The next morning, Luo Qing sat at the dining table, dark circles under his eyes, staring at the mountain of breakfast dishes piled before him.
According to Theresa, Buer and Makoto had woken up before dawn to prepare breakfast together, filling the table with their creations.
“Luo Qing, please make sure to try everything~,” Makoto said sweetly from his left, wearing an apron and radiating the aura of a dutiful wife.
“Luo Qing, I made some too. Please have a taste~,” Buer added from his right, her tone equally gentle as she lifted a heart-shaped fried egg to his lips with a fork.
“…”
[Frustration +1 from Luo Qing.]
Did they strike some kind of competition last night?! Are they trying to outdo each other for the role of the head wife?!
Looking at the sheer amount of food, he sighed inwardly.
What am I, Paimon?!
“I’ll… do my best,” Luo Qing muttered, reluctantly starting to sample their offerings.
There was too much.
Far too much.
I can’t eat anymore…
Urgh…
—
“I’m heading out for a bit. Stay home and don’t cause any trouble, alright?” Luo Qing said as he stood at the door, looking at the silver-haired and purple-haired figures before him.
He suddenly realized something.
It wasn’t that I was good at avoiding drama at home before—it’s just that the real troublemakers hadn’t shown up yet.
“Mm, Luo Qing. I’ll tidy up the house properly while you’re out. It won’t be messy like before,” Buer said, holding a broom and wearing an apron, nodding obediently.
Translation: The way Makoto cleaned before was a disaster, and I’ll fix her mess.
“Don’t worry, Luo Qing. I’ll keep an eye on her so she doesn’t mess around,” Makoto chimed in, gently nudging Buer aside as she approached Luo Qing with a serene expression.
Translation: I’m the one in charge of this house, and as long as I’m here, even Buer won’t stir up trouble.
“You two…” Luo Qing sighed, shaking his head before stepping out the door.
He had promised to borrow Nahida’s Gnosis for only one night.
Now it was time to return it.
At the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Luo Qing pushed open the door and was surprised to see Nahida and Lumine sitting together, engaged in a quiet conversation.
When they saw him, both waved.
“Hey, everyone’s here,” Luo Qing greeted casually, handing the Dendro Gnosis back to Nahida.
Nahida gently accepted it with a soft nod, then summoned a deep red Divine Canned Knowledge from her consciousness.
The sight of it made Luo Qing pause, his emotions conflicted.
The item in her hands looked eerily familiar.
“What are you two planning to do?” he asked.
“Luo Qing,” Nahida said softly, her eyes filled with shyness and a hint of longing. “We want to uncover the knowledge hidden within this Divine Canned Knowledge, but it requires the power of two Gnoses to open.”
Her voice grew even quieter as she continued, “So… may I borrow your Electro Gnosis?”
“Of course,” Luo Qing replied with a warm smile, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
She wasn’t biologically his daughter, but as Buer had said, Nahida carried traces of his power. She was, in a way, his child.
How could I refuse my daughter’s request?
“Here. Take it and have fun,” he said, handing the Electro Gnosis over.
“Thank you, Luo Qing,” Nahida said with a sweet smile, accepting the Gnosis and turning back to the deep red canister in her hands.
“Now, with the power of these two Gnoses, we should be able to open it,” she murmured.
“Are you sure you want to open it?” Luo Qing asked, leaning closer.
“Is that… not okay?” Nahida faltered, clutching the canister tightly.
Since her release from confinement, she had become particularly sensitive to Luo Qing’s opinion.
“It’s fine,” Luo Qing said, waving a hand dismissively. “If that’s what you want to do, go ahead.”
But as he spoke, he couldn’t help casting a brief glance at the canister.
The real Divine Canned Knowledge had been destroyed last night when Buer was revived. The corruption inside had been cleansed completely by the Verdant Rebirth Sprout’s power.
As for this one…
It was a fake—a carefully crafted replica Luo Qing had made to avoid suspicion. He had even used the Void System’s permissions to set its defenses to the highest level, ensuring that only Nahida could unlock it.
But the contents inside?
Well…
As Luo Qing pondered, Nahida activated the power of the two Gnoses. The canister began to glow, unlocking with a soft click.
Just as Nahida prepared to delve into its secrets using the Void’s power, a loud, exaggerated male voice echoed in her mind.
“Plant a little seed in your heart, da-la-dee-da-la…”
“It grants little wishes with magical power…”
“Every child dreams of it, you know…”
“Are you ready? Ohyo!”
“…”
[Frustration +1 from Lumine.]
Hearing the absurd singing in her mind, Lumine furrowed her brow and turned to glare at Luo Qing, her eyes practically shouting:
It’s you again, isn’t it?!
“How odd… Lumine, why does it sound like…” Nahida murmured, utterly baffled.
She still thought this was what the canister originally contained.
“Nahida…” Lumine sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “This canister is fake.”
“Eh?”
“That can’t be. I retrieved it from the Akademiya myself. They wouldn’t have the ability to create something like this…” Nahida said, her voice tinged with doubt.
The canister’s high-level defenses and the need for two Gnoses to open it made it impossible for the Akademiya to fabricate.
“Nahida, trust me. It’s fake,” Lumine insisted.
“If it’s fake, then the real one…” Nahida trailed off, her expression changing as she looked at Luo Qing.
“Luo Qing, you…”
Her thoughts raced back to the previous day when Luo Qing had borrowed her Gnosis to investigate something.
At that time, he’d also held two Gnoses.
“As expected of Nahida,” Luo Qing said, sighing as he gently ruffled her hair again. “You’re right. I did take the real canister.”
“Why?” Nahida asked, her voice tinged with betrayal.
“Because there were things I needed to resolve, things that required it,” Luo Qing explained.
“But I have things I want to know too…” Nahida said, her voice wavering with emotion.
She had trusted him, only to learn that he had taken the only key to uncovering the mysteries of the past.
“Nahida…”
Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, Luo Qing felt his heart soften.
“You want to know what really happened in the past, don’t you?”
Nahida nodded silently, her expression expectant yet uncertain.
“Maybe,” Luo Qing said with a smile, “there’s someone who can tell you.”
—
T/N: I hope this Makoto vs Buer fued doesn’t resolve easily I like it
This is a fan translation of 原神：这个见习执行官太屑了 by 何一乐. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!
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