That screeeech—graaak violin sound gradually spread to other areas of the manga shop.
Aside from the silent zone, everyone else heard it loud and clear.
Instantly, pain masks appeared on everyone's faces.
"My god—what is that sound?! It's so sharp my scalp is tingling!"
"It sounds like sawing wood… Is the boss cutting up a bench?"
"No—look over at the counter. It's a girl playing an instrument."
"It really is! But what kind of instrument sounds this awful?"
"Uh… I don't think it's the instrument's problem.
It's probably the person."
"Agreed. That instrument is a reward from the boss— there's no way it's bad quality."
"Sigh… such a nice girl.
Why did she have to grow hands?"
Once they found the source of the sound, the customers all wore complicated expressions.
Pain.
Suffering.
Sympathy.
But one thing was universal—
No one wanted to hear that sound ever again.
To put it simply:
everyone's SAN value was plummeting.
Seeing everyone staring over, especially noticing some familiar faces—
Lumine couldn't take it anymore.
She rushed forward and interrupted Paimon's "wonderful" performance.
"Huh? What—what is it?
I'm not done yet!"
Paimon looked dissatisfied after being stopped.
She never thought playing instruments was fun before, but now that she'd tried it—
She felt like she'd discovered a whole new world!
That feeling of being immersed in music— it was amazing!
No wonder that bard loved performing so much.
I, Paimon,will become Teyvat's number one violinist!
"…Look behind you."
Seeing that Paimon was completely out of it, Lumine pointed behind her.
"Behind me? What's back there?"
Paimon turned around, confused.
She immediately saw that every single customer in the shop was staring straight at her—
Their gazes heavy.
Oppressive.
Meaningful.
If this were an anime scene, everyone's faces would be shaded black, eyes glowing red—
Like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
At this point, even Paimon couldn't be that dense.
Her "beautiful" violin playing had clearly disturbed everyone.
She quickly shoved the violin behind her back and laughed awkwardly.
"Uh… that was just to liven things up!
S-since you didn't like it, let's forget it!"
Seeing this, no one said anything.
They simply withdrew their gazes and returned to reading their manga.
However—
One person's eyes were shining brightly.
"If this kind of music were paired with my newly developed drinks…"
"The destructive power would be insane!"
Diona's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Sure, she also thought it sounded terrible.
But as long as it was useful, that was enough.
Mm.
After finishing her manga, she'd go find that girl and see if she'd like to perform at Cat's Tail Tavern.
"…Is my playing really that bad?"
Turning back around, Paimon looked utterly dejected.
She had played seriously!
"You tell me, my little violin master."
Lumine stepped forward and ruthlessly rua'd Paimon's cheeks—
Compensation for the auditory assault earlier.
But looking at that face, something still felt wrong.
"Forget it. Just change back already.
Otherwise, I feel like Kaori Miyazono's reputation is going to be completely ruined in Teyvat."
Lumine waved her hand dismissively.
"Okaaay…"
Paimon dejectedly transformed back into her original form.
"What's there to be sad about?
You can just ask Barbara for lessons later."
Han Feng smiled lightly and handed over a brand-new slice of cake.
"Here, have some cake."
"Waaah—Boss, you're the best!
Unlike Lumine, who only looks down on me!"
Paimon's eyes welled up with tears.
True feelings show in hardship!
Paimon finally knew who truly treated her the best!
In the future, she'd definitely repay Boss properly!
Mm—
Step two of the plan needed to speed up!
"Hmph! I'm eating this cake myself—don't even think about it!"
Seeing Lumine glance over, Paimon grabbed the cake and floated far away.
Lumine: (⊙_⊙)
…Forget it.
She decided to ignore this little creature for now.
Lumine shook her head.
But then she remembered her own reward.
Holding the deck of cards, she walked up and asked curiously,
"Boss Han, what exactly is this?"
"Playing cards.
They're used for card games— for example, Fight the Landlord."
Han Feng explained with a smile.
Although Teyvat didn't have the concept of a "landlord," he had no intention of changing the name.
Once changed, the flavor would be gone.
Besides, even if he wanted to rename it, there wasn't a suitable alternative.
What—Fight the Seven Gods?
Fight Celestia?
As expected, Lumine's face filled with confusion.
Fight the Landlord?
What's a landlord?
Why are we fighting them?
"You don't need to worry about the name.
Just know it's a game."
After a pause, Han Feng continued,"I'll explain the rules.
The game requires at least three players, using one deck of 54 cards— the one you're holding.
One side is the Landlord, the other two work together against them.
Whichever side plays all their cards first wins.
As for how to play…"
Han Feng carefully explained the rules of Fight the Landlord.
To make it clearer, he even demonstrated using Lumine's cards.
"So? Got it?"
After collecting the cards, Han Feng asked.
"I think I understand!"
Lumine nodded rapidly like a pecking chick.
The rules weren't that complicated.
"In that case, let's play a few rounds.
We're one short—who wants in?"
Han Feng looked toward Noelle and Paimon.
They'd been listening in earlier, so they should understand the rules as well.
"Let Paimon play first."
Seeing Paimon's eager expression, Noelle smiled gently.
She was always like this— thinking of others first.
"Noelle, you're so nice!
Way more generous than Lumine!"
Paimon was deeply moved.
"I'm not generous?
Wow, thanks a lot."
Lumine rolled her eyes.
Hmph.
Enjoy it while you can.
Let's see how I teach you a lesson with these cards later!
"Alright, Paimon it is."
Han Feng nodded.
With a wave of his hand, a green card table and chairs appeared beside the counter.
"How can you play cards without a proper table?"
Han Feng smiled.
"Boss, you're so professional!"
Paimon gave a thumbs-up.
Soon, the three of them sat around the table.
As for the purple cat—
She also grew interested and jumped onto Han Feng's shoulder to watch.
"Boss Han, is that cat your new pet?"
Lumine asked curiously.
She hadn't seen the purple cat at lunch earlier.
It only appeared after they finished reading—So… was it newly adopted?
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