Han Feng took the game console and began demonstrating.
"This button here is the power switch. Press it, and it turns on."
He pressed it with a click.
"Whoa! It glows too?!"
Paimon's eyes sparkled in amazement.
Han Feng: "…"
Seriously? That's what you're impressed by?
Still, he kept explaining patiently.
"Next, you pick a game. Let's try this one—Super Mario."
He tapped the screen and entered the game interface.
"Now watch my moves."
Under Han Feng's deft fingers,
the little Mario character hopped and dashed his way through goombas and pipes, collecting coins and clearing the stage in style.
Han Feng had played this classic back in his past life plenty.
And the first level? Child's play.
"Waaa! This is so fun!!"
Paimon's eyes were practically glowing.
She'd thought this was just some silly toy.
But to think it actually let her control a tiny guy to jump around, avoid monsters, collect coins—it was amazing!
"Go ahead and play to your heart's content.
There are tons of fun games in there."
"Hehe, thanks boss! You're the best!"
Clutching the game console, Paimon was over the moon.
Coming to this manga store was the luckiest thing ever!
She not only got to read fun manga,
but also got awesome goodies.
First a camera to film Lumine,
and now a game console?
Paimon-approved.
"If only I could stay here forever…"
She muttered to herself, eyes dreamy.
"Maybe I should… sell Lumine to Boss Han?"
Paimon whispered to herself.
That way, maybe she could watch more manga!
"Cough—!"
Han Feng, who caught that under-his-breath line, nearly choked on air.
Good grief.
One of them treats the other like emergency food,
and the other one's already plotting to sell her off for more manga time.
These two really were made for each other.
Reward in hand, Paimon eagerly zipped back to the couch,
mimicking Han Feng's motions and fumbling with the console.
Eventually, she managed to load up the game.
"I'm in! Now how do I play again…?"
She stared blankly at the screen.
"Uh-oh, the monster's coming—I think I'm supposed to jump!
Wait—too late!"
Bonk.
Dead.
Game restarted.
This time, Paimon remembered a few things.
She saw a monster slowly approaching and hit jump—
"Yesss!"
Clearing it filled her with excitement.
She kept going, hopping over blocks and bouncing off enemies.
Then she came across a green pipe and paused.
"Oh no—I forgot to get the mushroom!"
Han Feng had said that mushroom makes Mario grow bigger—basically a second life!
But when she tried to turn back…
Nope. Too late.
To make things worse, a Piranha Plant shot out of the pipe and chomped her on the spot.
"Ughhh! Even the plants are bullying me!"
But Paimon quickly dusted herself off (mentally) and jumped right back in.
The gamer grind had begun.
While Paimon was engrossed in Mario, Lumine finished her manga too.
At that moment, the system refreshed:
[Customer Lumine has finished reading Cardcaptor Sakura: Clow Card Arc.
Reward acquired: Sakura's Roller Skates]
[Sakura's Roller Skates: Incredibly fast, a fantastic mode of transportation.]
"Whoa, Sakura's skates. I really used to envy those,"
Han Feng muttered, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
Back in his old world, whenever he watched Cardcaptor Sakura,
he always thought those skates looked so cool.
How he wished he could wear a pair and skate to school.
Buzz—
A radiant beam of multicolored light descended once again, enveloping Lumine.
Moments later, the glow faded.
In her hands appeared a pair of red-and-white roller skates.
"These… These look just like the ones Sakura used to get to school!"
Feeling the weight and sleek texture of the skates, Lumine instantly recognized them.
Thanks to the manga's vivid art, the image of Sakura skating her way through town had left a deep impression.
"Mhm. It's the same model,"
Han Feng nodded with a smile.
"Skating must be pretty fun, huh…"
Lumine turned the skates over in her hands, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
She remembered Jean had once mentioned something about flying permits—
Without a license, you weren't allowed to use gliders in Mondstadt.
Even though she didn't have Wind Gliders, technically she'd still need a permit if she wanted to fly.
But until then, these roller skates were the perfect alternative for getting around.
Definitely faster than walking!
Thinking of all those breezy scenes from the manga, Lumine itched to give them a try.
She turned to Paimon immediately:
"Let's go!"
"Wait, wait! I'm in the middle of a level—just lemme finish this stage!"
Paimon replied without even looking up.
"What game are you playing?"
Seeing Paimon's intense focus, Lumine walked over, curiosity piqued.
She glanced down at the little console in Paimon's hands.
"What's that thing?"
Lumine hadn't seen Paimon's reward yet, since she was busy reading her own manga.
So she stood patiently and watched for a bit.
She saw Paimon frantically mashing buttons, guiding a tiny figure on the screen.
Dodging enemies left and right—
Then a big jump—flagpole!
Fireworks exploded on-screen.
"YES! I finally cleared it!"
Paimon was so overwhelmed she nearly burst into tears.
That one level had been hell.
She'd been crushed by a Goomba.
Chomped by a Piranha Plant.
Knocked over by a lazy Koopa.
Missed a jump and plummeted to her doom.
She'd basically unlocked the full collection of Paimon's 100 Ways to Die.
There were moments she nearly threw the console across the room.
But finally—victory.
Off to the side, Venti was practically drooling with envy.
He'd been quietly watching ever since Paimon started playing.
"Is that really a thing…? It looks insanely fun!"
They both read Digimon Adventure,
yet Paimon got a fun little game console—
and he got a literal Digimon.
Not that he disliked Digimon—
It's just… his happened to be a cat-type.
And Venti was afraid of cats.
"This store… it really has it out for me…"
~~--------------------------------------
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