previous chapter: after lumine helps thoma with a plant project, gorou leads her to professor guuji's literary club. post-club activities involve a round of intensive electro training.

i put a notice in the story summary, but i will also say here that i merged some chapters. more details are at the start of chapter 1, but the overall chapter count did go down by 6. chapter 120 deja vu! here we go again :)

Word had spread about Signora's arrival, and the dining hall held an air of suspense. People kept their eye on the entrance, as if she would burst in at any moment to freeze everyone and their breakfast on the spot. I, for one, couldn't bring myself to worry all that much. For starters, Childe still sat with us—the one person responsible for receiving the Snezhnayan delegation. There was also the matter of every limb in my body aching—enough that it tired me to lift a spoon.

"Signora is more than capable of finding her way to the inn on her own, but of course, I have to suffer in her presence longer than necessary," Childe said. "On the bright side, I'm excused from any classes missed in the meantime."

"Will you be gone all day?" I asked between yawns.

"It shouldn't take that long. The real official business begins tomorrow once she's had a day to rest. After then, she'll be out of my hair sailing back to Snezhnaya."

"I sure hope she doesn't stir up any trouble," said Amber. "The Twin Mages have been super cheery these last few days, and it makes me nervous."

Thinking about Signora's vendetta was enough to make me shut my eyes and rest my forehead on the table. I debated taking a sick day just to curl up in bed. Yesterday's training with Professor Guuji packed a serious punch. I didn't even remember returning to my room afterward, and I suspected she brought me there herself.

A comforting hand landed on my back and moved in slow circles—Childe. Then, a soft clink of glass sounded close to my ear. I peeked one eye open and saw a bottle of red juice that Thoma nudged toward me.

"Have some of this," he said. "I got the recipe from Barbara since you liked it so much the last time. Hopefully, the batch I made is just as effective."

I recognized that drink. My head lifted, and I picked up the bottle to have a taste. Just like before, it miraculously restored some of my energy with one sip. After drinking half the contents, my aches disappeared, and I straightened in my seat with renewed appetite and attention.

My voice came out clearer when I said, "That worked like magic. You have a talent for making drinks. Diluc might want to hire these skills."

"You flatter me too much. I'll think about it." Thoma wore a bashful smile.

"Did Instructor Xiao have you guys do a tough workout in Physical Combat II or something?" Amber asked. "I haven't seen you that exhausted in a while."

A reasonable question. It was true that our class workouts have been getting intense lately, but I wouldn't put the blame on that. Being honest and revealing the true culprit of my exhaustion would mean telling the truth about everything. My elemental secret no longer needed to be kept, yet I still hesitated to speak.

"No, it was just…Professor Guuji started training me yesterday."

Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. "Training you? In what—brain exercises on learning about monsters and such?"

"I heard she supervises the literary club," Xiangling commented. "She might have been coaching Lumine on how to write a novel from start to finish."

"Or both! A novel on monsters." Bennett smiled, proud of his deduction.

"It's not like that," I said. "I personally asked her to teach me how to use Electro since that's her Vision, and Aether recommended her."

Amber broke into a smile and rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, very funny."

"You guys probably have even more questions now," I said.

Bennett's eyebrows shot up. "You know us so well. I do have more questions."

"Wait, you weren't joking?" Amber slowly dropped her smile. "How is this the first we're hearing of you using elemental power? Whatever is going on, you'd better have a good reason for not telling us sooner."

I got more comfortable in my seat. This would be a long conversation.

Childe stood before I could get started. "As much as I'd love to stay and hear the full explanation, duty calls. You can fill me in on any details I might not know another time, girlie."

We both knew that he was aware of all the details. In the past, Childe probably would have boasted about being in on my secret before everyone else. Amber's subtle scrutiny was already making me nervous, so I was relieved he said nothing else and placed a goodbye kiss on the top of my head.

"Stay safe!" Bennett waved.

Childe chuckled with ease. "Don't worry about me. The worst Signora can do is leave me with an inconvenient headache. I'll see you all later."

Though he left with a smile, Childe's shoulders stiffened by the time he exited the dining hall. I wished there was a way I could help, but I trusted he could handle it. Official Snezhnayan business was a part of earning his Harbinger spot, after all. Tartaglia would have no problem dealing with Signora's arrival.

Amber tapped a hand on the table, drawing my attention. "Okay, spill."

I sighed and gathered my thoughts. The best place to start was from the beginning, and that beginning felt like ages ago. Setting the stage was important, and I didn't rush in doing so. I needed time to mentally prepare for any hurt reactions. As friends, we had agreed on no more secrets after I told the truth about when Signora cornered me, so hiding my elemental powers could very well be a tough blow.

