"Ah… I see, Qiqi."
Cael smiled gently and reached out to pat the little girl's head.
"So, Qiqi, may I ask what you wanted to talk to me about?"
At the same time, he silently marveled—
Her head is really nice to pat.
Even better if the hat came off…
Qiqi looked up at him with her usual blank, adorable expression and spoke slowly:
"Qiqi… wants coconut milk."
"C-Co… coconut milk?"
Something seemed to click in Cael's mind, and his face instantly turned a little red.
He subconsciously shot a pleading look toward Baizhu.
Baizhu shrugged helplessly and explained,
"Coconut milk is a beverage Qiqi likes very much. Unfortunately, supply has been short lately. We've been out of stock for two weeks now."
"I see… but…" Cael scratched his head.
"Why are you asking me?"
They'd literally just met today.
Had she already latched onto him?
Do I… attract lolis?
Holy—this is dangerous.
But Qiqi's next words completely fried his brain.
She gently tugged on Cael's pinky finger and said slowly,
"Qiqi… remembers you."
"I… have seen you before."
"…Huh?"
Cael's mind instantly crashed.
She's seen me before?
How is that possible?
In Teyvat, this was absolutely his first time meeting Qiqi.
She must be remembering wrong… right?
After all, her memory was famously unreliable.
Cael hastily reassured himself internally—
But Baizhu's thoughts went in a completely different direction.
Ever since Qiqi was released from the amber, Baizhu had kept her by his side.
He was certain—
In his memory, Qiqi had never met Cael.
If what Qiqi said was true, then there was only one possibility:
She had met Cael before she was sealed—and remembered him clearly.
If Cael were an adeptus, everything would make sense.
But Baizhu had examined him before—there was not a trace of adeptal energy in his body.
Which meant—
Cael was not an adeptus.
Yet Qiqi had been sealed for over a thousand years.
Could a human live that long?
Baizhu's interest in Cael skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, Cael was completely unaware of Baizhu's increasingly intense gaze.
He crouched down and looked at Qiqi.
"Qiqi wants coconut milk?"
"Alright then—if I manage to get some, I'll give it to you right away. Okay?"
Qiqi nodded.
"Qiqi believes you…"
"You won't… lie to Qiqi."
Cael smiled and patted her head again. Qiqi obediently let him, not resisting at all.
"I'm Cael," he said warmly.
"Make sure you remember that, okay?"
At those words, Qiqi's eyes suddenly lit up—as if something inside her had been confirmed.
"Qiqi… has always remembered."
"Cael."
Cael nodded, then turned and left Bubu Pharmacy.
That short exchange only further solidified Baizhu's suspicions.
For Qiqi to recognize someone without writing it down—
That person had to be someone she knew from before.
And someone extremely important.
Baizhu felt that he had taken yet another step closer to the secret of immortality.
...
...
Cael wasn't scheduled at the Yun-Han Opera Troupe today.
Whenever that happened, he usually went to help out at Wanmin Restaurant instead.
No exaggeration—he even held a chef's license back on Earth.
But first things first—
He needed lunch.
He hadn't eaten all day.
Wanmin Restaurant
It was noon, and the place was packed.
Inside, a girl wearing a traditional Chinese-style outfit bustled around energetically. She darted from table to table, then back into the kitchen to cook—cute, lively, and somehow completely non-seductive.
Cael spotted her the moment he entered and smiled.
"Xiangling."
Xiangling froze for a second, thinking it was a customer calling to order.
"Coming—please wait a moment—eh?"
She looked up.
"Brother Cael!!"
The moment she recognized him, her eyes lit up like she'd just been rescued.
"Brother Cael, you're not working at the Yun-Han Opera Troupe today?" she asked eagerly.
Cael nodded.
"Yeah. I'm here to help out."
Xiangling nearly flew with joy.
She'd been overwhelmed by the lunch rush—and now Brother Cael had descended from the heavens to save her!
"That's amazing! Brother Cael, come help cook! Everyone's been missing your food so much!"
She grabbed both his hands excitedly, her face slightly flushed—probably from excitement.
"I will, I will," Cael said awkwardly, scratching his head.
"But… can I eat first? I haven't had lunch yet."
Xiangling immediately frowned.
"Brother Cael! It's already this late and you still haven't eaten? Honestly—come inside! I'll cook for you myself!"
Then she shouted,
"Guoba! Cover for me!"
"Guo—ba—ba!"
Guoba responded enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, a diner noticed Cael entering the kitchen and complained loudly:
"Hey! What's with that guy? How does he get to eat food made by Xiangling directly? That's not fair!"
Before he could finish, his friend smacked him on the head.
"Idiot. You don't know who that is?"
"That's Chef Cael. His cooking's on par with Xiangling's. The Jueyun-style fried rice you're eating? He invented it."
"…Oh."
"…Then never mind."
...
...
Inside the kitchen, Xiangling rested her chin in one hand, smiling as she watched Cael devour his meal.
"Slow down. No one's stealing it from you."
Only then did Cael slow his pace.
Xiangling glanced at his torn, dirty clothes and frowned slightly.
"Brother Cael, why did you eat so late today?"
"And… your clothes look damaged."
Cael looked down at himself and replied calmly,
"It's nothing. I just got taken hostage by the Fatui."
Xiangling froze.
"…What?!"
She rushed closer immediately, panic written all over her face.
"Brother Cael! Are you okay? Are you hurt? We should go to Bubu Pharmacy!"
Seeing her rush toward him, Cael leaned back instinctively.
"It's fine, really. Just the Fatui."
"I fought them to a draw, and then Keqing arrested them."
Xiangling finally relaxed—but then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha—Brother Cael, you're really good at joking."
"I bet Lady Keqing saved you when she found an opening, right?"
"I'm serious," Cael said solemnly.
"Alright, alright, you're the strongest," Xiangling replied half-heartedly, clearly unconvinced.
Then Cael asked suddenly,
"But Xiangling… shouldn't you be helping outside? Is it really okay to stay here with me?"
She answered almost instantly—
"That's because I wanted to look at—"
She abruptly stopped.
"…That's because I'm tired!"
"I'm tired, okay? Can't I rest when I'm tired?"
Cael nodded seriously.
"That's fair. Then rest a bit longer. I'll finish eating soon."
"Mhm."
...
...
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/ShikamaruNara