Waaa, Ei's Embrace Is My Forever Home

[Minna-san, I'm baaaack again]

[Today's second update, qwq]

[I don't remember whether I mentioned this before, but you can just think of affection as the system's currency]

[Please follow, send gifts, add this to your bookshelf, and comment, awa]

[Follows, readers keeping up with the story, and gifts give me the motivation to update, ovo]

[Do you all want to see Ei fire the first shot? (Yes, this time it's exactly what you're thinking of)]

[There's a picture from the author at the end of the chapter~]

In the mountains that morning, mist filled the air, covering the land like a thin veil.

The morning mist had yet to fully disperse, lending the mountain forest an air of mystery.

Ningguang's figure appeared and disappeared amid the haze.

Her long white hair, like a waterfall bleached by moonlight, fluttered gently in the breeze.

Her hair was soft and smooth, seemingly without a single impurity, and gave off an icy air.

The breeze lifted her hair and let it fall again, like a mountain stream that ran swiftly one moment and gently the next.

Her long hair was like a painting in motion, displaying a beauty all its own.

She stood below the stone steps, her amber eyes fixed on Baichen. Her gaze made the boy shrink behind Ganyu without realizing it.

"Ganyu." Ningguang's voice was colder than the wind in Jueyun Karst. "You know the consequences of doing this."

Ganyu's qilin horns trembled slightly, but she held her arm firmly in front of Baichen. "Lady Ningguang, Mr. Baichen is an envoy from Inazuma, not a prisoner of Liyue."

A cold smile curled Ningguang's lips as she slowly stepped forward.

With every step she took, the gold and jade ring on Baichen's ring finger glowed a little brighter, as though responding to its master's approach.

When she was three meters away, the ring suddenly burst with dazzling golden light, and an invisible force shoved Ganyu aside.

"Ah!" Ganyu stumbled back several steps.

"Ganyu!" Baichen tried to rush over to her, but an invisible force caught his wrist.

Ningguang elegantly raised a hand, and golden threads dragged the boy toward her like living things. "Have you had enough fun, little one?" Her icy fingers brushed Baichen's cheek. "It's time to go home."

[Ningguang's affection +3%, current: 53%]

Just as Ningguang was about to pull Baichen into her arms, the sky over Jueyun Karst abruptly changed.

Rolling thunderclouds blotted out the once-clear morning sky. A bolt of purple lightning split the heavens and struck the stone steps squarely between them.

"Boom!"

Fragments of stone flew everywhere. Ningguang was forced to release the golden threads and retreat several steps.

Baichen fell to the ground and looked up at the thunderclouds overhead. The familiar elemental fluctuations set his heart pounding.

"Ei... is that you...?"

A purple figure slowly emerged from the lightning.

The Raiden Shogun-or rather, Ei herself at this moment-held a naginata, her long purple hair streaming in the Electro energy and the hem of her kimono snapping in the wind.

There was none of her usual composure in her eyes, only churning rage.

"Tianquan of Liyue." Ei's voice was not loud, yet it made the whole mountain tremble. "What have you done to my person?"

Ningguang's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "What an honor to receive the Raiden Shogun. Forgive me for not coming out to welcome you.

"Still, this young gentleman came to Liyue as a guest of his own free will, did he not?" she said, discreetly pulling Baichen behind her.

Ei's gaze fell on Baichen's lips and the kiss marks on him. The lightning on her naginata suddenly flared. "His own free will?"

A suffocating pressure filled the air.

Ganyu struggled to her feet and stood between them. "Your Excellency, there's been a misunderstanding..."

"Be quiet, half-qilin," Ei said coldly. "I'll deal with you later."

Ningguang quietly formed a hand seal. The golden threads suddenly tightened, pulling Baichen to her side.

She seized the boy and brought her red lips close to his ear. "Tell your Shogun you're coming back with me of your own free will."

Baichen's lips trembled. Under Ningguang's threatening gaze, he struggled to speak. "I... I..."

"There's no need to speak." Ei abruptly cut him off, pointing her naginata straight at Ningguang. "I'll give you three seconds.

"Let him go, or I'll strike down your Jade Chamber."

Ningguang's pupils contracted slightly.

As a merchant, she knew all too well how to weigh the costs and benefits.

After considering it, she relaxed her fingers, and the golden threads snapped. "Why get angry?" She smiled with feigned ease. "It was only a jo-"

"Boom!"

