hello :) this chapter marks ~230k words of celestia academy. if you're taking breaks or are about to, here's a blurb to jog your memory for when you come back!

the story so far: venti revealing intel on the champion's identity is a surprise to everyone, bringing them one step closer to figuring out what happened in the grand tournament last year and what that has to do with the abyss order. in the meantime, lumine duels kaeya in an effort to bring out her geo power—it works. the group spends some time in the forest, but on their way back, lumine ends up lost on a seelie chase and uncovers a strange cave. they realize a domain is hidden away on the island, but there's no way to unlock it. as for her relationships, diluc and thoma shock her by openly expressing they do not mind her mutual affection. lumine also doesn't expect childe's irritation—he had confessed so poorly back in his power-hungry days, she didn't even notice. though childe is overjoyed with lumine's confession, the same cannot be said for kaeya. her safety is more important than matters of the heart. enjou's new threat of kidnapping prompts the group to think of a plan. still…lumine is confused and heartbroken by kaeya's rejection, and these feelings only worsen after seeing cicin leaving his room at night.

Though my mind was still caught up in the devastation of this discovery, my legs went on autopilot and stepped away from the hallway. There was potential for Amber to ease my returning heartache, but I didn't want to worry her a second time. This wasn't even news. I should have known that there was another reason why Kaeya couldn't accept my feelings. If he had been with Cicin in secret this whole time, then—

I had barely reached the end of the first flight when another body suddenly smacked into mine as we rounded the bend at the same time.

Stumbling back, I slapped my hands on the banister just in time to save myself from wiping out, but the Domain notes I'd held fluttered in every direction. My head hung over the railing as I gasped, six floors of spiraling stairs blurring beneath me.

The other student cursed silently before grumbling, "Watch where you're…Lumine?"

I looked up sharply and couldn't stop my jaw from falling. His surprise mirrored my own, and my heart lurched at the sight of him.

"Kaeya?"

Something flickered in his expression, but it was gone before I could read into it. He straightened the bag hanging from his shoulder, and I noticed he still wore his school uniform. Though, it looked slightly rumpled.

Kaeya's throat bobbed. "What are you doing here? Visionless House is quite a ways from this level."

"I…"

I came here to see you.

And I was only leaving now because I saw Cicin walk out of his room—the room where I thought he was all along. If Kaeya had been gone this whole time…was Cicin in there alone?

Hesitation gripped me with this unexpected turn. Slowly, my world was tilting back to right-side up. The more that I thought about it, it made no sense for Cicin to have been there. At least, I really didn't want there to be any reason for her to have a close connection with Kaeya. The two of them being together didn't sit well with me. Kaeya with anyone didn't sit well with me.

Lingering notes of jealousy tuned out as the gears clicked in my head.

"Was it another dream?" Kaeya took a step up the stairs and scanned the area littered with my notes. "What are all of these?"

"Have you been out all night?" I rasped.

He had bent down to pick up a page but stopped halfway to look at me with confusion. "I'm not sure why that matters, but yes. This is the first time I'll be back in my room since I left in the morning. These papers…Domain research?"

"Yeah," I nodded numbly before snapping out of my trance and dropping to the floor. My hands moved quickly to collect the rest, and I somehow felt like a fool for making such a mess. It was bad enough that he'd caught me running away from the scene. "We made a lot of progress with the library's material. There wasn't anything explicit about the Domain on this island, but I think it might be worth looking into the tree—the petrified one. All Domains have one, and—"

In my haste to clean up, I reached out for a page at the same time as Kaeya. The moment our fingers touched, my trembling ones to his steady, I flinched away. Desperately, I wished my hair was long enough to cover half of my blush. Kaeya was much slower to pull back. Besides that last page, the stairs were clear.

I picked myself up, and Kaeya slowly did the same with an odd look on his face.

"Were you bringing these notes to discuss with me?"

"That was the plan," I said timidly. "I didn't realize you were out, but I figured now wasn't the best time anyways since…"

He climbed two more steps, leveling our height difference. "Since?"

Something about Kaeya felt off, and the faint scent of wine wafted from his mouth. Despite myself, I leaned in just to be sure. Yup. Alcohol.

