Cael looked at Ping'er and smiled faintly.
In the original course of events, Ping'er had left the mountains and returned to mortal society because of Guizhong's death.
"When one's only confidant is gone, what meaning is left in playing music?"
Yet this time, Guizhong hadn't died.
So why had Ping'er still returned to the mortal world?
…Could it be because he had died five hundred years ago?
Heh. That wasn't impossible either.
Ping'er noticed Cael smiling at her and immediately froze.
So awkward that she felt like her toes could dig out the entire Canton Tower.
"S-Since we've already gotten the bell, let's regroup with Zhongli," Paimon said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I'm exhausted…"
She immediately grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds to reward herself.
Guizhong's attention was instantly drawn to Paimon.
Only now did she really look at the little floating creature—
small, soft-looking hands, tiny body, diaper-like shorts…
Adorable.
She reached out, wanting to pat Paimon's head.
Paimon reacted instantly, dodging back like lightning.
"No touching!!" she yelled, clutching her head defensively.
Guizhong blinked in curiosity.
"Then… who are you willing to let touch you?"
That question froze Paimon on the spot.
Her eyes unconsciously flicked toward Cael.
"T-That is—uh—I mean—"
"I only let Lumine touch! No one else!"
Guizhong puffed her cheeks, not upset in the slightest.
"Little Paimon, I can tell you're lying."
"Eh?"
Cael immediately stepped in.
"Guizhong, if Paimon doesn't want others touching her, don't force it."
"That's true."
But then—
Cael pulled out several bags of sunflower seeds and smiled like a shady uncle trying to abduct a kid.
"Little Paimon~ I've got sunflower seeds here. Want some?
Let me pat your head, okay?"
Guizhong: …Yeah, same old Cael.
Paimon's face instantly turned red as Cael approached.
"Uu…"
Seeing her blush, Cael tilted his head.
"Paimon, your face is really red. Do you have a fever?"
As he spoke, he reached out toward her forehead.
Paimon panicked.
"He's touching—he's touching—he's touching!!"
Her face burned even redder.
But just as she braced herself—
Cael's hand stopped short.
He only looked at her with a wicked grin.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—don't tell me you seriously thought I'd pull that cliché move from trashy novels?"
"Where I see you blush, assume you're sick, touch your forehead, then casually walk away like nothing happened?"
"Not happening~"
"So tell me—do you like me or what? Even if you don't say it, I'm touching your head today!"
And this time—
He didn't hold back.
He patted her head properly.
Finally… after forty-plus chapters… mission accomplished.
"Uu…"
Paimon went completely blank as Cael rubbed her head.
She realized she'd been played—
…but his hand felt… surprisingly nice.
Seele stared blankly at Cael patting Paimon's head, suddenly feeling like she'd fallen out of favor.
Guizhong chuckled softly.
Certified lolicon, she thought.
Lumine watched the scene with a knowing smile, calmly munching on her own sunflower seeds.
Finally, my turn to snack.
...
...
"S-So… where are we going next…?"
Paimon panted, her hair completely messed up, looking utterly used.
Cael rubbed the back of his head apologetically.
"Ah… sorry about that. Lost control a bit…"
Guizhong and Zhongli both twitched at the corner of their mouths.
If they didn't know the context, this would sound very wrong.
Cael suddenly noticed Seele's dull, unfocused eyes and froze.
Wait—
She too?!
Without thinking, he scooped Seele up into his arms.
Yes, it looked extremely suspicious.
But Cael had long accepted his reputation.
Sure enough, Seele's face flushed immediately.
Crisis averted.
Cael was genuinely afraid she'd suddenly snap and split Teyvat in half.
Zhongli cleared his throat lightly.
"Our next stop is Bubu Pharmacy. We need Everlasting Incense."
...
Bubu Pharmacy
As they arrived—
"This place… feels kind of creepy," Paimon muttered, smoothing her hair.
"Is this really a pharmacy?"
Guizhong looked around curiously.
So many herbs… far more than I ever saw back then…
At that moment, drawn by a familiar scent, Qiqi came running out.
Her eyes landed on Cael.
"Cael… brother!"
"Another little girl?!"
Paimon recoiled in shock.
Guizhong immediately recognized her.
"It's her… she's awake now?"
Back then, Guizhong had been the one who comforted Cael after Qiqi's death.
She remembered this child clearly.
Qiqi handed Cael a cup of Coconut Milk—
Only to him. No one else.
"I feel targeted," Lumine muttered.
"Is that a zombie?" Paimon whispered.
"If this were Mondstadt, no one would even believe it…"
Zhongli spoke calmly.
"Zombies require self-issued orders to act. This child is different—she placed the order upon herself."
"Whoa…"
Zhongli then explained their purpose.
"Everlasting Incense?" Qiqi tilted her head.
"I forgot… but Qiqi can look for it… and give it to you."
"But… Qiqi helped you, so you must help Qiqi too…"
Paimon had already lost the will to complain.
"What do you need?" Guizhong asked.
"Cocogoat…" Qiqi replied seriously.
"Catch Cocogoat for me. Cocogoat milk… tastes good."
"Cocogoat?"
Guizhong turned to Zhongli.
Zhongli shook his head.
He had never heard of such a thing either.
"Well, let's follow the location Qiqi mentioned first," Lumine suggested.
"Eh? Guizhong Machine?"
Paimon stared at the device Zhongli mentioned.
Guizhong smiled mysteriously.
"Oh my… what a coincidence. Same name as me."
Zhongli looked at her, the corners of his lips lifting unconsciously.
"To find Cocogoat, we'll need to repair the Guizhong Ballista," Cael said, looking at the crossbow-like mechanism.
"You can fix it, right? Sugar daddy?" Lumine asked curiously.
Cael nodded.
"I know a little…"
Guizhong & Zhongli: A little.
Since Cael clearly didn't want to show off, Guizhong stepped forward herself.
"What a coincidence—I know a thing or two about mechanisms. Let me try."
Everyone nodded and watched.
Ten minutes later—
The Guizhong Ballista was fully repaired.
"Woooah! Guizhong, you're amazing!" Paimon exclaimed.
Guizhong proudly straightened her back and wiped her nose.
"Piece of cake~"
Zhongli smiled and had everyone check the surroundings for the so-called half-adeptus beast.
The result was obvious—
Nothing.
Only Cael looked completely unsurprised.
After all, there was only one Cocogoat in this world.
And that was Ganyu.
...
...
That's all for today.