Creak~
A breeze brushed past the door, and the hinges groaned with the weight of years. Though it was midday, the warm wind brought no warmth to Su Bai and Eula inside.
On the walls, various unidentified bones intertwined with one another like a canvas painted by a madman—twisted, frenzied, and deranged.
Thick curtains completely blocked the windows, preventing even a single ray of sunlight from entering. A sinister, ominous atmosphere permeated the room. In this environment, a single bed sat quietly against the wall, its occupant apparently seeing nothing wrong with the arrangement.
In one corner, an alchemy workbench emitted a faint greenish glow. As the room's only light source, the pale green luminescence made the bones on the walls appear even more horrifying.
Pushing through the door, Su Bai felt a chill crawl from his feet to the top of his head, involuntarily making him shiver. Even someone like him, who had witnessed the horrors of the battlefield, found the scene deeply unsettling. No—the terror brought by the smell of blood and mangled corpses on the battlefield was entirely different from what he felt now.
Eula was so frightened she couldn't even speak. The forest of pale bones before her was beyond what she could handle. Though she was a trained knight, one mustn't forget—she was still just a young woman in her twenties.
"Eula... you Mondstadt alchemists play pretty twisted games. This hobby is... quite unique."
Su Bai patted Eula's slightly trembling shoulder. This was his first time witnessing such a scene as well, but as an adeptus, he couldn't allow himself to transmit his fear to those around him.
The warm hand on her shoulder dispelled some of the terror from Eula's heart. Calming down, her expression grew serious. Had she not seen this with her own eyes, she never would have imagined an alchemist could be so twisted.
Lisa had said Sucrose was a shy little thing. Looking at this room's decor, nothing suggested shyness. To think Sucrose had fooled even Lisa. What a dangerous individual. As a Knight of Favonius, she absolutely could not allow such a menace to reside within Mondstadt.
"Who are you? Why are you in my home?"
"D-do you... have you seen everything?"
A stammering female voice came from behind them. Eula's heart, which had just mustered a bit of courage, seized violently. She mechanically turned her head. At the doorway stood a bespectacled green-haired girl, coweringly looking at them. If not for the bloody, unidentified object in her hands, Eula might have truly believed she was just a shy child.
"Um... do I know you?"
Sucrose tilted her head. These two—she had only seen Eula, the reconnaissance company captain, a few times and wasn't familiar with her. The man with the tail probably didn't know her.
Had she been discovered following that strange tailed man? Impossible. To avoid detection, she had memorized Mondstadt's entire map—every alley, every hiding spot. She knew it all perfectly.
Sucrose's head tilt at this moment brought no sense of cuteness to Su Bai or Eula. Both thought simultaneously: 'Is this demon wondering how to dispose of us?'
For a moment, the room's atmosphere grew heavy. Unaware of the situation, Sucrose glanced at the wall behind Su Bai and suddenly understood. Holding up the meat-covered bone, she stepped forward, wanting to explain.
With each step Sucrose took toward them, Su Bai and Eula took one back. When they reached the wall, Eula could bear it no longer. She whipped out her Sacrificial Greatsword.
"Miss Sucrose, don't move! Stay right where you are! Su Bai, prepare to fight!"
"Wait—please let me explain! It's a misunderstanding! It's not what you think!"
"A misunderstanding? You've taken so many lives, you dangerous creature, and you call it a misunderstanding?"
With a greatsword in hand, Eula's emotions ran high. Cryo energy danced around her like spirits. Su Bai, however, took a closer look at the meat in Sucrose's hand. It appeared to be boar meat.
Turning back, Su Bai carefully examined the bones on the wall. Though bizarrely arranged, they were indeed just animal bones. He and Eula seemed to have genuinely misunderstood Sucrose.
"Um... Eula, maybe we should hear Sucrose out. She probably isn't a bad person."
Eula looked at Su Bai, then at the bespectacled Sucrose. After sizing her up and confirming she could subdue Sucrose instantly if needed, Eula finally sheathed her greatsword and granted her an opportunity to explain.
Sucrose sighed in relief and hurriedly explained about the bones on the wall and the pork in her hand. Facing Eula's skeptical gaze, Su Bai nodded in confirmation—the bones were indeed animal remains. Sucrose hadn't lied.
After personally inspecting and confirming the bones were animal, Eula coughed awkwardly. In her earlier fright, she had instinctively assumed they were human remains. That was her failing.
"Ahem... seems it was all a misunderstanding. Well then... apologies for forcibly entering your home."
Having learned that collecting bones was merely Sucrose's hobby, Su Bai and Eula grew even more embarrassed. They had been moments away from dragging her to the Knights of Favonius headquarters for interrogation.
"It's fine... Might I ask why you two came to see—"
"YOU PERVERT! I finally found where you live! Prepare to die!"
"Eh? Big fox, you found this pervert before I did?!"
Before Sucrose could finish, Diona burst in from who-knows-where, cutting her off mid-sentence. A Cryo arrow had already been knocked in her bow, aimed and ready. Judging by her bristling fur, she was furious—Su Bai could feel the anger in her voice.
"YOU PERVERT."
Three words from Diona's outburst caught Su Bai's attention. It was then he noticed Sucrose's hair color—green, exactly the shade he had seen that day.
Su Bai's gaze instantly turned dangerous. 'Well, well. Thought this was a misunderstanding. Turns out we've caught the peeping pervert after all.'
"Eula... you might want to bring out your sword again. Miss Sucrose here may need to visit the Knights of Favonius for questioning."
Blocked by Eula and Su Bai ahead and Diona lurking behind, Sucrose found herself trapped in the middle, panic rising on her face. Diona proudly shook a small bottle in her hand.
"I knew that pervert would strike again! I specially sprinkled my custom seasoning in a few concealed alleys. Bet you didn't expect my nose could track the scent right to your door!"
"So... the green-haired peeper that day really was you, Miss Sucrose."
Su Bai's eyes narrowed dangerously. It seemed Miss Sucrose's hobby of collecting bones was evolving in a disturbing direction. If left unchecked, she could become a major problem later. He had no desire to wake up in his own home and find a green-haired head peeking through his window.