Jean's sultry, explosive figure was nestled in the soft white quilt, her twin peaks rising and falling steadily with her breathing.
Ken feasted his eyes a bit.
Carrying that of that magnitude on her person was truly something else.
After checking her condition, he confirmed she'd simply overworked herself; her body had tripped a defense mechanism and shut down.
A good sleep and two days' rest would fix it.
Taking the chance, Ken headed to the kitchen. It was noon; he hadn't eaten, and it would be nice to serve lunch to the guests from another world.
"Mmm, it smells so good… what is that?"
As the clay pot soup bubbled away and the aroma filled the air, Paimon, who had been keeping Lumine company in the room, couldn't sit still anymore.
She flew into the kitchen, drooling.
"Jewelry Soup."
Ken lifted the lid, sprinkled in a handful of chopped cilantro over the milky broth, then glanced at Paimon.
"Hmm?" Paimon's drool was going drip-drip as she eyed Ken. "Why are you looking at Paimon like that, Mr. Ken?"
"Help me carry it to the table."
"…"
A little speechless, but compelled by the bubbling, milky-white soup, Paimon obeyed her heart, lifted the clay pot, and floated toward the table.
The sight was oddly harmonious to Ken.
In the future, when he and Lumine were living happily together, leaving Paimon as a live-in helper wouldn't be bad.
He then whipped up scallion-seared lamb, plus Mondstadt specialties—Sweet Madame and Cream Stew.
After acquiring top-tier cooking skills, Ken found Teyvat's cuisine came easily to him.
"So good…"
Paimon patted her round belly, staring at the spread, smacking her lips.
"Paimon… you just ate all the snacks. You're still hungry?" Lumine's voice came from the study doorway.
The aroma had gotten to her, too.
Though her brother mattered most, she'd finished the Mondstadt arc and learned that in the ruins of Stormterror's Lair, her brother had seen her but chose not to reveal himself.
Though she hadn't experienced it yet, the detailed descriptions in the Genshin materials had already made her subconsciously trust Ken's prophecy.
Since her brother was fine—seemingly doing well—there was no need to worry too much.
"Hmph… Paimon isn't full. I could eat a whole boar right now!"
Eyes shining at the feast, Paimon could barely restrain herself after days of roughing it in the wild.
Lumine swallowed involuntarily. She wasn't as gluttonous as Paimon, but… it smelled amazing.
"Sit and eat."
Ken smiled.
With his invitation, Lumine thanked him and immediately picked up a slice of lamb.
"Mmph… so good…"
Tender, juicy slices with the aroma of scallions—Lumine's eyes curved with delight.
"Woo! It's been so long since Paimon's had food this good! If Mr. Ken opened a restaurant, it would be a smash hit. It's really too delicious!"
"After eating in the wild for so long, getting lamb like this makes Paimon feel truly blessed… If only we could have this every day… Can we stay here a few days?"
Paimon spun with joy in midair, chattering nonstop. Lumine, though a bit embarrassed by her, kept honestly piling food onto her plate.
By the time Paimon realized it, the scallion lamb was down to a few slices.
"Wah! My lamb!"
She stared at the pitiful remnants, heartbroken.
"Don't worry. Try the other dishes."
Watching Lumine and Paimon scramble for food, Ken could almost see a future of happy days with Lumine-as-wife and Paimon-as-housekeeper.
"Hehe… thanks, Mr. Ken. If you ever need help, just ask," Lumine said, a bit bashful. "By the way… where's Master Jean?"
"She was exhausted and is resting in my room. I saved her some food," Ken replied. "As for needing help… let's talk after you finish the Mondstadt business."
Paimon's eyes spun. "So… all this food is ours?"
Overjoyed, she devoured the rest despite having snacked earlier, leaving the plates spotless.
In the end, even floating took effort; she flopped onto a chair to rub her belly.
Lumine felt both embarrassed and a little ashamed at the display.
Finally, she forced herself to say, "Mr. Ken… thank you for the meal. I'll go back to the files."
"Go ahead."
Ken headed to his bedroom.
…
Jean lay quietly on the bed, sleeping sweetly.
"Mondstadt's management model is really not great."
Seeing Jean frown even in her sleep, Ken instinctively reached out and smoothed her furrowed brow.
But as his fingertips touched her fair, delicate skin, the sleeping Jean let out a soft whimper. Ken paused, instinctively pulling his hand back a little.
"Mm…"
Sensing the touch, Jean reflexively turned over.
The two round, bouncy ample chest suddenly bumped into Ken's half-withdrawn hand.
"Even if you're Master Jean, you can't go body-checking people with the ball…"
A spark shot through his nerves. With a sigh, Ken drew his hand back.
Seeing that nearly two hours had passed, he decided it was time to wake her.
…
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