It Was All an Accident / Fifty-Seven

Even though he could no longer see colors, he could never forget the color of those stripes; it was the color etched into his deepest memories.

After a moment of silence, the man asked, "Do you really want to know?"

"Uh-huh!"

"May I have your name?"

"My sister Aponia named me Daniela!"

Daniela... no wonder it was a name given by Nun.

"Daniela, what book did you read that knowledge from?" The man opened the window a little, wide enough for a hand to pass through, clearly wanting Daniela to give him the book she was reading.

Daniela was clever. From the fact that she could notice the Nun's recent strange behavior and the little detail of her frequent visits to the mailbox, it was clear that she was a smart and quick-witted girl. Naturally, she understood what the man meant. She turned around and tiptoed back to the dormitory where she slept with the other children. She took out a book and returned to the corridor, passing the book out through the gap.

After the man took the book, he saw the words on it.

Learn How to Pick Up Girls in Five Minutes

"..."

"Ultraman brother, do you think what's written in this book is correct? Do you use this method to pick up girls?"

In response to Daniela's curious question, the man silently opened the book and casually flipped through it.

First of all, the title of this book is a completely unproductive gimmick, because the book contains an unexpectedly large amount of content, and most of it is nonsense. Meaningless statements, parallelisms, and metaphors take up most of the space, and it takes more than five minutes to see anything useful.

However, men read much faster than ordinary people; he finished reading the entire book in three minutes and extracted the outline and main points.

Secondly, while the content of this book isn't entirely without reference value, trying to use it to "pick up girls" will likely only result in inexplicable stares from the opposite sex.

This book is mainly composed of common interpersonal communication techniques combined with some personal wishful thinking.

Although the man had never been in a relationship and didn't know how to be in one, he could still tell at a glance that the book was a complete fabrication.

Of course, he also doesn't need to know how to date.

"Want to know how to pick up girls?" He put down the book seriously.

"Uh-huh."

"Okay, I'll teach you."

Chapter Sixteen: It Was All an Accident

The letters placed in the sunlight became a daily routine for the Nun, something she would read as soon as she woke up, and she even felt that this would become a habit in the future.

She opened the envelope, and this time she saw that the letter contained replies to everything she had written, all of them meticulous and detailed, down to every single word. It was clear that the man had been reading her letter very carefully.

Soon, she saw Abaddon Yama Demon's part.

"Abaddon Yama Demon?"

The Nun muttered the unfamiliar name to herself. She thought for a moment and looked around on the bookshelf next to her, but she couldn't find it even after searching through all her books.

It sounds like a compound word. Abaddon is a Hebrew word that appears in the Book of Job and the Book of Proverbs. It means "land of destruction" or "realm of the dead." It refers to different things in different eras. Sometimes it is a place, and sometimes it refers to the angel of destruction or the demon itself. On the other hand, Yan Luo is a completely unfamiliar word. It sounds like a term from Shenzhou.

Is this a typo?

The Nun pondered for a while in a daze but couldn't come up with a solution. In the end, she could only write down her thoughts and stuff them into the envelope.

The sense of immorality in privately corresponding with someone who might not be a good person, even though her inner beliefs resisted it, still made her want to continue.

Furthermore... Mr. Ultraman isn't necessarily a bad guy. Although he wields dangerous weapons, he doesn't abuse violence. He even donates to the nursing home, promises to cure the Honkai Sickness, takes the children out to play, and has a very pleasant voice...

Thinking about it, the Nun suddenly realized that her opinion of men seemed to be becoming subjective, so she immediately stopped her unnecessary wild thoughts.

It's strange, even though we haven't known each other for very long, why do I always feel like I've known Ultraman for a long time?

The Nun looked at the windowsill; someone had carefully closed it before leaving to keep the cold wind out, and she smiled slightly.

Perhaps it's because he's not like other people who always hide something?

After dropping her letter into the mailbox, the Nun walked toward the back courtyard of the nursing home. Today was her weekly Bible reading session with the children. She didn't intend for the children to accept her faith; she just wanted them to learn to read through the Bible. Wasn't that in accordance with God's will?

She walked to the front door and was about to push it open when she heard a cold voice from inside.

"Turn the book to page two, look at the table of contents first, and I'll have someone read the first paragraph."

