"Whoa!"
Before Lu Chen could react, Yae Miko was already in front of him like a bolt of lightning.
His agility stat of 6 might as well have been zero—either that, or Miko's pressure was just overwhelming. Regardless, he found himself pinned to the sofa.
He probably looked completely dumbfounded. He wanted to escape, but the position they were in made that impossible...
Yae Miko had both hands braced on the sofa, completely cutting off Lu Chen's way out. When he tried to shift his position, she leaned in even closer, almost like some domineering CEO trapping him underneath...
She even hooked a finger under his chin, watching the changes in his expression with an amused smile.
"You're not going anywhere~ If you're smart, I, Guuji, might be merciful enough to lighten your punishment~"
Soft pink hair fell forward, brushing against Lu Chen's nose and tickling him. He moved his gaze away from her chest and up to her eyes—then gulped.
Those violet eyes were glowing with mischief.
...
"G-Guuji?!" Raiden Ei was completely stunned.
Qiqi, still sitting quietly to the side, blinked.
Yae Miko didn't hold back—she went straight for Lu Chen's hair and face, ruffling him up while laughing.
"Transform! Come on, transform already! Why won't you change?"
Transform into what, exactly?!
Lu Chen tried to protect his windswept hairstyle, looking toward Raiden Ei for help.
"Quick! Control your fox!"
"She's out of control! The pet's attacking her master!"
"It's no use~!" Yae Miko was getting more and more excited, her hands growing rougher.
Back in the day, when Lu Chen used to ruffle her fur constantly, she'd made a silent vow.
A sunny afternoon, a poor little fox being squished and squeezed by Lu Chen from every angle. That day, she swore to herself: "The wheel of fate always turns. Don't bully the weak—you'll get yours one day!" As the heir to the Bai Chen bloodline, she would make sure to repay the favor.
"Oh, you cold-blooded little fox!" Lu Chen finally snapped, channeling Anemo to push back against Miko's "violence," trying to fling her off the sofa and into the wall.
"I fed you so much fried tofu! Rubbing your belly wasn't charity, okay? You always cleaned out all my snacks!"
Yae Miko got knocked back, but with a flash of violet lightning, she immediately pounced again.
"Hehe~ Did you ask permission before touching me? Were you taking advantage of the fact that I couldn't even talk back then?"
"Who was it that came running the moment she smelled tofu? Who scarfed it down and refused to leave? Admit it—you liked being pampered!"
"Hmph! Still as shameless as ever..."
Their scuffle escalated. The sofa began to creak and crack. Qiqi quietly slipped away, taking the remote with her.
"Guuji... Lu Chen... can you two please stop?" Raiden Ei watched them, exasperated. What looked like a fight was clearly just overly intimate roughhousing.
If it had been anyone else acting like this with Lu Chen, Musou Isshin might've already been drawn.
But this was Miko...
Still, seeing they weren't stopping, Raiden Ei finally decided to intervene.
At exactly 4 p.m., a blinding bolt of lightning exploded through the living room. Lu Chen and Yae Miko both went numb, their limbs frozen as a mysterious force separated them.
Lu Chen was thrown into the wall behind the sofa. Yae Miko, with a faint smile, landed near the TV stand.
The part of the sofa where they had been wrestling was now scorched black, the air filled with the smell of burnt fabric.
Raiden Ei's expression remained unreadable. No one said a word.
Qiqi dragged over a small stool and sat down in front of the TV, flipping to another channel.
It was Animal World.
...
"What happened? What happened?!"
Venti burst out of the bedroom in shock, staring at the wrecked living room and the weird atmosphere. His emerald eyes were full of confusion.
"?"
"That lightning—wasn't it a monster invasion?!"
"You two were fighting?!"
"What the hell happened?!"
Lu Chen just spread his hands and struck a pose: Not my fault.
Yae Miko elegantly picked up the broken teacup from the shattered coffee table, lightly blowing at steam that didn't exist.
"The tea's gone cold."
"I'll go make another pot." Raiden Ei sighed, then turned silently toward the kitchen.
As soon as she left, Lu Chen and Miko locked eyes again—this time, full of combat intensity.
"No fighting!" Raiden Ei's calm, icy voice floated out from the kitchen. "You'll cause trouble if you fight in here."
"I wasn't fighting~" Yae Miko said sweetly, covering her mouth with a soft laugh. "Just a warm reunion with an old friend, that's all."
"Is this your idea of a warm reunion?" Lu Chen gestured at the disaster around them.
Half the sofa was wrecked. The coffee table was in pieces. The floor tiles were cracked again. Raiden Ei had already destroyed a chunk of the floor when she first arrived, and Lu Chen had spent ages getting it repaired. Now he'd have to do it all over again.
"Aiya~" Yae Miko waved dismissively. "It's just furniture. I'll compensate you~"
"Like you've got money for that," Lu Chen fired back, slipping into battle mode. "This stuff's top-of-the-line. Custom made. Handcrafted by a master. You're in serious debt now. Better get to work—you'll need a good hundred years to pay it off."
Yae Miko's eyes went wide. "That expensive?!"
"Of course."
"Can I pay with my body?"
A loud clatter came from the kitchen. Sounded like water had spilled.
Lu Chen gave her a sideways glance. Not one useful word had come out of that fox's mouth. Was this really the same innocent fluffball from back then?
Now she was nothing but innuendo and sass. Honestly... it was kind of like looking in a mirror.
As the so-called elder, Lu Chen let out a long, weary sigh. Had she picked this up from him?
"Ai... Miko..."
"Don't look at me with that soft, loving face! You old perv!"
Something about Lu Chen's expression seemed to irritate her. A look of exaggerated disgust appeared on her ever-shifting, unpredictable face.
She crossed her arms. As much as Lu Chen found it annoying, he had to admit—this attitude kind of reminded him of that awkward little fox from back then.
"I got it!" Lu Chen suddenly had an epiphany.
"Hmm?" Everyone, including Yae Miko, looked over.
"She's in her rebellious phase!" Lu Chen declared, convinced he'd cracked the case.
Venti glanced at Yae Miko again. Her expression, always strange and unreadable, now darkened... twisted...
Round two—fight!
"Woah—!"