The earlier minor incident ended quickly, and few people would remember it because no one dwells on other people's business.
Besides, it didn't happen to them—they just witnessed it. At most, they'd discuss it a few times, but they wouldn't deliberately commit it to memory.
Of course, except for certain extremely bored or gossipy individuals.
Anyway, news of today's event would surely spread. When it did, Bonanus could only hope she wouldn't end up with some strange adeptus title from those creative namers.
As for receiving odd adeptus titles, a certain coconut milk-loving "Ganyu" knew all too well about that—it was a lifelong black mark that could never be erased.
---
Back at the cooking competition venue
The battle remained intense. The chefs hadn't been distracted by the earlier accident—their level of focus had completely shut out most external noise.
"Really, every single person here is so tall. I can't see anything at all." Bonanus placed her hands on her hips, her height rendering her completely unable to see the competition.
She'd originally thought she might sneak a taste as a judge, but now with her elder brother watching, that remained just a dream.
In her previous life, she'd stood at a respectable 172 cm (5.64 ft). Now, having come to this other world, she'd been reduced to a 150 cm (4.92 ft) shortie.
If not for the horns on her head, she'd probably be even shorter than Xiao. Being short really made everything inconvenient!
Bonanus sighed, feeling a bit dejected as she looked up at Bosacius beside her. Her eyes were full of envy—after all, he was several heads taller than her.
Bosacius currently stood with his arms crossed, his other two arms swinging rhythmically as he watched. He seemed genuinely interested in the competition before him.
Anyone would be curious about novel experiences, and these chefs appeared far more reliable than the logistics personnel from their army days.
But times were different, and he had no right to complain too much.
The three of them kept some distance from the crowd watching the show—not too far, about three or four meters away.
They had concealed their presence and hidden in the shadows. After all, with so many people around, no one wanted to be approached by strangers while trying to watch.
Hiding their presence didn't make them invisible—if someone looked carefully, they could still be seen. It just made them less noticeable.
Within the crowd watching the competition, several people were searching for the adepti. The adepti had been right there moments ago, then suddenly vanished—how strange!
For a moment, those who had spotted the adepti felt a twinge of disappointment. They'd thought perhaps the adepti had come to serve as judges.
But this disappointment was quickly blown away by the competition before them—the aroma of delicious food always helped people forget their troubles.
"Alatus, can you see anything?"
Bonanus rubbed her forehead and asked Xiao. She wasn't sure what to do now—this was the harbor, with no buildings nearby she could climb.
"Sister Bonanus, I have no interest in such matters." Xiao shrugged indifferently. He truly couldn't understand why Bonanus and Bosacius enjoyed watching this kind of tedious competition.
And with such interested expressions on their faces, no less—it was baffling.
"Then what are you interested in, Alatus?" Bonanus draped her arm over Xiao's shoulder, asking with a mischievous grin.
Since she couldn't watch the competition anyway, she might as well tease Xiao—it was certainly more entertaining than standing around doing nothing.
"Me?" Hearing this, Xiao first stroked his chin in thought, but after a moment, he simply shook his head.
"There's nothing I particularly like."
In the past, Xiao had felt indifferent toward most things. Every day was nothing but slaughter, occasionally interrupted by receiving suppressant drugs or similar items.
Even almond tofu was only palatable to Xiao because he associated it with pleasant dreams. Ordinarily, he would just eat some Qingxin flowers.
"Is that so? Then is there anyone you like, Alatus?"
As she said this, a mischievous smile played at the corners of Bonanus's mouth. She wanted to see what kind of reaction such a question would provoke from Xiao.
The effect was immediate. Hearing this, Xiao was momentarily stunned. He looked at Bonanus with confusion, trying to discern what his sister was really up to.
Perhaps noticing Xiao's puzzled expression, Bonanus didn't hesitate to explain directly.
"Don't overthink it. It's been so many years since we've seen each other—shouldn't you be finding your sister a sister-in-law?" Bonanus patted Xiao's back, a sly grin on her face.
Of course, this was merely a joke. Given Bonanus's Xiao-devotee personality, if she ever discovered Xiao had found another woman, she'd probably jump eight feet high.
Bonanus's thinking was simple: if she couldn't have something herself, she certainly wasn't going to hand it over to some little fox to ruin.
"Sister Bonanus, please don't tease me!" Xiao shook his head vigorously. He wasn't the type to casually go looking for women!
"Seems not, then. Well, with a personality like yours, I doubt any young ladies would fancy you anyway."
Hearing this, Xiao fell silent for a moment. With a personality like this... would Sister Bonanus actually come to dislike me...?
Bonanus narrowed her eyes slightly. In the game, Xiao had taken a particular liking to a certain Traveler. Unfortunately, that Traveler hadn't arrived yet, and she didn't even know whether they'd be male or female.
She hoped for a sister—after all, when playing the game, Bonanus had always treated Lumine as her own daughter!
But if things turned out differently, she wouldn't mind raising a son either...
"And what about you, Sister Bonanus? Is there someone you like?" Xiao suddenly asked out of the blue, using the same question Bonanus had asked him as a counterattack.
Hearing this, Bonanus chuckled softly, then thoughtfully stroked her chin in contemplation.
Judging by her serious expression, she seemed to be giving the question considerable thought.
Seeing Bonanus pondering so earnestly, Xiao couldn't help but feel a flicker of panic. Why is she thinking about it so seriously?
Could it be that in the few days since her return, Sister Bonanus has encountered some suitors?
Romance between adepti and mortals wasn't unheard of—long ago, there had been adepti who fell in love with humans.
Could Sister Bonanus be considering those pursuing her? How could that be? She's only been back a few days!
No, I must investigate thoroughly. If I find such a person... I'll have to eliminate them... No, that might violate the contract. I'll need to devise a more balanced approach...
While Bonanus seriously contemplated the question, Xiao's thoughts spiraled out of control.
Since the two had returned, Xiao's personality had begun to shift subtly. But this subtle change seemed to manifest only around Bonanus.
"What are you thinking about?" Bonanus asked, somewhat puzzled.
Having finished her contemplation, Bonanus looked at Xiao, only to see his expression visibly darkening, giving off an eerily gloomy aura.
"Nothing. Just thinking about some extremely unpleasant matters." Xiao's face darkened as he spoke, lightly closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"Aiya! Always wearing such a dark expression will make people think you've got bad luck written all over your face!" Bonanus hooked her fingers at the corners of Xiao's mouth, using this forceful method to make him smile again.
Seeing Xiao's forced smile despite his darkened face, Bonanus couldn't help but burst into laughter. Indeed, watching the competition was nowhere near as entertaining as teasing Xiao.
"As for me, I like every person in this world. They all have their own stories, their own experiences." Bonanus said cheerfully.
She loved this game—not just because the characters were beautiful, but more importantly because of the stories behind each character.
It was just a game, yet it gradually taught us useful knowledge. Of course, the emotional gut punches were indeed a bit plentiful.
One moment of carelessness and miHoYo would ambush you.
"I see. My apologies, Sister Bonanus. I was overthinking things." Xiao nodded gently.
"But here, I like you a little more."