Huh? That voice is...

The Nun quietly walked to the window and saw a man wearing Ultraman mask holding up a "textbook" and instructing the dozen or so children sitting below to open their "books." He walked among the children with an air of authority, just like a real teacher, checking whether they had opened their books.

"Ha, so that's why he was out so late at night, he was photocopying books."

The Nun turned her head and saw Chrono standing with his arms crossed in front of another window. When he noticed her looking over, he snorted coldly and turned away, "I'm going to work. Tell him he doesn't need to come."

He left so gracefully and decisively, as if afraid the Nun would keep him there.

The Nun looked at the man in surprise. Even if she had sent these children to study, she couldn't make them behave so well. It was as if children and reading textbooks were inherently incompatible, and even the most well-behaved children would resist.

This time, however, she didn't see any of the children making a fuss. They were all reading their "textbooks" with great interest, even eagerly waiting for the man to make them read.

He can also teach?

The Nun watched all this quietly, and before she knew it, a serene smile had appeared on her face.

"Okay, Daniela, you get up and read the first paragraph."

"Okay, Ultraman teacher!"

Daniela excitedly stood up, eagerly picked up her "textbook," and began to recite aloud under the Nun's approving gaze—

"So-called love is a war. Don't think that love is beautiful, noble and desirable just because the princes and princesses in fairy tales always have a happy ending. If you think that way, you are wrong! The prince actually had sex with a dozen succubi every night before meeting the princess, while the princess went in and out of the goblin cave every day!"

The Nun's smile froze.

"Do you understand? Whether it's your body or your mind, if you want to be in a relationship, you have to be prepared to be completely polluted, even dirtier than rat droppings in a sewer!"

Her lips twitched, and her eyes gradually shifted from gentleness to an indescribable... indifference.

Daniela, oblivious to the world around her, continued reading aloud with her vast vocabulary, her voice more powerful and moving than ever before, as if she had resonated with the author of the book!

"As the saying goes, all's fair in war. Since love is a war, then any means are justified! Remember, love is not rape! Love requires the other person to genuinely believe that they love you, whether it's through deception, coaxing, financial incentives, or social skills!"

"Cultivate dependence! Cultivate a sense of security! If you have money, abuse it! If you can lie, make the other person believe you are the best person in the world!"

"If you want your girlfriend to find housework a hassle, then clean every corner with 200% speed and thoroughness before she gets home!"

"If she thinks you're not obedient enough, then listen to her every word carefully, but you must have your own judgment, because not everyone likes a puppet!"

"She thinks you're naughty and mischievous, so change your persona and be a good boy from today onwards. That's the key to a positive change!"

As Daniela read aloud louder and louder, the Nun's gaze grew colder and colder. The man standing in front had already noticed her and began to give Daniela meaningful glances, but how could anyone discern the meaning behind his beady eyes on his mask? So he frantically gestured to her.

Daniela was completely absorbed in the moment and didn't see the man's actions or notice the Nun's meaningful gaze.

At this moment, the other children also noticed the man's prompt. They turned their heads, shivered involuntarily, and fell silent as if sitting on pins and needles.

"Remember! Make the other person feel that you are the best, even if you are just an ugly, unpleasant-speaking, cunning, and scoundrel masked man! — Ultraman's passionate performance!"

After Daniela finished reading, she bowed to the silent audience.

But when she realized no one was responding to her, she looked at the man who was now standing at full height, and then at the direction he was looking.

He met a pair of eyes that seemed to have fallen into an ice cellar.

Chapter Seventeen, Fifty-Seven

"Teacher, did we do something wrong?"

The man remained silent in response to Daniela's question. He looked at the figure in front of him, then at Daniela's innocent and childlike face.

He shook his head decisively.

He whispered to Daniela, "The more someone cares about you, the more they want to get your attention. So the beginning of a relationship is often about attracting the other person's attention, for better or for worse. We were very successful."

"Really? That's wonderful." Daniela looked at the man with shining eyes.

When the man looked up, the Nun's murderous glare was palpable.

"Mr. Ultraman, I hope you can explain what you are teaching the children, and why you are teaching them?" The Nun was unusually angry as she stared at the perfectly calm man, wanting to question his actions.

