previous chapter: now thrust into the world of extracurricular activities, lumine finds her hands full with little time to spare. at least art club has given her the most interesting piece to attach to—its celestial nature apparent even under millennia of grime. aside from that, she still keeps poor aether in her thoughts, smuggling him paints and giving him company.

An infinite expanse of clouds and marble structures stretched out before me. While the scenery was quite bleak as I strolled down a walkway of rubble that rebuilt itself the further I progressed, there could be nothing more pleasant. I knew this was a dream, for there was no rational reason a place like this could exist—a result of spending countless hours restoring Dream Aria by Professor Kreideprinz's side. My mind had become so invested that I couldn't stop thinking about the piece even when unconscious.

I expected to get bored after the first few minutes, but time did not affect my mood as I walked…forever. Was it because the painting was supposed to be of Celestia? Did a heavenly atmosphere automatically make me complacent? There was no use in questioning dream logistics, and I found myself not caring all too much. Nothing bad could happen here, after all.

My eyes were blessed, but a certain emptiness soon crept into the space. I frowned. What was missing?

A door. There's supposed to be a door at the end of the walkway, not an endless loop.

Even that revelation didn't make me feel better about the uncharacteristic hollowness in this dream. My lips thinned as I continued to stand still, my body itching to move yet unable to until I figured this out.

What else was in the painting? Or rather, what else did I experience from it?

I hummed in thought—hummed. The tune. The one that came to me after working on restoration for the first time. Humming along, peace returned to me, and I could now walk again.

All was well until it wasn't. I squinted and raised a hand to block out the sun's obnoxious rays. When had it appeared? How was it both so very small while also the brightest thing in existence? One hand was not enough to shade me from the sun that darted from left to right.

The sun wasn't supposed to do that.

Okay, so maybe it's not the sun, but an annoying star nonetheless. It flew closer, so close that even "star" wasn't the right word to describe this thing.

My eyes gradually adjusted to the shining light even as it drifted within reach, hovering above my outreached hand. If I wanted, I could fully grasp it with just one fist.

Should I?

"Why'd you stop?"

The voice coming from the tiny star was so faint that I almost missed it. Surprise made me step back, and I eyed it carefully.

"Did you just speak?" I asked.

"There's no reason not to speak," it said in a plain tone, though slightly muffled with a lingering echo. "So, back to my question…"

I thought of what I had done that the tiny star found interesting. Walking and humming were equally mundane, but if I had to guess…

"The humming?"

"Yeah, that! It was super pretty, and it's not the first time Paimon's heard it. Paimon was wondering where it came from. So, it was you!"

The tiny star…the fairy thing referred to itself in the third person? I'd experienced stranger things in dreams, so I wouldn't dwell on it, nor would I wonder how it could talk. There was a more interesting question I wanted to know the answer to.

"Where else have you heard it?"

"Well, it's not that Paimon actually heard it. The tune matches more with…a feeling? Paimon thinks it resonates super well here."

I had to agree—the melody entered my thoughts every time I thought of Dream Aria. According to the very limited information Professor Kreideprinz actually knew, not only was it a depiction of Celestia, but the unknown artist who painted it was rumored to have come from there. If that was true…

"Is 'here' Celestia?" I asked her.

"Kind of, but not really. There's no way you'd be in the real Celestia right now. You're dreaming."

Paimon's faraway voice now dripped with concern, probably thinking I was deranged enough to believe I existed on the same plane as the Heavenly Principles.

I crossed my arms and pointedly said, "I knew that."

"Oh, Paimon didn't mean any offense! As far as dreams go, this one is super impressive—proven by the fact that Paimon could squeeze in. You did a really nice job with this replica."

"Are you saying that you're a real entity and not some random talking fairy in my dream?"

"Hey, Paimon's not a fairy!"

"Then, what are you?"

"That's not important since you'll forget anyway. That's the sad thing about dreams. So, it's important to live in the moment! Quick, you should imagine a really tasty dish to appear right in front of us before you wake up."

The abrupt change in conversation topic was not lost on me. Paimon was certainly the name of the comet that would cross the sky this spring, signaling when Enjou would return. One could only wonder why my brain decided to manifest Paimon as a sparkly, chattery light that my ears strained to hear.

