Father and Daughter (Continued)

Himeko helplessly shrugged and then poured rice into the pot.

"Oh no... I put in too much rice, enough for two people. Should I put up a tombstone for you and place a bowl of rice on it?"

"Can you please stop with these kinds of grotesque suggestions? Why don't you just stick two incense sticks on it?" Liu Bai said irritably.

"It's not impossible, but I don't have any. How about I put three chopsticks in it for you to use?"

Himeko gave Liu Bai a half-smile.

It's clear that Himeko is in a pretty good mood right now.

"Forget it. If you really want to worship me, why don't you wear a swimsuit and dance a hot dance for me?"

"Whoa... I really called the police." Himeko who can be so blunt about his desires is really scary."

If this were Himeko ten years from now, she might already be grinning mischievously, ready to take over.

"What on earth are you saying to an innocent young girl?"

"Purity... okay."

"... What did you mean by that tone?"

This tone, which sounds like "whatever makes you happy," is infuriating.

"I agree... Yes, without a doubt, Miss Himeko, you are indeed a beautiful and youthful girl."

"W-What are you doing... You're being disgusting." Himeko took a step back, her face slightly flushed.

"..."

Himeko was even more outgoing and lively than Bianka was when she was young...

"Is it really okay for you to say something like 'disgusting' to a Guardian Spirit you've only known for a day?"

"Anyway, you're not much of Guardian Spirit, are you? Speaking of which, you eat... uh, you don't need to eat anything."

"Don't tell me you put too much food in too."

"No, not at all." Himeko shrugged. "It's just that having another person around makes me feel unexpectedly uncomfortable... Ah, perhaps 'uncomfortable' is a bit impolite, maybe 'subtle' is more like it? But I'll get used to it eventually."

Himeko didn't need Liu Bai's guidance at all; she had already come to terms with it on her own.

This is probably one of the benefits of having a cheerful disposition.

"I'm going to take a nap. Can you keep an eye on the rice cooker for me?"

Himeko neatly arranged the diced meat and vegetables on the cutting board, covered them with a gauze cover, and then stretched.

... Could it be that the young Himeko is actually a virtuous wife type?

Liu Bai looked at the neatly organized kitchen with disbelief.

No, he clearly remembered that Himeko's cooking skills weren't very good.

However... just looking at the cutting board, it does look quite professional.

"Okay, leave this to me. You can go and rest for a while. I'll call you when the rice cooker is ready."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Himeko was too lazy to go back to her room. She lay down on the sofa, covered herself with a blanket, and closed her eyes.

Meanwhile, Liu Bai began studying Himeko's cutting board.

"... Wait a minute, isn't there a bit too much chili in this?"

Liu Bai glanced at the specialty product bag that had been opened at some point.

That's right, this is a Mexican chili pepper. Although he couldn't identify the specific variety, Liu Bai vaguely remembered that this type of chili pepper was moderately spicy—although there was also a special variety called the ghost pepper.

So these diced chilies in front of me... probably aren't ghost peppers, right?

The spiciness from cutting that thing open would be unbearable... Well, talking about this stuff in front of us doesn't seem very useful.

"Hmm... so Himeko actually doesn't understand ingredient ratios more?"

Liu Bai seemed to be deep in thought; compared to Mei, this was nothing.

Having been used to god-slaying dishes before, Liu Bai said they were all minor issues—he wasn't going to eat them anyway.

Liu Bai looked away—he was now actually looking forward to seeing how Himeko would react to the food he had made.

"... Yeah, it's alright."

Himeko took a bite of the stir-fried pork with chili that she had made herself.

"I think this tastes pretty good—as expected of me!"

Himeko wore a smug expression. "It's a pity you didn't get to try a bite."

"... I don't want to talk about cooking for now."

Among the people I know, apart from a few, why do all the others seem to have some kind of problem with their cooking skills?

I shouldn't have been so fixated on cooking skills!

"How bizarre... Phew, that feels so good."

Himeko quickly finished the food on her plate, a happy expression on her face.

"Let's go borrow Tianwen telescope."

Himeko wiped her mouth and said in a flurry.

"...All right."

Indeed, most people with poor cooking skills are somewhat obsessed with taste.

"Speaking of which, I haven't had time to come up with an observation plan yet," Himeko sighed as she walked through the campus.

"You need a plan to stargaze?"

"... Why does your question sound so similar to those of my classmates who know absolutely nothing about Tianwen?"

"Because I really know nothing about Tianwen."

Liu Bai's "What do you think?" expression silenced Himeko on the spot.

Okay, you have to be patient with newcomers.

"There are many things to consider when stargazing, such as the location and time of observation... but since we two are just casual about stargazing, we don't need to be so particular."

"That sounds very rigorous... but then again, it is a serious discipline after all." Liu Bai smiled. "How about you give me a little more popular science lesson? Like some basic Tianwen... um..."

"What happened halfway through your sentence, Dad?"

Following behind Liu Bai, Himeko also noticed the unexpected "uninvited guest".

