But what excuse could he use?
Go ask more questions about Mobius?
Though... wouldn't that make him seem a little too eager?
They'd get suspicious for sure...
Turning it over in his mind, Childe found himself wavering. But after thinking it through carefully, he decided he'd have to ask regardless.
Just not right now — tomorrow. It was already late in the evening, after all, and going out of his way to ask questions at this hour would look distinctly odd.
"Truly a nation shaped by the Geo Archon's hand — even at night, the streets are this lively."
At that moment, a familiar voice drifted to him from somewhere behind. The voice of Inazuma's shrine maiden...
Still feigning interest in the wares on the stall in front of him, Childe identified the speaker. And judging by what she'd said, she clearly wasn't alone.
"It's not that late yet, after all."
Just as Childe was thinking that Yae Miko wasn't by herself, Kaito's voice followed right on cue.
Looks like I can ask him right now after all.
The moment he heard Kaito's voice, Childe's mood lifted noticeably. He'd thought he'd have to wait until tomorrow to ask about Mobius — and here they were, crossing paths completely by chance. A welcome surprise, truly.
Of course, even so, he'd have to tread carefully. He couldn't let his real intentions slip through without meaning to.
"Isn't that up ahead..."
"Why, of course it is."
The moment he caught what sounded like Lumine starting to say something, Childe spun around immediately.
An arm around each one, huh...
And then there's Mobius on top of that...
Kaito, my friend, your love life is frankly out of control...
Turning to see Kaito strolling along with both Lumine and Yae Miko, Childe couldn't help thinking exactly that. But thoughts were thoughts — he certainly wasn't going to say it out loud. There were more pressing matters at hand.
"What a coincidence running into you and Lumine and Lady Yae Miko like this, Kaito! Ha, I just so happened to be passing by — how funny." As he said it, Childe flashed a grin.
"Yep, nothing to do tonight so we came out for a wander." Kaito nodded, then added: "Want to grab a bite somewhere? My treat this time."
Zhongli had let Childe foot the bill several times already when they'd gone out together, so Kaito figured it was only right that he returned the favor now.
And beyond that — he was genuinely curious whether Childe had any questions he wanted to ask. Out on the open street, Childe might not feel comfortable bringing them up. But indoors, somewhere private, just the few of them — that might be a different story.
Either way, having just had a firsthand look at what Mobius was capable of over at the Guili Plains, Childe was almost certainly bursting with questions. That was precisely why Kaito had come out this evening in the first place — with Lumine and Yae Miko along for company.
"So you're all out here too."
At that moment, Zhongli's voice came from close by.
Zhongli's here too.
Wonder if Childe still dares to ask anything now...
Turning to watch Zhongli approaching them, Kaito couldn't help thinking that. Honestly, he hadn't quite expected this. He'd had a feeling they might run into him, but it wasn't something he'd been certain of.
Then again, thinking back to the commotion Mobius had stirred up at the Guili Plains just now, it made perfect sense.
Because no matter how much Zhongli insisted he'd retired — no matter how much he'd acted the part of a hands-off observer last time — he clearly still took the situation with Mobius very seriously.
Zhongli's here as well...
Does he already know what happened just now?
Well... of course he does...
The Millelith already know by now...
Childe, likewise watching Zhongli approach, found a great many thoughts running through his head all at once — then he opened his mouth with practiced nonchalance: "What are the odds? I just ran into Kaito and the others, and now here's Mister Zhongli too. As they say in Liyue, it seems the heavens themselves are telling us to sit down and have a meal together."
A meal?
Listening to Childe, Kaito felt something was slightly off. He'd half expected Childe to say something about fate bringing them all together — but no, it was about eating. An interesting pivot.
Not that it mattered. He knew full well that food wasn't the point.
"It sounds as though you were already planning to dine somewhere. I don't see why you shouldn't add one more to the party."
Hearing Childe's words, Zhongli said that mildly.
Kaito: ...
He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but hearing Zhongli deliver that line with such unruffled calm struck him as vaguely strange.
Though the moment he recalled that Zhongli had probably said something much like that to Childe before, it stopped feeling strange at all.
Well, that was just Zhongli — a man who served simultaneously as Childe's walking expense account, the Northland Bank's unofficial patron, and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's equivalent of a bottomless tab.
"But of course, Mister Zhongli! I was actually about to go look for you if you hadn't shown up." Childe said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Kaito, standing nearby, privately disagreed. He was fairly sure that if Zhongli hadn't appeared, Childe would absolutely not have gone to look for him.
After all, without Zhongli around, it would have been far easier for Childe to ask him things.
Though of course, that was just his own speculation — and not the sort of thing he could say out loud.
"Then — where shall we go?"
With a slight nod, Zhongli cut straight to the practical question.
"Ha, anywhere's fine by me! Wherever Mister Zhongli wants to go or whatever he feels like eating — I have absolutely no objection." Childe answered with easy magnanimity.
"I'm easy too."
Since Kaito had never actually come out with the intention of eating, he genuinely had no preference. Though honestly, that was probably true of him on most evenings too.
Of course, if it had just been him, Lumine, and Yae Miko, he'd have asked the two of them what they wanted. Wherever they chose to go, he'd go.
"What about you two — Lumine and Lady Yae Miko, do you have a..."
"I'm fine with anything," Yae Miko said before Zhongli could even finish the sentence.
Lumine quickly chimed in: "Same here."
If everyone else was saying that, she was certainly going to say the same.
"Very well. In that case — let us go for tea."
Seeing that everyone was content with whatever, Zhongli considered for a moment and then announced: tea.
"Mister Zhongli truly does love his tea, doesn't he," Kaito said, unable to hold it back.
He wasn't complaining — he really was fine with either option — it was just that Zhongli seemed genuinely devoted to the stuff. Morning tea, evening tea, practically any-hour-of-the-day tea.
"Ha, Mister Zhongli is just like that! Then let's go — same place as last time." Since most of Zhongli's tea outings had defaulted to that same spot anyway, Childe didn't bother asking where to go this time and simply set off in that direction.
He's not even going to ask where we're going...
Watching Childe stride off toward the familiar destination without a second's hesitation, Kaito was mildly surprised. He'd half-expected Childe to at least make a show of asking.
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