"Don't forget! There's an opportunity for extra credit. For every Anemo-related limerick you bring to class, I'll give you three additional points for the day." Venti stood with an apple in hand, munching away as the rest of us prepared to leave for our next class. His eyes caught mine, and he pointed a finger at me. "You won't let me down, right Lumine? I can see those poetic gears turning in your head already!"

Quickly, I dropped eye contact and pretended not to notice. Me drafting verses was at the far bottom of my list of assignments and otherworldly concerns, and my grade didn't need the boost. Amber, on the other hand, was already mumbling rhymes to herself.

"Glider and lighter—that should work," she said. "Lumine, what do you think about this one? Whenever I soar with a glider, my body and spirit are lighter; I continue up high, like a bird in the sky, and…um…"

"And I become a better fighter!" Huffman came out of nowhere with a beaming smile. "How's that?"

Amber shook her head. "Not exactly what I had in mind. What does fighting have to do with gliding?"

"'Brighter' might work better than 'fighter,'" I suggested. "Don't ask me how to tie that in, though. Poems aren't my expertise. I didn't know you needed extra credit."

"It might come in handy later. l just like to be prepared. Plus, if we end up tying in grades, the extra credit will give me an edge over you. Best gliding champion at Celestia Academy, here I come!"

"Is that how it works?" Huffman asked thoughtfully.

I rolled my eyes. "Nope. If anything, the Grand Tournament will determine who's a better glider."

"Then, my real opponent is your brother," Amber gasped softly. "I might have to practice more in that case. He introduced himself at breakfast, you know. When you were talking about star stuff with Mona, he spilled all the embarrassing secrets from your childhood."

I stopped cold in my tracks and thought about what that meant. Embarrassing secrets? Did I have any? Probably. Which ones did Aether tell them about? For a naïve moment, I had forgotten that as my sibling, Aether was well-equipped to make fun of me. Archons, I should have at least stopped by the table to make sure he wasn't gossiping.

Amber's sudden laughter drew my attention. "You should see the look on your face! I was kidding. He didn't say anything bad."

I let out a sigh of relief.

"Yet," she teased. "We only had enough time to go around the table and introduce ourselves before he left to join you."

"Would he really tell your secrets?" Huffman once again placed himself in the conversation. "From what I can tell, Aether seems super nice."

Amber's laughter died down when she eyed Huffman. Normally, it was just me and her returning to the main campus after beginner's gliding. I certainly didn't expect him to take our reconciliation as a sign of close friendship, but at least he wasn't being a bother. Amber didn't seem annoyed, either. Still, there were certain things Amber and I talked about that I'd prefer Huffman to stay out of.

"Huffman, you might want to steer clear of Aether for the time being," I said. "And by extension, me."

"What? Why?"

I sighed. "He thinks you like me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Huffman confusion was visible with a frown. "We've made up, after all. Unless you mean that…a crush? Me? Crush on you?"

It was Huffman's turn to laugh now, though I didn't understand where he found the humor. It had been a while ago, but I unfortunately still had the memory of Huffman's confession to me in the library. To be fair, if I were him, I'd want to forget about that moment, too.

"Excuse you," Amber huffed and pointed to Huffman. "I think it'd be perfectly normal to crush on Lumine. I mean, look at her!"

A blush crossed my face, and I waved her off. "Oh, stop it you."

"No, no, no. Don't get me wrong." Huffman finished his laughing tirade and cleared his throat. "Why would I crush on Lumine when someone as amazing as Barbara exists?"

"Barbara?" Amber and I echoed in surprise.

"Since when?" I asked and counted on my fingers the number of crushes Huffman has had.

A whimsical expression took over his face, and he lightly kicked snow into the air as if he was in love for the very first time. "It's impossible for me to pinpoint an exact moment. Barbara is always there for everyone—treating their wounds with a smile. She's also an amazing singer, has cute looks, and is so compassionate. Do you know about the Barbara fan club in Mondstadt? I've been thinking about joining."

