Chapter 15 : The Dutiful Daughter

“Dad, when are you going to the hot springs?”

“Anytime. Why do you ask?”

“No reason. Just wondering.”

After entering the room, Luo Zining simply sat by the window, holding a drink in her hands.

She stuck a metal straw into the cup and blew into it, not saying a word.

Meanwhile, Luo You lay sprawled on the bed, fiddling with her phone.

Her small feet—encased in white thigh-highs—swayed in the air.

Every time they brushed against each other, they made a soft rustling sound.

Suddenly, Luo You lifted her head.

“Are you staring at me?”

“N-No!”

Luo Zining jerked her head away, flustered.

“Hm~? Curious about the way I look now?”

Luo You rolled off the bed and landed with a spin in front of the mirror.

“Well, I guess that’s natural. I am stunning, after all.”

“Ughhh, narcissist… Dad, you sound way too comfortable with all this.”

“I’ve just accepted reality, that’s all.”

“You’re not even a little upset about losing all the muscle you were so proud of?”

“Of course I am. But hey, I traded muscle for beauty—it’s a fair exchange.”

Luo You waved it off like it was nothing.

Fair exchange, my ass.

Luo Zining rolled her eyes.

To be able to exchange muscles—good only for admiration and not for boy-on-boy bonding—for such an adorable appearance?

That’s a jackpot.

Honestly, Luo Zining would’ve preferred her dad to stay in a muscle-bound truck.

The cuteness that would come from that transformation would’ve been off the charts.

“Hehehe~”

Luo You noticed her daughter practically bubbling with curiosity and grinned triumphantly.

“You really want to touch me, don’t you?”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous!”

With her little canines clamped down on the straw, Luo Zining’s cheeks flushed.

She bit so hard that the straw crackled.

Her eyes darted away toward some meaningless corner, feigning disinterest.

“As your father, I should occasionally satisfy your thirst for knowledge.”

Luo You spread her arms generously.

“So? What do you want to know? Go ahead—don’t be shy.”

“You really want me to stare at you that badly? Ugh! You narcissist!”

“Exactly~ I invited you here because I desperately wanted you to understand me.”

“Hmph…! Well, since you’re being so insistent…”

Blushing hard, Luo Zining stood up, choosing to follow her curiosity without shame.

From Luo You’s perspective, their father-daughter relationship was finally on the upswing.

Best to keep it that way while she could.

After all, living with an adorable daughter versus a bratty little troublemaker was a night-and-day difference in quality of life.

And Luo You wasn’t worried about her touching anything “inappropriate.”

When she said Zining could “go ahead,” she expected something like a poke on the cheek—maybe a little face-squish, tops.

What she didn’t expect was what happened next.

“Huh?”

Luo Zining crouched down in front of her, extended a single index finger toward the forbidden zone—the sacred “absolute territory”—and gently pressed her finger into the soft, exposed flesh of Luo You’s upper thighs.

She lifted the sock’s edge, pulled it, let go, and—

Snap!

“Whoa-whoa-whoa—?! That’s amazing!”

The sock bounced!

The flesh jiggled!

Luo Zining was in awe.

So this was the true seductive power of stockings clinging to soft skin?

What would it be like to get her face trapped between those thighs…?

No! What the hell am I thinking?!

Realizing her thoughts were spiraling into a place they absolutely shouldn’t go, she forcefully shoved the impulse back down, resisting the urge to lean in and give them a lick.

Luo You narrowed her eyes.

“…Your method of ‘understanding’ is pretty unique. Had enough?”

“None of your business.”

With one curiosity sated, Luo Zining returned to her seat.

The room fell into a lull.

“Oh right, your aunt lives here, doesn’t she?”

Luo You asked.

“Yeah. You haven’t met her yet. My sister lives with her too.”

Before being adopted by Luo You, Luo Zining had other relatives—several, in fact.

She had two older sisters, one younger, and supposedly an adoptive mother who’d gone missing long ago.

Due to financial limitations at the time, Luo You had only adopted Zining.

She hadn’t met the rest of the family in all these years, and they’d only maintained a loose connection through occasional phone calls.

“I’m planning to visit my aunt and sister tomorrow. Dad, uh… maybe you shouldn’t come.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m already here—might as well say hi.”

Luo You didn’t mind.

She used to avoid meeting people because it was a hassle.

But now that she’s returned to being a woman… she found herself oddly enjoying socializing.

“But how am I supposed to explain your identity…”

“Just stick with ‘Luo Youyou.’ That’s what you’ve been calling me in front of Zhou Xi too, right? No point changing it now.”

“Ugh…”

Zining was very anxious.

It was just introducing her own father to her family—so why was she the one panicking?

“By the way, when you saw Zhou Xi-senpai, didn’t you feel anything? She’s a magical girl, you know! You didn’t want her autograph or anything?”

“I’m not some fangirl. I don’t follow entertainment gossip. An autograph? I should be the one signing her, if anything… not that I would.”

Luo You glanced at the wall nearby.

No way she’d admit out loud that magical girls were basically glorified firearms to her.

Famous idols?

Distant, untouchable ice queens?

She’d slept with over a hundred. What was there to chase?

Wham—

“Whoa! Dad, look! It’s a snow surge! That’s so cool… I’ve seen it online so many times, but this is my first time seeing it for real!”

