“Well then, Miss Lumine, and Paimon, I won't disturb your rest. If you need anything, just stand by the window and call my name, and I will be there – if I hear you, that is!”
Standing at the room’s doorway, the adorable Noelle bowed respectfully to Lumine and Paimon, before quietly and carefully closing the door behind them.
As the door lock clicked shut, Paimon seemed to be liberated and started flying around the room before hiding in a corner of the ceiling, watching Lumine vigilantly.
“….Lumine, are you Lumine? Are you the Lumine who fished me out of the sea?”
“It's me, it’s me, Paimon.”
Lumine rolled her eyes, waved a dismissive hand, and walked to the window. With a light hop, she threw herself onto the bed.
After tossing and turning a few times, she buried her face in the soft pillow, took a deep breath of satisfaction, and then lay on her back with her arms outstretched.
Reassured that Lumine was the same familiar person, Paimon flew over.
“Then, Lumine, what exactly happened just now?”
Lumine smacked her lips and explained the bizarre situation that had befallen her.
Paimon listened, jumping and exclaiming in surprise as if she were scared.
Lumine found it amusing, stretched out a hand, and clapped Paimon’s soft cheeks with a "pop", then said, "Baiyu, are you still there?"
As soon as the words left her lips, Lumine suddenly answered herself, "I'm here."
Lumine: “…………”
Paimon: “………”
“Since there’s no one else around now, you wouldn’t be able to talk to me if I stayed inside your consciousness, and you wouldn’t be able to leave Paimon out, right?”
Baiyu continued to control Lumine’s body and spoke another sentence.
Lumine couldn’t help but complain, “You’re actually quite kind! But isn’t this situation just me talking to myself?”
In Paimon’s eyes, it was indeed Lumine lying on the bed, talking to herself, asking herself questions, and answering herself.
“But… but this way, I can at least participate in your conversation.” Paimon smiled, flew closer, and snuggled up to Lumine’s chest, lifting her little face up. “Right, Lumine?”
Lumine threw another playful eye roll and decided to give up. “Alright, Baiyu, you know about my brother?”
“I do know a bit,” Baiyu nodded, lightly poked Paimon’s marshmallow-like cheek, and made the little guy chase after his (her?) finger with a “wu! wu!” like a cat. “Your brother is now the Prince of the Abyss Order. He’s probably… well, he’s probably living a pretty good life, right?”
“Abyss… Abyss Order!!!!”
Lumine hadn’t reacted much, but Paimon whizzed up into the air with a swoosh.
Lumine regained control of her body and asked Paimon in confusion, “Paimon, you know about this?”
“I don’t know much about them,” the little guy floated around in the air. “They’re a wicked organization on this continent! They’re said to be wreaking havoc in the Seven Nations. They’re bad guys!”
“My stinky brother became a villain?!”
Lumine abruptly sat up from the bed.
“What the heck is going on?!”
After finishing her sentence, Lumine lay back down, still speaking to herself, as Paimon watched with a speechless expression. “How would I know anything? Probably, before you woke up, your brother woke up before you, and he was involved with a country called Khaenri’ah, a nation without gods. After that country was destroyed, he became the Prince of the Abyss Order, determined to restore his nation, and he traveled the Seven Nations before you.”
“Don’t worry, at least he’s safe, and he has a bunch of little brothers under his command.”
Lumine finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, it was good to know that her brother was safe. As for the other things, villain or not, Lumine, who had no connection to the Seven Nations at the moment, didn’t care about those things.
In fact, this little girl was already scheming about finding her brother and using his position as Abyss Prince to start a life of luxury and deception…
Joining the Abyss Order, embracing a good life (foggy)!
“Can’t you be a little more ambitious?”
Baiyu’s words made Lumine blush, then she retorted with a defiant tone, “What’s wrong? My stinky brother is a Prince. I’m his sister, so it’s no problem to be a princess, right? It’s just being a villain!”
Paimon rushed over in fear and grabbed Lumine’s arm, “Lumine! Snap out of it! You can’t do bad things!”
“Relax, Paimon.”
Baiyu smiled, hugged the little guy, and rubbed her head.
“Even if this kid finds her brother, she’ll be kicked out.”
Paimon: “——?”
Before she could react, Paimon found herself thrown out by Lumine and stuck to the wall, slowly sliding down with a *splat*.
Meanwhile, Lumine sat up again and patted the mattress with her small hands, “You explain yourself! What do you mean kicked out? Am I that unlikeable?!”
Paimon, sliding to the floor, burrowed herself into a corner of the bed, scratching her head and muttering with a sad face, “That’s it, Lumine is like she has a split personality, it’s too dangerous, I’m going to stay away from her for a while… ”
Baiyu took over the body again, sat on the edge of the bed, and crossed her right leg over her left. “Your brother will make you travel all seven nations, just like him, and you’ll meet again at the end of your journey.”
After regaining control, Lumine immediately put her legs down, both ashamed and angry. “Sit properly! Don’t strike weird poses! I’m a girl, ya know!”
Paimon, who had witnessed the whole thing from start to finish, said, “Pfft—!”
She suddenly found Lumine’s “split personality” to be incredibly entertaining.
“You know you’re a girl, right?” Baiyu kept patting Lumine’s (her own?) legs with her hand. “You don’t even take off your boots before jumping on the bed!”
Lumine was furious. “With a guy like you in my head, how can I even take… take… ”
Baiyu looked disgusted. “As if I’d be interested in your stinky feet.”
“They don’t stink!” Lumine bounced up. “You explain yourself! I won’t let this go!”
In the corner, Paimon, who had been watching Lumine “direct and act” in a play with two characters, finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, burying her face in the blanket and giggling “pfft, pfft.”
“If I remember correctly, you’ve been roughing it outdoors for quite a while, right? You haven’t washed or changed clothes properly, do you dare say you don’t stink—ahhhh, you freaking soul-less thing, I don’t stink, I swear! Do you want to smell it? —You’re right! Paimon, come here!”
Paimon, who had been watching the show, exclaimed: “——!?”
Before she could react, Paimon saw a pair of tender little feet approaching her.
Moments later, the little guy rolled onto the floor, rolling his eyes.
Paimon Ship, destroyed!
Lumine, Baiyu: “……”