"Come on, let's wait a little longer!" Barbara and Klee chimed in unison, both looking slightly reluctant to continue the game right away.
For Barbara and Klee, experiencing the feeling of being an adult was amusing and fun; naturally, they wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible.
Especially Barbara—she found herself thinking that, as her sister Jean had suggested, maybe she was only a few years away from growing into quite a nice figure herself.
With this thought, Barbara couldn't resist glancing over at Lucas, even puffing out her chest a bit in an unspoken show of pride.
Lucas could only groan inwardly, watching with exasperation as a few metaphorical black lines appeared over his head.
What on earth is this woman trying to show off?
"So, what do you think?" Barbara crouched down to Lucas's eye level, patting his head with a smug look. "I'm all grown up now… but you've shrunk, haven't you?"
Clearly, Barbara's mention of growing and shrinking wasn't just about their ages.
"Sorry to disappoint you," Lucas shot back, "but I checked myself earlier—only the age has changed. Everything else… is still the same."
"Th-that can't be!" Barbara blushed slightly, her gaze flicking downward as she muttered, "That's… impossible!"
"Please, since when has anything happening here been logical?" Lucas countered. "If you're that doubtful, feel free to look for yourself."
"Wh-who would want to look at something like that?!" Barbara shot him an indignant glare. "Little earthworm!"
"Leaky dumpling," Lucas retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.
"Dumplings? Where?" Klee suddenly popped over, her curiosity piqued. "Klee wants some dumplings too!"
"There aren't any dumplings," Barbara said with a victorious grin, "but there's a nice big bun right here!"
Right on cue, a loud rumbling sound came from Barbara's stomach.
"Barbara…" Jean asked with concern, "are you hungry again?"
"Y-yes," Barbara replied awkwardly, her expression uncomfortable. "Even though I already ate quite a bit."
"It's likely that this kind of hunger hits on a mental level," Lucas speculated. "No amount of food will satisfy it. I'd suggest you roll the dice quickly. If you're lucky, it might lift this hunger."
Though Barbara was reluctant to leave her grown-up state behind, the persistent hunger gnawing at her was unbearable, and she had little choice but to continue the game.
Fortunately, her luck held—she rolled a two and a five, totaling seven.
Just as expected, the instant she rolled the number, the oppressive hunger that had plagued Barbara for so long vanished completely.
However, since she didn't roll a one, all four of them remained in their altered states.
"Hard work takes its toll. Rest for half a day before continuing."
With the words appearing on the game board, their four tokens promptly tipped over as if they'd fallen asleep, and the dice's pips disappeared, replaced by a twelve-hour countdown.
"It seems that we're required to rest for half a day, or twelve hours, before we can continue," Lucas remarked, scratching his chin. "Looks like we'll have to remain in these bodies until then."
"Yay!"
Unlike Lucas and Jean, Barbara and Klee seemed overjoyed at this news.
By now, the sky was beginning to dim, and with the setting sun, the temperature was dropping. The cool breeze off the ocean made them shiver slightly in their swimsuits.
"Ah-choo!"
Klee couldn't hold back a sneeze, and a little stream of snot began trickling from her nose.
"Daddy…" Klee crouched down, her expression pitiful. "Klee's got a runny nose."
"Got it." Lucas gently wiped her nose with a leaf, then looked around, concerned. "Seems we'll be spending the night here, so let's prepare a place to sleep."
At this, the other three exchanged uncertain glances.
"Klee only knows how to blow things up…" she admitted sheepishly, counting on her fingers. "Not build stuff."
"I wish Eula were here," Jean added with a sigh. "As captain of the reconnaissance team, her survival skills in the wild far surpass mine."
"Leave it to me," Lucas said, crouching down and pressing his hands into the ground.
A soft glow radiated from the soil, wood, grass, and stones around them, all gathering and combining at a visible speed. Within minutes, the raw materials transformed into a sturdy shelter.
"Amazing…" Jean murmured, watching in awe. "How did you do that?"
