#project mirage

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Encounter

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 867

Summary: Lyney signs up for the theatre club before going home and meets faces he'll see more of in the future. Same goes for his twin sister Lynette, who really just wanted to enjoy a comfort meal after the whole stress of a first day back at school.

Notes: Wow, did I procrastinate a lot on this one. But here we are!! New chapter for u guys! Hope u enjoy!! Lynette is so me at school, always glad to come home at the end of the day T^T

LYNEY

Lyney was walking towards the notice board with determination to sign up for the theatre club. As he approached it he was mumbling to himself, “Now where is the list? Hmmm.” As he finally found the right flyer he saw two year 11 students writing their names into the list below. “Are those theatre newcomers I see?” Lyney approached the students, who were about to leave already.

“Oh, do you mean us?” one boy asked as they both looked at Lyney with big eyes.

“That’s right! I’m Lyney,” he introduced himself. “I was part of the club for two years now, glad to see some new faces!”

“My big sister Yun Jin did theatre last year,” said the boy with a brown and cherry red peek-a-boo hairstyle.

“You’re Yun Jin’s brother? Gaming, right? I’ve heard that you’d be attending Teyvat High this year. Glad to finally meet you,” Lyney acknowledged as he went for a handshake. “And who knew that you’d follow in your sister’s footsteps.” Lyney chuckled. “And what about you?” He turned to the second boy.

“My aunt knows Miss Yae, the music teacher of Shogun Girls Academy. She kinda talked me into it,” the boy with fuzzy hair and red eyeliner admitted as he nervously rubbed his thigh. “I-I’m sure it will be fine though,” he added to not come over as rude. “My name is Gorou.”

“Nice to meet you!” Lyney shook hands with him as well. “Yeah, I’ve heard from Lynette how Miss Yae can be. But don’t worry, theatre will be fun! Miss Furina told me that she had plans to perform a musical this year if enough people sign up. So I’m glad you two did!”

The two boys smiled nervously after exchanging a quick glance.

“Well, I gotta get home now. See you!” And with that Lyney quickly scribbled his name on the list and walked off.

They both seem to have interesting reasons for joining. Gotta figure them out more when we meet again.

LYNETTE

Lynette successfully avoided all unnecessary social interactions and was ready to go home and order some takeout for her and her twin brother. Lynette hated first days back at school. They always managed to drain her in just the first period. She’d rather get straight to learning than all of the mandatory info dump at the start of each new school year. But oh well, what is there to do? Now she can at least go straight to relaxing– oh wait. “Father.”

“Lynette, how was your day?” Arlecchino asked as soon as Lynette stepped inside. Her tone was formal and cold sounding as usual. But Lynette knew that Father worried about the children. She just didn’t show like other parents would.

“It was fine. Thank you, Father.” With that, Lynette went straight to her room and quickly ordered two plates of seafood from that one place she and Lyney discovered over the holidays. They agreed that they would only eat there on special occasions, and quite frankly, the first day back at school was definitely horrible important enough to be considered a special occasion. At least that’s what Lynette thought.

Shouldn’t Lyney be getting out of school now as well?

[Me] Come home. I ordered seafood

[Lyney] omw

[Lyney] Thank u sis

KIRARA

Kirara was glad to have had a pretty short day at school today because that meant that she could clock in earlier at work. Kirara was quick on her feet, which made her one of the most valued employees at Komaniya Express. As soon as she started her shift, the first order came through.

She swiftly made her way to the restaurant and after some time, long enough to make Kirara drool over the food herself, the order was ready to pick up. Without any further distractions she went over to the place listed on the order address and there she was now, ringing the bell. The door opened.

“Komaniya Expre- Lynette?” All of the long learned customer service phrases left Kirara’s head.

The girl looked at Kirara with a shocked expression, clearly not expecting a classmate of all people to deliver her lunch to her door.

“I didn’t know you lived here,” Kirara continued, still not believing whose order she just delivered. She held out the bag to Lynette, who still stared at her not having said a word.

“...”

“Uhh, here’s your ord-”

“Thanks.” Lynette snatched the bag out of Kirara’s hands and was about to close the door again but stopped for a moment. “Good luck with your work,” Kirara heard the soft voice blurt out before the door was shut before her nose.

