When Ji Feng opened his eyes, he found himself back in his familiar male body, lying against a tree trunk.
Two girls were before him. Kokomi stood a short distance away, gently waving her feather fan, while Nahida sat on the other side, reading a book and idly swinging her little feet.
For an instant, he felt as though he had transmigrated to Teyvat!
Unfortunately, he soon came to his senses and remembered that he had transmigrated to Douluo and summoned these two desk-job five-stars.
After helpfully reading his mind, Nahida glanced at Ji Feng and said, "You just woke up, and you're already talking trash about us in your head."
"What did he say?" Kokomi asked curiously.
"He said little Kokomi and I are useless five-stars with no combat ability," Nahida repeated without batting an eye.
"What's wrong with telling the truth? Are either of you actually good at fighting?" Ji Feng didn't think much of it. He dusted himself off and stood up. "How long was I out?"
"Not long. Half an hour," Kokomi answered.
Ji Feng was inwardly speechless. These two had actually left him lying in the courtyard for half an hour. Wouldn't normal people have helped him into the house?
"I specifically told Kokomi not to move you. Being outdoors made it easier for me to heal you with my authority over Dendro. How else could you have woken up so quickly?" Nahida closed her book and walked up to Ji Feng on her short, pale little legs.
Nahida folded her arms across her chest, her emerald, four-leaf pupils staring straight at him as she said imperiously, "Would our host please explain why you treat Sangonomiya Kokomi and me differently? She can move freely out here, while I'm reduced to nothing but a tool!"
Ji Feng looked embarrassed and could only avert his eyes.
"Well, uh, that's..."
After unexpectedly awakening, Nahida had not only refrained from disrupting the ritual but had even taken the initiative to heal him afterward. That suddenly made him look a little... less than decent.
"You weren't decent to begin with!" Nahida couldn't help retorting.
"Could you stop reading my mind whenever you please? You're violating my right to privacy!"
Ji Feng shouted in displeasure, then had no choice but to return to the trade he'd practiced ever since summoning characters: bargaining with his summons. At this rate, he felt he would soon become a master negotiator...
Wait! Something suddenly occurred to him.
"I request representation by legal counsel! I demand that Sangonomiya Kokomi speak on my behalf!"
At that, Kokomi hid half her face behind her fan, leaving only her smiling eyes visible. "Oh? Then just use my body."
Ji Feng had actually meant for Kokomi herself to take over. After using both Nahida and Kokomi, he had discovered something.
When he transformed into them himself, there were still differences from the originals. Kokomi herself seemed a little smarter than his transformed version, while his transformed Nahida seemed much more reckless than the real Nahida.
Nahida couldn't accept this! She wanted to negotiate for her own interests! How could negotiating with Kokomi be the same as negotiating with Ji Feng?
But as the God of Wisdom, Nahida let none of that show. Instead, she smiled faintly and reassured him, "That's true. Although our esteemed host wears an adult's shell, his mind... is still that of a child, after all. Asking you to negotiate with me alone, without an adult beside you to keep things in check, really would be too much."
An utterly undisguised provocation, but against certain people, it counted as a super-effective attack.
That was what Kokomi thought.
"Hah, hilarious!" Sure enough, Ji Feng immediately bristled. "You think I'd be afraid of some virtual God of Smarty-Pants?! I'll show you a dimensional strike from the three-dimensional world!"
A glint of success flashed through Nahida's eyes, and she hurried to strike while the iron was hot. "In that case, I'll be direct. My terms are very simple."
"I want to stay outside all the time, just like Kokomi. Before borrowing my body, you must obtain my consent. You may not use my powers without permission. If special circumstances require an exception, you must compensate me accordingly!"
"At the same time, you must accept my instruction, acknowledge my position as your teacher, and respect my opinions. In return, I will provide the help and guidance you need."
Ji Feng found that completely unacceptable. "How could I possibly agree to that?! What if you never give permission? And I don't want another teacher!"
Nahida lifted her little face and countered with sound reasoning. "Don't you want to build a harem? In that case, why not just raise my affection toward you? Do you not believe in your own charm? Do you think you can't build a harem?"
