A week after the Aerospace City incident, the wound on Lin Shuo's left arm had mostly healed.
The medicine in the gray porcelain bottle Yuzuha had given him really worked. The residual Ether Corruption had been neutralized, leaving only a faint scar.
But the more important healing happened elsewhere-in the little space behind the ramen stall in Lumina Square, beside the counter at Kaidan House, and in the time the two spent closing up together every evening.
Lin Shuo and Yuzuha's relationship had entered a delicate balance.
They weren't lovers, but they were more than friends.
He would naturally take heavy things from her hands, and she would naturally bring him cookies she had baked herself-though they were still cloyingly sweet.
Lin You saw it all and delighted in it, but she remembered her promise not to rush things. She only occasionally used her two-tomoe Sharingan to sneak a look at their heart rates as they interacted, then secretly calculated their progress.
"Dad and Mom made eye contact seventeen times today, three more than yesterday!"
"Dad fixed Mom's hair once-even if the wind had messed it up, rounding up, that counts as a head pat!"
"When Mom handed Dad some water, their fingers touched for 0.5 seconds... yay!"
She recorded this "data" in a little notebook, grandly calling it her "Romance Strategy Observation Diary."
Little Shukaku occasionally came over to look, then let out a "pukyu" of encouragement.
On Friday evening, the ramen stall closed early.
Tomorrow was their agreed-upon "official date day."
For once, Lin Shuo felt a little nervous-more nervous than he had been on his first mission into a Hollow.
He stood in front of his wardrobe for ten minutes before finally choosing that dark blue shirt.
Lin You leaned against the doorframe, watching the fun. "Dad, how about a tie?"
"...No."
"Some cologne?"
"No."
"At least comb your hair! Look, it's sticking up here-"
Lin You jumped up, trying to fix his hair, but she wasn't tall enough.
Lin Shuo bent down so she could reach.
The gesture came so naturally that they both froze for a moment.
Lin You's hand paused in midair, then gently settled on his hair, smoothing down the strands sticking up.
"...Thanks," Lin Shuo said.
"Hehe, of course."
Lin You withdrew her hands and tucked them behind her back. "Dad, tomorrow... are you going to tell Mom the truth?"
Lin Shuo straightened up and looked at himself in the mirror.
He also looked at the anticipation in Lin You's eyes in the reflection.
"Yes." He nodded. "It's time."
"Then... should I give you some space?"
"No." Lin Shuo turned and ruffled her hair. "You're part of the truth, too."
Lin You's eyes lit up. "Then I need to dress nicely! I can't let my future mom think I'm a slob!"
She ran back to her room to rummage through everything.
Lin Shuo smiled, then looked out the window.
The setting sun painted the rooftops of Lumina Square gold.
Tomorrow should be a nice day.
They had chosen Dreamweave Resort for their date-not the public beach from last time, but a small, quiet stretch of coast Teresa had privately reserved.
Yuzuha arrived ten minutes early.
Today, she wore a white dress that reached her calves, its waist sash tied in a bow.
Her red hair wasn't tied up, falling loosely over her shoulders with a slight curl at the ends.
She carried a small bamboo basket-presumably holding their lunch.
When she spotted Lin Shuo and Lin You, her eyes lit up, and she jogged over.
"Lin Shuo! Little You!"
"You look so pretty today, Yuzuha!" Lin You's words were sweet as honey.
Yuzuha blushed slightly. "Thank you... Lin Shuo looks handsome, too."
Lin Shuo had indeed put in more effort than usual today-his dark blue shirt was neatly ironed, his hair tidily combed, and even the cuffs he usually rolled up carelessly were carefully buttoned.
"Let's go." He reached out and naturally took the bamboo basket from Yuzuha. "Teresa said she's prepared a beach umbrella and lounge chairs for us."
"Okay!"
The three walked slowly along the shore.
There were very few people on this private stretch of coast, just a handful of couples and families.
The waves sounded gentle, and the sea breeze carried a salty dampness.
Teresa had reserved a lovely spot in a small cove enclosed by several reefs, quiet and private.
The beach umbrella was white, with two lounge chairs and a little coffee table beneath it.
"I'm going to play over there!" Tactfully, Lin You pulled Little Shukaku toward the distant rocks. "Uncle, Yuzuha, take your time chatting~"
Watching Lin You run off, Yuzuha smiled. "Little You is so considerate."