Hm. I guess I didn’t know what to expect. Never heard her speak in class anyway.

When Kirara regained her composure, the next order was already awaiting completion. She quickly left the property and was headed to the next stop, not noticing a certain someone’s twin brother, who just happened to get home at this time as well.

LYNEY

“Wasn’t that a classmate of yours?”

“Doesn’t matter. Let's eat.”

“Not so hasty! I didn’t even get to say hello to Father yet.”

“I’ll leave your plate on the table then. I’m hungry.”

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 5: A Hard Decision

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1127

Summary: Venti and Xiao take Aether to sign up for a club but he is still not sure about which one he wants to join.

Notes: Hi there! Hope you're doing well! Just so you know, I started writing this chapter and whoops! My pen slipped and now this story's Aether's is purely projection on my part. Hope you don't mind! Enjoy the little bonus interaction I included at the end!!

XIAO

Xiao hasn’t said much when Venti, Aether and him walked to their music class. And also when they walked towards the notice board to sign up for an after school club. He was still a bit suspicious of the new kid and didn’t understand how his boyfriend could connect with him that easily. Okay, to be fair, Venti is a guide for new students, so he kinda has to be more open and communicative. Still, Xiao couldn’t suppress this slight feeling of jealousy whenever Venti curiously asked the new kid all kinds of questions.

Even before they started dating, Xiao would often feel bitter whenever Venti hung out with his best friend Kazuha. It took a lot of time, doing things together and almost forcing Xiao to talk about his feelings until Kazuha managed to gain his trust. Xiao knew that being this possessive isn’t beneficial to anyone. Especially not when your boyfriend is the most extroverted and laid back person to exist ever.

“So, Blondie. Have you decided what club you want to sign up to?” Venti asked as they approached the board, where a few groups of year 12 students were already looking at the mass of posters that promoted the various clubs. “Xiao and me were thinking about band like last year, right?” he looked over at Xiao, who had stayed a bit further back. He didn’t want to be directly inside the crowd.

“Yes.” He had the suspicion that Venti would ask Aether to join band as well and to be honest, he really did not want to deal with his ever growing jealousy even after classes. He didn’t even know if Aether was any good at music because today’s lesson was just for getting to know the teacher and going over the grading criteria. Just like every other lesson they had today.

“Great! I’ll sign us up,” Venti took out a pen and looked back at Aether before writing their names in the list, where a few lines were already filled with the names of year 11 students that signed up earlier. “You should try band as well, it’s really fun!”

“When is the deadline to pick a club?” Aether asked. He seemed unsure.

“Friday 17 o’clock. You’ll have some time to think about it.” Venti threw his pen back into his bag. “Need anything else, Aether?”

“No, I’m good. Thanks.”

“I’ll get going then, bye bye!” Venti waved at the boy as he turned to Xiao with a soft smile on his face and reached for Xiao’s hand. “Let’s go.” He’s way too kind.

AETHER

The boy nervously looked back at the couple who was leaving him behind at the notice board. He was in fact not ‘good’. Having to choose a club to join before Friday made him anxious. He was scared of feeling alone, so he wanted to know people in his club. And thinking about having to make new friends made him way too nervous. But he wasn’t sure if he wanted to join band. He wasn’t too fond of the idea of having to perform in front of a lot of people like bands usually do. Was he even good enough at music to join at all? He decided to read through the flyer for the school band but with every sentence he read, he felt increasingly sick. No no no no, I can’t do this. I need to calm down.

With weak knees he wobbled over to the side to calm his nerves and think about a solution to this dilemma. He should probably read through all the flyers first, but there were so many people in front of the board all of a sudden and he didn’t want to be in the way of those looking to sign up as well.

Aether spotted the guy he sat next to earlier during the principal’s speech. He was already talking to two other guys. Aether could decipher something along the lines of “Miss Furina said she’d do a musical this year.” The theatre club.

Right! Aether wanted to know what other clubs there are. The crowd seemed to fade a bit and he approached the board from the side. He could see it just enough through the heads of four girls energetically discussing how Miss Xilonen will surely help them with something. Wasn’t that the fancy heels lady?