"This is where I leave." Amber waved robotically to me. "Good luck with that conversation. I'm off to horticulture."

Silently, I mouthed the words 'don't leave me,' but she only responded with a whispered apology and fled. Huffman took no note of this, too enamored by the thought of Barbara. I could even see hearts in his eyes.

"You're so lucky to have spent time with her in the infirmary," Huffman swooned. "Maybe I should walk into a wall on purpose. Do you think that would qualify me as a patient? I know—I could mess up in physical combat and be sent to see my angel directly."

"Barbara's not even here," I stated bluntly.

Huffman wilted at that. "So I heard. If it's meant to be, she will return soon. Oh, how I hope to see her ethereal curls once again."

Though I hardly related to Huffman's reasoning, I also wanted Barbara to be back on campus—ideally after successfully returning with holy water for Thoma.

"On second thought, it'd be too hard to get injured on purpose this week. Instructor Xiao has us focusing on evasion and defensive techniques. I'd make myself look like a fool by screwing that up."

"We're also working on defense," I said. "It must be a schoolwide thing after the rifthound attack. After all, there's no need for shields or heals if you don't get hit in the first place."

Huffman nodded, though he didn't seem at all focused on what I'd just said. "That's a good point, but do you want to hear an even better point?"

I wasn't given time to respond.

"I should expand the Barbara fan club to Celestia Academy."

That was enough for one day.

"Huffman, go to class before Instructor Xiao yells at you for being late."

His elation dampened slightly, and Huffman gave me an odd salute. "Thanks for looking out for me!"

I'd been looking out more for my own sanity and was met with some relief once he jogged away. As meddlesome as it was to be on good terms with Huffman, I preferred this over him cowering in fear. There was hope with Ellin, too. She'd said that she would think about accepting my apology, and that was a start.

Like yesterday, I chose to stop by the infirmary before lunch. My walk to the administration building was peaceful with Huffman's absence, and it wasn't long before I found myself in the reception area. Though I couldn't see her, I knew Qiqi was on the other side of the wooden desk.

"Sign in, please," she spoke quietly before her head popped into view.

Before marking my name in the familiar logbook, I dug into my bag until my hand grasped the bottle of coconut milk from breakfast. As a show of my appreciation for her work, I lightly set the bottle on the desk in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Coconut milk. Your favorite, right? I brought this for you."

"I like coconut milk."

She stared at me with her dazed eyes.

"Thank you," Qiqi added belatedly and popped the lid open.

While she was busy with that, I found a spare pen and wrote my name down. Just as I finished marking down what year I was, curiosity shifted my attention upwards to the people logged before me. There weren't many since the day had only just begun, but my writing hand froze when I read the name right above mine.

Kaeya Alberich.

What was he doing in the infirmary? Was he hurt?

I almost asked Qiqi if she knew anything, but she was still chugging away at the milk. No matter—I could find him on my own if he was still here, though I hoped he wasn't.

For his sake, I wanted Kaeya's injury to be superficial enough for him to quickly be in and out. Then again, he probably wouldn't stop by to be healed for something so minor. That had to mean he was seriously hurt. Did Diluc and Childe really team up against him? Was the turtleneck sweater Kaeya wore a means to hide his injury? I should have caught on before.

My movements were on autopilot as I filtered through the possible severity of Kaeya's condition. Eventually, I found myself standing outside of Thoma's door—the whole reason why I was here—and sighed at the reminder. Two of them being hurt was more painful than I'd have thought. Upon opening the door, I had expected to see Thoma lying in the bed, but I didn't think there'd be another person in the room. On the couch sat none other than Kaeya.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

A short pile of books was stacked on the floor beside him, and Kaeya had been scribbling in a notebook before lifting his head to look at me. "Hello to you, too. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I saw your name in the logbook. I thought you'd gotten hurt and needed treatment."

"Were you worried?" he asked with a smirk.

"Of course, I was. Obviously, I shouldn't be worried anymore. You look perfectly fine sitting here and doing…is that homework?"

