Sibling Issues 4

"I didn't expect your sister to take the initiative..." Ayato noted after they finished the business talks.

"Neither did I." Lu bluntly replied.

"Isn't that fine? Look! Milady is about to leave now so you should go. I don't know what you guys have in mind but I bid you good luck." Thoma saluted with a smile.

"Will this work, Lu? I know I'm the one who started this, but still..." A worried Kamisato Head is rare indeed.

"Leave this to me, I have backup plans for days. Entertain my cute sister for a while and I'll take care of your troublesome sister." The deity smirked confidently.

"Alright... I'll do my best. Thoma, you know what to do." A capable Ayato ordered with seriousness.

"An endless batch of meals, coming right up!" The expert housekeeper commented.

"My sister ain't that much of a glutton, you know?" Raiden Lu sighed before standing up to follow Ayaka.

...

"Thank you for the help, Chiyo." He smiled as he towered over her.

"I don't get what you mean, Nii-sama..." The oni rebutted.

"Don't play dumb with me now. Like the pincess said, you can't really compare our group to the average populace. Remember when you love playing detective back then?" Lu said to break through that sweet girl facade of hers.

She really was a sweetheart. But that alone wouldn't be enough for her to achieve the position of the Oni Chief, the one who controls that Selfish race.

"How could I forget?... But in the end, I still wasn't able to uncover your unending mystery, Lu." Chiyo replied as she stared directly into his eyes.

"There's no need to do that, I'll always be here after all. You'll continue to unveil more about me as time passes through." He patted her head with a gentle smile.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘓𝘶."

"𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵?"

"𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘐 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴... 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴."

"𝘚𝘰-"

***

"Collecting your thoughts, Ayaka?" Lu sat beside the Shirasagi Himegimi as they watched the sun go down from the veranda.

"...Yes, I am. As much as I want to ask why you're here, I have better things to ponder upon." Ayaka only him a side glance before going back to thinking.

"Here, have this. This might help. It's unusual for you to forget about such an important thing in an occasion like this." He handed her a cup of tea while enjoying the scenery.

"...Thank you." She simply accepted it with a slight bow.

"When you're troubled by something, sometimes it's better to just voice them out, Ayaka." The deity suggested.

"Mind your business." Considering their conversation earlier, this reply is a double hit...

"Then, don't mind me."

...

"In my previous life, once my mission is done, I settled in a country of my own." Ayaka was confused by his actions but kept silent.

"A old friend of mine told me that maybe I'm suited as a teacher, so I tried being one. Time passed by so fast, I didn't even notice how many capable disciples I had until I counted each one of them." The princess tried her best not to pay attention but it was futile.

"But I know one day it will end. In the populace eyes, I am not an immortal sage but a human like them... I didn't get back with my former wife in the end, and my past self is already forgotten by history. Yet I needed someone to inherit my legacy, The Kingdom of Qi." She was too distracted to focus on her thoughts anymore, so she gave up.

"I adopted one of my most talented student, and handed her the throne. And then, when I was old enough... I faked my death. Although I was lazy as a king, the country mourned. I simply watched as my disciples gathered one last time before going on their own path one by one." Lu continued while sipping his tea occasionally.

Ayaka felt demoralized by the story but she felt like he wasn't saying this to make her feel like this.

"I left an avatar of mine to watch over the country before I left, but I was caught red handed by the only person who knew my situation, The Empress. I don't know why, but she stopped me from leaving."

"In her own words, 'Please stay until my last breath, Master. I want you to see how far I can achieve with your teachings. This is... my final wish to ask of you... Father...' I'm not really that heartless to continue my plan, naturally." The Kamisato lady hid her face for some reason.

"In the end, I relented. And that's probably the best decision I made in my life... I watched her grew as a person as she used my teachings, complex as they may be. I was also delighted that she heed my advice and got herself a wonderful husband that I approved of." Nostalgia was fully written on the deity's expression as he continued to talk.

"I stayed until her last moments and gave her the acknowledgement that she deserved. Though I must say... It's probably weird if someone saw a handsome man patting an old granny." They laughed together.

"After saying my final goodbyes, I continued my plan and left to go on a journey. I have no destination in because my time is almost countless anyway. All I know is that I left my final trace of humanity there... satisfied." He finished at the same time the sky was rid of the sun.

...

"Why?" Ayaka asked.

"Hmm?" Lu only spared her a side glance before going back to enjoying his tea.

"Why did you tell me this? From your expression, I can deduce that you haven't told this story to anyone else." Her voice was filled with curiosity and anxiety.

"Ayaka. O beautiful, Ayaka. Most of the times someone shares something, they do it because they simply want others to listen..." He explained with a straight face.

"... Coming from you... It's just unbelievable." The princess remarked.

"Have you cleared your mind?" Lu asked with a gentle smile.

"I fancy that there might be something you want to tell me. Or a question perhaps?" He continued with an ambiguous expression.

"At this moment, I am at your service. One way or another, I must repay you for staying here to listen for a bland story of mine."

His gentle smile was that of a temptation by a devil. Ayaka was mystified as they stared into each other's eyes.

In her perception, it's like she was talking to a different person entirely...

"𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘺𝘰... 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘮... 𝘐'𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴..." The Shirasagi Himegimi smiled mysteriously, under the hypnotizing night sky.

***

Gimme all them powerstones!

I'm back to farming cor lapis like the good old Keqing days.

OG Keqing Main Btw!

Auxiliary Volume is out.