"Boss, where's my Gourmet Tablecloth?!"
Paimon was starting to panic.
"There's no Gourmet Tablecloth. Your reward is that dorayaki in your hand."
Han Feng pointed at the big, round treat she was holding.
"Dorayaki?"
Paimon looked at the brown pastry—bigger than her own face—before finally recognizing it.
Ohhh! It was the very thing Doraemon was always eating!
Hehe, then it had to be delicious!
Wait. No.
She couldn't let herself be fooled!
Boss Han did say the reward would be something she liked!
Clearly, he must've been greedy and hidden the Gourmet Tablecloth away for himself.
Face scrunching up, Paimon put one hand on her hip and pointed accusingly with the other—still holding the pastry.
"Boss! You said the reward would be something I liked!"
"Exactly. Dorayaki is food. And food is what you like most, isn't it?"
Han Feng spread his hands with an innocent shrug.
Paimon: (⊙_⊙)
So that's what he meant…
No Gourmet Tablecloth.
Nothing hidden away.
And she'd gotten her hopes up for nothing.
"Uuuu…."
Paimon's eyes welled up.
Why did Lumine get something as incredible as the Anywhere Door, while she was stuck with a glorified pancake?
At least give her another two or three dorayaki, right?
Didn't Boss Han know her appetite was huge?!
"Uuuuwaaaah, life is too hard…"
Sniffling, she took a sad little bite.
"Eh?!"
Her eyes lit up instantly.
"It's… it's delicious!"
No wonder Doraemon was obsessed with these!
But the thought immediately returned— If only she had the Gourmet Tablecloth, she could've wished for mountains of dorayaki instead of just one.
Which only made her want to cry harder.
"Uuuh… life is really too hard… munch…"
So she cried, and chewed, and cried some more.
On the side, Lumine and Noelle could only gape at her in silence.
So… was she happy, or was she miserable?
Han Feng, meanwhile, was laughing to himself.
Paimon right now reminded him of a sitcom lawyer from his past life— the guy had once bought the wrong notebook, and ended up eating while sobbing.
It was practically the same scene.
"Alright, don't be sad. I actually have a Gourmet Tablecloth here.
I'll lend it to you once—as a reward for bringing in new customers for me."
Han Feng chuckled.
"Eh?! Boss, you really have a Gourmet Tablecloth?!"
Paimon's jaw dropped, the dorayaki momentarily forgotten.
Even Lumine was surprised.
But then again, considering Doraemon had come from Boss Han's shop, it wasn't that unbelievable for him to own one of its gadgets.
"Mhm. It's right here. You can make three wishes for food."
Of course he had to set limits.
With Paimon, who knew how endless her requests would get?
"Whoa, it's really the same as in the manga!"
Paimon zipped up to the counter, staring at the patterned cloth in awe.
Her chest squeezed with envy.
The one thing she had dreamed about day and night…
Boss Han just had it casually lying around.
The jealousy was so intense it practically tore her soul apart.
But since she had three wishes, she needed to choose carefully.
And soon, she made her decision.
"Mhm! I want a giant dorayaki! A giant serving of Sticky Honey Roast! And… Boss Han's Golden Fried Rice!"
These were the three best foods she had ever eaten.
She wanted them all in one sitting.
Who knew when she'd get such a chance again?
The moment she finished speaking, three steaming, fragrant dishes materialized one after another on the cloth.
Each portion was massive—enough for multiple people.
"Wooooow! It really worked!"
Paimon clasped her hands together, practically trembling with excitement.
Knowing about it was one thing, but using it herself was a whole different feeling!
"Lumine, let's eat together!" she called.
No matter what she got, she always shared it with her best friend.
As for Boss Han… he could just sit there and watch them eat.
That'd serve him right!
Even if he could conjure food for himself.
Lumine didn't refuse—she hadn't eaten breakfast yet and was actually pretty hungry.
So the two of them dug in.
It was heavenly.
Lumine managed to keep some lady-like restraint in front of Han Feng, but Paimon? She was going full-on barbarian, tearing into Sticky Honey Roast with her bare hands.
"Mmmph! Shoo goood! If only we could eat thish every day!"
Her words were muffled through mouthfuls of meat, but her mind was whirring the whole time.
Boss Han had said this was her reward for bringing in customers.
So… what if her "plan" to recruit more people actually worked?
Wouldn't that mean she could use the Gourmet Tablecloth more often?!
"But how should I actually do it…"
Paimon frowned, troubled.
Her brilliant "maid plan" had already been shot down by Lumine.
It wasn't easy to think of something better.
Then her gaze landed on the Anywhere Door beside them.
A sly little idea began forming in her head.
"Ahem… Lumine, why don't you try using your Anywhere Door?
See if it's really as amazing as in the manga?"
"Hmm, but I'm not sure how it works…"
Lumine scratched the back of her head, sheepishly.
It should be the same as in the story, right?
Think of a destination, open the door, and step through?
To be certain, she looked toward Han Feng.
"Just as in the manga. Think of the place you want to go, and you'll get there.
Two conditions: distance isn't an issue on Teyvat, but it has to be somewhere you've already visited."
Han Feng explained.
"So basically… you can only go somewhere in Mondstadt right now."
Paimon nodded thoughtfully.
Lumine hadn't traveled much lately.
So her options were limited.
"Alright, then let's try it!"
Excitement flickered in Lumine's eyes as she walked up to the door.
"But… where should I go?"
She hesitated.
The middle of the street was no good—too many people.
The wilds outside Mondstadt were too empty.
No, the best place would be somewhere with a familiar face— someone she could properly shock.
Her lips curved into a mischievous grin.
"Captain Jean's office it is."
She'd been there several times before.
And if she could witness a rare look of surprise on Jean's ever-serene face… that would be priceless.
Taking a deep breath, Lumine pictured the Knight Captain's office.
She reached for the handle, turned it gently, and in front of everyone's expectant eyes, pushed the door open.
The world shifted in an instant.
And there it was—the familiar decor of the Acting Grand Master's office.
"Good morning, Captain Jean~!"
Lumine cheerfully waved hello to the utterly dumbfounded Jean seated behind her desk.
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