In the early morning, sunlight filtered through the curtains, bringing a soft glow to the dim room. Hiroshi, seated cross-legged on his bed, slowly opened his eyes.
Exhaling softly, Hiroshi got up, walked over to the window, and pulled open the curtain, revealing Paimon, who was just about to knock on the window.
"Good morning, Paimon. Can you tell me what you were planning to do?" Hiroshi asked with a teasing smile.
"Hehe, morning, Hiroshi," Paimon said with a grin, her tiny hand waving. "We came to get you!"
Down below at the front door, Lumine waved to Hiroshi with a smile.
"Hold on, I'll be right down," Hiroshi called to Lumine before turning back to Paimon. He flicked his fingers, forming a small breeze that hit Paimon on the forehead.
Lumine caught the dizzy Paimon as she fell, looking amused at her spinning form. She poked Paimon's forehead, saying, "Will you still keep acting like this next time?"
Paimon, struggling to get back to normal, wobbled around Lumine and pouted, "I just wanted to wake Hiroshi up, in case he was oversleeping."
"Sounds more like you're talking about yourself, Paimon. Besides, who knocks on someone's bedroom window to wake them up?" Hiroshi said as he opened the front door and grabbed Paimon, who was fluttering around Lumine. He then gestured for Lumine to come in, saying, "Come inside! Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Food!" Paimon's face instantly brightened as she struggled in Hiroshi's grip, trying to break free. She looked up and smiled sweetly, saying, "Hiroshi, you're such a nice person! You'll forgive Paimon, right?"
"Hmm, since I'm such a nice guy, I think it's my duty to teach you some manners," Hiroshi said.
He greeted Lumine, who had just entered, and invited her to sit down at the dining table. Then he carried Paimon with him to the kitchen.
"Hiroshi, what are you planning to do to Paimon?" Paimon asked, curiously dangling from where she was held, her eyes stealing glances at the breakfast that was already prepared on the counter.
A sharp knife floated up from below the counter, and Hiroshi ran his finger along the edge. In the morning light, the blade glinted menacingly.
"I remember someone saying Paimon was an emergency food supply. I've never tasted emergency food before, so today might be the day," Hiroshi said.
Seeing the blade's reflection, Paimon instantly panicked. She struggled but couldn't escape, so she desperately looked over to Lumine at the table for help. "Lumine! Save Paimon! Hiroshi's really going to eat me! He said I'm emergency food!"
"Eh?" Lumine tilted her head in confusion, then teasingly replied, "But isn't Paimon emergency food?"
"Lumine!" Paimon cried, tears streaming down her face as she saw Hiroshi approaching with the knife. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Hiroshi, I won't do it again!"
Standing beside her, Hiroshi twirled the knife and said, "Oh? So Paimon says she knows she was wrong. Do you even know what you did wrong?"
Paimon shook her head, looking utterly miserable. "Paimon doesn't know..."
Seeing Paimon's tear-streaked face, Hiroshi sighed heavily, while Lumine walked over to take over. Lumine gently wiped Paimon's face as she remained seated with a sad look.
Once Paimon's face was clean, she quickly flew back up, hovering in the air, her expression guarded.
"Come down," Hiroshi ordered.
"No! You're both mean! Hmph!" Paimon crossed her arms in defiance.
Hiroshi shook his head, "You never learn, do you?" He reached out, and Paimon was suddenly caught in his grasp.
"What? How did you grab Paimon?!" Paimon shouted, shocked but too defeated to resist. She looked up at Hiroshi and huffed, "Fine, then tell Paimon what she did wrong!"
"You think it's okay to go to someone else's house and knock on their window to wake them up?" Hiroshi said, amused.
"But I just wanted to wake you up!" Paimon said stubbornly.
"You think I installed that doorbell for decoration?" Hiroshi pointed to the doorbell near the entrance.
Paimon glanced at the doorbell, still trying to defend herself, "Paimon was worried you might not hear it if you were still sleeping!"
Smack!
Lumine flicked Paimon on the forehead, scolding, "Stop making excuses. If you did something wrong, you should apologize."
Holding her forehead, Paimon looked at Lumine, who had her arms crossed, looking stern. Paimon sighed and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Hiroshi. Paimon shouldn't have gone knocking on your window."
Looking at Paimon's dejected expression, Hiroshi sighed, rubbing her tiny head. "I know you meant well, but you have to remember what I said yesterday. Didn't I tell you to use the doorbell if you came over?"
Paimon thought back and realized he had indeed said that when they arranged to meet at his house. She nodded slightly, mumbling, "But why must I use the doorbell?"
"Come, let me show you." Hiroshi put down the knife, picked up Paimon, and took a step forward. The three of them reappeared on the second-floor balcony.
Hiroshi summoned a small caterpillar and threw it towards the house. As the caterpillar approached, it suddenly veered away and fell to the ground.
"See that? I've set up a barrier around the entire house. The doorbell is the only place where anyone can make contact." Hiroshi pointed to the squashed green mess below and said, "If something with elemental power touched it, well, Paimon, trust me, it wouldn't end well."
Staring at the green remains, Paimon was finally shaken and understood her mistake.
"Brother Hiroshi, what are you guys doing?" came a voice from below.
Lumine looked down and saw Klee, Diluc, Jean, and Venti standing there, with Venti smiling and waving.
"I'm just teaching Paimon a lesson. You all go inside; we'll be right down," Hiroshi replied to Klee.
Klee obediently nodded, pulling out a key from her bag, opening the door, and heading inside with the others.
Turning to look at the frightened Paimon, Hiroshi asked, "Now do you understand? Will you remember to be polite from now on?"
Paimon nodded furiously, her face a picture of remorse. "Yes, Paimon understands now. She'll remember."
Hiroshi smiled, satisfied. "Good. Let's go inside and have breakfast. Everyone's already here."
"Oh," Lumine responded, a little distracted. Then she asked curiously, "Why did you put such a barrier around your own house?"
"For safety reasons, of course," Hiroshi explained. "And it's set up with different levels of security, so nothing unexpected will happen."
"Let's go. Breakfast is ready, and it's time to head out afterward."
"Ooh, food!" Paimon cheered.