Zining leaned halfway out the window, kicking her feet with excitement.

Luo You walked over just in time to witness one of the Nine Seas’ iconic spectacles.

The sky outside cracked open like a spring eye, spewing a massive surge of white mist.

It billowed outward into an enormous sea of clouds, rolling and rushing across the sky before collapsing into a temporary blizzard.

A wave of chill rippled through the air.

The air here was so much cleaner than in industrial cities—crisp and refreshing.

Luo You hadn’t planned to go out today, but this changed her mind.

“Let’s hit the hot springs!”

“Wait, should we ask Zhou Xi-senpai to join us? She came with us—ditching her doesn’t feel right.”

“Hm… fair enough.”

Luo You nodded.

If she was going to do this, she’d do it right.

Might as well add a little fanservice for Zhou Xi while they were at it.

Zining approached Zhou Xi’s room and raised a hand to knock, but before she could, the door opened on its own.

Zhou Xi stood behind it, dressed in a loose hotel robe, apparently on her way out.

“What is it?”

“I wanted to ask if you’d like to join us in the hot springs.”

“…”

Zhou Xi glanced briefly at the figure behind her—Luo You—then pursed her lips.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

On the way, Zining stuck close—too close—making it hard for Luo You to strut her stuff.

“I forgot my swimsuit,” Luo You suddenly announced.

Nani?!

Zhou Xi tensed up immediately, alarm bells ringing in her head.

“Eh… How could you be so careless?” Zining huffed.

“Zining, be a dear and buy one for me, will you? Pick whatever style you like. My size is **, **, **. Just go with your instincts.”

“I can pick any style I want!?”

Zining’s eyes lit up. She stared at Luo You with laser focus.

“You’ll wear whatever I choose?”

“Yep. I’ll wear it, no matter what. Unless you want me going in nude~?”

“I’ll be right back!”

“Wait—!”

Zhou Xi tried to stop her, but Zining had already dashed off.

Judging by how pumped she looked, Luo You knew she wasn’t about to pick something modest.

She just prayed it wouldn’t be some invisible “Emperor’s New Clothes”-type swimsuit.

“Can I just call you Zhou Xi?”

Luo You asked.

“…Yeah. That’s fine.”

“Actually, I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier at the door.”

“Apologize?” Zhou Xi blinked. “For what?”

“Well… I realized afterward that what I said could’ve been misleading. I probably gave you the wrong idea, and I’m really sorry about that. I’ve always had a few screws loose—Zining nags me about it constantly…”

Luo You looked genuinely remorseful, her hands clutched nervously to her chest.

Her expression radiated innocence and vulnerability, striking Zhou Xi right in the heart.

So that’s what it was!

I knew it had to be a misunderstanding!

How could someone so adorable possibly be threatening?

“It’s okay! I really didn’t take it the wrong way! Honestly, I didn’t think there was a problem at all!”

Zhou Xi said, patting her chest with relief.

But Luo You shook her head.

“No, please. Let me make it up to you somehow.”

“In that case… I guess I could—”

“I’m back!”

From twenty meters away, Zining came sprinting over with two swimsuits in her arms.

Tch.

Luo You clicked her tongue.

So close to making real progress!

“I got the swimsuits. Which one do you want to wear?”

She held up two sets sealed in transparent packaging—both utterly indecent.

One was a tight, pure white school swimsuit that hugged every curve.

The other?

A skimpy bikini with barely enough fabric to cover anything.

Both were scandalous, but the bikini was borderline pornographic.

“Zining, this… isn’t this a bit much?”

Zhou Xi covered her mouth, appalled.

From a magical girl’s point of view, both were absolutely inappropriate.

Zining pretended not to hear and advanced on Luo You.

“You said you’d wear whatever I chose, didn’t you, Youyou?”

“…Yeah.”

Luo You’s face was blank.

“Well then—which one will it be?”

Zining raised her chin proudly, like a victorious phoenix.

A famous author once said: people naturally seek compromise.

If you say the room is too dark and propose tearing off the roof, they’ll settle for opening a window.

Zining applied the same logic here.

Between a modest school swimsuit and a bikini that revealed 97% of the skin, wasn’t the choice obvious?

She’d imagined it already—her dad, looking like this, in that school swimsuit… The photo op would be divine.

Her camera was ready.

A full 256GB of storage cleared out in anticipation.

“Well then…”

Luo You reached out, paused a moment over the school swimsuit… then swiped her hand to the other side.

“I’ll go with this one.”

“A wise choice—I figured your courage didn’t quite—wait WHAT?!”

Zhou Xi and Zining both stared at her like she’d lost her mind.

“What’s with those looks?”

“Ah! Dad—uh, I mean, Youyou—are you sure about that one?”

“Absolutely.”

Luo You answered without hesitation.

It was just a bikini.

Only people who lacked confidence in their looks and body would be afraid to wear it!

And Luo You?

She had plenty of confidence.

What a bunch of sheltered bumpkins.

“If they sell bikinis here, then someone’s meant to wear them, right?”

“Well… you have a point.”

Zhou Xi couldn’t argue.

Internally, Luo You was grinning from ear to ear.

On the outside, she kept a calm, cool façade.

But Luo Zining, who knew her too well, saw right through her act.

[Narcissist… How can someone have absolutely no shame like her?!]