Paimon Is Excited

"Traveler, your taste was as strange as ever... Huh, you liked that name?"

Seeing Sapphire happily let out a "meow," apparently quite fond of the name, Paimon spread her hands.

"Fine. That bard was allergic to cats anyway. If he ran into this little guy, he'd probably flee in panic."

Yin Kong nodded slightly.

For the little one, this could count as a complete farewell to those unpleasant memories of the past and the beginning of a brand-new life as a cat, right?

"Miss Yoko, could you call Shinobu and the others over?"

After taking care of Paimon and Sapphire—oh, no, Young Barbatos—Yin Kong headed into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Miss Yoko did not find it strange.

After all, she had personally seen Yin Kong make an incredible dish like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in only a few seconds, something she would remember for the rest of her life.

Perhaps Yin Kong possessed an ability similar to Time Control, letting him prepare an entire table of delicious food at a hundred times the normal speed.

What should she do? She wanted such a convenient ability too.

A short while later, when Miss Yoko returned with everyone, they indeed found the table already covered in steaming-hot dishes.

"Shinobu!" Paimon had naturally activated her disguise already and floated toward Kuki Shinobu. "Guess who I am."

Kuki Shinobu froze for a moment. Though Paimon's appearance had changed slightly, she naturally recognized her at once.

And this was also the first time she had seen Paimon in her walking-chicken form.

Paimon chuckled and removed her disguise before Kuki Shinobu.

"As expected of Shinobu. I really couldn't fool you. And it looked like you could act on your own now too. That's great."

However, Yamashiro Hitomi, the manager who witnessed this scene, felt as though she had been struck by lightning. She looked at Yin Kong in disbelief, then at little Paimon, whom he was watching with such doting eyes.

Could this man be a single father?

Miss Yoko, wake up!

Yamashiro Hitomi's pupils shook violently. She had originally thought that being chosen by Miss Yoko to become her manager was an incredibly lucky break.

After all, the status and benefits of managers like them were practically tied directly to the stars themselves.

But now, her only thought was to dig her former boss, Yamagishi Ei, out of his grave and sincerely ask him just how he had managed to keep this secret from leaking for so long.

As for the last person present, Aoyama Nanami clearly had not noticed any of that.

More precisely, the instant she entered the living room, her attention had been completely drawn in by the tempting aroma.

Simply holding herself back from turning into a starving ghost had already exhausted all her willpower.

Yet the thunderous rumbling from her stomach only grew louder and louder.

"They're all Chinese dishes. I hope none of you mind."

There was nothing he could do if they did. After all, he had not unlocked even a single Inazuman recipe.

"Please, everyone."

Yin Kong was not the sort to stand on ceremony, so he immediately gestured for everyone to begin eating.

"Yay, time to eat!"

Paimon naturally cheered and was the first to join the battle.

Aoyama Nanami naturally followed right after her. Unlike Paimon, however, the girl did not casually reach for dishes; she merely lowered her head and ate the Homecoming Fried Rice in her bowl.

But after the first bite of fried rice entered her mouth, she found that she simply could not stop.

The girl swore that she had never eaten fried rice this delicious before.

Completely absorbed in the fried rice, Aoyama Nanami did not realize at all that Kuki Shinobu, sitting beside her, had already removed her mask.

Her movements appeared natural, but anyone who looked closely would discover that Kuki Shinobu's efficiency at picking up food was not the slightest bit slower than Paimon's.

Sure enough, Miss Kuki Shinobu was also an exceptionally rare beauty.

When she saw Kuki Shinobu's true face, Ono Yoko was helpless but not at all surprised.

Still, she quickly urged Yamashiro Hitomi, who had been sitting beside her with a stern face and saying nothing.

"Try Mr. Yin Kong's cooking. I guarantee it'll be something Sister Hitomi remembers for the rest of her life."

Even the manager, full of worries as she was, could only reluctantly pick up her chopsticks under Miss Yoko's enthusiastic invitation.

They certainly looked good, but who knew how they tasted—

The instant Yamashiro Hitomi bit into her first piece of Crab Roe Tofu, she froze on the spot.

Even though she had been determined to find fault with it, she had to admit that Miss Yoko had not exaggerated in the slightest.

If Yin Kong had truly made all of this himself, then this man's cooking alone was enough to make him famous far and wide.

Seeing Yamashiro Hitomi's stiff expression gradually relax, Miss Yoko finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Naturally, she had noticed her new manager's resistance toward Yin Kong.

Yamashiro Hitomi was somewhat strict by nature, but she was highly capable at her job and a very upright person, which left Miss Yoko quite satisfied.

However, if the other woman could not understand her, then she could only helplessly replace her.

Yan Du Xian, Golden Thread Shrimp Balls, Crab Roe Tofu, Kou San Si...

It was only a casual meal, so Yin Kong naturally had no need to bring out a trump card like Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Yet even these ordinary three-star home-style dishes were already extraordinary.

"Phew... Traveler's cooking is still as amazing as ever."

Hearing Kuki Shinobu's sigh after she had eaten her fill, Miss Yoko nodded in wholehearted agreement.

No wonder little Paimon had resisted so much when she made that suggestion back then.

If it were her, she would not want to trade such delicious food every day for a lousy cook like herself either, would she?

Noticing Aoyama Nanami's expression, Yin Kong understood.