"Were you at the tavern?" I blurted.

Kaeya sucked in a breath and stepped around me, barely grazing my shoulder as he passed. "It's late, Lumine. And as much as I appreciate your dedication, information like this should be discussed with the group as a whole. The two of us alone in a stairwell is less than productive. Go back to your room."

He only got up half the flight before I shot back, "At least one of us is dedicated. Of all times to take a night off…I'm actually facing our worries instead of drinking them away. You don't see me setting aside time to get cozy with a random fling."

Cicin was just a random fling…right?

"She already left, by the way," I added bitterly as an afterthought. "You just missed her."

I saw Kaeya's shoulders tense before he turned around halfway. "What?"

"You smell like wine, Kaeya."

"Not that. Rest assured, my duties have been taken care of. The tavern is the one place where I can…never mind." He drew in a breath. "Who were you talking about?"

"Cicin. Who else?"

I shouldn't have asked that. If Kaeya started listing names…

His shadowed expression gave way to surprise. "The Cryo mage? Why on Teyvat would I be meeting with her?"

"I don't know." I shrugged, steeling myself with annoyance to mask the hurt. "Why else would any girl come to your room in the middle of the night?"

The implication in my voice was there, and my face heated at the thought of him messing around with her. His delayed response made my gut sink. Was Kaeya at a loss for words? Did his silence confirm what I feared?

"Weren't you here to see me?" he reminded. "In the middle of the night?"

I clenched my jaw. "To talk about Domains."

"Right," he pressed his lips together. "Domains. Nothing else."

Okay, so there was one other motive, but that was done for. Seeing Cicin leave his room was a rude awakening, and I still couldn't believe it. I knew she wasn't the twisted witch from a few months ago, but she hadn't shown any redeemable behavior besides the bare minimum.

I crossed my arms. "At the very least, I hope you hid the board of evidence from her. I wouldn't put it past Cicin to tell a professor what we're up to. Even worse, she might have stolen something from it."

Kaeya turned fully, then. His eye flared with what looked like alarm, and he stepped down to ask in a low voice, "Are you saying the mage was in my room?"

"Yeah?" I raised a brow, unsure of his question. "Wasn't she there so you two—"

Before I could finish, Kaeya was already flying up the steps. His haste prompted me to follow after a slight delay. Normally, I would assume he was escaping from the accusation, but there was too much urgency in how Kaeya approached his room. It was suspicious—not Kaeya—Cicin.

Once we reached the door, Kaeya turned the knob and silently cursed when it opened. His brows creased into a deep frown as it slowly revealed the inside. Everything looked normal.

"Unlocked," he murmured. "I always lock my door, Lumine. Always."

"Did you give her a key?" My tone still suggested that Kaeya and Cicin were together, but I wasn't so sure of that anymore.

He slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out a room key. "There's only one. Look—with Elemental Sight."

I tapped into Elemental Sight without question, watching the energy wash over the hall and—more importantly—the inside of Kaeya's room. There, on the floor, was a glow. Tracks. Footprints.

"What was she up to?" Kaeya murmured and stepped inside.

I joined to get a closer look at the footprints. They were smaller than Kaeya's and even mine, trailing from the entrance to his bed, desk, dresser, and even the window. None of them crowded by the board on his wall, filled with notes and documents. Though, I couldn't think of why Cicin wouldn't take an interest. Besides the colorful bottles lining Kaeya's desk, the evidence he had on Celestia Academy's history was by far the most interesting thing here.

Rather than check to see if anything was missing from the wall, Kaeya cut straight to his desk and sealed a lid on one of the bottles. I hadn't even realized it was open.

"What is that?"

The silvery liquid inside sloshed around as he gently set the bottle back down. "A potion."

He was on the move again, walking back to the door we'd left open and shutting it firmly. I tensed. Kaeya and I were alone together. In his room. At night. This was what I had wanted, but the circumstances had changed drastically. Still, surprise flitted through me that I wasn't shooed away.