Aether scanned the board, hoping to find something chill. He quickly noticed that he wouldn’t be able to decide just like that. He instead searched for a familiar name. Maybe Heizou signed up for something already. As if that would help him pick a club. And there it was: Shikanoin Heizou — dance. And Kazuha and Scara were there as well. Dance? Really? I didn’t think they’re the type for that. But surprisingly, seeing their names on that list actually gave him the last bit of reassurance he needed. He didn’t want to make the final decision just yet but he decided to ask the three about some last details tomorrow and sign up for dance if it didn’t sound too bad after school.

Aether checked his phone and saw that Lumine texted him a few minutes ago.

[Sis] I’m still at school. Don’t wait for me

He went to the bus station and took the first bus headed towards the student apartments. He was glad to finally go home and relax. He and Lumine moved to Teyvat four weeks ago. Their parents had to stay behind in their old city because of their jobs, so they were glad to have found this option for the siblings. This was a common scenario for students of Teyvat High and Shogun Girls Academy that lived in these apartments, so he didn’t feel out of place living there with only his sister.

When he arrived at his apartment after the short bus ride, he immediately opened the fridge and looked if there were any of yesterday’s leftovers. When he didn’t find anything, he decided to make a fried egg. That would surely help him revive him from exhaustion and restore a bit of his energy.

When he was done eating, he made himself comfortable on the couch and started making a list of all the materials he’d need to buy for his classes as he waited for Lumine to come home and cook a real meal for the both of them.

BONUS:

“Did you get jealous of Aether back there?”

“…Yes.”

“Aww, come here. I’m not going anywhere. You know I love you too much.”

“…”

“Plus, I wouldn’t want to get in the way of Heizou. Did you see the way he was all over him?”

“Hmpf.”

“Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make us Almond Tofu.”

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 4: Clarification

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 516

Summary: Heizou decides to talk to Kazuha and Scaramouche about his intentions with Aether. Their reaction shows him once again how lucky he can count himself to have them.

Notes: I’m on holiday right now, so a bit of a shorter chapter this time. Hope you enjoy this Heizou focus tho!! (Heh…)

HEIZOU

The boys had finished eating and now made their way to their last classes for the day.

“Say, Aether. Do we have any classes together today?” Heizou asked the new boy, who was walking beside him.

“Uhh, wait let me check,” the blonde boy searched for his plan. When he finally found it in the depths of his backpack, he examined the already crumpled piece of paper and said, “It says I have music with Miss Xilonen now.”

“Ahh, well then we’ll only see each other again tomorrow,” he hushed into Aether’s ear as he put his arm around his shoulder. “I have politics now.”

He was hoping he could chat to Aether a bit more. Something about his shyness made Heizou want to get to know him better. On the other hand, he felt bad for clawing onto the new boy like that. Especially when he hasn’t spoken to Kazuha and Scara about it yet.

“Xiao,” he called out, letting go of Aether, “you and Venti have music now as well, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well then you’ll have them to talk to during class,” he said back to the blonde boy. “Don’t bore yourself!” He gave Aether one last wink before lightly pushing him with his elbow towards Venti and Xiao and the three soon split from the rest of the group when they walked to the music corridor.

“You like him, don’t you?” Kazuha suddenly asked. The question took Heizou by surprise. He wouldn’t exactly say that he liked him, but the idea of getting closer to the new guy definitely seemed intriguing.

“We’re not blind, you know?” Scara added. “You couldn’t even look away from him for one second since lunch.” He scoffed.

“Uh- not true!” Heizou protested. “But yeah,” his tone got serious, “I actually wanted to ask you guys about this. Are you okay with me getting to know him a bit… better?” He technically knew that he was in an open polycule with Kazu and Scara, but he wanted to make sure they at least knew about his intentions.

“Of course!” Kazuha said. “He seems like a good guy.” He patted Heizou’s back. “Me and Scara have no problem with you getting to know him better, right Scara?” He turned to their boyfriend.

“Yeah, do whatever makes you happy,” his voice seemed unusually soft as he walked around the two to walk on the boy’s other side. Suddenly he leaned onto Heizou’s shoulder and whispered into his ear with the usual snark in his tone again, “But don’t get jealous when we start flirting with him as well.”

