Morning in Lumina Square was the same as ever.
Lin Shuo woke at five sharp and began preparing ingredients for his ramen stall.
The pork bones needed to simmer for six hours for the best flavor, so he always rose early.
Steam filled the kitchen, and the aroma of broth gradually spread.
Lin You was still asleep-she had trained late yesterday, and the little girl had been so tired that she fell asleep the moment she hit the bed.
Little Shukaku lay beside her pillow, his amber eyes gleaming faintly in the morning light.
At six thirty, Lin You walked out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes.
"Morning, Dad..."
"Morning. Wash up and eat."
After a simple breakfast, Lin You began helping prepare the accompaniments-chopping scallions, washing vegetables, and arranging utensils.
She was already quite practiced, occasionally activating her Two-Tomoe Sharingan to make her movements more precise.
At nine that morning, the ramen stall opened on time.
The first customers were office workers from nearby. They ordered the signature ramen with practiced familiarity, chatting as they ate about Ether resources going up in price again.
Everything was the same as usual.
Until ten forty.
Lin Shuo was cooking noodles when the communicator at his waist suddenly vibrated-not his phone, but the encrypted military communicator Captain Willowisp had ordered Orphie to force on him when he left Obsidian Camp.
Since his retirement, the communicator had only rung twice: once for a test, and once to confirm his location.
This was the third time.
Lin Shuo paused, then continued scooping the noodles into a bowl and handed it to the customer. "Your ramen."
Then he turned, wiped his hands, and walked into the partitioned room behind the stall.
He pressed the answer button.
"Lin Shuo."
Willowisp's voice came through the communicator-not relayed through Orphie, but an electronically synthesized voice coming directly from the gun's consciousness, carrying its distinctive rasp and impatience.
"Sir," Lin Shuo replied calmly.
"No wasting words. Report back to the unit immediately." Willowisp's tone brooked no argument. "Highest priority. New Eridu's survival is at stake."
Lin Shuo frowned slightly. "The reason?"
"The reason?" Willowisp sounded as though he had laughed in anger. "You think I have nothing better to do? Something's happened deep inside Lemnos Hollow. We found a... thing. Details when you get back. Where are you now?"
"Lumina Square. The ramen stall."
"Report to Scott Outpost within three hours. Orphie will meet you."
The call ended.
Lin Shuo stood in the little room, looking at the communicator still beeping in his hand.
Outside the window, Lumina Square's streets were as bustling as ever, the sunshine bright.
But his peaceful daily life had been shattered once again.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Shuo stepped out of the room.
"Lin You."
"Hmm?" Lin You looked up from collecting payment.
"We're closing early today."
"Huh? Why?"
Lin Shuo offered no explanation, simply beginning to turn off the heat and put away the cooking utensils.
His movements were quick but steady.
Lin You noticed something was wrong with his expression. She asked no more questions and quietly helped.
At eleven, the ramen stall closed early.
The customers left grumbling, and Lin Shuo refunded and apologized to each of them.
Back at the rented apartment, Lin Shuo opened the wardrobe's hidden compartment and took out his neatly folded Obsidian Camp combat uniform-dark gray, with dark red patterns along the edges and the camp insignia on the chest.
He had not worn it in three years.
But his muscle memory remained-within three minutes, he had put on his full kit, including the tactical belt at his waist and the weapon clips at his thigh.
He carefully wrapped the kitchen knife and strapped it to the outside of his thigh.
The Sharingan needed no preparation. It had always been there.
"Dad..." Lin You stood in the bedroom doorway, her Two-Tomoe Sharingan full of unease. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo crouched to meet her eyes. "An emergency call-up from the Defense Force. I have to go back."
"For how long?"
"I don't know."
Lin You bit her lip. "Then... what about Mom and me?"
"You'll stay at Kaidan House." Lin Shuo had already thought it through. "Li Baorong will look after you. Little Shukaku will go with you. Keep yourself safe."
"Dad..."
Lin Shuo reached out and ruffled her hair. "Be good. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."
His voice was calm, but Lin You heard the resolve in it.
She knew that once Dad put on this uniform, he became that elite soldier of Obsidian Camp again.
