Genshin Impact: Strength Through Bonds [195]

The debate among the girls continued.

But this time, the balance of power had shifted.

"Shogun-sama, please explain yourself!"

Their voices echoed through the hallway.

Several bright, expectant eyes stared at Ei, unyielding.

Faced with the mighty Raiden Shogun, they did not back down—

Instead, they joined forces.

Something was off—very off.

They had wanted to ask for a while now—

Why was Raiden Shogun in Ren's room?!

People always say that a woman's romantic intuition is sharp.

Now gather a whole group of women together—zero chance of a miscalculation.

Even if she was a god, she wouldn't get away with sneaking into their home!

"…"

Ei fell silent under the sudden interrogation.

Her expression remained calm and aloof, but her fingers tightened slightly.

…How was she supposed to answer this?

Even Yae Miko, who was always scheming, hadn't prepared her for this scenario.

After all—who could have predicted this?

When she next saw Ren, he had already accumulated even more women at his side.

And even the supposedly deceased Rukkhadevata had—

…No.

Ei shook her head slightly.

Rukkhadevata was a special case.

Her appearance was just a coincidence.

It's impossible for a god to fall for Ren.

…Except herself.

"…"

The silence grew heavier.

Ei's violet eyes narrowed.

Clearly, the girls weren't going to let this go without an answer.

Her first instinct was to ignore them, to assert the authority of the Raiden Shogun, and scold them into silence.

But the moment she considered it, she dismissed the thought.

That would only make her look guilty.

However—

She also couldn't just admit she had left Tenshukaku because she couldn't stand the loneliness.

That would be too embarrassing.

So, Ei let out a cold scoff.

"An explanation?"

She crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping over the group.

"I came here to ensure that Takahashi Ren fulfilled a promise."

"This concerns the fate of Teyvat itself."

"And the details… are not something you should know."

High EQ: "You shouldn't know."

Low EQ: She's obviously changing the subject.

…And she had almost let "Ren" slip out instead of his full name.

The moment she spoke, the girls' expressions changed.

"A crisis?!"

They immediately closed in on her, full of concern.

"Shogun-sama!"

"Is Ren okay?!"

If even Raiden Shogun was talking about a crisis threatening Teyvat, then it had to be serious.

And from the look on her icy face…

Was she planning to sacrifice Ren?!

Their minds raced, filling with worst-case scenarios.

Even Sandrone, who had seen it all, couldn't stop her heart from sinking.

"Raiden Shogun, you'd better explain yourself!"

"What exactly happened to my partner?!"

Energy gathered around her fingertips, ready to activate her Delusion.

She didn't care that Ei was a god—

Anything that threatened Ren was crossing the line.

The others were no different.

They needed to see him with their own eyes.

"Enough!"

Just as the tension was about to explode, Ei prepared to step in—

Thud.

"…Ugh."

A soft noise came from inside the room.

It was followed by a low, muffled groan.

Then, just as the sound started—

It was suddenly cut off.

"…?"

Ei's brows furrowed.

She instinctively turned to look behind her.

A moment earlier, Rukkhadevata had woken up.

And before Ei could sense it, she had used the power of dreams to block her perception.

"…!"

The girls stiffened.

Then—

They held their breath.

Ren!

Tap.

A light footstep echoed toward the door.

Their initial relief turned to suspicion.

Something felt off.

That footstep was too soft.

Was it Nahida?

Just as they hesitated—

The doorknob turned.

Click—

The door opened.

The girls' eyes widened.

Moonlight streamed in, outlining a soft, ethereal figure.

A woman in a pure white dress, her skin as fair as snow.

Her emerald-green eyes shimmered like a forest spring.

Her slightly disheveled white hair gave her a lazy, just-woken-up air—

A lethally seductive, mature aura.

"…It's over. You can come in now."

Rukkhadevata leaned against the doorframe, her voice soft and gentle.

She turned her head slightly, as if making sure not to wake a sleeping child.

"…You are…?"

For a moment, the girls were stunned.

They exchanged glances—

None of them recognized her.

A mysterious, breathtakingly beautiful woman had just walked out of Ren's room—

In the middle of the night.

Putting the keywords together…

"Looks like Ren succeeded."

Ei stepped inside, speaking calmly.

Her memories of repairing the Irminsul were still intact,

Which meant Rukkhadevata had truly returned.

"…Yes. He saved me."

"Thank you, Ei."

"Your Ren… I'm very satisfied."

Rukkhadevata chuckled, licking her slightly moist lips.

A flash of delight crossed her eyes.

"?"

Ei glanced at her, feeling an odd sense of unease.

Satisfied?

She should have been happy to hear Ren being praised—

Yet something about Rukkhadevata's tone didn't sit right.

Was she playing word games again?

But before she could dwell on it—

"…Ei—cough, Shogun-sama!"

"Everyone, come in."

Ren's voice rang out.

He sat at the edge of the bed, smiling at them.

Looking so well-behaved—like a kid caught misbehaving.

"…Are you hurt anywhere?"

Seeing that he was fine, Ei's tense expression softened.

But she still couldn't help but ask.

The way she showed concern was always so awkward.

"I'm fine."

"…Good."

Ei let out a relieved sigh—even flashing a rare smile.

"…"

Rukkhadevata watched the exchange with great interest.

She smiled, as if enjoying the show.

My sun…

There sure are a lot of girls here.

How greedy of you.

"…Ahem. Just come inside already."

Ren cleared his throat.

Having two goddesses staring at him was a bit… overwhelming.

He turned toward the girls still frozen in the doorway.

For a moment—

They locked eyes.

The girls: Ren! Who the hell is that white-haired woman?!

Ren: Come inside first, I'll explain.

After a silent exchange of looks—

"…Since my partner has invited us, then we shall not refuse."

Sandrone, the most experienced strategist, was the first to step forward.

"Excuse us."

Ayaka followed gracefully.

"Hmmph. You really are troublesome."

Keqing flicked her twin tails, crossing her arms as she entered.

Yoimiya quietly shut the door behind them.

Inside the small room—

Silence fell once more.

Ren wiped away the sweat forming on his forehead.

"…Haha… It's a little crowded in here."

Wrong thing to say.

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T/N: and with this we have caught up with all available raws that I have for this story! make sure to check out the original author if you like this and support them!

however even if I get my hands on new raws for this story I most likely won't be translating them