Lunch had been fish.
Dinner would be fish.
Tomorrow's breakfast? Also fish.
It wasn't a surprise — Klee's underground-river explosion had launched half the local ecosystem into the sky. Takumi's development project had unintentionally turned Guili Plains into the largest temporary fish market in Teyvat.
Keqing had immediately mobilized workers to collect the fish before they spoiled. Mountains of fish were carried back to camp, salted, grilled, dried, preserved, and turned into every recipe Xiangling could think of.
Only one group wasn't happy:
The fishermen.
"Why would the fish stay here after that?" one complained as he packed up nets.
"The little red menace scared every school from here to Mingyun Village!"
"It'll take weeks before the fish return!"
Thus the fishermen relocated, grumbling, but grudgingly impressed by the sheer destructive power involved.
Meanwhile, Klee happily munched on her fish-flavored toast, sitting beside Takumi with bright, sparkling eyes. She had proudly prepared this one herself — and unlike her infamous "fish-flavored explosive cubes," this one was truly delicious.
Takumi savored the bite. "Klee… this is legitimately good."
Klee puffed up like a happy Pufferfish Slime. "Hehe! Brother Takumi, Klee's cooking always succeeds when it's fried fish~!"
Keqing, sitting across from them, subtly nudged a bucket further away from Klee's reach. "Just… don't cook with bombs today."
"No bombs for cooking!" Klee declared. "But bombs for work—yes!"
Takumi should've seen it coming.
As soon as lunch was finished—
"BROTHER TAKUMIII!! Let's make bombs together!"
THE BIRTH OF A NEW WEAPON CLASS (THAT JEAN WOULD DEFINITELY BAN)
Takumi had several reasons to agree.
Spending time with Klee was… strangely relaxing.
Watching her create bombs was basically attending a masterclass in applied Teyvat alchemy.
He had a special experiment in mind.
So the two returned to Wangshu Inn like a pair of conspirators.
Sucrose watched quietly from the upper balcony with trembling hands.
"…should I report this to Acting Grand Master Jean?" she whispered.
Downstairs, Klee spread supplies across the room like a battlefield surgeon preparing for an operation. Gunpowder, alloy shells, strange catalysts her mother had given her, bounce cores, Pyro crystals — all arranged in neat little piles.
Takumi began guiding her gently.
"Klee, what if instead of throwing a bomb… we launch one?"
Klee gasped. "Like fireworks?!"
"Not exactly. More like… a rocket."
Her eyes lit up in a way that made Xiao, who had silently appeared on the roof, tense up.
"A rocket… launcher? Ooooh~"
Takumi sketched shapes, explaining propulsion, tail fins for stability, acceleration force vectors, and angle-based trajectory corrections. Klee didn't understand everything, but she understood the fun parts.
"Make bomb pointy → make bomb go fast → boom bigger."
"Yes," Takumi said, sweat gathering at his temple. "That's… one way to put it."
Within minutes, Klee had built the first prototype. Surprisingly, it looked decent — streamlined, elongated, almost like a sleek miniature torpedo.
"Klee," Takumi chuckled, "you made that faster than some factories."
"Klee is efficient!" she said like a proud secretary reporting to Zhongli.
But then she froze. "…But how do we fire it?"
Takumi grinned.
This was the moment.
"Like this."
He summoned a device with precise calculations — a shoulder-mounted launcher scaled to Klee's size. Not huge, not heavy, but definitely inspired by Earth's RPG-7 profile.
Klee's jaw dropped.
"IT'S PERFECT!!"
"Once you load the bomb, you can ignite the charge with a little Pyro. It'll fly straight."
"No more needing to get close!" she cheered.
"No more scolding from Captain Jean!"
"No more hiding in bushes!"
"Hold it," Takumi said firmly. "We only experiment together. No solo explosions."
Klee nodded a bit too quickly.
THE FIELD TEST
They traveled to a secluded clearing away from workers, slimes, and fragile structures.
Takumi created a protective Geo shield around her.
Klee looked down at the golden barrier with awe. "Woooah… Brother Takumi casts shields like Albedo's chalk brother!"
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes!"
She hoisted the launcher — surprisingly steady for a child.
Loaded the rocket-bomb.
Aimed at a massive boulder.
Injected Pyro.
—Whoooosh—
—BOOOOM!!!—
The boulder ceased to be a boulder.
It was now gravel, dust, and regret.
Klee froze.
Then exploded into pure joy.
"AMAZING!!! It flies! It explodes! It's PERFECT!! Brother Takumi, Klee wants TWENTY!"
Takumi laughed. "Not yet. There's room for improvement."
Klee blinked.
"Improve…? But it's already awesome!"
Takumi crouched.
"Klee, a great inventor doesn't stop at 'awesome.' We can add a built-in ignition system so anyone can use it — even a non-Vision user."
Klee's eyes dilated like a kitten staring at a toy.