In classic, random dream fashion, a spew of her favorite foods was listed off to me.

"There's no way you've ever tried a sticky honey roast," I interrupted. "You have no mouth—let alone a stomach."

"Paimon does too—two stomachs. One for dessert! It's been so long since Paimon's been able to taste the delicious cuisines that Teyvat has to offer. Can you please think of something, pretty please?"

Tempted to comply just so I could see what the not-star not-fairy would do with a buffet, I imagined every single dish I'd ever eaten since arriving at Celestia Academy. The dining hall spoiled me rotten, and having Xiangling as a friend made the task so much easier. One by one, they poofed into existence atop serving carts.

She squealed in a whisper level, zooming to each dish with the fervor of starvation. Behind her trailed sparkles that twinkled like constellations in the night sky.

"What's this one?" She bobbed directly above a…what was that?

Golden crab made of actual gold. Next was Mora meat filled with literal Mora. Jade parcels hard as stone, taiyaki that flopped like living fish, and bunnies made of rice—rice buns—further proved that my dream was slowly getting out of control.

With a sheepish look, I searched the spread of food for something normal until I found the perfect one. A plate of almond tofu, and by "perfect" I meant there were magically ten layers of tofu piled on each other. I grabbed the lighter-than-air plate and held it in front of Paimon.

"This is almond tofu meant to bring sweet dreams. I used to eat it a lot back when I had nightmares. Do you want to give it a try?" I watched the plate intently, determined to see how she planned to eat it.

"Really? For Paimon? You're the best!"

Like a dandelion puff blowing away in the wind, the almond tofu scattered into brilliant particles of light that contained the same glow as Paimon. All around me, the light dissolved even the crabs of gold and animated pastries. Her satisfied giggles drifted in the air as she devoured it all. Truly frightening, her power.

"That hit the spot. It was almost like the real deal! Paimon sure owes you one."

I shrugged. "It's not like I actually cooked them. No big deal."

"Paimon knows that, but through food, Paimon gets to experience loads of Teyvat without actually being there. You can learn a lot about so many places just by tasting their food. Since Paimon's stuck at home, there's hardly ever a chance to broaden any horizons. You've tasted so many different dishes…you must be a big adventurer. Paimon's super jealous!"

I never thought of food that way before, but my subconscious must be more attuned to the world than I thought. As much as it would be nice to have actually eaten all of these dishes in their nation of origin, the title of "adventurer" didn't suit me.

"I'm just a student," I said. "There's nothing special about how I came upon these dishes, but now that you mention it, sharing meals with others has given me tons of precious memories. Remember what I told you about almond tofu? Someone once made it for me from scratch just because I craved it so much."

"Really? Tell Paimon more!"

There wasn't much else to expand on almond tofu per se, but diving into different stories about food entertained me just as much as Paimon seemed to be. Recalling memories of Xiangling's cooking experiments, spontaneous study snacks, and even my own failed attempts at whipping something up brought a smile to my face.

I conjured an array of kebabs to float around us. "These are fruity skewers—Kaeya's specialty. Thoma isn't picky when it comes to eating, but his favorite is miso soup. Do you want to try some? If you get thirsty, you can wash it down with some grape juice. That's Diluc's drink of choice."

As more people came to mind, I created more dishes for Paimon and I to eat together.

"Paimon's even more jealous that you know so many people."

"Are you alone or something?"

"Or something. It's not that Paimon is alone…just a little lonely. Talking with you has been super fun, though. Paimon feels all warm and fuzzy inside after hearing you tell stories. Paimon will definitely think of a way to return the favor!"

I snorted shortly at that, not expecting much from the figment of my imagination. What could a small ball of light do for me, anyway? Even now, the once-bright glow of hers began to dim—much like the rest of my dreamscape.

"Seriously, you should start thinking of something to request. Paimon is more impressive than she looks."

"You read my mind."

I heard her, though barely, gasp. "Mind-reading? Paimon didn't know she could do that…"

"Maybe you can, maybe you can't, or maybe it's time for me to wake up soon," I said with a small wave. "Bye, Paimon."

