The lively venue was filled with the sound of hearts breaking.
But just as everyone was despairing, a door beside the stage opened.
Two figures—one in red, one in green—came running hand-in-hand with little airplane arms to the center of the stage, then skidded to a synchronized stop right in front of everyone.
The two adorable little cuties were, of course, Yaoyao and Klee.
Klee, as warm and bright as a little sun, and Yaoyao, fresh and verdant, formed a vivid contrast.
One was overflowing with passion, the other bubbly and sunny.
But no matter which one, both were unbelievably cute and pretty.
Their tender, fair little faces were as pure and bright as unstained snow.
Especially little Klee—those pointy elf ears of hers added even more charm.
Players whose hearts had just been broken now stared wide-eyed, bodies responding honestly to the sight of the two little lolis.
Goodness… too cute!
Many people had the same thought: raising a daughter really is the top-tier joy in this world!
Those who hadn't pulled Klee regretted it even more—if they'd known little lolis were this cute, they'd have docked their son's allowance and whaled to bring Klee home!
"Forget it, forget it. Even if Lumine became Ken's girlfriend, we still have Yaoyao and Klee, don't we?"
"Tell my future father-in-law to show his face. I mean no harm—I just want to greet him, really no ill intent."
"Arrest them, arrest them—take everyone in front away, leave no one."
"Klee, don't you like to fish-blast? Uncle here has goldfish—come blow up uncle's goldfish!"
"Yaoyao, wifey, when are you entering the banner? I'll start waiting today!"
"What a twist of fate—sounds like we're all gonna be cellmates in the future."
"…"
Yaoyao and Klee's appearance poured more fuel on an already explosive scene.
Loli lovers never say die!
Hearing these shouts, Klee put her hands on her hips, making a fierce little face. "Klee of the Knights of Favonius—Spark Knight—reporting! Let Klee see who's badmouthing daddy. Klee will throw you in solitary!"
Klee puffed her cheeks and furrowed her brows in a fierce-but-cute way that didn't put the audience off—instead, it made them even more excited.
This was a true-blue little loli!
Her posture, gaze, looks… all were top-tier for a 2D little loli.
Even the host couldn't help squatting down to pat Klee's little head, kindly saying, "Klee is just too cute. How could Acting Grand Master Jean bear to put you in solitary?"
If possible, who wouldn't want to go fish-blasting with Klee?
Listening to the cheers, the host sighed inwardly too—if only I had such a pretty daughter.
But to Klee's ears, the words suddenly changed flavor. Her big eyes lit up. "Then can Klee go to big sister host's house to fish-blast?"
"Of course!" the host replied quickly.
In everyone's eyes, this was just a little event-game at a con—who'd really link it to explosions?
But Klee took it to heart, full of anticipation. "Yay yay! When the event's over, big sister must tell me your home address. I'm going to your house to fish-blast."
She patted the little backpack behind her, excited out of her mind.
Who knew going to a con came with a bonus activity—getting to go fish-blasting at someone's house.
Just thinking about it made her thrilled.
But even in her excitement, Klee didn't forget Yaoyao beside her. She took Yaoyao's hand and said, "This is Klee's good friend Yaoyao. Everyone's not allowed to bully Yaoyao."
Holding the mic, Yaoyao—fresh and green like a little sprite from the flowers—smiled and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Yaoyao, humbly apprenticed, disciple of Madame Ping."
"I hope everyone can be happy and carefree on your Genshin journey. If you run into anything you can't solve in Liyue Harbor, just come find Yaoyao. I'll help. Wish you all a wonderful life!"
Yaoyao smiled sweetly, her expression devout.
Compared to innocent Klee, Yaoyao, though still young, was already very sensible and mature.
What she said now truly came from the heart.
Though she hadn't been on Blue Star long, she knew that when she first appeared on the little video site, she gained many fans.
That moved Yaoyao.
But Blue Star and Teyvat are worlds apart, so all she could do was bless everyone to enjoy the game.
Even if they couldn't go to Liyue Harbor, saying this at the con was still some encouragement.
The fans thought so too.
These cosplays were so convincing that, to them, they were the real Yaoyao and the others.
Hearing Yaoyao now, the players who'd been freaking out felt a twinge of sentiment.
"Yaoyao is so well-behaved… sob… If only my daughter were this sensible."
"Who wouldn't want such a sweet Yaoyao?"
"So when is Yaoyao actually appearing? I didn't run into her in the Liyue story. Is Star Dome spoiling things two years early?"
"Seeing Yaoyao so cute and sensible makes me want to marry Madame Ping on the spot and raise Yaoyao with ger."
"Only kids make choices—I want all of them… what do I do? It's all Mr. Ken's fault. If he hadn't spoiled things early, I wouldn't want Yaoyao this badly!"
"…"
The host watched the two adorable girls, Yaoyao and Klee, while listening to the audience's reactions.
At first, it was pretty normal.
But then… the players started cursing out Ken, telling him to come out and get knifed.
The female host's mouth twitched.
You guys okay? Sure, the boss really can be a piece of work, and cursing the boss is cathartic… but this is making things awkward for me as the host.
Just then, she heard Yaoyao's voice.
The little loli gripped the mic and earnestly said, "Mr. Ken is a very good person. If not for him, we wouldn't be here. Don't badmouth Mr. Ken! Or try Yaoyao's spear!"
If she weren't worried about causing a commotion, Yaoyao would've pulled her polearm out of the Vision bag and spun it around right then.
She was very grateful for Blue Star fans' love—but gratitude aside…
In Yaoyao's eyes, Ken was a very, very good friend.
