Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Amber told the story of how she met Takumi over breakfast at the Good Hunter restaurant.
When she mentioned that Takumi's shop was located at the far end of the street with a "House of Pokémon" sign on the front, Lisa, who had just delivered hot coffee, looked confused.
Jean, who had stayed up all night to review the dragon disaster reconstruction plan, rubbed her temples and thought carefully for a long time before saying:
"Do we have such a store in Mondstadt?" Kaeya spread his hands and smiled wryly.
"I often go down that street; it's close to the Angel's Share tavern."
"But maybe I've missed it since I've been busy with duties lately."
"So you didn't notice that Mr. Takumi had opened a new shop?"
Jean took a deep breath. With the Dragon Calamity involving Dvalin not yet fully resolved, there was now a strange individual with unknown motives and a mysterious shop that had appeared out of nowhere.
"So, what did you find when you went inside?"
At this, Kaeya and Amber exchanged glances.
"Captain Jean, this is the device called the 'Pokémon Illustrated Book' that I reported on yesterday."
Amber handed over the illustrated device she received from the shop.
"This is free for every customer."
"After registration and authentication…"
"I even drew an initial Pokémon..."
Hmm?!
Jean, thumbing through the illustrated device and marveling at its beautiful design and complex technology, suddenly looked up.
"How much Mora did you spend?"
"And, since you're a customer now, have you joined this 'customer group chat'?"
In Amber's report yesterday, the group chat was something Jean had paid particular attention to. The voice messages greeting newcomers had names that sent shivers down her spine—Tianquan Ningguang, Yuheng Keqing, and even "Childe," one of the Fatui Harbingers.
Amber blushed. "Yes, I joined."
She nervously unlocked the device and opened the group chat interface. Even though it was early morning, new voice messages kept coming in.
When Amber tapped the voice button, Jean and Lisa listened with expressions of surprise. They soon understood why Amber, usually confident and capable, appeared so embarrassed.
"Hutao: Amber, this newbie, is really innocent. She was tricked into sharing photos and even her measurements…"
"Xiangling: Hehehe, finally, a fellow sister joins the group chat! @Amber, stay strong! Passing on this fun tradition of pranking newcomers will bring more sisters into our ranks!"
"Childe: Interesting, @Amber @Kaeya, greetings to you both from Mondstadt! Has Mr. Takumi's shop officially opened a branch there?"
"Ningguang: No wonder my godbrother suddenly closed his shop."
"Keqing: I passed by the shop just now, hoping to discuss Lalu Lasi's (Ralts) training plan with Manager Takumi, but then I remembered—he had closed it!"
Listening to these messages, Jean and Lisa could pick up on a bit of each sender's personality.
Ningguang occasionally gave orders to her secretary, and Keqing's messages had the hum of a bustling city in the background.
Jean and Lisa exchanged looks of silent agreement about the Pokémon Illustrated Book.
They navigated from the group chat to the illustration section.
Amber's chosen Pokémon was a Swablu, which cost her three million Mora. Pointing to the small blue bird with cloud-like feathers on the screen, Amber couldn't hide her excitement.
"Takumi said that Swablu is easy to train and doesn't need many resources."
"Once it evolves into Altaria, it becomes a rare Flying and Dragon-type Pokémon..."
"More importantly, even without my Wind Glider, I could ride Altaria and patrol all of Mondstadt!"
Goodness!
Amber's eyes shone as she described her imagined heroic figure flying on patrols, and the potential for reconnaissance with a flying Pokémon was impressive. It would certainly make her an even more formidable Scout Knight.
"And Kaeya, what about you?"
Unexpectedly, Kaeya waved his hand. "Let's not get into it. I need to go home and get the Mora first, and so do you, Amber. Let's not keep Takumi waiting."
"Oh, right!"
"Only after settling my account can I take my precious Swablu home!"
Amber, who had been eager to report to Jean, rushed out of the office with Kaeya.
Takumi hadn't expected that a quick breakfast at Good Hunter would lead to such an encounter with Amber and Kaeya, not to mention two new customers early in the morning.
The limited-time mission he received last night now had a progress of 2/10.
But once they returned with the Mora, those sales would be secured.
As for why he'd gone to Good Hunter for breakfast, it was simple: the restaurant was a must-visit for any gourmet in Mondstadt. In the game, both Lumine and Paimon were always raving about the honey-roasted pork and carrot stew.
After enjoying it, Takumi quietly used his SR-level cooking skill card to replicate the recipe, eating it whenever he liked.
"Now, it's time to think about marketing."
"Should I leverage Amber and Kaeya to attract the rest of the Knights of Favonius?"
While considering his next steps, the jingle of the shop's doorbell rang as new customers entered!
Amber and Kaeya marched confidently to the counter, placing their Mora payment slips on the table.
Then, in unison:
"We want to take our Pokémon home!"
Takumi glanced behind them, feeling pleasantly surprised. Standing there were several prominent members of the Knights of Favonius:
Jean, Lisa, Noelle, and Rosaria.
Counting Amber and Kaeya, that made six customers. Completing all of their orders would raise the task progress to 60%.
Takumi's smile was brighter than ever.
No need to go looking for customers—here were the Knights of Favonius, essentially lining up for a group purchase!
"Welcome, Knights of Favonius," he greeted them, then turned and called to the back of the shop.
"Cresselia, bring out four blank illustrated devices."
As soon as he spoke, four devices floated across the store, wrapped in a faint aura of telekinesis, and hovered at the counter.
Takumi gestured to the Knights, each with their own expressions of excitement and anticipation, to take one:
"Choose the color you like, and feel free to explore."
"Registration and certification are straightforward."
With that, Takumi accepted the two payment slips from Amber and Kaeya, then smiled at them as they looked on with anticipation.
"Please wait a moment while I bring out your chosen Pokémon."
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