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Ayaka is a quite centered person most of the time. Having grown to uphold the Clan’s reputation and living a life in favour of others, leading the Commission alongside her brother since a very young age, that’s something she learned to be. Not many things can sway her polite - yet genuine - smile, her graceful step, her impeccable posture. Even as she fights, Ayaka mostly keeps the composure of a true lady, rarely ever allowing her true wishes and feelings to come to surface.
Until a certain traveler came by, that is.
Ayaka’s heart still speeds up a few beats whenever she thinks of their outing together, sometimes at inconvenient times. There are times when she wonders how genuine the affection was, if she wasn’t just dragging Lumine and the traveler - who has far too many things on her plate already - just went along with it. But she then scolds herself; it is disgraceful to think of a friend in such a manner, especially since the other expressed friendship for her as well.
And Lumine knows how to say no. She would have, if the prospect of spending her time in Ayaka’s company had bothered her. So there’s no reason to fret over this aspect, the doubts being but silly thoughts brought by the insecurity of having a friend who understands her so deeply for the very first time.
What eats at Ayaka more deeply is the strange, constant wish to be in Lumine’s presence after the festival. Whenever she’s by herself, or even walking the streets of Inazuma City, she cannot stop the ever so present longing to see Lumine, to talk to her, or to even just stand by her side. Ayaka feels it with her whole body; legs aching to walk and find Lumine, arms painfully begging to embrace her, hands prickling to touch Lumine - to hold her hand.
Most of all, she feels it with her heart and mind. With thoughts of all she wants to do and with the beats in her ribcage stronger than ever.
And Ayaka wonders, is it so wrong to want so fully? Is it so selfish, wanting someone for yourself with all that you are?
She doesn’t know the answers, and there are times that she doesn’t really care for them. If wanting Lumine this badly meant that her supposed perfection would be stained, then so be it. Perfection doesn’t put her mind at ease, doesn’t pull smiles from her so easily, doesn’t make her laugh genuinely instead of politely.
It scares her, though, that she feels so pulled to Lumine that the image she has built for so many years ceases to matter. Of course, she wouldn’t actually indulge the thoughts of making it crumble. There’s too much at stake for her to do so.
It’s still highly shocking to her that she feels the urge to do things that aren’t ideal in the slightest, considering her position.
Her conclusion about all this is that her feelings for Lumine are distracting, scary and somewhat dangerous, yet good, thrilling and heartwarming. They give her courage, make her want to dance and to freely take flight, strive for both the happiness of the people and for her own.
These are the feelings that make Ayaka’s mind wonder the most, and there is no evidence that would argue against what, to her, is obvious. Lumine sees her as a friend, and her feelings most likely don’t stray in the same direction as Ayaka’s. And Ayaka is entirely okay with admiring her from afar, longing and aching, yet never touching.
Lumine has her own matters to attend. She has a brother to find, and a world that can be either her ally or rage against her with fury ahead, full of work to be done. How can Ayaka want Lumine to give her anything more, when this world has already demanded so much of her already, and will demand even more?
Surprisingly, what puts Ayaka’s mind at ease is the sight of Lumine, standing before a crafting table, focused on whatever she was working on, with Paimon floating by her side. The small crease of her eyebrows, the determined look in her eyes, the way her hands moved expertly, like she had done that many times before. A small smile tugs at Ayaka’s lips, and she decides to approach Lumine; while the traveler doesn’t notice, Paimon does, waving excitedly at Ayaka with a bright smile, to which Ayaka responds with a shy smile and a wave of her own.
When Lumine is done, she finally looks at Ayaka, and the way her eyes gleam, accompanied by a large smile, almost knocks the wind out of Ayaka’s lungs. For the love of Her Excellency, Ayaka is so done for.
“Your many talents never cease to amaze me, traveler,” Ayaka says, surprisingly succeeding at keeping her composure. “I never knew you were knowledgeable about alchemy, as well.”
“It comes in handy when I need some materials,” Lumine responds, chuckling lightly.
“Yeah!” Paimon agrees. “Paimon is sure you could learn in no time, though, Ayaka! You’re so good in so many areas…”
“Oh, uh… I don’t know about that,” Ayaka rubs her arms, slightly nervous. “I might make it explode. Much like when I tried to cook last time.”
“Oh, but with Lumine teaching you, I’m sure you’d be great at it!” is the response, and there’s something knowing in Paimon’s tone that Ayaka can’t put her finger on. “After all, you did learn pizza from her.”
