn't believe him then, those statements were becoming glaringly true. I needed to keep a better eye on my observation skills.

I cleared my throat. "I think we should move on to the secret I have for you."

"Was that not the secret?" He blinked in surprise. "That you liked me as well as Diluc and—well—just Diluc for now."

Ignoring that last bit, I shook my head. "No. This is something I should have told you a while ago. I was scared at first, but now I know what I'm dealing with and who I want to trust with it."

Thoma nodded with sincerity, and I spared a glance around our surroundings. The gazebo was located in a relatively remote area of campus, so the likeliness of any passerby was low. Still, I lowered my voice to only be heard in the space between the two of us—just in case.

"I discovered something about myself, something big," I took a breath. "Wielding an element isn't limited by a Vision, not for me. During our first Vision Studies exercise fighting slimes, I found out that I could use Anemo."

I waited for him to say something. Unlike Childe, Thoma remained quiet for a while. Before, his face was open with a mosaic of expressions, but now it was near unreadable. I decided to break the silence.

"I know that sounds crazy, and I would show you now if I could, but the risk is too great."

We could go back to the dorms, and I'd show him then.

"I believe you."

"Once I prove it to you, then—wait, what?" I pulled back. "You believe me?"

He nodded. "I don't have any reason not to, do I? I'll admit, the idea seemed far-fetched at first, but you wouldn't lie about something like this. After discovering this on your own for the first time, I couldn't even begin to imagine how startling that must have been. So, thank you for trusting me enough to share this with me."

Guilt stabbed at me. "Kaeya and Childe know, too."

"Kaeya?" Thoma's mouth fell open in quiet surprise.

"I can explain it all later," I continued. "Not because I want to put it off, but because it would be easier if all three of you were in one spot. That way, we can all form the same understanding."

"Is there something else left to understand?"

"Yes," I sighed. "Anemo might not be the only element in my power. Geo seems to be a promising one as well."

Thoma fell silent once more.

My shoulders slumped. "You don't believe me, do you? Surely, after throwing in Geo, you couldn't possibly—"

"I believe you, Lumine," he asserted. "Please, never question the trust I have in you."

This time, it was my turn to drop my jaw in surprise. "Oh."

Thoma chuckled. "Anything else?"

"Not at this time."

"Good," he grabbed the empty food container and dropped it into his bag. I didn't expect him to pull out another object. "Now, I can finally give you this."

Curious, I watched as Thoma opened his palm to reveal a wooden amulet of some kind. It was predominantly red, with black and gold embellishments and a unique fire pattern. Yellow thread roped the amulet at the top, forming a large loop that fed into three smaller ones where a small tassel hung in the middle. An elegant bead was placed in the center of the three loops. I'd never seen anything like it before.

"It's an omamori," Thoma explained. "I always carry it with me. According to Inazuman tradition, it can bring the bearer good luck."

He held the omamori out for me, and I accepted it tenderly before stopping short. "Are you sure you want to give this to me? If you've been carrying it around for so long, won't you be losing out on luck?"

"I want you to have it."He insisted and reached into his bag once more, pulling out an identical omamori. "Besides, I managed to order another one from Inazuma before the Sakoku Order was put in place."

"So, we'll be matching? I grinned, holding up my omamori to his. "Thank you, Thoma. I already feel lucky enough knowing you'll continue to be here with me."

His cheeks turned pink. "Hopefully, this omamori can bring you more good luck."

Judging by how future events continued to loom over me—over all of us—I hoped that it would, too.