In the end, Renjiro didn't let Syr cook.
After all, she was such a kawaii girl (or rather, a goddess). Looking at her delicate face, her slender, graceful fingers, and that slightly mischievous charm hidden in her adorable aura… how could he bring himself to let her?
…Well, okay, the truth was: Syr's cooking was a bit too intense.
Overall, she might not quite match a strategic-level weapons capable of blowing up an entire castle or poisoning the surface of Teyvat, but at least her dishes could compete with the "weird special dishes".
Yes, the kind that, if fed would guarantee stomach trouble the next day and trigger a daily "healing through food" mission.
Speaking of which, before crossing over, many fans speculated that the young red-eyed rabbit boy hadn't really faced those poisonous purple moths in the dungeon. So his awakening of Liaris Freese when reaching Lv.3 might have been thanks to the countless thoughtful bentos from Syr, catalyzing his survival instinct.
In short…
"Hurting the enemy a thousand while damaging myself eight hundred? Not happening."
Not wanting to perish alongside Rye, Renjiro naturally had to ask Xiangling to save the day again.
After breakfast…
"I'll head out first. Today I need to visit the Apollo Familia headquarters."
"Alright, be careful on the way."
With Syr, Mama Mia, and the children seeing him off, Renjiro left the orphanage alone.
It wasn't long before, somewhere along the main road leading to the Central Plaza, he met Lumine.
Immediately…
"It's rare to encounter such a classic scene. Why didn't you say, 'Sorry, have you been waiting long?' so I could respond with, 'No worries, I just got here too'?"
Had his silly little sister really been out here alone for so long that she became this playful?
"Shouldn't it be the girl's turn to start the conversation? Our positions are reversed here."
Renjiro muttered helplessly.
"You noticed that, huh?"
Lumine placed her hands on her hips, squinted, and smirked.
"We agreed to meet here, yet I had to wait this long…"
"Stop, stop, sorry, I was late, truly my apologies."
Renjiro quickly made a "pause" gesture.
"I have other matters today, let's talk while walking."
He was exasperated.
At this moment, in Orario, compared to his nameless "transparent" self, the twin siblings Lumine and Aether of the Twin Stars were at the absolute peak of fame.
As the "saviors of the world," wherever they went, they naturally attracted countless gazes.
Under these circumstances, adventurers had their unspoken understandings; few reckless fools would dare approach. If one did, they'd likely be dragged into an alley and taught a lesson.
And if the Freya Familia's Eight Heroes—eight core members with at least Lv.5 blessing—saw it… well, most wouldn't survive the encounter. Especially around Lumine, the family's adored little princess. Any unknown male appearing near her could be in serious danger.
"Wait… am I not incredibly at risk right now?"
Renjiro suddenly realized.
Oops. He'd unknowingly been trapped by his own Anima perception.
"Please, no encounters with Hedin and the others today. Seriously."
The young man silently prayed.
Luck was on Renjiro's side.
The Freya Familia's Eight Heroes were all busy—some in dungeons, others running errands for Freya. No one randomly appeared to chop him at the back of the neck, expertly bag him, and send him straight to the port city…
About twenty minutes later, after nervously traveling, he and Lumine finally arrived at the Apollo Familia headquarters.
This place would later be transformed by the Hestia Familia into the Hall of Hearthfire. From the outside, it looked like a normal mansion, but inside… Renjiro and Lumine knew it was overflowing with Apollo's twisted tastes.
Sweat~
Since they were unexpected visitors, it took some time after Lumine rang the magical stone doorbell and explained their purpose before a subordinate reported to Hyakinthos, who appeared at the door.
"Welcome to Apollo's residence, Miss Lumine of the Twin Stars."
After a flawless bow, the brown-haired young man turned to Renjiro.
"And this is…?"
"Let me introduce. Higashikata Renjiro, affiliated with the Freya Familia as a 'Third-Class Adventurer (Lv.2),' and a close friend of Aether and Lumine."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hyakinthos Clio."
As expected, Hyakinthos was somewhat proud.
With Lumine present, however, the Apollo Familia leader treated Renjiro with relative courtesy. Otherwise, a pseudo-Lv.3 like Hyakinthos wouldn't waste words on a backgroundless Lv.2 adventurer.
Renjiro didn't care to critique his personality and smoothly explained:
"Apologies for the sudden visit. Yesterday afternoon, one of your members came to our base with some noteworthy information, so we're here today to follow up. Please forgive the intrusion."
Hearing this…
"One of my members went to your base?"
Hyakinthos frowned slightly.
"Do you know who it was?"
"According to my master, it was a woman with deep blue hair… covering half her face."
Hyakinthos twitched.
"Ah, that fool Cassandra. She must have spouted nonsense over there."
"Disturbing Miss Lumine and doing things to embarrass Apollo-sama… I'll make sure she's punished properly."
For Lumine's sake, Hyakinthos said to Renjiro:
"Ignore her ramblings. She often goes crazy. I've reprimanded her many times, but… please don't take it to heart."
Clearly, Hyakinthos' attitude toward Lumine and Renjiro was very different, which made sense.
Seeing Hyakinthos unwilling to make trouble, Renjiro secretly signaled Lumine via the mental link.
She immediately responded:
"Mr. Hyakinthos, I'm interested in Miss Cassandra. Could you kindly introduce her?"
"Ah?"
Hyakinthos was caught off guard. Unlike with Renjiro, he couldn't refuse Lumine.
After a moment…
"Alright, please follow me."
Hyakinthos led the way, sighing:
"As I mentioned, Cassandra is a bit… unhinged. Be prepared. If she's rude, please forgive her."
"Don't worry, I just want to meet a new friend."
Lumine smiled and playfully winked at Renjiro.
Walking alongside, Hyakinthos noticed—because she didn't even try to hide it. Or rather, she did it deliberately to make the upcoming conversation flow more smoothly.