As Yomite laid down on the sofa to catch his breath after the dangerous kiss, Paimon used this chance to make fun of him.
"Ehehe! That's what you get! Paimon initiated divine punishment! Good job, dragon pet!" The little fairy smiled with a wide grin, while tapping Iris on the shoulder in delight.
"Oh, really?" Yomite raised his eyebrow. If this little fairy wanted to fight, then he was more than ready to tease her.
He closed the distance between them in an instant, swiping her out of the air before she could react.
"W-Wait...Let Paimon go…"
Smiling, Yomite pulled out a plate from the cabinet, setting it up on the table in the living room, placing Paimon on top of it while still holding her in his right hand.
"Iris, you're hungry, right? How about we eat Paimon today? There is not much meat over her top, but her thighs are pretty thick...It might satisfy you for a few hours. Any objections, girls?"
He looked around for his teammates, waiting whether someone would voice an objection.
"Nope~!"
Hu Tao saw through his prank and decided to help him with it. After all, she loved pranks.
"None, of course! Do as you see fit!"
Fischl knew he was just kidding, but she had to admit it was funny to watch the little fairy bob her head from person to person, slowly losing hope and realizing she was doomed as no one would help her out in this instance.
"Could I... really get the lower half?" Iris inquired as she stared at the trembling Paimon with hunger filling her eyes as drops of saliva fell on the floor beneath her.
"Y-You can't be serious!? Paimon isn't tasty at all! Paimon will let you know that once, Paimon had tried to lick Paimon's own hand and there wasn't any special flavor! That's for sure!"
"Even a regular raw fowl is inedible and unpalatable. Without a doubt however, a good chef can make a delicious meal out of everything." Yomite noted.
"Yiiiii!?"
Paimon shrieked while hiding her head in her arms.
She looked towards Lumine as her last resort.
"W-well...we shouldn't tease Paimon so often...she is a good friend of mine…"
Lumine looked away and didn't say anything else.
The nightmare from all those weeks ago was still haunting her sometimes and she felt like they shouldn't mess around with her so often...
"Oh well... it's 4 to 2 vote. Democracy wins. Sorry Paimon." Yomite laughed and brought the little fairy closer to his mouth.
"Eeek!?"
She screamed and closed her eyes, awaiting her end.
Contrary to her expectations, however, he didn't take a bite out of her, and instead, lifted her chin with his fingers and kissed her cheek.
"Of course we wouldn't eat Paimon! We love Paimon, after all."
A few moments of processing what just happened later, she was turning red, as expected. He could practically feel the heat radiating off of her cheeks, though she didn't seem to be aware of it.
"Ehehe~"
Paimon giggled like a little child, the sound ringing through the air as she nestled into his hands and wrapped her arms around his fingers tightly.
She held onto him for a few more seconds before lifting her head up to look at him. The image was way too adorable for him not to pat her head.
And when he did so, Paimon leaned into him like a cute little bunny, completely forgetting about her previous hostility and unruly comments about him.
It looked like she just wanted some love and attention as well. She always had an ulterior motive, albeit calling it ulterior would not be correct as she never wanted to harm anyone.
Only expected rewards and praises from her friends.
(So precious…)
The words echoed in his head, over and over again, making him unable to stop patting such cute being.
The members of his party watched on with a warm smile.
He looked like a father, teasing his daughter.
"So cute…"
"Such a sweet little thing…"
"Paimon is so perfect! Paimon is life!"
Paimon almost purred contently at being complimented and carresed. Her smile only grew as he brought her closer to his lips, kissing her softly on the head before cradling her against his chest once more.
After a few more seconds of this fluffy moment, he finally let her go.
Paimon floated towards Lumine with ragged breath and dazed expression, hiding behind her and peeking from behind of Lumine's neck with red face.
"My dear assistant... sometimes you just go overboard...our precious Paimon is shy now..." giggled Hu Tao to herself, as she observed Paimon's expressions.
"Piercing venom of love and passion entered the shiniest fairy; Avo! Hearken to the plea of his proclamation!" Fischl spoke proudly with a small smirk on her lips.
"Mein Fräulein wanted to say that too much affection, may just give the little fairy friend diabetes." Oz translated.
"Alright, in any case. We're getting sidetracked. Iris woke up, that's the thing we should be discussing currently." Yomite said as he walked around the table and sat down on the sofa next to Lumine.
He looked over at Iris and asked, "Are you alright? Care to explain the current situation?"
Iris nodded and replied, "As Master was gone for a very long time, I was forced into hybernation. Thankfully, the mansion was full of masters smell, otherwise I would be in trouble."
"..."
(Calling it smell is a bit weird...wasn't it energy or something like that before!?)
"Well, I'm glad you are alright. But you do seem to be different. Even your speech is no longer unintelligible, so that's cool."
Yomite was glad he no longer had to decipher her weird speech.
"Yes, I have gained a new insight on the God Realm thanks to my hybernation and I no longer need to stay close to master to absorb residual energy."
Her statement made him sigh in relief.
"I see. That's great. Anything else?"
"Nothing else I'm aware off, Master."
"..."
(She gained a level up but all she got was the lift on the restriction...I expected some kind of power up, but I guess not...Well it's not like it matters, she is powerful enough.)
In any case, everyone was glad Iris was alive and kicking.
