Carrying the freshly cooked congee, Otto returned to the room where Fu Hua was resting.
Placing the bowl on the table, he smiled at her.
"I'm going to change your dressing. You can eat as soon as I'm done."
"Mm."
Fu Hua, who had been waiting anxiously, quietly let out a sigh of relief when she saw Otto.
In the unfamiliar city of Sapphire, she was gradually getting used to the solitude, accustomed to the loneliness, but that didn't mean she liked it.
What's more, she was currently injured, which made her wish for company even more.
Otto helped Fu Hua up, letting her sit on the edge of the bed while he began to unwind the bandages around her torso.
Tossing the bloodstained dressings on the floor, Otto began to disinfect and reapply medicine to her wounds. A silence fell over the room.
Finding the atmosphere a bit unpleasant, Otto was the first to speak.
"How are things at school?"
"..."
Fu Hua remained silent for a moment before her pale lips parted.
"They're fine."
Who are you kidding!
You, the Celestial with such an honest face, can lie too.
If he hadn't been secretly spying on Fu Hua these past few days and known that the girl was always by herself at school, he might have actually been fooled by her.
But Otto didn't rip open her emotional wounds directly.
"Well then, is there any boy at school you like? Getting a boyfriend can affect your studies, you know."
Otto said with a grin. How could the Celestial possibly have any luck with men?
"..."
But this time, Otto felt the weight of Fu Hua's silence.
Hey! Celestial, why are you silent!
You better make yourself clear!
"...I attend an all-girls school."
Otto fell silent. He had been an idiot.
Fortunately, Fu Hua's back was turned to him, so she didn't see his embarrassed expression.
Of course, he would never admit his own foolishness. His face returned to its usual calm as he said, "Relationships between teachers and students are forbidden, you know."
"Mm, I know," Fu Hua replied softly.
But in the world of Honkai, girls are far more dangerous than men.
"When I came to Sapphire, your father asked me to come and check on you."
Otto began to fabricate a story. Fu Hua's father had already been despawned into a background texture; he wasn't afraid of being exposed.
"He's very concerned about you."
"Very concerned about whether his daughter has made any friends at school."
He could feel Fu Hua's body stiffen.
"I have friends."
Tsk, tsk. Fu Hua is being stubborn. The ever-so-straight-laced Fu Hua is actually lying.
But Otto understood. She just didn't want her father to worry about her.
This stubborn version of Fu Hua was also quite adorable.
"Friends can be a treasure for a lifetime. Making more friends will be good for you."
"I'm quite worried about you too."
Otto didn't expose her directly.
"But I'm also worried you won't be able to find a boyfriend."
"I'm not thinking about finding a boyfriend..." Fu Hua said. Just making friends was difficult enough to leave her breathless; she had no mind for romance right now.
"Is that so? Be careful you don't become an old maid," Otto said in a joking tone.
"How about this? If you, Little Hua, still haven't found a boyfriend in over fifty thousand years, we can just make do with each other. Neither of us gets to complain."
"Call me Hua." Hearing Otto's form of address, Fu Hua corrected him once again.
However, a faint smile played on her lips. Her conversation with Otto made her feel as if she were back at the dojo.
That dojo, which held so much of her past, was truly hard to let go of.
As for what Otto had just said, Fu Hua simply took it as a joke, since Otto often said ridiculous things.
Over fifty thousand years?
I'll be long dead by then.
So, she replied with a smile.
"Alright, Big Brother Otto. In over fifty thousand years, we'll be together."
She didn't even bother adding the caveat of "if I still haven't found a boyfriend," since she was certain they were both just joking around.
"Is that so? I'll be looking forward to it, then."
Otto could tell from her tone that she was joking with him, but he knew that once her memories returned, this sentence would definitely become part of the Celestial's dark history.
Oh, Celestial, Celestial, it's not me who's leading you on. You're the one sprinting down the road to social suicide and never looking back.
"Then should we start thinking of names for our future children? How about 'Shi'?"
Otto said with a smile as he finished applying the medicine and re-wrapped her torso with fresh bandages.
"Sure."
Fu Hua didn't pay it any mind.
A promise spanning more than fifty thousand years was just something said in jest.
Next, Otto walked over to the table and picked up the bowl of congee. Fu Hua tried to raise her hand to take it, but the moment she moved, the motion pulled at her injured muscles.
"Let me feed you."
"It's the least I can do after you took care of me at the dojo."
Sitting down beside Fu Hua, Otto picked up the spoon, scooped up some congee, and brought it to his own lips to blow on it first.
Fu Hua caught the scent of the congee and looked at the exceptionally well-presented dish with some surprise. Could Big Brother Otto have made this?
It was completely unexpected.
To be honest, Fu Hua had always thought Otto was a useless good-for-nothing, completely ignorant of the basics of life, because he was so lazy. He had always just eaten whatever she made.
Sometimes, Fu Hua genuinely wondered if he could even survive after leaving her side.
Although, she didn't really need to worry about that problem.
Because Otto would just find other women willing to support him.
Fu Hua was injured now, and coupled with not having eaten for a long time and her naturally large appetite, the aroma of the congee truly stirred the hungry worms in her stomach.
Looking at the congee in the spoon, she even proactively opened her mouth.
Then, she watched as Otto, after blowing on the spoonful to cool it slightly, put it directly into his own mouth.
"Mm, delicious. As expected of my cooking."
Fu Hua's eyebrows twitched.
This man is insufferable.
Seeing Fu Hua looking a little ticked off, Otto chuckled. He scooped up another spoonful of congee, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips.
That's more like it.
Fu Hua didn't say anything, simply eating the congee he offered.
The warm congee entered her stomach, like swallowing a warm current. Savoring the aftertaste, Fu Hua had to admit that Otto's culinary skills were genuinely excellent.
To have such skills, yet he still made me cook every day at the dojo.
He really is lazy.
"Is it good?" Otto asked with a wide smile. Fu Hua nodded and opened her mouth again.
Looking at her pink, moist lips and her small, pink tongue, Otto understood her meaning and continued to feed her.
Otto fed, Fu Hua ate.
Soon, the large bowl of congee was empty.
"Want some more?"
Fu Hua shook her head. She took a sip of the warm water Otto held to her lips, rinsing away the lingering taste.
"Alright then." Fu Hua probably wouldn't hide her appetite in front of him; after all, he had already witnessed its full extent back at the dojo.
He continued to give her water. After she drank about half a cup and seemed to lose interest, Otto stopped and drank the remaining half himself.
He didn't mind the indirect kiss.
After all, only children cared about things like that.
The easygoing Fu Hua didn't mind either.
However, as she looked at her Big Brother Otto's side profile, she had to admit that he was very handsome.
But Fu Hua's mind replayed the scene of Otto playing the hero, saving the damsel in distress.
Even a monster was no match for a man who descended like a god from the heavens.
She asked with curiosity.
"Big Brother Otto, how did you defeat that monster yesterday?"
The shockwave from its roar alone had injured her this badly. Just how strong was the Big Brother Otto who could defeat such a creature?
In response, Otto simply held out one of his hands towards Fu Hua.
Before Fu Hua could wonder if he was pointing out some hidden mechanism in his hand, she heard Otto's infuriatingly cheeky words.
"All you need is hands, right?"
---o---