Afternoon.
Lin Shuo sat behind the counter, holding a compact Ether energy detector-the latest model Lao Mo had delivered just yesterday, supposedly accurate to six decimal places.
On its screen, three curves fluctuated steadily.
Shukaku (Bangboo form): Ether activity stable, energy reserves 87%. Matatabi (Bangboo form): Ether activity stable, energy reserves 92%. Isobu (Bangboo form): Ether activity stable-wait, why was it dropping?
Lin Shuo looked up toward the corner.
Bangboo Isobu lay there asleep, the turtle shell on his back rising and falling slightly.
A closer look revealed the indicator light at his charging port blinking slowly-a sign that low-battery mode had activated automatically.
"...Almost out of power after just three days?"
Lin Shuo rubbed his temples.
After becoming a Bangboo, that lazy Isobu's greatest hobby was sleeping. He was too lazy even to charge himself.
If the system hadn't automatically enabled low-power mode, he might really have slept until he shut down.
"Little Shukaku..." Lin Shuo called toward the other end of the counter.
"Go wake Isobu up and tell him to charge."
"No way am I doing that!"
A look of disgust appeared on Shukaku's screen face.
"That guy's a nightmare when he wakes up! Last time Matatabi woke him, he slapped her onto the wall with his tail, and she hung there for half an hour!"
"That was an accident."
Matatabi flicked her mechanical tails elegantly.
"Besides, Xiao Kong will be back soon. We can't let him see Isobu shut down from a dead battery, can we?"
Just as she finished speaking, the ramen stall's door was pushed open.
Bangboo Xiao Kong-Four-Tails Son Goku-walked in.
His dark red casing gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight, and four tails swayed gently behind him.
"I'm back."
His voice still had that irritable electronic sound, but he seemed to be in a good mood. "It's much cooler outside than inside a volcano-though there are a lot more people, too."
"Welcome back~"
Matatabi nodded elegantly. "How are you settling in?"
"Not bad."
Xiao Kong walked over to the counter and tossed a small bag in front of Lin Shuo. "Here, some roadside stones-that fish seller told me to bring them back."
Lin Shuo opened the bag.
Inside were several Ether Crystal fragments of various colors-not particularly pure, but covering a full range of types.
Typical Lao Mo, always passing on important information in the most casual way.
"Thanks." Lin Shuo put away the fragments.
"Where's Little Mu?"
"Upstairs playing with Lucia."
Xiao Kong said, "That little girl... is pretty interesting. The one inside her is sleeping quite soundly."
He paused, then added, "But I can feel it. Kokuō's about to wake up-three more days of sleep at most."
Lin Shuo's gaze sharpened.
Five-Tails Kokuō was about to wake up?
That was no small matter.
Little Mu currently had amnesia and no control whatsoever over the Tailed Beast inside her.
If Kokuō suddenly awoke, the likelihood of a rampage was extremely high-by then, all of Lumina Square might be engulfed in Boil Release steam.
System... he asked inwardly. Is there a way to stabilize Kokuō's condition in advance?
[Analyzing...] [Recommended plan: "Bangboo transformation assistance plan." Separate a portion of Five-Tails Kokuō's core chakra and transform it into an independent Bangboo form, reducing Little Mu's burden while maintaining the connection between their powers.] [Advantages: 1. Little Mu can live normally; 2. Bangboo Kokuō can move/fight independently; 3. The two can merge/separate at any time; 4. The Bangboo form can sustain its existence simply by charging.] [Disadvantages: The separation process requires Kokuō's willing cooperation and consumes a large amount of chakra (recommended provider: host).] [Success rate: 72% (can increase to 89% if Little Mu and Lucia are present).]
Lin Shuo thought for a few seconds.
Willing cooperation... Would Kokuō agree?
Judging by Shukaku and the others, the Tailed Beasts weren't opposed to becoming Bangboo-especially after experiencing how "charging is more convenient than eating."
But Kokuō was asleep right now. How could they communicate?
"Xiao Kong." Lin Shuo looked at the Four-Tails Bangboo.
"Can you contact Kokuō? While he's asleep."
"Well, I can..."
Xiao Kong tilted his head. "But I'd have to go 'inside' that little girl-are you sure you want to do this? If I wake him up, I can't stop his Boil Release from going wild."
"It's risky, but we have to."