There, finally appearing at the end of the walkway, a door materialized. Once my eyes fell upon it, Paimon blinked out of existence. The moment we shared was nice while it lasted, but my heart was now set on the upcoming breakfast with the people I cherished. Opening inward, the door pulled my head from the clouds.

The piano sang under my fingertips that moved on their own accord. Aether sat to my left on the bench we shared while practicing a duet. Though my eyes were too focused on the piece to watch him, I could feel his joy—fully restored after regaining club privileges.

"Something's off," I mumbled after we finished the final measure. "I think we need to change the dynamics a little."

Aether hid his sigh, mostly. "Again?"

"Just once more. The last part needs to be a bit softer."

I lifted a pencil from where it rested beside the sheet music and wrote in a decrescendo where I wanted the piece to taper off. Returning to playing position was Aether's signal to do the same, and we played through the section once more.

"Are you happy with it now?"

"Yup." I nodded assuredly, but thinking more about it... "Actually, you're still a bit heavy-handed. Here, I'll show you what I have in mind. It's supposed to go like this."

I shifted over to reach the lower notes Aether was in charge of, but I couldn't reach the furthest ones with him in the way. Kindly, I nudged him over until he nearly fell off the bench. Before he could do the same to me, I zeroed in on the piano and let music take over.

Music club originally intimidated me greatly as someone who had never touched an instrument before. After learning I had the option to play a duet, and with the perfect opportunity of Aether's suspension being lifted, it soon became one of my favorites. Only in music club could I finally express the full melody of Dream Aria, to give the rest of the world a chance to hear what that painting embedded into my brain.

"I get it now, boss."

I wrinkled my nose. "Don't call me that."

"Then don't be so bossy."

"Then don't mess up."

"Then—"

Aether clamped his mouth shut the second the music club supervisor casually walked over to us. He was a professor who taught Symphonic Studies, a class I didn't know existed until after joining. Since music club was a very informal, self-led group of individuals, we simply called him Chen.

"How goes practice?" he asked.

Without missing a beat, we replied in unison. "Great!"

"The duet certainly sounded wonderful from what I was able to hear. It still amazes me how you were able to compose such a transcendent piece considering your experience, Lumine. Well done. And, as usual, Aether's talents are holding up nicely."

"Thank you," we said together again.

We didn't do it on purpose, honest. Was it a twin thing or just because we've spent more time together? No matter—I'd accuse Aether of being a copycat if he responded a mere millisecond after me. His foot kicked mine, and I met his narrowed eyes. Even our thoughts were the same.

Chen noticed, and he chuckled while walking off. "There's still some time left before the Welkin Festival recital. Keep up the good work, you two."

And so we did. With minimal arguing, too.

No one would have guessed we went back and forth so much with how we seamlessly merged melody with harmony. I trusted only Aether to bring this piece to life in the way I wanted. He understood the feeling I tried to convey from the moment I drafted the piece—after learning the fundamentals of music and composition, of course.

Too soon, practice ended and we stowed away the sheet music.

"I can't wait for the recital," Aether said. "Ours will be the best performance there is."

"I don't care about being the best."

"Only about being better than me."

"Well, if you put it that way…" The smirk that spread onto my face dropped when my stomach interrupted with a growl.

"Hungry already? We just had dinner."

"I'm not."

"Liar."

"No, really. Recently, playing piano makes me crave food for some reason. Any and every kind of dish you can think of. It's like the piece is a trigger for my tastebuds to go crazy." Saying so out loud made me sound insane, but instead of teasing me about it, Aether turned on scholar-mode.

"This sounds like a psychological response. You may have been conditioned to think about food whenever you hear Dream Aria. I have to admit, theorizing how that could have happened…I've got nothing."

"You and me both." I sighed and looked at the wall clock. The dining hall wouldn't be open at this hour. "Whatever, I'll just have to uncondition it. From now on, whenever I hear this piece, I'll have the urge to…study!"

"That's not how it works."

"That's how it's going to have to work. I've got a midterm to prepare for, and so do you. Do you want to hit the library?"

"I would, but meditation comes first."

