The cafeteria at Scott Outpost was livelier than Lin Shuo remembered.
Perhaps it was because Hollow activity had been frequent lately, and more personnel from Obsidian Camp were on rotation.
The air was filled with the standard smell of heated nutritional meals-not exactly awful, but certainly not appetizing.
Lin Shuo sat down in a corner with his tray and glanced around the cafeteria.
Orphie and Lin Yue sat at a small table nearby-Orphie was fumbling to open a packet of nutrient paste for Lin Yue, her orange ponytail swaying as she moved.
Lin Yue sat obediently, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan studying this completely unfamiliar environment with curiosity.
"What, feeling conflicted seeing a daughter from another timeline?"
Soldier 11's voice came from beside him.
She sat down across from Lin Shuo with her tray, her movements as precise as if she were following military procedure.
Lin Shuo did not deny it. "Yeah."
"The you from that timeline died in action."
Soldier 11 cut into her nutrient block, her tone as calm as if she were discussing the weather.
"Based on Lin Yue's account, it probably happened three months ago. Your eyes showed heavy signs of use, resulting in severely impaired vision.
"That final battle... her description was vague, but it was probably to buy time."
Lin Shuo ate in silence. The food tasted like cardboard.
"She mentioned, 'Daddy left his eyes to me.'"
Soldier 11 continued, "That means he was prepared to die before the battle and deliberately gouged out his own eyes-this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was planned."
"...I know."
"What are you thinking?" Soldier 11 raised her eyes to him.
"Whether the you from that timeline could have survived if he hadn't gouged out his eyes?"
Lin Shuo's fork stopped.
That was indeed what he was thinking.
With the Mangekyō Sharingan and the ability to activate Perfect Susanoo-how could someone that powerful have died in action?
Unless... it had been voluntary.
To leave his daughter some power, to buy time for his comrades, or... to achieve some necessary objective.
"Daddy!"
A clear, childish voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lin Yue trotted over, holding up a tube of nutrient paste-strawberry flavored, with childish cartoon drawings on the wrapper.
Orphie followed behind her, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Daddy, look! Mommy bought this for me!"
Lin Yue held the nutrient paste out to Lin Shuo, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan sparkling.
"The food in this timeline is so strange. It's all paste... but it tastes okay!"
Lin Shuo took the nutrient paste and looked at it. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah!" Lin Yue nodded vigorously, then added quietly, "But it's not as good as Daddy's ramen... Daddy in that timeline used to sneak me late-night snacks, though he always called them 'training provisions'..."
Her eyes dimmed for a moment as she said it.
Orphie stood beside them, wringing her hands, the tips of her ears red.
Ever since Lin Yue appeared, she had been like this whenever she saw Lin Shuo-shy, flustered, and avoiding his eyes.
"Um..." Orphie began in a very quiet voice.
"Xiao Yue said she wanted to learn more about this timeline... C-can I show her around the training grounds? Of course, if you have something to do, Lin Shuo-"
"Go ahead." Lin Shuo nodded. "Stay safe."
"O-okay!"
Looking relieved, Orphie took Lin Yue's hand and hurried away, as though fleeing an awkward situation.
Watching her retreating back, Lin Shuo sighed inwardly.
His other self and Orphie... had actually had a daughter.
It felt so strange.
"Are you worrying about how to explain this to your little girlfriend?"
Soldier 11 hit the nail on the head, her tone still flat. "According to Lin Yue, the you in her timeline never left the military and kept serving in Obsidian Camp. That was how you developed feelings for Orphie, your teammate.
"But in this timeline, you chose to leave the military and met her."
"...Yeah."
"Do you have a plan?"
Lin Shuo fell silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "There's no perfect solution."
He looked out the cafeteria window. On the training grounds, Orphie was crouching beside Lin Yue, explaining how to use a piece of training equipment.
Sunlight fell on their similar orange hair. The heartwarming scene was almost painful to look at.
"But Lin Yue is my daughter."
Lin Shuo said softly, "Whatever timeline she comes from, my blood runs through her veins. I can't just watch her disappear."
"Even if that means hurting your little girlfriend?"
"I won't hurt Yuzuha."
Lin Shuo tightened his grip on his fork. "I'll find a way to have both... there has to be a way."
Soldier 11 looked at him for a long time before nodding. "If you need help, just say so."
That afternoon, Lin Yue displayed astonishing talent on the training grounds.
