The dark blue shirt arrived on Saturday.
Lin Shuo stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself in his new shirt. It fit well, the color suited his complexion better than he had expected, and the collar was crisp.
"Looking good, Dad!"
Lin You leaned in through his bedroom doorway, her Two-Tomoe Sharingan gleaming mischievously. "You look three years younger! Mom will definitely like it!"
"...I just thought my old shirt needed replacing."
"Sure, sure~" Lin You drew out the words and skipped away. "I'm going to brush Little Shukaku! Take your time admiring yourself, Dad~"
Lin Shuo stared at his reflection in silence for three seconds, then took off the shirt without expression and changed into his usual old gray one, washed almost white.
But he carefully ironed the new shirt and hung it in the most conspicuous spot in his wardrobe.
At ten in the morning, the ramen stall opened right on time.
Lumina Square was livelier than usual on weekends, with tourists and neighborhood residents crowding the alleys.
Lin Shuo was so busy he did not even have time for a sip of water.
Lin You handled payments that day. After a week of "training," she could operate the register with ease and even tell customers, "Thank you for coming~" in a sweet voice.
"Little Lin, this child is so well-behaved." An older woman who came often smiled as she handed over her Denny. "Your niece? She's so pretty. Her eyes look especially like yours."
"A distant relative."
Lin Shuo deftly scooped out the noodles and put them in a bowl.
"Oh, I see. That explains it." The woman took her ramen and lowered her voice. "By the way, I heard you helped Old Li's Yuzuha deal with some ghost story a while back? She was still praising you when she came to buy groceries yesterday, saying Lin Shuo was amazing~"
The strainer in Lin Shuo's hand paused. "...It was nothing."
"Old Li was delighted. Said Yuzuha had made a dependable friend."
The woman gave him a knowing smile. "I think he's going to Aerospace City to pick up stock today, so Yuzuha's watching the shop alone.
"If you have time, you could go give her a hand. She's capable, but she's still a young girl..."
With that, the woman walked away with her ramen.
Lin Shuo continued cooking, but his movements had noticeably slowed a beat.
"Dad."
Lin You sidled up and whispered, "Did you hear that? It's your chance!"
"...Chance for what?"
"To help out at Kaidan House!" Lin You's eyes shone. "Grandpa's away, so Mom definitely can't handle the shop alone! We can close early and go-"
"It's Saturday. There are too many customers to close early."
"What about tonight? Tonight's fine, right?"
Lin You grabbed the hem of Lin Shuo's apron and shook it. "Dad~ Mom's working so hard all by herself. Let's go help~ Besides, I want to meet Grandpa! Mom said in the future that he was a really good person!"
Lin Shuo said nothing, only quickened his pace cooking noodles.
Lin You's words made him realize that something might have happened to Li Baorong in the future. Otherwise, as Yuzuha's adoptive father, there was no way Lin You would never have met him.
At three in the afternoon, the rush passed.
While wiping down the counter, Lin Shuo suddenly spoke. "Get things ready. We're closing at five thirty."
Lin You was counting money. She looked up. "Huh? That early today?"
"...Something to do."
"What is it~" Lin You asked, knowing full well.
Lin Shuo glanced at her. "We're going to Kaidan House. Didn't you want to go?"
"Yay!" Lin You jumped up, then immediately composed herself and put on a serious expression. "Yes, we ought to help our neighbors! You're so kindhearted, Dad!"
Lin Shuo could not be bothered with her.
At five thirty, the ramen stall closed right on time.
Lin Shuo returned to his rented room to change. After three seconds of hesitation, he put on the dark blue shirt after all.
Holding the backpack containing Little Shukaku, Lin You had also changed into clean clothes: a pink-and-white striped dress, with her hair tied into two little buns. She looked sweet and adorable.
"Dad, should we bring a gift?"
"No need."
"It'd be rude to go empty-handed! Let's at least bring some fruit!"
"...We'll buy some at the fruit shop downstairs."
"Hehe, I knew you understood these things best, Dad~"
Kaidan House stood at a corner on Lumina Square's main street. The shop was small, but its window display was beautifully arranged.
On Saturday evening, a few customers were still browsing the gray porcelain crafts inside.
Yuzuha was packing orders behind the counter, her red hair in a ponytail and fine beads of sweat on her temples. At the sound of the wind chimes, she looked up, her green eyes brightening.
"Lin Shuo! Little You! What brings you here?"
"Passing by," Lin Shuo said succinctly.
"Hi, Yuzuha!" Lin You greeted her sweetly. "We're here to help! Uncle said the shop must be busy on weekends~"
Yuzuha froze briefly, then laughed. "Honestly... you're as awkward as ever, Lin Shuo."
