Chapter 6: Sentibaby: Did Your Parents Scam You Too?
Roshin had no idea what the girl before him was thinking.
All he knew was that while giving her a massage to promote blood circulation and reduce swelling, he had entered a state of complete focus—a technique taught to him by an old man he'd met at the hospital.
That old man had even praised Roshin's natural talent and asked if he wanted to learn more about massage techniques, only to be mercilessly rejected.
Though Roshin couldn't read her thoughts, he could tell her inner monologue was intense.
Her ever-changing expressions—shifting three times in a single second—made that much obvious.
Roshin knew interrupting her wasn't the best idea, especially with several swords still pressed against him, but…
"Uh, miss… could you maybe put these swords away? This position is really tiring." His body trembled slightly.
The massage itself had already drained a lot of his energy, and maintaining this forward-leaning posture for so long wasn't helping.
At this point, he was seriously worried his legs would give out, sending him straight to the afterlife.
"You interrupted my train of thought." The moment Roshin spoke, the Herrscher of Sentience snapped her head up, her piercing gaze locking onto him with overwhelming pressure.
"!!!" Roshin instantly felt his scalp prickle under her stare.
This girl was seriously dangerous!
He was reminded of that fact once again.
So why was this stupid mission worth 600 Primogems but rated zero stars in difficulty?
That made no sense!
"As compensation, I'm commandeering your home. Be grateful for my mercy—after all, a sage's body isn't something just anyone can touch." The Herrscher of Sentience nodded, seemingly pleased with her own generosity.
"Huh?" Roshin tilted his head in confusion, nearly bumping into one of the swords.
"Don't understand? To put it simply, starting today, I'll be living with you. Because I just realized I don't actually have a place to stay."
The Herrscher of Sentience had come to this decision after keenly realizing this wasn't her world anymore. How did she know? Simple—there was no Honkai energy here.
The residual Honkai energy in her body was finite, dwindling with every use.
Fortunately, her Authority didn't require Honkai energy to function.
After being swept up by that strange gray current, her body seemed to have undergone some changes.
At the very least, she now had a physical form—something she hadn't possessed before.
Additionally, the void left by her dwindling Honkai energy was slowly being filled by another peculiar energy.
Under these circumstances, finding a local resident to rely on was the most practical solution.
And right now, there was no one more reliable than the boy in front of her. Besides, she owed him for saving her life.
Enemies must be crushed—anyone who stands in my way is trash!
But favors must also be repaid.
"Wait, why do you have to live with me?" Roshin was utterly baffled.
"Hmm? You're not welcoming me?" A hint of disappointment flickered in the Herrscher of Sentience's eyes.
"Ah—no, no! I'm totally welcoming!" Roshin immediately shook his head.
Joke's on her—600 Primogems were at stake!
"???" Now it was the Herrscher of Sentience's turn to be confused.
Originally, the Herrscher of Sentience had planned to win the other party over with her superb acting skills, but the other party simply refused to follow the script.
Her Herrscher authority showed that the other party genuinely welcomed her to stay at his home, with no ulterior motives—just pure delight at her presence.
This guy... is he insane?
Maybe she should use her Herrscher authority to adjust his brain circuits later?
No, she couldn't do that. What if, after fixing him, he no longer let her stay?
The Herrscher of Sentience shook her head.
"Why did you let me stay here?" she asked, repeating Roshin's earlier line.
"Well, you see, my place is so big, and I'm all alone here. My parents abandoned me too... And also, the moment I saw you, I felt like we had a special connection—like it was fate." Roshin nodded emphatically.
Those 600 Primogems aren't getting away—not even Jesus can stop me, I swear!
"Hmm, so your parents abandoned you too?" The Herrscher of Sentience looked up.
"Wait, why does your tone sound a little happy? That's a weird question to ask, isn't it?"
Only after seeing the other party retract those floating swords did Roshin let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the bedside table.
"No, I'm very sad." The Herrscher of Sentience shook her head.
"You're clearly happy." Roshin didn't buy her nonsense.
"The Herrscher of Sentience has modified your consciousness. Now, you think I'm sad." After a brief pause, she stared straight into Roshin's eyes.
"...You really are sad." After a moment of silence, Roshin nodded, forced to concede.
Though he didn't feel like his consciousness had been altered, given her title, her abilities likely involved mental manipulation.
If his consciousness truly hadn't been modified, maybe it was just his natural resistance.
But sometimes, it was better to play along.
"So, your parents abandoned you too?" the Herrscher of Sentience asked again.
"No, you might've misunderstood. They're archaeologists. After I started high school, seeing how I helped others tirelessly every day, they assumed I'd developed the right outlook on life, values, and worldview. So, they went off to focus on their careers. Aside from mailing me weird stuff every week, they only come home once a month."
"They say it's to check on me, but I suspect they just get tired from traveling and want to rest at home for a few days." Under her questioning, Roshin ended up rambling more and more, unable to stop himself.
After all, he'd never shared these things with anyone before—having a listener was nice.
And an otherworldly visitor was the perfect audience.
"Stop, stop, I get it now. No need to say more. So, your parents didn't abandon you after all." The Herrscher of Sentience finally grasped that their parent-child relationship was actually quite harmonious.
This realization genuinely left her feeling a bit frustrated.
Is this the disparity between people?
"Well, even if they didn't abandon me, it's pretty close." Not sure why she seemed frustrated, but recalling her character profile, Roshin quickly adjusted his approach and conversation tactics.
Sorry, Mom and Dad.
"Actually, if you put it that way, the two of us really do have a special fate, the kind that's destined. So starting today, I'll be living at your place, just to keep you company, you lonely... uh, solitary young man." Sensing his intention to cheer her up, the Herrscher of Sentience shook off her melancholy.
Why be melancholy?
She has friends, and now I have one too.
Even though we've just met less than 10 minutes ago... he seems pretty reliable.
Probably...
"Well, thank you very much," Roshin replied weakly.
Since when had he become a solitary young man? Are you a child? Wanting something so badly you have to pin the reason on someone else?
Instead of Herrscher of Sentience, just call her Herrscher of Childishness.
[Ding! Mission complete!]
"..."
Fine, I am a solitary young man.
[Ding! Please immediately confirm the familial relationship to receive the full reward.]
Huh? We have to confirm the familial relationship too?
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Since we're becoming family, we should define our relationship.
"Father and daughter," Roshin mused before tentatively answering in his mind.
Though this relationship sounded absurd and unlikely to work, there was no harm in trying. Trying didn't cost anything.