"What is this?"
"This weird little thing... is it really magical?"
Nahida stared at the magic wand in her hand, visibly puzzled. She couldn't sense any elemental energy coming from it.
Lu Chen and Miko could barely hold back their laughter. The wand had a pink heart on it—overflowing with sugary cuteness.
It was just a plastic toy, the kind you could find at any street stall, and it had been a prize from their last trip to the amusement park.
But when Nahida held it, it didn't feel childish at all. Paired with her innocent, slightly dazed expression, she was utterly adorable.
"This way, your pointy ears won't look out of place," Lu Chen teased. "Right now, your role is our family's mischievous little daughter. At your age, getting hooked on magical girl shows and dressing up like one is totally normal."
"Oh…" Nahida nodded like she sort of understood.
She kept looking at herself in the mirror, twirling a bit in the dress. Once she got used to it, it didn't seem so unfamiliar anymore.
Then she looked up thoughtfully.
"So... you mean I'm supposed to play your daughter?"
As soon as she said that, both Lu Chen and Miko froze.
"Wait—no, you misunderstood…" Lu Chen immediately panicked. What he meant was the little daughter of the house, not their little daughter.
Miko's face froze, then immediately twisted in disgust. She shot Lu Chen a quick, judgmental glare.
"What do you mean our daughter? I'm an outsider! Go find your little Ei for that!"
And with that, she spun around and stormed off.
"You two can play house all you want. I've got a novel to write!"
Lu Chen watched her retreating back and couldn't help but feel like she was running away.
Nahida glanced at Miko, then looked back at Lu Chen, their eyes meeting wide-eyed.
"Did I... say something wrong?"
Lu Chen shook his head. "No, that's just how Miko is. Don't mind her."
"Ohhh…" Nahida's emerald eyes twinkled slyly, like something had suddenly clicked.
She looked up again, this time with a mischievous glint.
"I get it now…"
"What do you mean you get it?" Lu Chen asked, narrowing his eyes.
Nahida pointed at Miko's retreating back, then pointed at Lu Chen and grinned playfully.
"You and Miko—"
"Cough, cough!" Lu Chen suddenly started choking.
He gave her a warning glare.
"What do you know, huh? Don't interrupt when grown-ups are talking!"
"But I'm already five hundred years old…" Nahida blinked.
"If you're under a thousand, you're still a kid to me!"
"…Oh." Nahida finally let it drop.
Just then, Venti popped out from a nearby room, eyes immediately locking on to the pair at the door.
"Are you going out? Take me with you!"
On the way downstairs, they passed by Miko heading quickly back to her room.
"Huh?" Venti scratched his head, glancing curiously between them.
"Why is Yae Miko blushing?"
Nahida's smile instantly turned even brighter.
...
The three of them changed and headed to the front gate.
They happened to pass by a diligent gardener tending to the flower beds, and on the patio rocking chair sat a recovering patient.
Xiao was in the chair. Zhongli was the gardener.
"Heading out?" asked Xiao, just recently back on his feet.
"Yeah, it's a beautiful day." Lu Chen glanced over. Xiao had been mobile since the third day after returning, but everyone had insisted he rest. So now the young man sat around in a rocking chair like an old retiree.
But he was never one to sit still, so he kept Zhongli company while watching him garden. Two old souls in their own way.
"Why not have Zhongli come with us too?" Lu Chen suddenly had an idea.
Both Zhongli's "Leisurely Stroll in the Mortal World" and Nahida's "See With Your Own Eyes" were achievement-based challenge tasks. The more they explored, the better their progress.
"Old man, come with us to buy groceries!"
"Groceries?" Zhongli set down his watering can and looked at Lu Chen.
"You want Lord Zhongli to go grocery shopping…" Xiao muttered from the side. "I could never have imagined such a pointless thing in the past…"
"Which is why you've got to get used to today's Zhongli," Venti chuckled. "Honestly, 'grocery shopping' might be the most meaningful thing he does all day."
Xiao thought about it… and realized Venti had a point.
Tea drinking, gardening, taking strolls, listening to opera… Lord Zhongli hadn't really done anything serious in a while…
...
In the end, Zhongli joined the grocery run.
Lu Chen looked at the three Archons lined up by height and felt like something was missing.
So he went to the backyard and dragged out Ei, who was practicing martial arts.
Now he had all four—Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro.
Taking the Four Archons down the mountain to buy groceries? Lu Chen couldn't have been more proud.
Venti drove them down to Ling Shan Bay. The five of them made their way into the bustling downtown district of the coastal city.
They arrived at a familiar supermarket. Lu Chen began going through the ingredient list for Sumeru dishes and loaded the cart with curry blocks.
With a large household to feed, Lu Chen's cart was always packed to the brim. As they strolled, Zhongli and Venti quietly vanished—but he didn't worry.
By process of elimination, one had gone to the liquor aisle and the other to the tea section.
Nahida trailed behind him, her eyes sparkling. It was her first time in a supermarket, and everything felt fresh and exciting.
"This lively marketplace, full of people... it reminds me of the Grand Bazaar in Sumeru City!"
"Oh yeah?" Lu Chen happened to be near the candy section, and when he saw some rainbow lollipops, he grabbed two and handed one each to Ei and Nahida.
Nahida took the colorful candy with a smile. "Thank you!"
Ei, however, gave a slightly helpless smile.
"Chen, isn't this kind of candy for children...?"
"Who isn't a kid at heart?" Lu Chen stuffed the candy into her hand.
Seeing Ei holding a lollipop with a blank look on her face… was unexpectedly adorable.
"Well… okay." Since it was technically a sweet, Ei accepted it reluctantly.
But then, to his surprise, Nahida suddenly lowered her lollipop and looked a little down.
"Nahida isn't a child anymore!"
"Huh?" Lu Chen noticed her pouting, clearly upset. He hadn't expected her to care so much.
But thinking about it more, he understood.
Back in Sumeru, the sages had always dismissed her because of her age. Of course she'd be sensitive about this.
"In that case…" Lu Chen pushed the cart over to the toy section and began scanning the shelves.
"Let me get you something adults like."
"Here!"
He handed her a Gundam model kit. Nahida looked at it, puzzled.
"Mechas and Gundams are peak adult passion! Trust me, this is totally grown-up stuff," Lu Chen grinned.
"Really?" Nahida smiled again, examining the robot. It did look kind of cool and fun.
Ei quietly shot Lu Chen a side-eye. That look said: Liar.
Lu Chen returned an innocent look: I'm not lying!
He honestly believed it.
Just as Nahida was happily admiring her unexpected gift, a system prompt appeared.
[Sure enough, you have to see it with your own eyes to feel the world's beauty (Achievement 1)]
[This gift is very special]
[Nahida received a gift from someone else for the first time. A beautiful, colorful dream... may be turning into reality.]