<h4>Chapter 115: Viin Simtor, Ch 114</h4>


    Barbara''s fingers pressed down on Lucas''s chest, slowly sliding south as she smiled. "I just want to see... if what you said is true."


    "Barbara, don''t!" Lucas struggled, attempting to push her back with his foot, but Barbara swiftly caught his ankle.


    "Be good," Barbara murmured, undoing a small bow on his clothes with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Let me take a look!"


    "No!" Lucas protested, trying to push her away with his other foot, giving her a gentle kick to the stomach.


    Instead of backing off, his resistance seemed to spur her on. She casually summoned a small water ball, which sshed directly over Lucas''s head, leaving him spluttering and momentarily distracted.


    Seizing the opportunity, Barbara quickly undid thest knot securing Lucas.


    Her eyes widened at what she saw.


    So... he wasn''t lying after all!


    Within his small formy an unexpected strength.


    "See? I wasn''t lying," Lucas said, blushing slightly. "Now do you believe me?"


    Barbara''s lips curved into a sly smile. "I just thought of... the perfect way to get back at you."


    "W-what are you nning now?" Lucas stammered, a hint of nervousness in his voice.


    "Sister once told me of a strategy called ''returning the favor in kind!''" Barbara took a deep breath, determination in her gaze. "So... I''ll give you a taste of your own medicine!"


    Are you serious?!


    Lucas was now left utterly baffled, unsure if Barbara was genuinely innocent or just ying along.


    One thing was clear: tonight, Lucas would join the ranks of a few rare "lucky" heroes, in a rather unforgettable way.


    A dishevelled Lucasy on the bed. As a ''child'', what had just happened was simply overwhelming.


    If he could sum it up in one word, it would be—ttened.


    Like a massive truck barreling down, crushing Lucas''s small, fragile frame.


    "This is our secret," Barbara warned, casually wringing out her damp blonde hair as she shot him a smirk. "You''d better not tell anyone, got it? I know where you work, and I know who your boss is—Keqing herself. So, watch your step, okay?"


    Lucas didn''t respond.


    The whole situation felt oddly familiar.


    <i>Oh, right.</i> In the simtor, hadn''t he used a simr threat himself? Karma sure worked fast.


    Seeing Lucas huddled there, looking pitiful and defeated, Barbara felt a twinge of guilt.


    <i>Was I... too rough?</i>


    "Come here," Barbara motioned to him with a finger.


    "Wha—again?" Lucas shuddered.


    "No, don''t worry," she reassured him, shaking her head. "I just want to check for injuries."


    Though it was nothing serious, just a few minor scrapes, it was still far less than the mischief Lucas had inflicted on her in the past.


    Obediently, he shuffled over, and as she looked at him—this small, endearing boy—Barbara''s heart softened slightly.


    She ced her hand on his shoulder, and a cool, soothing sensation washed over him.


    "Now we''re even," she said gently. "You don''t owe me anything anymore."


    Despite Barbara''s now-mature appearance, her heart remained as pure as ever. While she had talked big about "revenge," now that it was over, an empty feeling lingered.


    Perhaps sensing her disappointment, Lucas suddenly let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Is that it?"


    "What did you say?" Barbara''s brow furrowed, her mood darkening. "Haven''t you learned your lesson?"


    "Lesson? You call <i>that</i> a lesson?" Lucas crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow defiantly. "You only got away with it because I''m stuck as a kid. If you''re really serious,e at me with everything you''ve got."


    Of course, he could have stopped her at any time, but why would he?


    "You little...!" Barbara couldn''t suppress a giggle, her earlier discontent fading. Gripping his shoulders yfully, she said, "Oh, so you''re asking for it, huh? Well, we still have a bit of time before sunrise...I am gonna suck you dry!"


    This round, without a doubt, went to Barbara.


    ...


    "Yawn..."


    Klee rubbed her sleepy eyes as she stumbled out of her hut, mumbling, "Klee... needs to go potty..."


    Even in her adult form, she was still groggy and half-awake.


    But as she approached the other hut, she heard strange noisesing from within.


    "Huh...?" Her senses sharpening a bit, Klee carefully approached, mumbling, "It sounds like Daddy and Sister Barbara."


    Unbeknownst to Barbara, the water barrier she''d set up to muffle sound had evaporated.


    "Stealthy Klee is on the case!"


    She peeked in, cautiously poking her head around the corner, but what she saw inside caused her eyes to go wide.


    "Waaah!" she wailed suddenly, her voice breaking into sobs as she raced toward Jean''s hut, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Captain Jean, help!"


    Lucas and Barbara froze, startled by Klee''s cry.


    ---


    <i>[Klee uses "Shriek"!]</i>


    <i>[Lucas'' spellcasting interrupted.]</i>


    <i>[Barbara enters "Frightened" state, unable to act temporarily.]</i>


    ---


    Jean was a light sleeper, due to her constant work responsibilities and years of dealing with emergencies. She woke up instantly at Klee''s cry.


    The grown-up Klee knelt beside her, herrge red eyes brimming with tears. "S-something terrible happened!"


    "Calm down, tell me slowly!" Jean said, ncing around and noticing Barbara was nowhere in sight. Her heart sank as she asked, "What happened?"


    "K-Klee saw Sister Barbara bullying Daddy!" Klee sobbed. "She was squashing him and saying, ''I''m going to crush you!'' Captain Jean, please save Daddy!"


    "Wha...?"


    Jean''s mind spun. Klee was still a child, after all, and likely misunderstood things. But Jean, as an adult, knew a bit about such matters—some of her favorite novels, after all, had hinted at... certain things.


    And Klee''s description sounded an awful lot like...


