"Sister!—"
Marina cried out tragically, waking up drenched from the nightmare.
She first looked at her surroundings.
She found that this was not any place she was familiar with.
However, feeling the cold natural environment around her, she felt that she should still be in the snowy mountains.
Then, she propped up her almost falling apart body, climbed out of bed, and opened the wooden door.
"Ugh!"
Blinding sunlight shone in, forcing her to close her eyes, and after adapting to the light, she looked outside.
Everything was white all around.
There were no zombies, no skeletons, and no sister who had died tragically.
Everything she had experienced last night seemed like a dream.
"Miss Marina, you're awake?"
Suddenly, a warm-sounding male voice came from behind her.
Marina turned her head, and Jack's figure appeared before her.
It's true! All of this is real!
"Traveler Brother!"
The underage soldier girl couldn't hold back after all and directly threw herself into Jack's arms, crying like a bursting dam.
Jack comforted the Ice Cicins Mage girl, casually creating a chair made of tree roots and pulling her to sit down.
"Cry, cry. Don't say those self-deceiving words about Snezhnaya people not believing in tears anymore. Everyone should know how to grieve."
Listening to Jack's comforting words, the girl cried even louder.
Half an hour later, Jack helplessly arrived in front of Lumine and Mona, who were warming themselves by the fire, with the Ice Cicins Mage girl hanging on his right arm.
Lumine raised an eyebrow: "No, you're already taking advantage of the situation? You should at least wait until her family's first seven days of mourning are over."
"First seven?"
Mona looked at Jack in confusion.
It was another otherworldly term she didn't understand.
"It's a legend that on the seventh day after a person dies, they return home to inform their family that they've departed, to put their family at ease."
"??"
Mona was a bit stunned: "What is all this?! You're joking, aren't you? You must be joking!"
"What, is the great Water Seer actually afraid of ghosts?"
Lumine seemed to have discovered a New Continent, thinking whether she should instigate Hutao to broaden Mona's horizons.
Thump!
Jack tapped Lumine's smooth forehead.
"Don't scare people there, Mona, you too. Nine out of ten of Lumine's words can't be trusted."
Lumine raised her swan-like neck: "Then what about the one?"
"No need to finish the tenth sentence, just start beating her up!"
"You… you're bullying me again! Paimon, let's go, we can't stay in this house anymore!"
Lumine huffily pulled Paimon, wanting to walk outside.
However, Paimon didn't join her in the fuss this time.
Her small hand was wrapped in a cloth around a strange piece of dried meat, and her bun-shaped face was filled with a conflicted expression.
After a long while, Paimon looked at Jack: "Jack, do you think this meat will taste good?"
Jack glanced at the rotten meat in her hand, feeling that he had still underestimated Paimon's curiosity.
"If you don't mind a poisoned debuff, you can try it, and strictly speaking, this stuff is no different from human flesh."
"Ew! Is, is that true?"
Paimon quickly dropped the rotten meat and hid behind Lumine, vigorously wiping her hands on the latter's clothes.
"Pai—mon!"
Lumine grabbed Paimon's cheeks with both hands, kneading her into various shapes.
Jack was too lazy to bother with them, and instead said to Mona: "How was your rest last night? Is your stomach still bloated?"
Mona haughtily tossed her hair: "Hmph! Who do you think I am? The great Water Seer won't be defeated by mere potion side effects."
"Is that so? Then who was it that asked me for an emetic yesterday?"
"Who, who was it... Paimon! Yes, it must be Paimon. She eats so much, I don't know where it all goes, she must often have stomach problems!"
As if finding a reasonable explanation, Mona nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
Jack comforted Mona's hat.
Mona lowered her eyes, blushing as she enjoyed Jack's caress.
Not long after, the four of them sat around the bonfire, with Paimon floating lazily in the air.
Jack glanced at Marina—the only ordinary person among them—and asked, "Don't you have something you want to ask?"
The Ice-Glow Cicin Mage hugged her knees, her eyes carrying a faint sorrow.
"I can probably guess without asking. Kirill—the Electro Cicin Mage—and the others… they sacrificed themselves, didn't they?"
Jack nodded. "Yes. To protect you, they were consumed by corpse aura and turned into zombies."
"..."
Marina pressed her lips together and wiped the corner of her eyes.
"…Strange, the wind feels a little strong. I'll just… head back to my room for now."
But just as she rose to leave, a noisy chatter came from behind her.
"No way, Big Sister Head! You've slept almost the whole day—are you still not awake?"
"Shut it, Old Lei. Big Sister Head's taking her beauty nap. Otherwise, how could she catch Big Brother's eye? Right, Ice Fatty?"
"I told you not to call me Ice Fatty! But… yeah, I agree with that part."
Marina froze. She covered her mouth as tears she thought she'd lost forever began streaming down her face. Slowly, she turned.
Three figures stood there in Snezhnayan uniforms—one purple, one red, one blue—grinning at her with their same old foolish smiles, waving as if nothing had changed.
——
"You really do love happy endings, don't you?" Lumine muttered, watching Marina scold the three soldiers like a proper Big Sister Head again. "Was it worth all that effort yesterday just to save three Fatui whose lifespans were already short?"
"There's no such thing as 'worth it' or 'not worth it,'" Jack replied simply. "If I'm willing, that's all that matters."
He tossed a golden apple to Paimon, who caught it with her mouth.
"Dummy Paimon!" Lumine scolded, snatching it away. "Do you even know what this is? A golden apple is precious!"
Jack just shrugged. "Relax. I've got plenty. Gold ingots aren't worth much anyway."
Lumine rolled her eyes. "You really don't know the cost of living until you manage a household! Have you forgotten you have an entire family behind you? Ever heard of saving?"
Jack chuckled and pulled her into his arms. "Yes, yes, I get it. Traveler wants to be the housekeeper. Fine. Come here, housekeeper—let your husband give you a kiss."
"Bah! Who's your—Mmm!—"
Her protest melted into a muffled sound as Jack stole a kiss.
From the side, Mona squirmed uncomfortably, neither able to leave nor admit she was envious. It was as if she were sitting on pins and needles.
"Mona."
"Wha—! Here!" she jolted upright.
Jack smirked. "Why so jumpy? Come here, let me kiss you too."
"You—you already have Traveler! Aren't you afraid… in front of her…"
"I'm not afraid. Are you?"
"You—"
Mona's face burned. How could someone be this shameless?!
Yet, even as she tried to resist, her feet betrayed her, carrying her closer step by step. Jack didn't wait—he summoned a vine, pulled her straight to him, and pressed his lips against hers.
Her mind went blank, her thoughts completely fried.
In that moment, Mona felt as though she had glimpsed mysteries deeper than the starry sky itself.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/TripleCrown07
If you guys wanna check it out.