Lyney: Why Am I Always the One Doing Extra Training?

"I'm sorry, Xingsu..." Freminet sat awkwardly on the stool, her hands obediently resting on her knees, her head lowered and her eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to look at the others in the room.

"So, what exactly is going on?"

Paimon hovered in mid-air, hands on her hips, her round face puffed out as she glared at Xingsu in front of her. "I thought we were in cahoots, but you actually sent people to follow us!"

"Um, it's a misunderstanding," Xingsu explained. "The children were just ordered to stand guard at various locations, keeping watch for suspicious individuals and unusual movements during the festival, and it turned out you were the ones being targeted."

"How did we become suspicious persons?!" Paimon scratched the back of his head, looking completely bewildered.

"Going around the streets asking people about their wishes—either you're a journalist investigating or a con artist with ulterior motives. Surely no one would think some random millionaire is deliberately helping complete strangers fulfill their dreams on the street."

"But we only questioned one person!" Paimon suddenly realized, his eyes lighting up. "Oh right! We almost forgot, we suspect that person is..."

"That's where the problem lies."

"Huh?" Paimon spread out his little hands in confusion, completely baffled.

Xingsu got up and walked slowly to the wooden cabinet against the wall, gently kicking it twice. "Alright, stop hiding."

The words had barely left his mouth.

"Bang--!"

The tightly closed cabinet door suddenly sprang open! A burst of dazzling fireworks erupted, and golden and red ribbons danced in the air. A dazzling young man emerged from the cabinet.

"Give them a round of applause! Magician Lyney has pulled off another magic trick—a magical disappearing act!"

"Thump, thump! (Completely unfazed)." Lynette poked her head out from under the chair, her face expressionless.

Wow!

Ying and Paimon, who were sitting in chairs, looked down at the head that had suddenly appeared on the ground and were so frightened that they flew up.

"You, you're the one impersonating the Knight of Fass, and you, aren't you family? What are you doing here!"

"Sigh, it's come to this now. Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet, you guys introduce yourselves to the Traveler and Paimon."

"Hello, Traveler, Paimon." Lyney bowed slightly. "I am Lyney, the finest magician in all of Teyvat. Were you impressed by your impromptu performance just now?"

Paimon's lips twitched slightly, and he muttered helplessly, "This isn't magic... it's clearly something he hid in the closet beforehand!"

"Hello, I'm your brother's assistant."

"Such a brief introduction..."

All eyes naturally turned to the silent and reserved Freminet.

He slowly raised his eyes, his clear gaze timidly landing on Ying, but his mouth opened and closed several times, all the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Freminet's fingertips turned white with nervousness. A burning blush quickly spread from the tips of his ears. He lowered his head in embarrassment, and after a long pause, finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence:

"No, I'm so sorry... I..."

After saying that, he lowered his head and dared not look up at anyone.

"Um... never mind, let's not force him," Paimon quickly smoothed things over, then got back to the main point, "So what's going on? We've been kept in the dark the whole time!"

"Then I'll tell you in the most straightforward, direct, and to-the-point way—you've got the wrong person."

"Huh? But I clearly saw her appear after I thought of my family when I saw him!"

"Because Lynette and I are twins," Lyney explained. "We twins have an innate telepathic connection and a mutual resonance."

Lynette, standing to the side, gave a soft hum and nodded, tacitly agreeing with her brother's statement.

Ying, still full of doubt, examined the Damselette's soft cat ears and fluffy tail, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you really siblings? Lynette's ears and tail... are they really not something Lyney imagined?"

"Lynette's earlobes are natural," Lyney continued, "And because of this, she was treated differently several times when she was young, and even put in danger on several occasions."

Upon hearing this, Paimon immediately waved his hand apologetically, "I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to bring up your sad story!"

"Really? I don't believe it unless I can touch it!" Xie Ying's abacus beads were practically hitting Xingsu's face.

"Um?"

Xingsu his arms, his dark eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze locked onto Ying's eyes with a scrutinizing look that was both amused and unsmiling.

Caught off guard, Ying felt guilty and quickly turned her head away, feigning composure as she whistled, pretending nothing had happened.

(Motion reference: What a phoenix!)

"I'm sorry, but our mission is special, and we couldn't inform you in advance."

"Right, right, I almost forgot you were the Fatui. So what's the next step? By the way, where's Dunyarzad? I haven't seen her."

The instant those words were spoken.

The entire room suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Paimon's heart sank. "No, no way... Damn it, we're still too late! Waaah—I'm so sorry, Dunyarzad, we..."

"Stop crying, she's perfectly fine." Xingsu sighed and rubbed her forehead, promptly interrupting her self-pity.

"Ah... ah?"

"Nahida and I were watching the whole time. If we can't even protect Dunyarzad's consciousness and she disappears inexplicably in the dream, I might as well find a tree and smash my head against it."

"It seems... that's true..." Paimon wiped his eyes and awkwardly agreed.

"Her consciousness has been forcibly put into standby mode and is currently being cared for by Nahida. My investigation here is also finished. It's a good time to meet up with you and go back together to find the true owner of the dream."

"Great! Then let's get back right away!" Paimon was instantly revived.

"Okay, you guys go ahead, I'll be there shortly."

Ying nodded and pulled Paimon out of the room.

"Then, Lord Xingsu Su, we'll rejoin the team and continue our patrol mission!" Lyney laughed and started to walk out.

"Stop."

The two words, "cold and brief," instantly froze Lyney's raised foot in mid-air, hovering an inch off the ground, unable to move.

"Clean up all the confetti, glitter, and debris you've scattered all over the floor before you leave." Xingsu's gaze swept over the messy ground, her tone calm but leaving no room for refusal.

"Yes! I'll pack it right away!" Lyney immediately became obedient.

"And what were you two thinking, having Freminet track the Traveler?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lynette didn't hesitate and casually shifted the blame. "It was my brother's idea."

"Ah... hahaha, this, this..." Lyney was momentarily speechless, letting out two awkward dry laughs.

"I'm sorry, Xingsu Su, I messed up. After we finish this mission, I'll continue to train my skills and I definitely won't hold everyone back."

"Hmm." Xingsu nodded to Freminet with satisfaction.

"Lyney, you go with her and help Freminet with his extra training."

"... Yes!" Lyney could only obediently agree.