“I believe that’s not that good of an idea, Paimon,” Lumine starts. “Alchemy and cooking are some leagues apart. I don’t think I’m suitable to teach alchemy...”
“It’s… it’s alright!” Ayaka assures quickly, and then, noticing her pitch, she clears her throat. “It’s quite alright, there’s no need to worry. I wouldn’t want to burden you.”
“Ohh, I’m quite sure-” Paimon starts, but is interrupted by Lumine. A slightly blushing Lumine.
“It wouldn’t be a burden,” she shakes her head. “If I ever get good enough at it, I’ll be sure to try and teach you.”
“Thank you. It would be an honour to learn from you,” Ayaka smiles softly. “Anyway… anything else brings you to Inazuma City other than the craft of goods?”
“Not really,” Lumine shakes her head as they start walking. “Just taking a small break before continuing my journey. I might be around for the night too, before getting back on the road.”
“Ah, I see,” Ayaka nods. They keep walking in silence - which is surprising, considering that Paimon usually talks a lot - and there are a few times when Ayaka feels Lumine’s hand brush against her own. They are light, brief touches, not once lasting more than two heartbeats. She still gulps, though, and feels the need to speak up. “Do you… do you have anywhere to stay tonight? S-since you said you’d stay around for the night.”
“Oh, I-”
“We don’t!” Paimon exclaims, receiving a glare from Lumine. Ayaka tilts her head, slightly confused. “We didn’t have the time to sort it out yet.”
“If that’s so…” Ayaka hesitates for a second. “Would you… would you like to stay the night at Kamisato State?”
“Can we really?!” Paimon asks, a mix of excitement and disbelief. “Is it appropriate for us to stay at your home like that?”
“But of course,” Ayaka says gently and smiles. “You are dear friends of mine who I hold in the highest esteem. You’re more than welcome to be wherever I am.”
“If that’s so…” Paimon starts. “Let’s have a slumber party!”
“A… slumber party?” Ayaka’s brows crease briefly.
“Yeah! Haven’t you…” Paimon stops in mid sentence, and her features sadden a little. “Oh, right… Ayaka didn’t have any friends to do these things with before us…”
“Paimon!” Lumine scolds, her tone shifting to a sternness that Ayaka hadn’t seen in such casual occasions. Paimon seems to start getting defensive before Ayaka intervenes.
“Oh, there’s no need for that,” Ayaka chuckles lightly. “She is right, after all…”
“No one needs to be reminded of such a thing, though,” Lumine responds. And then comes an almost unnoticeable grumble. “It makes you sad…”
“It’s alright, really. I have you, now,” Ayaka lets slip, looking Lumine in the eyes and seeing them widen slightly. She feels her face grow warm, and looks away. “Ahem. Both of you.”
“That’s right!” Paimon exclaims. “You can count on us!”
Lumine simply nods, looking at Ayaka affectionately.
“Thank you both,” Ayaka gives a small nod. “Now, as for the slumber party…”
“Oh! It’s when friends decide to stay the night at the home of one of them, and sleep in the host’s room! They dress in sleepwear, talk about silly things until it’s late, play some games… and most importantly, eat snacks!”
“I see… it sounds like a fun activity.”
“It is! Especially the ‘snacks’ part!”
“Well, if you and Lumine want to do that, I wouldn’t object,” Ayaka says, smiling. She and Paimon look at Lumine, both putting on their best puppy eyes - Ayaka doing so without noticing.
“I see that you two are teaming up on me,” Lumine says playfully, and Paimon laughs. Ayaka gives a giggle of her own. “I’m up for it.”
“Great!” Ayaka exclaims excitedly, and then blinks, clearing her throat. “I will see the arrangements done for our slumber party. Is there anything in particular that I should know about the preparations?”
“Nothing I can think of,” Lumine shakes her head. “Don’t stress yourself too much, though. We should all enjoy it.”
Ayaka resists the urge to say that she enjoys herself a lot when doing things for Lumine. Instead, she playfully says, “I will try not to.”
Ayaka is stressed.
Not because of the preparations themselves, though, so it’s not like she’s going against her word. There’s still a hint of dignity in her, despite the fact that her mind is running miles, the reason being…
Well, Paimon said that they would be sleeping in the same room, in their sleep wear. Which means that Ayaka will see Lumine wearing her sleep wear, and Lumine will see her. She wonders if wearing something fancy would be overdoing it, and if dressing in her usual one would pass the message of not putting enough thought on it.