"Then... are you going to say goodbye to Mom?"
"Yes."
Lin Shuo stood and checked the time. "Right now."
Kaidan House had few customers that day, and Yuzuha was behind the counter arranging gray porcelain crafts.
When she saw Lin Shuo walk in wearing his combat uniform, she nearly dropped the teacup in her hand.
"L-Lin Shuo? What are you-"
"Emergency call-up." Lin Shuo kept it brief. "I'm returning to the unit for a while."
Yuzuha paled a little. "For how long?"
"Not sure." Lin Shuo walked up to the counter. "Sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to look after Lin You."
"Of course, that's no problem! But..." Yuzuha came around the counter and grabbed his arm. "Will it be dangerous?"
Lin Shuo looked into her worried green eyes and fell silent for two seconds.
"...Possibly."
Yuzuha's fingers tightened, then soon loosened again.
She took a deep breath, as though making up her mind about something.
"Then... I'll wait for you to come back."
Her voice was soft but firm. "I'll help look after the ramen stall, and I'll take good care of Little You, so you... have to come back safely."
Lin Shuo looked at her, then nodded. "Yes."
He paused and took an insulated food container from his tactical pouch-it was an extra serving of ramen he had specially prepared that morning.
"I promised to make you the limited-edition flavor today."
Yuzuha took the container, her eyes a little red, but held back her tears.
"What is this... a parting gift?"
"A promise," Lin Shuo corrected. "I said I would make it today, so I did."
Yuzuha managed a smile-a little forced, but she tried hard.
"Then... pinky promise."
She extended her little finger. "Promise me you'll come back. Otherwise... I'll turn your ramen stall into a gray porcelain display area!"
Lin Shuo looked at her, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He extended his little finger and hooked it around hers.
"Pinky promise."
Their fingers stayed linked for three seconds.
Yuzuha suddenly rose onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek-more firmly than last time outside the shop.
"This is... a protective charm," she said, blushing. "My newly developed 'tanuki blessing.' It really works!"
"...Mm."
"I'm going."
"Lin Shuo!"
As he reached the door, Yuzuha called out to him.
Lin Shuo turned back.
Yuzuha stood behind the counter, tightly hugging the insulated container in both hands.
"I... I actually have so much more I want to say." Her voice caught a little. "But I know now isn't the time... so when you come back, I'm going to tell you all of it."
Lin Shuo looked at her for a long while, then nodded.
"All right."
He pushed open the door, and the wind chimes rang clearly.
The sunlight was dazzling.
He did not look back, because he knew that if he did, he might not be able to leave.
After leaving Kaidan House, Lin Shuo did not go straight to the station.
He turned into the alleys on the south side of Lumina Square and found Lao Mo's stall deep within the wet fish market.
Lao Mo was gutting fish-his movements deft, one cut opening the belly, two more removing the bones, scales flying.
When he saw Lin Shuo approaching in combat uniform, the knife in his hand paused.
"Leaving?"
"Yes." Lin Shuo walked up to the stall. "Returning to the unit. No set time."
Lao Mo put down his knife and took the lollipop out of his mouth-lemon-flavored today.
"What about the kid and your woman?"
"Kaidan House. Li Baorong's looking after them."
Lao Mo stared at him for three seconds, then pulled a small black device from his apron pocket and tossed it to Lin Shuo.
"A tracker-I modified it. The signal can't be jammed. Stick it on them, and I'll know where they are."
Lin Shuo caught it. "Thanks."
"No need." Lao Mo put the lollipop back in his mouth. "While you're away, I'll keep watch."
He said it casually, but Lin Shuo knew the weight of those words.
What Lao Mo meant by "keep watch" was no ordinary looking after them.
It meant staying hidden in the shadows, protecting them around the clock with counter-surveillance techniques even the Defense Force could not detect.
"Lao Mo," Lin Shuo said suddenly. "If... I really don't make it back-"
"You'll come back." Lao Mo interrupted him, his dark gray eyes fixed on Lin Shuo. "Because Elidel said you're hard to kill."
He paused, then added, "Besides, you owe me a meal."
