[Friendly reminder: I wrote this book by imitating a certain serial procrastinator's writing style (note: this is only for reference, and I'll definitely add a little of my own style too). If anything is poorly written, you can message me privately on QQ or offer suggestions.
How often this book updates depends on how much support you dear readers give me-as long as there's enough support, this book definitely won't go off the rails.]
[Also, if any characters don't match their original characterization, feel free to message this author privately. There may also be quite a few original characters in this book, so if that's not your thing, please don't flame me.]
[Brain storage area]
At dusk in Lumina Square, the last blue flame on the ramen stall's gas burner went out.
Lin Shuo counted the Dennies in his hand, his movements as practiced as someone taking inventory of ammunition.
One hundred and twenty-seven Dennies-after costs, today's net profit was forty-three.
Enough to pay next week's stall fee, with a little left over for flour and pork bones.
"Too uneventful."
He muttered to himself, yet the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
Uneventful was good.
Uneventful meant no Hollows suddenly expanding, no Ethereal attacks, no emergency call-ups from the Defense Force.
Uneventful meant sleeping straight through until morning without reliving the laboratory's white walls and his parents' goggle-clad faces in his dreams.
When he left Obsidian Camp at nineteen, Captain Willowisp had told him with some regret, "Come back anytime, Lin Shuo-your eyes are what the team needs most."
Lin Shuo had only shaken his head.
The Mangekyō Sharingan? His Half-Ethereal Transformation ability? He would rather trade all of it for a night without being startled awake by nightmares.
So he set up a ramen stall in Lumina Square.
"Ichiraku Ramen"-he had stolen the name straight from an anime in his memories. It wasn't as though anyone in this world would sue him for infringement.
The preparation process the system provided had turned out to be surprisingly useful. The broth was rich, the noodles springy, and even picky regulars said it was better than those places in Lemnos Hollow.
Though that damn system had never issued another proper quest after handing out a beginner's gift pack and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
"Find quests the system considers executable yourself"-what kind of bullshit setup was that? Lin Shuo had served in the Defense Force for three years, watching helplessly as his comrades suffered Ether corruption inside Hollows. The night his eyes evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan, he shouted for the system into thin air for half an hour. The only answer was snoring from the next bunk.
So when the stall's large noodle pot, eighty centimeters across and sixty centimeters deep, suddenly shook, Lin Shuo's first reaction was-
"Don't tell me this is another Hollow anomaly?"
He put down the Dennies, his right hand instinctively reaching behind his waist.
There was nothing there-he had surrendered his standard-issue weapon when he left Obsidian Camp. The only blade he carried now was a kitchen knife for slicing chashu.
The lid was shoved aside with a clang.
Amid the rising steam, a small, soaking-wet figure stood up.
Lin Shuo froze.
A girl of about eight, her red twin tails drooping with noodle broth, blinked her green eyes through the steam.
She wore an obviously oversized white T-shirt-wait, that looked like the one Lin Shuo had hung out on the balcony last night-which was now dripping cloudy broth.
A few noodles clung to the ends of her hair, swaying as she moved.
The worst part was her face.
Those brows and eyes, that slight upward curve of her lips, that expression both sly and utterly self-assured-
"Ukinami Yuzuha?"
Lin Shuo blurted it out, then immediately rejected the idea.
Yuzuha was eighteen this year, a student at the corporate school, and 162 centimeters tall. The child before him was 120 centimeters at most.
But the resemblance was uncanny, as though someone had tossed a scaled-down Yuzuha figurine into his noodle pot.
The little girl tilted her head, her green eyes curving into crescents.
"Dad! Closing up?"
"...Who are you?"
Lin Shuo's voice was calm.
After laboratory modifications, desperate battles in Hollows, and his system coming back from the dead, his nerves had long since grown tougher than Ether cables.
Yet now, he could still feel his reason groaning under the strain.
"Lin You!"
