"Ha, you figured me out, friend Kaito."
Childe laughed and gave an easy nod when Kaito guessed at one of his intentions.
Not that it was particularly surprising — he pulled this sort of thing often enough that people had little trouble seeing through him.
Of course, his other reason was something Kaito almost certainly hadn't worked out. If he had, that would have been genuinely embarrassing — but Childe doubted it. After all, only he and Mobius had been present for that conversation. There was no way anyone else could know what he was planning.
"Thank you for the thought, Childe, but I've already eaten."
While Childe was turning things over in his head, Kaito mentioned, matter-of-factly, that he'd already had his meal.
"Ah, I see — looks like my timing's a little off."
Childe scratched the back of his head. He wasn't surprised by the answer.
In the past, that would have been his cue to wrap things up and leave. But not today — he had something to do, and he wasn't about to go just yet.
So he kept the conversation going: "Speaking of which — was it Lumine and Miko who cooked? You really do live well, friend Kaito."
Since he obviously couldn't come right out and ask to step inside, Childe figured he'd keep chatting until Kaito invited him in on his own. Whether that happened or not, he had no intention of looking like he was about to leave. Kaito could hardly kick him out.
"Yeah." Kaito nodded, then added: "That's why you really do need to find yourself a girlfriend, Childe."
It was a slightly odd thing to say — at least from Kaito's own perspective — given that he himself nominally had quite the collection of girlfriends.
"Ha, well said, friend Kaito — though for me, the timing just isn't right yet."
Another easy laugh, and Childe nodded along with every appearance of wholehearted agreement.
"Better sooner than later, though."
Kaito kept the small talk going.
He knew exactly what Childe was after — he wanted Kaito to invite him inside so he could get a look at what daily life with Miko and Lumine actually looked like.
Kaito had said nothing about it so far. Even so, he was well aware that under normal circumstances he really ought to invite Childe in — otherwise it might start to look suspicious. Leaving a guest standing at the gate for this long wasn't exactly natural.
So he said: "Want to come in and sit for a bit? Standing out here is tiring."
If Childe wanted a look, fine — let him look. There wasn't anything particularly interesting to see anyway. His days here with Lumine and Miko were quiet ones. This was mostly just about letting Childe complete his task — which, at its core, was about giving Mobius the impression that she was genuinely tangled up in his life on this side.
"I'd be happy to — after you."
Childe's mood lifted the moment Kaito finally extended the invitation. If Kaito had decided to just keep standing outside chatting indefinitely, that would have been genuinely awkward. He could have come back and tried again another time, of course — but he couldn't exactly show up on Kaito's doorstep every single day without it seeming strange.
Best to get it done in one visit. And he had.
The two of them made their way into the small courtyard.
The moment they stepped inside, Childe spotted Miko — tidying up kitchen scraps — and Lumine, just emerging from the kitchen.
"Looks like you really did just finish eating, friend Kaito." Childe took in the scene and remarked lightly.
Walking in to find Lumine and Miko busy like this gave him his first piece of intelligence worth reporting back to Mobius. Trivial from his own standpoint — but a different matter entirely for her. She was very keen to know what Kaito, Lumine, and Miko got up to on an ordinary day.
Actually, now that he thought about it...
Why hadn't Mobius asked about Wendy and the others?
The thought caught him off guard, and he found himself genuinely curious.
Could it be because right now only Kaito, Lumine, and Miko were here?
Turning it over, that was the only explanation he could arrive at. Beyond that, he honestly couldn't work out what was going on — but then again, it wasn't really his business to figure it out.
"Yeah — you showed up right as we finished." Kaito glanced over at Miko and Lumine nearby, then back at Childe, and nodded.
"Then I'll come earlier next time."
Assuming Kaito was hinting that he'd arrived too late to eat with them, Childe immediately promised to make it in time next round.
Then, feeling that wasn't quite enough, he pressed on: "Actually, let's all go out for dinner this afternoon — spare Lumine and the others the trouble of cooking. We can head out together."
Not that Miko and Lumine tended to say much at shared meals, but Childe made sure to include them in the invitation anyway. It was only right, especially after what Kaito had just said. And naturally, he'd have to invite Mister Zhongli as well.
"Sure, no problem — I'll let them know in a bit." Kaito accepted the invitation without hesitation.
With that settled, the two of them drifted inside, talking as they went, and made their way to the sitting room set aside for receiving guests.
Kaito knew perfectly well what Childe was here for — but there was no reason to lead him directly to Lumine or Miko.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Samsara Game: Starting with Shirogane Kei
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!