She came out from behind the counter. "But this really is a huge help! Dad went to Aerospace City to pick up stock and won't be back until tonight. I've been packing all these orders alone. My hands are about to cramp."
She pointed at the cardboard boxes piled in a corner. There were at least twenty, all online orders waiting to be shipped.
Lin Shuo rolled up his sleeves. "I'll pack. You fill out the shipping forms."
"Huh? But-"
"It's more efficient."
Lin Shuo had already walked over to the boxes and crouched down to inspect the goods.
His movements were as practiced as if he were organizing equipment in the military.
Yuzuha blinked and stopped protesting. "Then... thank you!"
She returned to the counter and began processing the order details.
Lin You was assigned a little stool by the entrance, responsible for saying "Welcome" when customers entered and looking after Little Shukaku. Little Shukaku had been ordered to stay in the backpack, with only his head allowed out.
The shop quieted, leaving only the ripping of packing tape and the clatter of Yuzuha's keyboard.
The setting sun slanted through the display window, gilding the gray porcelain crafts in warm gold.
"Lin Shuo."
Yuzuha suddenly spoke, her eyes still on the screen. "About the day before yesterday... I haven't properly thanked you yet."
"No need."
"There is."
Yuzuha stopped typing and turned to him. "If you hadn't been there, we might all have gotten hurt. Alice was saying yesterday that you have so much more combat experience than we do."
Lin Shuo stacked a packed box in the corner. "My old job required it."
"Obsidian Camp... must have been rough, right?"
"...It wasn't too bad."
"Liar." Yuzuha propped her chin in her hand, her green eyes curving. "I specifically looked it up. You were an elite in the military and took part in plenty of dangerous missions. Besides..."
She paused. "Your eyes, and those abilities... ordinary soldiers don't have those."
Lin Shuo's hands paused in their packing.
But Yuzuha did not press him. She merely continued, "Still, everyone has secrets. There are things I don't want to talk about either. So if you don't want to tell me, I won't ask."
She turned back and resumed typing. "It's just... if you ever do want to talk, I'll listen carefully."
Lin Shuo was silent for a few seconds.
"Yuzuha."
"Hmm?"
"Aren't you..." He considered his words. "Afraid? Of associating with someone like me."
Yuzuha blinked. "Why would I be afraid?"
"I've killed people. More than one."
"Do those people from The Order even count as people?" Yuzuha asked calmly. "They experimented on living people, turned ordinary people into Ethereals, and created Hollow disasters... You killed bad people and protected good people. What's frightening about that?"
She put down her work and looked earnestly at Lin Shuo. "Besides, you're so gentle with me, Manato, Alice, and the others... You might seem cold on the surface, but you treat us to ramen, come help us, and stand in front of us when there's danger. Why would anyone be afraid of someone like that?"
Lin Shuo had no answer.
He lowered his head and continued packing, but the tips of his ears had visibly reddened.
Yuzuha turned back with a secret smile and began humming a cheerful tune.
Watching from the doorway, Lin You covered her mouth to stifle a giggle and spoke softly enough that only Little Shukaku could hear. "See? Mom always goes straight for it~ Dad can't handle her at all~"
"Pooji~" Little Shukaku agreed.
At six thirty, the final order was packed.
Yuzuha stretched. "Finally done! Lin Shuo, you pack so fast, and every box is super neat... Did you learn that in the military?"
"Yes."
"That's amazing..."
Yuzuha walked over to the stacked boxes, examining their crisp edges and smooth tape, then suddenly remembered something. "Right! You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll cook some noodles-oh, talking about cooking noodles in front of a ramen stall owner feels a bit like showing off in front of an expert..."
"Don't trouble yourself."
"It's no trouble at all! Dad left ingredients. It'll be quick!"
Yuzuha ran into the back, where a kitchen connected the shop to their living quarters.
Lin Shuo had intended to refuse, but Lin You had already followed her. "Yuzuha, I'll help wash the vegetables!"
"...This child." Helpless, Lin Shuo could only follow them inside.
The kitchen was small but clean. Several gray porcelain bowls and plates sat on the counter, and a few pots of pothos grew on the windowsill.
Yuzuha put water on to boil and took eggs and greens from the refrigerator.
Lin You brought over a little stool and stood at the sink, diligently washing the vegetables.
The scene was as warm as a family.
Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Shuo watched, suddenly feeling a little dazed. This ordinary daily life was a luxury he had never dared even imagine in the laboratory or on the battlefield.
"Sit down, Lin Shuo." Yuzuha looked back. "You'll get tired standing there."