Lin Shuo stood up. "Little Shukaku, Matatabi, watch the shop... Isobu... never mind, let him sleep. Xiao Kong, come with me."
"Sure."
The human and the Bangboo went upstairs.
On Kaidan House's second floor, Yuzuha's room had temporarily become a "children's room"-the three girls, Lin You, Lin Yue, and Little Mu, lived together, and Lucia had also been staying there for the past few days to keep Little Mu company.
When he pushed open the door, a heartwarming scene was unfolding inside:
Little Mu sat on the bed, holding a thick illustrated guide in her arms-an illustrated guide to Ethereal ecology, one of Lucia's treasured possessions. Pointing to a page, she asked softly:
"Mommy... can this one with wings really sing?"
"It can~"
Lucia sat by the bed, her blue hair glimmering faintly in the sunlight. "But it only sings at night, and you need a special Ether frequency to hear it~"
"What about this one? The one that looks like a mushroom..."
"That one's called a 'Spore Parasol.' Don't touch it! Its spores will turn your hair green-though that's pretty cute, too~"
Lin You and Lin Yue were playing a board game on the floor bedding nearby-using Ether Crystal fragments they had picked up as pieces. They had invented the rules for their "Hollow Adventure Game," and every move required answering a question about combat techniques.
"Your turn, Xiao Yue~ If you run into three Antimony-class Ethereals in a Hollow, one coming from the left, one from the right, and one jumping down from above, which would you attack first?"
"The one above."
Lin Yue said seriously, "An Ethereal's threat level drops by 37% when it loses its height advantage. Then I'd use the terrain to make the ones on the left and right block each other-Dad taught me that."
"Wow! Full marks!"
Seeing Lin Shuo enter, all four girls (and one young mother) turned their heads at once.
"Lin Shuo?" Yuzuha spoke first.
"What's wrong? You look so serious..."
"There's something I need to take care of."
Lin Shuo walked over to the bed and crouched down to look at Little Mu. "Little Mu, that 'friend' inside you... might need to come out and meet us."
Little Mu blinked her green eyes, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Friend...?"
"The power that sometimes makes you feel warm."
Lucia explained gently, "Remember? Last time, in the Solov Hollow, steam came out of your body..."
Little Mu thought for a moment, then nodded. "I remember... but I don't really know how to call him out..."
"You won't have to this time."
Lin Shuo said, "Xiao Kong will help-but the process might be a little uncomfortable. You'll need to bear with it."
Little Mu looked at Lin Shuo, then at Bangboo Xiao Kong beside him, and finally nodded firmly.
"Okay! I'm not scared!"
"Good girl."
Lucia stroked her head, then looked at Lin Shuo. "Do you need me to do anything?"
"Your gift is the key," Lin Shuo said.
"Kokuō might be emotionally unstable when he wakes up. I'll need you to soothe him the 'Night Watchers' way-just like when you communicate with Ethereals."
"Understood~"
The preparations were soon complete.
Little Mu sat in the middle of the room, with Lucia behind her, both hands resting gently on her shoulders.
Lin Shuo stood to one side with his Sharingan activated, ready for anything unexpected.
Bangboo Xiao Kong jumped in front of Little Mu and gently touched a dark red mechanical claw to her forehead.
"I'm starting-it might get a little hot. Bear with it."
As he finished speaking, a dark red light shone from Xiao Kong's body.
It wasn't the heat of lava, but a gentler chakra fluctuation belonging to Tailed Beast Resonance.
The fluctuation passed through his mechanical claw into Little Mu's body, slowly opening a dormant door like a key.
Little Mu's body began to heat up.
Faint steam rose from her skin, and the ram horns on her head glowed slightly.
She bit her lip, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes-but she neither cried nor complained of pain.
Lin Shuo could see the flow of Ether inside her accelerating.
An immense consciousness was awakening.
Three seconds.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds-
"Hmm..."
A low resonance sounded.
It came not from her throat, but from deep within her body, from every cell.
Little Mu's green eyes suddenly shone with golden light, and the steam behind her condensed into the vague outlines of three tails. Her voice became ethereal, as though two voices were overlapping:
"Who... is calling me...?"
It had worked.
Kokuō had awakened.
But his condition wasn't quite right-his consciousness was hazy, like someone who had just woken up and couldn't distinguish dreams from reality.