Lin Shuo froze for a moment, then smiled.
It was faint, but it was a smile.
"All right. When I get back, ramen's on me."
"With double chashu."
"Deal."
Neither said anything more.
Lao Mo went back to gutting fish, and Lin Shuo turned to leave.
When he reached the alley entrance, he heard Lao Mo's voice behind him, quiet but clear. "Come back alive."
Lin Shuo did not turn around. He simply raised his hand and waved.
At one that afternoon, Lin Shuo arrived at Scott Outpost.
The outpost had not changed much-only the walls were higher, there were more fortifications, and the monitors measuring the air's Ether concentration hummed.
The soldier on duty saw him and immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Sir! Captain Willowisp is waiting for you in the command room!"
Lin Shuo nodded and passed through three security checkpoints with practiced familiarity.
Occasionally, soldiers from Obsidian Camp passed through the corridor. Whenever they saw him, they stopped, surprise and respect in their eyes.
The command room was in the deepest part of the outpost.
The metal doors slid open, revealing a familiar sight-holographic tactical maps, flashing data screens, and...
"Lin Shuo!"
A figure lunged toward him.
Lin Shuo instinctively turned sideways, but she still caught him in a hug.
Orange hair, green eyes, cheeks slightly flushed with excitement.
"Orphie." Lin Shuo spoke her name, his tone softening a little. "Long time no see."
"It really has been!" Orphie released him, but kept both hands gripping his arms.
Of course, it had not actually been long since Lin Shuo last arranged Lin You's identity card.
But for Orphie, that brief exchange had been nowhere near enough. She really had far too much she wanted to tell Lin Shuo.
Tail on her shoulder-or rather, Willowisp-flicked impatiently.
"Enough, Orphie. Is this the time for catching up?"
The electronically synthesized voice came from the muzzle at Tail's tip, carrying obvious anger. "Lin Shuo, explain yourself. Why haven't you contacted us at all? If this situation weren't so unusual, were you planning to hide in that lousy ramen stall for the rest of your life?"
Lin Shuo looked at the tail. "Sir, I retired."
"Retired? Who approved that? I only said you could take leave!"
"Extended leave?"
" You-!"
Tail was so furious that electrical sparks flew from her muzzle.
Orphie hurried to smooth things over. "Captain, Captain! Calm down! Lin Shuo finally made it back. Don't start arguing the moment you see him..."
"Shut up! You're no better!" Tail turned toward Orphie. "I haven't even gotten to you yet! Throwing yourself at him the second you saw him-what kind of behavior is that? You're a soldier, not a little fangirl!"
Orphie lowered her head, looking wronged, but her hand still clung to Lin Shuo's sleeve.
Lin Shuo watched the familiar scene-the hot-tempered Captain Willowisp and the timid Orphie. They really hadn't changed at all.
"Senior."
He spoke. "What's the situation you mentioned?"
Tail fell silent.
A few seconds later, Willowisp's voice turned serious. "Three days ago, while we were carrying out a reconnaissance mission deep inside Lemnos Hollow, we found a... child."
Lin Shuo frowned. "A child? Deep inside a Hollow?"
"To be precise, she was inside a hibernation pod encased in Ether crystals."
Willowisp brought up a holographic image. "The pod used technology from the Old Capital era, but it had been modified. She was still asleep when we found her-she only woke up yesterday."
The image showed a little girl.
She looked six or seven, with orange hair, green eyes, and features... that bore a seventy or eighty percent resemblance to Orphie's.
But what stood out most was a frame that had captured her eyes-the instant she woke, three spinning tomoe had flashed through her pupils.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Lin Shuo's heart gave a heavy thud.
"After she woke up, she didn't say a word. She just held on to a backpack."
Willowisp continued, "The backpack was specially made. Forcing it open would trigger a self-destruct program. We asked who her parents were and where she came from, but she just shook her head."
Tail swished, as though expressing irritation. "The biggest problem was that when she saw Orphie, her eyes suddenly lit up, and then... she wouldn't stop following her."
Orphie added quietly, "She called me... Mommy."
Lin Shuo stared at the little girl in the image, his mind racing.
