Morning sunlight fell through the window lattice. Ken slowly opened his eyes, used Anemo magic to clean up the mess on the floor, then stood and dressed.
When Barbara left last night, she felt horny again and give him a head.
During the process, a mishap caused some to drip onto her nightgown.
Fortunately the deaconess outfit was fine. Satisfied, Barbara returned to Mondstadt to rest, rosy-cheeked.
"Never thought Barbara liked milk so much."
Ken mused, thinking of how she even packed a bunch to take away, not worried about leaks on the way back.
He wondered if Acting Grand Master Jean and Lumine would like it.
If they did, he could share selflessly—after all, they were friends.
…
After washing up.
Ken ate breakfast while checking emails and work on his computer, and cheered his employees on in the work group—otherwise even as the boss, it was hard to slack off.
After the inbox, he opened Facebook and Twitter.
As he expected.
Diona's video had blown up—trending very high now.
But because Klee was featured in the current banner, most of Facebook was Klee fan works; Diona's fan works were just starting to show their edge.
Some deranged creators even made Abyss Mage fan works.
"I'll ask my brother-in-law to arrange a few Abyss Mages to shoot some videos when there's a chance. Should be good."
Ken clearly remembered there was a particularly dumb Abyss Mage around his brother-in-law. Perfect frontman.
Decision made, Ken finished breakfast and headed to Mondstadt.
Since they were going fishing with Klee, he'd bought some small bombs. Otherwise, with the power of Jumpy Dumpties, Starfell Lake might not survive.
…
Mondstadt.
After hearing from Barbara about today's outing, little Klee shouldered her schoolbag early, heavy with Jumpy Dumpties, and set out.
But just as she reached the Knights' HQ gate, Klee ran into the person she least wanted to see right now.
Those long legs in tight white knight trousers approached with an elegant stride. Golden hair shone in the morning sun; her slimes were tightly bound.
"Act—Acting Grand Master Jean!"
At the sight of Jean, Klee instinctively shrank her neck and guarded her backpack.
Seeing the bulging bag, Jean raised a brow. "Klee, what's in your bag?"
"N-not much… definitely not Jumpy Dumpties!" Klee scrambled. "Sister Barbara told me Daddy is taking me to Starfell Lake to— to p-picnic!"
"Mr. Ken's taking you?" Jean confirmed.
Klee nodded hard. "Mm-hmm! Yes!"
"Then go on." Jean smiled.
So agreeable? Klee stared at Jean's smile, puzzled.
Every time she went out and Jean saw her bulging backpack, she'd check for explosives. Klee had been arrested on the spot many times.
Why was Jean so easy today?
Klee couldn't figure it out, but she didn't bother. Since Jean was so agreeable, she scampered off, worried Jean might change her mind.
Watching Klee's back, Jean couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like our Jean trusts Mr. Ken quite a bit."
A lazy, sultry voice sounded from behind.
Lisa swayed over, curves rippling. Rarely this early at the HQ, she happened to catch that scene.
That wasn't Jean's usual style.
"He is indeed very worthy of my trust."
Jean smiled.
From Klee's guilty look, she guessed the backpack held Jumpy Dumpties.
But since Ken was taking Klee out to play, he wouldn't let Klee go too far.
"Not only trustworthy, but also worth entrusting yourself to, hmm?"
Lisa's violet eyes glittered as she teased with reddened lips near Jean's ear. "Jean is an excellent acting grand master, but when it comes to romance, you're way behind. Reading shoujo romance won't help you, you know!"
As Jean's bestie, Lisa saw the changes in Jean this month.
Still the workaholic with a heavy sense of duty, but learning to delegate and no longer personally handling trivialities.
To Lisa, Jean was becoming more qualified as acting grand master.
And Ken deserved much credit.
"Lisa, Mr. Ken is our friend and Mondstadt's benefactor. Don't talk nonsense." A flicker of evasiveness crossed Jean's fair face.
Lisa chuckled. "Mm~ I hope you won't regret it later."
Jean didn't answer, only smiled wryly and headed to her office.
There, she read a couple pages of documents, then set them down, pulling a mirror from a drawer.
The girl in the mirror had delicate features—one of Mondstadt's rare beauties.
Jean suddenly thought of Ken and couldn't help smiling at herself in the mirror, bright and radiant.
But soon the smile turned stiff, and she hurriedly put the mirror away.
"What's wrong with me…"
Jean whispered, then forced herself to focus on work.
…
Mondstadt specialty shop.
When Ken came through the Vortex Gate, two little lolis were already seated.
Klee was happily eating Honey Char Siu, her cheeks puffed and smeared with sauce.
Beside her, Diona stared absently at a chili pepper, pointy ears perked and cat tail swishing.
Though Ken had given her a concept for brewing, she still hadn't found a good way to make alcohol taste more undrinkable.
"Diona's coming too?"
Ken came over, patted Klee's head, and naturally put his right hand on Diona's head.
"Nyaa…"
The moment he touched her, Diona meowed instinctively.
Realizing she had meowed, Diona hurriedly jumped down from the high stool. "Ugh, don't touch my head without warning!"