The girl climbed out of the pot-surprisingly nimbly, her bare feet pattering against the greasy ground. "I traveled back from the future! Though I don't know how I did it either~ My mom is Ukinami Yuzuha. Surprised?"
She planted both hands on her hips and puffed out her little chest, wearing an expression that said, "Tell me how amazing I am."
Lin Shuo stared at her for three seconds, then slowly raised a hand to his temple.
"Surprised, my ass."
He took a deep breath. "First, every part of me except my face has been modified. In theory, I can't have children.
"Second, even if I could, that scheming brat Ukinami Yuzuha is still a student. Third-"
He pointed at the still-steaming pot.
"How did you get in there? I was using that pot to cook noodles half an hour ago. The water was over ninety degrees."
Lin You blinked, then looked as though she had realized something. "Oh! That. There seemed to be some kind of protection mechanism during the time travel... Ah, the details don't matter!"
She skipped around the stall, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind her.
Only when she came closer did Lin Shuo notice the baby fat still on her face. But the sparkle in those green eyes-that mix of innocence and mischief-was exactly like Yuzuha's.
"You're so cold, Dad!" Lin You grabbed the hem of Lin Shuo's apron and shook it.
"I crossed time to find you. At least give me a hug!"
"...Let go. This apron's expensive."
"Cheapskate!"
Just then, something Lin Shuo had thought he would never see again in his life suddenly appeared in his vision.
A translucent pale-blue interface, its edges flickering with pixelated light.
[Ding! Executable long-term quest detected: care for your "daughter," Lin You, until you help her find a way back.] [Quest description: a blood relative from the future has arrived unexpectedly. Please fulfill your duties as her guardian. Hidden condition: until you have fully won over the child's mother, Ukinami Yuzuha, you must not reveal Lin You's true identity or origin to anyone outside, including Ukinami Yuzuha herself, in any form.] [Rewards obtained: One-Tail Shukaku, Ōtsutsuki Fragment (partial).] [Note: quest automatically accepted. Wishing you a "happy family."]
Lin Shuo: "..."
System, you motherfucker.
Not a word for four whole years, and the moment you show up, you drop a nuclear-bomb-level quest on me?
"Dad? You look awful."
Lin You let go of his apron and rose onto her toes, trying to touch Lin Shuo's forehead. "Did I scare you stupid by showing up? Future Mom said you're terrible at handling stress. Looks like she was right-"
Lin Shuo planted a hand on her little head.
"Shut up."
His voice was quiet, but it carried a pressure that instantly silenced Lin You. "Let me confirm a few things first."
Her green eyes blinked.
"Are you really my daughter?"
"The genuine article! I'd even pass a DNA test!"
"Your mom really is Ukinami Yuzuha?"
"Yep, though Mom's still just a little brat right now~"
The corner of Lin Shuo's mouth twitched.
An eight-year-old daughter calling eighteen-year-old Yuzuha a little brat-that was a sight he could hardly bear to imagine.
"How can you prove it?"
Lin You thought for a moment, then suddenly raised an index finger. "Dad has a crescent-shaped scar on his left shoulder from a lab accident when he was seven! There's an implant port between the third and fourth vertebrae in his back. It's covered by skin now, but you can still feel it! And-"
"Stop." Lin Shuo cut her off, a vein throbbing at his temple.
Never mind Yuzuha-even his comrades in the Obol Squad didn't know those details.
Either this child really had come from the future, or his parents, with their enthusiasm for human experimentation, had come up with some new trick.
But his parents had died five years ago during the Old Capital Fall Incident.
He had read the Defense Force's report three times and confirmed there was no mistake.
System, Lin Shuo said silently. Do I have to accept this quest?
The interface flickered.
[Yes. Quest bound, Mandatory execu-countdown: until Lin You finds a way back.]
Lin Shuo closed his eyes.
Residual heat still sent steam rising from the noodle pot. The evening breeze swept through Lumina Square's alleys, carrying the scent of fried noodles from the neighboring stall.