"...Okay."
Lin Shuo sat at the dining table.
It was an old table in a natural wood color, covered with a checked tablecloth whose edges had faded from washing.
A family photograph hung on the wall. In the middle was a kind-looking middle-aged man, presumably Li Baorong.
Five children surrounded him. Yuzuha stood on the far left, looking younger then, but her smile was just as radiant as it was now.
"That's Dad."
Noticing his gaze, Yuzuha spoke as she beat the eggs. "Beside him is my older brother. He's already moved out. These two are my younger sisters, Kaede and Sumire. They're visiting a classmate today. On the far right is my younger brother, A Qing. He works in the next neighborhood."
Her tone was natural, as though introducing the most ordinary of families.
But Lin Shuo knew that none of the children in the photograph were Li Baorong's biological children.
They had all been abandoned and hurt, then taken in by this man, who had given them new names and a home.
"Uncle Baorong..." Lin Shuo said. "He's a good man."
"Yes." Yuzuha's smile softened. "He's the best person I've ever met. He always says, 'I only did what I should,' but I know... not everyone can do what he does."
She paused, her voice growing quieter. "Dad found me by the sea and brought me home. Back then, I didn't know anything. I couldn't even remember who I was... But he gave me a name, a bed, and a chance to go to school."
The water boiled, sending up steam.
Yuzuha added the noodles with practiced movements. "So I want to be a little more useful, to help Dad and protect this home... Maybe that's why I joined Spook Shack. Dad always says it's too dangerous and tells me not to go, but I..."
She did not finish, but Lin Shuo understood.
Because she had been treated gently, she wanted to treat others gently too.
Because she had been saved, she wanted to save others too.
It was foolish.
But also very... Yuzuha.
The noodles were ready: simple noodles in clear broth, with eggs and greens.
But the broth was unexpectedly delicious.
"I added a little bonito powder."
Yuzuha smiled bashfully. "I learned that from you~ Though it's definitely not as good as yours."
"It's delicious." Lin Shuo took a bite in earnest.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Yuzuha's smile grew even brighter.
The three sat at the dining table eating noodles.
Lin You chattered about amusing things that had happened at the ramen stall that day, Yuzuha obligingly exclaimed in surprise, and Lin Shuo occasionally responded. The atmosphere could hardly have been warmer.
Halfway through the meal, the wind chimes at the shop door rang.
"I'm back-Yuzuha, do we have guests?"
A middle-aged man's voice reached them.
Lin Shuo looked up.
Li Baorong stood in the kitchen doorway, carrying bags of stock of all sizes.
He looked about fifty, with graying hair, a kindly face, and deep laugh lines at the corners of his eyes. He wore a plain work jacket, his trouser cuffs dusty. Clearly, he had just returned from a long journey.
"Dad!" Yuzuha rose. "You're back! This is Lin Shuo, who runs the ramen stall in Lumina Square. He's helped us before. This is Little You, his niece."
Li Baorong set down his bags and smiled warmly. "Oh! Lin Shuo, right? Yuzuha's mentioned you plenty of times. She says your ramen is the best in all of Lumina Square!"
He walked over and gave Lin Shuo a natural pat on the shoulder. "Sorry for the trouble today, coming over to help us out. Yuzuha must have been pushing herself again, hasn't she?"
"I wasn't!" Yuzuha protested. "Lin Shuo wanted to come himself!"
"Yes, yes~" Li Baorong smiled, looking at Lin Shuo with sincere gratitude. "Little Lin, thank you for looking after Yuzuha. She's been independent since she was small, always trying to shoulder everything herself... Knowing she has a dependable friend looking out for her puts my mind at ease."
Lin Shuo stood and said earnestly, "It's only right. Yuzuha has helped me a lot too."
"Helping each other is good, helping each other is good." Li Baorong sat down at the table, and Yuzuha immediately served him a bowl of noodles.
Lin You greeted him sweetly. "Hello, Grandpa Li~"
"Oh, hello, hello!" Li Baorong looked at Lin You, his eyes suddenly narrowing a little. "This child's eyes and brows... look a little like Yuzuha's when she was young."
Lin Shuo's heart tightened.
But Li Baorong merely smiled. "Maybe pretty children all have something in common. Little You, right? How old are you?"
"Eight!"
"Eight is a good age. Full of energy." Li Baorong took a few candies out of his pocket. "Here, a little first-meeting gift from Grandpa."
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Lin You took the candies, her words sweet as honey. "You look so young, Grandpa! You don't look like a grandpa at all. You look like an uncle!"
Li Baorong burst into laughter at her words.
