Sara sent the overzealous fans away with crisp efficiency.
Barbara—cradling the small bottle of milk Sara had given her—slipped into Good Hunter's. There were only a few scattered customers inside, so before she could stir up any commotion, she hurried up to the second floor.
The moment she reached it, she yawned.
She hadn't rested much last night—treating the injured at the Cathedral until late. Then she'd gone out early to check how badly Mondstadt had been affected.
She opened the small pouch slung diagonally across her slim waist—right beside her Vision—and rummaged through it. A trace of distress appeared on her cute face.
"…I forgot my spicy drink."
She pulled out two packets of spicy dried fish, but she had no appetite right now. With a sigh, she put them away again and sat down, absentmindedly sipping her milk.
Sleepiness washed over her.
"Kaito… he's probably sleeping in again, isn't he?"
Barbara headed up to the attic like she'd done it a hundred times.
She quietly opened the master bedroom door.
Kaito was sleeping soundly.
"Kaito… even when you're asleep, you look so nice," she murmured, and tiptoed in. She set her Vision and her little bag on the table, then glanced at the sleeping owner of the room again.
She yawned once more.
Kicking off her black dress shoes, she knelt on the expensive carpet beside the bed, rested her head against the warm softness—
—and fell asleep almost instantly.
Kaito opened his eyes.
He looked down at Barbara's sleeping face—there was a strained tension in her expression, and her small hand was clenched tightly in the bedsheet.
"…You're that exhausted?"
Kaito gently patted her head.
After a brief pause, he lifted her onto the bed beside him, tucked the blanket over her, and went back to sleep.
Barbara's breathing softened. The strained look faded, returning to quiet peace.
…
Noon.
Kaito finally woke up, fully rested and in an excellent mood.
The first thing he saw was Barbara.
Even asleep, she was a mood booster.
He didn't plan to wake her. Yesterday's dragon disaster likely left a lot of wounded, and it must've drained her badly.
Barbara's level was only Lv.5. If she kept using Hydro healing on injured people over and over, she'd burn herself out.
"Should I take her out to level up sometime…?" Kaito thought while washing up. "Having a healer would make things smoother."
But Barbara was a Deaconess at the Cathedral. She rarely left the city—and even when she did, she'd return quickly.
If he wanted to bring her out on an adventure, he'd have to deal with the Church first.
He walked down from the attic.
Paimon flew back in and stomped the air like she had feet. "Kaito! You finally got up! You big sleepyhead!"
Sleeping in was one of her life goals—so seeing someone achieve it so effortlessly made her furious.
Lumine stared at him too, like she was waiting for him to get embarrassed.
Kaito didn't even blink. "Have you eaten lunch?"
"Not yet," Lumine said, shaking her head.
"Mm-hm! We came back on purpose with empty stomachs!" Paimon declared proudly. "Everything tastes different when Kaito makes it!"
"Even though we ate so much last night, it still wasn't as good as that pizza yesterday afternoon!"
Paimon had fully evolved into a food critic.
Kaito had heard it all before. He wasn't moved in the slightest.
"That's just because I've seen more recipes than most people," he said, glancing over today's ingredients. "So I know how to tweak things for a different flavor experience."
In moments, he knew exactly what he wanted to cook.
He cleaned snapdragons, tofu, and lotus heads, then started the pot.
The snapdragon's fresh aroma balanced the lotus head's bitterness. Soft tofu smoothed out the texture. With a few simple seasonings, it became a classic home-style dish across Teyvat—
Jade Parcels Soup.
Of course, most households substituted cheaper vegetables. Snapdragon and lotus heads weren't exactly budget-friendly.
Then came the Cold Cut Platter—Good Hunter's signature.
A neat one-to-one-to-one arrangement: carefully selected Good Hunter specialty sausages, boar bacon from Wolvendom, and ham wind-cured by Mondstadt's steady breezes.
Add wild Mist Flower to naturally chill it—locking in moisture and texture with Cryo.
A carnivore's dream.
Paired with hot Jade Parcels Soup fresh off the stove…
Paimon practically drooled.
She took a huge bite of meat, then gulped hot soup, making happy noises like she'd ascended.
"This is AMAZING!"
She spun in the air in excitement.
"Mm." Lumine nodded while eating in small bites—except her "small bites" were fast enough to expose her.
Sara came up at last, once all the downstairs dishes were served, and sat down to eat too.
"This combo is also something Boss Kaito came up with," Sara said. "Cold meat with a hot veggie soup—eat until you're stuffed, and you still won't feel greasy."
Kaito remembered last night and added, "Sara, I'll give you a new soup recipe. Make it before seven every evening. Mona's picking it up."
"Thank you, Boss!" Sara blurted—and hugged him on pure reflex.
She didn't even care who it was for. A new recipe meant she'd learned something valuable.
"Cough." Lumine cleared her throat.
Sara instantly realized she'd gotten too excited again, tapped her own head, and sat back down properly.
Only then did Lumine speak. "Kaito… Acting Grand Master Jean asked us to come by today."
"Probably to thank us," Kaito said. "Let's go together later. There might be a reward involved."
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