"Yes." Lin Shuo sat down on a lounge chair. "She's... always been considerate."
Yuzuha sat in the chair beside him and took lunch boxes from the bamboo basket. "I made sandwiches and fruit salad, and... um, cookies."
She sounded a little sheepish about that last word.
Lin Shuo glanced at the suspiciously shaped brown objects in the lunch box, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Thank you."
They ate quietly for a while.
Seagulls circled overhead, and waves lapped against the rocks.
The atmosphere was lovely, but Yuzuha could tell Lin Shuo had something to say.
"Lin Shuo," she spoke first. "Is there... something you want to tell me today?"
Lin Shuo set down his sandwich and looked at her.
Yuzuha also put down her food and sat up straight, watching him earnestly with her green eyes.
"...Yes." Lin Shuo nodded and took a deep breath. "Yuzuha, what I'm about to tell you might seem... unbelievable."
"Go ahead. I'm listening."
Lin Shuo was silent for a few seconds, seemingly gathering his words.
Then he took something out from inside his shirt-Lin You's temporary identity card.
He handed the card to Yuzuha.
Yuzuha took it and read the information:
Name: Lin You Age: 8 Guardian: Lin Shuo (paternal uncle) Relationship: Distant niece
She looked up at Lin Shuo in confusion.
"This is fake," Lin Shuo said. "Lin You isn't my distant niece."
Yuzuha blinked. "Then she's..."
"She's my daughter."
Silence hung in the air for three seconds.
The smile froze on Yuzuha's face.
She stared at Lin Shuo, looked down at the identity card, then looked back up at him.
The light in her green eyes dimmed little by little.
"...Your daughter?" Her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by the waves. "You... have an ex-girlfriend? Or... are you already married?"
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the fabric of her dress.
Seeing the disappointment and panic in her eyes, Lin Shuo's heart tightened.
"It's not what you think."
He immediately explained, "Yuzuha, hear me out-Lin You is my daughter, but her mother... is you."
Yuzuha froze.
She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.
Her expression shifted from disappointment to confusion, from confusion to shock, and from shock to... a skeptical "Are you joking?"
"Lin Shuo, that isn't funny."
Yuzuha forced a smile. "H-how could I... We've never even..."
"She's from the future."
Lin Shuo continued, his tone calm but firm. "She came to the present from ten years in the future through some form of time travel.
"Her mother is Ukinami Yuzuha ten years from now, and her father is Lin Shuo ten years from now."
Yuzuha was utterly stunned.
She looked at Lin Shuo, searching his face for any sign that he was joking.
But Lin Shuo's expression was solemn and earnest.
"Yuzuha, I know this sounds absurd."
Lin Shuo said softly, "But it's true-Lin You knows a lot of things only we know. What you ordered the first time I treated you to ramen, for example, and... the first thing Li Baorong said when he adopted you."
Yuzuha's lips trembled slightly. "The first thing Dad said was... 'This child's eyes are so bright, like stars in the sea.'"
She abruptly stood up. "B-but you could have told her that-"
"I didn't."
Lin Shuo stood up as well. "I've never told anyone about that."
Yuzuha took a step back, leaning against the beach umbrella's pole.
Her mind was a mess.
Time travel? A future daughter? And I'm her mother?
Every concept was beyond her understanding.
"W-why..." Her voice trembled. "Why are you only telling me now?"
"Because the timing wasn't right before." Lin Shuo took a step closer but didn't touch her. "I didn't want to trouble you, and I didn't want to expose Lin You's identity-she has no legal identity in this era. If the Defense Force or The Order discovered her, she'd be in danger."
He looked into Yuzuha's eyes. "But now... I think I can tell you.
"Because you've become someone very important to me. So important... that I don't want to hide this from you anymore."
Yuzuha's tears fell without warning.
It wasn't sadness. It was... confusion.
Too much information had flooded in at once, and she needed time to process it.
Lin Shuo didn't rush her. He simply waited quietly.
After a long while, Yuzuha took a deep breath and wiped her tears.
"...Proof," she said, her voice still choked. "If what you're saying is true... prove it to me."
Lin Shuo nodded.
He turned and called toward the distant rocks, "Lin You!"
Lin You had long since run out of patience and immediately came running over with Little Shukaku.
"Dad! Mom! Are you done talking?"
Hearing herself called "Mom," Yuzuha trembled again.
Lin You ran up to them, her two-tomoe Sharingan gleaming dark red in the sunlight.