These thoughts are mixed with wondering how Lumine would look in sleep wear. Ayaka doesn’t even have an idea on what to imagine, seeing as Lumine’s usual attire is not like anything she’s ever seen. Reminded of how Lumine said that she sticks with her usual outfit because it’s important to her, Ayaka wonders if Lumine owns sleep wear. Which makes her wonder if she should arrange any for the traveler.
She ends up deciding against it as the thoughts almost cause her to burn the pizza she was making. The cooks had offered to do it, but Ayaka insisted on baking it herself. It was something that she wanted to do, to show the appreciation and thought she puts on the friendship they share.
When Ayaka is done in the kitchen, it’s actually almost time for the duo’s arrival, which causes a swarm of butterflies to go wild in her stomach. She feels excitement both to spend time with her friends and to be with Lumine. Heading to her chambers, she sees the maids just finishing the work she had started, arranging everything according to her instructions.
Ayaka instructs that Lumine and Paimon should be led somewhere to change into sleeping wear upon arrival if needed, and then directly to her chambers. She then decides to go through her sleeping clothes again, settling for a simple, but still nice looking, white yukata with sakura bloom designs, and after debating herself for a while, she decides to change into the outfit.
Just as Ayaka finishes dressing up, she hears the familiar pitch of Paimon’s voice and the much more collected tone of Lumine’s. Her heart speeds slightly, and she involuntarily ends up listening to a bit of their conversation.
“...being left out?” it’s Lumine’s voice, playful, but with a hint of nervousness.
“Yeah, but don’t you want some… alone time?” Paimon’s voice gains that knowing tone again. “Paimon may be bad at noticing moods, but this one can be read even by the illiterate!”
“Okay, alright. Fine. But can you please keep it down?” Ayaka barely hears it, as it came through gritted teeth. It’s scolding, but there’s no malice to her tone.
“Oh, right. Hehe. Sorry,” Paimon sounds genuinely apologetic. Not long afterwards, there is knocking on the chamber’s door, startling Ayaka slightly as she realizes she was eavesdropping. She scolds herself for her rudeness, and only recovers when there’s more knocking.
“Ayaka?” Lumine calls out, a bit of concern in her voice that makes Ayaka’s heart squeeze.
“Y-you may come in,” Ayaka says quickly, back turned to the door as she inspects the large futon and the setting of the little furniture she kept in her room. The window lets in the ocean breeze, and as the door opens, so comes… wait, is Lumine wearing perfume?
The scent makes Ayaka turn around, and she finds Lumine standing before her with a yukata as well. And not any yukata… it’s one of Ayaka’s favourites, though she never uses it, having expressed to the estate maids that she believes it’s nicer to look at than to wear. Apparently, the maids found it convenient to have Lumine be the subject to test such belief, arranging the beautiful white and gold wear for her.
It’s surprising that Lumine didn’t go against it, and Ayaka finds herself promising some praises to Her Excellency for showing a brief surge of her kindness. A rare occasion, indeed.
Noticing that she had been staring, Ayaka clears her throat and her face flushes further when Lumine’s eyes snap from Ayaka’s form to her eyes. “G-greetings. Apologies for my delay in responding, I was… caught up.”
“Oh, uh… n-not at all,” Lumine shakes her head, chuckling nervously. Then, she rubs the back of her neck and grabs something. It’s a box. She holds it out for Ayaka to grab, who eyes the object and then Lumine curiously. “It’s for you. I- We decided it’s be a good idea to give you a small gift.”
“Oh…” Ayaka blinks, and eyes her two friends.
“Open it!” Paimon encourages. “It’s all yours!”
And so she does, opening the box with careful, gentle motions. The sight of what is inside hitches Ayaka’s breath as she finds a golden necklace which has a sakura flower for the pendant. It is made of sakura blooms, and there are elegant details drawn with silver. Looking closely, the blooms, yet still soft to the touch, have been infused with something that heightens their endurance, and the designs are of white herons.
She blinks, and then looks up at Lumine, finding the other’s gaze watching her reactions with unparalleled attention, piercing through Ayaka’s skin and finding her heart. Ayaka finally lets out her breath, and it comes out in a shaky sigh.
“Where did… where did you get this?” Ayaka mutters, eyes back to the necklace.
