Returning to Qiyuan

The Tottori Sand Dunes are a rare desert area in Japan, located in eastern Tottori Prefecture. They stretch for about 16 kilometers from east to west and are about 2 kilometers wide from north to south. Compared to deserts in other countries, they are incomparable. However, in Japan, they are the largest desert landscape open to the public, attracting many tourists every year. They are one of the few tourist attractions in Tottori Prefecture that is known to outsiders.

Transportation in Tottori Prefecture is not well-developed. It takes several hours by bus to get from Oumagadoki City to Tottori Prefecture. Considering that Fran was already a little sleepy, Jilan decided to set off tomorrow morning.

Jilan didn't want to waste time on the slow bus ride, so he went straight to Fujiwara Takumi and said, "Uncle, I heard you're a very good driver. Could you close your shop tomorrow and take us to Tottori Prefecture? I'll pay you."

Fujiwara was displeased upon hearing this. "Who do you take me for, telling me to close down whenever I want? Tottori Prefecture is so far away, I'm not going."

Before Fujiwara could finish speaking, Jilan placed a stack of papers bearing Fukuzawa Yukichi's name on the table and calmly said, "This is for the travel expenses and the cost of this meal. I can add more if it's not enough."

Fujiwara immediately changed his tune, saying enthusiastically, "How could I not go! Money is nothing, you're a customer who shares my ideals, how could I refuse you? It's just going to Tottori Prefecture, I can drive you there in three hours tomorrow!"

Jilan smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you tomorrow. I need to find a hotel for Fran to rest."

As he spoke, he pulled Fran up and headed for the door. Fran had already finished her ice cream and obediently stood up to follow Jilan. Her gaze kept scanning curiously between Jilan and Fujiwara, as if she didn't quite understand why Fujiwara had suddenly changed his mind.

"Take care!" Fujiwara rubbed his hands together, eager to get to work. "I'm closing up shop now; I'm going to give my beloved car a proper service tonight!"

The cool night breeze soothed Jilan, who had felt somewhat stuffy in the Fujiwara Izakaya. Jilan smiled and asked Fran, "Fran, today is your first time going out alone with Daddy. Are you happy?"

"I'm so happy! The ice cream is so delicious!" Fran replied with a smile, shaking Jilan's arm. "Daddy, let's come with Mommy next time. I'm sure she'll love the ice cream too!"

Jilan chuckled lightly, "Okay, but your mom is probably worried about gaining weight from eating ice cream, so she probably won't eat too much."

This statement was obviously malicious slander from Jilan. To be honest, he didn't know Erina, what she liked to eat, or what she liked to do. They hadn't met many times, and each time Erina took the initiative to make suggestions that Jilan couldn't refuse. The relationship between the two was like that of strangers with similar interests, only connected by Fran.

"Since Mom doesn't like it, I'll finish the rest for her. I won't gain weight!" Fran said with a grin.

"Who says you won't gain weight?" Jilan leaned down and pinched Fran's nose, laughing as she said, "Be careful not to get diarrhea from eating too much ice cream."

Fran is an artificial human; her body is already fixed, like a "Natural Body" that won't gain weight—something Jilan is well aware of. However, although Jilan treats Fran as his adopted daughter, he believes there are still many mysteries surrounding Fran that haven't been solved. For example, does she know she's an artificial human? And how did Erina explain it to her?

Jilan brought Fran along on her summer vacation trip this time because she wanted to find out the secret about Fran.

Just as the shop owner was calculating that it was getting late and preparing to close the shop, the Qiyuan Inn, which had not welcomed any guests for a long time, finally heard the door bell ring. The young female owner dropped the pen she was using to play a Sudoku game and reflexively put on a smile.

"Welcome, guests!"

There were two people who came: a boy with deep eyes and a girl with pure eyes who seemed naive. Both of them had dazzling blonde hair, and the hostess subconsciously thought they were a brother and sister.

The blond young man greeted her, "Mrs. Qiyuan, I'm sorry to bother you again."

Mrs. Qiyuan rubbed her blurry eyes before realizing that the person in front of her looked very familiar. "You are, Jilan from Tokyo U.A. High School?"

"Indeed, it is I."

"You're here on vacation again?" Mrs. Qiyuan felt a little embarrassed, thinking about the previous misunderstanding. "I'm sorry, Jilan, I misunderstood you last time and made you feel frightened."

"I understand Mrs. Qiyuan's thinking. After all, she has a lovely daughter, and she would be wary of anyone who tries to get close to her." Jilan now deeply sympathizes with Mrs. Qiyuan's actions back then, and if anyone tries to get close to Fran now, he will show absolutely no mercy.

"I knew people who aspire to be Pro Hero weren't bad people." Mrs. Qiyuan took out the registration form and asked with a smile, "Jilan, are you here with your sister this time? Would you like two rooms?"

Registration is a necessary procedure; all residents must register, including acquaintances.

"Dad, I'm so sleepy," Fran yawned.

Incidentally, Fran's actions require energy. Although she has a large amount of energy stored in her body, enough to keep her awake for several months, Erina adjusted her on I-Island, changing her to have a limited daily energy ration. She can only restore energy through sleep, while eating provides additional energy from the outside.

"Just hang in there a little longer, we'll have a place to sleep soon," Jilan said softly, smiling at Mrs. Qiyuan as she filled out the form. "One room will do. By the way, where's Xiaoyou? I haven't seen her."

"Xiaoyou is already asleep. She's still young and needs to rest early," Mrs. Qiyuan replied subconsciously, then sensed something was wrong. "Just now, this child didn't call you 'brother,' but 'dad'? What's your relationship?"

Mrs. Qiyuan's gaze turned wary as she looked at Jilan. She slowly took a step back, her hand reaching towards the flute that Xiaoyou had placed behind the counter. "I understand. You still have designs on Xiaoyou. You brought this child, whom you've already 'educated,' here to show me what you're capable of, to warn me not to resist anymore. You'll definitely end up like this, calling me 'Dad' in a Xiaoyou."

Jilan was both amused and exasperated by Mrs. Qiyuan's peculiar thought process. How many doujinshi had she read to come up with so much from just a name?

"Mrs. Qiyuan, actually..."

"Does that mean you have feelings for me too!?" Mrs. Qiyuan's face turned horrified. "Isn't Xiaoyou enough? Do you want us, mother and daughter, to become #?! You really are a pervert!"

Although Mrs. Qiyuan was afraid, for the sake of her reputation and for Xiaoyou, she still raised her flute towards the Great Demon King Jilan Jiyu!