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but there were so many. Before I could decide whether to bring up the Domain, Cicin, or us, Kaeya next walked to the window and threw it open. An instant chill breezed in, lifting his curtains and causing goosebumps to rise on my arms.

"What are you doing?" My question ended up being the most relevant one because now Kaeya covered his mouth and nose with a hand.

He turned his attention to me before flicking a finger to the potions. "As a precaution, I recently created a setup for potential trespassers to throw them off of whatever trail they might have been following. That potion I left out permeates the air over time. In an enclosed space like this, whoever breathes in the fumes will feel the effects."

After hearing that, I quickly slapped a hand over my own mouth and nose. Scowling at Kaeya, I stepped closer to the window where he lingered. "Why didn't you say so earlier? What sort of effects? Is it too late for me?"

"You should be fine." Kaeya gestured to the window. "There's enough airflow now, and I've already sealed the bottle back up."

I stared at him. "Okay, drop your hand then."

"Fine."

He hesitated before doing so.

I kept my hand up for a moment longer—just to be sure—before lowering it from my mouth and taking a tentative breath. The air smelled normal. I felt fine.

"You don't need to be so wary. This particular potion doesn't cause any harm. It only creates an illusion of what the affected wish to see."

"An illusion?" I frowned. "What good does that do in this situation?"

"Well, if someone were to break into my room and go snooping around, I can only expect that they have the intent to find something. Whether it be a forbidden item, proof of a crime, or a personal item to steal—anything they want to see will be seen. Of course, once they leave my room and the effects of the potion eventually fade away, the false information would only exist as a figment of their imagination."

The glimmering bottle was mesmerizing, but Kaeya's explanation confused me. If someone had intruded in my room, I would rather use a potion that exposed their identity or trapped them until my return.

Another breeze wafted in, and I rubbed my arms. "That sounds like more of a hassle for you. Even if the information was false, it's still information to them. What happens next would likely spiral out of control and end badly for you because of the supposed evidence."

"Not quite," he tutted. "Their next steps would appear calculated to anyone who didn't know the real truth. From then on, all I would have to do is follow the breadcrumbs from their sloppy trail."

Kaeya was a lot more prepared than I thought. The only thing that took my mind away from being impressed by his foresight was the unbearable chill coming from outside. As much as I wanted to shut the window myself, I'd rather have my teeth chatter than start seeing illusions.

Kaeya sighed and sat at the edge of his bed. He looked frustrated, and I could understand why. Cicin sneaking into his room for an unknown reason was another weight on top of everything else that had been going on. There was more than frustration in him, though. That downcast expression as he stared at the floor…I recognized it. I'd felt it myself.

He wasn't okay, but I opened my mouth to ask anyway. Then, a tickle appeared in my nose before I could say a word.

I sneezed.

"Bless you," Kaeya murmured.

Moving away from the window, I wiped my nose. "Thanks."

Silence fell over us, and I glanced around the room. What had Cicin intended to find? Was the illusion powerful enough to have masked Kaeya's wall of findings? Knowing that it was Cicin who intruded was fortunate. A part of me wanted to triumph over the confirmation that she was still up to no good. As bad as her trespassing was, it meant that she didn't belong here after all.

Stop.

Relationship worries weren't important right now.

Kaeya was probably planning the next moves while I was standing here happy that he chose to stay alone—glad that it wasn't just me who he refused to open up to. The bigger picture wasn't if we walked away from this holding hands or not.

The moment Kaeya stood, I knew he was ready with something to say. A plan of action. How to expose Cicin for her sleuthing.

"Here," he grabbed a blanket. "You'll catch a cold."

Kaeya held the blanket out to me, and I robotically accepted. Surprise rendered me speechless as I draped it over my shoulders and—Archons, it smelled just like him. The gesture was kind and thoughtful. Kaeya hadn't been kind or thoughtful to me since the day I confessed in the mailroom. Giving me this blanket now meant that I was staying in his room at least long enough to be warm again.

What did it mean?

He sat back down, and I wanted to do the same. I didn't. I stood there, wrapped in his blanket, too afraid to move. Would he push me away if I got too close? Would he change his mind and ask me to leave?

Instead, I sat by his desk.

