It was one thing to have a mother and daughter show up, but inexplicably, another mother and daughter pair had arrived.

Lin Luo felt this whole situation was utterly ridiculous... He suddenly recalled a famous quote: "I originally intended to be a good person, but society forced me to become a bad one."

Lin Luo thought this sentence suited him perfectly; therefore, whether becoming a Kichijin or a scumbag, it wasn't his fault—it was the world's fault!

"Father, was that masked man just you?" Muramori asked Lin Luo with an innocent face. One had to admit, considering their blood relation, even though Lin Luo's clone had completely altered its aura to the extent that others couldn't recognize it, she still retained that feeling. Perhaps, it was also the nauseatingly cool vibe that gave her a sense of déjà vu.

"Masked man? What's that?" Lin Luo naturally wouldn't admit it, immediately putting on a look of bewildered innocence and asking. An actor needs no explanation.

Argentum chimed in alongside him, "I said it before, how could such a disgusting and detestable fellow be Father?"

"Heh," Lin Luo let out a dry, strained laugh upon hearing this. Fortunately, Muramori didn't press the issue, which brought him a wave of relief.

Next, Lin Luo turned to Shinki. "I heard that ever since I last left Gensokyo, Argentum has been with you. Thank you for taking care of her during this time."

Shinki smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing; I only did what I should have. After all, she is my daughter. It is only natural for a mother to care for her child." "Mhm, I see." While the logic was sound, Lin Luo felt an odd sensation hearing it, though he couldn't quite pinpoint what felt strange.

"Speaking of which, Father, hasn't our contract chain broken? Should we re-establish the contract?" At that moment, Argentum suddenly spoke up, asking Lin Luo.

"What contract?" Before Lin Luo could reply, Muramori interjected with wide-eyed curiosity. "Is it the contract to become a magical girl?" "No, it’s a contract to deepen the bond with Father," Argentum corrected.

Muramori’s eyes immediately lit up. "Ah, then I want one too! I want to deepen my bond with Father too!" Then both girls looked at Lin Luo with expectant expressions, speaking in unison, "Father, let's sign a contract."

"Um..." Lin Luo was instantly taken aback. If it were Reimu, the Head Maid, or Hiyori saying this, he would have agreed immediately without a second thought, and even Shinki wouldn't have burdened him. But Muramori and Argentum—he just wasn't ready for that commitment. After all, this wasn't just a light touch anymore; it involved a Kissing Vow!

Although Muramori was only a two-year-old girl, and it shouldn't be an issue for him, as her father, to kiss her—and the same went for Argentum—Lin Luo still felt immense pressure, especially with Shinki sitting right there. How could he possibly bring himself to kiss them?

"The weather is quite nice today," Lin Luo said, pointing towards the sky, attempting to change the subject.

Boom!

Crack!

However, just as he finished speaking, a massive bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the heavens. The previously clear sky instantly turned dark, with clouds churning and layering upon each other as if the end of the world was imminent, followed by a torrential downpour that began without warning.

"..." Lin Luo's face immediately darkened.

Shinki seemed to understand something from this, suddenly realizing, "Ah, so you like this kind of terrible weather? What an odd preference. Even we people from the Demon World dislike this kind of weather." Like hell I like it! This damned heaven dares to oppose me; I'll smash you if I get the chance!

Lin Luo thought venomously in his heart, watching the surprised expressions of Muramori and Argentum. There was no way he could utter words about the weather being nice or going for a walk now—this weather made discussing anything inappropriate!

"Let's return to the shrine," Lin Luo said resignedly.

The four of them then entered the Hakurei Shrine to take shelter from the sudden heavy rain.

"How strange. The weather was fine just a moment ago; how did it change like this?" Shinki sat cross-legged on the ground, looking out at the surroundings with a puzzled expression.

Do you even need to ask? It's obviously heaven forcing me onto the path of the Kichijin! Lin Luo silently grumbled. He finally understood how the "heart-good girls" of Mount You were made—they were forced into it!

In reality, Lin Luo was mistaken about this. Setting aside whether heaven possessed consciousness, even if it did, it wouldn't be idle enough to care whether a man became a Kichijin. The true reason lay in the battle fought by Flandre Scarlet and the other two in the Thirteenth Dimension.