"Yuzuha... no, Mom." She looked earnestly at Yuzuha. "I know this is hard to believe right now. But... I can tell you a few things."
She paused, then began:
"Mom hates eating green peppers most of all, but Grandpa says being picky is bad, so you secretly feed the green peppers in your lunch to Akame."
"The first time Mom used her umbrella shotgun, the recoil knocked her over, and she cried for half an hour."
"Mom's username at Spook Shack is 'Yuzu Pepper,' because you think it sounds cool."
"And... Mom has had a crush on Dad for ages, ever since the first time she ate his ramen, but she's never dared to say it."
Yuzuha's face grew redder and redder.
Some of these things... even Manato didn't know.
Especially that last one.
"H-how did you..." she stammered incoherently.
Lin You smiled, her smile much like Yuzuha's-that slightly sly, little-devil smile.
"Because I'm your daughter, Mom."
As she spoke, she pointed at her eyes. "And I have these, too."
Her two-tomoe Sharingan slowly spun.
Yuzuha froze.
She looked at Lin Shuo.
Lin Shuo nodded, then activated his own Sharingan-three tomoe.
"This is... an ability passed down through our family," Lin Shuo said, choosing part of the truth. "It isn't something Ether science can explain-Lin You inherited my bloodline, so she has these eyes, too."
Yuzuha watched the tomoe spinning in their eyes, unable to speak for a long time.
The sea breeze blew past, carrying laughter from distant visitors.
But in this little cove, time seemed to stand still.
After a long while, Yuzuha asked softly, "Lin You... did you really come from the future?"
"Yes!" Lin You nodded vigorously. "Though I don't know how I got here either... when I opened my eyes, I popped out of Dad's noodle pot!"
The description painted such a vivid picture that Yuzuha couldn't help laughing.
But complicated emotions soon replaced her smile.
"Then... what are we like... in the future?" She looked at Lin Shuo, then at Lin You.
Lin You's eyes lit up. "Mom and Dad are so in love in the future! Dad still looks stern all day, but he secretly makes special ramen for Mom! Mom still organizes Spook Shack events, but she always checks in with Dad first! You run the ramen stall and Kaidan House together, and sometimes you even go on missions together-"
"Wait." Yuzuha interrupted her. "Missions?"
Lin Shuo explained, "The future me... apparently still gets called up by the Defense Force occasionally. But with Yuzuha beside me, it should be a lot safer."
Yuzuha blushed again.
She lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes.
She needed time to digest all this information.
Yet somehow, the panic and disappointment in her heart were slowly being replaced by a... strange warmth.
Lin You was her daughter.
Her and Lin Shuo's daughter, from the future.
That meant... she and Lin Shuo really did end up together in the future.
And they had a family.
"Mom." Lin You gently tugged at Yuzuha's skirt. "Are you angry?"
Yuzuha looked up at Lin You's face, so very similar to her own.
Green eyes, red hair, a mischievous smile.
She crouched down to meet Lin You's eyes.
"I'm not angry," Yuzuha said softly, reaching out to stroke Lin You's cheek. "I just... need time to accept it."
"Then... can you hug me?" Lin You asked quietly. "The future Mom hugs me a lot."
Yuzuha felt tears welling up.
She opened her arms and pulled Lin You into a tight embrace.
The little girl's body was soft and warm, carrying the scent of sunshine and sea breeze.
Yuzuha could feel her own heartbeat-fast and erratic, but... so real.
Lin You hugged her tightly in return, burying her face against her shoulder.
"Mom... I missed you so much." Lin You's voice was muffled. "Even though the Mom here is still young... you still smell like Mom."
Lin Shuo stood beside them, watching the mother and daughter embrace, and something in his heart softened completely.
He had worried that Yuzuha wouldn't be able to accept it, that she would be frightened and back away.
But now it seemed... she was stronger than he had imagined.
And gentler, too.
After a long while, Yuzuha let go of Lin You and stood up.
She wiped away her tears and looked at Lin Shuo.
Tears still glimmered in her green eyes, but they were bright and resolute.
"Lin Shuo."
"Mm."
"I believe it," Yuzuha said. "It's still so hard to believe... but I believe it."
She paused. "Because... if it's with you, having a daughter, having a family... seems... not so bad."
Lin Shuo's heart gave a heavy thump.
He stepped up to Yuzuha, reached out, and gently wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks.