Diona occasionally let friends pet her head, but only girl friends.
Having a man touch her ears caused a strange reaction that made her heart skip a beat.
"Don't be so fierce, Sister Diona. Daddy often pats Klee's head too—Klee feels comfy. Doesn't it feel good for you?"
Klee bounced off the chair, her little backpack and skirt swaying.
Diona pouted. "Fine… I'm tagging along to mooch food and drink anyway, so I'll reluctantly allow head pats."
"Mm-hmm! Relax, Sister Diona—you'll get inspiration for your brewing!" Klee pumped her tiny fists.
Diona blushed. "Hope so."
Watching the two cuties, Ken went to find Mona.
He handed her the magic chest, then took the two little cuties to Starfell Lake.
In the game, Starfell Lake wasn't far from Mondstadt. In reality, Mondstadt's lands were vast and the lake wasn't close; even flying took time.
Ken opened the Vortex Gate and teleported instantly.
…
In springtime, Starfell Lake's waters gleamed like a gemstone set in lush hills. It was April or May, the lakeside green and dotted with blooming flowers; goldfish grass blossoms glowed vivid and dewy.
Spring breezes played over the clear water, schools of fat fish swam by, rippling the surface.
"Wow! So many fish! Daddy, Sister Diona, Klee will blow up fish for you!"
Seeing so many fish, Klee's eyes lit up.
She started to pull out her backpack.
"Hold up. This time Daddy brought weaker bombs. Using these small bombs to fish won't harm the surrounding flowers and plants."
Klee was still young; big principles might not land. Using kid-friendly talk, Ken handed her a small bomb.
"Mm-hmm! Klee doesn't want to hurt the flowers either." Seeing a small bomb for the first time, Klee was curious. "Huh? Looks like a fish-bomb, but the structure's simple and power looks tiny… Daddy, can it really catch fish?"
"Of course," Ken said.
Klee held up the small bomb, excited. "Yay! Klee will blow up fish for Daddy and Sister Diona!"
Hearing that—
Diona's mouth twitched. "Uh… better not. I think Uncle—Uncle Ken should do the cooking."
Klee's fish… are not for ordinary people.
Diona had had the fortune to taste it once.
The Jumpy Dumpty blasted the fish into the air; the flames charred both meat and innards. Even ignoring the presentation, with the organs uncleaned… it was hard to swallow.
"Ahem… It's fine, Klee can just have fun with the bombs. If we want to eat fish, Daddy will grill some."
Ken didn't want to eat Klee's fish either.
Even if it's his own daughter, he couldn't force himself to eat dark cuisine.
"Okay…"
Normally, Klee might feel hurt—sharing her favorite food only to have friends not like it.
But not now.
Daddy's cooking is super yummy—his grilled fish would be even better!
"Boom!"
"Splash!"
Klee tossed small bombes into Starfell Lake, gleefully clapping as fish flew.
But Diona was clearly not in high spirits.
"It's a rare outing. Cheer up." Ken patted the catgirl's head again.
"Nyaa…" Diona glared with grievance. "I'm thinking about the brewing recipe. Your idea was great, I must concoct something even more undrinkable. Until I figure it out, it's hard to get excited."
Hard to get excited?
Ken said meaningfully, "Want me to help?"
"Mm?!" Diona shrank back, eyes full of suspicion.
Under her gaze, Ken took several emerald-green balls from his system space, wafting a fresh, alluring scent.
The moment she smelled it, Diona's ears and tail stood up.
"W-what's that?"
Her body tensed involuntarily. The scent gave her a strange excitement and urge.
If not for her reason holding her back, she'd rush over to lick it.
"Catnip. Looks like you really like it."
Ken eyed the catnip in his hand, pleasantly surprised by the effect.
He'd bought it for Diona, unsure if it'd work on her.
After all, this was Teyvat.
Diona wasn't an ordinary kitty—just part bloodline.
Seeing her reaction now, he found it amusing. "If you like it, it's yours. When you feel low, take a sniff. Lots of cats like the smell."
"I am not a kitty! This is the Kätzlein bloodline's emblem!" Even as she retorted, her head leaned in toward his hand.
"Nyaa nyaa…"
Soft mews slipped from Diona's lips.
Staring at the emerald balls, she felt more and more keyed up.
Especially when Ken's hand, scented with catnip, stroked her head—the double whammy flushed her cheeks, and she couldn't help rubbing against his palm.
"Wow!! Klee caught lots of fish!!"
After rubbing for a while, Diona was jolted back by Klee's cheer.
Seeing Ken close and his hand still rubbing her head and ears, Diona jumped up.
"I—I think I found inspiration. I'll go try it…"
Tense as a spring, the catgirl quickly wrapped the catnip and tucked it into her pocket, avoiding staying too close to Ken, and scampered over to Klee.
As she left, Ken noticed the rock she'd been sitting on had somehow been dampened.
"Didn't expect catnip to be so strong—even works in Teyvat."
He looked at the rock, thoughtful.
The effect was quite astonishing.
…