Although dimensional barriers were nearly absolute, even Lin Luo, situated in this dimension, couldn't know what was happening in the Thirteenth Dimension. Yet, there was a connection between dimensions. The Thirteenth Dimension had been shattered twelve times by Flandre Scarlet and Evangeline, and it had regenerated twelve times itself. The current iteration could be considered the prelude to a "gunshot return." Before its destruction, the violent energy from the Thirteenth Dimension would affect the other twelve dimensions, leading to strange occurrences.

For example, the frequent large earthquakes on Earth, super-floods, shifting ice caps, or even Ultraman fighting small monsters... While some of this was due to Earth's natural movements, the more significant cause was the anomaly in the higher-dimensional space seeping into the lower dimensions, creating a chemical reaction.

After all, the distance between dimensions was practically the thickness of a sheet of paper—invisible, but very close, perhaps even being two sides of the same coin.

"Right, tell me about that contract just now. What exactly was it about?" Shinki couldn't hear Lin Luo’s internal monologue, but that didn't stop her from being interested in the contract, resting her chin on her hand as she asked Lin Luo.

"Mhm, well..." Lin Luo glanced at Argentum and Muramori sitting next to him, feeling somewhat conflicted. Argentum was fine; she knew everything. But Muramori—this child was only two. While much smarter than an average person, she was still a child. Lin Luo felt there was no need to drag her into this.

"We'll talk about the contract another time," Lin Luo hesitated for a moment, ultimately not disclosing anything, ending the topic with that statement.

Although Muramori and Argentum were slightly unhappy, they didn't press further. The four of them sat together and chatted about daily topics. Then, the two little ones seemed tired and curled up to sleep on Lin Luo's lap. In a short while, they were fast asleep.

Watching them sleep with their knees drawn up, Shinki suddenly laughed. "These two rascals are truly adorable. Seeing them like this reminds me of Alice when she was little. A long, long time ago, she also slept on my lap like this..."

As she spoke, a trace of melancholy flashed in her eyes. Although it vanished instantly, Lin Luo caught it and couldn't help but ask, "Are you not on good terms with Alice?"

From what he knew, although the relationship between Shinki and Alice couldn't be called bad, there was definitely some friction between them.

Shinki gave a wry smile, seemingly having no intention of hiding anything. "You probably know already. I am the ruler of the Demon World; everything in it was created by me. One could say every demon is my child, and I treat every one of them equally. But that child, Alice, is a bit different..."

"Different?" Lin Luo's heart stirred. Alice was known as the Demon World Princess, clearly occupying a different status than other demons. But if that were the case, why would Alice have issues with Shinki? That was the strangest part, something even Lin Luo couldn't help but focus on.

"Yes, Alice is different from ordinary demons," Shinki nodded. "The other demons were created purely from my power, but Alice was merged with another element... Because of that, her existence is slightly more special than other demons, and closer to human. Since that element is also very important to me, I invested more love in treating Alice."

"The initial Alice was a very gentle and sweet child—of course, this isn't to say the current her isn't gentle and sweet; please don't misunderstand." Shinki quickly explained to Lin Luo, resembling those foolish mothers covering their children's flaws, her waving hands showing her natural side.

"I understand," Lin Luo felt amused, but it also allowed him to grasp the depth of Shinki's love for Alice. He asked, "Since there was an initial state, there must have been a turning point." "Yes. Because Alice was too human-like, she developed a certain rebellious streak, just like a normal human child. During one incident, my opinion diverged from hers. Although it was a minor conflict, if a small contradiction isn't resolved in time, it leaves a knot in the heart that can lead to bigger conflicts later on." Shinki spoke casually, but her tone held a hint of gravity.

Though Lin Luo didn't know the specifics of what happened between this mother and daughter next, he had already guessed the outcome: after the biggest conflict erupted, they parted ways.

What Shinki said next confirmed his suspicion. "Not long after, the day of that choice finally arrived. Alice asked me a question I never expected, and one I absolutely couldn't answer. Because I didn't give her an answer, Alice left the Demon World and came to Gensokyo. She never returned to the Demon World, not until Argentum appeared." "What did Alice ask? Why couldn't you answer?" Lin Luo frowned. Although he knew asking was impolite, he had to ask directly.

Shinki looked up, meeting Lin Luo's gaze squarely. She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Can you become Alice's father? If you can, then I can tell you." "..." Lin Luo was speechless.

As expected, the naturally sweet ones hide the darkest depths!

PS: I was so exhausted yesterday that my focus today wasn't great, so there's only one chapter. But then again, even though I haven't been in top form this month, I've still updated over ten thousand characters, averaging over five thousand daily. Why do I still feel slow? It must be an illusion, right?