It helped that Thoma was here. Like Childe, he didn't say or do anything that would suggest he knew the whole story. His presence alone was comforting enough.

"Okay," I said at last. "It all started with Dendro slimes."

From there, each detail I gave away lifted a bothersome weight that I hadn't noticed until now. I prepared their shock—disbelief, even. What I expected the most was disappointment and pained looks of betrayal…yet those never came. In a way, I had been lying. How was it that their slack expressions didn't morph into sadness or anger?

"Last chance to confess if this is a joke," Amber warily said once I finished.

I shook my head.

"Wow," Bennett breathed. "You're just like Aether, then?"

I nodded.

The three of them exchanged looks.

Amber's next question wasn't the serious response I anticipated. "Are you one thousand percent sure they're not going to wipe our memories? There's no way that would work on me, though. Our friendship isn't something so easily forgotten."

"I think we're safe." Xiangling tapped her head as if that would keep her memories intact. "Lumine is still here. They haven't taken her away…right? Please tell me I'm not hallucinating right now."

"Is it possible for everyone to see and hear the same hallucination?" Bennett genuinely asked.

"This is real," I confirmed. "I'm real."

They all slumped in their seats, relieved.

"Good." Amber calmly nodded before saying, "Now I can be upset that you told Ellin before us."

"The moment was right! She would have hated me for good if she found out any other way."

"It's been weeks since your brother came back to campus safe and sound. You could have told us then, and yet…" She swiped a napkin from the table and dabbed the corner of her eyes. "Xiangling, help me look like I'm crying."

Water meant for drinking was sprinkled on Amber's face, but she couldn't keep up the act for long. Xiangling kept going, and the two tried to hide their giggles. Was I the one imagining things?

Amber dried off the excess water and said, "Look at her face. She's so confused."

"I thought you would be mad."

"What?" Bennett frowned. "It makes sense why you kept it a secret for so long. If we didn't know anything, then we had no chance of accidentally revealing it."

Before more guilt could prick me, I continued to confess, "Kaeya was the first to know. Then it was Childe, Thoma, and Diluc."

"Are we surprised?" Amber sighed, but her eyes held warmth. "With how close your relationships have been growing, I'd be shocked if you weren't extra…intimate with them. Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing now."

Xiangling shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't imagine keeping such a big secret to myself for so long. Plus, how were you going to improve your powers without having anyone to rely on? Relying on only what you know is a recipe for disaster."

"We're your friends. How could we be mad?" Bennett smiled brightly.

"You had your reasons," Amber said. "I'll admit—they were good ones. Everyone is entitled to their own secrets and privacy. As long as you're not intentionally mean, it's fine to keep some things to yourself."

It's almost as if she knew I concealed more information. Diving into the Enjou situation could be left for another day, or it could remain a secret. In the best interests of my friends, I would keep that burden of knowledge away from them. Their understanding and reassuring words were a reminder of just how lucky I was to have such amazing people on my side. I refused to let the Abyss Order ruin the optimism around this table.

I would protect my people with everything I had.

The day had started off surprisingly well, and despite Signora's arrival looming on my mind, there wasn't a single hiccup between or after classes. Because of this, I kept my senses on high alert after leaving the greenhouse and warned Sucrose to do the same. Childe hadn't shown up for Physical Combat II, and his absence meant that he was still tied up with Signora. She couldn't cause trouble with his eyes on her.

Regardless, I wouldn't allow my plan for the evening to be canceled due to risk. I had a promise to fulfill—one that required a quick stop by the photography club and a rental kamera to execute. It had been too long since I volunteered to take photos of the campus architecture for Kaveh, and I didn't want the poor scholar to fall into another pit of despair.

With a few sites in mind and the sunset casting a wonderful glow on the buildings, now was the perfect time to play photographer. I captured the intricate detailing of the courtyard arches and building facades first, but a more comprehensive view required me to be at a distance. Trailing along the perimeter of the surrounding forest, I tried to find the best angles. Luckily, not many people were outside in this area, so I got plenty of clear shots.

I hadn't expected to be so immersed in taking photos. A sudden rustle of footfalls on dead branches made me jump. When I lowered the kamera from my face, there was no one there. The sound came again, but I refused to be ambushed unarmed.

"Show yourself," I said to whoever hid in the treeline. "Or prepare for the shock of a lifetime."

Calling upon Electro came naturally. I held out my right hand, condensing a crackling bolt of energy ready to strike. The use of my powers with no conduit was already beginning to drain me, but Thoma's recreation of Barbara's energy drink was still in effect.