Compared to the Nun, the man's reaction was rather indifferent, but that doesn't mean his words were equally bland. "I believe that providing early relationship education is beneficial and harmless to a child's growth."

"Love, love education?" The Nun was stunned.

"Yes."

"But that's not right either, the views on love you're teaching them are wrong!" The Nun quickly retorted, almost fooled by his righteous indignation. "How can you..."

"Mistake?!"

The man's sharp, piercing gaze, like the tip of a knife, broke through the mask's oval eyes, his imposing presence leaving the Nun stunned.

"Although you don't belong to any particular denomination, the identity of Nun only exists in Catholicism, and Catholicism does not allow Nun to marry. Since you are not allowed to marry, how could you possibly know whether your views on love are correct or not?"

"This..."

Seeing the man overpower the Nun with his imposing presence, Daniela's eyes shone even brighter.

"As for me, I have nearly double-digit female friends, and the male friend I'm closest to has a long-term, stable romantic relationship. I have years of experience observing what real love is like."

"I... this..."

The Nun had never been so thoroughly perplexed by such a seemingly logical argument. She was indeed very good at persuading others, but once she entered an unfamiliar territory, where did she even begin?

The man lowered his head and said to Daniela, "When she can't refute you, that's when she starts to accept your point of view, and accepting the point of view means she will accept you as a person next."

Daniela nodded seriously, remembering his words, and then said—

"But isn't the teacher dating Aponia? Why is Aponia contradicting the teacher? And the teacher said that Aponia is Nun and can't get married, so why are you still dating her?"

"..."

"..."

The Nun stared dumbfounded at the man who had his head down. He looked like a dog that had lost a fight and had its tail between its legs, and he didn't dare to look her in the eye.

When did she start dating this man?

"Huh? Teacher?"

"Daniela, I..."

"Even in a relationship, there will be disagreements, that's normal." The man flashed to the Nun's side the instant she began to explain, and before she could react, he put one arm around her waist and pushed up his mask with the other. "So I think we should have a proper discussion about our differences now. Daniela, you should go back first."

The Nun didn't react at all, only managing to weakly reach out to the envious Daniela: "Wait a minute..."

"Did you know that the number of stars and the moon you can see in the night sky actually depends on the number of people you will meet in your lifetime?" At this moment, the man extended his gloved fingers and pressed them against her lips. "All those stars in the sky are exactly the same, but only the moon can stir the tides. Can I become your moon and the moonlight that shines upon you?"

How could Nun was always pure and abstinent have ever heard such romantic words? The thought that this man might just be trying to teach those children such sweet talk made her grit her teeth and say angrily, "How many people have you fooled with these kinds of words?"

"I just wrote it."

"..."

"So, are you willing to be the only one who gets fooled by this statement?"

Daniela couldn't help but clap, not only for the lovely blush on the Nun's face, but also for the man's scumbag remarks.

Then, she obediently left, went back to review the knowledge the man had taught her, and made up her mind to become a "love expert" like him.

"... Is it alright now?" the Nun asked coldly, the blush on her face still lingering, but her expression had completely cooled.

The man promptly released the Nun, took two steps back, and returned to a delicate distance.

"Mr. Ultraman, I am very grateful for your help to the nursing home and for taking care of those children and Chrono. I believe you are not a bad person." The Nun's tone was always indifferent, even now. "But I hope those children can have a healthy and normal path to growth. You were a child once too, weren't you? Your childhood happiness can also be their happiness, instead of this... nonsensical thing, right?"

"..." The man remained silent for a long time before nodding. "Mm."

"Lin? Why did you think of contacting me?" Spasi took off his mask and joked with the person on the other end of the communication.

He gestured for the others to continue, then went outside to handle some matters before leaving the operating room and walking into the corridor.

"... Doctor Spacy, how's the improvement of the Honkai Sickness Serum going?"

"Lin, I've already said it," Spasi said seriously. "This is not something you should worry about. There's no room for improvement in the serum itself. The serum's effects have determined that the amount that needs to be extracted is huge and fixed."

This was met with a long silence on the other end. If Spasi hadn't been able to hear the other person's steady breathing, he probably would have thought the communication had been cut off.

How much serum do you have now?

"... Lin, what are you going to do?"