Heizou looked back at Scara after being humbled by this indecent warning. Internally though, he was glad to have such amazing and supporting boyfriends.

He breathed out consciously to regain his composure and after a quick (needed) pause to think of a clever comeback he grabbed Scara by the waist, leaning into him as he replied with equal suggestiveness “Are you trying to make me jealous here?”

“Maybe.”

“Hey, don’t start making out now!” Kazuha interrupted their moment. “We’re still at school after all, come on.”

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 3: School Tour

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 876

Summary: As promised, Noelle, Sucrose and Barbara give Lumine a tour around the school after class is over. One of the three though, is only able to concentrate on Lumine herself, which lands her in an uncomfortable situation.

Notes: Noelle is giving me so much Honami vibes, I just had to incorporate that here!! Anyways, I hope you enjoy some Lumara action :3

NOELLE

Phew, math class was so boring. Noelle rubbed her temples. She was glad classes were finally over. She took one more look at her list of plans for today.

“Let’s see. I need to go shopping for Hu Tao later.”

Hu Tao’s caregiver, Mr. Zhongli, hired Noelle to look after Hu Tao since she lived alone and had struggled to take care of herself properly in the past. Noelle usually goes shopping before her visits, where she then cleans and prepares healthy meals for Hu Tao that last her till the next time she visits.

“But first the school tour with Lumine.” She packed up her things and turned around to see that Barbara and Lumine were already heading out. “Come on, Sucrose, let’s go join them,”she grabbed her girlfriend’s hand, who also just finished packing her bag.

They headed out of the classroom and to their surprise, the two girls were already chatting lightheartedly about the classes and teachers they have this year.

She’s not as nervous anymore. Noelle couldn’t help but smile at that realisation. She had noticed Barbara’s interest in Lumine right away. Honestly, it was hard to oversee.

 BARBARA

“Oh, there they are!” Lumine waved at Sucrose and Noelle as they approached her and Barbara. She had that friendly, excited smile on her face that Barbara could feel herself getting lost in. It was that kind of smile that could make one forget all the darkness and pain of this world. At least that is what Barbara thought.

“Where do you wanna go first?” Noelle asked the group as they started making their way out of the corridor where the classrooms 3A to 3C were.

“I think we should start with the principal’s office and then show the labs as they’re on the way to the gym,” Sucrose shared her idea.

“That’s a good plan. Let’s do that!” Noelle said encouragingly, as she, Sucrose and Barbara headed in the right direction. Barbara gave Lumine a look, signaling her to follow and soon enough they were standing in front of the glass doors, leading towards the teacher’s wing.

“There is Madam Raiden’s office,” Sucrose pointed to the door at the end of the corridor. “Usually, the principal’s puppet, the Shogun, is in there. She is not as kind as Madam Raiden Ei, who you heard this morning over the speakers.”

Sucrose rambled on about the principal and the science teachers as they walked to the labs. Noelle took over when they got to the gym. Barbara on the other hand, couldn’t concentrate on the tour at all. The only thing on her mind the whole time was Lumine. The attentive expression when she listened to her guides, the glances she gave Barbara that broke into a smile every time and all the times their hands almost brushed against one another when they walked to the next stop of their tour. It all felt so special.

The group was heading back towards the main entrance when suddenly Noelle gasped. “I remembered that I still need to run some errands. Sorry, I wish I could stay a bit longer but I really have to go now. Sucrose, will you come with me?” Barely waiting for the answer, she grabbed Sucrose’s hand and led her away, giving Barbara one final encouraging glance before they turned the corner, leaving her alone with Lumine.

Wait, no no no no no, this wasn’t planned! Don’t leave me here alone. I can’t do it!

“Do you know what came up?” Lumine was clearly confused as to why Noelle had to leave in such a hurry.

“Oh,” Barbara cleared her throat, trying to gather her thoughts and ignore that Noelle had clearly left her alone with Lumine on purpose. “She’s helping a student from Teyvat High around the house. Like going grocery shopping and cleaning,” she explained.

“Ahh I understand.”

