The trio lay on the beach for quite some time, until dusk began to settle.
In such pleasant weather, lying on the sand with the cool sea breeze caressing their skin, Lumine and Paimon both felt drowsy.
Yuna, lying beside Paimon, poked the fairy's round little belly with her index finger.
Paimon was so small and adorable—Yuna loved to hug her.
In Mondstadt, she had often hugged her. In Liyue, due to her character's personality, she couldn't do that as freely. But they weren't very close yet; soon, she'd definitely hold Paimon close for a good snuggle!
"Paimon, how can you eat so much when you're so tiny?"
Paimon lay still, unwilling to move, and answered lazily, "Paimon has two stomachs—one for regular food and another just for yummy treats!"
Two stomachs?
But Paimon's appetite clearly exceeded what two people could eat!
Seeing Paimon's eyes nearly closing, Yuna shook her gently.
"Get up, Paimon! I'll take you and Lumine away from Ritou, and then we can sleep at my house."
Paimon rubbed her eyes, floated slowly upward, and yawned.
She hadn't been that tired originally, but lying there had been too comfortable, and she had nearly drifted off to sleep.
The three stood up. Since their belongings were already packed, they could leave immediately.
"Keep up, okay?"
Leading Lumine and Paimon, Yuna approached the edge of Ritou.
"Halt! Please present your Ritou permit. Oh, it's Little Boss Yuna..."
As expected, whether day or night, the guards kept a tight cordon around Ritou.
The initially stern guards immediately softened their demeanor upon recognizing Yuna, their tone becoming gentle.
Do they even realize the value of a chef who can create rule-breaking delicacies?!
Yuna produced a token from her hand. "See this? It's a command token from General Kujou Sara herself. She wants me to escort these two to the Tenryou Commission."
The guards accepted the token. It was indeed Kujou Sara's, but...
They were under orders from the Tri-Commission to guard this post, and they couldn't afford to risk any incidents.
Noticing their hesitation, Yuna pulled out two slips of paper from her robe, each marked with her signature Claymore and portrait.
"Here, these letters entitle you to a gourmet meal on me."
The two guards exchanged glances, visibly tempted.
It's food from Little Boss Yuna! We bought a portion once and have never forgotten it!
And she said it's not just one dish this time, but a whole meal!
Damn it, why am I so tempted?!
But...
Growing impatient, Yuna drew her colossal Claymore.
The two guards' expressions immediately shifted, and they simultaneously took a step back, clearing the path.
"Little Boss Yuna, please proceed—"
It was clear they had yielded completely.
After all, Yuna wasn't just famous in Inazuma for her culinary skills; she was equally renowned for her formidable strength.
And unlike others who might cause trouble, she had someone backing her...
Yuna: "..."
Why couldn't you have just done this from the start?
After handing over the two "letters of passage," Yuna said, "Remember, these are only valid for seven days. They expire after that."
"Don't worry, Little Boss. We'll go tomorrow or the day after."
Yuna sheathed her Claymore and turned to Lumine and Paimon.
"Let's go, Lumine! And Paimon!"
Lumine and Paimon hurried to catch up. Once they were a safe distance from the guards, Paimon couldn't contain her curiosity any longer and asked, "Yuna, that Claymore of yours was so imposing! What's it called?"
Yuna drew the Claymore again. "Paimon, you have good taste. I had to melt down three other Claymores to forge this one. Its name is 'Whatever'."
"Eh? 'Whatever'?"
"Yeah, yeah. When the blacksmith asked me what to name it, I just blurted it out. He actually stamped those characters onto it! But hey, 'Whatever' works just fine."
Paimon stared at the Claymore, which towered over Yuna herself, and wondered how she could possibly wield such a massive weapon.
Lumine followed Yuna, asking again, "Yuna, are we going to your house?"
"Of course."
"Is it okay for us to stay?"
Yuna paused, then slapped her forehead. "Oh dear, I forgot to tell you! I actually live with my older sister. There are two beds there, so when we get there, my sister and I will share one, and you and Paimon can share the other."
Lumine bowed her head slightly. "Thank you so much, Yuna. Paimon and I are new here, and we're so grateful you've been so kind, offering us delicious food and a place to sleep."
Yuna chuckled. "As the saying goes, 'At home, rely on your parents; on the road, rely on your friends.' Maybe it's fate that brought us together like this."
When they arrived at Yuna's house, they were surprised to find Second Sister was nowhere to be seen!
Could something have happened with the Boss again? Or did Second Sister go home?
Never mind. Whatever's going on, Second Sister will be fine.
Leading Lumine and Paimon to the beds, Yuna said, "Get a good night's sleep. I'll make you something delicious for breakfast tomorrow—I promise you'll love it. After you eat, you can go take care of your own business."
Paimon tried to offer Yuna some Mora, but she sternly refused.
I consider you my friends! Do I need to take Mora to help my friends?
So little Paimon actually has money? Has she still not spent all the Mora Rola gave her yet?
-
Live Stream:
Guojia's playthrough had reached the point where the screen faded to black, accompanied by the words: You and Paimon slowly drifted off to sleep, lost in a sweet dream.
"This storyline is so heartwarming," Guojia said. "In this foreign land, where we were completely helpless, we suddenly received the purest kindness from a stranger..."
She was immensely grateful for following the chat's advice to visit the beach earlier. Otherwise, she would have completely missed this entire storyline.
When did Mihoyo start implementing these dual-narrative storylines? she wondered. They didn't even announce it or give any hints.
She had just checked what the "normal" storyline looked like, and honestly, without the comparison, there would have been no harm done.
Compared to Yuna's selfless assistance, even though Hiiragi Chisato was also helping them, there always seemed to be conditions attached.
And Guojia couldn't shake the feeling that Thoma was also leading them into a trap. It felt like they'd been puppets on a string since arriving in Inazuma.
Only Yuna, the adorable little cook, showed genuine kindness to Traveler and Paimon, without any ulterior motives.
The livestream chat buzzed with evaluations of the new character.
[Why isn't the baby wearing shoes? Doesn't it hurt her feet?]
[See? See? This proves the true significance of the characters represented in the Travail PV!]
[Mind your own business, upstairs. I'll clean my wife's feet if they get dirty.]
[Seriously, you guys? You just call any pretty girl "wife"?]
[Speaking of which, isn't that Claymore a bit too ridiculously huge? How can someone as petite as Yuna even lift it?]
[I declare! I'm saving Primogems for her!]
[My Primogems are reserved for Qingge, but maybe I'll make a side account to save for Yuna!]
Guojia watched the chat, thinking: Whether it's Qingge, Yuna, or that other girl from the Travail PV, I want them all!