A few branches rustled. I lifted the Electro bolt.

Then, a very dazed Huffman stumbled out of the forest.

"Hey, it's just me! Please, spare my life." He flinched upon seeing my weapon. "Wait a minute…Lumine? How are you doing that?"

Since it was just him, I dispelled the energy and stared at him with a raised brow.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"You…you just used Electro without a Vision."

"Right, about that—"

Huffman stumbled past me, ignoring my words and talking to himself. "I really am dreaming. It was a dream all along. That makes a lot more sense. There's no way that she would actually…"

"Where are you going?" I asked after him.

"It's okay," he said with a wave. "I won't ask you to pinch me. I want to stay in this dream for a little bit longer."

I knew he wasn't dreaming, and pinching him never crossed my mind. Ellin might consider it as more abuse. Instead, I simply watched Huffman go until I was sure he wouldn't fall flat on his face. He had his odd moments, but even this was weird for Huffman. Students explored the surrounding forest all the time, though. It was how I ran into Kazuha once, so questioning Huffman's pastimes was no business of mine.

My business was to take photos, but I couldn't stop thinking about the strange encounter. Every now and then, I paused to scan the area behind me and found nothing out of the ordinary. When I focused back on the kamera, there was someone in the frame walking in my direction.

Huffman? I zoomed in.

Kaeya.

"Looking for a model?" he asked once within earshot.

"I prefer my subjects inanimate. Specifically buildings. What brings you all the way out here?"

"You."

"Do you need me for something?"

"No, I just wanted to see you," Kaeya said. "You picked a rather interesting day to explore your creative talents. Why, if I were Signora, it wouldn't be very difficult to whisk you away without drawing any attention."

He worried about me, understandably so.

"I've got an arsenal of elements to scare her off. Besides, I'm almost done with these photos. It's less of a creative pursuit and more helping someone out."

"Are they incapable of using a kamera?"

"He wasn't allowed on campus to see the buildings," I explained. "I met this guy at the tavern a few nights ago, and I figured I could help him out."

"How nice of you," Kaeya mumbled.

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"What was he like?"

Kaeya's interest straying to Kaveh somehow felt different from when I talked about anyone else. Surely, it was my imagination, but he almost sounded…jealous. That couldn't be true since Kaveh was a random stranger, and Kaeya had never been actively jealous when it came to Thoma, Childe, or Diluc.

I shrugged. "There's not much to say. He was just like any other tavern customer looking for a drink to relax."

"A drink isn't the only reason why some people frequent taverns, you know. Does this man have a name?"

"Kaveh."

"Someone from Sumeru?" he guessed correctly. "And here you are, doing work on his behalf. Clearly, a drink wasn't his only objective."

"You'd understand if you had been there. Kaveh was super depressed about a lot of things."

"You're right. I should have been there. A smart man—true to Sumeru's reputation. He used his emotions to draw you in, and perhaps he even offered you a drink afterward."

"He did, actually. That's because he was a nice guy."

Kaeya scoffed.

"No, really. He was super nice." And pretty, now that I thought back to that moment. "If you don't believe me—"

"I believe you. I just don't trust him."

Kaeya really was jealous. With his usual smirk nowhere in sight, the realization left me somewhat amused. Seriously, how could Kaeya possibly be jealous of someone I'd just met? I could easily list countless traits and memories of Kaeya to prove that Kaveh didn't compare in the slightest.

"What's that smile for?" Kaeya frowned. "Thinking about Kaveh?"

Or…I could tease Kaeya and find out just how jealous he could get.

"He's a student just like us, you know. I'm impressed by anyone who can master twenty different languages. The Sumeru Akademiya…maybe I'll ask him to give me a tour one day to return my favor. Since Kaveh gave me his address, it won't be hard to find him."

Kaeya took a step closer, so I intentionally kept our distance and moved backward. He paused when I did so, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

"There's actually something about Kaveh that reminded me of you," I recalled with a casual tone. "A deep v-neck in his shirt. Of course, that's not a style you bother with anymore even though I miss it so much. How's the turtleneck treating you?"

He stalked forward again. I took another step back, but we were closer to the trees than I thought. My back met with rough bark.

Kaeya braced his forearm on the trunk and leaned down to ask, "Are you done?"

There wasn't anywhere left for me to go, and I was fresh out of Kaveh material to talk about. With Kaeya so close, I had no choice but to lift my chin to look at him—and his smirk. Why did it feel like he planned this all along? Wasn't it me who wanted to tease him?

"If I didn't know any better, I say you're trying to make me jealous. That can't be true. Why would my sweet Lumine ever do such a thing?" A chuckle lightly rumbled from his chest, and my face grew warm. "We've been apart longer than I thought. How should I regain your attention?"