“…”

“…”

“So, uhm,” Barbara asked carefully, “what was that notebook you wrote in during break?”

“It’s uhh…”

“Ah, sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. It’s probably too private, forget I said anything.” Why would you ask that, you idiot? She doesn’t know you like that! Why the hell would she answer such direct questions?

“No, it’s okay.” Lumine interrupted Barbara’s spiralling.

Barbara looked up at her with wide eyes.

“I write stuff down that leaves an impression on me or makes me think in some way,” Lumine started explaining calmly. She seemed hesitant for a moment as she reached for her bag. “It’s not good though.” She lowered her arms again.

“Actually, I think I should be heading home now as well. See you tomorrow!” She gave Barbara one last look before turning around and muttering something along the lines of ‘Aether is probably waiting’ and rushing away.

She left without having shown her writings in the end. But nonetheless, this interaction had left Barbara curious. Anything that Lumine’s hands brought to paper had to be good, no?

I wonder if Sucrose and Noelle actually left or are still around here somewhere.

With that, she let out a breath of air and slowly made her way to the exit, where her sisters Jean and Rosaria were already waiting in the car.

“Took you long enough, come on, hop in.”

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 2: Lunch

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1424

Summary: Both Lumine and Aether got invited to eat lunch with the students they had interacted with earlier. Some of them seem to show more interest in the newbies than you would expect.

AETHER

“Meet us here again before lunch, we’ll show you around.”

It was 12:30 and Aether was already waiting for Venti and Kazuha to show up at their agreed meeting point at the staircase. Unsurprisingly, they were the only thing he could think about all day during his classes. Wait, this seems kinda weird, no?

A few minutes later, Aether finally saw the guides coming from around the corner. They were accompanied by three other guys. Aether assumed it must be the same group as he saw tomorrow morning at the lockers. They were talking energetically to each other and Aether could feel them looking at him from time to time, as if he was the topic of discussion.

“Well, hello there!” Venti’s youthful voice rang through the hallway as they approached Aether.

“Hi,” he responded and smiled at them. Aether felt a bit nervous around so many new people, but he could relax a bit again, when Kazuha put his arm around his shoulder, gaining a smirk from the boy walking beside the both of them.

”Let’s get lunch and then we’ll introduce you all properly,” Kazuha reassured.

They sat down at an empty cafeteria table and started eating their own brought lunch. The table was filled with a variety of foods from apple slices to sushi and tofu and the guys were already talking about their topics.

Aether really wanted to say something and not just sit there and take up space. Lucky for him, the boy with wine red hair, whose outfit consisted of jorts, a muscle shirt and long fishnet gloves, leaned over to him from the other side of the table and hushed, “You know, you’re lucky you brought your own food. The food at the cafeteria tastes horrible here.”

”Oh.” Aether thought about how to respond to that statement. “Good to know,” he concluded.

“I’m Heizou, nice to meet you.” Something about the way he looked at the blonde boy with his bright green eyes as he leaned forward, made Aether’s mouth dry all of a sudden. ”I heard your name is Aether, right?”

Clearing his throat he confirmed, “Yeah, that’s right.” Aether tried to avert Heizou’s gaze and focused on his meal instead. He still wanted to know the other two guy’s names but was too scared to ask them directly. They looked kinda intimidating to him.

“You haven’t been introduced to those two yet, have you?” Heizou noticed. “This is Scaramouche, call him Scara for short though.”

”Hm?” the boy in a black compression shirt looked up from the other side of the table.

“And that’s Xiao,” Heizou continued.

“You called?” a raspy voice responded.

“Nothing, nothing. Just showing Aether who to call when he’s in trouble.” Heizou chuckled. He was met by the both of them scoffing and turning back to their partners.

They act so similarly.

“They’re good guys. You can rely on them. But…“ Heizou said, dragging out his last word, “if it’s nothing too serious, you can also ask me of course,” he slurred out, topping off his speech with a wink in Aether’s direction.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

 BARBARA

Lumine pushed her notebook to the side as she turned around to face Barbara, Noelle and Sucrose.

