"Is that so?" Watching Childe laugh heartily, Mobius offered only that mild, offhand reply.
Since Childe still had no idea what the situation actually was, Mobius figured he'd stop laughing soon enough — especially since she had every intention of giving him a good scare.
Uh...
Miss Mobius's pet isn't going to try and eat people, is it?
The moment he caught Mobius's expression, Childe immediately dropped his smile and the thought shot through his mind.
Whatever the case, he had absolutely no desire to be eaten by that thing.
"Miss Mobius... your pet isn't going to go around eating people, is it?" After thinking it over, Childe decided it was safer to just ask outright.
"Well..." Caught off guard by such a direct question, Mobius put on an expression of what looked like genuine hesitation before continuing: "I'm not sure, really. It's always been very well-behaved in front of me."
Very well-behaved in front of Miss Mobius?
So it should be fine then, right?
Watching Mobius look as though even she wasn't entirely certain, Childe couldn't help feeling a twinge of unease.
Still, now that she'd said as much, he supposed he'd just have to put his mind at ease for the moment. He couldn't afford to look like he was doubting Mobius's word — not if he wanted this collaboration to go through.
"Well, that's a relief then. Hearing that from you, Miss Mobius, I feel much better." Despite the lingering doubt in his heart, Childe kept it well hidden, putting on the air of a man who had been thoroughly reassured.
Is he actually reassured? Or is this all just a performance for my benefit? Is he afraid I'll call off the collaboration?
Mobius looked at Childe's current demeanor with considerable skepticism.
Not that it mattered much at the moment.
"Oh, right — Miss Mobius, I've already finished the task you assigned me last time." At this, Childe's mood brightened noticeably as he brought it up.
"Oh? Then let's hear it." With that, Mobius drifted lazily forward, and Childe hurried to keep up, relaying everything he had found out.
"Shopping? And what were they doing while they were out shopping?" After listening to Childe recount the information he'd gathered about Kaito, Mobius deliberately posed the question.
Since Childe hadn't actually asked Kaito what he and Miko and Lumine had been doing during their shopping trip, she made a point of picking exactly that question to ask.
"Uh... that... I didn't actually ask about that." Caught completely off guard by how specific Mobius was getting, Childe scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
He'd assumed that knowing the general outline of what Kaito usually did with Miko and Lumine would be enough. It hadn't occurred to him that Mobius would want the details of the process itself — and he simply hadn't prepared for that.
Besides, the moment he'd heard Kaito mention occasionally going shopping with Miko and Lumine, his instinct had been to think — well, shopping is just shopping. Buying things, grabbing a meal, the usual.
But none of that changed the fact that he hadn't actually asked, which meant he absolutely could not answer Mobius's question with his own guesswork — even if he was fairly confident he knew the answer.
Ugh...
Feels like this collaboration is going to fall through.
He heaved a quiet, inward sigh. He hadn't expected to stumble on a question like this.
But just as quickly, Childe remembered — he still had Kaito's plan to fall back on. There was still hope yet.
And just as he was about to bring it up, Mobius spoke again.
"Apart from that, what else do they usually get up to?"
What else?
It didn't sound like there was much else...
The question made Childe's mind go blank instinctively. He couldn't help it — this was exactly what Kaito had told him, not something he'd neglected to ask.
But even so, he still had to answer: "From what I heard, there doesn't seem to be much else. That's exactly what Kaito told me."
To lend it more credibility, Childe made a point of attributing it directly to Kaito, rather than saying something vague like "as far as I know."
He couldn't afford to let Mobius lose any more confidence in him.
"That guy... honestly, he's always like this." Seeing Childe deliberately invoke Kaito's name, Mobius put on a mildly exasperated expression.
Phew...
So Miss Mobius already knows Kaito is just like that...
Childe breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
After all, if Mobius already knew this about Kaito, it wasn't his fault — it was simply how Kaito was.
"So that's everything?" Mobius asked.
"There's also — they apparently cook for themselves quite often..."
"It's definitely not that guy doing the cooking, is it?" Before Childe could even finish his sentence, Mobius cut in with a mildly unimpressed remark.
"Ha, fair point — yeah, it's probably Miko and Lumine who do all the cooking. Kaito just shows up to eat." Childe laughed and ventured the guess.
Since he hadn't actually asked, he had no idea what the specifics were. Still, he was fairly sure he wasn't wrong.
"That guy... he wouldn't even touch the food I made for him." Mobius muttered to herself, almost as an aside.
Uh...
I think I'll just stay out of that one...
As curious as he was about what exactly had happened back then, Childe decided it was wisest not to pry.
After all, whatever it was, it was clearly something between Mobius and Kaito. As an outsider, being too nosy could only cause problems.
Oh right...
Suddenly remembering he hadn't yet brought up the most important thing, Childe quickly spoke up: "Miss Mobius, there's one more thing — something quite important — that I need to tell you about."
"Oh? Something important?"
Even though she already knew perfectly well what Childe was about to say, Mobius put on an expression of mild curiosity.
"It's that Kaito is going to fake his departure tomorrow..."
"Oh, that? I already know about it."
Before Childe could even finish, Mobius made it clear she was already well aware.
Childe: "..."
Having been poised to demonstrate his value, Childe was utterly crestfallen.
He'd been counting on this meeting with Miss Mobius as a prime opportunity to prove his worth — and yet he'd come out of it without having demonstrated anything at all. It was genuinely disheartening.
"So... if I may ask — how exactly did you find out about Kaito's plan, Miss Mobius?" After recovering from his dejection, Childe found himself wanting to know.
The moment the words left his mouth, though, he regretted it.
He'd basically failed to show any value whatsoever this entire time, and now here he was asking her how she'd found out about Kaito's plan. The nerve.
"Why don't you guess, Childe of the Fatui?" Rather than answer directly, Mobius turned it back on him.
How am I supposed to guess that?
It's not like Miko or Lumine would have told her... would they? Or maybe... Zhongli?
The thoughts flashed through his mind instinctively, and Childe was left thoroughly at a loss.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats
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