“I had the idea and went to Miss Kiminami to see how possible it was,” Lumine responds. “I… I, um… since you seemed to take interest in alchemy, I thought it’d be nice to give you something made from it. So I-I kind of crafted it myself…”
“Archons,” Ayaka’s voice is low, as she is overwhelmed by the effort Lumine put into making her this gift. “Lumine, you really didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to,” the traveler’s voice is firm, but there is gentleness in it as well. “If it puts you at ease… take it as a return gift for that hairpin you gave me.”
Ayaka chuckles, and decides to tease a little. “I haven’t seen you wear it to this day.”
“I don’t want it to be ruined,” Lumine responds quickly. “I’m always climbing things and… and fighting. I don’t want it to break.”
“Take it as an incentive to be careful,” Ayaka jokes, and both Lumine and Paimon chuckle.
“Kinda hard to do that with lightning all around,” Paimon tells Ayaka. “Lumine and I went exploring, and we almost got zapped off a cliff!”
Ayaka’s smile shifts subtly, and something in her freezes. “You what?”
“It was nothing, really!” Lumine exclaims. “Don’t worry about it, we’re used to that sort of stuff.”
“Was that really supposed to put my mind at ease?”
“Uh… from the sound of it, I think it didn’t work.”
“Not in the slightest,” Ayaka shakes her head. Lumine chuckles lightly, and it’s enough to finally put Ayaka at ease. Her focus shifts back to the necklace, and then back at Lumine. When she speaks, her voice is gentle, soft and barely there. “Help me put it on?”
“For sure,” the answer comes with no delay, and Ayaka smiles, handing the necklace to Lumine. She turns around, and soon enough, fingertips slide from her collarbones to the back of her neck, and neither their coolness or the one of the metal against her skin are the reason behind her shudder. When Lumine’s fingers linger, Ayaka’s breath stutters, and she almost asks Lumine to keep touching her. Still, the contact ends, leaving her skin begging for more of those calloused, gentle hands.
“Thank you,” Ayaka lets out with the breath she was holding.
“My pleasure,” Lumine mutters back, and only then does Ayaka notice how close she was; enough for her to feel their bodies pressed together if she leans back.
“Ohhh, snacks!” the moment is broken by Paimon’s excited voice. Ayaka feels all her blood rush to her cheeks, her face burning as she clears her throat. How unseemly of her to allow herself to get this… caught up when there’s another person around. “Is that pizza?”
“Ah, uh… i-it is,” Ayaka confirms, turning to look at Paimon, but avoiding Lumine’s gaze. “I, um, I thought it would be good to give your recipe a go…”
“Ahhhh, ‘t smells so good!” Paimon exclaims, already diving in. “Tastes so good, too!”
“Leave some to us, Paimon,” Lumine says with a laugh. Ayaka tries not to look at her, but the urge is stronger than her willpower, and she finds Lumine staring right back. When their eyes meet, both look away, blushes dusting their cheeks.
“Then eat faster!” Paimon shoots back, snapping them both out of their flustered states.
The trio eats the snacks, talking about many things, some about Lumine and Paimon’s journeys, and others about amusing events at nobility events Ayaka has attended to. Ayaka basks in the stories, watching in amazement as Paimon retells them and Lumine steps in to correct some exaggerations. They make a sweet duo, and though Lumine teases Paimon to get a rise out of her at times, it’s clear that the two genuinely care about one another.
“And then, there was this one time when we faced more than twenty hilicurls!”
“It was ten, actually,” is what Lumine says.
“We were surrounded! And it was night-”
“Day, actually,” she steps in again, “and we weren’t surrounded- surrounded. More like they tried surrounding us.”
“Stop blowing holes in Paimon’s story!” Paimon complains, adorably stomping her foot on air. Ayaka chuckles. “Don’t you want to impress Ayaka?!”
Ayaka is startled by that, and her gaze snaps to Lumine, expectantly and surprised. She finds it impressive how composed she looks; a feat Ayaka wouldn’t manage had the question been directed at her.
“Isn’t it better to impress her with what I’ve actually done?” Lumine asks. In an impulse, Ayaka responds:
“There’s no need to impress me, for you already had even before you laid your feet on Inazuma,” she starts. “Hearing the stories from you, though… it fills me with feelings much stronger than simply being impressed. The exaggerations of storytellers has nothing on… this.”
Lumine keeps looking her in the eyes, and once again, they are too close, sitting on the large futon with their backs against the wall, shoulders touching and hands not too far apart. As they face one another, Ayaka is able to stare directly into the gold of those enticing eyes. They hold so much light, at the same time that they seem wise and aged; Ayaka concludes that they remind her of the stars. And the intensity with which they take her in has Ayaka biting her lip, a motion that is accompanied by a brief drop of Lumine’s gaze.
