Early in the morning, golden sunlight spilled across the land of Mondstadt.
Bustling crowds came and went, bringing renewed vitality to the port by Cider Lake.
Riding on Yuan Yuan, Klee wiggled her short legs as she headed toward Mondstadt. Behind her, Qiqi rode on Bei Bei, with a small bird perched atop her head, looking around curiously.
"Klee… little sister. Where… are we going?"
"Heh heh."
Lifting her little head, Klee cheerfully replied, "Klee is going to find Captain Jean!"
"Klee wants to introduce Qiqi to Captain Jean and everyone in the Knights."
"Oh, right, Qiqi~"
Klee patted Yuan Yuan on the head, guiding Yuan Yuan and Bei Bei to walk side by side.
"Qiqi, can Klee be your big sister?"
"Nope~"
Qiqi firmly shook her head, then reached out to pat Klee's hair. With serious eyes of a reddish hue, Qiqi spoke slowly, "Qiqi… is older than Klee, so Qiqi is… the big sister."
"Ugh, sigh~"
Lowering her head with a small sigh, Klee shook it helplessly. "It can't be helped. I'm smaller than Qiqi. Alice had me way too late~~"
"Big Sister Qiqi, let's hurry and find Captain Jean."
Waving her little arms forward, Klee patted Yuan Yuan's head and shouted,
"Off we go to the Knights! Yuan Yuan, charge!"
"Awo~"
Yuan Yuan yawned, then its languid gaze changed in an instant. A swirl of black and white light flickered around them, and in a gust of wind, Yuan Yuan vanished from where it stood, taking Klee along.
"Bei… Bei."
Qiqi stroked Bei Bei's fur and said calmly, "Let's… go too."
"Awo… gulp."
Bei Bei swallowed the food Qiqi had just fed it. Then, that same black-and-white radiance appeared around Bei Bei, swiftly wrapping Qiqi in light. The two of them also disappeared without a trace.
Tap, tap, tap!
Meanwhile, inside the Knights' headquarters, Jean was still bent over her desk, busy with documents. Hearing that urgent yet familiar knocking, she revealed a slightly helpless smile.
"Come in, Klee."
Jean brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Seeing Klee burst in riding on Yuan Yuan, she smiled, "Klee, did you have fun in Liyue this time?"
"Hee hee hee."
Klee beamed happily, then swiftly produced a large, cooked chunk of dragon meat from her pack. Holding it high, Klee quickly lifted it up for Jean to see.
"Captain Jean, Liyue is so beautiful! There's so much delicious food and so many fun things to do."
"Klee even made new friends in Liyue."
"This is a present Klee brought back. Please accept it, Captain Jean!"
Jean gazed at the glowing blue hunk of meat and sensed the strong yet gentle elemental energy radiating from it. For a moment, she seemed dazed.
Taking the dragon meat from Klee, Jean carefully hung it on the rack behind her. Gently patting Klee's head, she asked in a soft voice, "Is this the dragon meat from the nine-headed demon god you all defeated in Liyue?"
"Mm-hmm."
Klee nodded rapidly. Hands on her hips, she boasted, "Captain Jean, this time Klee really helped out!"
"Klee used her new Bom-Bom Tactics—Boom!—and we took out that huge, nasty villain!"
"After that, Brother Hiroshi locked the defeated baddie away… inside Klee's tummy."
"Hee hee hee."
Saliva ran from the corner of Klee's mouth as she burst out giggling.
"You…"
Jean crouched down and pinched Klee's round cheeks. "Be careful not to eat too much and get all round. Hiroshi spoils you terribly."
"No way!"
Klee raised her little arms, tensed non-existent muscles, and declared seriously, "Klee trains every day, so there's no way I'll get chubby!"
"Oh, right!"
Klee turned toward the door and waved. "Big Sister Qiqi, hurry and come in!"
"Captain Jean is a good person!"
"Mm…"
Qiqi peeked shyly around the door, observing Jean, who was crouching in front of Klee.
"Hello… My name is Qiqi… I'm a zombie."
"I came… from Liyue."
"Heave-ho."
Klee dashed over and grabbed Qiqi, pulling her inside. Hugging Qiqi's cool body, Klee pressed her cheek against Qiqi's.
