"Alright, stop playing with the phone already. Boss Han asked me to call you over for lunch."
Watching Alice excitedly fiddle with the smartphone, Jean rubbed her forehead and sighed.
She felt like she might have made a terrible mistake.
But at this point, there was no helping it.
It wasn't as if she could shamelessly ask for the phone back now.
And even if she could force herself to do it—with Alice's witch-like personality, there was absolutely no way she'd return it.
"Heh, then let's hurry over!"
Alice instantly became excited.
Soon, the two arrived at the dining table.
The moment Alice saw the table full of beautiful girls with only a single black-haired young man among them, she immediately understood who he was.
If this wasn't the mysterious boss—then who else could it be?
"Thank goodness he's not some creepy old geezer… otherwise this would've been troublesome."
Seeing Han Feng's handsome appearance, Alice unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
Most customers, after learning Han Feng's identity as the shop owner, were stunned by his mysterious strength and abilities.
But this woman?
Her very first concern was whether he was an old pervert or not.
As expected of Klee's mother!
That wild train of thought was practically identical to her daughter's.
"Hello, Boss! Thank you for taking care of little Klee!"
Alice greeted him familiarly after recovering herself.
She had never been the restrained type.
"Hello, Miss Alice. Little Klee is very adorable—I like her quite a lot."
Han Feng replied with a smile.
In the game, Alice had only appeared through stories and legends.
This was Han Feng's first time actually seeing her.
Her resemblance to Klee, similar outfit, and equally cheerful personality—she was practically a grown-up version of Klee.
And her personality also reminded Han Feng of another anime character:
Yukiko Kudo.
Both loved adventure and mischief, with similarly lively personalities.
If those two ever met, they would definitely become instant best friends.
"Likes… likes little Klee?"
Alice froze for a moment after hearing that.
Normally, she wouldn't have thought much of it.
After all, her daughter was adorable.
It was natural for people to like her.
But after hearing Klee say she wanted Han Feng to become her father,
Alice suddenly began interpreting things differently.
Her imagination immediately started running wild.
Could this boss be "hinting" at her?
Hinting that she should come settle the "meal debt" Klee owed?
Only someone with an imagination as unrestrained as hers could arrive at such a conclusion.
"Come, have a seat and try the food."
Han Feng naturally had no idea what Alice was thinking and simply smiled politely.
"Ah, okay! Thank you, Boss!"
Alice hurriedly replied and sat directly beside Klee.
"Hmph, you little brat. You actually abandoned your mother to secretly eat good food by yourself?"
Alice playfully rubbed Klee's cheeks.
"Hehe!"
Klee narrowed her eyes happily and immediately began recommending dishes.
"Mom, you can just think about whatever food you want, and it'll appear on the tablecloth! After lunch, Klee will take you to read manga too!"
"Food appears just by thinking about it?"
Alice was shocked once again.
Ever since meeting Klee and the others,
she had already lost count of how many times she'd been stunned today.
Her brain was practically numb at this point.
Just what kind of existence was this boss?
Looking at the smiling black-haired youth across from her,
Alice's curiosity grew stronger and stronger.
Still, this was mealtime,
so she temporarily pushed those thoughts aside and eagerly began experimenting.
"I'll have a Honey Roast with carrot glaze."
Alice thought for a moment before choosing.
It was one of her favorite dishes in Mondstadt,
so she wanted to see if this place could produce it.
Whoosh!
The moment she finished speaking,
a fragrant Honey Roast instantly appeared before her.
"It actually works?!"
Alice's eyes lit up with delight.
Amazing!
If she had something like this while traveling the world, life would become so much easier.
But noticing everyone else's calm reactions, Alice awkwardly rubbed her nose.
Despite being the greatest adventurer present with the richest experiences—
she was somehow the only one acting like a country bumpkin.
"Mom, what's so special about roast meat? Look, Klee will make something better for you!"
Little Klee shook her head and looked slightly disdainful.
Then she summoned a serving of Fantasy Mapo Tofu.
Ever since eating dishes that literally glowed,
Klee had completely lost interest in ordinary Honey Roast.
"Oh? Then let me try it."
Alice curiously opened the lid like some rural newcomer seeing the city for the first time.
Immediately—a dazzling golden light burst forth, nearly blinding her.
Then an incredibly rich aroma assaulted her senses.
Alice couldn't resist at all.
Without even bothering to speak further, she grabbed a spoon and started eating immediately.
"Hehe, Mom, it's delicious, right?"
Watching Alice devour the dish ravenously,
Klee giggled proudly.
She knew Han Feng Big Brother's food was the best!
"It really is incredible."
Wiping her mouth, Alice nodded sincerely.
Food that glowed and tasted this amazing—she had never experienced anything like it before.
Now she finally understood why Klee had been so tempted back then…
tempted enough to mortgage her own mother for a meal.
"Sigh… after tasting food like this, what am I supposed to do if I can't eat it again later?"
Looking at the now-empty dish, Alice suddenly felt distressed.
Klee was a cute child, so freeloading occasionally was understandable.
But she herself was an adult.
Naturally, she couldn't just keep coming over like this.
Even today was probably only because it was her first visit—and maybe because she benefited from Klee and Jean's connections.
"Perhaps… little Klee's suggestion isn't actually impossible?"
That thought surfaced in Alice's mind once more.
The boss wasn't some creepy old man—he was handsome and refined.
He also had incredibly delicious food.
Most importantly—he clearly liked Klee very much.
"The only question is whether he'd be willing…"
Alice frowned thoughtfully.
After all, she already had a child.
Even if Klee had been born through parthenogenesis.
(In this novel's setting, elves can reproduce asexually.)
Still, that probably wouldn't be a problem.
After all—
hadn't the boss already "hinted" at her earlier?
She decided she'd observe a bit more first.
After that, Alice stopped overthinking and happily continued eating together with Klee.
Perhaps because there were so many people gathered together, the lunchtime atmosphere was especially lively.
Everyone chatted and laughed together—
just like one big family.
"This place really is getting more and more crowded…"
Seeing the table packed with people, Han Feng sighed inwardly.
At first, it had only been him alone.
Then Noelle joined as his little maid.
Later came Lumine and Paimon.
And now, counting everyone else, there were already eight people.
Adults and children together—it really did feel like one large family.
And among them, there was already one person especially close to him.
Han Feng was honestly quite satisfied with this kind of life.
At least his transmigration hadn't been in vain.
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