Huh? Red mark? Bonanus didn't understand at first. What red mark?
"What are you talking about, Alatus?" Bonanus tilted her head, looking confused.
Xiao frowned. He stepped forward, grabbed her right paw with one hand, and rubbed her neck hard with the other.
It wouldn't come off. Who was the bastard who left that? Damn it. For a moment, Xiao wanted to cut off that ugly mark with a knife. But he held back.
"Who did this?..."
His aura continued to drop. The grip on her hand tightened, as if he might crush it.
Noticing his expression and the pressure on her hand, Bonanus's voice rose slightly.
"Alatus! Let go!" Bonanus said, a little annoyed.
Xiao froze at her words. He slowly released her hand. It was the first time his sister had ever raised her voice at him. He was still processing it.
Freed, Bonanus rubbed her paw, frowning. What if he had crushed her claws? Those were her weapons, her tools for survival.
"You yelled at me?" Xiao said coldly. Had she found someone new in Mondstadt? Had she already forgotten him?
Hearing that, Bonanus covered her face with her big paw. She was speechless. Thousands of years old, and he was still throwing a tantrum like a child.
But she had no choice. She felt like the shorty was about to go dark. She shook her head helplessly, rubbed her chin, and said flatly,
"It was probably a female friend. Don't make a big deal out of it." She reached up and gently patted his head. This guy was like a bomb ready to go off at any moment.
"Really?" Xiao asked, still skeptical.
"Have I ever lied to you, your beautiful and powerful sister? Don't you trust me?" Bonanus patted her chest with her paw, putting on her most honest expression.
Hearing it was a woman and seeing his sister's assurance, Xiao's dark expression improved considerably. Women didn't have the right equipment for that. Still, it made him wary.
For his sister, the danger wasn't just men anymore. It was also women. He had a strange feeling that the whole world was competing with him for his sister.
(T/N: Bro let it go...)
What a headache. Xiao rubbed his brow. What could he do? To keep his sister from being taken away, he needed to keep her within his sight.
He could talk to Rex Lapis about it. After guarding Liyue for over a hundred years, surely the god would grant him this request.
"Fine. I trust you, Sister Bonanus."
Xiao nodded and took her paw again. Not for anything else. Just to check for injuries.
He closed his eyes and used elemental energy to check if she had any lingering internal wounds.
A short while later...
"You've recovered well, Sister Bonanus. To be safe, I'd recommend resting a few more days."
"It seems the Anemo Archon took good care of you." Xiao nodded. The Anemo Archon was his benefactor. He had once helped Xiao before.
And now, that same god had helped his sister. He felt like he owed him a lot.
"He was alright. Except he got drunk every day, and I had to drag him back to the inn. He even threw up on me once."
Bonanus shook her head helplessly. Just thinking about that vomit made her want to throw up her breakfast.
It smelled terrible.
"Hmm?" Xiao's brow furrowed again.
He had never gotten that kind of treatment. This was infuriating. Venti's standing in Xiao's heart dropped a few notches.
Just imagining that bard vomiting on his sister made him angry. His sister had been dirtied.
Seeing Xiao's expression darken again and feeling his grip tighten, Bonanus was completely baffled.
What was wrong with this kid today? She had only been gone a few months, and he was like this. He clearly needed her company. His brothers' company wasn't the same.
They just drank and boasted. It was ridiculous.
Thinking that, she raised her other free paw. Without hesitation, she gave him a hard chop on the head.
The strike snapped Xiao back to reality. He clutched his head, wincing. His own sister had hit him!
If this were an anime, a huge bump would be rising on his head, probably smoking.
Well, at least that made him taller. A 2.6-meter Xiao. Heh.
Since he had let his guard down around his sister, he took the full force of the blow.
"Snap out of it, idiot. Stop overthinking." Bonanus flicked his forehead again.
The powerful flick stung his head. Bullying her little brother felt pretty good.
Defeated, Xiao fell silent. What could he do? He wasn't about to hit her back. He could never bring himself to do that.
But hitting wasn't the only way to fight back. He had other methods.
Suddenly, Anemo energy swirled around him. It wasn't hostile, but the force was strong.
With a whoosh, the wind enveloped Bonanus. Caught off guard, she was launched into the air like a rocket.
Just as she tried to use Hydro to free herself, her hands and feet were suddenly bound.
She looked down. Chains made of Anemo energy. And why couldn't she use her elemental power?
Oh, come on! She was about to yell, but something made of Anemo energy sealed her mouth.
The wind lifting her faded, and the girl, bullied by her own brother, fell from the sky in confusion.
In that moment, Bonanus experienced an unforgettable bungee jump. Free falling from high up. What a beautiful experience.
Xiao watched from below with a smile. It might have been a little overboard, but his sister probably wouldn't mind.
He waited a moment...
Bonanus got closer and closer to the ground. Just as she thought her face would make intimate contact with the dirt, the Anemo energy rose again, catching her safely.
She let out a deep breath of relief. Even as an adeptus, hitting the ground from that height would have turned her into a pancake.
Seeing his sister relieved, Xiao chuckled. He leaped up and carried her down in a princess hold.
He smiled warmly and leaned in. Their faces were almost touching. Bonanus felt like they would kiss if he got any closer.
"Sister, was that fun?" Xiao's lips curled up.
"Mmph! Mmph mmph mmph!" With her mouth sealed, Bonanus could only protest in muffled sounds.