Lumine had captured Barbara’s attention before class and Noelle encouraged the idol to invite her to eat lunch with them after she gushed about how kind and interesting Lumine seemed to her the whole break. Barbara didn’t know what exactly about Lumine captivated her so much, but she really hoped she’d say yes to the invite.

“Would that really be alright?” Lumine seemed unsure.

Trying to win her over, Barbara reassured, “Yes, of course! Besides,” she tried to justify her interest in the new girl, “we could show you around the school after.”

Lumine broke eye contact for a second to think before replying, “Alright, sure then.” She smiled in a thankful manner. “That would be nice.”

The bell announced the start of the sixth period. Year 11 still had 45 minutes of class before them and years 12 and 13 had their lunch break before their next lessons at 13:15.

Some students in Barbara’s class packed up their things and made their way to the supermarket near the school. It was common for students of Shogun Girls Academy to go there during the lunch break since it was practically right around the corner. Another group took their lunch and went to the break rooms. Others, including Barbara, stayed in the classroom to eat the food they brought from home.

“The table is big enough, come sit here,” Noelle called Lumine over to the idol’s table. Barbara gave her a relieved look because to be honest, she was kinda nervous thinking about eating lunch with the beautiful new girl. Ah! What am I thinking?? She nervously looked up at Noelle again, who was giving her a ‘I know what you are’ look. Aagghhh stop looking at me like that! Barbara pouted back.

“What did you all bring?” Noelle continued like nothing happened.

“I tried out new recipes over the summer. This is what I came up with,” the previously quiet girl started explaining excitedly while showing a green paste-like mixture of some sort to the group. “I know it looks a bit off, but it has a lot of nutrients and is very healthy for you!”

“Didn’t you already make a dish like that last year?” Noelle noticed.

Sucrose’s cheeks lit up from embarrassment and she admitted that this was the 593rd version. Something about her hyperfixation on finding the most nutritious (and still edible) meal made Barbara adore her even more.

“I hope you don’t mind the smell of my food,” Barbara said as she took out a container filled with dried fish out of her dark blue tote bag. She had decorated it with white frills over the summer. Seeing how well it turned out made her smile to herself.

As she opened the container, a whiff of spicy air hit the other girls' noses and Lumine couldn’t hold back a quiet ‘Oomph’. Her eyes widened, followed up by a look expressing immediate guilt.

“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be rude in any way, I just didn’t expect you to be a person who eats spicy food,” Lumine apologised for her reaction.

The other two didn’t react to Barbara’s food of choice at all. They were used to Barbara bringing spicy snacks all the time. It felt nice, knowing they don’t judge her, even though it would make sense to worry about her throat, considering that she is singing on the regular during her performances and training.

“It’s okay, I get that a lot since I’m an idol,” Barbara explained. “But you don’t need to worry. I handle spice pretty well.”

That was an understatement. Barbara had probably the highest spice tolerance in all of Shogun Girls Academy, including teachers(!) because of her daily consumption of spicy snacks or the variety of spicy drinks she’s already tried. If you were to ask the idol about her favourite food, she’d probably tell you exactly that if she trusts you enough.

“Did you make that sandwich yourself?” Barbara asked when Lumine started eating her own meal. “It looks very good!” she added to make sure she didn’t come across judgmental.

“Oh, yeah. I did,” Lumine replied in between bites, “Thanks!”

”Uhm, Barbs. I think there might not be enough time during this break to show her around the school,” Sucrose noticed quietly. “We’d have to finish lunch in about 30 seconds and walk really fast if we wanted to show the important places.”

Barbara had totally forgotten about that part. She only took it as an excuse to invite Lumine to the group. Lumine probably thinks that I can’t hold promises now.

“That’s alright. You have some time after school today, right?” Noelle came to the rescue by proposing to make the tour after class was over.

”Yeah, let’s do it then,” Lumine said.

“You’re not mad we couldn’t do it now?” Barbara asked carefully. She still wasn’t convinced that Lumine agreed that easily.

“Yes, it’s okay. I would rather eat my sandwich in peace anyway than have to rush somewhere,” Lumine explained as she took another bite.

”Then that’s settled!” Noelle declared, giving Barbara a reassuring look. She knew Barbara well enough to see that she worried about her impression on Lumine, especially when the idol clearly showed more interest in her than any other new girl in their class.