Ayaka is vaguely aware of Paimon telling them that she would go see if there are more snacks. Lumine’s hand snakes upon hers, once again touching her gently with the calloused fingers, and Ayaka can’t help but turn her own hand upwards, interlacing their fingers in an intimate hold. There’s a silent question in the way Lumine squeezes her hand and looks her in the eyes, and all Ayaka manages is a nod.
Lumine’s face gets closer to hers, and Ayaka closes her eyes as a kiss is planted on her cheek before their foreheads are touching.
“Say it,” Lumine breathes out. “I… I need you to say it.”
Ayaka bites her tongue to stop an embarrassing sound, and then opens her eyes to look into Lumine’s once again. It takes her a while, but she finally manages, “kiss me.”
And Lumine does, placing her free hand on the curve of Ayaka’s neck and her lips over Ayaka’s, making something bloom in her chest. It takes a sigh out of her nose, and unsure of what to do with her own free hand, Ayaka keeps it on her lap. Still, she pressed against each of Lumine’s kisses, giving them back with just as much enthusiasm and mirroring the other’s motions; after all, if by doing that she can make Lumine feel as good as she is feeling, that is what Ayaka will do. The sighs and hums confirm her theory, and Ayaka keeps at it.
Kissing Lumine until her lungs burn, because how could she breathe when this is happening? But try as she might, she eventually finds herself unable to match the other’s insistent, incessant kisses, Lumine proving to have much more stamina than her. So against all the protests of her body, she pulls away, panting heavily with her eyes closed, but never allowing their foreheads to stop touching.
“Sorry,” Lumine says, seeming slightly breathless as well. The way her lips brush against Ayaka’s as she speaks sends heat all the way down the Shirasagi Himegimi’s spine. Reminded of her title, Ayaka almost laughs at what the people of Inazuma would think, were they to see the very young woman who upholds the Kamisato Clan’s reputation - and position - in this state. What the many suitors she has rejected would say. Lumine’s voice interrupts the thoughts, though. “I… I may have overdone it.”
“Not at all,” Ayaka responds. “I just needed to catch my breath for a second. May we… continue?”
“Yeah,” Lumine breathes the word out, and this time, she lets go of Ayaka’s hand to pull her onto her lap. Ayaka giggles at how easily Lumine does it, and cups the other’s cheeks to initiate yet another kiss and distract herself from the fact that she’s sitting on the girl’s lap, legs to the side.
Lumine places a hand on her waist while the other reaches to undo her ponytail, running her hand through the length after doing so. Ayaka sighs at the sensation, and one of her hands goes to Lumine’s neck and moves it up, caressing the skin and then gripping Lumine’s soft hair. The sound that leaves Lumine can only be defined as a low moan, and as she shudders against Ayaka, she also sucks her lower lip in.
Ayaka sighs at the feeling, and then whimpers when teeth graze her skin lightly. She has always read of clashes of tongues and all of that, but Lumine already makes her feel a similar way without any of that. The descriptions were either wrong or the authors never met anyone like Lumine.
Likely the second, Ayaka thinks to herself and presses closer. Lumine grips her waist with both hands not, but soon it descends to squeeze her hips, and Ayaka pulls her hair lightly. Coaxed by a light pull, Ayaka finally straddles Lumine, hugging the traveler’s shoulders while hands run her back. Rubbing all the tension, all the stress, everything off until Ayaka is the most relaxed she has been in Archons know how long.
Lumine is the one to pull away from the kiss this time, but Ayaka cannot find it in herself to complain as lips kiss up her jaw and Lumine suckles at her earlobe.
“We’d better stop for now,” the voice is low, strained, dangerous. Lumine noses at her neck and pulls her closer, betraying her own words. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”
Ayaka considers it for a few moments. Lumine has proven to be a lot of firsts for her ever since they met; first friend - along with Paimon -, first date she actually wanted to go in, first ‘hardcore’ crush… and now, first kiss. And Ayaka wants to bask in this, just as she had with all the other things that happened.
There’s no need to rush, after all.
“Yes, let’s stop,” Ayaka nods, and Lumine does, too. “Though, I… I do think it would be quite fitting to continue some other time. I-if you want, that is.”
“Anytime you want me,” Lumine starts, “I want you, too.”
“Stop putting my needs before yours,” Ayaka chuckles.
“You’re the one who started it. Just following your lead here.”
