"Mora mice?" Paimon's eyes lit up like she'd just seen the gates of paradise.
From the way Kaito described it, it sounded like he didn't have to do anything—just sleep while the money piled up on its own.
That was… basically Paimon's dream.
"Yeah," Kaito said casually. "A kind of mouse that spits out Mora."
"Waaah!"
Paimon lunged forward and wrapped both arms around his leg.
"Lord Kaito, please raise us too!"
Lumine's cheeks warmed, but she didn't panic. Nobody with a working brain took Paimon literally.
Kaito tried to shake her off.
Didn't work.
"I said used to," he corrected. "Now I make money the normal way—from Good Hunter."
"But the mora mice…" Paimon looked up with watery eyes. "The ones that spit out sooo much Mora…"
Amber yanked Paimon away before Kaito's patience could run out.
"Obviously," Amber said flatly, "he released them."
"Released them?!" Paimon looked like her soul had been ripped out.
Those were money-spitting animals! A future of never working again!
"Of course he did," Amber continued. "Try guessing how many bandit groups Boss Kaito had to fight off back then."
"If he kept them, it wouldn't just be petty thieves in Mondstadt and Liyue. You'd have crews from everywhere hunting him down."
Amber crossed her arms. "Honestly, it got so bad that while they were chasing him, Mondstadt and Liyue were safer than they'd been in years."
Paimon went pale. "That… sounds terrifying."
Kaito shrugged. "If you ever run into mora mice out in the wild, you'll understand."
Then he turned to Lumine.
"Come on. I'm giving you a set of equipment."
"This…" Lumine hesitated.
Paimon immediately shoved her forward. "Lumine, go! This kind of opportunity doesn't happen to normal people!"
Even Amber couldn't hide her envy. "Boss Kaito really is taking special care of you."
Kaito—who'd fought off bandits more times than Amber could count—had always been one of her personal heroes.
"If you want something too," Kaito said, "I'll give you a set later."
Amber's face brightened instantly. "Really? Thank you, Boss!"
She grabbed Paimon midair and gleefully kneaded her cheeks.
"Why do I always suffer?!" Paimon wailed, flailing.
Kaito gestured toward the loft doorway. "This way."
"Mm." Lumine followed, quick and light—then slowed as she took in the space.
They called it a loft… but it felt more like a full extra floor of the restaurant.
Smaller than the dining level below, but still spacious—warm wood underfoot, clean walls, airy windows, and a skylight that filled the place with soft daylight.
Just stepping inside made her want to relax.
There were four rooms total.
A narrow hallway ran along one side. The largest room was clearly Kaito's.
Lumine didn't go in right away.
She leaned around the corner and counted doors—two more, and a curtain at the end that likely hid the washroom.
One of the doors had a purple symbol etched into it.
It caught her attention for a heartbeat—
"Whoa! Is this it? Is this it?!"
Paimon had already thrown herself onto a chest, arms wrapped around it like it was a long-lost child.
Lumine sighed and let the purple-marked door go for now, stepping into the room instead.
"Yes," Kaito said, lounging back on the sofa. "It's gear I don't use anymore. I kept it stored."
"Then I'm opening it!" Paimon declared.
"Wait—" Kaito started.
Too late.
Paimon flung the lid open.
A surge of elemental force burst out like a trapped gale.
The tiny mascot got blasted straight into the ceiling.
BANG.
Then she dropped like a rock.
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts!"
"You okay?" Lumine scooped her up, exasperated.
Paimon didn't answer.
The moment she could move, she lunged right back toward the chest with the determination of a true Mora addict.
She yanked out a sword and held it up triumphantly.
A long, slender blade in black and white. At the guard, milk-white wing-like curves rose toward the hilt, shielding the hand. The weapon shimmered faintly, as if it were wrapped in wind.
"Wow! A sword flowing with Anemo—this is perfect for Lumine!" Paimon said, trying to swing it.
Kaito corrected her immediately. "Elemental residue. Not an Anemo sword."
It wasn't imbued with wind.
Mondstadt was saturated with Anemo. Over time, the blade had naturally picked up traces of it.
Then—
"That's…" Amber stared, eyes wide. "Is that a Favonius Sword?"
"Favonius… Sword?" Lumine echoed. It did sound familiar.
Knights of Favonius. Favonius Sword…
Amber's expression tightened.
"That's standard Knights issue," she said, voice a little strained. "It usually needs approval from both the Acting Grand Master and the Church to be officially issued."
She looked from the sword in Lumine's hands to Kaito.
"…Even I don't have one."
Amber's cheeks puffed slightly—pure, undeniable jealousy.
"And Boss Kaito is just handing it to Lumine?"
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