Naturally, Lumine's suspicion didn't fade in the slightest.
Venti, on the other hand, sensed that staying any longer was dangerous and hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ahaha—why are we just standing around chatting? We still need to prepare properly," he said quickly.
"We've got to go get the Lyre der Himmel after all."
The air went dead silent.
Venti finally realized something was wrong.
Lumine and Paimon were staring at him in pure horror.
"…Eh? What's wrong?"
Paimon panicked.
"Cael is still here!! Why would you expose our plan like that?!"
Lumine nodded in agreement.
Venti tilted his head.
"…Oh? Is that a problem?"
"EH?!" Paimon exclaimed.
"You don't realize how serious this is?!"
She turned—
And saw Cael smiling far too pleasantly.
Her heart sank.
"U-Um… Brother Cael…" she asked hesitantly,
"Y-you wouldn't report us, right…?"
Cael kept smiling.
It was warm. Gentle. Radiant.
Yet to Paimon, it looked like a demon's grin.
"Conspiring with a bard to steal the Lyre der Himmel is a serious crime," Cael said slowly, stepping closer.
"If you're caught, that's the death penalty."
Paimon nearly peed herself.
She shrieked and hid behind Lumine.
"D-DEATH?! D-Don't come any closer!! Paimon doesn't want to die!!"
Lumine sighed, utterly done.
"Enough already," she said helplessly.
"Stop teasing Paimon. If you scare her any more, she really will faint."
Venti, meanwhile, just smiled.
He knew this old friend's personality well—Cael had never been serious a day in his life.
Paimon finally realized she'd been played again and stomped her foot furiously.
"Ugh!! You bully me again!! I can't take this anymore! I'm giving you an ugly nickname!"
"Oh?" Cael's interest was instantly piqued.
"I'm all ears."
Paimon frowned and started thinking hard.
"…Hmm… what should I call you…"
She thought for a long time—
Then gave up.
"Hmph! I'll tell you once I think of one!"
"I'll be waiting."
Cael then smiled at her again.
"If little Paimon lets me pat your head, I'll stop bullying you."
Paimon's face flushed red.
She kicked angrily at the air.
"In your dreams!! I already said—only my Lumine gets to touch my head! You can forget it for the rest of your life!"
...
...
They decided to relax for the afternoon before nightfall.
Cael invited them to Cat's Tail.
Venti was excluded, of course—
the Anemo Archon was tragically allergic to cats.
Which was honestly ridiculous.
One of the Seven, one of Teyvat's top-tier combatants—
defeated by cat fur.
Since Windrise was quite far from Mondstadt, it was already afternoon by the time they arrived.
"Welcome to Cat's Tail!"
The moment they entered, they spotted a small, busy figure.
Compared to the quiet morning, the tavern was now packed with customers.
Paimon immediately sensed something strange.
She grabbed Cael and Lumine.
"This place is supposed to be a tavern… so why is everyone drinking white stuff? And why do they look so happy?"
Lumine noticed it too.
Cael stepped forward calmly.
"That's milk tea. It's filling and delicious. Perfect fuel for tonight's operation."
Paimon scoffed.
"Yeah right. That tiny cup? Filling? It wouldn't even get stuck between my teeth!"
Cael said nothing.
He led them straight to the counter.
Standing atop a stool, busy making drinks—
A cat-eared girl.
"Waaah! A kitty!" Paimon and Lumine exclaimed at the same time.
Diona instantly bristled.
"I'm NOT a kitty!!"
But then—
She noticed Cael.
Her tone softened immediately.
"…You're back."
Then she looked at Lumine and Paimon again, her voice sharpening.
"Let me guess—you're the Honorary Knight. What do you want?"
Diona showed zero special respect for Lumine's title.
In fact, seeing her next to Cael made her oddly irritated.
Lumine didn't notice and replied politely.
"We'll have whatever they're having… um—milk tea! Three cups, please."
Diona nodded and gestured for them to sit.
Just as Lumine and Paimon turned—
They saw Cael extend his hand toward Diona.
They were confused—
Until the next second.
Diona blushed, jumped down from the stool, and obediently walked over.
She let him pat her head.
And looked like she was enjoying it.
"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Paimon screamed.
Cael tilted his head.
"Head pats."
Diona added shyly,
"Hey… don't do it for too long… your friends are watching…"
Ignoring Paimon's furious shouting, Cael asked quietly,
"How's the progress?"
Judging by the crowd, it looked excellent.
Diona beamed.
"It's going super well!"
"Those drunkards get hooked the moment they taste milk tea. After drinking it, they're so full they can't drink alcohol anymore!"
"They leave after half an hour! Usually they stay all day!"
"And the profits are insane! At this rate, I'll have tons of allowance for snacks!"
She leaned into the touch, visibly thrilled.
Cael nodded approvingly.
"Keep it up. I'll keep supporting you."
"The revolution isn't finished yet—comrades must continue the struggle!"
Diona nodded hard.
She didn't quite understand the last part—but it sounded encouraging.
Meanwhile, Paimon had been yelling for ages.
When she realized Cael hadn't acknowledged her even once, she nearly exploded.
"Stupid Cael! Dumb Cael!!"
She unleashed every insult she knew.
Lumine watched, confused—
Then noticed Paimon staring intently at Cael's hand.
Realization dawned.
She smiled mischievously.
"Oho~? Jealous?"
Diona remembered she still had work to do.
"…I should get back to work."
She walked away reluctantly.
Cael watched her tsundere retreat with great satisfaction.
Paimon, meanwhile, was seething internally.
He wanted to pat my head earlier… and now he's ignoring me for another girl!!
Unforgivable!!
That's it—his nickname is officially: Lolicon!!
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/ShikamaruNara