After bidding farewell to Venti and Zhongli, his two fishing buddies, Jack and Ganyu headed straight for Narukami Shrine.
However, upon arriving, they found that Yae Miko was not there.
Subsequently, they caught a shrine maiden and asked directly.
"Do you know where your Guuji-sama went?"
"Uh… Guuji-sama's whereabouts are always beyond our… "
"As Raiden Shogun's man, I will double your monthly allowance!"
"The golden-haired Traveler was with Guuji-sama at the time. They should be together!"
"What's your name?"
"Reporting, Divine Lord, my name is Inoue Yumi."
"Take my token. When you collect your allowance next month, it will naturally be tripled."
After rewarding the perceptive shrine maiden, Jack returned home.
Yae Miko's whereabouts were hard to determine, but Lumine's were different.
At least, before that guy finished digesting the pile of entertainment food at the general store, she wouldn't restart her journey.
...
Minecraft World, Sky City.
Jack and Ganyu descended onto the street west of the main building.
On the quiet, deserted street, there was only one shop.
The shop was called "Lumine-chan Internet Cafe."
It was called an internet cafe, but in reality, there was only one arcade machine and many comic books piled up, far from the otaku base Lumine envisioned.
"Oh? A shop opened here?"
"Lumine opened it for fun. As the inner city of Sky City, more and more people will come here in the future. Everyone sets up their respective shops according to their preferences. This was Keqing's idea."
"I see, that's quite like her style. After all, she planned many of Liyue's new developments."
The two walked into the shop together.
The door opened, but the interior was empty.
"It seems they're not here either."
"No, they must have been here."
Jack looked at where the arcade machine should have been, but it was empty.
Because this type of arcade machine was already a relatively complex industrial product, it sold for quite a high price at the general store. Even with Lumine's spending habits, even if she pulled in investors, she only managed to acquire one.
"So they must have returned to Lumine-chan Internet Cafe and taken the game machine with them."
And in the entire Minecraft World, besides Sky City where Jack and Ganyu were currently standing, which provided charging for arcade machines, there was only one other place left.
"They went back to Linjian Cabin."
...
Linjian Cabin, Living Room.
The cabin, which had become somewhat desolate after its owner moved to a larger place, began to bustle with activity again.
Around the arcade game machine, four or five people gathered, watching Fischl and Collei battle, including the novice Lumine, who had been eliminated early.
As the screen flashed "KO!"
Collei sighed and collapsed onto the arcade machine.
"Ahahaha! Paimon, report the score!"
"Beep beep! Fischl vs. Collei, 2-0, a perfect victory! Congratulations to Her Royal Highness Fischl on achieving an eight-game winning streak!"
"Excellent! Paimon, your memory is very good. This 100 world coin is your reward."
Fischl carelessly tossed out a world coin.
As an experienced adventurer, she would grind tirelessly in the Minecraft World dungeons whenever she had free time, accumulating a large number of items to sell.
She was now one of the few wealthy women among them.
Paimon happily took the world coin, almost saying she wanted to be Her Royal Highness's dog, and quickly told Collei to move.
"Loser, please exit the stage! Next up is… Yoimiya-san!"
Yoimiya jumped up and raised her hand in a gesture.
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Collei, don't be discouraged, I will definitely defeat Her Royal Highness and avenge you!"
"Wuwu, Yoimiya-nee-san!"
Collei sobbed and hugged Yoimiya's slender waist.
Fischl was truly too much of a bully. It hadn't been long since her Eleazar healed, and her fingers were already uncoordinated. To be humiliated with a shutout like this, she now had a phobia of The King of Fighters.
"Ah, um… Don't cry, don't cry. Wait, Lumine, you rascal, don't take this opportunity to pull my bandage!"
The arcade area was bustling with excitement.
Opposite them was an indoor swimming pool.
Using wooden boards for isolation, pouring in infinite water, and throwing in a few pieces of Agnidus Agate would turn ordinary spring water into a comfortable hot spring.
Yae Miko, the party's organizer, was resting there.
"They're such energetic young people, Ei. Why don't you go play a couple of rounds too?"
Inside the hot spring, Yae Miko, sitting diagonally, patted Raiden Ei's shoulder.
