No one expected Lisa's sudden move.
Least of all the person directly involved, Gongku.
Amber and Eula were so tense their throats felt like they were about to burst.
Jean simply watched, her gaze calm, as if the two in front of her were locked in a kiss.
She knew Lisa very well, just as Lisa knew her.
Though Lisa outwardly seemed like a battle hardened older sister, deep down she was a lonely, love starved witch. In that sense, she was no different from the pure-hearted Knight Commander.
For Lisa to act this boldly…
There must be some deeper reason behind it.
Yes, that's it, next time she applies for vacation, I'll make sure to delay it by a week or two.
...
The two of them held that position for about a minute.
Gongku let out a sigh and gently pushed Lisa back to her seat.
"I understand now, Lisa. This is your decision, isn't it?"
She wasn't content with the so-called pure friendship between a man and a woman. She wanted him to make a choice.
But if he were to accept her feelings, it would mean betraying the others.
Witches really were selfish, after all.
"Hehe, my little cutie, what are you saying? I have no idea what you mean~"
Lisa flirtatiously tucked her hair behind her ear, looking as if she already had the upper hand.
Gongku turned his gaze to the other girls at the table.
Each of their faces practically screamed: "Choose me."
At the same time, each of them carried a shadow of worry, "What if I'm not the one he picks?"
What kind of messed up dating game is this supposed to be?
He let out a long breath, feeling an unprecedented calm, like the air just before a raging storm.
"I'll give you all an answer. But before that, please allow me to tell you a rather long story, about a girl with amnesia searching for her brother."
As the dishes were being served, Gongku began retelling the story of the Archon Quests that had taken place in Teyvat.
The girls listened intently, the tale striking a chord of familiarity, as though this was always how things were meant to be.
But… something was missing.
"You know," Amber said, "your story… why don't you appear in it at all?"
"Yeah," Eula added, "your story doesn't include you at all. But that's the truth as I know it." Gongku turned to Lisa. "Lisa, what do you think is going on here?"
"You're suggesting the Irminsul rewrote our memories? That you don't exist? That's impossible! You're right here in front of us, and there are those weapons and artifacts, and wait! The Primordial Crystals… where did you even get those? Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked you before."
Lisa, who had graduated from Sumeru's Akademiya, was privy to some of Teyvat's most fundamental secrets.
But it was precisely because she knew these secrets that Lisa had come to fear knowledge itself, leading to her current attitude of indifference.
Gongku stood, sweeping his gaze over the others.
Lisa's actions had sounded an alarm in his mind.
The girls seated around him, each a renowned figure in Teyvat, had their own "flaws." Pursuing them the normal way would take a lifetime of effort, and even then, might never succeed.
But the game's system didn't care about that. A mere number on a "favorability" meter was as absolute and unchangeable as the world's underlying logic.
Thus, raising that favorability to the maximum also meant that their emotions would be equally intense.
And if he didn't handle this carefully, it could end in disaster, hurting everyone involved.
Until now, having only recently arrived in this world, Gongku still clung to the habits of an ordinary person, instinctively wanting to maintain the girls' feelings in a way that was almost idealistic.
But he was wrong.
So, so wrong.
Because the current him… was a god. A creator. The destined Fourth Calamity who would one day conquer the sea of stars.
He had the power and resolve to upend the table itself.
So this ridiculous dating sim drama? He would be the one to shatter it!
"Li↗sa↘-sa↗n↘!"
Gongku's deliberate, dramatic tone instantly captured everyone's attention. And then, he began his chant:
"Why is it that I travel with the Traveler, yet I have no place in the story?"
"Why does everyone know who I am, yet no one knows what I look like?"
"Why do the Primordial Crystals always appear in the same number, 8088?"
Lisa's eyes widened in shock. "No! That can't be!"
In a hoarse voice, Gongku finally spoke the truth Lisa had never wanted to acknowledge. "Because in my eyes, you all were once just characters in a world of fantasy! Since you want the answer, here it is!"
"Lisa!"
"..."
Lisa looked at Gongku, who now exuded a powerful, commanding aura, and fell silent, her lips tightly pressed together.
"I love you."
"Mmm!"
He pulled Lisa into a kiss, leaving her stunned, her lips parted in surprise, slumping back into her seat.
Next was Jean.
"Jean!"
"Traveler, you"
"I love you too!"
"Mmm!"
He kissed Jean as well, leaving her flushed red as she quietly sat back down.
"Eula!"
"Y-you… stay away from me!"
"I love you too!"
"Mmm!"
Eula glared at him, so embarrassed and furious she looked like she'd draw her greatsword the next second.
"Finally, Amber!"
"Traveler, are you okay?"
"Thank you for worrying about me to the end. Even though you went from being Mondstadt's best pyro archer to merely Mondstadt's first pyro archer… I still love you!"
"Mmm~"
Amber, wide-eyed, received his kiss, though the whole thing felt almost surreal.
After doing all this, Gongku sat back in his chair and spread his arms.
"No need to choose! From the moment I obtained your name cards, you were already my wings."
For a moment, silence fell across the table.
"Um, do you… still want your food?" Sara, the waitress, peeked in nervously, staring at Gongku with genuine fear in her eyes.
Who wouldn't be scared? Most of the core strength of Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius, Amber the Outrider, Eula the Spindrift Knight, Lisa the Librarian, and Acting Grand Master Jean, had all been ensnared by this one crazy guy.
Poor Captain Jean and the others… to have such an unhinged friend.
"Please, just leave the food on the table. We'll handle it ourselves."
"O-okay!"
Sara quickly set down the dishes and dashed away, peeking back from a safe distance.
Once the storm of emotions had passed, Gongku found himself calm again. He divided the food and spoke to them gently.
"Let's eat first. Even if you're going to beat me up later, you'll need your strength, right?"
At that, Eula immediately shot him a deadly glare.
Jean and Amber said nothing, simply beginning to eat in silence.
Lisa just let out a long sigh.
After today, the Knights of Favonius would never be the same again.
That belated lunch felt like a meal from another lifetime.
...
Afterward, on the way back to the Knights of Favonius headquarters,
Lisa took the lead, and the other girls followed closely around Gongku, as if passing judgment on a criminal.
As for Gongku's claim that they were just characters from a fantasy world?
Apart from Lisa, the others took it as nothing more than a fit of pique.
"One, two, three, four… plus Lumine and the Liyue Qixing… that's six. My little cutie, can you really handle so many girls at once?"
Gongku didn't expect a single emotional outburst to make them fully understand his resolve. But in this moment, his heart was clearer than ever.
"Whether I give up or make a choice, someone will be hurt. That's an unavoidable truth. Rather than let regrets haunt us forever, I will shoulder all your pain and hatred myself."
"For those willing to accept this love, let's have no regrets, and achieve it together."
"And for those who can't accept it, just put all the blame and anger on me. In this way, no one else will be hurt."
Jean, Eula, and Amber exchanged glances, each of them forcing a wry smile.
The truth was, long ago they'd realized the Traveler would never stop for any one of them alone.
But they still clung to that fleeting hope, that he'd choose them in the end, willfully ignoring the consequences if he didn't.
Now that he'd made his choice, it was bittersweet for them all.
Gradually, even Lisa, who'd initially resisted, felt her own heart's scales tilting toward an equal share of this love.
In the days to come, perhaps they'd regret today's impulsive decision, but at least in this youthful moment, they had the courage to act on their feelings.
So… the answer was clear.
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