"Don't give me that 'honest' nonsense!
If you've got the guts, say it to my face!"
Kirara had already left Lin Ze's house, yet she was still fuming so hard she felt like her lungs were about to explode.
How could someone be like this?!
She'd already left, and he still had the nerve to take a picture of her tail—and then deliberately write about it in the diary!
And the worst part?
Lin Ze knew she could see the diary entries.
Kirara was absolutely certain—this guy did it on purpose.
But aside from standing there seething, she really couldn't think of any way to get revenge.
Mainly because… she didn't have the strength to.
At the same time, others were also complaining about Lin Ze's bizarre sense of fun.
"Doesn't it feel like Lin Ze's changed a lot ever since he dealt with that weird thing?"
That was Hu Tao.
She genuinely felt something was different.
Or maybe… before this, Lin Ze had simply been feeling things out, unsure of the system, acting cautiously.
And now?
Maybe he'd finally decided to let himself loose.
"You'd better only be craving her tail."
Collei lay on her bed, her Eleazar flaring up again, yet she still found the energy to complain.
If it weren't for her condition acting up, she'd have gone to Liyue herself.
Who knew—maybe Lin Ze's Black Flag power could even cure Eleazar?
Unfortunately, for now, all she could do was wait for Tighnari to help her through this episode… and then look for another chance later.
"Heh. I really underestimated him before."
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips.
"That way of teasing people is quite impressive.
I wonder how that little cat is doing now—probably completely bristled up."
All her preparations to go to Liyue were already complete.
Now she was just waiting for Kirara to return.
One look was enough—they were both chaos-enjoyers.
Lin Ze might be even harder to deal with than she'd thought.
Of course, she meant dealing with him in the sense of messing with him.
"Craving someone's tail…
'Love at first sight is just lust'… how vulgar?"
Nilou chuckled softly backstage during a break.
"Lin Ze's world really has a lot of strange expressions.
But they're kind of fascinating."
She was curious about him too.
Unfortunately, her troupe didn't do touring performances.
Still, she'd made up her mind—when she had vacation time, she'd go to Liyue herself.
After all, Lin Ze liking to tease people wasn't exactly new.
He'd teased them in the diary before, too.
She'd even complained once—and then saw a new line appear right after.
It scared her half to death. She'd thought her mind was being read.
After teasing Kirara through the diary and watching her bristled reaction through his divine perception, Lin Ze felt much better.
Just as he was about to head back to sleep, he noticed another familiar presence approaching.
It was "Two Pieces of Poultry True Lord"—Cloud Retainer.
This time, she hadn't taken human form. Her true crane body was flying straight toward his home.
After a moment's thought, Lin Ze simply took out two bottles of cola and waited.
"That must be Kirara… a nekomata who's made some progress in cultivation.
Lin Ze really does have terrible taste."
While flying toward Lin Ze's residence, Cloud Retainer easily spotted Kirara—who, after having her fur thoroughly ruffled, looked completely deflated.
Kirara noticed the massive crane in the sky as well.
"So big… and so pretty…
Is that a wild animal?"
The moment she saw Cloud Retainer, Kirara swallowed.
Cranes weren't uncommon in Inazuma.
But one this big?
This was her first time seeing anything like it.
And… she couldn't help but wonder how it might taste.
At that moment, Kirara had completely forgotten about being teased by Lin Ze.
Her feline instincts kicked in.
Everyone knew cats hunted birds.
And for a yokai who'd already cultivated enough to take human form, a crane was still—technically—a bird.
"Disrespectful to the Adepti!"
Cloud Retainer naturally heard her muttering.
Still, she snorted lightly.
"Fine. I'll overlook it since your beastly instincts haven't faded yet.
Take this as a minor warning.
Liyue has many Adepti. Next time, mind your tongue—
you might meet one with a much worse temper."
She descended in front of Kirara, shifted into human form, and flicked Kirara on the forehead.
Just enough to hurt.
"This one still has business with Mister Lin Ze.
Remember this lesson, little cat."
With that, Cloud Retainer vanished toward Lin Ze's home.
Kirara clutched her forehead and hurriedly bowed toward Cloud Retainer's retreating figure.
"A-Adeptus, please forgive me… I know I was wrong…"
The entire exchange had happened so smoothly that Kirara hadn't even gotten the chance to apologize properly.
And she definitely didn't want to go back and run into Lin Ze again.
So this was all she could do.
In Kirara's eyes, Liyue's Adepti were pretty similar to Inazuma's great yokai.
Someone like Cloud Retainer was probably on par with an Inazuman yokai lord—maybe even stronger than Lady Yae.
When Cloud Retainer's distant voice echoed back—
"Since your attitude is sincere, I'll let it go. Remember my warning."
Kirara finally relaxed.
Then she turned around and bolted.
That had been terrifying.
Still… she decided she'd stay in Liyue for one more day before heading back.
As for Lady Yae's task?
She'd already completed it, hadn't she?
One more day wouldn't hurt.
If she didn't say anything, who would know?
Meanwhile, Cloud Retainer had already arrived at Lin Ze's gate.
Just as she raised her hand to knock, the door opened on its own.
She didn't hesitate and walked straight in.
A small trick—she could do it too.
Clearly, Lin Ze already knew she'd arrived.
"Sorry to disturb you, Mister Lin Ze."
"No disturbance at all," Lin Ze waved her in.
"I just sent that little cat off. She was pretty cute.
Shame she wouldn't let me touch her tail.
It really looked like it'd have great texture."
Cloud Retainer paused.
…She chose not to comment.
She sighed, skipped the topic entirely, and went straight to the point.
She wasn't about to encourage his interest—who knew if he'd start eyeing her true form next?
"Mister Lin Ze, I've come today… because of my disciple."
Lin Ze blinked.
Then frowned.
"…You're not trying to randomly play matchmaker between Ganyu and me again, are you?"
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