Paimon paused for a second, blinked, then said, "It was a clothing voucher? Oh right! Paimon's actual meal voucher has been in Piamon's pocket this whole time!"
"Seriously! Traveler! You're always bullying Paimon!"
"Pfft, poor little Plant Girl," Hu Tao teased.
"What are you laughing at?! So mean!"
The group made their way to Floral Whisper, but when they arrived, Flora was nowhere to be seen. Inside the shop was a girl they didn't recognize.
"Hello… Are you here to buy flowers?" she asked softly.
Paimon tilted her head. "And you are?"
"Eh? I… I'm just a helper at the flower shop. My name is Donna. I'm just an ordinary girl—absolutely not daydreaming about Master Diluc or anything!"
"Diluc?"
"Ah—did I just say that out loud? I did?! I'm sorry! I've just been hoping to bump into Lord Diluc here one day, and I guess I got carried away…" She quickly covered her mouth.
Paimon sweatdropped. "Wow, your mouth really needs some better security. If only you could keep it as tight-lipped as Paimon!"
Chloris shot Paimon a glance. "Where's that little brat Flora?"
Donna lowered her head, startled. "Oh! Miss Chloris! Sorry—I didn't notice you earlier!"
Paimon chimed in, "Don't worry, she's too short. Totally understandable if you missed her."
"You're calling me short? You're even shorter! Tiny shrimp! Mini-pipsqueak!"
"You're the tiny one! Little bean! Tiny ant!"
"You—hmph!"
"Hmph!"
Zephyr: …
Donna cleared her throat. "Ahem, well… Manager Flora went out to buy supplies. She should be back soon."
Zephyr asked curiously, "Why didn't I see you last time I came by?"
"Oh, I took a break recently—to learn how to make Moon Pies. So Flora was handling the shop alone for a while."
"For Diluc?"
"W-Wha—no! I-I mean… it's just for practice, really!"
Paimon muttered under her breath, Just how much do you like Diluc anyway?!
Suddenly, Donna clutched her chest, her vision blurred, and she nearly collapsed. Zephyr quickly caught her.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Sweat trickled down her forehead, and her face was pale. "I-I'm fine… probably just tired. I've been working too long…"
"How long have you been working?"
"Around 24 hours, I think…"
"?? 24 hours?!"
Zephyr was shocked. "Are you trying to die?! You've been working straight for 24 hours? Haven't you slept at all?"
"I can't help it… Our flower shop runs 24/7. Besides Flora, I'm the only staff member. I can't just leave…"
"You don't sleep?"
"I do… sometimes. I rest when it's quiet at night. There's a bell on the door—if a customer comes in, I get up and help them."
"Oh my god."
Paimon was just as stunned.
Hu Tao gave her a sympathetic look. "Just a little more effort and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor could be doing business with you directly."
Paimon muttered under her breath, "...That's so tragic. Exploited in life, and then exploited again in death."
Chloris frowned, clearly angry. "What the heck is Flora doing? Even if she's the manager, she shouldn't be treating staff like this!"
"It's not her fault—I asked for this. It's because… I can only see Diluc at night.
Even if it's from far away… just seeing him makes me happy."
Zephyr paused. Seriously? You'd rather work yourself to death just to catch a glimpse of some handsome guy?
Paimon said, "But wait, Miss Donna—if Diluc only shows up at night, then couldn't you just work night shifts and rest during the day?"
"Well… technically, yes. But the shop is way busier during the day. Flora can't handle it all alone…"
"Still, you can't be working 24 hours nonstop! You'll die!"
"Exactly! You almost passed out just now!"
"I…"
"Also, if you like Diluc that much, why not just work at his tavern?"
"I-I tried… but I got rejected…"
Zephyr sighed. "Honestly, that's probably for the best. Just give up on that guy. Diluc's not as great as you think—he's cold, distant, and you two would never be happy together."