"What do we do now?" I asked hesitantly.

"We don't do anything. It's a good thing I managed to get half of the interviews out of the way. I meant to set aside time to go about my own unorthodox ways of researching the hidden Domain, but an open investigation on Cicin takes priority."

I pressed my lips together. He was taking on too much work for himself. "Cicin is in my Vision Studies class. I could find something out."

"Are you two familiar?" he eyed me.

"Not particularly."

Kaeya shook his head. "Then it would only be suspicious for you to approach her now."

"It's never too late to make friends."

"Would she share that same sentiment?"

I slumped, wrapping the blanket tighter. "Nope."

Now that I was at his desk, I noticed a lot more than just potions. The entire surface was neatly organized with stacked folders and textbooks. The only items that looked out of place were the illusion potion at the edge and a stray sheet of paper with what looked like a checklist.

Curious, I peeked at the details and noticed names of the Grant Tournament competitors from last year. If not the Cicin investigation, there were still the interviews that I could help with. Keqing, Kokomi, and Gorou had their names crossed off—leaving Sara, Beidou, and Ayaka as the ones left to be questioned.

Looking at Kaeya again, I noticed the tiredness that hung around him. It was the kind of tiredness that didn't go away with sleep, though sleep would be better than sulking at the tavern.

"Let me help with the interviews." It wasn't a question. "You can't keep running yourself in the ground like this."

"Do you even know who they are?"

"Do I need to? Tell me, isn't it troublesome to ask questions and record their responses at the same time?"

"I've managed this far," he said dully.

"That's the thing—you don't have to manage. If I did the writing while you did the talking, the conversation would go a lot smoother, wouldn't it? More time for questions means we get more answers."

Kaeya stared at me dubiously, and I could already sense the lame justification for him to work alone.

When I came up here, part of the plan was to make him see straight. To get through to Kaeya that he didn't have to be alone and that he was worthy of living his life to the fullest. Before I convinced him to share even the smallest part of his life with me, he first needed to get past the solo style. Though I wanted to reach out and offer an encouraging smile or even give an uplifting hug, I held back.

"Lumine—"

"I'll talk to them myself if I have to," I threatened with sincerity. "I'm sure Thoma knows enough about the other competitors to arrange a meeting. Imagine if I cluelessly led an interview—with Childe. If I interviewed them with Childe…yeah, that would be golden."

Kaeya glared at me. "That would be a disaster, and you know it."

"Oh well, it can't be helped. Wait, it can be helped. There is someone else I have in mind who I could partner with. Someone who's done this before and is quite good at it. Too bad he's just too close-minded to even consider joining me."

"You're the one joining me—not the other way around."

"Really?" I gasped. "I'm on board."

With a smirk, I watched as Kaeya wiped at his face and sighed. There's no way I was backing down on this—not after seeing the state he's been in. If Kaeya wouldn't allow himself to be happy, then I had no problem annoying him in this way until he did. And Kaeya looked very, very annoyed.

His lips pressed into a thin line, and I celebrated internally. I had made a good point—threat. I had made a good threat.

"Fine," Kaeya said curtly. "I'll send you the details shortly."

He still reverted to secretary-speak. I could work on that. For now, it was enough to know we planned to see each other again.

"Great," I said and stood from the desk chair.

At least some of my mission had been accomplished. I was satisfied enough to leave for the night. Kaeya truly did look like he needed the alone time to rest and think, and I couldn't deny feeling emotionally drained.

I held his blanket hostage for just a moment longer, already missing the comfort it provided. Not even Barron Bunny could compare. There was a rough tug at my feet as I pulled it off my shoulders. The corner of the blanket was trapped under my foot, but that realization came too late.

My balance went off—no big deal. I fell back slightly and bumped into Kaeya's desk. Potion bottles clinked together as the desk wobbled, but they all remained upright.

All except one.

The illusion potion teetered to the side and fell off the edge. With the blanket trapping me, and Kaeya still on the bed, all we could do was hopelessly watch as it fell and crashed onto the wooden floor—barely missing the plush rug.

Glass shattered, and shimmering liquid pooled between the broken fragments.

Ah, oops.