    No, it couldn''t be. Barbara was too innocent to act like that, especially toward Lucas—who was just a child now!


    Without wasting a second, Jean grabbed Klee''s hand, and they hurried toward the other hut.


    But with each step closer, Jean''s anxiety grew.


    If they really were... what would she do?


    But before she could think further, there was a loud <i>thud</i> as Lucas''s body flew out of the hut, crashing against arge tree trunk.


    "Ugh!" Lucas coughed, but then, smiling, he gave a thumbs-up. "Nice work, Barbara!"


    Barbara stepped out of the hut, adjusting a headband she''d tied around her forehead, her golden hair pulled back. She bowed respectfully, her hands sped in front of her. "Thank you for your guidance, Master Lucas!"


    Jean and Klee arrived just in time, both wearing identical expressions of utter confusion.


    "Um..." Jean ventured, her tone baffled, "What... exactly are you two doing?"


    "Huh? Sister... did we make too much noise and wake you up?" Barbara asked, guilt flickering across her face. "Sorry about that!"


    "Well, here''s what happened—Barbara found me just now," Lucas exined calmly. "Since Captain Jean and I have both turned into children, Barbara is the only one of us who still has her fullbat abilities. She wanted me to teach her somebat techniques, just in case."


    "So..." Jean''s eyes widened in realization. "When Klee said she saw Barbara pinning you down... was that also...?"


    "Exactly! That''s called groundwork!" Lucas said shamelessly. "It''s a grappling technique I learned from a martial artist in Inazuma."


    "Ah, I see!" Jean nodded thoughtfully. "I''ve heard that Inazuma has a martial art called ''Judo.'' I didn''t realize you knew it as well."


    "Of course," Lucas said, seizing the chance as Jean nodded along. "Barbara and I were practicing Judo! But actually, it''s originally from Liyue."


    Technically, he wasn''t lying... Judo was indeed a martial art.


    "Klee, looks like you misunderstood," Jean exined, gently taking Klee''s hand. "Your dad and Barbara were just practicingbat techniques."


    "Hmm, but something still feels off," Klee muttered, scratching her head. Then her eyes lit up as she pped her hands. "Wait, they weren''t wearing...!"


    "Klee!" Lucas interrupted hastily. "Daddy''s hungry. How about we go blow up some fish for breakfast?"


    "Blow up fish? Yay!" Klee quickly dropped her questions, grabbing Lucas in a hug. "Gotta make the most of our fish-sting chance before Captain Jean says no!"


    As Lucas and Klee left to prepare breakfast, Jean''s smile faded, and she turned to Barbara with a cool expression. "Barbara, why would you do that?"


    Oh no...


    A chill ran down Barbara''s spine.


    Could it be... that her sister had already figured out everything between her and Lucas? Had Jean kept quiet just to spare her feelings?


    "I''m... I''m sorry..." Barbara muttered, guilt written all over her face. "I... I got carried away."


    "If you wanted to learnbat techniques, you could have asked me!" Jean replied with a hint of frustration. "As your sister, I would have been happy to teach you some swordsmanship myself."


    Huh?


    Barbara was caught off guard by the response, feeling an unexpected warmth in her chest.


    For the first time in all these years, Jean had called herself "sister."


    "Sister!" Ovee with emotion, Barbara hugged her, tears of joy and relief streaming down her face. "I am so so happy!"


    "There''s something else I don''t quite understand," Jean continued, her expression puzzled. "Why were you shouting, ''I''m going to crush you'' while training?"


    A bead of sweat rolled down Barbara''s forehead.


    <i>"Crush", of course, referred to... well... her crushing his figure under her two big mountains.</i>


    "That was..." Barbara quickly improvised, "a battle cry! Lucas said that yelling things like that can make you more intimidating during a fight."


    "Hmm, I suppose that makes sense," Jean mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Amanding presence is important inbat, after all."


    Before long, Lucas and Klee returned, carrying fresh fish they''d blown up for a simple but delicious breakfast. The countdown to resuming the game was also down to a mere few minutes, and everyone felt refreshed and energized after their meal.


    "Lucas," Jean said, picking up a nearby stick. "I''ve actually wanted to spar with you for a while now. Would you be up for it?"


    Lucas could tell right away that Jean''s challenge was more about demonstrating her skills to Barbara than anything else, so he nodded, smiling. "Sure thing, a little post-breakfast exercise sounds good. Besides, we''re just kids right now, so let''s keep it to technique only."


    "But using sticks is a bit basic," Lucas said, taking two branches and transforming them with alchemy into small wooden practice swords. He tossed one to Jean. "Here, catch!"


    Jean epted the wooden sword, noting that, even with her reduced size, it felt quitefortable in her hand. She twirled it once, pointing the tip at Lucas with a smirk. "I''m going to crush you!"


    "...What?"


    Lucas froze, ncing over at Barbara, who now had her face in her hands, clearly embarrassed.


    Seeing Jean charge toward him, Lucas quickly raised his sword to block. Both had impressive technique, though their strength and speed were naturally hindered by their child-sized forms.


    "Go, Daddy!" cheered Klee from the sidelines.


    "Go, Sister!" Barbara added with equal enthusiasm.


    Even though they were smaller, the skill gap remained. After about thirty or forty exchanges, Lucas got a good sense of Jean''s level—she was about on par with E, though slightly less powerful than Diluc.


    ---


    Author''s Note: I was supposed to get home by 4:30 PM, but I ended up arriving at 1 AM. So, as you can imagine, my train fucked up pretty bad.


    Anyway, we didn''t make it into the top 5, but I''m still going to give you the extra Chapters. I know if I didn''t, you''d probably start crying, and mommy can''t see you cry ??


    (Later tho, I still need sleep)