His emotions were also fluctuating violently. The steam grew thicker, and the room's temperature began to rise.
"Calm down," Lin Shuo said, infusing his voice with chakra and a soothing quality.
"Kokuō, look around-there are no enemies here, only people who want to help you."
The steam settled somewhat.
Little Mu-or rather, Little Mu under Kokuō's control-turned to look at Lin Shuo, confusion flashing through her golden eyes.
"You... feel familiar... but you aren't..."
"I'm Lin Shuo, this little girl's current guardian."
Lin Shuo slowed his speech as much as possible. "You've been asleep for a long time, so you might not remember-but you're safe now. You can relax."
"...Safe?"
Kokuō repeated the word, his steam tails swaying gently.
He looked at Lucia-and visibly froze when his gaze fell on a face so remarkably similar to his host's.
"Who... are you?"
"I'm Lucia."
Lucia's voice was soft, like a night breeze passing through grass. "Little Mu's 'mommy' in this world-even if I might not be the same one, I'll take good care of her."
"Mommy..."
Kokuō fell silent.
Through Little Mu's memories, he could feel that warmth of shared blood, that unreserved love and care.
That feeling... was unfamiliar, but very comfortable.
"So..." Lin Shuo struck while the iron was hot.
"We have a proposal-to keep Little Mu from having such a hard time, and to let you move around freely, would you like to try... becoming a Bangboo?"
"A Bangboo?"
"Like them."
Lin Shuo pointed at Xiao Kong beside him, then downstairs-though they weren't visible, Kokuō could sense Shukaku, Matatabi, and Isobu.
Four Tailed Beasts, all turned into mechanical rabbits.
Kokuō's steam visibly stalled for an instant.
"Shukaku... Matatabi... Isobu... and Son Goku... you've all..."
"Yeah, we've all changed."
Xiao Kong picked up the conversation, his tone unusually serious. "We look a little stupid, but there are plenty of benefits-no rejection by the world, just charge when you're hungry, and you can stroll around the streets openly."
"And..." Matatabi's voice came from downstairs, transmitted directly into the room through telepathy.
"Sleeping is more comfortable after becoming a Bangboo~ A soft charging pad is much better than a rock~"
"I'm not admitting that!" Shukaku protested.
"But... it really is convenient..."
Kokuō fell silent again.
This silence lasted even longer.
Long enough that Lin Shuo thought Kokuō was going to refuse-
"...Rent."
"Hm?" Lin Shuo hadn't caught that.
"I said, rent."
Kokuō's voice was thick with resignation. "In the old world, I lived inside her body, so I counted as a 'tenant.' Now I've come to a new world, changed landlords, and have to pay rent all over again..."
Kokuō paused, steam tails drooping listlessly.
"And this time, the rent is actually turning into a rabbit... Sigh, why is life as a Tailed Beast so hard..."
The room fell silent for two seconds.
Then-
"Pfft."
Lucia was the first to laugh.
Then came Yuzuha, followed by Lin You and Lin Yue. In the end, even Lin Shuo couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from lifting.
Only Xiao Kong nodded solemnly. "I understand. I thought turning into a rabbit was humiliating at first, too-but you get used to it."
"So..." Lin Shuo asked, holding back his laughter, "you agree?"
"...I agree." Kokuō sighed. "But let's make this clear: I'm only paying the 'base rent'-I'll split off some of my power to become a Bangboo, while my main body stays here inside Little Mu. She can borrow my power when she needs it. The rest of the time, just let me sleep in the Bangboo."
"Deal."
[System notification: Five-Tails Kokuō has agreed to the auxiliary Bangboo transformation plan.] [Execute immediately?]
"Yes."
The light this time was different from every previous time.
Rather than enveloping her from outside, it shone out from inside Little Mu-a gentle white glow with a steamlike haze. The glow gradually separated, one part remaining inside Little Mu while the other floated out and slowly coalesced in midair.
Little Mu's body slowly returned to normal. The steam dissipated, and her eyes turned emerald green again. She swayed, and Lucia gently caught her in her arms.
"Mom..."
"It's all right now~" Lucia said softly. "Look."
In midair, the white light took shape.
Another Bangboo.
Its pure-white shell resembled fine porcelain, giving off a soft, lustrous sheen. The rabbit ears on its head shaded into pale blue, with steam patterns at the tips.