"Yuzuha," he said softly. "I'm in no hurry. You're still a student, and you still have so much to do.
We can take our time, wait until you graduate, until you're ready..."
"I'm already ready."
Yuzuha interrupted him, her voice soft but clear. "I've been ready... for a long time."
She took Lin Shuo's hand. "But... you're right, Lin Shuo. We can take our time.
There's no need to rush or force anything... just like cooking ramen. Once it's cooked just right, the flavor will come naturally."
Lin Shuo smiled.
It was faint, but genuine.
"Mm."
Lin You watched from the side, her Two-Tomoe Sharingan full of emotion.
She whispered to Little Shukaku, "Little Shukaku, did you see... they're such a perfect match."
"Pukki~" Little Shukaku agreed.
The rest of that day's date became very relaxed.
Yuzuha asked Lin You many questions about the future-of course, Lin Shuo had warned her not to ask for too many details, to avoid creating a time paradox.
But a few simple questions were fine.
"The future me... does my cooking improve?"
"Uh... Mom's cookies are still too sweet."
"...I knew it."
"But Dad finishes them every time!"
Yuzuha blushed and looked at Lin Shuo.
Lin Shuo turned his face away. "...Not every time."
"Yes, you do! I saw it!"
"Lin You, shut up."
"Hehe~"
As the sun sank in the west, the three of them sat on the rocks and watched the sunset.
Orange-red light spread across the sea like molten gold.
Yuzuha sat in the middle, with Lin Shuo to her left and Lin You to her right.
Little Shukaku lay on Lin You's lap, yawning.
"Lin Shuo," Yuzuha suddenly spoke. "When does Lin You... have to go back?"
Lin Shuo was silent for a few seconds. "Once we find a way. The system... some sort of mechanism I have indicated that after I finish the mission, there'll be an option to send her back."
He didn't explain the system in detail, only calling it a "mechanism."
Yuzuha nodded, only half understanding. "Then... until then, Lin You will live with us, right?"
"Mm."
"Then..." Yuzuha looked at Lin You with a gentle smile. "Will you call me Mom? Or keep calling me Big Sister Yuzuha?"
Lin You blinked. "Mom in private! Outside, I'll still call you Big Sister Yuzuha~ Otherwise, we'll give it away!"
"Okay~"
Yuzuha ruffled Lin You's hair, then looked at Lin Shuo. "Lin Shuo, thank you for telling me the truth."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you."
Lin Shuo took her hand. "Thank you for accepting it."
They looked into each other's eyes, light shining in both their gazes.
Lin You tactfully turned her head away and pretended to watch the sea.
But her Two-Tomoe Sharingan still "accidentally" caught their shadows drawing closer and closer...
Then, at the very moment the sun sank completely below the horizon.
She heard a very soft "mwah."
It sounded like a kiss.
Lin You immediately covered her eyes, but left wide gaps between her fingers.
"I didn't see anything!"
Blushing, Yuzuha pushed Lin Shuo away. "Honestly, Lin Shuo... Little You is still here..."
Lin Shuo's ears had turned red too, but his expression remained composed. "She didn't see."
"I did!" Lin You raised her hand. "Dad kissed Mom! On the corner of her mouth! For 1.5 seconds!"
"...Double training."
"Huh-why does this keep happening?!"
The sunset disappeared completely, and night fell.
But a warm light shone in all three of their hearts.
On the way back, Yuzuha held Lin You's hand, and Lin Shuo walked beside them.
Like a real family.
[System notification: Key event "Confessing the Truth" completed. Ukinami Yuzuha's acceptance: 98%. Main mission "Romance Ukinami Yuzuha" current progress: 78.5%. Reward: Ōtsutsuki Fragment (partial) issued. Fluctuations in spacetime stability detected. Recommended action: begin searching for a way to send Lin You back to the future.]
Amid honesty and warmth, the progress bar had taken a great leap forward.
And in a certain system's notes field, another line of small text appeared:
[Note: The host independently advanced the plot, consistent with the system's core logic of "finding missions." Additional rewards will be issued upon mission completion.]
Lin Shuo closed the interface and looked at Yuzuha and Lin You beside him.
Then he said softly:
"Let's go home."
"Okay!" two voices answered at once.
One mature, one childish.
But both carried the same warmth.
The stars shone brightly over New Eridu that night.
Just like a certain person's heart, finally opened.