Counting the days, Gu Chen's coming-of-age ceremony was drawing closer and closer.
Once he officially came of age, the number of people coming to introduce young ladies to him would probably wear down the threshold of the Knights of Favonius' headquarters!
Frederica was both anxious and helpless.
Matters of the heart couldn't be rushed—but she still hoped her daughter could end up with Gu Chen.
"I just hope Jean understands what I mean."
Frederica shook her head.
…
Outside Mondstadt.
The water of Cider Lake was of excellent quality. The reason it was named Cider Lake was precisely because the water was so clear and crisp—perfect for brewing wine.
And water this good obviously wasn't suitable for tossing bombs into.
Gu Chen led Klee through Whispering Woods and all the way to Starfell Lake.
At the thought of finally being able to test her bombs, little Klee's face was filled with excitement.
"Go on. Be careful," Gu Chen said, standing by the shore with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Got it!"
Klee nodded like a pecking chick.
She put down her backpack, took out several cute, round little bombs, aimed carefully, and threw them with all her might.
Boom!
The bomb exploded on the water's surface, pure Pyro energy erupting outward.
Gu Chen watched for a moment, then shook his head.
Klee was still too young. Just like her age, the bombs she made were still too weak.
The explosion sounded loud enough, but in reality, at most it could only injure a single hilichurl.
"They still need quite a bit of improvement," Gu Chen reminded her.
Klee scratched her head thoughtfully, then nodded as if enlightened. "Ohhh, I get it!"
She aimed at where schools of fish were gathering and continued throwing bombs, while also holding a little notebook and jotting something down.
Big Brother thought her bombs weren't strong enough. Next time, she'd make them even more powerful!
The little spark knight, full of motivation, ran around planting bombs everywhere.
Fortunately, they were out in the wild—Gu Chen didn't have to worry about her hurting anyone.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
Klee stood in front of Gu Chen, holding a fragrant, charred sea bass in her arms. Her little face was smudged with dirt as she held the fish out with both hands. "Big Brother, grilled fish!"
Just moments ago, one of Klee's bombs had blown this fish straight out of the water, and she had caught it midair.
"What would bomb-made grilled fish taste like?"
Curious, Gu Chen took it, tore off a piece, and tasted it. He nodded.
"Not bad. As expected, the simpler the cooking method, the more it preserves the original flavor of the ingredients."
"What does that mean?" Klee didn't quite understand.
"It means it's very good."
Gu Chen tore off another piece. His fingertips trembled slightly, and all the fish bones fell cleanly to the ground before he handed the boneless meat to Klee.
"Try your own masterpiece."
This wasn't Klee's first time tasting fish cooked by her bombs. She stuffed it into her mouth and widened her eyes.
"Wow! It tastes different from before!"
"Thanks to the Anemo Archon, Mondstadt enjoys spring all year round—good mountains, good water."
"It's only natural that the sea bass here have excellent meat quality."
After listening to Gu Chen, Klee's eyes sparkled. She clasped her hands together and prayed:
"Thank you, Anemo Archon~"
She might not even fully understand who the Anemo Archon was, but her adorable sincerity made a faint smile appear on Gu Chen's face.
Klee's small stomach filled quickly. After eating a bit, she happily ran off to bomb more fish.
Perhaps because of her age—or perhaps because she was an elf—her energy seemed endless.
Luckily, Gu Chen had more than enough stamina to keep up with her.
"Heave-ho~"
"Bounce up~"
"Dodoco, that's such a big sea bass!"
"The wind's picking up~"
"Anemo Archon, please~ Blow Klee's bombs to the right place~"
Klee prayed.
The little bomb was light and was swept away by the wind, exploding in the distance.
Along with the explosion came a pained "Ouch!"
"Huh?!"
Klee's ears twitched, and she became alert. Then she realized she might have caused trouble.
She hurried on her short legs back to Gu Chen, stopped beside him, and pointed at the explosion site. Her little face was full of guilt, eyes brimming with anxiety.
"Big Brother, Klee's bomb might've hit someone!"
"Don't panic."
Gu Chen adjusted her crooked hat and comforted her before taking her to the spot where the bomb had exploded.
A green-clad, youthful-looking boy was lying on the ground, burn marks from the explosion around him.
"Waaah, I really caused trouble!"
Tears welled in Klee's eyes.
"Who threw that bomb… I'm dying…" the boy said weakly, as if he would perish the next second.
Klee apologized over and over, her face full of dejection.
