Chapter 185

Bang!

The door burst open, and two small figures darted into the room.

"Wow!"

Leaping from the ground, Klee quickly dove onto the fluffy blanket.

"Haha! Brother Hiroshi, wake up already!"

Stretching out her tiny hands, Klee swiftly pulled back the blanket covering Hiroshi's head.

"Hey… heave-ho,"

Standing on her tiptoes, Qiqi grabbed the edge of the bed and climbed up. Crawling over to Hiroshi's side, she gently nudged him.

"Brother Hiroshi… wake up. Yesterday… Sister Jean… and Sister Noelle… came to visit."

"Ah~"

Yawning widely, Hiroshi, who had stayed up late drinking with Kazuma Satou the previous night, slowly regained consciousness. Opening his eyes, he saw Klee and Qiqi in front of him. Smiling, he reached out to ruffle their hair.

"Why haven't you washed up yet? What are you two doing here so early?"

"Hehe."

Hugging Qiqi, who was wearing the same fluffy panda pajamas as herself, Klee raised her small hand cheerfully.

"Klee and Qiqi want to wash up with Brother Hiroshi!"

"Alright~"

Hiroshi scooped up the two little ones, got out of bed, and glanced out the window at the bright blue sky. He smiled.

"Looks like another beautiful day."

With Klee and Qiqi under his arms, Hiroshi headed toward the bathroom.

In the Bathroom:

Hiroshi squeezed toothpaste onto Klee and Qiqi's toothbrushes before grabbing his own. As he began brushing, he asked:

"Klee… you mentioned… that Jean and… Noelle came over… yesterday?"

"Mhm."

Klee nodded, her little mouth full of foam as she carefully brushed her teeth in front of the mirror. Between brushes, she said:

"Yesterday… Brother Hiroshi… went to see… Brother Kazuma… then Captain Jean… and Sister Noelle… came over. Klee overheard… Captain Jean say… something about Albedo… discovering something in… Dragonspine."

"Kaeya and Amber… couldn't handle it… so they came back… to find Captain Jean."

Knock, knock, knock.

Light knocking came from the door. Kuroneko stood outside, exasperated as she looked at Klee and Hiroshi brushing their teeth while chatting.

"Hiroshi, you're setting a bad example for Klee."

"Look at the mess of foam on the floor."

"Hehe." Klee and Hiroshi giggled in unison. Waving at Kuroneko, Hiroshi greeted her:

"Good morning, Ruri."

"Finish up and clean the floor," Kuroneko instructed. Picking up Qiqi, who had obediently finished brushing, she lightly tapped Klee's nose.

"Klee, don't mimic Hiroshi's bad habits."

"Look, you've got foam all over your little nose."

"Okay."

Klee nodded seriously, then earnestly promised:

"Klee will behave!"

"Good. Finish up quickly and make sure Hiroshi cleans up properly. I'm counting on you, Little Klee."

Patting Klee's head, Kuroneko smiled.

"Mission accepted, Ruri-sis!" Klee saluted energetically.

After Kuroneko left, Klee leaned against the door and peeked out to ensure she was gone. She then turned to Hiroshi with a mischievous grin. Scooping some foam off her lips, she dabbed it on her nose.

"Hehe~"

Motioning for Hiroshi to come closer, Klee hid her hands behind her back and whispered:

"Brother Hiroshi, look! I found something magical!"

Smiling, Hiroshi leaned down and brought his nose closer to hers.

"What is it, Little Klee? Are you going to share a secret with me?"

"Gotcha!"

Klee reached out and tapped Hiroshi's nose with foam, making a little white mark. Grinning, she carefully adjusted it to match her own.

"Meow~" she purred.

"Now Klee and Brother Hiroshi are both little kitty cats!"

Hiroshi laughed, pinching her round cheeks gently.

"Alright, Little White Cat Klee, let's wash your face before Ruri's Big Black Cat comes to catch you."

"Okay!"

Raising her hands high, Klee turned back to the sink and diligently scrubbed her face.

At the Breakfast Table:

Hiroshi poured fresh coconut milk from a pitcher, placing a glass in front of Qiqi. He added a straw and watched her sip quietly.

"Yesterday, Jean and Noelle came over because they wanted to ask me to go to Dragonspine, right?" he asked Kuroneko, seated beside him.

"Yes," she confirmed, setting sandwiches on plates for Klee and Qiqi. Turning to Hiroshi, she continued:

"Jean hopes you can investigate. The Knights discovered something unusual there, and the Fatui have been appearing frequently."

"Dragonspine and the Fatui, huh?"

With a piece of bread in his mouth, Hiroshi rested his chin in his hand, gazing out the window at the towering, snow-covered peak of Dragonspine.

"Alright, I'll go. It's been quiet lately, and I've wanted to meet Albedo."

"Klee wants to go too!"

Imitating Hiroshi, Klee spoke around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Klee!"

Kuroneko caught the sandwich before it fell and lightly tapped Klee's forehead.

"Didn't we say not to copy Hiroshi's bad habits?"

"Hehe." Klee scratched her head with an innocent smile.

Qiqi tilted her head, staring at her half-eaten sandwich.

"Hiroshi… Brother… Qiqi… wants to go… too," she mumbled.

Scooping her up, Hiroshi held Qiqi close, feeding her small bites of the sandwich.

"Of course. Qiqi is family. You can go wherever you like with me."

Beneath the golden morning sun, Hiroshi and Kuroneko held hands with their two little companions as they set out for Dragonspine. Behind them, Yuan Yuan and Bei Bei trailed lazily along, their tails wagging in rhythm to the day's peaceful start.