“You’re such a bully,” she pouts at Lumine, who pecks it. “First, you denied me. Now, you’re saying things like ‘anytime I want you’. Mixed signals, Lumine.”
“Hey! I’m not the bully here; you are the one that started teasing me out of nowhere,” Lumine glares playfully, and Ayaka chuckles. “Besides… could I ever resist you after seeing how pretty you are?”
Ayaka gives a surprised squeal and covers her face with her hands. “Please, don’t say those things so suddenly…”
Lumine chuckles. “That seemed like a good opportunity to say it, though. Pardon my timing.”
“Hmph,” Ayaka crosses her arms and closes her eyes, facing away in a playful display of indignancy. She enjoys how easy this is, seeing as rare are the times she can just… be like this. “I will see to it that the Yashiro Commission has a fitting reprimand in order.”
“And what are you going to say? That the traveler bullied you after an otherworldly make out session and then called you pretty?”
“Lumine!” Ayaka pushes her shoulder lightly, and Lumine just laughs. “Archons, you’re so crude. And here I thought you were so well-mannered.”
“The curses of intimacy, princess.”
They bicker for a while longer before Ayaka decides to slip from Lumine’s lap, sitting beside her with her head on her shoulder. They join hands once more, and Ayaka presses closer. She sighs and smiles before speaking up again:
“Have you… have you done this before?” is her question.
“A few times, yes. Why do you ask?”
“It’s… I wanted to know because it felt like you had experience, and it was also so good…” Ayaka’s voice grows lower. “I-it was my first time doing it. I wanted to know if… if it always feels that good.”
“It feels good, most of the time,” Lumine answers. “But… I-I think you might’ve been the best.”
“Even though I’m this inexperienced?”
“It’s not about that,” Lumine shakes her head. “It just… it hit differently, somehow.”
There is something unsaid there, something that stays in the air. Lumine’s face shifts, features hardening into something expressionless and gaze becoming distant as her body tenses up. She seems deep in thought, and Ayaka simply squeezes her hand to show support, deciding not to pry.
“I’m glad I made you feel as good as you made me.”
Lumine blinks and eyes her, and slowly, her face shifts back to the soft and relaxed expression she had before, eyes glistering and smile gentle. She kisses Ayaka’s cheek, and then pecks her lips.
Eventually, they return to the subject of Lumine’s adventures, and listening to the stories through her is even more exciting. Ayaka adores Paimon, but she has to admit that Lumine is her favourite storyteller. When she gets told about how the Eleventh of the Fatui Harbingers unleashed all his power at Lumine, it makes her blood boil in her veins, and one could almost believe she was a pyro wielder with how the atmosphere got heated.
“It’s fine now, though. In the end, I managed to stop him,” Lumine reassures. “There was this time he made me his brother’s babysitter, though. That was not fun. He’s a nice child and all, but Childe spoils him way too much, and it makes the boy such a pain to look after. Makes him believe that Ruin Guards are ‘toys’ to hide his identity as a Harbinger and supposedly protect his family. The boy believes that whoever is against them are ‘bad guys’. I wonder how he’ll turn out when he grows up.”
“Hmm, I see,” Ayaka nods. “You mean to say that he tried to murder you and then made you babysit the brother he lies to, possibly putting you in danger to protect his identity as someone who helps a nation seek the demise of others?”
“Well, when you put it like that…” Lumine mutters. “I am on his good side now, though. The less Harbingers I have attempting against me, the better. Signora is enough, already.”
“If you ever need assistance, don’t hesitate to come for me,” Ayaka says firmly. “I may have to act in secrecy, but I will act nonetheless.”
“I… I’ll remember that, thank you,” Lumine smiles. Then, they both yawn at the same time, which ends in a fit of giggles. “We should probably sleep now.”
“We should…” Ayaka nods. “Paimon isn’t coming back, is she?”
“...probably not.”
“Hm,” Ayaka lets out, and then yawns again. “Then I believe it would not be rude of me as a host to not wait up for her, would it?”
“Not really, she…” Lumine clears her throat, looking away with a blush. “She wouldn’t hold you accountable for that.”
“Okay, then,” Ayaka shifts until she’s lying on the futon, and Lumine does the same. They face one another, and Lumine pecks Ayaka’s lips one last time before pulling her closer, hugging her and sighing contentedly. “Goodnight, Lumi.”
“‘Night, princess.”
And like that, they shift into a peaceful slumber in one another’s arms. Ayaka concludes then that it is not greedy of her to want like this; not when the other person wants her just as much.