"Without a bottle of apple cider, I probably won't survive…" the boy sighed faintly.
Klee: "?"
Gu Chen: "…"
"For damages accidentally caused by a Knight of Favonius member, the Knights will provide compensation."
"But if this is extortion, that would require imprisonment. And I don't believe there's any wine served in the cells."
Gu Chen's calm voice rang out.
The boy immediately sprang to his feet, grinning as he dusted himself off.
"You must be the Knights' Vice Captain! Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!"
"I don't think this is our first meeting. You were the gentleman stealing wine at Diluc's coming-of-age ceremony."
Gu Chen smiled faintly and shook his hand.
"Huh?"
Klee scratched her head in confusion.
Wasn't he about to die just now? How did he suddenly come back to life?
"Hehe."
Even after being exposed, the boy didn't look embarrassed.
"I couldn't help myself! I did offer Young Master Diluc my blessings!"
"Then we'll consider that matter settled."
Gu Chen gave a slight nod before continuing, "But what about attempting to extort a Knight?"
"Just kidding, just kidding!"
The boy waved his hands, then looked at Klee.
"Little one, I was joking with you just now. Don't take it to heart!"
"Ohhh, I see!" Klee seemed to understand a bit. She still apologized sincerely.
"It's fine, it's all because the Anemo Archon blew the wind around and sent your bomb flying this way," the boy waved dismissively.
"So you're saying it was the Anemo Archon's fault?" Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Of course!" the boy nodded firmly.
"Please come with me to the Knights' headquarters. Slandering the Anemo Archon is a serious offense."
Gu Chen smiled.
The boy fell silent for a moment, then laughed helplessly.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. My name's Venti."
"Gu Chen."
"I'm Klee!" she waved enthusiastically.
"Ghehe~ Now that we know each other's names, we're friends, right?" Venti grinned.
"As long as you don't use my name to do anything improper, then yes—we're friends."
Venti looked momentarily guilty, then thumped his chest confidently.
"Don't worry! I'm not that kind of person!"
"You'd better not be."
Glancing at the sky, Gu Chen said, "It's getting late. The trip back is long. I'll take Klee home."
"Alright, see you next time~" Venti waved.
Watching Klee skip away with Gu Chen, the smile on Venti's face grew even brighter.
"Mondstadt really struck gold this time~"
"Ghehe, having someone else take care of the workload feels amazing~"
As his words fell, Venti turned into a gentle breeze and disappeared.
Already some distance away, Gu Chen suddenly glanced back, a trace of understanding flashing through his eyes.
…
Knights of Favonius Headquarters.
By the time Gu Chen carried Klee back, night had fallen.
The office building was still brightly lit.
Jean was waiting at the entrance. When she saw them return, she was about to say something—but upon seeing Klee sleeping soundly in Gu Chen's arms, she held back.
After gently taking the sleeping Klee and settling her into her room, Jean quietly closed the door.
"She must be exhausted?"
"She spent the whole day throwing bombs. Once it got dark, she ran out of energy," Gu Chen nodded.
"The whole day throwing bombs?!"
Jean took a sharp breath, her well-developed chest rising and falling noticeably.
Gu Chen was her superior, so she couldn't really scold him. She could only let out a deep sigh.
"I know what I'm doing. Don't worry."
He shook his head, then added, "It's long past working hours. You don't have night duties either. Still here at the headquarters… working overtime?"
"N-No."
As if recalling something, Jean's cheeks flushed slightly and she shook her head repeatedly.
After returning from the Gunnhildr Clan estate, she had followed her usual habit and gone back to her office—only to realize she didn't have any work scheduled for today.
With nothing to do, she had taken out the novel Frederica gave her and started reading.
"The Aloof Vice Captain Falls in Love with Me."
Once she started, she lost track of time—and before she knew it, night had fallen, leaving her somewhat dazed even now.
"Hm?" Gu Chen looked at her suspiciously. "Seems it involves something private that makes it inconvenient for you to answer."
Jean flustered slightly. "Vice Captain…"
"It's off-duty hours."
Jean paused, then said softly, "Gu Chen… could you not ask?"
"?"
Gu Chen blinked, thoughtful.
A topic that made Jean blush like that and ask him not to inquire… It must be some kind of personal matter typical for young ladies.
"Alright. I won't ask. Get some rest."
With that, Gu Chen headed toward his residence.
Only after watching him leave did Jean finally let out a long sigh of relief.
…
Jean: "???"
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