"…So even Big Sister Sucrose could fire bombs…?"
"Technically, yes."
From the balcony above, Sucrose choked on her own breath.
"No! Absolutely not! I'm not firing anything!"
Takumi ignored her panicked squeak.
He activated the Herrscher of Reason core.
Blue light rippled across the air.
Geometric patterns overlapped—
And several enhanced prototypes materialized around him instantly.
Klee gasped so loudly even Xiao flinched.
"BROTHER TAKUMI HAS THE POWER OF UNCLE ALBEDO'S SUPER ALCHEMY BUT WITH MORE STYLE!!"
Takumi rubbed the back of his neck.
"…More or less."
"Can Klee learn it too?!"
"No," he said instantly.
"Awww…"
She drooped like a wilting sweet flower.
He patted her head.
"It's not because you're not strong. It's because this power is… special. Dangerous. I'll handle the creation. You handle the fun part — using them."
"Okay!!!"
WANGSHU INN, BOMB DEVELOPMENT DIVISION™
By late afternoon the two had created:
Prototype A: self-propelled bomb with Pyro ignition
Prototype B: fin-stabilized underwater warhead for pier blasting
Prototype C: long-range mortar-shell type
Prototype D: Takumi's favorite — a "fish-stunning" nonlethal explosive
(Klee hated this one.)
Klee scribbled notes with surprising discipline.
Takumi reviewed the designs while balancing practicality with safety.
[SYSTEM – PRIVATE]
NEW TECHNOLOGY CLASSIFIED: "Elemental Propulsion Devices."
Potential Industries Impacted:
Defense
Mining
Infrastructure
Transportation (future conversion possible)
Celestia Risk: LOW(no leyline interference)
Economic Risk: MODERATE(Ningguang may weaponize this for profit)
User Safety Risk: EXTREME (Klee-Related)
Recommendation: "Supervised use only."
Takumi sighed.
The system wasn't wrong.
ENTER: TIANQUAN, THE FINANCIAL DRAGON
Back in Liyue Harbor, Ningguang read the incoming reports about "multiple controlled explosions at Guili Plains."
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Controlled?"
Baiwen swallowed. "Lady Ningguang, this seems to be the work of the demolition expert from Mondstadt."
"Klee?" Ningguang guessed instantly.
"Yes."
Ningguang pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Then we can expect more explosions."
She turned, her golden eyes thoughtful and a little amused.
"This Takumi boy is increasingly interesting."
THE FISH CRISIS & THE INDUSTRIAL SOLUTION
Later that evening, Takumi stood at his desk in Wangshu Inn, sketching new plans. Keqing entered quietly, smelling faintly of grilled fish and charcoal.
"Takumi, the workers say fish supply might dip for a week or two," she reported. "The fishermen are unhappy."
Takumi smirked.
"I figured as much."
"So?" Keqing asked.
"You plan to fix the ecosystem too?"
Takumi slid a blueprint toward her.
It was a design for a "Teyvat Aquaculture Facility."
"Fish farms," Takumi explained.
"We'll build hatcheries near the new port. Controlled breeding. Export-ready stock. Liyue gains a new industry."
Keqing's eyes widened slowly.
"This would… stabilize the food market."
"Exactly."
"And create jobs."
"And diversify trade."
"And allow Xiangling to cook fish forever."
"And reduce pressure on natural shoals."
Keqing shook her head in disbelief.
"When do you sleep, Takumi?"
"…Rarely," he admitted.
KLEE, NEW CHAPTER: ARTILLERY MASTER
Night fell.
The workers slept.
The inn quieted.
Crickets chirped.
Except on the very top balcony.
Where Klee whispered to herself dramatically—
"Klee… Bomb Knight Klee… protector of Liyue's construction!"
Takumi stepped out with a mug of tea.
"Klee. Bed."
"But Brother Takumi—!"
"No buts."
"…Ten minutes?"
"Five."
"…Deal."
She scampered to his side, waving her notebook.
"Tomorrow, can we develop the Super-Super-Big Bomb?"
"No."
"How about the Ultra-Extra-Kablooey—"
"No."
"But—!"
Takumi cut her off.
"We'll finalize the pier explosives tomorrow. After that, no new bombs until the pier is complete."
Klee pouted.
"Adults hate fun."
Takumi smiled.
"Adults like safety. So they can protect fun for kids like you."
Klee paused…
Then smiled brighter.
"…Then Klee will listen. Because Brother Takumi says so."
She leaned against him, small and warm.
Not romantic.
Not complicated.
Family-like.
Simple.
Comforting.
Takumi gently ruffled her hair.
"Good girl. Tomorrow, we finish the pier."
Klee yawned.
"And then we make more bombs—?"
"No."
"…Maybe?"
"No."
"…I'll ask Miss Keqing."
"No—!"
Klee's laughter echoed into the night, bright enough to chase away even Xiao's lurking shadows.