Chat Group : Another Fate From Honkai

Thirty minutes later, Nagami and Inori sat across from each other at a window-side booth of a quiet, nearly empty café.

Inori is now wore an elegant outfit recreated by Nagami using the power of the Herrscher of Reason.

A jet-black dress adorned with crimson lace at the hem, equal parts dark and graceful.

The lacy skirt barely reached her thighs, revealing smooth, fair skin beneath.

Her slender legs were wrapped in sheer black stockings that shimmered with a silky texture.

It was, in every way, the embodiment of Nagami's personal taste.

Ahem…

While Inori's physical condition wasn't quite at full normal human standards… well, considering the average health of most shut-in otaku in his past life, she was probably already in better shape than most.

With just a bit of fine-tuning via his Herrscher abilities, her body could easily be brought to peak human health—with no flaws on a biological level.

But since this was her first time eating real food, Nagami decided to start her off with something light and easy to digest: a bowl of warm rice porridge.

Inori's wine-red eyes were fixated on the steaming white bowl in front of her.

Her tiny nose twitched as she caught the scent, clearly intrigued.

"Go ahead, try it," Nagami encouraged gently.

Inori nodded obediently—but what she did next made Nagami's heart nearly leap out of his chest.

Without warning, she lowered her head and planted her face straight into the bowl.

Nagami quickly reached out to stop her, gently pulling her back and frowning slightly under her confused gaze.

"Inori… have you never eaten porridge before?"

"No… soaked… didn't need to…"

So she really had been submerged in nutrient solution all this time…

Nagami sighed internally.

It would probably take a day or two for her to get used to eating and speaking properly.

He hadn't thought to teach her how to eat—after all, who in the world doesn't know how to eat?

Apparently, her entire life had been spent in that capsule…

"I'll feed you," he said softly.

He picked up the spoon, scooped a small portion of the steaming porridge, and gently brought it to Inori's lips.

Yeah… looks like she'd need some serious education in basic life skills.

The researchers must've implanted some basic knowledge during her development, but it didn't seem like she could access those memories consciously.

She'd only recently awakened, and until joining the chat group, her mind had probably been empty—like a blank canvas.

...

'Why does this feel more and more like raising a daughter?!' Nagami thought.

Shaking the strange, almost horrifying thought out of his head, he refocused on Inori.

Staring at the spoon, Inori instinctively opened her small cherry lips.

Her soft, pink tongue flicked out, gently tasting the white porridge.

A faint gulp followed.

The warmth of the porridge spread through her empty stomach, making her sigh with contentment.

Her eyes fluttered slightly, clearly enjoying the comforting sensation.

Licking her lips with that glass-like gaze, she looked up at Nagami and said, "Na… more."

The way she said it almost made Nagami's thoughts spiral out of control again.

He quickly scooped another spoonful, blew gently on it, and offered it to her again.

Before long, the entire bowl was empty.

———————————————————————

Meanwhile, back at the research facility…

"As expected, even our seniors can't withstand the torture of 996 schedules," one young researcher joked as he walked into the lab, both of them dressed in white coats.

They chuckled as they saw two of their colleagues slumped over their desks, seemingly asleep at their keyboards.

But that laughter quickly faded.

"Wait a minute… something's not right!"

The second researcher, clearly less skilled at slacking off, immediately began checking the lab.

"Who opened the medical pod?! The test subject is gone!?"

While the two researchers worked at GHQ's Void Genome Laboratory, neither of them knew exactly who the girl inside that pod really was.

Only the highest-ranking officials were aware of Inori's true identity.

But one thing they did know: Director Keido had issued multiple top-level orders regarding that girl.

She was absolutely not allowed to go missing.

"W-What happened?! Where did she go?!"

"How should I know?! We've been out of the lab the whole time!"

The two looked at each other, panic setting in.

Their eyes were filled with dread.

This lab was dozens of floors underground.

Sneaking in or out was next to impossible.

Not to mention, with the transfer to Roppongi's underground facility just days away, the entire site had been placed under high alert.

Not even a fly could get in.

