Chapter 122

Just as Nathan was chatting with Ganyu and the others, Lumine suddenly moved closer to him.

"Traveler, what are you doing?" 

Paimon noticed something unusual about her companion. Lumine's bright golden eyes were brimming with an emotion that could only be described as longing.

"Huh? What are you up to?" 

Nathan also sensed the girl's approach. Her short golden hair shimmered under the sunlight.

Without saying a word, Lumine raised her hands and firmly wrapped them around his arm.

What's going on here? 

Nathan's face was a perfect picture of confusion, complete with a metaphorical "black man question mark" floating above his head.

From Lumine's behavior toward Ganyu and Keqing, it was clear that due to being sealed away by the Heavenly Principles in the past, she had always harbored a strong wariness toward the followers of the Seven Archons. 

But this wariness seemed completely absent when it came to Nathan. Her intimate gesture made it seem like she wanted to merge with him entirely. 

Not only was Nathan baffled, but the other girls around them were also visibly uncomfortable. 

"Nathan, get away from her! Be careful, she might have ulterior motives!!!" 

Both Keqing and Ganyu had a fiery look in their eyes, and Shenhe, who had a more yandere personality, was practically on the verge of going berserk. If it weren't for Ganyu holding her back, she might have already drawn her weapon and charged at Lumine! 

Thanks to a certain contract, the girls hadn't been able to spend time with Nathan for several days. They were already struggling with their longing for him, and now this suspicious person had appeared out of nowhere, making a move on their beloved Nathan. 

"It's... it's fine, she's harmless!" 

Seeing the situation escalating into a potential conflict, Nathan quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. 

After all, he had once controlled Lumine to progress through the main storyline, so he probably understood her better than anyone else present. 

In the game, Lumine, who had lost her memories, was often portrayed more as a tool than a person. 

"Traveler, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You scared me!" 

Paimon flew over, her tiny eyes filled with confusion as she watched Lumine practically cling to Nathan. 

"I... found him..." 

Lumine's beautiful face was overflowing with emotion. 

"Traveler, speak up! What did you find?" 

While Lumine remained calm, Paimon was practically dying of anxiety. She was the embodiment of impatience. After all, they were still surrounded by those fierce women! 

Not only was Paimon anxious, but Nathan was even more so. If Lumine didn't explain herself soon, Ganyu and the others might really take action. 

Under everyone's watchful gaze, Lumine finally spoke. At the same time, she tightened her grip on Nathan's arm. 

Although Lumine's figure wasn't as developed as Ganyu's, she still outclassed Hu Tao by a mile. The pressure from her grip made Nathan visibly uncomfortable. 

But what made him even more uncomfortable were the earth-shattering words that followed. 

"I finally found you... brother!" 

"......" 

A silence as heavy as stone followed. 

"Huh???" 

"Huh???" 

After a brief pause, Paimon and Nathan exclaimed in unison. 

"Wait... wait a minute, Traveler. Are you saying that the brother you've been searching for all this time... is him?" 

Paimon was utterly shocked, her pupils dilated to their maximum size. 

"I'm not! I don't have! Don't talk nonsense!" 

Compared to Paimon, Nathan, who was familiar with the game's storyline, was even more stunned. He immediately responded with a triple denial. 

This was too strange, way too strange! 

Nathan was just an ordinary transmigrator. How could Lumine mistake him for her brother, Aether? 

"Yes, he's the brother I've been searching for all this time!" 

Lumine nodded with unwavering determination. 

"But that doesn't make sense! You two don't look alike at all!" 

Paimon flew over to Nathan, pinching his cheeks and lifting his black bangs to inspect him closely. 

"This emergency food is right. Whether it's hair color or facial features, there's no way we could be siblings!" 

Nathan brushed off Paimon's meddling hands, but the little creature stomped her feet in the air upon hearing his nickname for her. 

"You're so rude! Paimon is Paimon, not emergency food!" 

Paimon puffed up her cheeks, pretending to be angry. But given her tiny size, it only made her look even cuter. 

"Brother is right. Paimon is emergency food." 

To everyone's surprise, Lumine agreed with Nathan's statement. 

"Hey, Traveler, you always bully me like this. Now I'm starting to think you two really might be siblings!" 

Paimon covered her head with her hands, continuing to pout. From her perspective, both Lumine and this man seemed to share the same mischievous sense of humor when it came to teasing her. 

At this rate, they really did seem like siblings. 

"That's impossible! Lumine, your brother isn't here!" 

Nathan, who knew the game's storyline well, spoke up. After the Liyue arc, the next major event would be the reunion of the twins. At that time, Lumine would discover that her brother was working with the Abyss. 

"But... if you're not my brother, how do you know my name?" 

"Yeah, you must know the Traveler to say something like that!" 

Lumine's pointed observation made Paimon realize the flaw in Nathan's argument. 

"No, even if I know Lumine... that doesn't mean you can just randomly assign me a new identity." 

Nathan sighed helplessly. For example, Dainsleif, that cryptic guy, also knew Lumine. By that logic, should they also consider him her brother? 

No matter how Nathan tried to explain, Lumine's bright golden eyes remained filled with unwavering determination. 

"Besides... Lumine, you should still have some memories, right? Your missing brother doesn't look anything like me!" 

Nathan pointed to his jet-black hair. How could that possibly match Aether's golden locks? 

"No... even if brother doesn't look the way I remember, my heart won't lie to me!" 

Lumine still refused to accept Nathan's explanation. Instead, she took his hand and placed it over her chest. 

"Brother, you can feel it too, right? The connection between us, the emotions we share." 

"Uh..." 

Forget about feeling any emotions—Nathan's mind went completely blank the moment Lumine placed his hand on her chest. 

Aside from the realization that Lumine was secretly hiding an impressive figure, Nathan's thoughts were utterly scrambled. 

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