Five mechanical tails extended from its back-one more than any of the other Tailed Beasts had, with a miniature steam nozzle at the end of each tail.
The most distinctive feature was its eyes.
The Bangboo's electronic screen displayed a pair of gently narrowed eyes with a hint of laziness.
The transformation was complete.
Bangboo Kokuō landed lightly, raised a "hand" to examine it, then sighed.
"...I really did turn into a rabbit."
"Welcome aboard~" Matatabi offered an elegant greeting.
"I'm Matatabi. It's a pleasure to meet you~"
"Shukaku."
Shukaku turned his face away, but his tail gave him away with a wag. "From now on... let's get along."
In the corner, Isobu rolled over and muttered, "...Another one... Don't disturb my sleep..."
Xiao Kong walked over and patted Kokuō's shoulder with a mechanical claw. "You'll get used to it-at least charging feels better than eating volcanic ash."
Kokuō looked at them, then at Little Mu in Lucia's arms, and finally at Lin Shuo.
"...Landlord."
"Hm?"
"Where's the charging station? I'm... a little hungry."
Lin Shuo smiled.
He took another power bank out of his backpack-Lao Mo had probably anticipated this, since he'd provided a model specifically for the Five-Tails this time, with a higher power output.
"Here. As much as you need."
Kokuō took the power bank and plugged it in.
"Bzz-"
A gentle hum of electricity.
A few seconds later, Kokuō let out a sigh of relief, the narrowed eyes on the screen turning into a satisfied smile.
"...This really is nice."
The atmosphere in the room relaxed completely.
Yuzuha clapped her hands. "All right, all right~ Everyone's happy! Let's have a feast tonight to celebrate our new member joining us! Lin Shuo's cooking!"
"Yay!" Lin You was the first to raise her hand. "I want omurice!"
"I'd like ramen..." Xiao Yue said quietly.
"We'll make both, we'll make both~" Yuzuha smiled and ruffled the two girls' hair before looking at Little Mu.
"What would you like to eat, Little Mu?"
Little Mu peeked out of Lucia's arms, blinking her green eyes.
"I... I want to eat something Mom makes..."
Lucia froze, then her eyes reddened slightly.
"Okay~ Mommy will cook for you~ Though it might not taste as good as Lin Shuo's cooking..."
"That's okay!" Little Mu shook her head vigorously.
"Everything Mom makes tastes good!"
Watching this, Lin Shuo felt something soft in his heart stir.
He turned to head downstairs, getting ready to go to the kitchen.
When he reached the doorway, he heard Kokuō's voice behind him.
"Landlord."
"Hm?"
"Thank you."
Lin Shuo turned back.
The white Bangboo stood by the window, the sunset gilding its edges.
The expression on its screen was earnest.
"Even if I have to pay rent... this new home is pretty warm."
Lin Shuo paused, then nodded.
"No need to thank me-this is your home from now on."
He went downstairs and entered the kitchen.
He tied on an apron, lit the stove, and put water on to boil.
Outside the window, evening gradually settled over Lumina Square.
Inside the ramen stall, five Bangboo sat in a row-Shukaku and Matatabi were bickering, Isobu was sleeping, Xiao Kong was studying the power bank's model, and Kokuō was getting used to the new body.
Upstairs, the laughter of four girls (and one mother) drifted through the floorboards.
Everything was noisy.
Everything was warm.
Lin Shuo lowered the noodles into the pot, and steam rose.
He thought that days like this... didn't seem so bad.
Even with all the trouble, even with the danger still there, even with countless challenges still waiting in the future-
At least at this moment, this little ramen stall was the safest place in the world.
The water in the pot bubbled.
Just like life, always full of warmth and hope.
[System notification: Five-Tails Kokuō's Bangboo transformation is complete. Tailed Beasts currently subdued: 5/9. Rewards: Ōtsutsuki Fragment ×1, boil release chakra affinity (beginner) have been issued.] [Note: The Tailed Beast Bangboo Squad has taken initial shape. The host is advised to develop "Bangboo joint combat tactics" to deal with the greater crisis approaching.]
(PS: I had a late-night burst of sheer willpower and powered through nearly 5,000 characters for you all. I originally wanted to save it for tomorrow, but after thinking it over, I decided to post it tonight.
The main thing is that tomorrow's a day off, so it doesn't matter how late I get up.)