"Awooo~"
Klee lifted her head, sitting on Roly-Poly's back, and howled at the sky.
Gazing at the towering snowy mountain covered in ice and snow, Klee patted Roly-Poly's back and pointed toward the mountain.
"Roly-Poly, howl like Klee did."
"Awo?"
Tilting its large head, Roly-Poly looked toward the campsite near the foot of the mountain and began running toward it with a thudding sound.
"What has Klee been watching lately?"
Holding hands with Kuroneko (Ruri Gokou), Hiroshi watched as Beibei and Roly-Poly carried Klee and Qiqi toward the nearby campsite. He looked down at Kuroneko in confusion.
"Klee's been watching nature documentaries," Kuroneko replied with a helpless smile. "She said she wanted to understand more about Roly-Poly and Beibei, so I bought her a collection of animal documentaries."
"Now Klee's hooked. She watches them daily and even got Qiqi to join her."
"Yesterday, they were watching a segment about the Arctic Circle, and Klee was talking about bringing back a big white bear for Roly-Poly and Beibei to befriend."
"That doesn't sound entirely impossible," Hiroshi mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, considering where to find two polar bears. Seeing how much Qiqi liked fluffy animals, it might not be a bad idea.
As his thoughts wandered, Hiroshi recalled a scene from an anime, imagining the original form of Kanna.
"I remember Kanna's dragon form was fluffy too," he muttered.
"Careful, or Kanna might bite you," Kuroneko teased, wagging her finger in front of Hiroshi's face. "That idea's a no-go."
"What a pity," Hiroshi sighed, shaking his head. Watching Klee and Qiqi at the campsite, he smiled. "When Klee and Qiqi become friends with Kanna, maybe Kanna will come to us willingly."
At the snowfield campsite, Klee and Qiqi were squatting obediently in front of an alchemy workstation. A green-haired girl was studying a tuft of fur with black and white glimmers.
"Sucrose, have you discovered anything unusual?" Klee asked.
"Hmm..." Sucrose adjusted her large glasses, observing the unreactive fur on the workstation. "After some preliminary experiments, I found that your pet possesses energy-resistant properties. None of my materials elicited a reaction from it; it's a very unique substance."
"Oh," Klee said, tilting her head in confusion as she patted Roly-Poly, from whom she had plucked the fur. "Klee doesn't understand, but can Klee go on an adventure in the snowy mountains now?"
"Ah, yes!" Sucrose snapped out of her thoughts and nodded quickly. "No problem, Klee. Sorry, I got distracted."
Looking at the lounging Roly-Poly and Beibei beside Klee and Qiqi, Sucrose's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"I've been conducting research on the snowy mountains with Albedo recently. From passing knights and adventurers, I've heard many stories about Klee and the honorary knights."
"I've always wanted to meet those two knights from another world, but my research here is too important. I haven't had the chance to return to Mondstadt."
Patting Roly-Poly's fluffy head, Sucrose smiled. "I didn't expect you to come to the snowy mountains with two pets from another world."
"From my observations, they can shield you and this little one from the biting cold of Dragonspine."
"Oh," Klee said, wide-eyed as she looked at the relaxed Roly-Poly and Beibei. "No wonder Klee doesn't feel cold here."
"Hehehe," Klee laughed, hugging Roly-Poly's fluffy body tightly. "Roly-Poly is amazing, just like family!"
"What's Roly-Poly up to now?" Hiroshi asked, ruffling Klee and Qiqi's hair. He turned to Sucrose with a friendly smile. "Hello, I'm Hiroshi, one of Mondstadt's honorary knights. Jean sent me here to assist with the investigation."
"You must be Sucrose, the alchemist Jean mentioned."
"Y-Yes!" Sucrose quickly bowed and adjusted her glasses nervously. "Hello, Sir Honorary Knight. I'm Sucrose."
"Master Albedo sent me to greet you at this campsite and guide you to our research base further up the mountain."
"Thank you," Hiroshi said warmly. "Let's not delay; let's head out."
"O-Okay!" Sucrose nodded enthusiastically and led the way out of the campsite. "Everyone, follow me!"
The howling wind carried snowflakes that danced from the sky.
Hiroshi looked up at the vast white expanse and remarked, "It's been a long time since I've seen snow like this."
Turning to Sucrose, who was riding on Roly-Poly with Klee, he asked, "Is this the right direction?"
"Y-Yes," Sucrose replied, snapping out of her trance from petting Roly-Poly. She carefully observed the barely visible trees around them and nodded. "This is the way."
"I see," Hiroshi said, squinting into the distance as he felt a faint surge of energy within him. "I think I know what you've discovered."
"Brother Hiroshi, there's something unpleasant ahead," Klee said, pointing toward a snow-covered area.
Frowning, she continued, "It feels like those bad guys from Liyue who came to attack people."
"Hmph!" Klee clenched her tiny fists. "Not only did they destroy Keqing's hometown, but now they're here in Mondstadt!"
"Klee will punish them and have Captain Jean lock them up in confinement until they learn their lesson!"
"Let's go, Roly-Poly!" she declared, pointing forward. Roly-Poly dashed off, carrying Klee and Sucrose into the snowy winds.
Kuroneko cradled Qiqi, watching the scene unfold.
"That little rascal, Klee..."
Hiroshi laughed beside her. "That's Klee for you."
Golden flashes lit up in the snowstorm as Hiroshi smiled. "Looks like it's over."
"Brother Hiroshi, Klee's back," Kuroneko said.
Klee emerged from the snowstorm, waving energetically. Stopping in front of Hiroshi, she flashed a victory sign and exclaimed, "Klee defeated all the bad guys!"