C9 A Leisurely Daily Life

After breakfast, Shido took to the kitchen to wash dishes, while Lin Mu kept Itsuka company, indulging her long-awaited desire to play video games.

Lin Mu had been carrying this game with him even before his arrival at the Dimensional Main City.

Itsuka was quickly captivated by these incredibly fun games she had never encountered before.

"Ahhh! No fair, Lin Mu! You can't keep using your special moves!" Itsuka protested loudly as she watched her character get obliterated by Lin Mu on the screen.

Lin Mu responded with a gentle smile, "Child, the world is a harsh place..."

That's when Itsuka lunged at him...

Choked and shaken, Lin Mu eventually surrendered, "Okay, okay, if you call me 'big brother,' I'll stop using my special moves." He smirked, doubting Itsuka would actually do it, as he had begun to sense her complex feelings towards her brother Shido over the past few days...

"Oh, big bro~"

"Huh?"

Lin Mu's face stiffened, his smile giving way to surprise. This reaction was completely unexpected, casting doubt on his assumptions...

Could it be that Itsuka's affection for her brother was simply a case of sibling fondness taken to the extreme?

Lin Mu was plunged into a sea of self-doubt...

Noticing Lin Mu's stunned silence, Itsuka flashed a mischievous grin and swiftly began to play, taking advantage of his distraction. She unleashed every skill she knew, although she was only familiar with the simpler moves and not the complex ones...

By the time Lin Mu snapped out of it, his character was down to a third of its health.

"Very clever, Itsuka, starting the game while I was lost in thought. Now, it's my turn to give you a lesson," he declared.

Lin Mu's hands blurred into afterimages as he boasted with a grin, "You're up against sixteen years of a single man's reflexes – no match for a little girl like you!"

Thirty seconds later, Itsuka's character was defeated, and she silently set down the controller. With one hand cradling her knees and a gloomy cloud over her head, she absentmindedly traced circles on the floor with her other hand.

Lin Mu let out a silent sigh and took a seat next to Itsuka. Gently patting her head, he teased, "Hey there, little Itsuka, ready to learn some super powerful moves from these characters? I can show you how."

Itsuka looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears and her lips quivering. "Really... you mean it?"

With a warm smile, Lin Mu nodded. He attempted to smooth out the stubborn cowlick atop Itsuka's head, to no avail.

Unperturbed by Lin Mu's gesture, Itsuka's face lit up with joy at the prospect of mastering the awe-inspiring moves she'd admired for so long.

Shortly after, Shido emerged from the kitchen to find Itsuka nestled in Lin Mu's lap, gripping the game controller while Lin Mu guided her fingers from above.

Shaking his head with a grin, Shido mused to himself, 'They have such a great bond, it makes even me, her brother, a bit jealous.'

Heading for the stairs, Shido called back to them, "Hey, you two, don't get too lost in the game! Remember, there's weekend homework to be done, and Mu, you've got a test coming up on Tuesday!"

"Uh-huh!"

"We know!"

Shido could only sigh and shake his head as they acknowledged him without so much as a backward glance. Resigned, he ascended the stairs to tackle his own homework.

Half an hour later.

"Bring it on, Mr. Mu! I've mastered all the characters' skills. It's time for an epic showdown!" Itsuka declared, her confidence soaring.

Three minutes later, as Itsuka's triumphant cheers filled the room, Lin Mu's character hit the ground.

Watching Itsuka celebrate, Lin Mu couldn't help but smile and shake his head. 'She's such a kid at heart. But I have to admit, I'm a little envious of Shido for having such an adorable sister...'

As noon approached, Shido, homework complete, stretched and headed downstairs to prepare lunch. He found Lin Mu and Itsuka engrossed in a new game, this time not as adversaries, but as allies.

With a sigh, Shido exclaimed, "Come on, you two! You've been gaming all morning, haven't you?"

Upon hearing Shido's words, Lin Mu and Itsuka's hands froze on their controllers, and that moment of hesitation was all it took for the boss's devastating attack to wipe out their characters. It was their third defeat at the hands of this boss.

Lin Mu sighed and facepalmed, while Itsuka pouted in frustration. Setting aside his controller, Lin Mu approached Shido and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't sweat it. Why don't you keep Itsuka company? I'll take care of lunch today—Chinese cuisine on the menu!"

Shido blinked in realization. "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot you're an exchange student from China, Mu."

"What? What? Mr. Mu's cooking?" Itsuka, catching wind of the conversation, spun around and knelt on the couch, propping herself up on the backrest with just her head peeking over.

Lin Mu grinned and flashed her a thumbs-up. "Excited?"

Her eyes sparkling, Itsuka nodded vigorously. "Yeah!"

Watching Itsuka's eager reaction, Lin Mu chuckled and turned to Shido. "Man, I envy you."

"Huh?" Shido, however, looked perplexed, not catching Lin Mu's drift.

Shaking his head with a smile, Lin Mu headed for the kitchen. "Never mind, just go hang out with Itsuka. I've got the cooking under control."

"Are you sure?" Shido asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

Lin Mu's smile widened. "Absolutely. I might not be confident in other areas, but cooking is my forte!" He kept to himself the thought that it had been quite some time since he'd last set foot in a kitchen.

Shido, taking him at his word, replied, "Alright, I'll leave it in your hands."

With that, Shido took Lin Mu's former spot on the sofa.

Meanwhile, Lin Mu opened the fridge to survey the ingredients.

As he busied himself with lunch preparations, the voices of Itsuka and Shido floated over from the living room.

"Brother! You're such a noob. You're not using that skill right!"

"Sorry..."

"Big brother! This is when you're supposed to come and back us up!"

"My apologies..."

"Seriously, big brother, you can't just throw out your ultimate like that."

"I'm truly sorry!"

Lin Mu chuckled despite himself, while also sparing a moment of silence for Shi Dao.

However, it wasn't long before the enticing aroma wafting from Lin Mu's direction captured Itsuka's attention.

She sniffed the air with her delicate nose and exclaimed, "That smells amazing!"

Itsuka dropped her game controller and scampered over on her bare feet, poking her head inquisitively next to Lin Mu, "Mr. Lin Mu, what's this dish? It looks so appetizing!" Her eyes were drawn to the cubes of tofu in the pot, each piece coated with a golden sheen, nestled in the thick, red sauce.

Lin Mu offered a warm smile, scooped up a piece of tofu with a spoon, gently blew on it to cool it down, and held it to Itsuka's lips. "The best way to find out if it's tasty is to try it. Here, open wide—ah!"

Itsuka's cheeks flushed as Lin Mu fed her, but the allure of the delicious food overcame her shyness, and she eagerly devoured the tofu from the spoon.

"Mmm! So good!" Itsuka mumbled contentedly, her eyes sparkling with delight after swallowing the tofu.

"More, please!"

Lin Mu laughed softly, indulgently tousling Itsuka's hair. In that instant, in Lin Mu's eyes, Itsuka seemed to merge with someone dear to his heart.