Time flew, and a few days passed.
June 20th.
Clear skies and blazing sun. A massive anime convention was being held today in the Magic City.
On this parallel Blue Star, large cons weren't frequent, but each one was a huge, well-loved event—the closest thing to stepping into the 2D world.
Many game companies would set up booths, letting players interact up close with characters.
Though they were all cosplays, to 2D fans they carried special meaning—a completely different feeling from playing behind a screen.
Some cosplays are unforgettable, after all.
By 7 a.m., lines snaked across the entrance as people queued to check tickets.
At the gate stood a huge Genshin logo, occupying the prime C-spot.
Many Genshin players rushed to snap photos as soon as they entered.
Then they beelined to the Genshin area.
By then, the booth was fully set up. Several famous cosplayers, dressed as in-game characters, were interacting with the crowd.
Tons of people snapped photos, but even more were craning their necks, hoping for Ken and those top-tier cosplays to show.
In the Genshin area, players kept shouting, waiting for Ken and company.
With such a lively scene, neighboring booths felt instantly deserted.
Backstage, Hana watched the spectacle with delight, messaging Ken to hurry—after the events, he was the grand finale.
No being late.
…
Villa.
Knowing they were going to the con, Yaoyao and little Klee arrived early.
"Whew… I made it."
Lumine slipped out of the Vortex Gate right on time, panting.
Lately she and Shenhe were helping Ningguang build the Liyue Bank; today they were squeezing time to come.
"Perfect timing."
Ken glanced at Paimon floating in midair and said mercilessly, "You're staying home. If you're bored, watch TV."
Paimon: "…"
After time on Blue Star, Paimon knew there was nothing like her here.
If she was discovered, she might get taken for research.
Still… she really wanted to go. Who wouldn't want to join the fun?
It's a convention! She'd never been!
"Isn't there some other way…" Paimon hugged Ken's leg, pleading. "I'll just be a keychain. No one will notice me!"
Ken pried her off.
"You think Blue Star folks are idiots?"
If it were someone else, maybe they could pass as a bag charm.
But Paimon was too unreliable.
And cons were a sea of cameras. If she slipped up once, it'd be a mess.
Ken didn't want to ruin his comfy double-life between Blue Star and Teyvat. If the main world got messy, he'd lose a lot of fun.
"Uuuu… Ken, you're heartless."
Paimon flopped onto the sofa and fake-wailed—no tears.
Ignoring her, Ken took Klee and Yaoyao, and left with Lumine for the venue.
Cons were usually out by the suburbs. Thankfully traffic wasn't bad today. About an hour later, Ken arrived.
It was around 9:30, and crowds were still packed outside.
He parked at the special lane, got out, picked Klee up, took Lumine's hand with his free one, Lumine held Yaoyao's, and they zipped through the special entrance.
Seeing Ken holding Klee tight and fussing over Yaoyao, Lumine felt a little jealous.
She'd once asked Ken whether he preferred boys or girls.
He'd said girls.
Back then, Lumine thought he was just talking. Now, seeing his patience with Klee and Yaoyao, she fully believed him.
This guy really loves daughters…
Looks like she should step it up and give him a daughter.
Unfortunately, the stronger one is, the lower the chance of reproduction—one of the rules laid down by the Heavenly Principles.
Lumine figured that if they were going to have a child, Blue Star would be better.
"Klee, do you want a little sister?"
Before they reached the booth, Lumine asked Klee.
Klee hugged Ken's neck and nodded like a pecking chick. "Mm-hmm! Klee really wants a sister! Last time Klee told Mommy to come back quick and give Klee a sister!"
"What if a different mommy had the sister?" Lumine coaxed.
A different mommy?
Klee blinked, then realized, "You mean a little mom? Klee knows there are lots of little moms—Little Mom Ningguang… Little Mom Keqing… Acting Grand Master Little Mom Jean… and Little Mom Lisa… If all the little moms had a sister, that'd be great!"
Ken: "…"
Listening to his daughter's innocent words, Ken's face went dark.
Since when were Ningguang and Keqing your little moms?!
Not entirely Klee's fault—during the Osial incident, Ningguang had said some things that misled the kid.
But generally, the stronger you are, the harder it is to have kids. With his current strength, it might not be easy.
Anyway…
If he sowed seeds purely for offspring, with so many women… he'd need a stamina buff. He sighed. For now, having good girl Klee was enough. The rest could be left to fate.