Even a Vision typically controls a single element. It shouldn't be possible to manipulate both the Geo-like soil and the Dendro-like wood simultaneously.
"Just a bit of alchemy," Lucas explained with a shrug. "It's not elemental control—just a matter of equivalent exchange."
Thanks to the Alchemist talent Lucas had recently acquired, he now possessed the theoretical knowledge of an alchemy expert.
However, similar to his Medical Sage talent, the alchemy skills granted were largely theoretical. To become a true alchemist, he'd still need much hands-on practice to develop real expertise.
A powerful alchemist could easily construct tall buildings with raw materials, but for Lucas, building a simple hut still required some time.
"That's right!" Klee said proudly. "Daddy is the head alchemist of the Knights of Favonius!"
Lucas's face changed instantly.
Good grief—this girl was starting to mix up dreams with reality.
"Oh, really?" Jean, however, didn't seem the least bit surprised. She nodded with a smile. "That's truly impressive."
She played along with little Klee, exchanging amused glances with Lucas.
Jean found herself intrigued. Such a talented young man, not only strong but also highly skilled—no wonder he was held in such high regard by Keqing. It would be wonderful if he could join the ranks of the Knights of Favonius.
But, of course, she knew that trying to recruit someone favored by the Liyue Qixing would be… unwise.
Lucas went on to build three additional small huts with his alchemy.
Technically, just one or two would have sufficed, but Lucas wanted to take the chance to practice his skills. Since the materials were free, he figured he might as well build a few extra.
After all, these simple structures didn't require advanced techniques.
"Let's all get some rest tonight and regain our energy," Lucas suggested. "We don't know what challenges tomorrow's game might bring."
"I'm sleeping with Daddy!" Klee declared without hesitation, grabbing Lucas and pulling him toward one of the huts.
"No, you're not!"
Jean quickly intercepted Klee.
"Why not?" Klee tilted her head in confusion. "I used to sleep with Daddy all the time."
"That was when you were still a little kid. Now you're an adult," Jean said, looking up at Klee due to her own childlike size. Seeing Klee's adult physique, Jean couldn't help but feel a bit strange. "Only children can sleep with adults!"
"But it's fine!" Klee cuddled Lucas close, rubbing her cheek against his affectionately. "Even if Klee's a grown-up, Daddy is a child now, so it's totally fine!"
When she put it like that, it did make a sort of sense.
"Sister, just let them sleep together," Barbara interjected with a mischievous smile, throwing a sidelong glance at Lucas. "After all, there's no way Lucas could cause any trouble… in his current state."
"F-fine, I suppose." Jean had no choice but to relent.
"In that case… I'll sleep with Sister!" Barbara said, scooping up Jean and grinning. "Tiny Sister is just too adorable!"
"N-no! Don't do that!" Jean stammered, embarrassed. "Put me down!"
"Even cuter when she struggles!" Barbara had no intention of putting Jean down. Instead, with a sly smile, she declared, "This is a rare opportunity, so tonight, Barbara's going to have some fun teasing her big sister!"
With that, Barbara carried Jean into one of the huts, and soon Jean's distressed voice could be heard from within.
"Huh?" Klee looked worried. "Is Barbara going to bully Captain Jean? Let's go help her!"
"Don't worry, Klee," Lucas replied with a chuckle. "When Barbara says 'bully,' she really just means it as a way to show affection."
"Really?" Klee looked at him with wide eyes. "So… can Daddy 'bully' Klee too? Please?"
Um… teasing between sisters was one thing, but with a father and daughter… it felt a bit odd.
Though Lucas and Klee weren't related by blood, their bond as father and daughter was real and deep.
Especially for Klee, who, being a child, had jumbled or forgotten many of the simulator's memories. However, her image of Lucas as her father had taken deep root in her heart.
"Daddy loves Klee very much, even without any 'bullying,'" Lucas assured her with a smile. "Let's get some rest. How about Daddy tells you a story to fall asleep?"
"Yay!" Klee's face lit up with excitement. Even though she now looked like an adult, her heart remained that of a child. She nodded eagerly, "Klee wants a hundred stories!"
