"I see. Traveling through various nations with so many people sounds quite wonderful—so lively and fun."
After listening to Paimon, Yae Miko nodded and began eating the mixed rice in front of her.
"Actually, there weren't many of us at first. Kiana and Acheron, for example—they joined later."
Yae Miko: "!"
Kiana?
Who is she?
Another one of Mei's companions?
And...
They all joined later?
Pausing her meal, Yae Miko felt she had uncovered something significant.
While these things seemed normal on the surface, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
"Kiana? I've never heard that name before."
Resuming her meal, Yae Miko uttered this casually. At this moment, she wanted to know who this Kiana was.
She doesn't know Kiana?
But she knows Acheron and Wendy...
How strange...
Could it be because Kiana later became...
Kaito's girlfriend?
Lumine couldn't help but wonder about Yae Miko not knowing Kiana.
Otherwise, something about it simply felt off to her.
After all, logically, Yae Miko knew Kaito, Wendy, and Acheron—it was just too strange for her to not know Kiana.
"Maybe because she rarely goes out."
Since Paimon hadn't seen Kiana much since arriving in Inazuma, she offered this explanation.
"I see. She sounds like a shy girl."
Yae Miko nodded, making that assumption.
She didn't know if that was the case, but she felt obliged to say something, especially since she was the one who asked.
"No, Kiana isn't shy in the slightest! She looks incredibly dignified."
Paimon immediately refuted Yae Miko's assumption.
In her eyes, Kiana was anything but shy.
In fact, quite the opposite; she possessed immense dignity, clearly a young lady of high standing.
Dignified?
Hearing Paimon's description, Yae Miko found herself growing even more interested in this girl named Kiana.
She felt she absolutely had to meet this Miss Kiana.
Wait!
Suddenly, a thought struck Yae Miko, and she asked, "That Miss Kiana... she isn't Kaito's girlfriend as well, is she?"
Given her experience with Wendy, she suspected this unseen Kiana was also very likely Kaito's girlfriend.
"Yeah."
Paimon, preoccupied with eating, nodded without even looking up.
By now, she was completely accustomed to Kaito having multiple girlfriends.
Even if Yae Miko were to claim she was Kaito's girlfriend too, Paimon wouldn't bat an eye.
After all, Kaito had an astonishing number of girlfriends, and each one seemed incredibly formidable.
So...
When will Lumine finally become Kaito's girlfriend?
This thought suddenly popped into Paimon's head, prompting her to glance up at Lumine beside her.
Even though Kaito didn't treat them as outsiders, Paimon still felt it would be even better if Lumine became his girlfriend.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Taken aback by Paimon's sudden stare, Lumine found it rather peculiar.
"Nothing, hehe."
With a chuckle, Paimon resumed burying her face in her food, leaving Lumine utterly bewildered beside her.
This Kaito...
He actually has so many girlfriends?
If learning that little girl, Wendy, was Kaito's girlfriend had seemed normal before, now it felt far from normal.
After all, wasn't this number a little excessive?
More importantly, each of his girlfriends seemed incredibly powerful.
Though she hadn't met Miss Kiana yet, Lumine assumed she wasn't an ordinary individual either.
Wait, hold on!
She isn't one as well, is she?
Her gaze suddenly falling on Lumine, Yae Miko thought of something else entirely.
"Lumine, you're not Kaito's girlfriend too, are you? That man truly has quite a few."
"Huh? No, I'm not his girlfriend."
Taken by surprise, Lumine quickly shook her head in denial. She was certainly not his girlfriend, not yet anyway.
But she understood why Yae Miko would ask such a thing.
After all, every girl currently accompanying Kaito—save for her—was his girlfriend.
(And, of course, Paimon wasn't either.)
Right...
Could Yae Miko herself be interested in Kaito?
Why else would she inquire so much?
At this moment, Lumine seemed to grasp the situation.
"I see, understood."
This time, Yae Miko was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected Lumine, standing before her, to actually not be Kaito's girlfriend.
Even so, she still had a strong feeling Lumine would eventually become one.
After all, since nearly every girl around Kaito was currently his girlfriend, Lumine would surely follow suit.
"So..."
"Oh, there you all are."
Just as Yae Miko was about to speak, Kaito's voice suddenly echoed from nearby.
Kaito?
Turning her head, Yae Miko saw Kaito approaching them.
"Good morning, Kaito. Lumine and I called for you and Acheron earlier, but neither of you responded."
Assuming Kaito was wondering why they hadn't called out to him, Paimon quickly offered an explanation.
Because yesterday's 'battle' was too intense...
Kaito silently mused this to himself in response to Paimon's words, then stated aloud, "I slept late last night, so I woke up quite late today."
As he spoke, Kaito let out a yawn.
"What about Acheron? Is she still asleep?"
Paimon asked again.
"She's awake, but too lazy to come out. I'll just pack something to take back for her."
Having said this, Kaito sat down next to Lumine.
"Hehe, I didn't expect Sister Acheron to also have moments like me."
Hearing that Sister Acheron was too lazy to go out, Paimon chuckled. She'd finally found a similarity between herself and Sister Acheron.
"Then leave it to me. I'll bring her breakfast."
Upon hearing Acheron hadn't eaten breakfast yet, Yae Miko immediately decided to bring her something, just as she often did for that certain sweet-toothed individual.
"Thank you for the trouble, Yae Miko."
"No trouble at all, no trouble."
With that, Yae Miko stood up and made her way toward the counter.
A little while later.
"Please enjoy your meal. I'll be heading out now."
In truth, Yae Miko chose to bring food to Acheron partly because Kaito's arrival presented a factor.
With Kaito right there, some questions weren't convenient for her to ask.
Thus, it would be better to find Mei, inquire about other matters, and perhaps see if Mei could rein in that little rascal.
___
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