Hua's Father Lends a Helping Hand

"As for scientific research... I'm not sure I have any talent in that area. I was always better at the humanities, too."

No wonder Hua had hesitated when Liu Bai had previously suggested learning mechanics. Still, that was perfectly normal. Even Liu Bai himself couldn't be sure.

"Does this choice have something to do with my future fate?" A trace of anxiety befitting her age appeared on Hua's face.

"Who knows... Looking at it this way, we're both pretty clueless."

The thought made Liu Bai laugh.

"Let me see your textbooks. I want to know what middle school students study these days."

"They're in my backpack in the bedroom."

Hearing that, Liu Bai returned to the bedroom, found Hua's backpack, and looked through the textbooks inside.

Liu Bai picked out the science subjects and gave them a rough review. He found that the Previous Era's textbooks were basically no different from the ones he remembered.

That would make things easy...

"Hua, how about I tutor you in science from now on?"

"Huh? Teacher Liu, you want to tutor me?" Hua was a little stunned when she heard Liu Bai's voice. "Of course. I couldn't ask for anything more... Oh, right, Teacher Liu, do you want to learn martial arts?"

After agreeing, Hua asked a question that even she found incredibly strange.

What use was it for a ghost like Liu Bai to learn martial arts?

"Learn it? Of course I'll learn it. I've wanted to yell Ora Ora for ages."

To Hua's surprise, Liu Bai displayed enthusiasm for learning martial arts far beyond anything she had expected.

Heaven pity him, was it really too much for a spirit companion to be a Stand?

"Uh... Ora Ora?"

Hua tilted her head, completely unable to understand.

Teacher Liu always came out with strange new words she had never heard before.

The new vocabulary she had heard in this one hour already surpassed everything she had heard over the entire previous year.

"Ahem, it's just a battle cry to make your punches sound more imposing."

That reference really was hard to explain to someone who didn't get it...

"To make them more imposing? Then I'll try it when I practice later."

...This child actually believed him.

Are you Bianka or something?

Liu Bai pressed a hand to his forehead. The immortal, still only a middle school student, was surprisingly easy to fool.

But where was this strange sense of accomplishment coming from?

Thinking of the Scarlet Bird Immortal who would one day look down upon the mortal world from Tai Xu Mountain, or Class Monitor Fu Hua, whose every movement seemed laden with hidden meaning, Liu Bai felt like he understood where that sense of accomplishment came from.

But...

"Ahem, you can only use that move when fighting vampires. It won't work at any other time."

Liu Bai suddenly said something else that left Hua utterly baffled.

If Fu Hua really started screaming Ora Ora while fighting in the future... Tsk, the image was too beautiful. Liu Bai could no longer bear to imagine it.

It would be a disaster that utterly ruined the aesthetic.

"Vampires?"

There were already ghosts, so vampires... sounded reasonable at first glance, didn't they?

...Was it really reasonable?

Success! She had bought it!

Achievement points up!

After considering the matter from every angle, you decided to begin with Hua's studies and tutor her in science like a real teacher.

At the same time, as thanks for your tutoring, Hua began privately demonstrating her family's martial art—the Cunxin Fist—for you.

However, it had to be said that your talent for combat was utterly abysmal—even as a spirit.

Wake up. Before I gained Mobius's research abilities, my talent for scientific research was just as abysmal.

Liu Bai complained inwardly.

He still had some self-awareness, after all. He had been beaten down by reality for more than twenty years in his previous life.

In contrast, Hua quickly displayed both the aptitude of an outstanding student and diligence beyond that of ordinary people. In just a few days, under your guidance, Hua had begun tackling high school material.

...It was hard to tell whether the student was impressive or the teacher was.

Still, Liu Bai felt that even high school knowledge would not be enough to stop Fu Hua. As long as difficulties could be overcome with perseverance and determination, they would not be a problem for Fu Hua.

Besides, Fu Hua had always given off the feeling of being an all-rounder. She had the grades, she had the strength, and she was one of the Honkai world's three culinary gods alongside Rita and Mei... Well, her chest was somewhat regrettable.

—Though that might not necessarily be true. Fu Hua's body had been frozen at seventeen. For all anyone knew, she might be the late-blooming type, like a certain Ahoge King.

...So Hua's talent for scientific research might be even greater than she imagined.

Chapter 59: Hua's Father Lends a Hand

At last, after a long period of training and Hua's hands-on guidance, you finally grasped the basics of the Cunxin Fist.

Obtained skill: **Cunxin Fist lv1**

During this time, Hua was also about to graduate. Under your guidance, she repeatedly won awards in all kinds of academic competitions and easily received an offer from Canghai High School.

Fu Hua compatibility +20%

"Hua, have you decided to attend Canghai High School?"

At dinner, Hua's father asked his daughter with concern.

Over the past year or so, he had watched his daughter transform from an ordinary top student into an award winner in all kinds of competitions.

As her father, he naturally felt immensely proud.

"Mm. I think Canghai High School is pretty good. It's close to home, and it'll cost less, too," Hua said after hesitating for a moment.

"Close to home... Ah, children have to go out into the world eventually. Still, it doesn't seem like there are many better high schools."