Another bolt of lightning struck at Ningguang's feet, forcing her to stagger backward.

Ei appeared beside Baichen in an instant and scooped him up with one arm.

With his small, childlike build, the boy looked like a delicate doll in her arms. His little face was buried against the Shogun's shoulder, and his body was still trembling slightly.

"Ei... is that you...? I missed you so much..."

The tearful confession softened Ei's gaze for a moment, but it turned cold again when she looked at Ningguang. "Liyue has violated diplomatic protocol and detained our envoy without authorization," she said, enunciating each word. "This is not over."

Before her words had faded, lightning flashed.

When Ningguang and Ganyu opened their eyes again, the mountain path was empty. Only the scorched lightning marks proved that what had just happened was no illusion.

Ningguang stared at the empty path for a long time before speaking softly. "Ganyu."

"Yes..."

"Prepare a generous gift." The Tianquan turned and headed down the mountain, her snow-white hair concealing her expression. "Send it to Inazuma as an apology."

[Ningguang's affection -5%, current: 48%]

Meanwhile, inside Tenshukaku in Inazuma.

Baichen was gently laid on the tatami while Ei knelt on one knee and examined his injuries.

When she saw the scrapes on his knees and the red marks the golden threads had left around his wrists, a flash of heartache crossed her purple eyes.

"Does it hurt?" She took out a box of ointment and gently applied it to his wounds.

Baichen shook his head, then suddenly threw himself into Ei's arms. "I'm sorry... If I'd known, I never would have gone to Liyue..."

Ei's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed. She wrapped her arms around the boy's slender shoulders. "It's all right... You're back now."

The rare tenderness made Baichen's nose sting, and he could no longer hold back his tears.

Between sobs, he told her about his experiences in Liyue... leaving out the part about the system, of course.

Ei listened quietly, occasionally running her fingers through the boy's hair.

When she heard what Yelan and Ningguang had done, the lightning on her naginata began to flicker uncontrollably.

"Where... did they touch you?" Ei's voice was unusually calm, yet it sent a chill down the spine.

Baichen instinctively touched his lips and neck.

Ei's gaze darkened. She suddenly lifted his chin and rubbed her thumb hard across the lips Ningguang had kissed. "Here?"

Her touch carried a faint electric current, causing a subtle sensation. Baichen nodded, his face red, and Ei's expression grew even darker.

"Dirty," she suddenly said. She rose and fetched a wet towel. "Wipe it clean."

The commanding tone made Baichen too afraid to disobey.

He obediently wiped his lips with the towel, only for Ei to snatch it from him. "Not enough." She wet the towel herself and rubbed hard enough to almost break his skin. "Their scent... must be completely removed."

[Ei's affection +8%, current: 73%]

[Looks like Ei's possessiveness has exploded]

[Looks like you won't be able to handle tonight]

(...Huh?)

Only when Baichen's skin had been rubbed red did Ei reluctantly stop.

She stared at the boy for a while, then suddenly leaned down and pressed her lips to his skin, hot from the rubbing.

"Ei...?"

"Marking you again." Ei's voice was a little hoarse. "Covering their traces."

The kiss began at the side of his neck and moved upward inch by inch, finally resting on his lips.

Unlike Ningguang's domineering kiss and Yelan's teasing, Ei's kiss carried a thunderous possessiveness, yet was strangely restrained.

Baichen was left dizzy by the kiss, his small hands unconsciously clutching her clothing.

"You're mine." When they parted, Ei rested her forehead against his and declared, "Inside and out, all of you."

She rose and took a brand-new set of Inazuman clothes from a cabinet. "Put these on. Everything from Liyue is to be burned."

Baichen obediently did as told. When he took off the undergarment Yun Jin had given him, Ei frowned again. "Whose is that?"

"Y-Yun Jin's..."

"Hmph." The garment was instantly reduced to ashes by lightning.

Baichen looked much better in his Inazuman clothes.

Ei looked him over with satisfaction, then suddenly asked, "When you were in Liyue, you often spoke to the air. Who were you talking to?"

Baichen's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

I'm done for, I'm done for, I'm done for!

[Holy shit! Is this woman really that smart?!]

[Hurry up and think of an excuse, idiot!]

Otherwise I'm the one who's done for.