"Hee hee, you're so cool, it feels so nice."
"Captain Jean, Klee wants to tell you a secret."
Still hugging Qiqi, Klee turned her head and spoke with a mischievous seriousness, "Big Sister Qiqi's cheeks are cool, and the rest of her is cool too."
"At night, it's extra comfy to snuggle with her!"
"Also, Big Sister Qiqi taught Klee a workout routine that's supposed to help with flexibility."
Klee started to demonstrate her newly learned moves on the spot.
"All right, all right."
Jean walked over to the two little ones, smiling as she patted Klee's head. Then, she bent down so that she was face-to-face with Qiqi. With a bright, welcoming smile, Jean extended her right hand.
"Welcome to Mondstadt, Qiqi. May the wind bless you."
"If you find anything inconvenient about living here, come to the Knights and let me know. I'll do my best to help."
"Mm~"
Qiqi nodded softly, looking seriously at Jean. After a moment, she extended her small hand and placed it in Jean's palm.
"Qiqi… will do her best… to remember your face…"
Klee closed her eyes and wrinkled her brow, as though sensing something. When she opened her eyes, she tugged on Jean's clothes and tilted her little head.
"Captain Jean, where are Amber and Kaeya?"
"Klee wants them to become friends with Big Sister Qiqi too."
"Those two?"
Jean glanced outside the window. Speaking gently, she answered, "Amber and Kaeya went to Dragonspine. Albedo recently teleported back with some intriguing information, so I asked Kaeya and Amber to investigate."
"Dragonspine?"
Klee tilted her head, thinking hard. Suddenly, she clapped her hands in realization.
"That's where Albedo said he was going to do some painting! And That Grudge I'll Remember It sister went along too!"
Thunk!
Jean slowly withdrew her hand, then looked at Klee helplessly. "Klee, how many times have I told you not to give Eula such odd nicknames?"
"Ugh~"
Klee clutched her head, looking at Jean with big, pleading eyes.
"But Eula said Klee could call her that~"
"Though every time, Eula also reminds me, 'I will remember this grudge.'"
"But Klee thinks Eula's way of talking is really interesting."
Crossing her arms, Klee recalled Eula's stance and, with a stern expression, imitated her, "How dare you flick Klee's forehead. I will remember this grudge!"
"One day, Klee will settle accounts with you!"
"Hmm?!"
Jean raised her hand with a playful smile. "Klee, would you like to say that one more time?"
"Ahhhhh~!"
"Captain Jean, Klee knows she was wrong!"
Klee covered her forehead with one hand, grabbed Qiqi with the other, and scurried out of the room.
"That little Klee… Ever since she started hanging around Hiroshi, she's become bolder by the day."
Jean shook her head and stood up, stretching her back. The golden strands of her hair shimmered in the sunlight pouring through the window.
"Heh heh, isn't that a good thing?"
Lisa, standing before a piece of roast that had been made from a defeated vortex demon god, tore off a small piece and popped it into her mouth. Narrowing her eyes, she let arcs of Electro energy dance faintly around her.
"This is truly a fascinating food. According to Noelle's report, this cooking method was developed in just a few days by our little brother Hiroshi when he was in Liyue."
"It's quite intriguing indeed."
Lisa opened her emerald eyes with a smile. "After all, the speed at which little brother Hiroshi is growing is astonishing."
"In such a short time, not only has he reached the point of directly confronting a demon god, he also managed—together with his companions—to completely defeat it."
"And in the end, he turned it into such a delicious and magical dish."
Noticing Klee tiptoeing around the doorway again, Lisa narrowed her eyes with a mischievous grin.
"That so-called 'chat group' intrigues me more than you can imagine. I feel like every day until next month is passing unbearably slowly."
"After all, that's when little brother Hiroshi said he would let me join~"
Turning to Jean, who was still holding her forehead, Lisa teased, "Jean, do you regret not joining the chat group back then?"
"I do feel a bit of regret now."
Jean lifted her head and shouted angrily after the fleeing Klee,
"Klee! Come back here and write a self-reflection!"
Meanwhile, the words Klee had hollered at the doorway just moments ago still echoed in the room:
"I'll remember this grudge next time!"