Ei merely glanced and then turned her head away.
She had no interest in battles that didn't involve "blood."
"Such games, like children learning martial arts, let them play. I have no interest."
"Oh my, is it no interest, or are you afraid of losing to a group of young girls who aren't even a hundred years old?"
Nahida, nearby, tilted her head, feeling a little heartbroken.
Does being over a hundred years old mean one is no longer a young girl?
"Reverse psychology is useless on me, Yae Miko. You should focus on tomorrow's Divine Wedding ceremony."
Ei completely ignored the bait, sitting cross-legged in the water, appearing to be in meditation.
Yae Miko pouted.
"Tsk, what a boring woman."
Just as she got up, preparing to grab some snacks and drinks.
The door opened.
Tap~ tap~ tap~
Jack walked steadily from the entrance.
Arriving at the arcade area.
The two combatants immediately ceased fighting, sitting upright and still, like naughty students caught slacking off by their teacher.
Their peripheral vision inadvertently met.
[Fischl: Wow! Why is he here? Didn't we agree not to call him?]
[Yoimiya: I don't know, Ganyu-san is also behind him. Did Ganyu-san bring him?]
[Fischl: No! Ganyu-san, like Acting Grand Master Jean and the others, is too busy to attend the party, you forgot!]
[Yoimiya: Oh oh, speaking of which, our General Kujou didn't come either.]
[Jack: I set up your private chat channel, so can you please not chat so blatantly?]
"Eh!!" × 2
Yoimiya and Fischl immediately embraced each other.
Jack chuckled at their comical appearance.
He walked past the board game area, the card game area… finally stopping at the indoor pool, in front of Yae Miko.
"Who told me yesterday that she would be busy all day with wedding rehearsals and was afraid I'd be clumsy, so she sent me to Liyue to fish?"
"Oh my, dear, would you like to join me for a bath? There's Agnidus Agate here, so it's a hot spring~"
"When you need something, you're 'dear,' but when you don't, you're an 'enemy.' It seems you also have a very flexible set of principles, Yae Miko."
Facing her partner, who was demanding an explanation, Yae Miko made a fox shape with her hands and blinked her eyes.
"Mew~"
"Acting cute won't work! You all… you've truly gone too far!"
Jack's sudden increase in volume instantly silenced everyone present.
Even Nahida, who was lying in the hot spring with her belly swollen, was startled and stood up.
Everyone leaned in to listen.
Then, Jack said with deep anguish: "You had a party and didn't invite me! Yae Miko! Was that your idea?!"
"Eh?"
Yae Miko, whose eyes had narrowed in fear, opened them wide and pointed at herself, somewhat surprised, saying, "No, my little enemy, aren't you concerned that I lied to you?"
"You've lied to me countless times; let's not talk about that for now. Just make some space for me."
"Oh."
Jack took off his clothes and jumped directly into the hot spring. With a swift scoop, he embraced the soft and fragrant Nahida, gently stroking her tender belly.
"It's alright, it's alright, carry on!"
"Oh, you scared this princess! Come on, let's go for another three hundred rounds!"
"Two bamboos, pong! Three characters."
"Six dots! Oh no, why is it Qiqi's territory? Boohoo, Klee has to pay again."
Arcade games, mahjong, Monopoly—the party was in full swing, and the surroundings grew noisy once more.
Meanwhile, by the hot spring, Jack asked Yae Miko, "So, what exactly are you all doing?"
"The Ultimate Singles Day Party."
Yae Miko held up her index finger with a serious expression.
"I read about this in a novel. Some places have a tradition of holding bachelor/bachelorette parties before marriage, but since everyone would surely run to your bed at night, my little enemy, and we couldn't gather people, I decided to hold this during the day—a Singles Day Party!"
"Then what was your reason for not inviting me?"
Yae Miko looked disdainfully at Nahida, whose face was already starting to blush.
Clearly, someone's hands were misbehaving and had already started wandering.
"Because if you were here, it would turn into the Ultimate Singles-Day-Party!"
"..."
Jack's hand, which was pinching Nahida's little bottom, paused. He lowered his head and looked at Nahida, whose breathing had already quickened.
There was no room for rebuttal.
-------------------------------
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