"Ah... Th-that's a custom from my hometown!"

He clenched the hem of his clothes and forced himself to look Ei in the eyes. "Whenever we run into trouble, we confide in the 'spirit of the wind.' Legend says the spirit can hear the thoughts of all the faithful and offer guidance."

Ei frowned slightly, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the handle of her naginata. "The spirit of the wind? Why have I never heard of such a belief in Inazuma?"

"Because... because it's a very secret tradition!"

Baichen swallowed, his back already soaked with cold sweat. "Only chosen people can communicate with the spirit, and... and no one else can hear the spirit's voice, so it's perfectly normal that you never noticed!"

Ei stared at the boy's flushed face for a long time, lightning flickering in her eyes.

Just when Baichen thought she was about to see through him, she suddenly raised a hand and rested it gently on his head. "You don't have to face trouble alone next time." Her voice softened, a rare occurrence. "Whatever happens, you can tell me."

Baichen froze, his throat tightening too much for him to speak.

Only when Ei turned and led him by the hand to the dining room, with the last rays of the setting sun streaming inside, did he nod as if waking from a dream. "Mm! I will!"

In the dining room, the Inazuman food he hadn't had in so long gave Baichen a hearty appetite.

Ei sat across from him, quietly watching him wolf down his food, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes.

"Eat slowly." She poured a cup of tea and pushed it toward him. "No one's going to take it from you."

After the meal, Ei brought Baichen to the courtyard.

Under the Thunder Sakura tree, she took out the short blade she had once given the boy. "Do you remember how to use it?"

Baichen nodded, and the moment he infused it with Electro, the short blade was enveloped in purple lightning.

Ei smiled with satisfaction, then suddenly drew her weapon and attacked. "Let me see if you've gotten rusty in Liyue!"

The "spar" was more like one-sided instruction.

Ei slowed her movements as much as she could, giving Baichen time to react to and imitate every move.

When the boy managed to block a strike, she even nodded slightly in approval.

[Ei's affection +2%, current: 75%] (Don't ask why it's so high, it just felt right)

Night fell, and Baichen soaked in the steaming bath, finally relaxing completely.

His experiences in Liyue felt like an absurd dream. Only the marks remaining on his body reminded him that it had all really happened.

System, what exactly is this "Succubus Romance System"?

[It's exactly what it sounds like~]

[This system subtly increases the host's appeal to women]

[Especially those who already like you~]

[In other words, you'll become a male version of someone everyone loves~]

Oh, no wonder... So that's why Ganyu, back then...

[That's right! That half-qilin girl only liked you a little to begin with]

[Then one dose of the charm aura and she turned straight into () hehehe~]

Sigh... I don't know if this is good or bad now.

Baichen buried his face in the water, trying to cool his burning cheeks.

Just then, the bathroom door slid open, and Ei stood in the doorway wearing a bathrobe.

"Are you done?" she asked, expressionless.

Baichen nodded hastily and fumbled for a bath towel.

But Ei picked it up first, wrapped him in it herself, and carried him out.

With his small, childlike build, the boy was as light as a feather in her arms. She carefully dried him off and dressed him in a sleeping robe.

"I'll stay with you tonight," Ei declared. "So you don't have nightmares."

[Ei's affection +3%, current: 78%]

[Her protective instincts are overflowing]

In the bedroom, Ei did away with the Shogun's dignified bearing for once and lay down on the bedding like an ordinary person.

Baichen cautiously lay down beside her and was soon drawn into her arms.

"Sleep." Ei gently combed her fingers through his hair. "It's safe here."

Moonlight streamed through the lattice window, coating the two as they embraced in a silvery glow.

Surrounded by the familiar scent of Thunder Sakura, Baichen gradually relaxed and soon fell asleep.

But Ei remained awake for a long time, her purple eyes gazing at the boy's peaceful sleeping face in the darkness.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed his ring finger. Ningguang's gold and jade ring had once been there, but now only a faint mark remained.

"Mine..." she repeated softly, as though asserting her claim, or perhaps trying to convince herself.

Outside the window, a breeze stirred, sending Thunder Sakura petals drifting down.

One passed through a gap in the window and landed gently on Baichen's lips.

Ei lowered her head and brushed it away with a kiss.

(The picture is in the author's note)

Please click that yellow button, everyone, I'm begging you, waaa.