Looks similar to Orphie's.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Unknown origins.
This pattern... was far too familiar.
"Where is she?" Lin Shuo asked.
"In the lounge next door," Willowisp said. "Soldier 11 and Trigger are watching her-that child is very wary. She won't let anyone except Orphie near her."
Lin Shuo turned and headed straight for the lounge.
"Wait!" Willowisp called after him. "Do you know her?"
"...Maybe."
Without saying anything more, Lin Shuo pushed open the lounge door.
The room was small, furnished with only a simple table and chairs and a camp bed.
Soldier 11 stood against the wall, the orange eyes beneath her white hair calm and still. She gave Lin Shuo a slight nod when she saw him.
Trigger sat at the table, her long golden hair tied in a high ponytail, the indicator on her eye mask glowing a gentle green-she "looked" toward Lin Shuo, and the corners of her mouth curved upward. "Long time no see, Lin Shuo."
"Trigger, Soldier 11."
Lin Shuo's gaze fell on the corner of the room.
The little girl sat on the camp bed, tightly clutching a bulging backpack to her chest-it was dark blue, embroidered with stars.
Her orange hair was somewhat messy, and her green eyes watched the doorway warily.
The moment she saw Lin Shuo, her eyes flew wide open.
Then-
"Daddy!!!"
The little girl jumped off the bed and charged over like a tiny cannonball, crashing headfirst into Lin Shuo's arms.
She held him so tightly, with such force, as though she had used every bit of strength in her body.
"Daddy... Daddy... I finally found you..." She burst into tears, instantly soaking Lin Shuo's combat uniform. "I waited so long... so long... they wouldn't let me see you... I was so scared..."
Lin Shuo froze in place.
He looked down at the little girl in his arms-that face, so strikingly similar to Orphie's, was now scrunched up with sobs.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan flickered in and out of view through her tears.
The room was frighteningly quiet.
Soldier 11 straightened up.
The indicator on Trigger's eye mask turned yellow-a sign of surprise.
Orphie stood in the doorway with both hands over her mouth, her green eyes filled with shock.
And Willowisp's tail...
A shower of electrical sparks erupted from the muzzle.
"Lin-Shuo-!!!"
The synthesized electronic voice cracked from sheer agitation. "You'd better fucking explain yourself!!! What's going on with this child?!! Why is she calling you Daddy?! And why do her eyes look so much like yours?!!"
The little girl was frightened and buried her face deeper in Lin Shuo's arms, her little hands gripping his clothes tightly.
Lin Shuo held her, feeling her small body tremble.
Then he raised his head, looking at the furious Willowisp, the shocked Orphie, and the thoughtful Soldier 11 and Trigger.
Finally, he looked at this "daughter" who had suddenly appeared in his arms, bearing the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
After a long while, he sighed.
His voice was soft, but clear:
"It looks like... I have more to explain than I thought."
[System notification: Key character "Mysterious Daughter" has appeared. Intensifying anomalous spacetime fluctuations detected. Progress on the main quest "Romance Ukinami Yuzuha" has been paused. New side quest "Mystery of the Bloodline" has been triggered. Host, please uncover the truth.]
Amid the sudden chaos, the progress bar temporarily stopped at 81.2%.
But a new story had already begun.
Holding the little girl who was still sobbing in his arms, Lin Shuo looked at his dumbstruck former comrades.
Suddenly, he felt...
Perhaps he could forget about ever having the peaceful everyday life he wanted.
But for some reason, he didn't dislike this feeling.
"Daddy..." The little girl raised her head, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan still brimming with tears. "You won't leave me behind again, will you?"
Lin Shuo looked at her, then gently patted her back.
"I won't."
He said.
Although he still didn't know who she was, where she came from, or why she called him Daddy.
Those Sharingan, that feeling of being connected by blood, couldn't be mistaken.
This was... another problem.
But this time, he remained very calm. After all, he had been through something like this before.
"Hey! Lin Shuo!" Willowisp was still roaring. "You haven't answered me yet-!"
"Senior."
Lin Shuo interrupted her, his expression calm. "Could you let us talk alone first?"