A few minutes ago, he had thought this uneventful life would go on forever.
Now look at this: a daughter had popped out of his pot, the system had come back from the dead to issue a romance quest, and its target was that redheaded little devil who spent all day inventing ghost stories to lure in customers, who had once invited him to join the Spook Shack and gotten so angry when he refused that she hadn't come for noodles for three days.
"...Fine."
Lin Shuo opened his eyes. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan flashed through his pupils as he confirmed that the child before him showed no traces of Ether corruption or fluctuations from any illusion technique.
Not an Ethereal, not an Ether construct, not a hallucination.
Just trouble.
He crouched down to meet Lin You's eyes. "Listen. I can take you in temporarily-but there are a few conditions."
"Mm-hmm!"
"First, don't call me Dad in front of other people."
"What should I call you, then?"
"Uncle, or Boss." Lin Shuo thought for a moment.
"We'll say you're... a distant relative's child. Your parents died in a Hollow incident, and I'm taking care of you."
Lin You tilted her head. "What a clichéd setup."
"Shut up-second, you're not allowed to reveal anything about the future. Not a single word."
"Got it. Time paradoxes~"
"Third."
Lin Shuo stared at her. "If you dare mess with my stall using your mom's kind of pranks, I'll stuff you back into the pot and boil you again."
Lin You burst out laughing. "You're so scary, Dad! But-"
She suddenly leaned closer, a sly gleam in her green eyes. "Mom said that even though you say you hate trouble, you're actually the worst at saying no-especially to her."
Lin Shuo stood up expressionlessly.
"Let's go. We're closing."
"Huh? Aren't we going to keep talking?"
"If we keep talking, the broth will go cold in your hair."
Lin Shuo briskly began putting away the cookware. "We'll go home and get you a bath first-that... is my T-shirt, right? How did you get it?"
"I was naked when I came through, so I grabbed one from the balcony."
Lin You spoke as though it were perfectly natural. "Dad's clothes are so big, I can wear them as dresses."
Lin Shuo didn't want to know why she had traveled through time naked, nor did he want to know what sort of absurd life his future self was living.
Right now, he just wanted to get this little troublemaker out of public as quickly as possible-several passersby were already casting curious looks their way.
Ten minutes later, the ramen stall was packed into the cart. Lin Shuo locked up the stall and took the soaking-wet Lin You by the hand, heading toward his rented apartment.
The girl's hand was small and soft, her palm warm.
Lin Shuo suddenly remembered how, many years ago, during a break at the laboratory, his mother had stroked his head and said, "Little Shuo, once the research succeeds, we'll be able to create new humans-stronger, more perfect, and no longer threatened by Ether corruption."
He had been eight then, about the same age as Lin You now.
He looked down at the redheaded girl beside him.
Not perfect, not strong, drenched like a drowned rat, with "I'm going to cause trouble" written all over her face.
But her palm was warm.
"Dad."
Lin You suddenly spoke. "You don't actually hate that I showed up that much, right?"
"...Don't flatter yourself."
"Hehe, your ears are red."
"That's the wind."
"Is~ that~ so~?"
Lin Shuo quickened his pace.
The image of a redheaded girl surfaced in his mind.
Braids, green eyes, always wandering around Lumina Square with an umbrella, making up ghost stories like "a midnight noodle stall will cook up a child" to draw customers to Kaidan House.
The last time she came for noodles, she had even said, "Lin Shuo, are you really not going to consider joining the Spook Shack? It's super fun! And we need someone who can cook-"
How had he answered her then?
"No thanks. I hate trouble."
Now look at this. Trouble had cooked itself right into his pot, complete with a damn system and a romance quest.
Back at his rented apartment, which was less than thirty square meters, Lin Shuo pushed Lin You into the bathroom.
"Wash yourself-there's shampoo on the shelf. The blue bottle on the left."
"Aren't you going to wash me, Dad? I'm only eight!"
