"Alright, thank you..." Watching the door slowly close behind the waiter, Lumine's smile gradually faded.
The clock's hands were already nearing midnight.
The girl rested one hand on her hip, her fingertips unconsciously sinking into the folds of her silk nightgown as she gazed at the empty entrance hall.
"Hmm... where did she go..."
The candlelight flickered in the silence, its warm, soft glow slowly dancing on the ceiling while the lights of Mondstadt outside the window bathed in the moonlight.
Paimon, who had sworn to wait up, was long since curled up in a ball hugging a pillow with sparkling drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. Occasionally letting out a brief murmur in her sleep.
Lumine looked at the tranquil scene before her and a strong sense of unreality suddenly surged in her heart.
The firelight twisted, leaving afterimages in her eyes and her heart began to beat violently without warning, making her eardrums hum.
She held onto the dressing table to steady herself, the girl in the mirror looking back with the same frightened expression.
What's wrong with me...?
The girl fiercely clutched her chest until the frantic heartbeat gradually subsided several minutes later. When she raised her head again, a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on her forehead.
As if having made some kind of decision, Lumine took one last look at the sleeping Paimon, grabbed the key and headed toward the door.
Jibril, you must... Bang————!
"Huh!?"
A huge crash came from behind her. Lumine quickly pulled back the door that was about to slam shut and rushed back inside—
She saw Jibril lying face down on the carpet as her wings spread out weakly.
Lumine hurriedly bent down, trying to help her up. "Jibril! What happened to you?!"
Suddenly, just as her fingertips touched the Flügel's exposed arm. A searing heat instantly hit her, burning so much that she almost withdrew her hand.
Completely different from the heart-pounding pressure she felt during the day, the Flügel was now soft like a puddle of melted honey. Her ear feathers drooped weakly by Lumine's hand, trembling slightly when brushed.
Gently pushing aside the messy pink hair, the girl's unnaturally flushed cheeks were revealed.
In the gentle candlelight, her face was as warm and smooth, a blush spreading across her cheeks, extending along the line of her jaw down to her neck.
Most striking were those confused golden crossed eyes. Her gaze suddenly sparked a dangerous impulse in Lumine's heart, like... wanting to tease her?
Lumine shook her head abruptly, but the Flügel beneath her suddenly began to struggle, letting out a slightly whimper from her throat.
"Where did you even go?" Lumine placed her hand on the other's forehead. Before she could continue speaking, a whiff of alcohol assailed her.
In fact, as someone who could almost out drink the Anemo Archon, it wasn't so much that it was unlikely for Jibril to catch a cold but more rather...
She had just foolishly miscalculated her teleportation landing point and face-planted, resulting in a slightly sore nose.
...No, it was very painful. She was about to cry from the pain.
[Pffft—] The System stifled a laugh. [Don't cry or else your halo will fall off.]
Jibril suddenly grabbed Lumine's arms unexpectedly as she pulled her down until their lips were almost touching and she mumbled tearfully. "Lumine..."
"I-I'm here... I'm here..."
That hot, humid breath carrying the scent of alcohol puffed onto her face, making her feel ticklish inside, like a kitten was sharpening its claws.
"I-... mmh... I'm not drunk...."
Lumine: I didn't even ask yet! ( •̀⤙•́ )
"Y-You went out drinking...?" Lumine asked tremblingly.
Although she was currently at a "disadvantage," her entire upper body was tightly embraced by Jibril, completely unable to move with Jibril's hot cheek constantly rubbing against the crook of her neck.
However, the girl showed no sign of confusion. Instead, she felt.. jealous?
What was she jealous about? They were friends who had known each other for less than a day and she had no right to question the other girl's whereabouts. Yet, when Jibril's alcohol-scented breath brushed past her ear, she couldn't help but press her lips together.
"Stop rubbing against me... You're definitely drunk! Who did you drink with..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jibril actually obediently lifted her head, squinting her drowsy eyes and declared firmly:
"I am not drunk!"
Every single word carried a sweet, cloying aroma of alcohol.
Lumine was silent for a moment and then finally sighed resignedly. "Fine... how about we take a bath? Then we can sleep..."
[Little Chicken... It's time for a bath~]
Hearing the System's evil cackling, an inexplicable bad feeling arose in Jibril's heart.
[Bathing together... huh... Your wings are going to be touched all over, aren't they? Maybe she'll even...]
The girl blinked sluggishly as if truly drunk and suddenly realized her predicament.
"Didn't you already take a bath!?"
"I can't just let you wash yourself!" Perhaps because Jibril was so hot, Lumine's cheeks were also flushed. "You literally just crashed into the Inn!?"
Lumine-chan! That wasn't a crash... I just teleported wrongly. Ahhh!!
Jibril wailed internally but Lumine had already picked her up horizontally, not allowing any refusal.
The blonde clearly hadn't expected the Flügel to be so light, especially since she was taller than her. After stumbling half a step, she subconsciously weighed the person in her arms.
"I don't want a bath!" Jibril spread her wings with a swoosh and clung to Lumine even harder, her voice filled with genuine weeping.
The feathers rustled past Lumine's jaw, making her feel uncomfortable all over and she desperately wanted to just bite down on them.
"...Why!?"
"I've been flying in the sky... I'm very clean..." After exhausting all methods, even considering biting her tongue, she finally forced out a perfunctory tear. "And... my wings are very hard to dry once they get wet..."
Jibril: (╥﹏╥)
Lumine looked at Jibril in her arms, who looked ready to drag them both down and wrestled with her internal conflict.
Needless to say, this girl was absolutely smashed! She was being stubborn now and tomorrow she would definitely pretend to have amnesia when she woke up... But bathing... that was indeed a matter of principle.
Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the slightly open neckline of the other party—
Jibril suddenly turned her head away, tearfully and reached a trembling hand toward her clothes. "Alright then... Lumine, relax a bit so I can take them off..."
The fabric slowly slipped down, revealing the smooth, lustrous curve of her shoulder. The softness of her chest also slightly parted, outlining a dizzying curve in the candlelight.
Her skin was already faintly rosy and now it gained an extra touch of tenderness in the candlelight.
Perhaps the 'big sister' was simply too authoritative or perhaps it was the alcohol's effect but Lumine suddenly felt dizzy.
"It's... getting late..." She hurriedly averted her gaze.
"Yes, it's late." Jibril took the opportunity to curl up her wildly flapping wings also obediently drooping.
Lumine quickly walked to the bed, gently placed the curled-up Flügel onto it and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "We still have a mission with Acting Grand Master Jean tomorrow morning, so get some rest early~"
"Good night!"
Casually handing the other nightgown lying nearby to Jibril, the blonde was about to flee in panic.
However, just as Lumine turned around, she felt a tight grip on her wrist.
Jibril grabbed Lumine's wrist and gently pulled her back to her side. When Lumine turned around, she met Jibril's slightly evasive eyes.
"...C-could you... help me?"
"???"