Evening.
Liyue.
Why isn't he back yet...
And my mouth still feels kind of sore...
Miko sat alone on the bed, hand pressed lightly against her lips, casting a listless glance toward the door.
Then her gaze drifted to the small, vivid-red ball sitting on the table beside the bed — the one attached to a leather strap.
Honestly, she was still curious about what this thing was even called.
She had asked Kaito about it earlier, but he hadn't told her. He'd just told her to put it in.
As for how it had ended up in her mouth in the first place — well, that was because when they'd been in the middle of that, she'd apparently been making far too much noise. Kaito had simply stuffed the thing between her lips without a word.
She had to admit, it worked. With that thing in her mouth, she really couldn't make much sound at all. But the drool — the completely unstoppable, humiliating drool — had been another matter entirely. She had nearly died of embarrassment.
At the time, though, she hadn't had the mental bandwidth to dwell on it. She'd been too lost in the sensation to think about anything else, so she'd just... left it in.
It was only after the battle had finally concluded, not too long ago, that she'd taken it out. Having worn it for so long was why her mouth was still feeling uncomfortable now.
Gurgle—
So hungry...
Does buying food really take this long...?
Lost in her thoughts, Miko's stomach let out a very undignified growl.
She couldn't help it. She hadn't eaten anything, and on top of that, there'd been the intense... battle with Kaito. She was genuinely, thoroughly starving.
Oh, right...
I wonder if Mei has ever worn one of these things too?
The thought popped into her head, and Miko immediately decided she needed to ask Mei about it.
She'd already made up her mind — once she was back in Inazuma, she was going to sit down with Mei and have a proper chat about all those matters. She wanted to know if there were any differences in the experience.
They were all women, after all, and their relationship was good enough. Asking those kinds of questions wasn't a problem.
Wendy, technically, also met those criteria — but she was absolutely not asking that girl.
Knowing Wendy, one question would inevitably spiral into a completely different conversation, and Miko was not in the mood for that.
Tap, tap, tap — tap tap tap—
Footsteps sounded from just outside the door.
He's finally back...
I was about to starve to death...
The moment she heard the sound, Miko scrambled off the bed.
Creak—
"I'm back," Kaito announced as he stepped inside.
"Hmph! You took forever. Any longer and I would have actually starved to death."
Even as she said it, Miko was already reaching over and taking the food out of his hands.
Whatever else happened — eating came first.
"I ran into Mr. Zhongli on the way and ended up chatting for a bit, so it took longer than expected," Kaito explained, watching her.
He had intended to be quick about it. But he'd bumped into Zhongli on the street, and the two of them had gotten to talking, which was why he was only back now.
Mr. Zhongli...
Ah well...
If he was chatting, he was chatting...
They were probably talking about the god remains business...
The moment Miko heard it was the Geo Archon who had held him up, her irritation evaporated.
Whatever she might say, you had to give the Geo Archon his due — especially since they'd been discussing actual business on top of it.
"You should eat too," Miko said, tearing open the bag.
Since Kaito had been with her this entire time, she figured he had to be starving as well.
"Mm." He nodded, and sat down beside her.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, something occurred to him. He looked over and opened his mouth.
"Miko, you..."
"What about me?" She glanced up at him, mid-bite, a slightly puzzled look on her face.
"Nothing. Just eat. Don't let yourself go hungry."
Seeing that she had already started eating, Kaito swallowed the question he'd been about to ask.
She was already eating. He'd leave it alone.
"If you want to ask something, just ask it," Miko said, looking even more puzzled now that he was backpedaling. "Why are you being all wishy-washy? Is there anything between us that can't be said out loud at this point?"
"It's really not that big a deal." Kaito took a bite of food, thought for a moment, then continued. "I was just going to ask... did you rinse your mouth?"
Honestly, he had been very reluctant to ask once he'd noticed she was already eating. But Miko's earlier words had left him no choice.
Rinse my mouth?
Why on earth would I rinse my mouth?
Miko stared at him blankly — especially given how he'd been so clearly on the verge of saying something just moments ago. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
But then, very quickly, she figured out exactly why he'd asked that.
She immediately reached out and swatted him, declaring: "Hmph! Next time, you can take care of it yourself!"
She knew perfectly well that even without her, there were plenty of girls waiting for him. But she still had to say it.
She couldn't help it — this guy's question was mortifying. If she'd known he was going to ask that, she never would have told him to just go ahead and ask.
"Don't be upset, Miko. I was just asking casually." Kaito wrapped his arms around her and told her not to be angry. He shouldn't have asked that.
"Alright, alright, let's just eat. I'm absolutely famished — all I had at noon was wine, and I haven't eaten anything since."
Knowing Kaito meant well, Miko told herself she didn't really have a reason to stay mad.
Besides, being held like this gave her a rather convenient opening to ask a few questions. She had a feeling Kaito would actually answer her.
"Speaking of that thing..." she began, picking up the red ball from the table and turning it over in her hand. "I can't be the only one who's ever worn this, right? And did you just... come up with it yourself? I've never seen anything like it before."
Even now, she was still genuinely curious about where it had come from — and whether anyone else had ever worn one.
"Of course not. Mei has worn one too," Kaito replied after a moment's thought. "As for where it came from — yes, I did come up with it."
The real origin of the object wasn't something he could easily explain, so he settled on saying he'd invented it. That way Miko wouldn't ask further.
And he knew, of course, that what Miko truly cared about was whether anyone else had used one.
"I knew it," Miko said immediately, the moment he finished answering.
She'd guessed right. Mei had worn one too.
Hmm...
Wait a moment.
Is it just Mei and me?
What about that little girl Wendy?
She hasn't worn one?
The thought struck her, and Miko pressed further: "What about Wendy? Has she never used one?"
She looked at Kaito, genuinely wanting to know.
Why is Miko so fixated on Wendy...
She already asked earlier who had better technique — her or Wendy...
And now she's asking this...
____
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