"Is Aoyama going home? Shinobu, see her off."

After all, it was already quite late.

Before Aoyama Nanami could refuse, Kuki Shinobu stood up.

"No problem. I'll treat it as an after-dinner walk."

After Kuki Shinobu left with Aoyama Nanami, Yin Kong suddenly remembered something and turned to Miss Yoko.

"Oh, right, Miss Yoko. I need to order a piece of White Marble as raw material. It'll probably cost over six million yen..."

The idol nodded.

"Six million yen? I remember there should be more than that in the bank card. Have you already spent it all?"

There was roughly thirty million yen in savings on the entire card, most of what she had saved over the years.

Yin Kong smiled.

"Not at all. It's just that I felt I should let you know about an expense of this size."

Ono Yoko understood.

"I see. But since I've already given you the card to use, I naturally trust you. Just use it directly; you don't need to notify me specifically."

Paimon giggled.

"Miss Yoko is so nice. Then we won't hold back."

The three chatted happily, while Yamashiro Hitomi, watching the scene, felt the blood pressure that the delicious food had only just lowered shoot back up again with a bang.

Excited Paimon

After returning to the apartment next door with Ono Yoko, Yamashiro Hitomi finally could not hold herself back any longer and began earnestly lecturing the idol.

"Don't worry, Sister Hitomi. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I absolutely trust Mr. Yin Kong's character."

Could Miss Yoko actually be a top-tier love-struck fool?

Yamashiro Hitomi could hardly be reassured after hearing that.

Forget mere promises—even contracts written in black and white were torn up all the time, weren't they?

How had someone with such a naive personality managed to fight her way through the treacherous entertainment industry?

"Perhaps Sister Hitomi thinks I'm being too impulsive, but I think that's only because you don't understand Yin Kong."

Miss Yoko merely smiled and said with absolute certainty.

"His cooking is only his most insignificant virtue. Even if this were purely an investment, it would still be my good fortune. I think Sister Hitomi will understand that in the future."

You were completely beyond saving.

Looking at Miss Yoko's sparkling eyes as she became completely immersed in her own world, Yamashiro Hitomi felt powerless. She only felt that her future had become utterly bleak.

Naturally, Yin Kong had no way of knowing about the little incident next door. As usual, he was currently receiving Zhongli's guidance.

However, unlike yesterday, when he could only practice alone, today he had someone to spar with—

Yin Kong's momentum surged like a rainbow as he spun his spear with a shout. With a single sweeping strike, he shattered Kuki Shinobu's... phantom?

At the instant the phantom vanished, a short blade silently appeared behind Yin Kong and effortlessly pierced through his heart like a venomous snake.

Yin Kong was instantly killed.

Even after eating a serving of Golden Thread Shrimp Balls to remove his near-death state, Yin Kong still wore an expression of utter disbelief.

He had actually guessed long ago that there was no way he could be Kuki Shinobu's opponent.

Although the system judged his character level to have risen to level twelve, two levels higher than level ten Kuki Shinobu.

But he had not expected that he would fail to withstand even a single move before getting instantly killed.

Zhongli's calm voice drifted over.

"Traveler, there is no need for discouragement. Miss Kuki is skilled in secret arts of stealth and naturally excels at killing with a single strike. Combined with your insufficient vigilance, such a result is hardly surprising.

"In my view, before considering victory on the battlefield, one must first consider defeat. During combat, Traveler must not only watch the enemy's movements, but also spend some effort observing the surroundings—for example, shadows..."

It was not until the early hours of the morning that Yin Kong dragged his exhausted body out of the training room.

Under Teacher Zhongli's personal instruction and Assistant Teacher Kuki Shinobu's hands-on guidance, his stock of Golden Thread Shrimp Balls in his inventory plummeted from more than fifty to fewer than twenty.

But through such brutal real combat, he felt that he was improving rapidly.

At the very least, while Yin Kong was still no match for Kuki Shinobu, he could now exchange a few decent moves with her.

When he returned to the bedroom, he found Paimon, as expected, tightly wrapped in the blankets, sleeping soundly while chewing on her finger.

Yin Kong shook his head, quickly slipped under the covers as well, and soon drifted off to sleep.

"So hot..."

The next morning, Yin Kong and Paimon woke up from the heat.

In just one night, not only had the thick snow on the rooftops and roadsides completely disappeared, but the air now carried the scorching heat of midsummer. Yin Kong and Paimon, sleeping under thick blankets, looked like two complete idiots.

But even that could not stop Paimon's good mood.

Because she could finally go out today.

Yin Kong opened the Wish screen, and sure enough, Neuvillette and Hu Tao had disappeared, replaced by two other featured characters.

Wind Follows Falling Leaves, Maplewood Manifold - Kaedehara Kazuha;

Sparkling Flame's Halt, Fleeing Sun - Klee.

The strength of the Leaf Emperor was plain for all to see, while Klee was practically the developers' beloved daughter. Both were characters Yin Kong liked very much.

Unfortunately, he was still short on funds.

Yin Kong brought Paimon into the living room and found that Miss Yoko had already changed into a youthful, energetic summer outfit.

"Let's go out!"

Paimon flew out of the apartment door like a bird newly released from its cage, excitedly darting around everywhere.

"Wow! The buildings here really are spectacular! And they sell so many things..."