"Aiya~ where did you pick up this little fox? Don't tell me he flirted with too many girls and voluntarily asked to hide out in the Knights' confinement room for a few days?"
At the door of the confinement chamber, Lisa stood with her arms folded, smiling lazily as the two Knights of Favonius escorted the little Liyue fox, Su Bai, inside.
Seeing the impressive… assets on Lisa's chest, Su Bai actually flushed for once. Naturally, Lisa noticed. With a soft, teasing laugh, she leaned close to his ear after hearing the full story.
"Little cutie, mind telling big sister why you were trying to whack that bard over the head? Don't let his cute face fool you—he's still a boy, you know."
Su Bai rolled his eyes. Hu Tao wasn't soft enough? Ningguang wasn't charming enough? Why would he ever go after a boy?
"Big sister, if I told you that bard is actually Barbatos, and I just have some… personal grievances to settle, would you believe me?"
"Hehe~ looks like little cutie doesn't want to tell the truth. Then just stay here quietly for three days. Big sister really did give you a chance, you know."
Lisa didn't believe a single word. She knew very well what this little fox had pulled off in Liyue—smooth talker, shameless trickster… practically a disciple of the Shogun's fox shrine maiden.
"Tsk tsk, the world really has gone cold. Tell the truth and no one believes you. Hah… should've rented my place after these three days instead. Speaking of… will the Knights reimburse the rent I'm losing?"
"Hehe~ if little cutie tells the truth, I might consider filing an application~"
"I already told you, you're the one who doesn't believe me. We foxes are famous for being honest!"
Lisa didn't bother arguing any further—she still had to check whether her precious Jean was hurt. And according to her intel network, this little fox wasn't dangerous. In fact, sticking him in here might even keep Klee company… which meant Jean would spend more time with her.
Thinking of Jean's scent, Lisa's smile curved perfectly. She left, and Su Bai shrugged before stepping into the confinement room on his own.
And hey—turns out this place was way more luxurious than the room he rented. Huge bed, full furniture set, private bathroom… If you didn't know better, you might think this was an office suite in the Favonius headquarters.
The floor, however, was covered in all kinds of strange materials. Maybe they were trying to train his crafting skills?
"Eh? Someone's here?"
A soft voice suddenly rang out from the sofa, making Su Bai jump. When he focused, he found that the "red plush doll" lying there was actually a little girl.
He couldn't resist. He reached out and patted her head.
"Little one, what's your name?"
Warmth registered, and Klee blinked her sleepy eyes awake.
"Hello, big brother! I'm Klee! Are you related to Diona? Your tail looks fluffy—just like Dodoco!"
Su Bai didn't know what a Dodoco was, but this tiny, drowsy Klee was far too adorable. So he simply swished his fluffy tail toward her.
"Hello, little Klee. I'm Su Bai. And I'm not related to Diona—I'm a very powerful adeptus."
"Adeptus? What's an adeptus?"
"Adeptus isn't a thing—wait, no, it is a thing—actually no, never mind. Let's not talk about adepti. Didn't you say my tail looked fluffy? Go ahead, you can touch it."
The moment he said that, Klee lunged like a tiny missile, hugging his tail with both soft hands—scratching here, poking there—like she was checking for fleas.
"Little Klee, why are you in here? And judging by the mess, you've been here for a while."
While cleaning, Su Bai chatted casually. Klee scratched her head sheepishly.
"Well… when Klee was testing a super-strong bomb to fight the big bad dragon in the sky… one exploded accidentally… and it hit Bennett… And then Acting Grand Master Jean put Klee in time-out."
"That Bennett kid sure has hellish luck. Wrong place, wrong time, wrong explosion."
Su Bai sighed. Meanwhile, Klee continued hugging his tail. And honestly, if this kept up, his tail would be bald in three days.
Then inspiration struck.
He pulled out the simple firework blueprint Yoimiya gave him. He noticed the materials on the floor could be used for fireworks—and since Klee was practically a VIP of the confinement room because of bombs…
Better fireworks than bombs.
Plus, it would get her away from his tail.
"Little Klee, look! These are firework designs my friend from Inazuma gave me! Want to make fireworks together?"
Klee's eyes sparkled instantly. She'd never made fireworks before. And this friendly big brother was letting her use such a precious blueprint?
"Leave it to Klee! Klee will definitely make super-amazing fireworks! And later Klee will let big brother Su Bai set one off too! Okay? Okay?? Pleaseeee?"
Su Bai was defeated. His refusal dissolved instantly.
"Alright. But Klee can only set off the ones with very long fuses, okay?"
"Yay!! Big brother Su Bai is the best! You're a good person!"
Klee skipped off clutching the blueprint, already imagining the fireworks she'd create.
Su Bai watched her fondly. In both Liyue and Inazuma, he'd had plenty of friends growing up. But Mondstadt… didn't seem to have many who could accompany Klee. No wonder, her best friend was a plush named Dodoco.
"Klee should be from the elf race… long-lived. It's true that not many people can stay with her long-term. But… Qiqi might be a perfect match. She doesn't have many friends either."
And as for Klee's fire element—Su Bai had checked earlier: unless she actively triggered her Vision, there was barely any pyro energy on her.
"Maybe… this is fate."