At the six-seat table, the eel pizza had been reduced to a single, lonely corner slice.
Paimon cradled her round belly, eyes glued to that last piece like it was the most precious treasure in Teyvat.
She could've sworn she'd never tasted anything this good in her life.
Amber wanted it too.
But as a Knight of Favonius, she had an image to maintain—and besides, this pizza had been made for Jean in the first place.
More importantly…
Amber had never heard of Boss Kaito making pizza before.
And Amber's instincts as an outrider were sharp.
Her gaze flicked between Kaito and Jean, silently trying to piece together the situation like a detective with a personal stake in the case.
Jean, completely unaware of her subordinate's internal drama, folded her hands neatly and looked to Lumine.
"I understand the situation," she said calmly. "The Knights will post missing-person notices throughout the city shortly."
"Thank you," Lumine said.
"We're only fulfilling our duty. There's no need to thank us." Jean's tone stayed formal, then softened slightly. "But as Amber said… asking Kaito may be more helpful to you right now."
Kaito raised a brow. "So you're handing her off to me?"
Jean hesitated, clearly torn. "It's not exactly appropriate to involve you in Knights' affairs, but… if it helps Lumine…"
"Here we go again," Kaito muttered. "It's one sentence."
Jean's cheeks warmed faintly. "…Then—please."
She stood. "I still have work at Headquarters, so I'll take my leave."
And with perfect composure—
she calmly picked up the final slice of pizza.
Paimon's devastated stare followed it all the way until Jean disappeared down the stairs.
Only then did she look back, as if her soul had finally returned to her body.
Kaito turned to Lumine. "About your brother… I don't know much. But I'm sure you'll meet again someday."
"Until then," he continued, voice steady, "I'll help you get stronger."
"Stronger?" Lumine's expression tightened. "Kaito… you sound like you know something."
"You can just call me Kaito," he said. "If the one behind all this is some unknown god… then even if you find your brother, you'll still need the strength to stand against a god. Otherwise this can happen again."
Amber leaned in, curious. "Also… Lumine can use elemental power without a Vision. Just like you, Boss Kaito."
"Maybe that's what makes otherworldly travelers different," Kaito said, though he didn't sound entirely certain.
He had a System.
Lumine had… something else. A different kind of existence.
After all, Lumine and her twin had truly traveled across worlds.
Kaito was just someone who'd been thrown into one.
"You're right," Lumine said quietly, clenching her fist.
She'd lost her power in that battle.
Now she had to rebuild from nothing.
"If you need help from now on," Kaito said, extending his hand, "tell me."
Lumine held his gaze for a long moment—then reached out and clasped his hand.
And at that exact instant, a familiar mechanical voice rang out in Kaito's mind.
[System Notification]
A new priority target has been added.
Target: Lumine
Level: Lv.2
Elemental Affinity:Anemo
Skills: Gust Surge Lv.1, Palm Vortex Lv.1
Kaito's heartbeat jumped.
So the system finally acknowledged her.
Which meant—
according to the rules, once Lumine broke through, his own level could rise again.
He'd seen it coming.
After helping Fischl reach Lv.20, he'd hit a wall—World Level restrictions. No breakthrough possible.
Back then, he'd understood immediately: he'd have to wait until Lumine or Aether arrived.
So he'd stopped preparing other cultivation plans entirely.
Up to now, Fischl had been his only target.
And she was currently out on an Adventurers' Guild commission—she wouldn't be back for at least a week or two.
Even if she returned early, she'd still have to wait until Lumine advanced first.
"Lumine, congratulations!" Paimon spun in a circle, hands on her hips. "With Kaito helping you, it'll feel like you can walk around Mondstadt like you own the place!"
She looked absurdly pleased—like she'd just borrowed someone else's authority and draped it over herself like a cape.
Amber immediately grabbed her midair and pinched her cheeks. "Absolutely not! Even Boss Kaito follows the Knights' rules. Paimon, that's basically encouraging trouble!"
"Mmmf—mmmf—mmMF!"
Paimon made a series of muffled, dramatic suffering noises.
Kaito watched with a flat expression.
Paimon really did have a talent for tempting fate.
One day she'd mouth off to the wrong person and end up as actual emergency food.
"'Own the place' is a stretch," Kaito said. "But if you mention my name, you'll get a few conveniences."
"…Okay," Lumine replied softly.
It felt strange.
Like Kaito had suddenly shifted into the role of a guardian.
And yet… she didn't dislike it.
Back when her brother was still with her, it had felt like this too.
She hesitated, then asked, "Kaito… how long have you been here?"
"About a year," he answered.
"What?!" Paimon finally wriggled free, eyes wide. "Only a year?!"
She flung her arms out in a dramatic sweep. "And in just one year, you saved up enough to open a restaurant this big in Mondstadt?!"
Kaito shrugged. "More accurately, I bought a controlling share."
"Waaah!" Paimon's eyes practically turned into Mora signs. "Then can you teach us how to make money too?!"
Even Lumine looked interested.
She'd traveled across many worlds—she knew one truth everywhere: without money, city life could be brutal.
And she did need proper equipment.
"Make money?" Kaito blinked, genuinely confused. "I didn't go out trying to make money."
Paimon stared at him like he'd just spoken an alien language. "Then how do you have so much?!"
Kaito leaned back, completely casual—like he was explaining the most ordinary thing in the world.
"Oh. I used to raise a bunch of mora-mice. They'd spit out tens of thousands of Mora a day. Let it pile up for a while and you're set."
Paimon froze.
Lumine froze.
Even Amber's smile twitched.
"…You raised what?"
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