The next morning
Outside Bonanus's room
"Sister, Conqueror of Demons, breakfast is ready. Are you two done with your business?"
Yanfei knocked gently on the door, her voice soft.
She wondered what the two of them had been up to last night.
Curious, she had pressed her ear against the door for about an hour, hoping to hear something interesting.
After all, a man and a woman alone in a room together would surely spark something.
But she heard nothing and only tired herself out. She felt a little disappointed.
Not that Yanfei could be blamed for being curious. That was how the stories always went.
As a legal consultant, reading light novels helped her relax between studying laws.
It was good for relieving stress. Mental stress, anyway.
Receiving no response, Yanfei tilted her head. Were they still asleep?
She pursed her lips and couldn't help imagining what Bonanus and Xiao might have done last night.
To be honest, she fully supported the Conqueror of Demons and Sister Bonanus being together. A handsome man and a beautiful woman. A perfect match.
And she had noticed long ago that they liked each other. She never made mistakes about these things. She had handled plenty of relationship cases.
But for some reason, Bonanus always kept those feelings hidden and turned them into sisterly affection.
"Sister? Can you hear me? Breakfast is ready!" Yanfei knocked again and called out loudly.
...
Inside the room
Hearing Yanfei's voice, Bonanus, still absorbing karmic debt, snapped back to reality. She opened her tired eyes and called back.
"I heard you! Give me a minute to clean up. You go ahead and eat first!"
"Okay! Granny Ping and I will wait for you!" Yanfei walked away from the door.
Hearing the footsteps retreat, Bonanus stood up from the bed and rubbed her eyes. Damn, she felt extra tired today.
"Sister Bonanus, do you need to rest?" Xiao asked with concern.
He gently pushed her back onto the bed and massaged her shoulders, helping her relax.
"No need. It's just that I haven't stayed up this late in a while. Feels a little off." Bonanus closed her eyes and rested. Xiao's massage was just right. She enjoyed it.
"How did it go last night?" Xiao asked curiously.
"Hmm... I think it went pretty well." Bonanus opened her eyes and checked the Hydro Moon Ring's panel.
Current Karmic Debt: 42,300 / ???
Wow! Not bad at all! Why did the absorption speed feel faster than before?
[Hey there, cute system. Care to explain? Why does the absorption speed feel faster now?] Bonanus asked.
[System online. Answering host's question. Since the host has defeated a certain number of monsters in this world, the system has upgraded the karmic debt absorption speed feature for free.]
The system responded in its usual emotionless mechanical voice. Bonanus was used to it by now. It was just a support tool. A cold tone was fine.
[Additionally, the system has provided a karmic debt doubling feature. This means the host will receive double the karmic debt after defeating monsters.]
Hearing that, Bonanus's eyes sparkled. Wow. If you had this feature, why didn't you say so earlier? Now you have my attention!
Suddenly, her tired expression was replaced by a burst of energy. She stood up and stretched happily.
"What a wonderful day! Even the air smells sweeter!" Bonanus said cheerfully. Just yesterday, she had been complaining about the system being unreliable. Now it had changed!
Was her mouth blessed or something?
Either way, with these new features, earning karmic debt would be much easier. That was what mattered.
How lovely, how lovely.
Seeing his sister suddenly perk up, Xiao tilted his head in confusion. What was going on? Had she thought of something happy?
"Hehe, an office worker's perk!" Bonanus laughed foolishly, completely forgetting that a handsome guy was watching her.
"Sister Bonanus, what's wrong?" Xiao asked, puzzled. Something seemed off. She looked a little... slow.
Oh no. Had staying up late made her lose her mind? Not that it mattered. He would take responsibility.
"Nothing, nothing. I just remembered something happy. Let's go out. We shouldn't keep Yanfei waiting."
Bonanus waved casually, fixed her nightgown, tidied her messy hair, and led Xiao out of the room.
At the dining table
"Wow! So much food today!" Bonanus looked at the feast spread before her. Drool nearly escaped from the corner of her mouth.
Even though it was morning and breakfasts were usually simple, this spread was incredibly appetizing. She saw nothing wrong with it.
"Hehe, I made all of this myself! I've been learning some new recipes lately!" Yanfei patted her chest proudly. She had a talent for cooking.
"As expected of you! I wonder which lucky guy will end up with you someday!" Bonanus gave a thumbs up and smiled warmly.
"That's still a long way off! I'm not thinking about marriage yet." Yanfei shook her head. She didn't have anyone she liked at the moment.
"Haha, sit down. The food will get cold." Granny Ping said with a kind smile.
"Yanfei cooked this herself because she wanted to celebrate your return. She wanted to make it special."
Granny Ping slowly picked up some meat from the plate and placed it in her bowl.
"Thank you so much, Yanfei!" Bonanus said happily.
"Hehe, dig in! Tell me what you think!" Yanfei said confidently.
The man and woman sat down, picked up their chopsticks, and prepared to try her cooking.
Xiao ate quietly, but Bonanus wasn't having as easy a time. She looked at the thin, short chopsticks and smiled bitterly.
"With these hands... it's kind of hard to hold chopsticks." Bonanus said awkwardly. Having big hands wasn't always a good thing. Eating was a challenge.
It wasn't that she couldn't use them at all. With practice, she could pick up food. It was just a hassle.
"Ah! My mistake! I forgot!" Yanfei lowered her head apologetically. How could she be so careless?
"It's fine. I brought some." Xiao said flatly. He pulled out a long box from somewhere.
Wow! A Doraemon pocket? This little brother actually carried such a long box! Impressive.
Bonanus took the box and opened it. Inside was a pair of large, long chopsticks. The ones she used to use.
"Why do you have these, Alatus?" Bonanus asked, confused.
"Back when we went shopping together, you always complained about the chopsticks. So I kept your old pair just in case." Xiao said calmly.
"Don't worry. I cleaned them well. They're perfectly clean." Xiao ate his meal leisurely, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"So thoughtful! Alatus has really grown up!" Bonanus said with a smile.
Hearing their conversation, Yanfei shook her head with an amused smile. The Conqueror of Demons was thousands of years old. Sister Bonanus's comment was both heartwarming and funny.
"Eat up. Sister Bonanus, you're staying in Liyue Harbor today. You're not going anywhere." Xiao let out a soft breath, his expression serious.
"Ah! Why?"
Bonanus frowned. The system had just upgraded her karmic debt collection device. She had already planned where to go hunting!
"The Conqueror of Demons means you should rest a few more days, just to be safe." Yanfei explained carefully.
"But..."
Before she could finish, a cold glare silenced her. Seeing Xiao's look, Bonanus shivered.
"Ah... fine, I get it..." Bonanus gave in, eating her food a little sadly. This little brother! Why was he so mean to her?