There was no logical reason for him to lower his head further—I could hear perfectly fine—but he did so anyway. My attention didn't know anything or anyone other than Kaeya.

"Nothing left to say?" he crooned. "If you can't move your lips, I can think of a way to help with that."

I nearly dropped the kamera when Kaeya's hand fell to my waist, pulling me to him. Right when my eyes closed, and right when I tip-toed an inch higher, I was moved. Instead of the kiss that I expected—the kiss I knew we both wanted—Kaeya moved me around the tree and quietly hushed in my ear.

"There are people nearby."

This time, when he leaned close, it was to better conceal himself from whoever had the audacity to ruin this moment for me. His sweater grazed my cheek, and I pressed in to inhale his familiar scent. Stronger than my irritation was my alarm over the reality of this situation—people sneaking around suspiciously enough for Kaeya to be cautious.

Who else, other than the wayward Huffman, had business out here?

Snippets of conversation emerging from the forest answered that question. There was a pair of voices, similar yet slightly different. When recognition hit me, dread followed quickly after. I didn't need to peek around the tree to know that we were dealing with Cici and Cicin. High-pitched giggles rang clear in the air as they came closer.

"...lucky it wasn't us."

"Luck had nothing to do with it. We're just good at our jobs."

"Her decision surprised me. I never saw that coming"

"There's never a dull moment with our lady. It's good to have her back, even if only for a couple of days."

The Twin Mages burst into another fit of laughter, but I failed to see the humor in their conversation. Even with the missing details, it was obvious who they talked about at the end. Could they have met with Signora already? When their voices faded away, I met with Kaeya's gaze and we both raised our eyebrows.

"That was—" I clamped my mouth shut after hearing the sharp crack of a branch snapping.

Kaeya pressed into me again as more branches were violently being destroyed not far off.

"How could she!" a man's voice hissed.

I couldn't figure out his identity from that alone, but I didn't dare move from this spot to take a look.

"It was just one mistake! How was I supposed to—" Another broken branch. These poor trees did nothing to deserve his temper tantrum. "I hate this. I hate everything. There's got to be another way."

My heart jumped in my chest when a stone whizzed past our tree. Were we spotted? I felt Kaeya tense, and he shifted so that more of me was hidden. I held my breath, waiting for the outburst to be directed at us, but the sounds of destruction didn't lead here. A seemingly endless slew of curses erupted from the man before he stomped off for good.

Even when the forest fell back to silence, I did not move.

"We're in the clear," Kaeya said after a moment.

Trusting his call, I finally stepped away from the tree and checked our surroundings. Splintered sticks littered the area, but that was all. No more forest wanderers left to take us by surprise.

"I see Vlad hasn't changed."

I whipped my head around and asked, "That was Vlad?"

Honestly, not surprised.

With the Twin Mages and Vlad coming from the same place at roughly the same time, I had a good guess of what Huffman was up to earlier. She'd just arrived, yet Signora had already put her plans in motion. Whatever those plans were, I was thoroughly confused. The Twin Mages' snarkiness was pretty average, but what of Vlad's anger? And why did Huffman act so dazed?

Kaeya sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It'd be in our best interest to keep our guard up. There's no way of knowing if Signora's activities only affect her followers, or if a larger problem is brewing. Until I figure something out—"

"We," I interrupted. "I have just as good a reason to get to the bottom of this."

"True, but if it's you she's after—"

"I'm a lot stronger than she thinks. Remember when we used to talk about me being bait?"

He sighed again. "Remember when I said you were someone precious to me? That I needed you to be safe? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you needlessly got hurt a second time, Lumine. I'm sure the others would agree."

Okay, bait was out of the question. On to other options.

"You're still scheming something," Kaeya said plainly.

"You're always scheming something. Why don't we scheme together? If you're with me every step of the way, will that ease your mind?" I smiled up at him and knew I won the moment he broke eye contact. "I'm so glad we came to this agreement."

Despite my cheery words, I also worried. We both knew to expect trouble when it came to Signora, but there was no sense in letting unease overwhelm me. Thanks to Enjou, I've been up against much worse.

Kaeya folded his arms and regained his smirk. "Since you're so persistent, what's the plan to gather information?"

Our main source of information wouldn't be found anywhere on campus. Though Signora resided at the inn until tomorrow morning, she wasn't alone. An entire Snezhnayan delegation arrived with her—some of which were surely in need of a drink. Diluc once told me secrets spilled as wine poured.

"Well?" Kaeya asked, assessing me.

I grinned. This could be fun. "Let's go on a date."