"Wake up, oi! Wake up!"

One researcher shook a slumped-over colleague, his expression growing darker by the second.

"They're not asleep… they've been knocked out!"

"The pod couldn't have been opened from the inside. There are no signs of a struggle. Which means—they were attacked by someone they knew…"

"…Wait… don't tell me… there's a mole in the lab?!"

Their faces turned ghostly pale.

If anything happened to that girl, losing their jobs would be the least of their worries—they might not survive the fallout.

"Calm down! Don't panic!"

"You got a plan?!"

"Nope. But panicking won't help either!"

"What we need to do is… hit the alarm, you idiot! Go get help!"

"O-Oh, right!"

...

In the distant future of 2039, traditional ID cards no longer exist—everything relies on facial recognition.

Of course, this posed no issue for Nagami.

He casually selected a random couple on the street, recorded their facial data using the Alpha Stigma Eyes, and then reproduced it using Honkai energy.

With a gentle swipe across Yuzuriha Inori's fair, delicate face, her exquisitely flawless features were replaced by a more ordinary—yet still attractive—face.

The transformation was seamless.

Originally, Nagami planned to book a hotel, adjust Inori's physical condition to perfection, and then search for the Origin Stone.

But—

"Congratulations, you two! As our 999th and 1000th customers, you've won a special prize—VIP day passes to the Suiryuukei Amusement Park, thanks to our collaboration with the park next door!"

The costumed greeter bowed deeply to Nagami and Inori, cheerfully delivering the unexpected news.

Nagami blinked in confusion.

Wait… what's with this park name!?

Still, he wasn't all that surprised. As a true "Lucky King," his absurd luck wasn't limited to just gacha games.

Back in his previous life, things like this happened often—at first, he played along, but as the wins piled up, he started trading the prizes for cash or reselling them.

Amusement parks just weren't fun alone.

He glanced sideways at Inori.

Her wine-red eyes sparkled like dreamlike rubies.

"Na?" she tilted her head innocently.

She had only heard of "amusement parks" through the basic knowledge Nagami had taught her—places where people could laugh and play freely. She had never even seen one before.

"Nothing," he said with a warm smile, ruffling her soft pink hair.

After accepting the tickets from the staff and thanking them, he gently took Inori's delicate hand and headed toward the park.

"Looks like even the heavens are spoiling you, huh, Inori."

Though the rides and attractions couldn't stir any excitement in him now that he was a Herrscher, it was still interesting to see how entertainment was designed in this world.

Or maybe… this counted as babysitting?

Damn it, why does that cursed thought keep coming back!?

The hotel was conveniently close—just a ten-minute walk from the park.

Fortunately, the amusement park's odd name was just a coincidence.

Thanks to their VIP status, they skipped all the long lines—one of the main reasons Nagami used to avoid such places. The staff were incredibly attentive, too.

However, the flirtatious glances they kept throwing at him and Inori definitely earned a spot on his mental blacklist.

"Inori, have you bought your 'Fated Partner' pass?" he asked gently as they entered the park, his voice tender.

"Mm, Na said… to buy it…" Inori nodded, her petite hands pressing against the window of a ride cabin, her smooth forehead resting against the glass.

She turned to look at him, her red eyes shimmering with childlike curiosity.

"That's good," he smiled.

Inori was naturally quiet and ethereal, but perhaps seeing Nagami in person for the first time made her want to express more.

Though her words came slowly, haltingly, Nagami could feel her deep attachment.

Their hands remained clasped tightly, never letting go.

There was something calming, even magical, about her presence.

For the entire day, Nagami led her from one attraction to the next, guiding her through a world she had never seen before.

It wasn't until she started looking tired that he brought her to a bench, letting her sit down to rest.

They stayed like that, side by side, sharing a peaceful moment.

Aside from the distant hum of rides and games, the only sound was the soft crunch of Inori nibbling on her ice cream cone.

Nagami watched her quietly.

The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm, golden hue over them.

In that moment, time itself seemed to slow down—lingering as if reluctant to disturb the tranquility between them.

———————————————————————

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