Shortly after arriving on Watatsumi Island, Lumine received a mysterious letter.
Though its contents were somewhat peculiar, it at least confirmed that Mu Yang was unharmed.
He had simply overexerted his strength and was now recuperating at the Grand Narukami Shrine.
It would likely take some time before he could come to Watatsumi Island.
As for Mu Yang, he spent his days cultivating in his room.
He was contemplating the concept of Domain Expansion.
Time passed swiftly in the parallel Earth.
Version 2.1 arrived.
Guinaifen was already waiting eagerly at the door for the update.
Once the new version's main quest began, the player's perspective shifted to Watatsumi Island.
From Lumine's dialogue, it was revealed that Mu Yang was fine but needed to rest at the Grand Narukami Shrine for a while.
The ever-biased Little Gui immediately went full throttle, practically smashing the spacebar to skip the Watatsumi Island storyline.
Lumine's life on Watatsumi Island was relatively simple—she operated as part of the resistance.
She even became a small squad leader.
Through Guinaifen's livestream, Mu Yang noticed that the plot had undergone slight changes compared to the original.
Lumine, using her wit, deduced that the mysterious backers behind Watatsumi Island were the Fatui and the Kanjou Commission.
She warned Sangonomiya Kokomi to be cautious.
Meanwhile, the two training manuals Mu Yang had left behind also played a role.
The combat strength of Watatsumi Island's soldiers had improved significantly.
This led to a relatively low usage rate of Delusions.
But of course, some still used them...
Seeing the Watatsumi Island soldiers who had grown weak from Delusion-induced life-force drain, Lumine finally uncovered the Fatui and Kanjou Commission's scheme.
She urged Kokomi and Gorou to confiscate the Delusions immediately.
Then, she headed straight for the Delusion Factory—only to be hit with a scripted defeat.
The invincible Lumine fell once again...
Her eyelids grew heavier, and just before they shut completely,
she caught sight of two familiar figures.
One was the Grand Narukami Shrine's Guuji, Yae Miko.
The other was Mu Yang.
"Mu Yang..."
Then, she lost consciousness.
In the players' view, Mu Yang picked Lumine up and carried her out of the Delusion Factory,
leaving Yae Miko to face Scaramouche alone.
Guinaifen's Livestream
Someone was putting on a tough act.
"Folks, if I told you I saw this coming, would you believe me?"
"He always shows up at the most critical moment."
[No matter how tough your mouth is, your heart rate in the bottom-left corner doesn't lie.]
[Getting emotional?]
[She got carried by Mu Yang again—I propose we all start pretending to faint.]
[GODDAMN IT, GAN! You're a genius! I bet your IQ is over GODDAMN 160!]
[I thought they were gonna fight.]
[Did Mu Yang not rest enough?]
Little Gui glared at the chat, exasperated.
"Seriously, folks, even if you've never been in a relationship, haven't you at least seen one?"
"Our protagonist just passed out, and you're still talking about fighting—can't you prioritize?"
"Ugh, I can't even."
[Streamer spitting facts.]
[Lumine's safety comes first.]
Mu Yang carried Lumine out of the Delusion Factory, and the screen faded to black.
When Lumine opened her eyes again, she saw Mu Yang sitting by her bedside.
Mu Yang reacted quickly. "Awake? Do you feel unwell?"
Lumine shook her head. "I'm fine."
Though she said she was fine, Mu Yang still gave her a quick checkup.
Perhaps sensing the slightly intimate atmosphere from the close examination,
Lumine changed the subject. "Where's Paimon?"
"Outside chatting with the Guuji. I assured them you'd be fine."
The two stepped outside to find Paimon being toyed with by Miko.
As soon as Miko saw Lumine, she remarked, "Good, nothing serious. It'd be such a shame if you broke after all the trouble we went through to fish you out."
Lumine thanked Miko and Mu Yang, admitting she had been a bit reckless.
Mu Yang told her not to worry—what mattered was that she was safe.
Of course she was safe. How could she not be?
Mu Yang had been waiting there the whole time, with 'Untraceable' lingering on Lumine the entire duration.
Even though he knew no actual fight would break out in that scene.
Paimon took the chance to complain to Lumine—today's Yae Miko was nothing like the one they'd met before.
Her demeanor and speech were completely different.
Miko chuckled. "Oh? I've always been like this, you know?"
Truthfully, Paimon was just too easy to tease.
"I do have a question, though—how exactly did you save me from that Harbinger?"
Since Mu Yang hadn't come to Watatsumi Island, it meant he might not have fully recovered.
That left only Yae Miko as the one who could've intervened.
Paimon chimed in, "Paimon was so worried about you back then, Paimon didn't even notice what happened between those two in the factory."
"Why didn't Scaramouche chase after us?"
The cunning fox spun a tale without hesitation.
"It was a secret technique of the Grand Narukami Shrine—made that Scaramouche guy kneel and beg for mercy in an instant. Believe it?"
Lumine's expression: "..."
Do I look like I believe that?
"I gave him the Electro Archon's Gnosis~"
Lumine's eyes widened. "What?!"
Miko had just casually handed over the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis to the Fatui?!
Even if it was to save her, wasn't that too much—
"Don't look at me like that~ If someone hadn't just picked you up and left..."
(Yae Miko was referring to Mu Yang.)
"...I wouldn't have had to resort to this. I can't beat Scaramouche, you know? He's the 6th of the Fatui Harbingers~"
Lumine still felt the price was too steep.
It was all her fault for charging in without backup.
"No need to feel so guilty, little one. If you really want to repay me, prove it with your actions."
"You're still... concerned about the Delusions, aren't you?"
Lumine nodded. "What happened to the Delusion Factory?"
Miko assured her.
"That Divine Priestess of Watatsumi has already sent her people to clear it out. A strict military order has also been issued to ban Delusion use."
Since Scaramouche had already taken the Gnosis and left the factory, the cleanup operation proceeded smoothly.
Miko sighed dramatically.
"Ah, if only I hadn't rushed back to check on you, I would've loved to see those Fatui suffer."
She mused, "That Sangonomiya Kokomi really is something. I'd love to have a proper chat with her again."
"Too bad... conflicting beliefs are such a nuisance."
Lumine frowned. "A nuisance... Should the Guuji really be saying that?"
Mu Yang didn't expose her.
Who knew how long these two had been pen pals?
It definitely wasn't just some "conflicting beliefs" like she claimed.
Miko returned to the main topic.
"Anyway, I told you all this just to put your mind at ease so you can focus... on doing something for me."
"What is it?" Lumine asked bluntly.
Since Miko had used the Gnosis to save her, she owed her this much.
"I want you to go see her."
"Her? The Raiden Shogun?"
"Not the puppet—I mean the real her."