Hm?
Is this what a phantom limb feels like?
As she and Lumine strolled through Windrise, Wendy found herself involuntarily glancing down at herself, struck by the most peculiar sensation imaginable.
She had experienced something similar before — yesterday, when Kaito's body had been in the heat of battle with Miko, and even further back, during those early times when she and herself had, well... done that. And yet, even now, she couldn't help but find it utterly strange.
After all, Kaito's body was male and hers was female. They each had their own exclusive... equipment. But they were, unmistakably, the same person.
And right now, Kaito was making use of the piece of equipment that she didn't have.
And yet — she could still feel it. Like a phantom limb. Something that shouldn't be there sending signals anyway, clear as day.
How truly bizarre.
Hm... No, wait.
Being used is more accurate...
Lost in thought, Wendy quietly corrected herself. Because right now, Kaito's side wasn't exactly the one being proactive about using anything.
The technique is a little clumsy, though...
Well, I suppose that makes sense...
"Wendy, are you okay? Are you tired?" Lumine suddenly spoke up from beside her. "We really don't have to push ourselves, you know. It's fine if we can't find him."
She had noticed Wendy inexplicably staring down at the ground for a while now, and something about her just seemed... off. Lumine had naturally assumed it must be because Wendy had been searching for her brother for too long, and hurried to reassure her.
"Tired? How could I possibly get tired?" The moment she heard Lumine's voice, Wendy immediately lifted her head, her expression perfectly composed as she replied, "I was just thinking that your brother might already be in another nation by now."
Even though Kaito's body was currently being kept very... occupied by Miko, Wendy's side was fully capable of appearing as though absolutely nothing was happening.
She couldn't help it. The sensation of being on the male end was simply nothing compared to the female experience.
On top of that, Miko's technique was still rough around the edges, and Wendy's threshold was frankly sky-high after all those times she and herself had... gotten up to things. The current situation wasn't nearly enough to make her expression slip even slightly.
At this rate, she honestly felt she could fall asleep on her feet right now.
"You're right," Lumine said, nodding slowly. "He really might be in another nation somewhere."
She knew her brother wouldn't have stayed in Mondstadt forever. And if that were truly the case, finding him right now had become an incredibly difficult task.
"Don't think too hard about it. We'll find him slowly, a little at a time," Wendy said, glancing over at Lumine's pensive expression and offering a gentle word of comfort.
"Mm. I know." Lumine turned her head, gave Wendy a nod, and let out a quiet breath.
Just as Wendy had said — take it slowly. Don't overthink it. If her brother had walked through all those years alone before, then he could keep walking forward, the same as always. There was no point worrying herself sick over it.
"Let's head back into Mondstadt and get something to eat," Wendy said, looking up at the sky, which had already begun to darken. "It's almost evening."
But the moment the words left her mouth, Wendy suddenly froze.
Hm——!!
Miko.
She's actually being proactive?!
That kind of thing...
Wendy came to an involuntary stop, her expression one of undisguised shock. She genuinely hadn't expected Miko — of all people — to be the one to take the initiative here.
"What's wrong, Wendy? Is there an enemy?" Lumine had been walking alongside her when she suddenly noticed Wendy stopped dead in her tracks with that stunned look on her face. Alarmed, she quickly scanned their surroundings, half-expecting something to leap out at them.
But no matter how hard she looked, there was nothing there.
Could it be an enemy I can't sense?
She glanced back at Wendy, who was still frozen in that state of shock, and couldn't help but wonder.
"Nothing, nothing." Wendy snapped back to reality, shaking her head quickly, and resumed walking forward. "I just suddenly remembered something that Kaito's probably already taken care of."
She knew her reaction just now had been far too obvious, but there was absolutely no way she could explain the actual reason. She'd just have to make something up.
"Is that so..." Lumine watched Wendy walk past her, a small frown tugging at her brow.
From just now until this very moment, Wendy had been acting strangely. But since Wendy clearly didn't want to say anything, pressing her wouldn't do any good.
I wonder why she's acting like this...
Did something suddenly occur to her?
Could it be related to my brother?
Lumine fell into step behind Wendy, her mind turning over one possibility after another — even entertaining the idea that it might somehow have something to do with Aether. But in the end, she could only speculate.
And while Lumine was lost in her thoughts at the back, the Wendy walking at the front was doing the same.
Why did Miko suddenly go for that...?
Kaito's side shouldn't have given off any hint of wanting that, right?
Wendy glanced down involuntarily, genuinely puzzled.
But before long, she recalled something Kaito had said in front of Miko not long ago.
Could it be because of what he said back then?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Though she couldn't know for certain right now, since even if Kaito's body tried to ask Miko at this particular moment, Miko was in absolutely no position to answer.
Forget it...
Better not to ask about something like this...
Kaito's side better put in some real effort now... He absolutely cannot fall behind.
After mulling it over, Wendy decided it was best to drop the question. Either way, actions spoke louder than words — Kaito's body needed to step up, and that was that.
"Miss Wendy."
Jean's voice rang out from just ahead.
Jean?
What's she doing out here?
Wendy looked up to see Jean making her way across the bridge by Mondstadt's city gate, and couldn't help but wonder what had brought her out.
"Jean, it's pretty late — where are you headed?" Wendy asked, stopping as Jean approached.
Even as she spoke, she was acutely aware that the sensations coming from that certain non-existent place had grown considerably more... intense. And yet, her face remained a picture of calm serenity.
She couldn't help it. This was simply the difference between male and female. Undeniable.
"I came looking for you, actually, Miss Wendy," Jean replied directly, without hesitation.
"Me? What for?" Wendy asked.
"It reached my ears that you and Lumine have been going around clearing out the Hilichurl camps," Jean said. She turned to face both of them and gave a formal salute in the manner of the Knights of Favonius. "On behalf of Mondstadt and all its citizens, I want to offer our sincerest thanks."
Going around clearing out Hilichurls?
Wendy blinked, then understood at once what she was referring to.
____
👻🔥Here: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Gain early access to 40 chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive content and special announcements.
We have set new community milestones:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for all readers
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters for all series!
👻 P - Walnut-chan