She was only six or seven, but her physical abilities far surpassed those of her peers-clearly the result of Lin Shuo training her from an early age in the other timeline.
Even more surprising was her use of the Sharingan.
"Xiao Yue, can you make out that moving target's trajectory?" Orphie pointed to an automatic target machine fifty meters away.
Lin Yue nodded, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning. "Yes-the target will move fifteen degrees to the left in three seconds, and then-"
Before she finished speaking, the target machine began moving exactly as she had said.
Lin Yue pulled a small throwing knife from her tactical pouch-it was a training weapon she had taken out of her backpack, prepared for her by Lin Shuo in the other timeline.
With a light flick of her wrist, the blade spun through the air.
Clang!
It struck the bull's-eye precisely.
"Amazing!" Orphie exclaimed. "Xiao Yue, how long have you been practicing?"
"Since I was four." Lin Yue retrieved the throwing knife, looking a little forlorn. "Daddy said I had to get stronger... because the future would be very dangerous."
She paused and looked at Orphie. "Mommy taught me the same thing in that timeline. You were always gentle, but you were really strict during training..."
Orphie blushed. "H-how could I... I can barely take care of myself..."
"But Mommy is really strong!" Lin Yue's eyes lit up. "Auntie Willowisp was always scolding you, but you were super dependable in battle! Once, we ran into an Ether storm inside a Hollow, and Mommy used her tail-ah, I mean Auntie Willowisp-to shelter Daddy and me beneath her. You were badly hurt..."
As she spoke, her voice grew quiet again. "After that, Daddy and Mommy became even closer... Daddy said Mommy was his most important comrade-in-arms."
Orphie froze.
His most important... comrade-in-arms?
In another timeline, I actually developed that kind of relationship with Lin Shuo, who always looked so stern and was so powerful he hardly seemed human?
And even... had a child?
"Orphie."
Willowisp's voice came from the tail on Orphie's shoulder. For once, her synthesized voice held no irritability, but rather a complicated emotion. "What that child said... do you think it's possible?"
"I-I don't know..." Orphie said quietly. "Lin Shuo is so strong, and I... I'm just an ordinary soldier..."
"Ordinary, my ass!" Willowisp's temper returned. "You're a soldier I trained! What's ordinary about you?"
But she paused, her voice lowering again. "Still... if the you from another timeline really did end up with that brat Lin Shuo... it makes sense. He might be a blockhead, but he's certainly dependable."
Orphie's face grew even redder.
She stole a glance toward the viewing platform nearby-Lin Shuo stood there, talking to Soldier 11.
The lines of his profile looked especially distinct in the sunlight, his black combat uniform fitting his tall, straight frame.
Her heart suddenly raced.
Orphie whipped her head back and shook it hard.
No, no! Lin Shuo is my senior! And he already has a girlfriend! What am I thinking?!
"Mommy?" Lin Yue looked at her in confusion. "Your face is so red. Are you sick?"
"N-no!" Orphie waved her hands frantically. "It's just... a little hot! Yes! The training grounds are too hot!"
Lin Yue tilted her head and blinked her Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
She could sense that Orphie's heart was beating fast and her emotions were in turmoil.
And right now, among Orphie's emotions were shyness, panic, and... something she could not understand.
It was like the expression Mommy sometimes wore when she was with Daddy in that timeline.
Lin Yue suddenly understood something.
She looked at Lin Shuo on the viewing platform, then at Orphie beside her.
Then she asked quietly, "Mommy... don't you like the Daddy in this timeline?"
Orphie stiffened.
"I-I'm not... um..." she stammered incoherently. "Lin Shuo is my senior! I-I respect him! And he has Yuzuha! So-"
"So Mommy is avoiding Daddy," Lin Yue said, hitting the nail on the head. "You've been doing it since yesterday. Whenever you see Daddy, you blush, stammer, and find an excuse to leave."
She paused, a trace of puzzlement flashing through her Three-Tomoe Sharingan. "But in that timeline, Mommy really liked Daddy... You avoided him at first too, but later-"
"What happened later?" Willowisp could not help asking.
"Later, Mommy confessed first," Lin Yue said.
"When Daddy was hospitalized after getting hurt again, Mommy stayed beside his bed for three days and nights. In the end, you cried and said, 'If you dare die, I'll turn your ramen stand into a dessert shop'-though Daddy didn't even have a ramen stand."
Orphie: "..."
Willowisp: "..."