She couldn't let her friend be wronged.
"Pfft…"
The host couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like our little Yaoyao holds Mr. Ken in high regard."
"Of course," Yaoyao said seriously. "Mr. Ken is Yaoyao's good friend—and also my elder."
She'd recently gone back to see her master and learned that her master and Mr. Ken knew each other.
So even without counting age, given her master's ties with Ken, that made Ken her elder.
"Yaoyao's right," Klee chimed in. "And if you badmouth daddy, not only will Klee put you in solitary, mommy will prank you too! She's the most mischievous witch in the world! And Sister L… Mama Lumine won't let you off either!"
Klee had meant to say Sister Lumine.
But remembering Lumine's speech on stage—that she was Klee's dad's girlfriend—
In that case, calling her big sister wasn't appropriate.
So Klee went with Mama Lumine.
After finishing her rousing declaration, Klee proudly took Lumine's hand, her fierce-cute little expression both smug and adorable.
Lumine, however, blushed a little.
She had just said she was Ken's girlfriend, but being called "Mama Lumine" by Klee still made her embarrassed.
She'd accidentally become Klee's stepmom…
The audience reacted even more intensely, firing off all kinds of questions.
The host helped by asking, "Someone in the audience just asked—now that Lumine has become Klee's stepmom, does Aether know?"
"Brother knows," Lumine blinked, answering frankly. "He's the one who encouraged me to pursue Mr. Ken."
"???"
"What the hell?? So Lumine was the one chasing Ken? I'm out!"
"Aether, for real? You couldn't stop your sister from chasing Ken?"
"I'm tilted. I'm going home to delete my save and pick Lumine as my main. I'm so disappointed in Aether."
"Get Ken out here, I wanna see him!!"
"…"
Hearing Lumine's answer, the con-goers collectively blacked out.
What the hell?
With Lumine's… everything… she still had to chase Ken?
And just like that, the topic swung back to Ken.
…
Backstage, Ken rubbed his scalp, goosebumps rising as he listened.
He hadn't expected Lumine to publicly declare their relationship. It wasn't a problem for him, but it sure sent the players into a frenzy.
Now they were calling him on stage.
Checking the time, Ken figured it was about right—it was indeed time for him to go up.
After straightening his robe and making sure he looked fine, he prepared to go on.
…
On stage.
The host smiled radiantly. "Who knew that aside from in-game characters, Mr. Ken himself would be this popular? Let's welcome Mr. Ken to the stage."
As her voice fell, Ken stepped onto the stage from the back.
Normally, even at a big con, Ken wouldn't need to show up himself.
But since he'd brought Lumine and the little ones to join the fun, he had to come say a few words.
Today, Ken wasn't dressed in Blue Star fashion but as the in-game encounter boss, looking like a dashing young noble.
"Hello everyone, I'm Ken. I'm very happy to see you at the con. This is the first Genshin con under Star Dome, and I'm grateful for your support."
Once on stage, Ken greeted everyone smoothly.
As he finished, a wave of cheers rose from the crowd—many of them from girls.
That elegant young-noble look like he'd walked out of anime, combined with Ken's top-tier looks, had girls screaming instantly.
To male players' ears, those screams were extra grating.
Dammit…
Could the girl players be a little more reserved? Don't they know some male fans are also thirsting for Ken?
"Mr. Ken, everyone's very excited today and probably has many questions. Would you mind answering a few?"
The host followed the program.
"Of course," Ken said with a light smile, a natural aura of authority between his brows.
Feeling that aura, the host sighed inwardly.
No wonder the girls were swooning. The boss really is too handsome, with that built-in anime noble vibe and presence—gorgeous and loaded. Who wouldn't get dizzy?
But admiration aside, he was her boss.
She didn't dare think too much. Taking a deep breath, she asked excitedly, "Next we'll randomly pick a few lucky players to ask questions. If you're chosen, remember to claim a perks card after the event—you'll get a small reward of 1,000 Primogems."
A thousand Primogems isn't much and might not excite other gamers, but it would definitely hype Genshin players.
Because—well—Primogems are hard to grind. Who wouldn't want freebies?
Sure enough—
As soon as she finished, the crowd got restless.
"Damn! You guys are stingy—only 1,000 primos? Whatever—I just wanna curse Ken to his face!"
"Stop shoving, what are you pushing for? You're making my chest hurt!"
"Honey, pick me! I wanna fence with my hubby!"
"…"
The promise of a random Q&A instantly amped up the atmosphere.
Anyone who came to a con had strong interest, so they didn't mind the interaction.
Even the socially anxious secretly hoped to be picked… If not for the interaction, then for the free 1,000 primos.
Only Genshin players know that grind pain.
With everyone waiting, the host made her choice amid the lively crowd. "Congratulations to the young man with blonde hair and green clothes—you've been selected to ask a question!"
As her voice fell, the camera swung over, and the lucky audience member appeared on the big screen.
He was a young guy, around twenty-something, looking stunned.
He hadn't expected to be picked. Only when staff brought him a mic did he snap out of it and blurt, "My UID is XXXXXX… everyone's welcome to add me! Also… Mr. Ken, thank you for making Genshin. I love it. Do you happen to need a live-in janitor?"
Silence fell for a beat.
Then the cursing began.
"Bro, you good? At a crucial moment you ask that?"
"You could at least curse him out! Don't simp in public!"
"Damn! We gave you the chance and you fumbled it. Could you not at least flame him a little? Be a man! Don't swoon like those girls. Male players, can we please stand up!!"
"Dude, I wanna deck you. You gave it away for free!"