"Were you talking to yourself just now, Himeko?"

Himeko's father, Murata Ryusuke, put down his camera in disappointment.

"But Himeko, you're really perceptive. I was even thinking of taking a picture of you when you weren't looking."

"This is a sneaky photo, Dad," Himeko complained. "By the way, Dad, what brings you here?"

"Haha, you didn't expect that, did you? Your old man just happened to be on vacation these past few days, so he came to visit you."

So, the scientists from Schicksal are wandering around in Anti-Entropy's private territory?

That kind of talk can only fool an ignorant girl like Himeko.

However, Murata Ryusuke is probably beyond saving now.

Liu Bai also saw that "alien fur ball" on Murata Ryusuke —it was an alien race named Hughess who had fled there.

"Himeko, were you talking to yourself just now?" Murata Ryusuke asked his daughter with some concern.

"Ah... well... I was just planning my future, it's really embarrassing to be overheard."

Himeko looked embarrassed and deliberately concealed Liu Bai's existence—in fact, it wouldn't have mattered much even if she hadn't hidden it.

Since Liu Bai was determined not to appear, no one could make him appear—moreover, Liu Bai really didn't have the ability to let outsiders see his ghost form.

Moreover, Liu Bai had already discovered that he had seen Hughess, but Hughess had not seen him... Hughess' race had also transformed themselves into spiritual beings, and could even counter Feather of the Wind to some extent. Although they were different from ghosts, they had some similarities with Liu Bai.

It now appears that Liu Bai's "rank" is higher than that of Hughess.

"Honestly, Himeko, you're so old, yet you still can't help talking to yourself in such a secluded place."

Murata Ryusuke smiled.

"It seems you have a lot of free time now, Himeko? How about showing me around the campus? I've heard that American university labs have a lot of advanced equipment."

"Right now... I was originally planning to borrow Tianwen telescope from the lab—it doesn't seem like there's any conflict?"

"Although I'd rather see the physics lab, how could a father disappoint his daughter?" Murata Ryusuke smiled. "Let's go, I'm also very interested in the Tianwen lab."

Judging from this alone, Murata Ryusuke is undoubtedly a good father.

However, the man named Murata Ryusuke had already been "corroded" by desire.

His desire is "space".

Ironically, what broke Murata Ryusuke's heart was the death of his wife, but what truly drove him to his descent into depravity... was the "Ark Project" from the Previous Era.

This man, after his wife's death, attracted the attention of an individual from the Hughes Clan, and with their help, obtained the plans for the Ark Project from the ruins, plus the added thrill of an extraterrestrial visitor...

Then this man... retracting what I said earlier, perhaps "corrosion" isn't quite accurate, "madness" would be more accurate – after seeing the Ark Project, this man began to gradually go mad.

He went mad to the point of exploiting Hughess, Anti-Entropy, the Fourth Divine Key, and even his own daughter.

However, after defeating this madman, Anti-Entropy still gave him a final bit of face—leaving a will for Himeko on behalf of Murata Ryusuke.

This is what is known as a "white lie".

Therefore, the man in front of you is nothing more than a madman disguised as a rational person.

... Speaking of which, the last person to receive similar comments was Otto.

However, Otto is a metaphor, Murata Ryusuke is a factual account.

"Okay! How about Dad stays over tonight and we watch the stars together?"

Himeko didn't notice anything unusual—but that's normal, though.

After all, as long as he doesn't shed his outer shell, Murata Ryusuke is still that doting father who loves his daughter.

What could he possibly say in this situation?

Even strangers shouldn't distance themselves from relatives!

That's why he couldn't be bothered with it. After all, even without his help, Anti-Entropy had done things as perfectly as possible.

"Cough cough..."

"Dad, I'm home. You can eat this first."

After visiting the laboratory, Himeko led Murata Ryusuke to the student cafeteria and ordered a fast food meal.

"After we look at the stars tonight, I'll cook my signature dish for you when we get home! I'll show you how fast my cooking skills are improving!"

So, that level was already a result of progress?

Liu Bai remained silent.

Murata Ryusuke quickly stuffed the handkerchief into his pocket, preventing Himeko from seeing him cough up blood.

Incidentally, Murata Ryusuke's body has reached the point of exhaustion due to his years of research on Honkai – which may be one of the reasons why he went "mad" so easily.

Just then, the cafeteria TV suddenly broadcast a news report, "We have an urgent news report. A hurricane has just been observed near Houston. Meteorologists are advising..."

"Ah..."

Seeing the situation on the news, Murata Ryusuke stood up.

"Sorry, Himeko, I have to go see a good friend in America and won't be back until tomorrow. I'll eat your cooking when I get back tomorrow."

"Sigh... it's work again, isn't it?" Himeko said, seemingly unfazed. "You're always like this... Alright, go ahead and get busy. Remember to eat my cooking when you come back tomorrow."

Himeko is such a sweet and considerate girl now.

"Yes, I will come back... That's right, Dad, I will definitely come back."