Chapter 79 - Blank and Lumine

The frantic clatter of mouse and keyboard keys echoed through the dim, silent room, like rain furiously pelting the ground.

A thin red-haired young man with large, dark circles under his eyes turned around in shock to look at the girl sitting cross-legged on the floor.

The girl was petite, with a doll-like face framed by long, messy white hair that cascaded down to her ankles, shimmering like silk.

Her skin was pale as freshly fallen snow, complementing her hair's ethereal glow.

She wore a purple dress adorned with yellow ribbons, and her thin legs were clad in black over-the-knee socks.

She looked expressionless, almost vacant, yet her innocent appearance was impossibly captivating.

Even though her long, tousled bangs covered part of her face, nothing could hide her beauty.

Her red eyes widened slightly as she met the young man's gaze, and she gave a faint nod.

Despite taking their eyes off the screen, neither the boy's hands nor the girl's feet paused for even a second.

Even more astonishing was the scene on the computer monitor: the two of them, controlling four characters in perfect sync, were tearing through hordes of enemies like wolves among sheep—an unstoppable slaughter.

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[(Blank) Sora]: MY LITTLE SISTER~ This game of life finally bugged out today!

[(Blank) Shiro]: Mmm…

[Itsuka Kotori]: ?

[Itsuka Kotori]: What's going on?! Did the chat group glitch?

[Akemi Homura]: These two names… why don't they match the system prompts at all?

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C.C glanced at the group chat's participant list—there it was, a giant "10" sitting at the top.

These siblings had even managed to confuse the group chat system into thinking they were one person.

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Teyvat. 

A tall, slender figure walked gracefully along a winding path, accompanied by a chatty little sprite that flitted by her side.

Her long, golden hair shimmered under the blue and white flowers adorning it, giving her an air of gentle elegance.

Even the breeze seemed to soften, swirling around her with a delicate tenderness.

The girl's white dress was fitted and edged with gold patterns.

Each step made the skirt ripple like water, and the golden-trimmed white thigh-high boots emphasized her long, slender legs, pale as snow and mesmerizingly beautiful.

She was like a princess from a fairy tale—if you ignored the occasional hint of dorkiness in her demeanor.

The traveler from another world was led by her emergency food companion toward Mondstadt, hoping to find her missing brother.

But just as she was about to take another step, Lumine froze, staring into the sky with a look of astonishment.

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[Lumine]: What is this?

[Lumine]: Sora? Brother?

[Nagami]: Sorry, Traveler, but while the names match and he's also a brother, this isn't the one you're looking for.

[Nagami]: Check the group announcement—everything you want to know is there.

[Shiraori]: Nagami, you don't even seem surprised… did you already know about these new members?

[Nagami]: That's right.

[Itsuka Kotori]: Of course! Nagami, is there anything you don't know?

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Bored, Itsuka Kotori fiddled with the plastic stick of her lollipop, lying face down on the command desk. Today, too, she had no motivation at all.

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[Nagami]: It's not that I'm all-knowing. I just happen to know this much.

[Nagami]: Let me explain briefly: Blank is a brother-sister pair. In some ways, they're unbeatable—truly invincible!

[Nagami]: Although… only in games.

[Shiraori]: Games?

[Akemi Homura]: Games?

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A month ago, Akemi Homura had always worn a cold, distant expression, like an ice queen with a gaze that could freeze the world.

But ever since she joined this chat group, she'd caught some kind of mysterious "virus."

Now she rested her chin on her hand, her head tilted slightly.

Her right hand twirled a pen with dazzling speed, enough to draw the attention of her classmates.

Though her face remained stoic, her aura had shifted completely.

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[Nagami]: Yes. Their invincibility is limited to games—no matter how powerful the opponent, even the god of games couldn't beat them in a duel!

[Nagami]: Outside of games, though, they're pretty hopeless. And their social anxiety? It's like yours, @Shiraori, but a thousand times worse.

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With laser-like focus, the siblings scanned the group announcement at a speed that rivaled quantum computing.

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[(Blank) Sora]: Looks like things are getting interesting, wouldn't you say, @(Blank) Shiro?

[(Blank) Shiro]: Mhm!

[(Blank) Shiro]: But, Brother, we're sitting right here together… why are we still talking through the chat?

[Nagami]: Right? Right?! And trust me, you're about to experience so many more surprises~

[(Blank) Sora]: In that case, Lord Group Leader, what sort of things are waiting for us?

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It was easy to hear the underlying question in Sora's calm tone.

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[Nagami]: Oh, lots of fun ahead! And just call me Nagami.

[(Blank) Shiro]: Sounds… interesting…

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Though Shiro was impossibly cute, Nagami, as the group's special character, had no other thoughts about her.

He firmly believed in the unbroken bond of Blank's siblings—and woe to anyone who tried to come between them!

Fireball everything to ashes!

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[Lumine]: There's even something like this…?

[Lumine]: Then, Nagami… does that mean you also know where my brother is?

[Nagami]: Yeah, I do know. But… not that much, I'll just send the information I have to the group later. Wait for a bit.

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A slight smile curved C.C.'s lips.

Telling Lumine about her brother's current situation was starting to sound like an interesting idea.

How would she react once she knew?

How delightful~.

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[Reimu]: As much as I care about the newbies, I'm actually more interested in this new group lottery feature.

[Shiraori]: Reimu, have you tried it already?

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Shiraori's pink eyes widened slightly as she pulled a dragon-slaying scythe from the shore, having just cleaved a fire dragon in two with an effortlessly corrosive stroke.

Over time, Shiraori had come to understand Reimu's personality quite well.

Low EQ: Bottomless shamelessness

High EQ: Truly, a shrine maiden of Gensokyo.

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[Itsuka Kotori]: So? Did you get anything good from it?

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Lazily getting up from her desk, Itsuka Kotori crossed her arms beneath her chin, striking a perfect Gendo Ikari pose.

She had already bought the Fatebound Contract and was now saving up points for the Words of a Thousand, so she had no spare points left for lottery draws.

In the entire group, aside from the dog-like group admin, only Reimu—who wasn't planning on buying group items—had extra points to spend.

Ever since the group store had fully opened, everyone had been able to buy World Crossing Cards, but apart from those special items, the store's stock refreshed weekly with a selection based on the group's size.

C.C. had glanced through the latest updates in the store and… well, let's just say it was like opening a random chest in Genshin Impact.

The prices weren't too high, but with points only obtainable through daily check-ins, it was hard to imagine anyone wasting them on these trivial, borderline-useless goods.

All the real treasures were in the lottery pool!

Still, it wasn't entirely worthless.

For example, this time's featured items included a Health Potion from League of Legends, priced at 15 points.

And considering everything from the group store came with a "multiverse compatibility" bonus… that was definitely a handy item to have.