On the viewing platform, Lin Shuo's ears twitched.
He turned his head just in time to catch Orphie hurriedly averting her eyes.
The instant their eyes met, Orphie jumped like a startled rabbit, grabbed Lin Yue, and ran. "X-Xiao Yue! Let's look somewhere else! We've seen enough of the training grounds!"
"Huh? But Mommy-"
"Come on, come on!"
Watching the two flee in a panic, Lin Shuo rubbed the space between his brows.
Trouble.
So much trouble.
"It seems Orphie really does have special feelings for you."
Soldier 11 spoke calmly.
"Though she might not realize it herself-or she does, but doesn't dare admit it."
Lin Shuo said nothing.
"What are you going to do?"
Soldier 11 asked, "Lin Yue needs you and Orphie to form a bond-but if you really get too close to Orphie..."
"I know," Lin Shuo interrupted.
"That's why I need time-time to think things through, time to find a way."
He looked toward the far end of the training grounds. Orphie and Lin Yue had already reached the obstacle course.
Lin Yue was trying to climb the Inter-Knot, while Orphie nervously stood guard beneath her.
The sunlight was lovely.
The scene was heartwarming.
But Lin Shuo's heart felt heavy.
He thought of Yuzuha-the red-haired, green-eyed girl who always smiled as she called him "Lin Shuo."
He thought of Lin You-the brat who claimed to come from the future and was always trying to pair him up with Yuzuha.
He also remembered Yuzuha's worried words over the communicator yesterday: "I'll wait for you to come back."
If she knew there was another daughter here, and an Orphie he might need to "conquer"...
What would she think?
Lin Shuo closed his eyes.
The system interface appeared in the darkness:
[Mandatory quest: Take care of Lin Yue] [Time remaining: 68 hours, 23 minutes] [Emotional bond progress: 1. Lin Yue's approval: 85% (requirement met) 2. Orphie Magnusson's affection: 63% (80% required) 3. Host's inner acceptance: 72% (80% required)]
Just a little more.
But every little bit feels like betraying Yuzuha.
"Lin Shuo," Soldier 11 suddenly said.
"There's something you might need to know."
Lin Shuo opened his eyes.
Soldier 11 brought up a holographic screen displaying an encrypted report. "The technical department performed a nondestructive scan of the backpack Lin Yue brought yesterday-besides those eyes, this was inside too."
She enlarged the image.
It was a letter.
It was handwritten, the handwriting somewhat scrawled, but he could tell it was his own-the handwriting of Lin Shuo from another spacetime.
The letter was very short:
"To Xiao Yue: If you're reading this letter, it means I'm already gone.
Don't cry. Daddy just went where he needed to go-don't use the things in the backpack until I've taught you how. Also... if you meet me from another spacetime, tell him: don't repeat my mistakes. Some choices don't require a price."
The last sentence had been traced over repeatedly to make it bold.
"Don't repeat my mistakes. Some choices don't require a price."
Lin Shuo stared at those words for a long time.
"What was he warning you about?"
"'Repeat my mistakes' might refer to his death. 'Choices that don't require a price'... might refer to his relationship with Orphie?"
"Or something else."
Lin Shuo spoke softly.
"Like... how to protect the people who matter without having to sacrifice your eyes, or your life."
He put away the holographic screen and looked toward Lin Yue in the distance.
The little girl had already climbed to the top of the Inter-Knot and was waving to Orphie below, a brilliant smile on her face.
That was his daughter.
No matter which spacetime she came from.
"Soldier 11," Lin Shuo said.
"Help me check whether there's been any recent technology or research on spacetime stability. Any lead will do."
"Understood." Soldier 11 nodded. "You want to send Lin Yue back?"
"If her spacetime really has been destroyed, there's no point in going back," Lin Shuo said. "But at the very least... I need to let her live stably in this spacetime."
"Even if that means you have to be with Orphie-"
"There'll be a way." Lin Shuo interrupted her, his voice quiet but firm. "I'll find a way without hurting anyone or betraying anyone."
Soldier 11 looked at him for a long time, then nodded.
"I believe in you."
That evening, Lin Shuo went to the dormitory area to find Orphie and Lin Yue.
Orphie and Lin Yue had been assigned to the same room-it had originally been Orphie's single room, with a child's bed temporarily added.
When Lin Shuo knocked, a flurry of frantic banging came from inside.
"W-wait a second!"
