It was undeniable that Mei Meng was inherently cunning, though perhaps this trait was hereditary, as Lin Luo himself possessed a sharp, dark wit—Mei Meng had merely surpassed him, inheriting a shameless streak from Ling Meng that elevated her own level considerably... so high, in fact, that she managed to thoroughly trick her own father!

This was truly a case of reaping what one sowed; everything, it seemed, was a karmic debt paid in full!

But these character quirks were hardly a major concern, as Gensokyo was hardly populated by normal people; if Mei Meng acted too sane, it would be strange. What truly troubled Lin Luo was Mei Meng's current "identity"... Since Mei Meng had manifested in her future form across all aspects, did that mean she knew everything that would happen over the next fourteen years?

What would happen if she decided to reveal this future knowledge?

Lin Luo knew that foreknowledge of future events was not always a blessing. Yet, humans often found themselves unable to resist the temptation to try, even when knowing the potential consequences could be dire. Curiosity killed the cat—this wasn't just a warning, but a testament that even felines couldn't resist curiosity, let alone people.

Of course, Lin Luo maintained some reason in this regard and wouldn't deliberately press Mei Meng for answers. Still, the unease in his heart refused to subside... He desperately wanted to know what the future held, yet he feared knowing it, leaving him suspended in the air, his nerves utterly frayed.

Mei Meng watched his furrowed brow, likely discerning his thoughts, and spoke up: "Father, you truly needn't worry too much, because my current form originates from an uncertain future. Just as I have this realization, I am unable to tell you exactly what happened in the future."

"What do you mean?" Lin Luo was momentarily stunned.

"Allow me to elaborate on that," Kaguya interjected as Mei Meng broached the topic of the future. She turned to Lin Luo. "You know my ability allows me to create multiple different timelines, and the path Night and I opened for Mei Meng is a random channel leading toward the future... Because of every individual's varying choices, countless different futures bloom. Mei Meng's future form is derived from one in a million—a possible future, not an inevitable one."

Lin Luo somewhat understood. "So, this is a matter of probability, then."

"Precisely," Kaguya nodded. "Because she stems from an indeterminate future, revealing future events to you would be meaningless. Moreover, more importantly..."

"More importantly, I don't possess such memories," Mei Meng resumed, placing a hand over her chest. "Because this existence of mine is itself uncertain, any event that is not certain to occur will not exist within my memory. Take Gensokyo, for instance; in the future, it might vanish, or it might endure. Therefore, I cannot know Gensokyo's ultimate fate. Take a grander example, like the God War; we might win or we might lose—but the outcome is absent from my recollection as well. The only things I can know are those events that are absolutely destined to occur within that uncertain future."

"For example?" Lin Luo asked tentatively.

Mei Meng smiled faintly. "For example, that Father likes to wear women's clothing—that I know for certain."

Hey! You're making fun of me again!

Lin Luo nearly choked on his breath; he shouldn't have asked.

"S-Surely a massive pervert!" Kaguya and Night chimed in, both adopting expressions of utter disdain. "So, out of those millions of possible futures, only this one is confirmed... Tsk!"

You two... I'm going to fight you!

Lin Luo was utterly speechless, feeling strongly that the three of them had ganged up to tease him. However, despite Mei Meng's sharp wit, Lin Luo had grasped her meaning... Since Mei Meng's current manifestation was itself based on probability, she could not be privy to probabilistic futures. She could only know things that were absolute—events certain to exist across all those myriad futures.

For instance, in Future A, he achieved the perfect harem and lived a shameless, non-stop life of passion. In Future B, he got the axe-murder treatment. Therefore, Mei Meng, originating from Future C, could not know about either of those outcomes. The only constant was that he was her father—a fact that could never change regardless of the future—which was why even the uncertain nature of her origin allowed her to retain that memory... And, of course, his cross-dressing.

Wait a minute! Does that mean in the future, I actually become a cross-dressing fetishist?!

Lin Luo’s spirit plummeted instantly; he decided he preferred not to know such a future.

After some time, he finally managed to recover from his depressive mood. While the inability to predict the future brought a hint of regret, it also offered relief; at least he no longer had to obsess over it.

"Huh? Where are the other two?" When he looked up, Lin Luo noticed that Kaguya and Night had vanished from the room; only Mei Meng stood before him.

Mei Meng clasped her hands behind her back and smiled brilliantly. "The two sisters said they wanted to give us some private time, so they left... This is wonderful! Now we can have our father-daughter time alone." As she spoke, she moved close and excitedly latched onto Lin Luo’s arm.

"..." As Mei Meng leaned against him like a delicate bird, Lin Luo felt immense pressure. When her ample chest rubbed against his arm, Lin Luo felt like Genghis Khan... He now knew another absolute truth: no matter the future, Mei Meng was undeniably a father-complex devotee!

He didn't know if this was good or bad, but cold sweat beaded on his back. Setting aside everything else, if Ling Meng found out about this, he would likely be torn limb from limb.

"Um, Mei Meng, I think..."

"Father, kiss me."

"Nani?!" Lin Luo tried to gently create a little distance, but before he could finish his sentence, Mei Meng spoke, effectively stuffing his words back down his throat, causing his body to convulse in shock.

"What did you say? Kiss you?!" Lin Luo stared at Mei Meng, utterly incredulous. Though he knew she had a deep attachment to him, this seemed excessive!

Yet Mei Meng looked at him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Of course. If we don't kiss, how can we complete the contract?"

Ah, so that’s what this is about.

Although it still involved a kiss, hearing her explanation eased some of the pressure on Lin Luo. Still, asking him to initiate the kiss felt difficult, considering the current Mei Meng was a flourishing young maiden!

Sigh... If I had known this, I should have signed the contract earlier... Lin Luo instantly regretted his hesitation. Kissing his sixteen-year-old daughter felt far more daunting than kissing his two-year-old self—the latter would carry no pressure, as fathers kissing their young children wasn't strange even in the real world.