Kitty, You Can Hiss

The Crimson Lotus Moth that had been perched on the table fluttered its crimson wings, took flight, circled above the group a few times, and curiously approached.

"Ahem... um..." Xingsu sat down awkwardly on the sofa, his gaze sweeping over Sandrone and Columbina, who were still not calm.

"You're not allowed to speak!" Sandrone's cheeks flushed red as she pointed at Xingsu, both ashamed and angry.

"Sandrone..." Columbina began, trying to calm the agitated the Marionette.

"You too! Shut up, all of you!" At this moment, Sandrone was like a cat with its fur standing on end, hissing at anyone who came across her.

"Alright, Sandrone, stop getting angry and making a scene." Arlecchino, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up to console him, then turned her gaze to Xingsu, "By the way, what did the Tsaritsa talk to you about when she kept you behind alone?"

"I wasn't angry or making a scene..." Sandrone muttered softly, crossing her arms and turning her head away in a huff.

"She did give me a reward that I simply couldn't refuse," Xingsu said, reaching into her pocket to take out a crystal-clear piece of glass.

"What's this?" Arlecchino and Columbina couldn't help but move closer together.

"A small piece of Transcription Prism."

The underlying code of Xingsu was triggered, creating a device that could stably store memories, something he couldn't refuse.

"What are you planning to do with this?" Columbina asked curiously.

"The same object, in the hands of different people, will have completely different uses." Xingsu closed his eyes and slowly poured power into the prism he held in his palm.

The prism slowly twisted and stretched in his palm, shimmering with colorful light, and finally unfolded into a thin sheet the size of a piece of cardboard.

"Hey, reach out and feel the memories sealed inside."

"I'll give it a try." Arlecchino extended her hand, then gave Sandrone a meaningful look. "A very peculiar ability."

"I'll try too!" Columbina placed her palm on the thin slice, chuckled softly, and stole a glance at Sandrone, who was still sulking. "Wow, that's amazing! How did you do that?"

"Hey! What kind of looks are those two giving me?!" Sandrone, who had been left standing there, finally snapped, her temper flaring. "Let me make this clear! I absolutely didn't touch it out of curiosity! I just wanted to study it and see what kind of thing you'd concocted!"

"Oh, I understand." Xingsu smiled mischievously and handed over the prism shard. "Then let our the Marionette master study it."

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you." Sandrone took the prism and touched it, feeling a memory inside. A scene instantly flooded into her senses. It was... herself straddling Columbina, shaking her shoulders.

"Star! Traverse!"

The Crimson Lotus Moth hovering in mid-air were startled by the sound and flew away in a panic.

Sandrone looked up abruptly, but Xing Su, who had been standing there just Xingsu before, was nowhere to be seen. A crisp sound of the door closing came from outside.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!!" A piercing scream echoed throughout the corridor.

"Hmm? Is Miss Vodyanitsa practicing her high notes again?" A patrolling guard listened intently to the world-destroying high notes emanating from somewhere, then turned to look at his companion in confusion.

"Hard to say... but judging from the noise, it doesn't seem like vocal practice," another guard replied, looking bewildered.

Arlecchino removed her hands from her ears. Columbina, clearly more experienced in handling such matters, casually picked up a pastry from the table and stuffed it into the chattering the Marionette's mouth.

"Columbina!"

Chew chew chew

"Let me go!"

Chew chew chew

I must!

Chew chew chew

"Settle this score with him!"

Chew chew chew

"By the way, what kind of snack is this?"

Chew chew chew

Why is it so hard to chew?

Chew chew chew

"These are Five-Nut Night-Blooming Cakes that Xingsu brought back from Liyue during the Moonchase Festival," Arlecchino explained. "They're a specialty of Liyue; you should try them."

Sandrone chewed with difficulty, looking utterly dejected. "... Is this really a pastry? It's harder than bread that's been sitting in Fontaine for too long!"

"Its ability to last a long time is one of its advantages..." Arlecchino crossed her arms and looked behind her.

"Oh~ I think I just heard a beautiful La Signora call my name."

Behind Arlecchino, the door opened silently, and Xingsu leaned lazily against the door, a flower she had picked from who-knows-where dangling from her mouth.

"Huh? What trick are you up to now?" Sandrone mumbled indistinctly, with half a hard pastry still stuck in her mouth.

Xingsu walked in with light steps and stopped slowly beside Arlecchino. He leaned down slightly and gently transferred the wildflower from his lips to Arlecchino's lips.

Arlecchino paused for a moment, but ultimately reluctantly took the flower branch in her mouth, her eyes full of indulgence.

Sandrone's lips twitched, then he shoved away Columbina, who was trying to imitate the two of them.

"You two... can't you at least do your public displays of affection in private? And what's the meaning of doing this in my room?! If you keep this up, you're getting out of my house!"

"Alright, Miss Sandrone, I didn't go out to find a flower to show off in your room, but rather..."

Xingsu reached into his robes and took out a glass bottle. The Crimson Lotus Moth from before was now resting quietly at the bottom of the bottle, its thin, crimson wings fluttering gently.

Sandrone glanced at the glass bottle, stubbornly turning her head away. "Why did you grab it? I only spared its life because I felt sorry for it. I don't have a penchant for collecting insects, much less be so ridiculous as to inexplicably think of Rosalyne when I see a moth."

Looking at her like this, Xingsu suppressed the upward curve of his lips and asked, "Then... do you still want to see her one more time?"

Upon hearing this, Sandrone stiffened, but still feigned impatience and retorted, "How could I possibly want to see that guy?! It's because she always invites you noisy bunch to my tea parties, leaving me no time to be alone!"

"Sandrone means that she misses Rosalyne and wants to have another tea party with her."

"Hey! Arlecchino!" Sandrone glared at her angrily.

Arlecchino completely ignored her little tantrum and looked up at Xingsu seriously. "You... do you really have a way?"

"Resurrect Rosalyne... I feel like I'd be hit by a nail falling from the sky..." Columbina tilted her head, expressing her concerns.

Xingsu shook his head. "I definitely can't resurrect them. Yin and Yang are in order, fate is unpredictable, and death has its own dignity and its own rules."

"Wow... that sounds so philosophical... I don't understand at all." Columbina blinked her clear eyes, looking completely bewildered, and sighed softly.

The warm firelight illuminated the calm expressions on their faces. Xingsu Su lowered his gaze to the Crimson Lotus Moth standing serenely in the bottle and slowly revealed his thoughts:

"However, I do have an idea. But to realize this idea, I have to go to Sumeru myself, and... I absolutely have to go to Sumeru."

(Volume 2: Chasing Stars to Distant Lands, The End)