Lumine's eyes sparkled.
From how Klee reacted when talking about her little moms, she clearly didn't reject the idea… Lumine had worried Klee wouldn't accept her, and now felt relieved.
While they chatted, they reached the Genshin backstage, where they could see the stage clearly.
Since it was the Genshin area, most attendees were players—many in cosplay. The colorful crowd got the two little lolis excited.
"Wow… So lively! Yaoyao loves it!"
Yaoyao leaned on the second-floor window, looking down, clapping excitedly.
She'd spotted someone cosplaying her master.
Sadly, not as pretty as Master…
"There's even an Acting Grand Master Jean! Jean's barely okay, but the Kaeya next to her doesn't look right."
Staring at the Kaeya cosplay below, Klee said seriously, "Kaeya isn't this pale!"
Ken: "…"
As expected of his daughter—saying it that straight.
If Kaeya heard, he'd be exasperated.
But she wasn't wrong.
That cosplayer was a bit too pale. That's not our Kaeya.
"The Keqing cos… the figure's similar, but not as pretty as the real Keqing. Still very pretty, though."
Yaoyao took out her phone and snapped a pic.
First con or not, the two lolis knew the difference between the real thing and fake.
After saving the Keqing cosplay, Yaoyao happily decided to show Keqing when she got back to Liyue.
While they chattered, Ken went to coordinate with Hana.
With Lumine watching, nothing would go wrong.
As more people gathered, more wild cosplayers showed up—even a Klee and Lumine in the crowd…
"My popularity is that high?" Lumine said, face darkening at a cosplay version of herself who was three times her size. "Even my brother's popularity is this exaggerated?"
Next to the supersized Lumine was a cosplaying Aether.
Neither looked much like the originals.
Even from far away, Lumine could tell the mimicry was mediocre.
"Of course. You two are the main playable characters. Popularity's high."
Ken patted Lumine's head and looked down as well.
It was his first time at a con. Despite being a game dev, he was a homebody who preferred sleeping on days off.
He hadn't expected a con to be this lively.
"All set? What do we do?" Lumine laced her fingers with his, smiling.
"We'll go on stage and say hi—just a little interaction." Ken didn't want anything too elaborate.
Performances… better not. Different from fan works—it'd be awkward.
His daughter and future wives could perform in private for him.
The two lolis nodded and kept peeking out the window.
They didn't realize people below had spotted them.
When the audience saw the two adorable faces at the window, many rubbed their eyes.
But the girls were talking and smiling—no illusion.
These were Klee and Yaoyao cosplays!
But after seeing so many cosplays, they'd never seen ones this accurate.
Exactly like in the game!
Word spread fast, and soon everyone was looking up. Seeing those angelic faces, they couldn't handle it.
"Holy—this Klee is too spot-on!"
"Yaoyao's adorable too… She's been teased for a while—when's she entering the banner pool?!"
"My god, too cute! Klee, come home with Uncle—Uncle will buy you a ice cream!"
"I'm a loli enjoyer!!"
"Where's Dad? Where's he?"
"These must be Mr. Ken's top-tier cosers. Stop hiding and get down here already!"
"I heard Mr. Klee's model was based on Mr. Ken's own daughter. This little Klee is his real kid! Mr. Ken, today you're our father-in-law whether you like it or not!"
"…"
Seeing cosplays this realistic, everyone immediately thought of Ken.
Aside from his official Twitter and and other social medias, they'd never seen such lifelike cosplays elsewhere.
Looks like they were right—the secret guests were the little lolis!
Some were also searching for Lumine.
Among many beloved characters, some players favored Lumine above all, coming from far away just to see her.
"Daddy, they're so enthusiastic…"
Little Klee blinked at the excited crowd, not understanding why everyone was so hyped.
Some were even calling her dad father-in-law?
Ken's mouth twitched. These punks were always calling him father-in-law.
"That's because you're too cute." Hana hurriedly shut the window, then turned to Klee, Yaoyao, and Lumine.
No wonder the crowd was going wild…
The resemblance was one-to-one.
Especially Klee. As Ken's employee and friend, Hana knew Klee was his daughter and the original model for in-game Klee. Precisely because she knew, she was stunned.
What kind of genes did Klee's mother have… to produce such an adorable daughter?
Though the boss was very handsome, Klee didn't look that much like him!
Could Klee's mother actually be Alice's model?