Xia Zhi stepped out of the Knights of Favonius headquarters, the bright sunlight warming his shoulders.
"Hi, big brother!"
A crisp, lively voice called out.
It was Klee—she'd come running over again to play with Yaoyao and Xia Lin.
Xia Zhi smiled back. "Hello, Klee."
A little girl who's so full of energy and joy every day is naturally hard not to like.
"Miss Amber, you worked hard this morning too."
"Hehe, being a gliding instructor is way easier than patrolling the wilderness. Honestly, I kinda slacked off a little this morning."
"Don't say that. How about we treat Miss Amber to lunch today as a thank-you?"
"Huh?"
"Xiangling recommended a few places she tried last time she visited Mondstadt. We thought we'd check them out—what do you think?"
"Oh… sure!" Amber grinned and nodded.
Honestly, she would've preferred to eat something cooked by Mr. Xia himself, but since he was here in Mondstadt for sightseeing, it made sense to go out and eat like a tourist. She couldn't argue with that.
Still, a free meal was always a win.
"Big brother, can I come too?" Klee asked, eyes sparkling.
"Of course! We'd love to have you."
"Thank you, big brother!"
After a brief discussion, the group picked a restaurant and started heading over together.
Not far away, in the shadow of a wall, Kaeya leaned against the stone, gazing up at the clear sky with a helpless look.
He let out a soft sigh, shook his head, and silently followed after them.
—
After lunch, Amber waved goodbye to everyone at the restaurant door. She still had reconnaissance work to finish for the day.
Klee watched Amber's departing figure, her eyes shining a little.
Next to her, Xia Ci reached out and patted Klee's head, chuckling softly. "Hey, little rascal, what mischief are you scheming now?"
"I'm not!" Klee immediately defended herself.
"Then what are you thinking?"
"Klee… Klee just wants to ask Auntie Cloud Retainer something."
"Oh? What is it? Maybe your big sister here knows too."
"Eh?"
"After all, I'm the smartest person in the world. I know everything."
"That's not true! My mom is the smartest person in the world! Mom knows everything!" Klee blurted without thinking.
Xia Ci smiled, not bothering to argue with the little one.
Meanwhile, Xia Zhen, standing nearby, glanced at her best friend and quietly rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay, Klee's mom is the smartest, but your big sister is pretty smart too. So, will you tell me?"
"Umm…" Klee hesitated.
"Xia Ci, bend down a bit."
Xia Ci leaned over curiously.
Klee tiptoed close and whispered in her ear, "It's a secret, but Klee wants to make a super big firework to surprise everyone in a few days."
"Oh, you're planning a surprise?"
"Yup!"
"I see." Xia Ci smiled, clearly intrigued.
"So you want to ask Cloud Retainer about it?"
"Klee tried lots of times already, but the fireworks always turn out weird. Yaoyao said Auntie Cloud Retainer definitely knows how to make good ones, so Klee wants to ask her… Xia Ci, do you know any pretty firework recipes?"
"Of course… not."
Xia Ci's tone suddenly shifted.
She actually did know plenty of recipes for beautiful fireworks, but a more interesting idea had just popped into her head.
Klee puffed out her cheeks. "But you just said—"
"Well, Yaoyao's right. Auntie Cloud Retainer is a master of mechanisms; she knows tons of firework recipes. But if you go ask her directly, she might not tell you."
"Huh?"
Klee's eyes widened nervously.
"Then what should I do to make Auntie Cloud Retainer tell me?"
"Come here, I'll tell you."
Klee leaned in close again.
Xia Ci whispered in her ear, "Listen carefully—when you go see Cloud Retainer later, don't call her 'Auntie.' You should call her 'Big Sister Cloud Retainer.'"
Klee blinked. "Eh? Big Sister… Cloud Retainer?"
"Exactly. If you call her that, no matter what recipe you want, she'll definitely tell you."
"Really?"
"Of course."
Looking at Xia Ci's confident expression, Klee thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll try."
"Go on then."
Klee scampered off happily.
Xia Ci smiled, watching the little girl's figure bounce away, then turned to see Xia Zhen giving her a weird look.
"You are so bored," Xia Zhen said flatly.
Xia Ci smiled as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "That's why you have to find something fun to do."
Not far away, Klee tugged at Cloud Retainer's sleeve.
Cloud Retainer lowered her head, puzzled. "Hmm? What is it, Klee?"
Klee whispered, "Big Sister Cloud Retainer, Klee has a question."
Big Sister… Cloud Retainer…?
Hearing such a novel title from a little girl, Cloud Retainer froze for a second.
Then she coughed lightly, smiling down at Klee. "All right, what is it?"
That's more like it.
Klee whispered, "Um, does Big Sister Cloud Retainer know how to make super pretty fireworks?"
Cloud Retainer nodded. "Fireworks? Oh, that's easy."
"Easy?!"
Klee's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Yaoyao was right! Auntie Cloud Retainer really did know!
"Then can Big Sister Cloud Retainer teach me?"
"Of course. What colors do you want?"
"All of them!"
"You little greedy thing. Fine, I'll tell you everything."
Turns out Xia Ci was right too—just call her 'Big Sister,' and she'd tell you whatever you wanted.
Cloud Retainer shared some of her previous experimental formulas with Klee.
Klee treated them like priceless treasure.
"Got it all memorized?"
"Klee remembers everything!"
"Such a clever little one."
"Hehe… Oh, right—Big Sister Cloud Retainer."
"Hm?"
"Can you keep it a secret?"
"A secret?"
"Yes! Don't tell Amber that Klee's making fireworks. Klee wants it to be a big surprise for everyone."
"Of course."
"Thank you, Big Sister Cloud Retainer!"
Grinning ear to ear, Klee ran off to tell Yaoyao and Xia Lin, then dashed home in a hurry.
Cloud Retainer watched her go, smiling. When she turned back, she saw Madame Ping giving her a strange look.
Cloud Retainer's smile faded. "What's with that look?"
"…Big Sister Cloud Retainer?"
"…Old Lady Ping."
Madame Ping turned away, falling silent.
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