"Eight is old enough to do it yourself."
Lin Shuo dug a few old clothes out of his wardrobe-things he had worn when he was younger. They were a little small for him now, but more than big enough to serve as pajamas for Lin You.
"Change into these when you're done-I'll make some ginger tea."
The bathroom door closed, and the sound of running water and off-key humming came from inside.
Lin Shuo stood in the tiny kitchen, boiling water and slicing ginger.
His movements were mechanical, but his mind was racing.
He had to complete the system's missions.
Not just for the rewards, but to avoid the system suddenly springing a punishment like stripping him of his abilities if he failed-annoying as Half-Ethereal Transformation was, it was already deeply integrated with his physiology. Losing it really would kill him.
Taking care of Lin You until she could go back made the timeframe a complete unknown.
And then there was winning Yuzuha over.
"You've got to be kidding," Lin Shuo muttered.
That little devil? Leaving aside the age gap-he was twenty-two and she was eighteen, which was already the legal age of adulthood in New Eridu, but it still felt wrong to him-Yuzuha's personality alone was enough to deal with.
Devious, fond of pranks, impossible to tell when she was being truthful, and a core member of the Spook Shack, dealing with Hollows, urban legends, and Ether anomalies all day.
The complete opposite of the quiet life he wanted.
The water boiled.
Lin Shuo poured it into a cup, and the pungent scent of ginger slices spread.
The bathroom door opened a crack, and a little head of soaking-wet red hair poked out.
"Dad, a towel!"
"...Here."
"What about underwear?"
Lin Shuo froze.
Lin Shuo rubbed between his brows. "Wear mine for now... Never mind. I'll go buy some at the convenience store downstairs."
"I want strawberry patterns!"
"They only have plain white."
"Cheapskate-"
The door shut.
By the time Lin Shuo headed downstairs with his wallet, the sky had gone completely dark.
The neon lights of Lumina Square lit up one after another, while searchlights on the distant Hollow containment wall cut through the night sky.
The convenience store clerk was a familiar face-a regular who often came for noodles.
"Hey, Boss Lin, out this late? Closed up already?"
"Yeah. Just buying a few things."
"Huh? Children's underwear?" The clerk gave him a knowing smile. "Your girlfriend's? Haven't heard anything about that-"
"A relative's kid."
Without a change in expression, Lin Shuo picked up a pack of pure cotton underwear and a set of children's pajamas. "Staying over for a few days."
"Oh, I see... By the way, I heard some Ethereals showed up around Lemnos Hollow recently. The Defense Force dealt with them in time, but be careful when you close up at night."
"Thanks."
He paid and left.
On the way back, Lin Shuo inadvertently activated his Sharingan, scanning the surrounding shadows.
No Ether reactions. Safe.
When he got home, Lin You was already sitting beside the bed wrapped in a bath towel, her green eyes sparkling as she looked at the bag in his hand.
"You got them!"
"Put them on, then drink your ginger tea."
Lin Shuo tossed the bag over. "I'll make you some noodles. You only had a little broth tonight. Hungry?"
"Starv-ing to death-" Lin You drew out the words, then suddenly paused as she took the bag.
"Dad."
"Hm?"
"Thanks for not throwing me out."
Lin Shuo paused for a moment, then walked toward the kitchen with his back to her.
"Less chatter. Hurry up and get dressed."
The rustle of changing clothes came from behind him, followed by the sound of Lin You bouncing over in her obviously oversized pajamas.
The light blue children's pajamas had little bears printed on them-the most ordinary kind sold at convenience stores, but somehow they suited her.
Lin Shuo pushed the cooked ramen in front of her.
A simple soy sauce broth, a few slices of chashu, and half a soft-boiled egg.
"Eat."
Lin You picked up her chopsticks with movements too practiced for an eight-year-old. After one bite, her eyes narrowed. "Mmm! This is the flavor! Future Dad's ramen tastes just like this too!"
