Chapter 95, Section 9: The Father and Daughter's Self-Comfort
Perhaps because he was unwilling to accept it deep down, Gojo Satoru temporarily ignored this strangeness, deceiving himself.
"Your name is Akari? How about I call you Ritsu-chan?" Even after mentioning the child's name, Gojo Satoru couldn't help but retort, "Who named you that? You're such a cute little girl, why give you such a masculine name?"
Gojo Satoru was being very lenient with his words. If it weren't for the fact that Oriyuki Karin was in front of him, he would have said that the name sounded just like Kamo Noriyuki or Zenin Naoya, with a rotten orange smell, and didn't match his lovely daughter at all.
Karin Origami paused for a moment, then spoke softly, "Tsukihime."
"Huh?" Gojo Satoru looked at him with surprise.
“Gojo Tsukihime, this is… my (boku) real name.” She raised her hand and traced the characters “Tsukihime” on the table with her finger.
The child might try to become closer to Gojo Satoru by using male self-references and speech, wearing male clothing, and even giving herself a male name. But in front of Gojo Satoru, she will still say her real name.
"Tsukihime?" Gojo Satoru immediately raised the corners of his lips. "Eh~ Isn't this a very nice name, little Tsukihime?"
The child pursed his lips slightly.
She didn't particularly like her original name; Tsukihime, which sounded a bit like Kaguya-hime, suggested a very delicate woman.
But inexplicably, after Gojo Satoru uttered the name, she suddenly found it quite pleasant to hear.
"But speaking of which, why do you keep calling me 'boku'? Who taught you that?" Gojo Satoru noticed that the child wasn't using the feminine terms 'watashi' or 'atashi' when he spoke, but rather 'boku,' which he was also using.
Karin remained silent for a long time, so long that Satoru Gojo almost thought she wasn't going to answer.
“Watashi sounds too delicate,” she finally offered this reason.
Gojo nodded knowingly: "Well, that's true."
As someone with six eyes, it doesn't seem like a big problem for me to use a self-designation that sounds more imposing.
Satoru Gojo himself had very impolitely referred to himself as "Ore" during his high school days, and it still occasionally popped into his head a few times. He didn't really care about such a minor issue as how he referred to himself. But…
The child's gaze shifted for a moment, and his tone became somewhat weak.
Clearly, the child lied.
It was obvious at a glance, but Gojo Satoru didn't choose to expose it directly.
It's normal for kids to have their own little secrets.
He moved on from that matter and then pointed to the clothes on Karin Ooyuki's body, asking, "Then why are you wearing men's clothes...?"
Another silence followed.
After a moment of silence, Ayaka Oriyuki only uttered two words: "Convenient."
Since sorcerers are meant to fight, men's clothing is indeed more convenient for combat than women's clothing, and this reason sounds perfectly reasonable.
Gojo Satoru let out a drawn-out "Oh~", without saying whether he believed it or not. In his mind, however, he was already wondering if the child had overheard some patriarchal discourse.
Although he felt that given how much the clan cared about Six-Eyed, they wouldn't allow such remarks to appear in front of a child, he himself had managed to sneak around and get game consoles and comic books despite the elders' strict guard when he was a child. Who could guarantee that he wouldn't make a mistake with a child?
Moreover, the feudal ideology of male superiority and female inferiority has a long history in the world of magic. No matter how much it is concealed, some things that children come into contact with in life will still subtly influence them.
Putting aside other factors, the gender ratio of the clan elders and various leaders already clearly demonstrates the problem.
Gojo Satoru secretly grimaced, deciding that when he got back, he would have Nobara and Maki take care of the child.
What followed was a very lively meal—Gojo Satoru chattered excitedly, while Oriyuki Ayaka responded indifferently, occasionally frowning at Gojo Satoru's actions.
As soon as the food was served, Gojo Satoru took out his phone and started snapping pictures of the dishes. Ayaka Karin, sitting opposite him, watched Gojo Satoru's actions with some confusion.
Gojo Satoru assumed she was like him when he was a child, having had little exposure to mobile phones and the internet, so he explained to her, "After you finish taking this picture, you'll post it on Instagram. Little Tsukihime, do you know what Instagram is?"
Zhixue Yahuali: "..."
She nodded silently.
She looked at Gojo Satoru like that simply to express her surprise at his act of taking photos. After all, Gojo Tsukihime didn't think of Gojo Satoru as someone who would do such a thing.
While Gojo Satoru was chattering away about his interactions with Natsuyuki Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, and the students on Instagram, he was taking pictures and cleverly including Oriyuki Karin in the photos as well.
Is today's purpose to share the food? No! Today's purpose is to show off my daughter!
He has such a cute daughter, of course he has to show her off!
"Come on, Little Moon Princess, look at the camera!"
"Yes, yes, give me a smile?"
"Smile! Here, cheese—"
“Hmm…” Gojo Satoru pursed his lips, because he noticed that Orishita Karin’s smile was stiff.
No, that wasn't a smile at all! She just pursed her lips, and her eyes were stiff!
"Smile more happily~ Come on, smile like me—" He showed Oriyuki Karin a big smile with her white teeth showing, and at the same time reached out to lift the corners of Oriyuki Karin's mouth.
Karin looked at him calmly and coldly, and the corners of her mouth naturally fell back after he let go.
Gojo Satoru: "emmm..."
My daughter doesn't seem to smile much.
It's okay, you were probably just too nervous.
Gojo selectively ignores this "detail".
After taking the photos, Gojo Satoru proudly posted them on Instagram to show off, and even sent them to all the group chats he was in, making it a public announcement.