"You sound surprised. I am a student, after all."

I shrugged and moved further into the room. "True, but I've never actually seen you focus on being one."

"Which is exactly why I've hidden myself away here. Jean or some other student council member won't find me here to make my life harder with more work. To be honest, there are a few other places I could have gone, but I'm sure Thoma doesn't mind the company."

Our attention now shifted to Thoma, who continued to lay motionless in the infirmary bed. A dull ache laced through my chest at the sight of him, which thankfully hadn't gotten much worse since the last time I visited. Though there was still some room on the couch, I chose to sit by the small space at Thoma's bedside. Then, I reached for the hand that wasn't tucked underneath the blankets.

The moment our fingertips met, a small shock passed between us. I flinched despite not feeling any pain. The winter's dry air must have built up additional static electricity.

His hand was cold—not the weather's fault since the room was well-heated—and I squeezed it tightly. There was no response from Thoma, and a strong wave of helplessness nearly choked me. It didn't feel right—going to class, eating with friends, living as normal—when Thoma was stuck here like this.

"Is there really nothing I can do?" I asked weakly. "I'm responsible for this, yet I can't even—"

If I said any more, I'd start crying.

"There is something you can do, and it's more important than what anyone else can contribute," Kaeya said. "No one expects you to miraculously come up with a cure on your own, Lumine. As long as Enjou doesn't get his way, then we win. Focus on blocking Enjou out, and trust that Thoma will be okay."

I continued to examine Thoma's sunken face. At this rate, it was becoming too hard to keep believing. Even with Aether on the case, there's been no progress except for our time getting shorter.

"I'm proud of you, you know," Kaeya said when I didn't give a response.

I wanted to scoff—I hadn't done anything of value—but my words were soft. "For what?"

"For not losing yourself to fear. For not giving in to Enjou's demands. Agreeing to save Thoma's life in exchange for your own is the easy way out. You've endured the torment of uncertainty for longer than most people could manage—that's strength."

Sitting with Thoma drowned out Kaeya's words with an overwhelming sense of suffocation, so I slowly released his hand and drifted to the couch.

Kaeya watched me in silence before adding, "I'm also relieved. You could have carried this burden on your own and kept the rest of us in the dark, but you didn't."

"Anyone would have asked for help in a situation like this," I mumbled. "There's no use in trying to figure it out alone. It's common sense to reach out to as many opportunities as possible. Even if Barbara fails to find holy water, I talked to Sucrose about an experiment idea. If Sucrose's alchemy doesn't work, Aether might know a thing or two that can help."

Saying our options out loud brought confidence into my voice. Especially with Aether, we had a better chance. He knew more about Enjou than anyone else, and I couldn't be more glad to have him back.

"I think Aether is our best shot," I said. "We may be twins, but he's surpassed me in basically everything. I'd be upset about it under normal circumstances, but since when has any of this been normal?"

Kaeya leaned away from his homework and closer to me. "Surpassed you entirely? I don't know about that."

"He's taller than me."

"You're prettier than him."

It was a compliment, so I resisted an eye roll. "That's not the point. Okay, the height thing doesn't matter when you put it that way."

"Oh, I'm not done," he said. "Frankly, I don't think any comparison needs to be made. You're two different people at the end of the day. I know you won't be convinced by me just saying that, though."

Kaeya was right.

"Sure, Aether is more advanced from a technical standpoint. He's had two years at Celestia Academy to make a name for himself in addition to even more time spent under Dain's instruction. That's all, though." Kaeya shrugged. "I've seen enough to know he flies solo and is unreachable by default. Aether hasn't connected with other people like you have, Lumine."

"He has friends," I countered.

"How much of his friendliness is pretending?" Kaeya hummed. "You could say I'm speaking from experience, but I only do so on occasion to gain information. For Aether, he seems to keep himself on a permanent pedestal. That kind of spotlight is something I'd personally never envy."

