"It's nothing," Kaito said simply. "When someone exhausted suddenly has nothing to do, the tension holding them up snaps—and they crash."
Then he added, "Lumine, carry her to my room."
The loft had two rooms for girls, but one had been claimed by Fischl as her "Immernachtreich Palace," and the other was already Lumine's.
This wasn't something he could decide for them casually.
"Okay," Lumine said.
Lumine carrying Jean wasn't difficult.
A Traveler without strength wasn't much of a Traveler.
She wasn't some fragile mage.
By the time Lumine returned to the second floor, the table was already set.
Golden bass—its skin peeled back to reveal tender, milky-white flesh beneath, shimmering with tiny points of light.
In the clear broth, lily petals floated like a garnish, making the whole dish look alive—
Like a fish swimming through shallow water.
Even though it was only half.
The aroma alone made Paimon drool. She hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth, eyes locked on the pot.
The other half was still in there—apparently reserved for Jean.
Same ingredients, different cooking methods and thickening—two different dishes.
Sara took time to send up radish-and-vegetable soup and rice.
"Eat," Kaito said to Lumine with a smile.
"Mm."
Lumine sat.
They'd only had breakfast today.
Then they'd bathed.
Her stomach had been growling for a while now.
She picked up her chopsticks, lifted the fish skin, and took a bite of the snow-tender flesh.
The fish had been cooked to the exact moment it turned perfect—
Silky, delicate, and bursting across her tongue.
The lily's clean fragrance rose into her nose.
Even the lazy softness after bathing seemed to vanish, her body waking up with new energy.
That was the effect of the firefly luminous marrow Kaito had ground into powder.
Lumine's eyes widened slightly.
After she swallowed, a faint tartness—like raspberry—lingered at her throat.
Light, refreshing, impossible to tire of.
"This is the best dish I've ever eaten," Lumine praised sincerely.
Her gaze couldn't help turning worshipful again.
Kaito really was incredible.
"Wah! It's so good!" Paimon flew in the air, flailing with joy.
Then the table went quiet.
Paimon and Lumine exchanged a look.
Friendship? It sank instantly.
They began battling over the half fish like it was a life-or-death war.
Kaito took two bites and stopped competing with them.
Golden bass was rich, but half a fish wasn't much.
He drank the radish-and-vegetable soup instead.
A simple home dish of Teyvat—healthy, nourishing.
When Lumine and Paimon finally ate their fill, they were still a little unsatisfied.
Kaito said, "We'll rest for two days. After that, we'll visit a ruin."
"Okay," Lumine nodded without questioning.
Wherever Kaito wanted to take her, she was willing.
Lumine had planned to sleep today, but after eating the lily bass, she felt unexpectedly energized.
"Kaito, I'm going to the library today," Lumine said.
Maybe she could learn more about Teyvat and Mondstadt from books.
And reading was a good way to unwind.
She changed into an outfit for going out, said goodbye, and headed toward the Knights' headquarters.
Mondstadt's library was there.
Paimon could only follow along, sulking the whole way.
…
Kaito took a bath.
In the master bedroom, Jean's steady breathing sounded softly.
Her graceful figure was wrapped in the sheets, sleeping deeply.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face.
"This woman…"
Even asleep, Jean's brows were still tightly knit.
He figured an hour was enough.
"Time to wake up."
A thread of Anemo slipped across his fingers.
Jean's eyes snapped open.
Gray-violet irises sharpened with instinctive guard. She moved to evade—
And was pressed down again.
"It's me," Kaito said, as if he expected exactly that.
"Kaito?" The caution in Jean's eyes faded.
She rubbed her head. Woken forcibly by elemental energy while sleep-deprived, she felt dizzy.
A moment later, she realized the bed beneath her was extremely soft.
And the surroundings were wrong.
"This is…?"
"My room," Kaito answered.
The lingering drowsiness on Jean's face vanished instantly—
And something else surfaced: disappointment.
Using a crude method like this didn't match the male lead from the romance novels she secretly admired.
But when she looked at Kaito standing by the bed with a smile, her heart still jumped violently.
Heat rose in her cheeks.
She looked away, eyes flickering—guilty.
For a split second, she'd misunderstood—and felt embarrassed.
"Thank you," Jean said, tucking hair behind her cheek, shame rising in her chest.
Kaito was an upright person.
He'd only brought her up to rest. Taking advantage of someone—he would never do that.
He'd helped her again and again… how could she doubt him?
And somehow, he overlapped again with the "male lead" she occasionally imagined herself with.
"What were you thinking just now?" Kaito asked, amused.
"I… I still have work at the Knights. As for the care you gave me today, I'll send a proper gift later," Jean said, dodging the question.
She stood, pulled on her white boots, tightened her ponytail, draped on her cape—
And tried to slip away.
"You can't handle work like that," Kaito said, hands behind his head, calling after her. "I made soup. It'll help more than coffee."
Jean paused.
Her voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
"…Then I'll drink it before I go."
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