Notes: AAAAHHHH hihihihi!!! I’m really excited to write this!! Yuri for the win >:3 /lh Also I’m trying not to spoil too much about all the dynamics. How do u like it so far?

[pill0wc4se]

Chapter 1: New School

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Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1475

It was a normal summer day in Teyvat. Well, not really. Today, summer break is over and all students have plenty of new experiences ahead of them. For some students it’s their first day at a school today, for some it’s a reunion with their friends and for some it’s transferring to a new school.

AETHER

Aether was walking down the corridor of Teyvat Highschool for the first time. He passed some classrooms and lockers and small groups of people on his way to the assembly hall. He overheard a group of boys around his age talking to each other.

“Do you think the new students are cute?”

“Well, Venti and I are gonna find out soon when we show them around,” a soft spoken voice replied to the question.

“We have to go now,” a third boy reminded the group firmly.

“Come on, Xiao. Don’t be so uptight,” the first boy’s husky voice said back to him.

The hall was starting to fill with kids from age fifteen to eighteen and less and less seats were left by the minute. Aether got a seat next to a rather short looking guy, who wore black lace-up boots that really put his outfit, which consisted of black shorts and a red and white crop top, together. He had his hair behind one ear and a friendly smile on his face.

A few moments after the school bell rang, the hall erupted in clapping. Aether looked around to see what happened and saw principal Mavuika going up the stage. She raised her hands in an inviting manner and the room quieted down.

”Everybody,” her voice was loud and clear, but remained friendly, “welcome or welcome back to Teyvat Highschool! Are you all ready for this school year?” The crowd cheered. “Year 11 students, since you’re new at this school, please stay here when years 12 and 13 will go to their classes. You’ll get a tour around the school with me and Miss Xilonen. “Mavuika glanced towards a tall woman standing on the side of the stage. She wore colourful heels that would engrave into anyone’s brain after seeing them once. Aether noticed the woman sigh. Almost like she doesn’t want to do the tour with the principal.

“To students in year 12 and 13, who are new here, these are your guides for the first week. They will show you around and bring you to your first class, so wait for them before running off.” The principal gestured to a handful of students that joined the teachers on the side of the stage.

“That’s it from my side for now,” Mavuika concluded. “I see Miss Furina wants to add something?”

“Yes, thank you, Madam Mavuika.” The shorter woman, who joined the principal at the lectern, clears her throat. “I want to remind you that club registration is open now. We offer many amazing after school clubs and activities like our sports teams, work and craft and our band and theatre.” Whispers could be heard from around the room of students discussing which clubs they want to join. “Anyways,” Furina cut them off, “you can find further information on the notice board. Thank you.” She gracefully walked off the stage.

”Okay, years 12 and 13, please go to your classes now. The lessons will start at 8:30,” Mavuika said into the microphone and soon the room emptied out until only the new students, including Aether, remained.

He made his way to the exit where the guides were already waiting on the newcomers. The year 11s already left with the principal and the fancy heels lady.

“Hello there!” a familiar soft voice greeted Aether and the other three students that joined them. Isn’t this… “Hello! My name’s Venti.” Yeah it is! It’s the guys from earlier. The other guides quickly introduced themselves and figured out what the newbie’s classes were. Aether figured the calm boy Kazuha was Venti’s best friend.

“Blondie, you’re with us,” Venti called out to Aether to join him and Kazuha. They were now walking to Miss Faruzan’s English class.

“So, braid boy, what brings you to Teyvat?”

”Venti, stop calling him names!” Kazuha stopped his best friend and turned to Aether, “What’s your name?”

“Aether.”

 LUMINE

Lumine was heading to her classroom. She checked her plan again - class 3A, Madam Yae. Luckily she found her room alright and even got there a bit early. She found a sheet with the seating plan by the door. Her seat was in the back of the class next to the windows. (A/N: typical main character seat om) From there she could observe the whole classroom perfectly.

A few moments later, Lumine saw three girls enter the classroom. They were quietly chatting about something and chuckling from time to time. When they split up to go to their own seats, the girl with blonde curled hair and sky blue eyes, smiled at Lumine before sitting down at the table next to her. Do I know her from somewhere?