Aside from being rich and good-looking, what other qualities does Diluc even have?
...Wait, why does that even sound kind of attractive?
Zephyr's words made Donna a bit defensive. "Don't speak about Master Diluc like that! He's a wonderful person!
And how would you even know? Do you know him?"
"Uh… more or less."
Donna's eyes widened. "Really? Please, you have to introduce me to him!"
"Uh… well…" Zephyr suddenly regretted opening his mouth.
Just then, Flora returned. "Whew! Donna, I'm back. Any customers while I was out?"
"Manager Flora! You're back!"
Flora stretched and then suddenly froze. "Big sister?! And those stingy customers from before? Why are you all here?!"
…
Chloris walked over and ruffled Flora's hair. "What, are you saying you're not happy to see your sister?"
Flora forced a smile. "Of course not. How could I not welcome my dear sister, hehe…"
Paimon muttered, "Total shady big-sister energy."
"I came to check on you, you little rascal. Have you been eating properly lately?"
"Of course I have! Sis, can you please stop treating me like a kid? I'm the manager of Floral Whisper now! I'm a grown-up!"
"In my eyes, you'll always be a child."
"Ugh…"
Flora puffed up her cheeks in frustration.
Paimon said, "You two seem pretty close."
"Not at all!" Flora snapped.
Chloris spoke up, "Flora, did you know Donna almost fainted earlier?"
"Huh?" Flora froze.
"I heard she's been working 24-hour shifts with no rest. Is that true?"
"I-It's not like I made her do it! She said that spot gives her a chance to see Diluc, and the extra hours meant more money to buy him gifts…"
Chloris scolded her sharply, "Still making excuses! Don't you bear any responsibility? Couldn't you just have her work nights?!"
"But I can't handle the daytime rush by myself…"
"Then why not hire someone else?"
"That means paying another salary…"
Whoa, okay—too real.
Paimon added, "That's capitalism for you. Pure evil."
Flora shrank under Chloris's scolding, looking deeply aggrieved.
"Here's what we're doing," Chloris declared. "Double Donna's salary and set her hours from 2 PM to 10 PM."
"Ehh!!??"
"But, but… Sis, isn't that a little—"
"If you don't change it, I'll report you to the Knights of Favonius."
"…"
"But we're sisters! What kind of sister reports her own sister?!"
"It's because I'm your sister that I don't want to see you getting dragged away by the Knights!"
"…Fine, I'll do it! Happy now? Sheesh!"
She then turned to Zephyr and the others. "And what about you all? Here to buy something?"
"Not buying anything—we just tagged along with Chloris to say hi."
"Hmph!"
Donna took Lumine's hand gratefully. "Thank you all. Now I'll finally have time to rest… and make gifts for Lord Diluc myself."
"You're sick. You need help," Zephyr deadpanned.
Hu Tao cut in, "By the way, Chloris, do you know any stores in Mondstadt that do decent renovations at fair prices?"
"What a coincidence! I do!" Chloris shared the location in detail, and everyone said their goodbyes and left.
…
Lumine smiled. "Feels like we did something good today."
Hu Tao looked a bit troubled. Paimon asked, "What's wrong, Hu Tao?"
"Sigh… another lost business opportunity. But hey, as the saying goes, a good deed a day keeps the regrets away. I'll let it slide this time."
"Flora's really scared of her sister, huh."
"Those two aren't even in the same league."
"What do you mean?"
"One owns a little flower shop. The other's planning to buy Windrise and become its lord.
That's the difference in their level."
Paimon sweatdropped.
Suddenly, Zephyr remembered something—Flora was one of the very few people in Mondstadt who didn't clap when Barbara used her Normal Attack.
Most people clapped reflexively when Barbara did even a light tap. But Flora, and maybe a few others, didn't react at all.
"…Flora's suspicious. Don't tell me she's a Fatui spy from Snezhnaya?"
Paimon deadpanned, "Come on."
//END
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