Looks like sleep won't come any time soon...
Though the hut was basic, it had doors, windows, and a bed of sorts, made from leaves and dried grass. It was simple, but surprisingly comfortable.
Despite Klee's initial insistence on hearing stories, she was clearly exhausted after the day's activities. She fell asleep before Lucas even finished the first story, her grip on him tight as if afraid he'd disappear while she slept.
Moonlight filtered in through the skylight, casting a soft glow on Klee's peaceful face.
Grown-up Klee looked strikingly like her mother, Alice. With her elf-like features and flawless complexion, she was like a living work of art.
"Alice, where are you now?" Lucas murmured to himself, then chuckled wryly. "Not that it matters. Even if we did meet, she'd probably have no idea who I am."
It wasn't just Alice—all the Genshin girls he'd encountered in the simulator wouldn't remember him in reality.
And yet, somehow, he had crossed paths with them in real life—Keqing, Shenhe, Barbara, Jean, Eula, Klee…
Was it mere coincidence, or was something greater at work?
Just as Lucas pondered, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside the hut.
"Who's there?"
Even though Lucas was currently in the body of a child, his alertness hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Realistically, no one besides their group of four should be on this island, but Lucas quickly slipped out of Klee's embrace and hurried to open the door.
Standing outside, however, wasn't a stranger, but… Captain Jean?
The young Jean looked particularly conflicted, nervously tugging at the hem of her shirt, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"Oh, it's just you, Jean…" Lucas breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Why aren't you asleep at this hour?"
"I… I need to… pick a flower," Jean said, her cheeks turning even redder as she whispered, "But Barbara is sleeping so deeply. Could you… could you go with me?"
"Pick a flower?" Lucas asked, confused. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"N-no, not that kind of flower!" Jean's blush deepened as she lowered her voice. "I mean… I need to go to the bathroom."
It dawned on Lucas then. For someone like Jean, raised with noble etiquette, openly mentioning such things wasn't an option, so she used "picking a flower" as a polite substitute.
He hadn't picked up on it, which explained Jean's obvious embarrassment.
Under normal circumstances, Jean wouldn't be the timid type, but given her smaller, younger body and the unfamiliar, remote environment, it made sense she'd feel nervous going alone.
"Alright," Lucas held out his hand, "I'll go with you."
Jean nodded, taking his small hand in hers. Both of them now appeared to be no older than ten, looking for all the world like childhood friends.
For some reason, holding Lucas's hand filled Jean with an inexplicable sense of security.
It felt just like that dream she'd had—as though, with Lucas by her side, any problem could be solved.
"It's so nostalgic…" Jean murmured thoughtfully. "When we were younger, I'd hold Barbara's hand like this all the time. Back then, she cried easily… she was such a sweet little scaredy-cat."
And now, it seemed, the scaredy-cat had become her.
"I can tell," Lucas replied with a nod. "Barbara really looks up to you."
"That's why I'm so grateful to you," Jean's eyes softened with appreciation. "For looking after Barbara when we were separated. Otherwise, she might have run into trouble."
Hearing this, a wave of anxiety washed over Lucas.
If Jean ever found out how he'd "looked after" Barbara… well, he might as well skip the trip back to Liyue and start planning his future in the dungeons of the Knights of Favonius.
Quickly changing the subject, Lucas asked, "So, what exactly happened between you and Barbara? It doesn't seem like many people know about your relationship."
Jean sighed. "It's because our parents divorced," she replied, sounding weary. "They split due to irreconcilable differences. My mother is a very headstrong woman, and after a serious dispute, she decided to part ways with my father. We sisters had no choice but to separate as well."
"For the Gunnhildr clan, a failed marriage is considered a disgrace," Jean continued. "That's why the family chose to keep my relationship with Barbara a secret."
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Author's Note: Early chapters... Will be travelling again for a day...
Okay, let's do this... If we get to the top 5 after the reset, I'll post 5 extra chapters when I get back home in 46 hrs.