Considering how obnoxious Herta was, he locked her up and decided not to use her for the time being.
Under these circumstances.
Going to find Ruan Mei was clearly not a bad option.
"Ruan Mei is—"
He silently appeared before Ruan Mei's mystery-filled laboratory and gently pushed open the door. A heartwarming scene came into view.
Topaz was holding an exquisite pinwheel, lightly using it to tease the flower petals drifting in from afar, her face blooming with a childlike, innocent smile.
Beside Topaz stood a girl who bore a startling resemblance to Ruan Mei. She was holding a green qingtuan in her hand, taking small bites from it.
The girl's long hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall. Between the strands was a fantastical gradient, transitioning from deep black to elegant blue, like the brightest river of stars in the night sky.
That truly was a rare hair color gradient, enough to leave Russell staring blankly.
For a moment, he felt as though his brain had suddenly stopped responding like a computer program.
No—
The last time he saw her, she had still been so tiny, so tiny that Ruan Mei had needed to hold her.
How had she become this big in the blink of an eye? Had she eaten a Stellaron or something?
What exactly had this child gone through to grow so much all at once?
Until—
"Are you here to find Mom, Dad?"
The girl who was eating lightly turned her head and asked Russell.
"...Yes."
There was an unusual hint of hesitation in Russell's voice, as though time itself had lightly brushed against him and left him dazed.
—Even he could not help feeling confused as he watched his child seem to transform in an instant, as if touched by a spring