Greeting the neighbors allowed Cui Xuefeng to finally learn his sister's name. It was Cui Baozhai. He also learned that she did put her guard up around other people. She was careful with her words when she spoke to others, and watched her surroundings when she walked.
When they crossed a road she caught his arm and held it tightly. He knew she'd been eyeing it for a while. He wanted to see what she was intending to do. He was surprised when all she wanted to do was hold it. Now she was holding on for dear life like she expected to be thrown off. Her guard towards the surroundings had melted away again. His eyes softened and he reached over to pat her head. She took it as encouragement and became courageous in her arm-holding. Even her speech became louder and more common. As did her laughter.
With her chatting non-stop on his arm, and his learning system still on, he safely boarded a taxi. He never put down his guard, but as he had long made a habit out of keeping it up, it was as natural as breathing to him. After the initial confusion of entering a new place was finished he could settle in and watch for threats properly. He finally had an idea of what those threats might look like, so he could relax a bit.
Reaching a certain age and having various experiences made it clearer how to dedicate time to separate things. For the next few years, he may not have to do much of anything. For now, he could just sit back and relax. He could focus on his family.
Cui Xuefeng pulled his arm out from his sister's grasp and put it around her. If anything happened he wouldn't have to worry about her arms being torn off when he moved.
They made it to the mall. Cui Baozhai pulled him into a store. She pulled him out a few minutes later with a sour expression. She wasn't happy with their selection. Two stores later they'd bought a few matching outfits. Cui Xuefeng had been made to change his clothes. He gravitated towards active wear. Cui Baozhai changed her selections to matching activewear outfits after noticing this. The little one had a loose black tank top with a gray workout bra on and sweats. She had pushed Cui Xuefeng into a pair of gray male leggings and a black activewear shirt. Their other outfits were similar colors so they could mix and match. Chui Baozhai had insisted on it. Cui Xuefeng didn't care.
He had also picked up a small bag he hooked onto his belt. Although it did not have his previous items in it anymore, it would act as camouflage for his new system inventory. Inventory was another thing he'd obtained when the Akashic Records acknowledged him.
"Ge, I'm done now. Where did you want to go?" She sipped a drink.
Cui Xuefeng had already used his mana sensing to do his shopping. There wasn't anything good here. When she asked he thought of a place. He took back the bag she'd grabbed and put his hand on her back to lead her away from the smoothie stand.
"A Bookstore?" Cui Baozhai looked at the store her brother had brought her to.
"I just want to flip through for a while. There is a bench here." He led her into the store. He set the bags down at the bench. "Don't worry, rest here for a while. I'll keep an eye on you, okay?" He patted her head and reassured her.
He had noticed that she tensed up around outsiders. It was only by his side that she felt safe. Telling her about his mana sensing would probably be a long talk, so he just used this way to tell her that even if he wasn't by her side he was still looking out for her.
Her face reddened. The straw slipped out of her mouth. It looked like she didn't expect to be found out. She quickly looked down and shuffled her feet for a moment before slowly nodding. She couldn't cling to him all the time. Even she was aware of this. There was a woman looking through the magazines and a teenager in the fiction section. She didn't sense any danger here.
"Good girl."
Cui Xuefeng slowly walked down the aisle. He stayed in her view for a while before turning to her, nodding, and turning the corner. He immediately picked up a random book and scanned through it. A few hundred pages didn't even take 5 minutes. He repeated this a dozen times. He was scanning a book about poker and gambling for experts when a pair of males walked into the store. They immediately saw Cui Baozhai. The boys went to the comics section. As they browsed they continued to glance at Chui Baozhai once in a while. Cui Xuefeng could hear that they weren't talking about anything malicious, but his little sister was putting up her guard.
Cui Xuefeng smiled. What a cute little thing she was. It was ridiculous to keep his guard up around this creature. He would treat her more honestly in the future. Her name suited her well. She was a treasure. He continued to scan some books.
One of the boys had just gotten up the courage to try and talk to the cute girl on the bench when a tall man stepped in front of her.
"Baobei, you've finished your drink already? Should we grab you a snack? I'll just be another hour or so." Cui Xuefeng glanced down over his shoulder at the nervous teen.
Cui Baozhai was stunned for a moment. She was relieved at his timely presence, then shocked by the nickname. Lastly, she saw his glance over his shoulder.
Cui Baozhai had always felt more comfortable around her brother than anyone else. She always received a lot of attention from others. Girls glare at her or hide knives in their words, and boys always stare at her. She gets a lot of attention and care from aunties and grandmas. Sometimes she will be given freebies that she can't turn down and get more attention.
Sometimes she can't help but feel like she's on a secret watchlist. A list that everyone but her has access to. Playing nice to get close to her, or keeping their distance like she's a criminal. Sometimes it makes her feel like an animal in a zoo. Other times it's like there's a target on her back.
No matter how she sliced it, the attention would always fray her nerves. It was only around her brother that she could find some solace. They used to be really close. They would go out to play and he would protect her from bullies. Over time, he became more standoffish. Cui Baozhai often found herself at a loss on who to turn to. She couldn't help but curl into herself further. This only made her view of others worse. By the time she realized she was afraid of people, it was too late. She could only lean on her brother or mother from time to time to satisfy her human need for companionship.
Cui Baozhai looked up at her brother towering over her. He had been keeping an eye on her. The boy hadn't taken two steps before her brother appeared. She suddenly felt as if he could block everything with that tall, slender figure of his. She suddenly felt that the world wasn't so scary. After all, she had her brother at her back.