This naturally surprised some students and friends, who sent him messages asking about the matter of Oriyuki Karin.
Gojo Satoru was multitasking, eating, replying to everyone's inquiries on his phone, and chatting with Oriyuki Karin, asking her all sorts of questions. Even when he found something delicious, he'd remember to ask Oriyuki Karin if she wanted some.
Zhixue Yahuali: "..."
You have so much energy!
Oh, and if you include the bottomless spell that's still active on the other side, they're multitasking.
As expected of the strongest...
She shook her head and declined Gojo Satoru's kind offer, while her expression showed a hint of something she wanted to say but couldn't.
After a long pause, she finally spoke, suggesting, "These things...why don't you deal with them after you finish your meal?"
"Hmm?" Gojo Satoru, holding chopsticks in one hand and a phone in the other to reply to messages, looked at her again, puzzled, and asked, "What's up?"
Karin Origami said tactfully, "My cell phone, and... communication with me."
Gojo Satoru chuckled nonchalantly, "It's alright~ It's just multitasking, nothing compared to the computational demands of a technique. Doing this regularly can even have a training effect~"
Gojo Satoru habitually talks nonsense, spouting seemingly reasonable ramblings. However…
Karin Oriyuki seemed to have listened and nodded seriously: "Is that so? I understand."
Gojo Satoru: "."
He was prepared to be criticized.
Gojo Satoru couldn't help but smile: "Little Tsukihime is very serious~"
Karin Oriyuki nodded, accepting the praise.
Gojo Satoru: "..."
He picked up a dessert from the side and asked Karin Oori, "Does Princess Tsuki want to eat this?"
Karin Origami shook her head: "I'm already full, thank you."
She wouldn't eat, so Gojo Satoru ate by himself.
He scooped up a spoonful and said, "You don't need to call me 'you' all the time. Physiologically speaking, aren't you my daughter? You can call me 'Dad' too~"
Gojo Satoru looked at Oriyuki Karin expectantly.
The child stiffened slightly, and after a long while, he whispered, "Father."
Gojo Satoru: "..."
Why do you have such a serious expression, like you're completing a mission?
Karin Origami was still looking at the sweets in front of Satoru Gojo, her brows furrowing for the umpteenth time, and she opened her mouth again.
For some reason, Gojo Satoru had a bad feeling when he saw her frown and open her mouth.
Karin Origami: "Father, although the limitless technique means greater mental exertion, you shouldn't consume too many sweets at once. It's not good for your health..."
Karin Oki was silenced by Satoru Gojo with a strawberry.
"Hey hey~ Just like the old man, you keep nagging about prohibitions. Why don't we have some fruit after dinner?" Gojo Satoru winked at Oriyuki Karin. "Here, have a taste and see if it's sweet."
Zhixue Yahuali: "..."
She bit off the strawberry that was pressed against her lips, chewed it, swallowed it, and replied with two words: "Sour."
Gojo Satoru looked relieved: "Huh? Really? Luckily I didn't eat it."
Zhixue Yahuali: “#*&@……”
You son of a bitch...
Karin Origami wanted to beat him up.
She had hoped this guy would show some fatherly kindness towards his beloved daughter, but... Karin realized she had really been overthinking things!
Even if Gojo Satoru becomes a father, he still won't have any morals!!!
Gojo Satoru sensed the slightly resentful look on Oriyuki Karin's face and chuckled as he ruffled her hair: "That's cuter than that~ Don't always have that cold face."
Zhixue Yahuali: "..."
The child eventually reverted to a silent state with a blank expression.
Although she couldn't help but frown at Gojo Satoru's behavior, it was clear from the beginning that Gojo Satoru had no intention of listening to her, so as a junior, she couldn't say too much.
She just stared at Gojo Satoru, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper, as if she had encountered some age-old problem.
The reason is simple: he is not the father she imagined.
According to the elders, their father was strong and steady, calm and composed in the face of adversity, and had an elegant demeanor like that of a god. Every gesture he made exuded nobility. He was a man of his word, very responsible and dependable, and was highly respected.
Princess Tsuki has always looked up to her father and wanted to become like him.
But... this father in front of me... seems, appears, probably... is not quite the same as what the elders said?
Little Tsukihime had a lot of doubts in her heart.
For a moment, she didn't know what went wrong. Had the elders lied to her? Or did the elders have a biased view of their father? Or was there something wrong with the father in front of her?
Differences between parallel worlds?
Princess Gojo didn't understand.
Gojo Satoru noticed the confusion written all over her face and asked, "What's wrong?"
The child looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head: "It's nothing."
She thought to herself: Perhaps it's just because it's our first meeting and we don't know each other very well yet. Or maybe it's because she's just a child, and her father is acting this way to make her less nervous?
Yes, that should be the case.
Although the father was chatting and using his phone while eating, he didn't make a mess or make any unpleasant clattering noises. This shows that he is quite polite.
That's true. Father is the strongest six-eyed being in history. How could he possibly be someone who looks so unreliable and carefree?
Gojo Tsukihime nodded, convincing herself, and her eyes regained their calm.
Meanwhile, Gojo Satoru, watching Oriyuki Karin's actions, had no idea what was going through her little head. But... he had to admit it now: his daughter... really did resemble the old men of the clan.
Especially that furrowed brow and hesitant expression as he looked at him—they were practically identical.
Gojo Satoru: "..."
It's probably just that the child hasn't been in contact with many outsiders. After all, children love to play. He should be fine after he takes his precious daughter out to play sometime.
Yes, that should be the case.
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Author's note: Two cats: No big problem.
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