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Orphie's hair was disheveled, and there was still cream on her face-apparently, she had been eating snacks.
Behind her, Lin Yue was frantically hiding something, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan full of the guilty look of someone caught red-handed.
"L-Lin Shuo!" Orphie stood at attention. "D-did you need something?"
Lin Shuo looked at the cream on her face, then at the obvious signs that the room had just been cleaned.
"I came to see Lin Yue," he said.
"And... to talk."
Orphie stiffened.
Lin Yue poked her head out from behind her. "Daddy!"
Lin Shuo entered the room and closed the door.
The room was small but very tidy.
Several training posters hung on the wall, and the dessert models Orphie collected sat on the desk-that was her little hobby. Willowisp always called it "childish," but had never actually stopped her.
Lin Yue climbed onto her little bed and sat down, while Orphie stood nervously beside the desk, hands behind her back, like a student called into the teacher's office.
"Sit," Lin Shuo said.
Only then did Orphie cautiously sit down.
The atmosphere was a little awkward.
Lin Yue looked at Lin Shuo, then at Orphie, before saying quietly, "Daddy, Mommy taught me how to use a pistol today-though it was just a training one-Mommy said my stance was really good!"
Orphie blushed. "Auntie Willowisp taught you that..."
"But Mommy was there giving me pointers too!"
Lin Yue insisted, "Mommy said, 'Keep your wrist steady and breathe slowly'-just like Daddy taught me!"
Lin Shuo looked at Orphie. "Thank you."
"I-it was nothing..." Orphie lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning red again.
Lin Shuo fell silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Orphie, about Lin Yue... I need your help."
Orphie raised her head, a little bewilderment in her green eyes. "Help?"
"Lin Yue comes from a spacetime on the verge of destruction."
Lin Shuo was very direct.
"For her to exist stably in this spacetime, she needs to build strong enough emotional bonds-especially with me, and with you."
Orphie paled slightly. "I-I understand... but Lin Shuo, I..."
She bit her lip, her voice growing quieter and quieter. "I don't know what to do... I never thought I'd have a child... and you and..."
"I know," Lin Shuo interrupted.
"So I'm not asking you to do anything special. Just do what you did today: train with her and take care of her daily needs. That's enough."
He paused, then added, "As for everything else... I'll handle it."
Orphie looked at him for a long time, then nodded gently. "Okay..."
"Daddy," Lin Yue suddenly spoke up.
"Don't you like the Mommy in this spacetime?"
The question was so direct that Orphie nearly jumped.
Lin Shuo froze for a moment too.
He looked at Lin Yue-those Sharingan, exactly like his own, were filled with innocent confusion.
"Lin Yue," he finally said.
"The Orphie in this spacetime and your mommy are the same person, but also not the same person.
They've had different experiences and made different choices, so... their feelings are different too."
He looked at Orphie. "I respect the Orphie in this spacetime. She's my comrade-in-arms, an important companion to me-but with Yuzuha and me, that's a different kind of feeling."
Lin Yue nodded, only half understanding.
Orphie, however, felt a faint stab of pain somewhere in her heart.
Just a comrade-in-arms.
Just a companion.
I already knew that... but hearing him say it himself still...
"I understand."
Orphie forced a small smile. "Then... leave Xiao Yue to me. I'll take good care of her."
"Thank you." Lin Shuo stood up.
"I have to go to Lumina Square tomorrow to take care of some things. Sorry for the trouble with Lin Yue."
"To... see her?" Orphie asked quietly.
Lin Shuo paused, then nodded. "Yes."
"...Stay safe on the way."
After leaving the dormitory area, Lin Shuo walked through a corridor in Scott Outpost.
The lights flickered overhead, and his footsteps echoed across the metal floor.
He took out his communicator and looked at Yuzuha's name on the screen.
He hesitated for a long time, but ultimately did not call.
Some things needed to be said in person.
Some choices needed to be made face-to-face.
And right now... he wasn't ready yet.
[System notification: Emotional bond progress updated] [Orphie Magnusson affection: 68% (+5%)] [Host's inner acceptance: 75% (+3%)] [Time remaining: 67 hours, 15 minutes]
Progress was moving forward.
But Lin Shuo felt no joy.
Only a heavy sense of responsibility, and the coming storm.
He raised his head and looked at the night sky through the window at the end of the corridor.
The stars over New Eridu were bright.
Just like a certain red-haired girl's eyes.
And he had to find an answer before he hurt anyone.