Dinner continued in a cheerful atmosphere.
Li Baorong was very talkative, chatting about what he had seen and heard while sourcing goods in Aerospace City, new trends in gray porcelain craftsmanship, and neighborhood gossip from Lumina Square.
Lin Shuo mostly listened quietly, chiming in occasionally.
He noticed that Li Baorong looked at Yuzuha the way a father looked at his daughter-with pride, tenderness, and a touch of helplessness.
Just like... a real family.
After dinner, Lin Shuo volunteered to help wash the dishes.
Li Baorong did not stop him, merely sitting at the table brewing tea and chatting with Lin You.
"Little Lin." Li Baorong suddenly spoke. "Yuzuha told me you used to be in Obsidian Camp?"
"...Yes."
"Thank you for your hard work." Li Baorong's tone was gentle. "I was in the Defense Force when I was young too. Though I was in logistics... I know what the front lines are like."
Lin Shuo paused in drying a bowl.
"It's good that you've retired." Li Baorong continued, "Nothing beats living a peaceful life. That girl Yuzuha just won't settle down, always running off somewhere dangerous... she won't listen when I tell her."
He smiled wryly. "Maybe I spoiled her."
"Yuzuha is sensible," Lin Shuo said. "She knows what she wants to do."
"Yes, she knows all too well." Li Baorong sighed. "Sometimes I wish she were a little less clever, a little more timid... but then she wouldn't be Yuzuha."
He looked at Lin Shuo, his gaze earnest. "Little Lin, you're older than Yuzuha, and more experienced. If that girl takes risks again, sorry for the trouble, but... please keep an eye on her. Consider it a request from her father."
Lin Shuo put down the bowl and turned to face Li Baorong.
He stood very straight, as though receiving orders in the military.
"I will."
Those two words were as solemn as an oath.
Li Baorong smiled, the smile lines at the corners of his eyes deepening. "Good, good... with your word, I can rest easy."
By the time they left Kaidan House, the sky had gone completely dark.
Yuzuha saw them to the door. "Thank you so much for today! Come have ramen next time. My treat!"
"Mm." Lin Shuo nodded. "Go back inside."
"Lin Shuo." Yuzuha suddenly called him back, her green eyes shining beneath the streetlight. "Next week... would you like to go to the seaside together? Dad said the weather will be good next weekend, so we can go collect raw materials for gray porcelain. Little You can come along and play too~"
Before Lin Shuo could answer, Lin You had already jumped up. "Yes, yes! I want to go to the seaside!"
"...Mm." Lin Shuo finally nodded. "All right."
Yuzuha's smile grew even brighter. "Then it's settled! I'll contact you then!"
On the way home, Lin You skipped excitedly. "The seaside! I get to go to the seaside with Mom! Dad, should you get some swimming trunks ready?"
"...We're just collecting raw materials. There's no need to swim."
"But we can still play in the water! And sunsets by the sea are super romantic! Mom from the future said your first date with her was at the seaside-mmph!"
Lin Shuo covered her mouth.
But it was already too late.
Lin You wriggled free and ran off, giggling.
Lin Shuo stood where he was, looking at the night sky.
New Eridu's starry sky was washed out by neon, but a few stars still shone stubbornly.
He recalled what Li Baorong had said: "Nothing beats living a peaceful life."
Peaceful?
It seemed... things were getting less and less peaceful.
But it seemed... that wasn't bad either.
"Dad! Come on! Little Shukaku says it's hungry!"
"Coming."
Lin Shuo quickened his pace.
The wind blew through the alleys of Lumina Square, carrying the scent of the sea.
Their weekend plans by the sea...
He suddenly found himself looking forward to them a little.
[System notification: Contact established with key figure "Li Baorong." Host has obtained "Li Baorong's Approval." Current progress of main quest "Romance Ukinami Yuzuha": 7.9%. New side quest "Weekend Seaside Trip" triggered. Host, please prepare accordingly.]
Amid the warmth of everyday life, the progress bar quietly advanced another small step.
And as a certain man in a dark blue shirt stepped through his front door, the corners of his mouth curved upward by 0.3 degrees more than usual.
Though he might not even have noticed it himself.
(PS: This is the first time I've made a comprehensive revision to something I've already posted. It's not that there was any rule-breaking content in it; I just felt the progress bar seemed to be moving a little too fast. The male lead and Yuzuha's relationship hasn't developed that far yet, and if I rashly brought over another daughter from another spacetime, things might get harder to write later... so today's task is to comprehensively revise what I posted yesterday. Of course, this won't interfere with my regular updates and writing; I might just post a little later.)