On the streets of Mondstadt, Cao Zhong and his group made their way toward the flower shop.
That was where the last missing book was supposed to be.
Paimon stared at Cao Zhong in disbelief.
"You? Actually working? Seriously?"
Her tiny head was filled with big confusion.
"The last time I saw you work this seriously… was the last time."
"What kind of talk is that?" Cao Zhong scoffed. "Who in Mondstadt doesn't know that I, Cao Zhong, love working? Right, Lisa?"
"…Yeah."
Lumine didn't even want to look.
She quietly sped up and distanced herself from him.
Too embarrassing.
Meanwhile, in the group chat—
[Kaeya]:Big news, big news! Guess who I just saw on the street?
[Venti]:@Kaeya, guess whether I'll guess?
[Kaeya]:@Venti, guess whether I'll guess whether you'll guess?
[Venti]:@Kaeya, guess whether I'll guess whether you'll guess whether I'll guess?
[Hu Tao]:No recursive nonsense!
[Paimon]:@Kaeya Hurry up! I'm curious!
[Kaeya]:I saw that scumbag Cao Zhong on the street!
[Cao Zhong]:???
[Paimon]:How is that news? He's been with us the whole time!
[Amber]:"Us"?
[Paimon]:Yeah! We're helping Lisa look for library books!
[Venti]:Cao Zhong is working? Now that's big news.
[Cao Zhong]:Slander! Pure slander! Everyone knows I'm a model citizen. What's wrong with working?!
[Hu Tao]:Serious question—what "three goods" are you?
[Kaeya]:Ugly looks, wild imagination, and extremely lecherous!
[Cao Zhong]:???
[Venti]:Likes mature women, married women, and little girls!
[Hu Tao]:Makes sense!
[Amber]:(angry)(angry)(angry)
[Cao Zhong]:Do you hear yourselves?! There are kids in this group! You're corrupting them—you deserve punishment!
Back in reality—
Paimon snickered.
"Wow, Kaeya and Venti really are your best friends. That description was spot on!"
Lumine nodded in agreement.
After spending time in Mondstadt, she had reached one conclusion:
Cao Zhong, Kaeya, and Venti—none of them were reliable.
Cao Zhong, as the boss of the "Odd Jobs Agency," spent his days slacking off and exploiting employees, with flirting as his main hobby.
Kaeya? Always slacking despite being Captain of the Knights.
And Venti…
A drunken bard who roamed the streets—somehow even less reliable than the other two.
Thinking about it—
Jean really had it tough.
Managing Mondstadt was already hard enough.
But doing it with these people as teammates?
Respect.
Cao Zhong couldn't be bothered arguing with Lumine.
What did she know about "types" anyway?
She didn't fit any of them.
Only chatting with Lisa could soothe his wounded heart.
"Lisa, I heard you studied at the Akademiya. What's the most useful thing you learned there?"
He was genuinely curious.
After all, Lisa was known as a rare genius from the Sumeru Akademiya—a librarian who seemed to know everything from forbidden knowledge to alchemy and brewing techniques.
So why had she returned to Mondstadt?
Lisa glanced at him meaningfully.
"Posture~"
Lumine: ?
Paimon: ??
…Wait.
Were they seriously talking about that kind of topic here?!
Even Cao Zhong was momentarily stunned.
He thought he was bold—
But Lisa was on another level.
After chatting along the way, they finally arrived at the flower shop.
Inside, only Donna was present.
But she hadn't noticed them at all.
Instead, she held two posters, blushing dreamily.
"So troubling… should I choose Mr. Cao Zhong or Master Diluc?"
"Master Diluc is so cool and aloof… I really like him…"
"But Mr. Cao Zhong is so handsome, and he speaks so sweetly… every time I see him, he makes me feel so happy…"
"This is such a hard choice…"
Behind her, the group fell silent.
Then slowly turned to glare at Cao Zhong.
Scumbag.
Cao Zhong just shrugged.
Can you blame me for being too outstanding?
He stepped forward.
"Miss Donna, do you have a moment?"
Startled, Donna jumped.
"Mr. Cao Zhong! A-Are you here to buy flowers?"
She hurriedly hid the posters behind her back.
So embarrassing!
"Of course. Whenever I see a beautiful lady like you, I can't help but want to buy a flower."
He delivered the line smoothly.
"T-Then tell me what kind you'd like, and I'll wrap it for you…"
Donna blushed.
As Cao Zhong walked into the shop, Donna let out a quiet breath.
She secretly pulled out the posters again and muttered:
"I'm so silly… how could I hesitate between Mr. Cao Zhong and Diluc?"
Without hesitation, she tossed Diluc's poster aside.
"What Diluc? He looks like a flaming hilichurl! How could he compare to my Mr. Cao Zhong? Trash!"
Then, smiling brightly, she returned to Cao Zhong's side.
"Mr. Cao Zhong, what kind of flowers would you like?"
Lumine and Lisa witnessed the entire scene.
"…?"
"…???"
So this was the destructive power of a scumbag?
Terrifying.
They glanced at Diluc's discarded poster fluttering helplessly in the wind.
Silently, they mourned him.
This…
…was truly the worst he had ever been roasted.
They entered the shop.
After all, they were here for the book.
By the time they stepped in, Cao Zhong had already chosen the flowers.
He handed one bouquet to Donna.
"Oh, my dear Miss Donna, this Windwheel Aster is for you—your fragrance is as enchanting as the flowers themselves…"
"…He's starting again."
Paimon looked utterly done.
Lumine's expression was just as disdainful.
Even Lisa chuckled softly. "Ah, youth…"
Of course, Cao Zhong didn't forget the others.
He handed the remaining bouquets to Lisa and Lumine.
"A meeting without flowers lacks romance. These are for you."
"My, how thoughtful~"
Lisa accepted the roses, clearly pleased.
Lumine, too, showed a rare hint of shyness.
It had been a long time since anyone gave her flowers.
Fine.
Scumbag—you've earned one day of immunity from my complaints.
"What about me?! Where's my flower?!"
Paimon demanded eagerly.
"…Huh? Emergency food needs flowers too? For garnish?"
Cao Zhong looked puzzled.
"Cao Zhong, you—!!!"
Paimon exploded in anger.
"Alright, alright. Time to focus on the task."
Lisa stopped them.
"…Buying flowers isn't serious business?" Donna asked, confused.
"Miss Donna, do you remember borrowing The Pale Princess and the Six Pygmies?"
Lumine explained their purpose.
Donna froze.
"Ah… th-that…"
Her strength seemed to drain away.
"I… I lost the book!"