"Naturally, I support Lumine~ (*˘︶˘*)"
"Oh? Why?" Aether watched Ying with keen interest.
"Because Lumine and I are closer~" Ying blinked her bright, clear, and intelligent eyes.
"Is that so... In that case, it seems I can't recruit you to the Abyss's side."
"Ah?! You want to drag me into the Abyss?!" Ying looked at Aether with astonishment.
"Mm, is that surprising?"
"Of course! Why would you, with nothing better to do, drag a weakling like me with only 5 combat power into the Abyss?!"
"Hmmph... If even your combat power is only 5, then ordinary people would surely be in the negatives?"
"Ah, this... Are you praising me? Σ(|||▽|||)"
Aether shook his head. "Just stating the facts."
"Hehe~ I'll take that as a compliment then (๑乛v乛๑)"
(Rite of Descension... Teasing... right...) Looking at the adorable girl before him, so similar yet so different from his own sister, Aether suddenly felt the urge to tease her a little.
"Although I'm not planning to send you to the Abyss... there's a condition."
"Ah? What condition?" Ying asked, looking at Aether in confusion.
"That is... to stay here with me until tomorrow noon."
"Stay with you until tomorrow noon... tomorrow noon?!"
"That's right."
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!"
"Oh? Why?"
"Why else! I'm supposed to rendezvous with Lumine tomorrow! If I stay until noon, won't I miss her?!"
"Don't worry, I'll arrange for you to meet her after noon."
"But... even if you say so... it's still no! This is non-negotiable (￣へ￣)" (Sigh... don't blame me. If I stand Lumine up, she'll definitely torment me for three days straight without letting me out of bed (t^t))
"Is that so... Then it seems I'll have to reconsider dragging you into the Abyss..."
"Ah?! Why?!"
"Because you've refused the condition," Aether said with a smile, looking at Ying.
"E"
"Aether, are you sleepy?!"
"Not at all, why?"
"Nothing, just asking~" (Hmph... watch how I torment you!) Ying muttered.
As Ying mumbled, she got up and walked behind Aether. She covered his eyes, pinched his nose, tugged his hair, and poked his body...
"What are you doing?" Aether asked, puzzled as Ying kept doing strange things to him.
"Getting revenge."
"Revenge? For what?"
"For not letting me sleep (￣へ￣)"
"I only asked you to stay with me until noon, I didn't say you couldn't sleep..."
"Hmph~ I don't care, I can't sleep outside."
"Is that so? Then shall I help you?"
"No! Don't erase my memories again, it's terrifying."
"Hmmph... Although you've already exposed yourself... I truly didn't expect you to say it directly."
"Ah, this... Did I slip up?! Wait... You said I exposed myself long ago?! When did that happen?!"
"Hmm... Probably when I saw you bickering with your mascot."
"This... You really heard that? Σ(|||▽|||)"
"Yes, even if I hadn't heard it, the topic of our conversation just now would have exposed you."
"Ah, this... When did you start plotting against me like this..." (I thought my acting was pretty good earlier... How embarrassing! Ahhhhh! (≧﹏≦))
"Who knows... In any case, you can stop trying to wear me out until I fall asleep. It's useless."
"Hmph~ You say it's useless, so it's useless? I insist on trying. And to be clear, if you dare bully me, I'll complain to Lumine about you later (￣へ￣)" (Hmph~ I refuse to believe it today!)
"...Then you can keep trying."
"You dare underestimate me?! Damn it... Either you fall asleep first, or I do!" With that, Ying resumed her assault on Aether.
Some time later...
Looking at the cute, dazed girl asleep on his lap, Aether shook his head helplessly, unsure of what to do.
Having such a cute girl sleeping on his legs, would it seem too straight-laced to just appreciate the night view? But in a way, she was also his sister...
Oh well, he dug this hole himself, he had to fill it, even if it meant tears. Besides, many people would be delighted to fall into such a wonderful hole.
Looking at the sleeping face of the dazed girl, a faint smile lingered on Aether's lips.
"Lumine... Looking at her, I feel a sense of déjà vu... You've found a good sister. I wonder what our next reunion will be like..."
Aether murmured to himself, his gaze growing more resolute.
The night passed in silence...
The next day...
"Mmm~" Ying sat up and stretched widely.
"Haa~ Slept so well (￣▽￣)"
"Awake?" Aether looked at his lap. Well... no drool, good.
"Mm... Awake... Hmm?! Aether, Aether, Aether?! What are you doing here?!"
"Are you... sleepy-brained?"
Aether touched Ying's forehead in confusion. "You're not running a fever, are you..."
"Ah? Ah... I think I met you yesterday..." Ying tapped her head.
"A goldfish's memory..."
"Hehe~ I slept too soundly! Oh right, right, right! I'm supposed to meet Lumine today!"
Ying quickly tried to get up to wake up Paimon and have her teleport them to Liyue Harbor, but as soon as she stepped forward, Aether grabbed her arm. Unable to stand steadily, she stumbled and fell to the ground.
"Ouch! Aether, what are you doing?" Ying rubbed her backside and looked at Aether with a pout.
"Did you forget what you promised me yesterday?"