The corner of Ji Feng's mouth twitched.
Seriously?! Now I have to spend my time winning over my summons, too?! Is there no justice left in this world?! Where are my absolute loyalty buff, omnipotent system, and hypnosis app?! Hurry up and save me!
He proposed his own terms. "How about this? Every time you use your own body, you need my permission. I can occasionally let you out for some fresh air, and from now on, you have to help me unconditionally! As the God of Wisdom, you should believe in your own wisdom and charm. Surely you can shine your light on me and reform me through your words and actions!"
"H-how could you do this! I had only just been summoned when my body was taken over. After I woke up, I didn't blame you. I even healed you, and this is how you treat me?" Nahida's little mouth turned down, her eyes reddened slightly, and her voice softened.
She turned her back, her pearly white shoulders trembling gently, as though she had begun to sob softly.
Ji Feng's harem-protagonist instincts kicked in, and he was about to go over and comfort her when Kokomi extended her fair arm and blocked him with her folding fan, mouthing, "Fake crying."
Kokomi then feigned anger. "My lord! Treating the God of Smarty- ahem, the God of Wisdom this way truly chills the heart. If you borrow Lady Nahida's body whenever you need it and put her back into the Genshin Impact Martial Soul whenever you don't, wouldn't Lady Nahida have no room to act at all? That simply won't do!"
Nahida understood, however. This was a naked threat! That sinister, devious Sangonomiya Kokomi!
"Then what would you suggest, Kokomi?" Ji Feng caught on instantly and played along.
"Lady Nahida is kind by nature and merely wishes to see more of this world. Lord Ji Feng, why not promise to let Nahida use her own body ordinarily? And even when my lord temporarily borrows it, you can allow Lady Nahida to reside in your mind as a soul avatar. Though this would impose on my lord, surely such sincerity would be enough to secure Lady Nahida's assistance."
Where was his sincerity?! And how was he being imposed upon?!
Doesn't that mean I have to hand over my body and work for free?!
Nahida seethed inwardly, secretly gritting her teeth.
But she was living under someone else's roof. What could she do? They had given her a step down, and she had to take it.
Through mind-reading, Nahida had already seen that Ji Feng had no intention of letting her take the initiative. She was also afraid of sliding into the worst possible situation, where she could only wander around using a split soul. Having a body now was better than that!
She could only work toward her goal slowly.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her bellyful of resentment, and slowly turned around.
"Kokomi... thank you."
First, she hurried forward and hugged Kokomi's arm, rubbing her little face against it. Her voice brimmed with dependence and gratitude. "You're truly a model of kindness and virtue~. Such a wonderfully good person. Before, I mistakenly thought you were scheming and difficult to get along with. I really was measuring a noble heart with a petty person's yardstick. It turns out you're so understanding, always thinking of me."
Kokomi looked thoroughly exasperated. She discreetly pushed her away and turned her head aside, too miffed to speak.
Having successfully sickened Kokomi, Nahida was delighted.
Nahida released her and turned toward Ji Feng, lifting her delicate little face.
Her eyes were still red, but she tried to make her smile gentler. "Dear host, I know you don't trust me. You're afraid I won't listen or agree to help you. I understand all of that."
"But I only... just arrived in this world. Before I even had a chance to see what my surroundings looked like, I was locked away in the dark. That feeling... wasn't pleasant."
She lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer. "When I woke up, you were the first person I saw. Although you borrowed my body, I wasn't angry, and I didn't blame you. Instead, I thought... perhaps you only did it because you had no other choice? After all, you're just an ordinary person without Soul Power..."
She raised her eyes, a faint sheen of tears shimmering in those emerald, four-leaf pupils. Her voice was so soft it seemed about to melt. "I'm not your enemy. I want to help you properly. It's just... I also hope you can sometimes treat me as a living person, rather than an object you can put away once you're done using it..."
"Could you please treat me well?"
Looking at that smile, Ji Feng felt as though something soft had bumped against his heart.
She's too cute!
What bad intentions could such a pure, kind, adorable Nahida possibly have?!
"No problem! I'll absolutely take good care of Nahida!" He agreed without hesitation!
Before you continue