Moments later, Yi Chen had ordered an entire table full of signature dishes.
Before long, the table was packed with steaming, aromatic food.
He enthusiastically introduced each dish to Lumine, explaining its highlights one by one, while also thoroughly enjoying teasing the floating Paimon with food.
Sometimes he would deliberately wave a piece of roasted meat right in front of her face—then stuff it into his own mouth.
Other times, he'd pretend to snatch the dessert she had her eye on, provoking loud protests from Paimon.
The atmosphere was lively and chaotic.
Just as Paimon puffed up her cheeks and angrily declared—
"This grudge is officially recorded! And I'm eating your portion too!"
—and launched herself toward an entire plate of Sweet Madame—
A lazy, teasing, extremely punchable voice slowly drifted over from behind Yi Chen:
"Well well~ I was wondering why I couldn't find our great hero anywhere while the Knights were running around nonstop~
So you were hiding here enjoying yourself… and even found yourself some new… targets, huh?"
The voice was so recognizable that Yi Chen's brain didn't even bother processing it.
His body reacted on pure instinct.
His right hand was still holding a fork mid-air, about to feed Paimon—
But his left arm had already launched backward like a cannonball, carrying a sharp gust of wind as a perfectly aimed elbow strike slammed behind him!
"Ugh—!"
A muffled groan sounded immediately, along with the screech of a chair scraping backward.
Kaeya clutched his ribs and bent over, his face twisting in pain.
"Hiss—hey! Yi Chen, you bastard—
how do you just open with an elbow without even looking?!"
Only then did Yi Chen slowly turn around, his face completely unapologetic—if anything, mildly annoyed.
"Can't help it. Some people's voices come with a built-in 'please punch me' buff.
My body just moves on its own."
Kaeya, having barely recovered, casually pulled out the chair next to Yi Chen and sat down, rubbing what was definitely already bruising ribs.
The familiar roguish smile returned to his face as if he hadn't just been assaulted.
He waved cheerfully at the stunned Lumine and Paimon.
"Hello there, beautiful ladies~
I'm Kaeya, Cavalry Captain of the Knights of Favonius.
Nice to meet you—though our first encounter might've been a bit… violent?"
Paimon hid behind Lumine and whispered,
"This blue-haired guy looks weird too…
And he seems way too familiar with the Mysterious Crash-Landing Man…"
Lumine stayed cautious but nodded politely.
"Hello, Captain Kaeya. I'm Lumine. This is Paimon."
Kaeya smiled as he looked them over, then glanced at the overflowing table of food before finally turning back to Yi Chen.
"Aren't you going to introduce them properly?
This doesn't seem like your style—treating girls to dinner so… respectably?"
Yi Chen shot him an annoyed glare.
"Do you think everyone's as scheming as you?
They're friends I met on the road. They just arrived in Mondstadt—what's wrong with a little hospitality?"
As he spoke, he shoved the largest piece of honey-glazed carrot steak straight into Kaeya's mouth before he could continue.
"Eat! Even food can't shut you up!"
Kaeya struggled to chew, then gulped down a huge swig of apple wine before finally recovering.
After a moment, he casually pulled a brass key from his pocket and tossed it onto the table with a clink.
Yi Chen stared at the key, then at Kaeya's smug "go on, thank me" expression, frowning deeply.
"What's this?
Let me make this clear first—I'd rather die on the streets or jump off Windrise than share a bed with you."
"Pfft—!"
Kaeya nearly spat out his drink.
He glared at Yi Chen.
"As if! I wouldn't take you in even if you begged!
My bed only welcomes beautiful ladies—not dangerous maniacs who elbow their roommates!"
He waved dismissively, as if shooing away a horrifying image, then cleared his throat and spoke more seriously.
"It's your new place. I rented it for you."
"I wanted to talk about the Stormterror aftermath today, but you vanished off the face of Mondstadt.
Then I saw the 'Stormterror Demolition Site' you used to call home—looked pretty hopeless."
"So I took the liberty of finding you a new nest."
He paused, clearly enjoying Yi Chen's widening eyes, the smug smile deepening.
"I know you like big places, so I went straight for a small villa."
"As for location—right next to the Cathedral. Great view, nice environment.
The only downside might be… occasional singing?"
"You don't mind Miss Barbara and the choir rehearsing nearby, do you?"
Kaeya spread his arms wide, striking a dramatic pose.
"Alright—now shower me with worship!
Behold the generous, considerate, heroic, devastatingly handsome Lord Kaeya!
No need to hold back—tears and praise are both welcome!"
Yi Chen stared at the key, then at Kaeya's smug face, completely speechless.
He honestly hadn't expected this guy—who usually spent his days slacking off and stirring trouble—to quietly handle something so important.
Paimon flew closer, circling the key.
"Wow! A villa! That must be super expensive!"
Even Lumine looked at Kaeya with a bit of surprise, her opinion of him shifting slightly.
Yi Chen stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he suddenly reached out, grabbed the key tightly in his palm, and looked up at Kaeya with an unbelievably bright, almost blinding smile.
"Kaeya—"
He dragged out the word, sounding incredibly moved.
Kaeya narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, ready to accept his long-overdue gratitude.
But then Yi Chen continued:
"—you really are a hidden rich fool with way too much money!
How could I possibly reject something like this?!
If you're going to be a sucker, please do it more often! I absolutely don't mind!"
Kaeya: "???"
"…Yi Chen, I'm seriously considering taking the key back."