Hmm...
Should she just ask?
The thought crossed her mind, and Lumine had been on the verge of voicing it — but then she caught herself. That kind of question was probably hard to answer. After all, whether someone's cooking was good or bad wasn't exactly something you could measure precisely.
If it was simply a matter of Kiana's food not suiting Kaito's palate, that didn't really mean her cooking was bad — it just meant they had different tastes.
Oh well...
She'd just see for herself once they got back.
Having made up her mind, Lumine let the question go. She'd find out soon enough once they returned to Inazuma — there was no particular reason she had to know right now.
Wait...
Why hadn't Kaito put it that way in the first place?
The thought surfaced out of nowhere, and Lumine found it oddly strange. Because when Kaito had first brought it up, all he'd said was that Kiana had stopped cooking because Wendy told her it tasted terrible — he hadn't said anything about whether Kiana's cooking was actually bad.
Normally, in that kind of story, you'd naturally mention the cooking quality in the same breath. But Kaito hadn't.
So that was... a little strange.
I'm probably not reading too much into this, am I?
"Thanks, Lumine — I'll be counting on you later." Seeing Lumine agree, Kaito gave a small nod and went back to eating.
"It's no trouble at all. Two people working together is way faster — and a lot easier on both of us."
Lumine didn't think of it as any kind of imposition. Two people cooking together was just plainly faster than doing it alone — exactly like just now, working with Kaito.
Still, that earlier question lingered at the back of her mind. She was still turning over whether to just come out and ask it.
Hmm...
Could it be that Kaito brought it up because he saw how well I cook?
Thinking it over between bites, Lumine arrived at that conclusion on her own.
Yeah... that's probably it.
And honestly, why am I overthinking this anyway...
Let me just ask something else.
With that thought, she spoke up: "By the way, Kaito — how's that business you've been handling for Mr. Zhongli going?"
Their time in Liyue was more or less tied to how long it took Kaito to wrap up whatever he was doing for Zhongli, so she figured she'd check in.
"That? Honestly, it's pretty straightforward. I feel like I've become their natural predator at this point — just a bit here, a bit there, running all over the place. Takes time, but nothing too difficult." Kaito paused his chopsticks and gave her a brief answer.
Thanks to the ability he'd gotten from Acheron's side, dealing with those Archon remnants was practically effortless. The only real inconvenience was the running around — and the drain on his stamina. A little here, a little there, and it all started to add up.
"I see. Then eat more." As she said it, Lumine transferred a few pieces from her chopsticks into Kaito's bowl.
She had to admit — his answer was exactly what she'd been hoping to hear. She just wasn't sure whether, over time, Wendy or Kiana might end up coming here to Liyue.
If they did, things would get a little more complicated.
Of course, there was nothing she could do about that either. They could come if they wanted — it wasn't her place to say anything, let alone do anything about it.
"You made it so well, of course I'm going to eat more." With that, Kaito went right back to shoveling food.
He had to admit, the constant physical exertion over the past few days had noticeably increased his appetite. Whether it was heading out with Zhongli to deal with the Archon remnants, or the fierce battles from the day before yesterday — all of it burned through stamina, and that meant he needed to replenish it.
"Looks like there might not be enough. Let me go grab a little more from outside." Lumine suddenly noticed that the stir-fried dish she'd made was almost gone, and immediately stood up and started toward the door.
One way or another, she needed to cook up something more.
She still had the vegetables she'd bought in the morning left over, but she headed out anyway.
She could tell that Kaito was really enjoying the chili pepper pork — so naturally she was going to go buy more chili peppers and meat.
"Didn't you buy other stuff this morning? Just use that — no need to go to all that trouble." Kaito's voice followed her from behind just as she reached the door.
He remembered Lumine had picked up vegetables that morning too, so in his mind, she could just stir-fry those instead. It didn't have to be chili pepper pork every time — going out to buy more was the inconvenient option.
"It's fine — I'll just grab some things for tomorrow while I'm at it."
Lumine glanced back and waved him off.
It was only a short walk, after all. No trouble at all.
"Alright." Hearing that, Kaito let it go with a simple word.
If Lumine didn't mind, then she could go ahead.
Hmm...
Wait, something's off.
After swallowing his mouthful, Kaito suddenly realized something: he had probably been way too obvious about enjoying the chili pepper pork.
He'd told Lumine before that it was Wendy's side that liked chili pepper pork — yet right now, no matter how you looked at it, he was the one who liked it.
Well, of course it could be that both he and Wendy liked it — it just looked a little like he'd been using "Wendy's preferences" as cover to mention his own favorites.
Would Lumine think of it that way...
He got up, stepped outside the kitchen, and started pacing back and forth in a vaguely aimless way. Kaito had a sneaking feeling he might have given just a little too much away.
Of course — on the basis of this one thing alone, Lumine would definitely not connect the dots and figure out that he and Wendy were actually the same person. Not a chance.
And honestly, even if someone came right out and told her, she probably wouldn't believe it. The whole thing was simply too absurd.
Still, I should keep them more distinct going forward...
Kaito drifted back to his seat and settled in, turning the thought over with a slight grimace.
Though just thinking about how many more ways he'd have to split himself in the future was already giving him a headache.
He couldn't help it — the more of him there were, the more carefully he'd have to differentiate each one. If they all started blending together, that would just look bizarre.
Ugh...
Mobius...
What am I going to do with you?
His thoughts drifted to Mobius, still over in Inazuma.
Oh, wait.
Why not just have her come over to Liyue and stir things up a bit...
I'm already here helping Zhongli clear out the Archon remnants, after all...
The idea sparked something, and Kaito perked up.
Whatever arrangement he made, Mobius was going to end up connected to him one way or another — that much was certain. So if he was already here, it would make perfect sense for Mobius to show up here too.
But then — what identity should he give Mobius once she arrived?
His enemy?
But just an enemy felt...
Lacking, somehow.
Then...
Does she have to be in love with me too?
No matter how he turned it over, Kaito genuinely hadn't settled on a good arrangement for Mobius.
Oh, forget it...
Have her come over first, then figure it out!
After going back and forth, Kaito decided the best course was to just get her to Liyue first. What to do once she arrived — he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.
____
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