At a certain fabric shop in Liyue Harbor
The staff were busy taking the three adepti's measurements. Bosacius was being extremely cooperative throughout the process—he could even chat with the staff while they worked.
When had the staff ever experienced anything like this? This was their first time talking with an adeptus. If their families found out, their ancestors' graves would probably be smoking from the honor!
This was their first time seeing an adeptus! In Liyue, there was a legend: if you encounter an adeptus in the wild and manage to exchange a few words with them, then in the future, something unexpectedly wonderful would surely happen to you!
But that was just a legend anyway.
Compared to Bosacius, Xiao was a bit uncomfortable. The person taking his measurements was a young woman, and this was also her first time seeing an adeptus—she was naturally a little excited.
The adeptus before her was certainly handsome, but every time the young woman looked up, she was met with Xiao's rather grim expression.
She got the feeling this adeptus was quite difficult to get along with...
So she made every movement cautiously.
Ever since Bonanus had returned, Xiao had become somewhat resistant to touch from unfamiliar females. If it was someone he knew, it was fine, but unfamiliar women touching him only made him uncomfortable.
But he couldn't really say anything right now—this was her job after all. No matter how aloof he was, he understood what should and shouldn't be done.
Most importantly, he didn't want Bonanus to worry. If he caused trouble because of his own issues, Bonanus would definitely be upset!
The measurement process for both of them went smoothly. However, there was an exception.
That exception was Bonanus.
As for why Bonanus's measurements weren't going so smoothly, the main culprit was the tail behind her that resembled shattered blades.
The person measuring Bonanus was also a young woman—a particularly attentive and gentle staff member, practically a veteran employee. Yet she found herself stumped by Bonanus's tail.
Bonanus's tail kept swaying back and forth, and it was incredibly sensitive. The moment the young woman touched it, Bonanus looked like she was about to bristle—she'd even blush!
Bosacius had four arms, but he cooperated! Having an extra pair of hands wouldn't cause any trouble for garment production either.
At worst, they'd just have to redesign a new pattern and spend a little more time!
But this female adeptus's tail seemed rather uncooperative. They'd measured everywhere else—only the tail remained.
"Miss Adeptus, could you please make your tail stop moving for a moment?" The young woman measuring Bonanus ran a hand through her somewhat disheveled hair and spoke nervously.
Measuring the tail wasn't about making a special fabric sleeve for it—they just needed the specific measurements for the subsequent production process.
After all, every customer was different!
Hearing this, Bonanus could only cover her flushed face with both hands in embarrassment. Blushing over something so trivial—how unbecoming!
But why was her tail so sensitive?! She hadn't felt this way before, but now...
Whenever someone touched it, Bonanus felt like she was about to float away. It was incredibly embarrassing!
"Um... how about we just design a skirt instead..." Bonanus took a deep breath and said a little sheepishly.
Her tail really was too sensitive! If they kept touching it...
"Absolutely not. You need to trust my skills. I studied tailoring in Mondstadt before, and my very first commission was making clothes for the cat hunters there."
"Those cat hunters have tails too!" As the young woman mentioned tails, a hint of nostalgia crept onto her face.
Hehe, so fluffy～(｀)
"That's not the reason!" Bonanus's face grew even redder at these words. She'd never imagined she'd be embarrassed by her own tail.
She felt like cutting it off with scissors! But unfortunately, Bonanus was afraid of pain. T_T
"Adeptus, trust me! Please cooperate with us!" The young woman shook her head, dispelling thoughts of fluffy cat tails, and spoke with a serious expression.
"It's not that... it's just too sensitive. I can't control it..." Bonanus said helplessly. If her tail was this sensitive, what would happen if an enemy grabbed it during battle?
She didn't dare imagine!
Just as Bonanus was pondering this question, the system in her mind suddenly spoke up.
[Detected host's confusion. System auto-solving. Analyzing...]
[Analysis complete. When the host is relaxed or not in combat, the tail becomes unusually sensitive.]
[However, upon entering combat state, it becomes exceptionally sharp and sturdy, and can serve as one of the host's weapons.]
Bonanus: ....
This thing... could actually be used as a weapon?!
At this moment, Bonanus hadn't realized that her embarrassed, helpless, and conflicted expressions had already been noticed by the young woman.
The young woman simply thought Bonanus was feeling shy—she'd seen similar situations before.
In Mondstadt, those cat hunters' tails were just as sensitive as this adeptus's.
Looks like... she'd have to use some forceful measures!
With this thought, the young woman called out toward the door.
"Sister Fei! Bring a few sisters in here to help me out!"
No sooner had she spoken than several seemingly formidable women—no, formidable elder sisters—walked in from outside.
They looked very amiable, but their presence gave Bonanus an ominous feeling.
These sisters were here to hold Bonanus down. Well, to help her, technically.
"Miss Adeptus, forgive us for this..." The sisters said apologetically. They'd dealt with many fidgety customers before,
but never once had they imagined they'd have to handle an adeptus. They just hoped she wouldn't be angry afterward.
"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Seeing the amiable sisters come over and hold her down, Bonanus panicked.
Her mind went completely blank.
"N-no... don't!" With her mind blank, Bonanus could only make the most basic struggles.
Her chicken-slaughter-like cries echoed outside, where Bosacius and Xiao, having already finished their measurements, were resting. Hearing the screams, both frowned.
"What's going on in there?" Bosacius furrowed his brow. What was with little sister's pig-slaughter screams?
Upon hearing this, Xiao first stroked his chin in thought. After a few short seconds, Xiao's expression shifted to one of realization—he seemed to understand everything.
"In the past, when Bonanus was resting, that area was always sensitive. Something must have happened there."
Leave it to Xiao—without even looking, he'd deduced the problem just from the screams.
Hearing this, a lightbulb seemed to go off above Bosacius's head. He remembered now!
"Now that you mention it, I recall Indarias used to tease little sister like this all the time."
"Doesn't seem like a big problem. Probably don't need us to intervene."
Having said this, Bosacius crossed two arms over his chest and used his other two hands as pillows behind his head. He even elegantly crossed one leg over the other.
Bosacius wasn't worried about the screams at all—in fact, he figured little sister was probably the one causing trouble for others. He even felt a bit embarrassed.
"Still feels a bit concerning..." As Xiao said this, he also settled into his usual comfortable sitting position.
Although he wanted to go in and check, Xiao knew that given Bonanus's current state, it might not be appropriate.
"What's there to worry about? You need to believe in little sister. She can handle it." Bosacius closed his eyes, quietly enjoying the commotion outside.
"Heh..." Xiao shook his head slightly and, imitating Bosacius, gently closed his eyes as well.
And so the two sat there quietly resting, listening to the screams from inside the room while also taking in the noise from the outside.
Hopefully, they'd finish soon!