Cherry blossoms continued to fall, and time seemed to stand still at that moment.
In the distance came the sounds of whimpering and playing with the Oddish, as well as the soft splashing of the Empress swimming in the water, but these all became pleasant background noise.
"Alright." Chi Bo Jinghua put away the ear pick and pressed down on her clumsy apprentice's restless little hands on her waist. "The other side."
Yuzuru obediently rolled over, revealing his other ear.
However, this time he deliberately misbehaved, suddenly turning his head when his master was halfway through taking something out—
"Chirp."
A light kiss landed on the back of Ikeba Shizuka's hand.
"!" Chi Bo Jinghua's hand trembled, and the ear pick almost fell to the ground. "Xiao Nan!"
He smacked his disciple on the head with his folding fan: "Nonsense!"
"Ouch, ouch, ouch~" Yu Shengnan cried out dramatically, covering his head with both hands, but with a smug smile on his face.
"That'll teach you to disobey!"
Ikeba Shizuka pretended to get up and said angrily, "I'm not going to care about you anymore."
"No, no, no!" Yu Sheng Nan quickly grabbed her sleeve, "Disciple knows his mistake!"
He blinked, giving a pitiful look: "Master, please clean the other side for me too~"
Seeing the pitiful expression on the boy's handsome face, Ikebami Shizuka was finally defeated and sighed helplessly, "I must have owed you something in my past life..."
She sat down again, and this time, she deliberately used a little force, wanting to punish this naughty disciple a little, making Yu Shengnan howl in pain.
"Gently, gently! Master, I was wrong!"
"Hmph." Only then did Ikeba Shizuka soften her movements, satisfied. "Let's see if you dare to cause trouble again."
Although she said that, her eyes were full of smiles.
This kind of interaction actually made her feel very warm.
Looking at her clumsy apprentice's handsome profile, Ikeba Shizuka felt a sense of peace and tranquility she had never experienced before, like the feeling of lying in her mother's arms as a child.
However, this time she plays the role of the mother.
Neither the master nor the apprentice spoke, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility. The only sounds in the world were their breathing and the gentle breeze.
until--
"Bu-i!" (I want one too!)
Yingying suddenly appeared out of nowhere, staring longingly at Chibo Jinghua.
"Okay, okay, I'll pay for you too."
Ikeba Shizuka gently stroked its little head.
And so, this scene unfolded under the cherry blossom tree—an elegant and beautiful woman with a boy resting his head on her lap, and a fluffy Eevee in her hands, carefully cleaning the ears of the man and his pet.
"Meiko~" (This Empress wants one too~)
The empress poked her head out of the river and looked at the scene with a haughty air.
Bobo landed on a branch, tilting its head to look around: "Bo—" (Bobo wants to too.)
Yuzuru waved lazily: "Line up, line up, one at a time~"
Ikeba Shizuka was amused by his matter-of-fact attitude: "You certainly know how to order people around."
"No way~" Yuzuru blinked, "It's just that Master is too gentle, everyone likes you~"
"That sounds nice."
A rare hint of playfulness crept into Ikeba Shizuka's voice.
The more she interacted with young people, the younger her mindset became, as if she had rediscovered that long-lost childlike innocence and joy.
.........
After cleaning his ears, Yuzuru Nan remained motionless.
Chibo Jinghua let her clumsy apprentice lie on her lap and slowly fall asleep, her slender fingers occasionally stroking his black hair.
Yuzuru slept for a long time until a familiar voice rang in his ears: "Ding, an item around the host has been randomly enhanced. Please select the direction to enhance."
A system notification sounded in my ear.
Yuzuru slowly opened his eyes from his sleep.
Chibo Jinghua noticed her disciple's unusual behavior and mistakenly thought he was dreaming. She continued to pat his back rhythmically and hummed an unknown tune to lull him back to sleep.
"System, you really know how to pick your timing..."
After mentally complaining about the system, Yu Sheng Nan nestled his head into Ikenami Shizuka's soft waist, finding a comfortable position, before turning his gaze to the system panel.
[Random Item: A flashlight from the host's villa storage room]
"The flashlight in the storage room? Oh, that old, high-powered flashlight..." Yuzuru recalled for a moment, thinking that it was probably something he had casually tossed in after a camping trip.
Strengthening this thing? What will it become?
On the system panel, three new enhancement directions slowly emerged:
Enhancement Option 1: A "Tactical Lightsaber Hilt" from an interstellar world. Once activated, it extends into a high-energy plasma blade, capable of cutting through most known matter. It comes equipped with a basic tactical grip and stabilizer. (Note: Do not use in flammable or explosive environments, and be mindful of energy consumption.)
(A sharp blade in the darkness, a deterrent in the light.)
This option consumes 1 point of spiritual energy.
"A lightsaber?" Yu Shengnan raised an eyebrow. This thing was cool, and it was quite practical too.
But... now he basically relies on psychic power to overwhelm opponents in fights, or on a group of Pokémon and monsters to gang up on each other. This lightsaber is at most a toy that adds a finishing touch, or maybe he can use it to chop vegetables? It feels like a waste of spiritual energy.
"System, do you want me to play a Jedi Knight? Unfortunately, I'm not interested in the Force."
Enhancement Direction Two: "Fluorescent Flash - Exploration Edition" from a certain magical world. The light can penetrate ordinary physical obstructions (walls, thin metal plates, etc.) to reveal the outlines of hidden objects, magical traces, or simple traps. It also comes with a "silent" effect, and will not make any mechanical noise when activated.
(Shh... Let the light illuminate the truth, but don't alert anyone.)
This option consumes 5 points of spiritual energy.
"This is good!" Yuzuru said with interest.
Isn't this just an enhanced version of a detective tool?
Finding secret rooms, searching for evidence, observing the neighbor's sister taking a shower... cough cough, observing the environment, it's practically an essential tool for home and travel.
Enhancement Direction 3: A "shrinking lamp" invented in the 22nd century. Illuminating a target object can shrink it to the desired scale (down to the microscopic particle level). It is equipped with a "restoration light" mode and a "temporary shrinking" mode (automatically reverting to its original size after a certain period of time, with adjustable duration).
(Still troubled by large pieces of trash that you can't handle? Still having a headache because your furniture is too big when you move? Try the 'Shrinking Lamp'! Make your world instantly bigger! — Doraemon Department Store Announcement)
This option consumes 10 points of spiritual energy.
"A shrinking light?!" Yu Shengnan's eyes lit up, and he was wide awake.
He almost sat up abruptly, but luckily he managed to restrain himself in time; his body just tensed up slightly.
Chibo Jinghua felt the slight movement of her disciple on her lap and thought he was not sleeping soundly, so she continued to pat his back gently and reassuringly, her movements still tender.
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