Supported by Barbara, Yi Chen weakly left the villa and headed toward the cathedral for "treatment" and emotional comfort.
The door closed softly behind them.
Inside the house remained utter chaos—and deathly silence.
Lumine stood frozen in place.
Her empty gaze slowly swept over the table, where several charred objects that could reasonably be described as the origin of a biohazard apocalypse lay scattered… then drifted down to the floor, where a puddle of ominous black substance—Yi Chen's freshly expelled "soul"—still faintly steamed.
Her face exploded into a deep crimson.
Steam might as well have been physically rising from her head.
Overwhelming shame and frustration crashed over her like a tidal wave.
"Pai… mon…"
She squeezed the words through clenched teeth, her voice trembling.
"W-what?!"
Paimon instinctively drifted backward, staring warily at the suddenly dangerous-looking Traveler.
Lumine spun around, eyes blazing with a we go down together kind of resolve, pointing at the disaster scene.
"Get over here! Help me clean this up! Now! Immediately!"
"Why does Paimon have to help?!"
Paimon shouted in protest, stomping the air in fury.
"This was all made by you! Paimon is an innocent bystander! At most—at most a would-be victim!"
Lumine stepped forward and grabbed Paimon's tiny arms, her eyes shining with ruthless determination.
"Because you didn't try hard enough to stop me! If you had begged with your life—or blown up the kitchen—this wouldn't have happened! You bear joint responsibility!"
"What kind of logic is that?!"
Paimon was on the verge of tears, struggling uselessly.
"Paimon did warn you! You were the one who said, 'Relax, Paimon, this time it'll work!' Why does Paimon still have to take the blame?! Paimon refuses!"
"Objection denied!"
Lumine coldly overruled, somehow producing two cleaning rags and forcefully stuffing one into Paimon's hands.
"Move! Before Yi Chen and Barbara come back, this place must look spotless! Otherwise—next week's snacks are confiscated. All of them!"
"Waaah! Demon! You're a demon, Traveler!"
Paimon wailed in despair—but the threat of snack confiscation was simply too cruel.
Sniffling, she reluctantly dragged a rag bigger than her face toward the most horrifying pile on the floor, her expression utterly lifeless.
"Why… why does Paimon have to do this…"
"This is scarier than fighting a Ruin Guard…"
"Wuu… Paimon's nose… Paimon can't breathe…"
Lumine, clutching her own rag, began scrubbing the table like a soldier marching toward certain death. With each wipe, her face grew paler—and her shame deeper.
Thus began the arduous post-disaster reconstruction of the kitchen, accompanied by nonstop Paimon complaints.
"This grudge—Paimon will remember it forever!"
Paimon sniffed while wiping the floor.
"You owe Paimon a hundred meals—no, a thousand!"
"…As long as you keep this a secret," Lumine muttered without looking up,
"I'll cover your meals for a month."
"Really?!"
Paimon's eyes lit up—then dimmed again.
"But Paimon's soul has been deeply traumatized! That requires more food to heal!"
Lumine weakly nodded, feeling her Mora pouch weeping in agony.
At last, after every suspicious black trace was erased and all "evidence" sealed at the bottom of the trash bin, the two collapsed onto the gleaming floor like warriors who had just soloed Celestia.
"…Finally over…"
"Paimon feels like she'll never love again…"
Meanwhile, outside—
Barbara carefully supported Yi Chen as they walked toward the cathedral plaza.
Before they even reached the doors, Yi Chen's absurd recovery ability kicked in.
His pale face rapidly regained color, his limbs loosened, and even that soul-leaving-the-body weakness vanished completely.
He straightened up, rolled his shoulders, and aside from a lingering burnt taste in his mouth, he was perfectly fine—maybe even more energetic than before.
"Well… Miss Barbara, I think I'm already okay."
He awkwardly let go of her arm and bounced twice for emphasis.
Barbara blinked in surprise, then smiled in relief.
"That's wonderful! As expected of Mr. Yi Chen—you recover so quickly."
Seeing his lingering trauma-filled glances back toward the villa, she gently suggested:
"Since we're already out… if you don't feel like going back just yet, would you like to tour the Cathedral of Favonius? Some areas aren't open to the public."
Yi Chen nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes, absolutely!"
Anything to delay returning to that cursed kitchen.
Barbara happily became his guide, softly explaining the stories in the stained-glass windows, the marks left by former bishops, and the majestic statue of the Anemo Archon.
The peaceful, sacred atmosphere—and Barbara's gentle voice—soon helped Yi Chen forget the morning's disaster.
Before long, they reached the choir practice room.
Barbara glanced at the clock.
"Ah—sorry, Mr. Yi Chen. It's almost time for my daily hymn practice."
She hesitated, then gathered her hands, looking up shyly.
"Um… come to think of it, you've never really heard me sing properly, have you? It's just practice, but… would you like to listen?"
Yi Chen's eyes lit up immediately.
"Of course!"
He smiled brightly.
"It would be an honor."
Barbara's smile bloomed instantly.
"Then… please follow me."