Right...Klee!
After half a year apart, seeing Klee again made Kael's mind go blank for a few seconds. Then he suddenly remembered what he'd promised her before starting the life simulation.
He had promised to take her to Liyue for a whole day of fun.
And… Amber was in Liyue right now too. He needed to head back as soon as possible.
Kael placed a hand on Klee's head. "I already know where I'm taking you. Let's head out now."
Klee stared at his face, her eyes blinking with confusion. Out of nowhere she mumbled, "Boar King Brother, why do you look… different?"
"Hm?" Kael didn't understand what she meant. "Different how?"
"Um… Klee doesn't know… it just feels like Boar King Brother used to be like a dandelion. But now you're like… ummm…"
Klee didn't know how to put her feelings into words, but she had always been sensitive to emotions.
To her, Kael used to feel like a dandelion—light, drifting, like he might float away at any moment.
But now he felt more like…
"A Windwheel Aster!"
A Windwheel Aster rooted firmly in Mondstadt's soil, a pretty flower she could always find whenever she wanted to see it.
"?"
Kael had no idea what she was trying to say and chalked it up to childish imagination. He shook his head.
"Alright, whatever you say. Come on. I'm taking you to Liyue. You're going to enter a strange space for a moment, but don't be scared. When you come back out, we'll be in Liyue."
Klee blinked and nodded obediently. "Okay~"
Kael quickly tucked Klee into the Serenitea Pot and teleported using the map.
The moment they arrived in Liyue, he let her out.
Klee jumped excitedly in front of him the instant she appeared. "Wow! Boar King Brother! What was that place? It was so pretty inside!"
"Klee wants to put lots and lots of Jumpy Dumpties in there!"
Kael had worried she might panic when thrown into an unfamiliar space, so he rushed. Clearly, he underestimated her. She was already planning to blow the place up.
"No."
He flicked her forehead lightly. "That's my home. You want to blow up my house?"
"Oh…" Klee wilted a little. "But it's so pretty… it's such a waste not to put Jumpy Dumpties in it…"
"Acting cute won't work."
Kael didn't want her to sneak off the moment he looked away, so he grabbed her hand. "Come on. Let's go explore Liyue."
"Okay! Let's go!!!"
---
Kael first brought Klee to Wanmin Restaurant.
Amber knew he and Xiangling worked there, so she'd probably come straight to Wanmin once she arrived in Liyue.
Since it was still early, he decided to wait here for a bit and see if he could run into her.
The moment he walked in, he saw Xiangling.
"Huh? Brother, why are you back so soon? Weren't you going to Mondstadt to see Amber and the others? And… this little girl is…?"
Right—Xiangling hadn't met Klee yet.
A mischievous idea flashed through Kael's mind. "This is my daughter."
"What!!!!!!"
Xiangling's scream shook the entire restaurant.
She immediately yelled toward the kitchen, "Dad!!! Get out here right now!!!"
Klee opened her mouth to correct him, but Kael squeezed her hand gently. She shut her mouth and looked up at him.
He was wearing the most devilish grin.
Smart little Klee understood instantly and flashed Xiangling a sweet, innocent smile.
"Hello, big sister."
Kael corrected her. "Call her aunt."
"Oh. Hello, Auntie."
Xiangling stumbled back several steps, shouting even louder. "Dad!!!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
Chef Mao rushed out of the kitchen, hands still wet, thinking something horrible had happened.
"What's all the yelling about?"
Xiangling pointed at Klee, still in shock. "Dad, Brother has a kid!"
"What!"
Chef Mao jumped too and leaned in to examine Klee's face closely.
Those delicate brows, that nose… if he looked carefully… she really did resemble Kael a little.
Seeing Chef Mao genuinely alarmed, Kael quickly came clean.
"No, Dad, I'm kidding. She's a kid I met in Mondstadt. I was messing with Xiangling."
"Oh, so that's it."
Chef Mao looked almost… disappointed.
It would've been nice if Kael really did have such a cute daughter.
"What the—! I can't believe I fell for that!"
Xiangling puffed her cheeks. "Brother, you're awful!"
"That's what you get for tricking Mona into testing your dishes all the time. Now you know what it feels like to get fooled."
"Hmph!"
Speaking of Mona, Kael glanced around. "Where's Mona?"
Normally, she was the first to dash out the moment he returned to Wanmin.
"Mona asked me to tell you that her master called for her. She had to go home for a while and will be back later."
"Got it."
In the original story, Mona did have a mentor. Must've been something urgent.
After confirming her whereabouts, Kael didn't think too much about it.
He looked down at Klee and asked gently, "Are you hungry? Want to try some Liyue dishes?"
The moment he spoke, Klee shot her hand up like a schoolchild trying to be first.
"Klee wants to eat!"
"Alright."
Since she loved blowing up fish in lakes, she probably liked fish dishes too.
Kael walked into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and started preparing a meal for her.
It didn't take long before several dishes were ready.
As he picked up the plates and headed out, he heard a very familiar voice at the door.
And it echoed with the exact same tone Xiangling had used earlier.
"What?!!!"
---
Maybe there was hope he could reel in Alice someday…