There was an invitation there, but I had no desire to meditate today—nor was there a reason to. Though poring over history books wasn't my favorite activity, it trumped sitting still and getting antsy while failing to clear my mind.

"Go, solidify your peace." I waved him off and patted my bag full of textbooks. "I'll solidify my grades."

Planning to do just that, I bid music club farewell and set off to the library on my own, humming as I went. Aside from history, I had to prepare for horticulture. Vision Studies was less of a pain since, this time, I could actually participate in the practical. Prioritization being an essential skill, I tried to focus on one subject at a time, but the only subject that held my attention had no relation to any of my classes.

All interest in studying tonight vanished when I saw Kaeya walking across campus with a wide board in his hands. He held it with so much attentive care that he didn't notice my approach. I had the pleasure of surprising him with a light touch on the back.

"Careful now," said his honeyed voice. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're trying to entice me."

"Do you know any better?"

His eye squinted with his smile, yet he sighed. "Ask me again after I'm done making this delivery. Are you interested in a trip to the headmaster's office?"

"Is that where you're going with that thing?"

"It's a request from Professor Kreideprinz," he said with a nod. "I stopped by his office to drop off completed work for tomorrow's class, exempting me from attendance. I didn't expect another task to be handed to me, but it's an owed favor since he helped us diffuse that defective Delusion."

I wanted to ask why Kaeya planned to skip class, but the board drew more of my curiosity.

I pointed to it and asked, "What is it?"

"A painting, I think."

Even though the painting was securely wrapped up, I knew what it was. The size of the board matched the size of the antique canvas I'd spent so much time staring at. Without a doubt, an expanse of cloud and stone existed beneath the protective cloth. Dream Aria, now fully restored, was off to its permanent residence.

I'd rather not encounter Dain but tagged along anyway. Dream Aria would look positively exquisite when hung in a tasteful frame in the headmaster's office. A chance to witness that sight could not be passed up. Plus, the burden of repaying Professor Kreideprinz belonged to me just as much as it did to Kaeya.

To be extra safe, I carried one end while Kaeya held the other as we transported it up the stairs of the administration building. Even though it had gotten late, I didn't doubt the headmaster would still be in his office. A normal person would have clocked out for the night, but there was no clocking out for Dain. He'd established himself as far from normal.

"Delivery for you," Kaeya announced after we'd gained permission to enter.

"Ah, has it been restored already? Albedo mentioned he was processing it, but I didn't expect him to finish so soon." Dain's smile was genuine, his walk to us casual, and his outstretched hand offered help. "Here, allow me."

Perhaps he truly had ceased headmaster duties. A small fire roared in the fireplace on my left, and a spread of meats and cheeses paired with an open bottle of wine was set out on the low table. Dain's tie hung loosely around his neck as though he'd just undone it.

His hands were deft and dextrous as he gently removed the cloth and revealed Dream Aria.

"Marvelous," he whispered, his face glowing in the firelight. "I know just the place for it."

At least he had good taste.

Dain maneuvered around his desk and stared at the space on the wall above. From the side, he picked up an ornate frame made of ivory and gilded with gold. Then, an impossible sight happened before my very eyes. Instead of using a ladder or asking someone to boost him up, Dain levitated off the floor with the framed painting in hand—a mysterious energy made of inky blue, unlike anything I'd ever seen, swirled around his legs.

Kaeya and I shared a look, though he schooled his shock better than I.

"It's just as I remembered," I heard Dain say to himself which, somehow, surprised me even more.

What did he mean by that? The painting or what the painting depicted? Either way, that was impossible. Dream Aria had been painted thousands of years ago, and Celestia was a place only the gods could go to.

Without turning around or taking his eyes off the artwork, Dain said, "You may leave."

Just like that? No 'thank you'? What bothered me more were the new, unanswered questions of mine, but Kaeya lightly tugged my arm when I readied to protest. 'Later,' he mouthed. Later couldn't come any sooner.

For now, I had no choice but to find a different topic to occupy my mind as we left the building. What were the odds I could get Kaeya to make me some fruity skewers?

4.1 has been a blast (neuvilette. neuvilette is the blast) and i hope your wishes have been granted! happy 3 years to genshin 3