"???" Lumine stared at Paimon incredulously. What kind of malicious threat was that?
"You dare! If you try that, I'll cook you into stew!" Lumine huffed lightly.
"Paimon is not emergency food!" Paimon shouted indignantly, flying over and wrestling playfully with Lumine.
After a long tussle, Lumine sat in Akio's arms, panting and clinging onto him tightly. Paimon also settled comfortably on Akio's shoulder.
"Oh right, Akio~ Tomorrow we'll be heading to Sumeru," Lumine murmured softly after resting a few minutes.
"So soon? You don't want to stay a few more days?" Akio asked gently.
"No, I really want to see the scenery of the nation of greenery," Lumine shook her head earnestly. "Besides, now that I have your Serenitea Pot, I can see you whenever I want."
"Oh, my dear Lumine, you won't like Sumeru at all..." Akio silently lamented in his heart.
The painful memories resurfaced—those torturous quests like the "Aranyaka" and the various desert exploration adventures were a complete nightmare. And don't even get him started on the main storyline...
Plus, the entire land of Sumeru—above ground, below ground—was filled with caves. Did they expect travelers to become mole-rats or something?
"Honey, if you happen to see a girl named Rana being attacked by fungi, whatever you do, don't save her," Akio said seriously to Lumine.
"Huh? Why not?" Lumine tilted her head curiously.
Because I'm afraid you'll be exhausted to death in Sumeru! Akio silently sighed in his heart.
"Hahaha, I'm kidding," Akio chuckled, gently kissing Lumine's cheek. "Life is all about experiencing twists and turns, meeting people who are meant to cross paths with us. That's what makes it meaningful."
"Rana is actually a friend worth making, as are the Aranara," Akio smiled warmly. "Alright, that's all I'll say. Go explore Sumeru yourself and enjoy it."
"Okay~" Lumine nodded happily, leaning comfortably in Akio's embrace. With him, she felt that she had a home, a place to look forward to.
As for the previous saying "Home is wherever my brother is"? Who said that? Lumine didn't know anymore.
...
That night, Akio gently lifted Lumine into a princess carry, heading toward their room.
"Eh? Lumine, Akio, you're going to bed together this early?" Paimon teased with a mischievous grin.
"Um~" Lumine blushed deeply, hiding shyly against Akio's chest.
"Heh heh, little Paimon, go entertain yourself," Akio raised an eyebrow playfully.
"Hmph..." Paimon crossed her arms, pouting. "Fine, go ahead. I'm going to find Miyuki to play Genius Invokation TCG!"
"Let's go, darling~" Akio smiled, carrying Lumine into the bedroom.
"Eww~" Paimon shook her head, turning around and flying off toward Miyuki's room.
...
Early the next morning, Akio walked out of the room, holding Lumine, who was walking a bit awkwardly.
As they emerged, they saw Paimon and Rosalyne still engaged in an intense match of Genius Invokation TCG, loudly trash-talking each other.
Not long after, Paimon cheered triumphantly: "Haha! I won again! Rosalyne, pay up!"
"Damn it! You little brat, you're not even that smart—how can you be so good at this stupid game?" Rosalyne rolled her eyes in annoyance, pulling out another hundred Mora and handing it over to Paimon.
"Heh heh, this just proves that Paimon is the smartest," Paimon grinned smugly, taking the Mora. She had battled Rosalyne all night and won every round, already earning over ten thousand Mora from her.
Since Rosalyne had been with Akio, her personality had improved significantly. Although she still had a sharp tongue, she was no longer as arrogant or annoying as before.
"I'm done, no more playing. Losing all the time isn't fun," Rosalyne sighed. Hearing footsteps behind her, her face softened into a gentle smile as she stood up and turned toward Akio.
"Darling~"
"You two didn't sleep at all?" Akio asked curiously.
"Nope, I lost to this little brat all night playing Genius Invokation! So annoying!" Rosalyne grumbled angrily.
"Hehe! Lumine, I won ten thousand Mora!" Paimon proudly placed her hands on her hips.
"Wow, impressive," Lumine gave a thumbs-up, seriously contemplating whether to send Paimon out to earn money playing cards in the future.
"Hmph." Rosalyne huffed, walking over and slipping into Akio's arms, pouting for comfort.
Faced with such a mature, beautiful woman acting spoiled and clingy, who could possibly resist?
Rosalyne's voluptuous figure and her elegant yet domineering presence, combined with her current adorable pouty expression toward Akio—Lumine had to admit, even she found it endearing.
"Ugh, what did you eat growing up to become this big?" Lumine murmured enviously, feeling Rosalyne's presence beside her in Akio's embrace.
"It's natural," Rosalyne proudly smirked. "Darling, you love this, don't you~?"
"Of course, it's simply irresistible," Akio chuckled mischievously.
"See? That's called an advantage," Rosalyne raised an eyebrow teasingly at Lumine.
"Damn it! You awful woman! Such a terrible personality is a waste of your good looks and figure!" Lumine fumed.
"Hmph~" Rosalyne didn't care at all about Lumine's complaints. Right now, all that mattered was Akio.
"Alright, alright, my two precious darlings, you'll be sisters from now on. You're both my wings, so don't make things hard for your dear husband, okay?" Akio gently soothed them with a smile.
"Fine~ Since darling said so, I'll behave," Rosalyne nodded obediently.
"Hmph... Fine, me too," Lumine glared lightly at Rosalyne but agreed nonetheless.
"Alright, you guys, stop playing around so early in the morning," Miyuki walked out from the kitchen carrying breakfast. "Come on, tidy up, it's time to eat."
"Oh? Darling, you're awake too?" Miyuki noticed Akio, smiling warmly. "Come quickly, I made your favorite tamagoyaki."
"Coming, coming," Akio replied happily. Waking up to his favorite breakfast was truly the best feeling.
"Alright, you two stop glaring at each other. It's suspicious to not eat breakfast enthusiastically!" Akio laughed, gently patting Lumine and Rosalyne's bottoms, urging them forward.
"Breakfast, breakfast!" Paimon shouted excitedly, immediately forgetting her friends and flying to Miyuki's side, acting cute and hoping to get more food.
"Don't worry, Paimon, I specially made extra unagi sushi for you," Miyuki smiled gently.
"Yay! Miyuki, you're the best!" Hearing there was unagi sushi, Paimon happily did a twirl mid-air. "I'll help you carry the dishes! I can't wait; your cooking is always the best!"
"Hurry up, everyone!"
With Paimon's cheerful urging and Akio's laughter, another happy day officially began.
A/N: Enjoying the story? Read 60+ chapters ahead on Patreon! Your support helps: Patreon.com/nneol