"Hm?"
Seeing the sudden appearance of glowing text and options before his eyes, Kairo frowned and instinctively scanned his surroundings.
Nothing.
All he saw were trees and grass stretching in every direction. No monsters, no Hilichurls, not even small animals.
So who was supposed to be watching him?
Sure, Klee was nearby, but Kairo knew full well that she didn't count as an observer in the system's logic.
Weird. Really weird.
He looked around again, puzzled.
Don't tell me… ants?
Kairo sighed helplessly. Raising his head to glance at the sky, he saw nothing unusual. With a rub of his brow, he decided to give up.
Forget it. Soldiers will block what comes, water will cover what floods.
He had already learned to channel a small portion of Path energy—enough that ordinary monsters no longer frightened him. Unless, of course, he ran into a Hilichurl shaman.
"Ah! My bomb—!"
Klee suddenly snapped out of her daze, quickly stuffing the bomb back into her pack. She patted her chest in relief. "Whew, I saved it! But wow, big brother, you were amazing! The way you moved just now—it was so cool!"
Still brimming with excitement, she tugged eagerly at Kairo's pants leg. "Thank you for saving Klee today!"
"Shua!"
No sooner had Klee spoken than new lines of text appeared across the glowing blue screen before Kairo's eyes.
[Having swiftly defeated the vagrants and helped Clara out of her predicament, Clara feels immense gratitude toward you. Her pure, sincere eyes gaze at you with admiration. Faced with her heartfelt thanks, you decide to form with Clara a...]
[Option 1: Stranger Relationship. Clara was adopted by Svarog, who views all humans but her with hostility. Anyone who approaches Clara risks being crushed by Svarog's Iron Hand at any time. (Reward: Svarog's Mechanical Arm — Svarog's own arm, perfectly adaptable to your shoulder. Grants immense strength and striking power, usable both in battle and for daily tasks.)]
[Option 2: Debt Relationship. Staring sternly into Clara's innocent eyes, you speak with mock severity: "Kid, if not for me, you'd have been taken away by those vagrants! Do you know how to repay a life-saving debt? Simple—you owe me your life now!" "From today on, you're my debtor! Until you've repaid your debt, you'll obey every command without question!" Clara must truly acknowledge this bond from her heart. (Reward: Clara's Anklet — the ring she always wears on her leg. Infused with traces of the Path of Destruction, it carries a faint girlish fragrance. Wearing it may grant access to the Path of Destruction, and it can serve as a weapon.)]
[Option 3: Father-Daughter Relationship. You may try persuading Clara and her guardian that you wish to look after her as her father, protecting her and earning the right for her to call you "Dad." (Reward: Clara's Path Resonance Branch Skill — "Family", which grants a 35% fixed chance to dispel one negative status when attacked.)]
"..."
Kairo's eyelid twitched violently.
What in the actual hell were these options?
This system really had a twisted sense of humor.
The rewards were solid—but the choices themselves? Absolutely insane.
The first option—keeping things distant—was doable, but with Klee currently clinging to his leg, could he really just turn and walk away?
No way.
He wasn't that cold-hearted.
Sure, he could theoretically leave without saying a word to fulfill "Option 1," but in practice, befriending Klee could only bring benefits, never harm. Why would he sour things with such a cute little girl?
The second option was even worse.
A debt relationship? Seriously?
He'd have to glare at her, scare her, and demand that she "repay a life debt" with absolute obedience?
And it had to be from her heart—or the reward wouldn't trigger.
Even if he pulled it off, Klee would definitely tell people once she got back to Mondstadt—especially Jean, the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.
Then what? His reputation, gone.
A grown man manipulating a child? He'd become public enemy number one by sundown.
And besides, who could bring themselves to actually say those words to Klee?
She didn't even need his protection—she had her Pyro Vision and a backpack full of bombs!
As for Option 3…
Don't even start.
A father-daughter relationship? Convince Klee's "family"?
Her mother was Alice—the legendary witch.
Her guardian was Jean, the most responsible woman in all of Mondstadt.
If he went around claiming to be Klee's "father," every Vision holder in the city would come for his head.
A young guy trying to make a little girl call him "Dad"? Suspicious didn't even begin to cover it.
"These damn options…"
Kairo rubbed his temples.
Option 1 and 3 had great rewards, but were nearly impossible.
Option 2 was doable—but far too stupid.
Even if he got the anklet, it wasn't worth being branded a child-bullying creep.
And the mechanical arm from Option 1? He'd rather not replace his own limb just to look like some iron monstrosity.
That left Option 3… but how could he possibly pull that off?
He stared at the floating choices, feeling utterly defeated.
So the system's tasks could keep triggering, huh?
Fine—but could it at least give him one normal choice for once?
"Big brother?"
Klee's voice broke his train of thought. She tugged gently at his pants leg, eyes wide and sparkling. "Do you… not like Klee?"
"..."
Kairo could already see the headlines if he said yes.
Klee would go home upset, tell Jean, and the next morning, the entire Knights of Favonius would come knocking.
Even if she didn't mean any harm, others would.
And besides—how could he possibly dislike her?
Getting along with Klee meant getting along with the Knights. There was only upside.
"It's nothing. Just lending a hand."
He smiled faintly and shook his head. "No need to thank me."
Then, remembering his unfinished quest, he said, "Alright, you should head home soon. It's not too safe out here."
Sure, Klee had her bombs and Pyro Vision—but getting surrounded by monsters was still risky.
"I'm not going back yet, big brother!"
Seeing him prepare to leave, Klee hurried after him, bouncing as she spoke. "We can go back together! I'll treat you to dinner—since you helped me today!"
"I've still got a commission to finish."
Kairo paused. "As for dinner… maybe next time."
"Commission? What kind of commission?"
"I'm collecting Small Lamp Grass."
"Eh? Oh! Klee has some!"
Klee rummaged through her backpack, pulling out three glowing blue flowers. "Look! Klee found these earlier. I was going to give them to Sucrose, but if you need them, you can have them!"
"Three, huh?"
Kairo smiled softly. "I need twelve in total."
"Oh, that's easy! Klee knows where more grow!"
Her crimson eyes gleamed. "Klee was planning to gather some later, but got distracted by, uh… bombs. But I even have a map!"
She proudly pulled a folded map from her pocket and showed it to him.
Kairo raised an eyebrow.
A resource map, huh? No doubt drawn by another Vision holder.
With this, completing his task would be a breeze.
Author's Note:
Flowers, tips, monthly votes, and comments all add more updates! Minimum five chapters per day, about 3,500 words each—that's at least 16,500 words daily!
With enough support, I'll add five more updates a day!