Hua's father nodded. It was not as if he truly did not understand which schools were better.

"Oh, right. Should we send your tutor a gift? He's taught you for so long. We can't afford luxury cars or jewelry, but some local specialties would be nice."

Liu Bai and Hua actually taught each other at an off-site "secret base." Hua's excuse was that her excellent academic performance had caught a teacher's attention, so he had begun tutoring her after school.

Come to think of it, after-school tutoring... classroom, teacher, student.avi.

His thoughts seemed to have become filthy too... Well, perhaps they had always been filthy.

After all, everyone was an upright gentleman. There was no need to hide anything.jpg.

Well, it sounded a little strange, but the two of them really were doing proper things.

The knowledge Liu Bai taught could be learned anywhere, but the martial arts Hua taught would have been somewhat inappropriate to practice at home. Besides, mechanical construction involving hands-on work also required space.

So the two of them found a "secret base."

"Your dad really gets it."

Liu Bai did not want anything from Fu Hua, but seeing Hua's father's attitude still gave him a quiet sense of satisfaction.

"No need. My teacher is a martial arts enthusiast, so after he tutors me, I teach him some of the boxing techniques from our martial arts school."

"You silly girl, how can that be enough?"

The moment Hua mentioned it, her father's voice suddenly turned stern.

...Could it be that Hua's father placed great importance on the martial arts school's traditions?

Just as Liu Bai thought that, Hua's father's next words made the corners of his mouth twitch.

"That teacher has spared no effort teaching you. How can you teach him just a little boxing in return? It's fine to teach him our family's Cunxin Fist. Times have changed. Martial arts aren't worth much these days, so there's no need to hold back with a teacher who's helped you."

Your generosity is comforting, sir, but is it really okay to evaluate your own family martial art like that? You're making me look pretty foolish...

And is there perhaps a chance that the world will change back in the future...?

"Uh..."

Clearly, Hua was also confused by her father's sudden turn.

Hua's father looked earnestly at his daughter. "Hua, martial arts schools are outdated these days. No matter how strong a man is, one gunshot is all it takes. When I travel elsewhere, I'm embarrassed to tell people that I run a martial arts school. In the future, you can get a job, become an entrepreneur, or enter politics, but a martial arts school... Your father really doesn't support that."

"This..."

This was the first time Hua had heard her father speak of his hopes for her.

But all she had ever wanted for her future was to inherit her father's martial arts school.

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this. Once you've seen more of the world in the future, you'll have new ideas."

Hua's father put down his bowl and chopsticks and slapped the table.

"Oh, right. Since the teacher tutoring you is a martial arts enthusiast, I'll personally teach him martial arts. I guarantee I'll pass on everything I know to him. That solves both problems!"

"Dad, are you thanking him or taking on a disciple?" Hua teased first, then lowered her voice and spoke with some embarrassment. "Um... What I taught Teacher Liu was the Cunxin Fist."

"..."

This time, Hua's father choked. His brows visibly twisted together before he leaned close to his daughter and lowered his voice, asking like a thief in the night:

"Uh... Hua, tell Dad, what kind of person... is this teacher of yours?"

Hey, hey, hey! I can still hear you even if you lower your voice!

"Dad, why are you asking that?"

"It's just... Do you think your teacher is young and fairly handsome?"

"Um... Probably?"

Hua answered hesitantly. Her communication with Liu Bai was limited to his voice, but judging from that voice...

Teacher Liu was probably an elegant and handsome sort of person.

Fu Hua compatibility +5%

?

Seeing the compatibility notification suddenly pop up before him, a question mark appeared over Liu Bai's head.

Seeing his daughter's bashful, hesitant expression, Hua's father's entire face seemed to twist into a knot this time.

"Ahem, Hua, it's not that Dad wants to interfere with your private life, but... teacher and student... Sigh, no, Dad isn't some old-fashioned fossil, but, but this..."

Hua's father patted his face with a conflicted expression.

Hua, meanwhile, looked visibly bewildered.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hua's father organized his thoughts again.

"What Dad means is, Dad knows you're an independent, strong girl who never needs him to worry about anything. You're also at that age when young girls start falling in love, so Dad can understand if you have your own thoughts. But teacher and student... Hua, you need to think about it. Maybe you feel like you like your teacher, while your teacher is simply looking after you..."

"Wait, wait, wait! Dad! Where did that come from!?"

Having understood what her father meant, Hua's face turned completely red, and she did not dare look to her side.

Teacher Liu was right beside her!

"My relationship with Teacher Liu is really nothing but a pure teacher-student relationship! It's absolutely not what you think!"

"Is that so?" Hua's father looked suspiciously at his daughter, whose face had reddened all the way to her ears. He seemed to understand something, then let out a long sigh.

"Sigh, a grown daughter can't be kept at home. Dad trusts your judgment, too. How could my daughter have poor taste? How about this? Pick a day and bring your teacher home. Dad and your teacher can have a few drinks."

But Teacher Liu was right beside her—!

There was no teacher at all—!

Teacher Liu was only a spirit companion—!

"Dad—!"