A short while later
Noelle walked out of the bookshop with a book in her hand. As soon as she came out, she saw her sister sitting nearby, spacing out.
Huh? Sister Fashui's expression looked a bit off. It seemed kind of scary, like a hunter spotting its prey.
Just as Noelle was rubbing her chin in confusion, Bonanus noticed her.
"Noelle!" Bonanus waved enthusiastically. She seemed much more energetic now, completely different from her earlier slacker attitude.
What happened? Why did her sister suddenly change like this? Noelle swallowed nervously, walked to the counter, and handed her book to Jack.
Jack took it and said flatly, "Two thousand Mora. Is that woman sitting over there with you? I suggest you keep an eye on her. I think something's wrong with her."
As he said this, Jack tapped his head. Everyone knew what he meant.
"Ah! No way. You must be mistaken, Mr. Jack!" Noelle shook her head firmly. Mr. Jack was basically saying her sister had something wrong with her brain.
She put on a very serious expression, as if to say, "Please don't say things like that."
She paid the two thousand Mora for her book, smiled, walked over to Bonanus, and said quietly,
"Sister, I got my book. We can go."
"Okay." Bonanus slowly stood up, nodded at Noelle, and the two left. The owner was left standing there confused.
Young people these days. They're really something else.
He rubbed his aching head, looked up at the blue sky, and complained as the warm sun hit him.
"I need to get a roof sometime. It's too sunny."
---
On the way to Cat's Tail Tavern
"Hehehe~."
Having bought her dream books, Bonanus couldn't stop smiling. She looked like a crazy fangirl.
"Sister, what's wrong with you?" Noelle walked beside her with a frown. Her sister had been smiling nonstop since leaving the bookshop.
"Nothing, nothing. I just didn't expect this kind of book to exist here. It's exactly my taste. I'm just happy."
Bonanus shook her head. She really didn't know Teyvat had books like this. Now that she knew, she would have to visit the bookshop regularly.
And these were fanfics about Rex Lapus. The stories were probably very exciting. After she finished reading them, she could take them back to Liyue as a gift for him. He would be very happy.
"What kind of book is it? You really seem to love it, Sister."
Noelle nodded knowingly. She understood. Her sister was making those expressions and movements because she had found something she loved.
That was normal. Most people were like that.
"Better not read it. You're still young. You wouldn't understand." Bonanus's expression turned serious. She hugged her books tightly, refusing to let Noelle see.
It was fine if she corrupted herself, but she couldn't corrupt Noelle. The girl was still young. She shouldn't get into this stuff.
"Ah, okay. It's your privacy. I won't peek." As she said this, Noelle unconsciously touched her own book.
Come to think of it, the book she had bought wasn't really appropriate for her age either. She had kept it a secret all this time.
She would have to hide it well. Even from her sister.
"Hehe, Noelle is so good." Bonanus put her two divine books into her space and linked her arm through Noelle's.
"Coming to the bookshop with you today was a great decision. I got something special." Bonanus continued.
This only made Noelle more curious. Something that could turn her always lazy sister into this was hard not to be curious about.
She rubbed her forehead and said softly, "Sister, please don't do this. Making someone curious is torture."
Hearing this, Bonanus pulled her arm back, a little embarrassed. She had been too excited. She would have to control herself next time.
"Sorry, Noelle. I got carried away. I'll be more careful next time." Bonanus rubbed Noelle's shoulders. Her apology was very sincere.
"Thank you for understanding, Sister." Noelle touched Bonanus's hand. Her sister's massage skills were really good. It felt very comfortable.
The pressure was just right. Warm and tingly. Noelle wanted to find a quiet place to lie down and have her sister massage her forever.
"By the way, Noelle, do you drink? We're going to Cat's Tail Tavern." Bonanus put her arms around Noelle's waist and rested her chin on Noelle's shoulder, speaking softly.
Noelle, who now looked like a big cat in Bonanus's arms, felt very comfortable. Noelle was a cute big kitty.
Wanting to tease Noelle, Bonanus gently blew into her ear.
That completely caught Noelle off guard. Sister Fashui was teasing her again. How many times was this?
Seeing Noelle freeze, Bonanus smirked. This kind of prank always worked on Noelle.
She let go of Noelle's waist and flicked her forehead gently.
"I'm done teasing you. Let's go."
"Ah! Oh, okay!" Noelle bit her lower lip and followed Bonanus, still feeling shy.
When Sister Fashui did things like that, it always reminded Noelle of embarrassing scenes from her books. She felt like she wasn't pure anymore.
She wasn't like this before. It was all the fault of the senior who gave her that book. Bad person!
"Hey, Noelle, you haven't answered my question. Do you drink or not?" Bonanus walked with her hands behind her head and repeated her question.
"Um... a little. But not often. And in Mondstadt, alcohol isn't usually served to minors." Noelle answered honestly.
"Same here. I can't drink either. One cup and I'm done. Our goal is to pet cats. Got it?" Bonanus made a cat petting gesture with her hands.
"I see! Got it. But would it be bad to go in and pet cats without buying anything? Would Ms. Margaret be unhappy?" Noelle pressed her hands to her chest, hesitating.
"Don't worry. We can order some juice." Bonanus waved casually. Ordering two glasses of juice and petting cats all day. How great.
"Okay. I hope that works." Noelle rubbed her arms. She still felt a little awkward about it.
Seeing Noelle still hesitating, Bonanus covered her mouth and laughed.
"You don't get it. Not drinking actually has advantages at Cat's Tail Tavern."
"Advantages?" Noelle asked, confused. She really didn't understand.
"The advantage is that you can earn Diona's trust. She's Cat's Tail's star bartender. I heard she doesn't like people who drink. And since we don't drink... you know." Bonanus poked Noelle's side with her elbow and winked.
Petting cats could get boring after a while. But if she could also pet Diona, that would never get boring.
Cute little girls were delicious. Drool.
"Oh! You're so smart, Sister!" Noelle's eyes lit up when she heard that.
She had heard that Miss Diona had a bad temper. Her cute cat ears weren't easy to touch. She didn't know if her sister's idea would work.
But just not drinking to touch her ears seemed unrealistic. They would probably need to get to know each other over a long time.
"Stop spacing out. Let's go." Bonanus took Noelle's hand and headed toward Cat's Tail Tavern.
She knew she couldn't touch Diona's ears in one day. But she did know one thing. There would always be a chance.