Chapter 14: Acting Grand Master

"Zuzuzu, today I woke up in an astounding state of mind," Amber hummed jovially while traversing the corridors of the headquarters.

Her fellow Knights observed her with perplexed expressions, pondering the reason behind their typically energetic comrade's exceptionally jubilant demeanor, particularly on this day — it seemed as though she may have consumed ten cups of coffee that morning.

While humming her morning melody, Amber energetically burst into Jean's office, swinging the door open. "Good morning, Acting Grand Master!" She greeted, her face beaming with delight.

Jean sat behind a stack of papers, her skin as fair as snow, her long golden hair pulled back in a ponytail, which further accentuated the beauty of her grayish eyes. Despite her role as the Acting Grand Master, she always looked so elegant. She was the perfect image of responsibility that Amber admired.

"Amber, how many times must I remind you to just call me Jean? And at least knock before you come in too, please," Jean replied without looking up.

Although she had to admit being taken aback by Amber's pleasant good mood, she acknowledged that Amber typically exuded the most energy among themand today, that same cheerful girl seemed to have surpassed the bounds of good cheer.

"Sorry! It's a habit," Amber put a hand behind her neck in an embarrassed gesture.

Looking up and seeing Amber's enthusiasm, Jean raised an eyebrow curiously. "Anyway, rather than scold you, I wanted to know .... Why are you so cheerful today?"

"Jean, I have a strong feeling that today will be a fantastic day! Do you remember my friend who came from another nation? I would like to take him on a flight to showcase the marvels of the wind!"

"Ah, that's the boy you mentioned, Kaito. Yes, if my memory serves me right, that's his name."

Jean was familiar with Amber's new "friend". The previous evening, after completing her daily report, Amber enthusiastically shared her encounter with Kaito while battling Hilichurls. As a dutiful and rule-abiding Knight, she disclosed all the information she knew about him. After all, there was nothing to conceal in the first place.

Amber believed that a person who constantly carried his girlfriend's image everywhere couldn't possibly be a bad person. Though perhaps a bit annoying!

Nevertheless, despite Amber's confidence, Jean could not shake off some mistrust.

As the Acting Grand Master of the Knights, Jean took her responsibilities for maintaining peace in Mondstadt very seriously, regardless of how seemingly trivial the tasks might be. For instance, just yesterday, she assisted an elderly woman in searching for her lost cat. Therefore, she could not simply ignore the presence of an outsider during such stressful times.

And it wasn't only Stormterror they had to deal with lately! Also...

'Kaeya has already given me his "report" on Kaito. He said he saw him waving animatedly in the direction of where those pesky Fatui are staying...'

Naturally, Kaeya was playfully spying on Kaito, hoping to gather some information from him. Jean even imagined Kaeya hiding behind a bush using binoculars, thinking, "Huhuhu, this is going to be interesting!"

In the end, Jean had to threaten to double his weekly paperwork load to get him to spill everything he knew. Even if it was just a nod to the Fatui, that already generated a great deal of suspicion.

"Kurogane Kaito, uh...". Just from uttering it, Jean felt a horrible headache approaching. Something within him was triggering all of her internal alarms and causing her sixth sense as a Acting Grand Master to go on high alert.

She could already smell trouble miles away, surrounding him, as if a black cloud of disaster followed him everywhere. And it wasn't just trouble, but headaches. Many, many headaches. She could almost envision them falling from the sky straight towards her, foretelling the inevitable headaches she was sure that boy would bring her in the future.

"Kaito, uh..." She repeated her words, holding a finger to her chin in a thoughtful gesture. She wondered what she should do. However, Amber noticed a nervous twitch had appeared in her left eyebrow.

"Relax, I'm sure it can't be that much trouble~."

Jean exhaled a sigh so deep that anyone would think she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. "We'll see... I just pray to Lord Barbatos that I don't end up going gray before my time."

Although she enjoyed her work, at the end of the day, she was a human too! She needed rest!

"Amber, I understand that he helped you but there are still things about him that don't add up for me. His story is too improvised and his attitude suspicious."

"Kaito is a good person, you'll see! Besides you haven't even met him, how can you be suspicious for no reason?" Amber pouted, puffing out her cheeks. While Jean was her superior, they were also friends.

Jean wearily massaged her temples. Sometimes, Amber's innocence was hard for her to keep up with.

While Amber spoke highly of him, Jean had been suspicious of Kaito from the very beginning. But for now, she decided not to say anything, as she didn't want to ruin Amber's mood.

"Alright, I'll trust your judgment. But once he completes his training, bring him in for questioning. If he's as good as you claim, he won't mind answering our questions."

"I'll tell him and bring him in! You'll see, Kaito will prove to you that my judgment is sound!"

Jean couldn't help but reciprocate the gesture; Amber's energy was truly infectious.

"Now that you mention it..." She started, but was interrupted by a yawn.

"Jean, you should go get some rest!" Amber approached with concern. "I'll take care of tidying up your papers."

"I appreciate your offer, but don't worry about my office. I can organize it later," Jean said with a smile. Yet, Amber noticed the dark circles under Jean's eyes and knew she really needed to rest.

"None of that, Acting Grand Master, you look exhausted! Let me take over so you can rest easy for at least an hour."

Jean knew that arguing with someone as stubborn as Amber would be a futile endeavor. Besides, it was just a matter of tidying up a bit; it wasn't as if she had to go through any confidential reports. She let out a prolonged sigh of resignation.

"Fine, you win. But don't even think about touching my secret files, you naughty young thing," she warned, pointing her finger at Amber.

"Promise!" Amber gave a military salute. "Mission 'Order Office' starts now!"

And with that, she got down to business while humming cheerfully. Jean, who hadn't slept for two days straight, couldn't help but laugh at Amber's boundless energy. With Amber in charge, at least she would have some peace.

Hopefully, she could get a few hours of sleep before the next crisis.

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