Once again, Kaeya was spot on. It amazed me how easily he'd been able to pick up on what Aether had lamented to me just last night. I had been under the impression that my brother played his part well enough to fool everyone, but of course there were more watchful eyes that saw the truth.

"On the other hand, you open your heart to others—leaning on friends for support, trusting in them, and keeping an open mind." Kaeya reached forward and gently smoothed out my fingers that I hadn't realized were squeezing each other. "Earlier, you said it was common sense to ask for help. I don't think Aether would have done the same."

I wasn't sure if those words comforted me or worsened the sympathy I felt for Aether. Since it was a hypothetical situation, I moved past that idea and let the meaning of Kaeya's words sink in. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses—working together to play up those strengths was more important than making comparisons.

"Thanks, Kaeya," I smiled at him. "And…sorry for distracting you from your homework."

"I should be thanking you for the distraction. Discussing anything with you is far more interesting than studying the evolution of bathysmal vishaps. As a matter of fact, while we're still talking about your brother…I'm beginning to think he doesn't like me very much."

"He'll warm up to you eventually."

"But you warmed up to me right away." Kaeya pretended to sulk. "This is yet another example of how you two are vastly different."

I suppressed a chuckle. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm pretty sure Childe is higher up on Aether's hit list. You're probably hovering around Huffman's level."

"Huffman?" Genuine surprise tinged Kaeya's voice. "Wasn't he already discouraged from causing more trouble? I'm pretty sure I advised Diluc and Childe to not hold back."

"You supported their violence? And here I thought you preferred to talk things over."

Kaeya showed no remorse. "Huffman got what he deserved. Besides, it's all water under the bridge now."

I was more than happy to agree. What happened now with Huffman was merely a case of questioning his attachment to Barbara and who the next fleeting love interest would be. Before I let my thoughts go astray, I refocused on Kaeya's shirt. His turtleneck, to be precise.

"Speaking of Childe and Diluc getting violent, are you sure you're okay?"

"Whatever could you possibly mean?"

"Don't play dumb." I lightly hit his arm. "I know they went after you when Amber not-so-subtly revealed the whole heartbreak fiasco."

"And for that, I humbly apologize once again."

"You're avoiding the topic. Are you wearing this turtleneck to hide bruises? I mean, it looks good on you, but a sweater isn't your style. What did they do to you?"

Kaeya's eye darted around the room as if he was debating whether to tell me the truth. Then, he simply shrugged and pointed to the sweater.

"It's just as you said. Turtlenecks aren't my style," he sighed. "I've been confined to this itchy mass of warm fabric for an undefined period of time as punishment. Honestly, I would have preferred the beat down."

I stared hard at Kaeya, looking for any sign that he was lying. "That's all?"

"I guess you could say they were looking out for you by not harming me. This is a delicate time, after all. Because they understand the current situation, I got off easy. Let's just hope Aether never catches wind of it."

I found myself nodding along in earnest. Mercy was the last thing Kaeya would face if Aether found out about how I'd been momentarily rejected. No matter what, that truth couldn't escape a second time.

Out of curiosity, I lifted a hand to feel the sleeve of Kaeya's sweater. It didn't look itchy. Right as I made contact with the cuff, we were both zapped by a small purple light.

"I knew there was electricity between us," he said with a grin.

I rubbed my fingers together, feeling the buzzing sensation fade away. "The same thing happened when I touched Thoma."

Kaeya didn't look at all bothered by that. He opened his mouth to say more, probably another flirt to derail my worries, but the door suddenly opened before he could get a word out. I jolted slightly at the intrusion and then stood sharply after seeing who it was.

Wrapped in a fluffy coat, Barbara appeared out of breath and tightly clutched a bottle of clear, colorless liquid.

She'd found holy water.

good luck for the remainder of the yelan/hu tao and cracked weapon banners! i got done dirty by the weapon banner ;-; aqua simulacra there is still time for u to come home /3 the 3.5 livestream was one of the most of all time :0 i'm beyond excited for more kaeya content!