"My future self is still selling ramen?"
"Yeah! You opened a shop called the New Moon Pavilion. It's super popular in Lumina Square! Mom takes me there for free meals all the time-"
"Wait." Lin Shuo interrupted her.
"The future Yuzuha... and me..."
Lin You bit her chopsticks and gave him a little devil's smile. "Want to know, Dad? Beg me~"
"...Forget it, then."
"Hey, don't! I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
Lin You leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"You two are so in love in the future! Mom still spends all day dealing with Spook Shack stuff, and Dad often gets called up by the Defense Force on short notice, but every time Dad comes home from a mission, Mom waits for him at the door-mmph!"
Lin Shuo stuffed a slice of chashu into her mouth.
"Eat your noodles."
But his ears had turned red again.
Lin You chuckled and buried her head in her noodles.
The room quieted, leaving only the sound of slurping noodles and the distant bustle of the city outside the window.
Lin Shuo watched her, this red-haired girl who had suddenly barged into his life.
His future daughter? Time travel? It sounded even more absurd than the urban legends Yuzuha made up.
But the system had confirmed it.
His Sharingan had found no flaws.
The details she knew couldn't be faked, either.
"Lin You," he said suddenly.
"Hm?" The girl looked up, a trace of broth still at the corner of her mouth.
"Why did you come to this point in time?"
Lin You stopped moving.
A few seconds later, she set down her chopsticks, her green eyes looking especially clear beneath the light.
"Because Future Dad said his biggest regret was not realizing how he felt sooner, when Mom needed him most."
She spoke softly, that little devil's mischief gone, replaced by a seriousness beyond her years. "He said, 'If I could do it all over again, I wouldn't waste so much time pretending all I wanted was a quiet life.'"
Lin Shuo said nothing.
"So I came!"
Lin You smiled again, returning to her carefree self. "I don't know how I ended up traveling through time either, but since I'm here, I've got to be Dad's wingman! Besides-"
She blinked.
"I really wanted to meet Mom when she was young, too. She should still be at Kaidan House making up those ridiculous urban legends right now, right?"
Lin Shuo recalled the new urban legend Yuzuha had told him last time: "At midnight, if someone eats the last bowl of noodles alone at a ramen stall, they'll fish a child who claims to be from the future out of the broth."
At the time, he'd thought it was a terribly made-up story.
Now...
"She'll probably come tomorrow." Lin Shuo cleared away the bowl and chopsticks. "She comes for a bowl of ramen every Wednesday night. Says it's to 'replenish her inspiration.'"
"Wow! Should I hide, then?"
"No." Lin Shuo walked toward the kitchen.
"Just say you're a distant relative's child. For everything else, do what I told you earlier."
"Got it!" Lin You hopped off her chair and followed him.
"So, Dad, how are you planning to woo Mom? Need me to provide future intel? Like what presents Mom likes, what types she hates, where your first date was-"
"No."
"Aww-why not?"
"Because." Lin Shuo turned on the faucet, letting the water wash over the bowl and chopsticks.
"If all I do is follow the steps and repeat the 'future,' what meaning would my choices have?"
He turned off the water and turned to look at Lin You.
The little girl looked up at him, the kitchen light reflected in her green eyes.
"I'll take care of you until you find a way back."
Lin Shuo said, "As for my relationship with your mom... that's my business.
"Just play your part as my 'distant niece.' Don't give yourself away, and don't cause trouble. Understood?"
Lin You stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed.
"You're just like Mom said."
She turned and skipped toward the bedroom. "'That idiot always likes making things complicated, when all he has to do is go straight in'-those were Mom's exact words!"
"..."
"Good night, Dad! See you tomorrow!"
The bedroom door closed.
Lin Shuo stood in the kitchen for a long time before letting out a quiet sigh.
The system interface flickered in his field of vision: [Current mission progress: Guardian identity confirmed. Next stage: Obtain legal identification for Lin You (time limit: 7 days).]