After Sara left, everyone's thoughts drifted back to one thing:
The glowing fried rice.
What would it taste like?
Would it be even more delicious than Sticky Honey Roast?
Curiosity filled the air, and time passed quickly. After about an hour, Paimon was the first to finish her manga.
"How was it? That adventure story about the eight kids—wasn't it passionate and moving?"
Venti eagerly leaned over.
He'd been waiting so long to discuss Digimon Adventure with someone.
But until now, no one had read it.
And that meant—no one to share jokes or references with.
Every time he tried, the response was just a blank stare.
"The pain of telling a joke and no one laughing… I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
So now that Paimon had finished it, Venti was thrilled!
"Adventure story about eight kids? I thought it was about Taichi and his seven support accessories?"
Paimon blinked in confusion.
What stuck with her most was Yagami Taichi.
As the bearer of the Crest of Courage, he was undeniably the MVP.
Sure, he made a few rash mistakes early on,
but in every major battle, he was the one charging in first!
Whether it was leadership or big-picture decisions—he nailed them.
Even against the Dark Masters, he took down two of them solo!
"Eh? Was that what the story was about…?"
Venti's brain glitched for a second.
Wasn't it supposed to be a tale of eight children venturing into another world, banding together to defeat the darkness?
How were they reading the same manga, but taking completely different messages?
"C'mon, the others had roles too!"
Venti tried to argue.
"Besides Taichi, the only useful ones were Koushiro and his sister Kari."
Paimon puffed up.
"Koushiro had all that computer tech know-how—super helpful!
Kari always came through at clutch moments.
With those two, Taichi could take on anything!"
"The other five? Pfft. Basically background NPCs."
"…You might have a point—wait, no!
At least Yamato did something, okay? His Digimon evolved into an Ultimate and beat Puppetmon!"
Venti almost nodded along, but caught himself.
No way was he letting Paimon brainwash him!
Each Crest symbolized a vital trait. Everyone had their moment!
Close call.
He nearly got pulled into Paimon's "Taichi Solo Carries" theory.
"Hey, bard. If you had said T.K., I might've agreed.
But Yamato? No way! I've got words for you."
Paimon's eyes gleamed with mischief—finally someone to debate with!
She cleared her throat, ready for battle.
"That guy loses his cool every time there's trouble!
And when things get serious? He straight-up abandons the group!
He's a walking party wipe!"
"Taichi always has to pull the team back together afterward!"
Her tone grew increasingly offended.
"If I were Taichi, I'd have kicked him out already.
Someone like that doesn't deserve the Crest of Friendship.
Maybe give him the Crest of Family Tension or something!"
Venti was speechless.
Something felt wrong with her take,
but he couldn't quite refute it.
"Never talking Digimon with this gremlin again…"
Venti mumbled under his breath, flipping open Yu-Gi-Oh! to escape the madness.
Seeing him concede, Paimon was ecstatic.
The feeling of completely shutting someone down in a debate?
Absolutely glorious.
"Ah… so this is what victory tastes like."
She beamed.
"Alright, go get your reward already."
Lumine sighed and reached over to squish Paimon's cheek.
He may be a bard, but he's still the Wind Archon—he's got pride too!
"Ah, good idea!"
Paimon perked up and zipped over to the counter.
"Boss! Where's my reward?"
She landed on the desk, eyes sparkling.
Han Feng couldn't help himself.
Just like with Lumine, he reached out and gave her a little cheek squish.
"Ugh! Stupid Han Boss! Why do both of you love pinching my face!?"
Paimon groaned.
But… this was the price of loot.
She could endure.
Oh, the sacrifices I make…
At that moment, the system's notification refreshed.
Han Feng glanced over.
[Customer Paimon has finished reading Digimon Adventure.
Reward acquired: A Handheld Game Console]
[Game Console: A device under the "Old N" brand. Comes pre-loaded with titles like Super Mario.]
[Note: System-modified. Ultra HD resolution, includes every game under the brand. Infinite battery. Auto-resizes to user's hands.]
"…Hah! That's perfect for her."
Han Feng laughed softly.
First a camcorder, now a game console…
She might not get power-ups like Devil Fruits,
but these rewards were all fun-oriented.
A perfect fit for a mascot character like Paimon.
Especially since the console auto-resized—system was getting real thoughtful.
BZZZZT——
Another burst of radiant light descended from above.
A moment later, it faded.
A game console with red and blue Joy-Cons appeared in Paimon's hands.
"Boss, what's this?"
Paimon tilted her head in confusion.
She didn't remember seeing anything like it in the manga.
"It's a game console," Han Feng explained.
"It has tons of fun games in it—you can use it to pass the time."
"Game console…?"
Paimon still looked unsure.
Such a small thing—what could it possibly be used for?
Throwing at hilichurls like a rock?
"Hand it here, I'll show you how it works."
Han Feng reached out.
"Here!"
Paimon obediently passed the console over and fluttered onto Han Feng's shoulder, watching closely.
~~--------------------------------------
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