“Hey, I really like your outfit!” Lumine tried to start conversation. She really did like the girl’s appearance. The dark blue plaited skirt and her white tights and blouse worked together really well and the blue ribbons around the girl’s twin tails topped the outfit off nicely.

“Oh, thank you!" the girl replied. “I like your haircut.” Lumine could see the girl’s cheeks slightly flush. “Are you new here? I’ve never seen you before,” she continued with curiosity in her eyes.

“Yes, I just moved here with my brother not long ago,” Lumine explained. “Oh, I’m Lumine by the way.”

“My name is Barbara.” Wait, Barbara? As in the idol? It finally clicked.

“Wait, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think I know you from YouTube,” Lumine pointed out. As she said that, she noticed Barbara’s eyes widen. Did her eyes just sparkle? “I saw some of your performances,” she added.

Barbara looked a bit surprised and like she didn’t know how to react. “I feel honoured,” she admitted. Lumine thought her smile looked really cute.

The class was filled by now and the girl in front of Lumine whispered to her sleeping friend that class is starting now. And just then, the ball rang and a warm voice came from the speakers.

“Good morning, dear students of Shogun Girls Academy. I hope you all had a great summer. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Raiden Ei, I’m the principal of this school. Your class teachers will tell you the rest of what’s to say. Happy learning!” The announcement ended and the class was looking at Madam Yae now, waiting for her to continue.

The tall and elegantly dressed woman picked up a piece of fresh chalk and wrote her name onto the blackboard. She gracefully turned around to the class again, “Good morning from me as well. I am Madam Yae,” she pointed to her name. “I will be your class teacher this year, as well as teaching literature. I want to use this opportunity and remind you of our school’s variety of after school activities and special positions.”

She started making her way through the rows, her heels clacking with every step. Lumine looked around the classroom only to find mixed reactions to Yae’s presence from her new classmates. Some were hypnotised by the mystique in her tone, others looked terrified. In any case – the room fell dead silent.

“I think some of you should consider joining the media and events committee.” She made her way towards the back rows. “Or maybe you’re more interested in our astronomy courses. Or perhaps” –she locked eyes with Lumine– “the book club.” Strangely Lumine didn’t feel uncomfortable at all but rather encouraged.

“You can find all necessary information on the school’s website or on the notice board,” Yae Miko concluded and walked back to her desk and the class finally broke the unbearable tension.

The rest of the lesson went as you’d expect a first lesson to be. Information about grading, necessary books and all that jazz.

During the break, Lumine took out her notebook and wrote down some words that she would describe her teacher with. Something about Madam Yae left a strong impression on her. She started it a few years ago and would occasionally write stuff in it. She never showed her writings to anyone because she didn’t really think that it was good. She did it just for herself. She enjoyed it.

”Do you want to eat lunch with us today, Lumine?”

She turned to her side to see the girls from before. They were gathered around Barbara’s table, looking at Lumine as they waited for her answer.

Lumine didn’t expect to be invited to lunch on her first day. And especially not by an idol and her… friends?

Notes: Thank you so much for reading! The next chapters will probably not be as long as this one, but we'll see. I am so excited to build this world for all my silly blorbos!!

[pill0wc4se]

Oops, the realtionship dynamics I orinially planned out for my blorbos aren't working all that well with my current idea. I'll just tweak them a bit then, so don't be surprised :3

[pill0wc4se]

Project MIRAGE

Read on AO3 | Masterlist

Summary: Genshin Highschool AU. But what if SEKAIs exist? The story of 25 students, who form groups and get granted a space born from their feelings.

Notes: Hi there!! I am so excited to write this long fic! Can you believe it? My two special interests combined into one!? Anyways, I will be adding more tags as I write. I'll also be expanding the range of characters once I properly introduced all of the main ones. I already have a small overview about the groups and their backstories posted on my tumblr. Click here for the post! I hope you enjoy!! <3 Feel free to leave feedback and/or ideas in a comment if you want to. :3

Chapter 1: New School

Chapter 2: Lunch

Chapter 3: School Tour

Chapter 4: Clarification

Chapter 5: A Hard Decision

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Encounter