At the end of the third month of his infancy.
Okabe's life was gradually returning to normal, but a major event soon occurred, shattering his peaceful existence.
His father, who had been gone for half a month, returned the day before the end of the month, bringing him a special gift.
She had uneven, long pink hair, tied into two long braids at the back of her head, meticulously wrapped with red ribbons. From the front, it looked somewhat like short hair.
Her emerald-green eyes brought a sense of peace. The girl stood at the doorway, exceptionally well-behaved, remaining in a standby state until she received a command.
"From now on, this is your exclusive maid. She'll be in charge of your daily life. Well, you're too little to understand, but to put it simply, Mom and Dad have to go somewhere very far away. Before that, Ikaros will be here to accompany you as you grow up."
As Hakuji spoke, he picked up Okabe, who was crawling on the tatami mat, and gently rubbed his unshaven stubble of over half a month against the baby's small face.
Although the Nakiri family had promised to help look after the child, the fact that he was someone else's son meant they were bound to not be as attentive as they would with their own flesh and blood. It would be impossible for them to be by Okabe's side at all times.
Hakuji himself had lived under someone else's roof as a child, so he knew that feeling intimately.
To ensure Okabe could grow up healthy and happy, he had made a wish upon entering the Gate of the Mystic Realm: to find someone who would wholeheartedly care for him until he became an adult.
He wagered his own memories of those he cherished and, with his superb culinary skills, passed the trial of the God of the Mystic Realm, bringing back this Entertainment-Use Universal Angel.
As for why it took over half a month.
The reason was that he needed to polish every detail of his cooking to perfection. Many of the ingredients used in his dishes were made by his own hands.
Only by doing so could he satisfy the palate of the God of the Mystic Realm.
"'Entertainment-Use Universal Angel? Ikaros! Isn't that from Sora no Otoshimono? How did she get here!? So this is what the so-called Gate of the Mystic Realm is all about...'"
His tiny heart was beating rapidly at that moment. His brain connected the various pieces of information, and finally, Okabe came to a conclusion.
This so-called Gourmet Mystic Realm Gate was a large-scale spatial portal. As long as you entered, challenged, and succeeded, you could obtain whatever you wanted.
Isn't that just like a system's 'golden finger' cheat? Except this 'golden finger' is shared by everyone.
No, that's not right. According to what Nakiri Mana said a while ago, an ancestor of the Nakiri clan failed in the Secret Realm, which resulted in their entire clan being afflicted by the clothes-bursting curse. This proves that the Secret Realm isn't just a simple reward stage, but a Shokugeki-style gamble with a system of rewards and punishments.
Both sides place stakes of equal value and face off on the scales of cuisine. The winner takes everything, while the loser loses all.
And where there are people, there will be disputes; the same is true for the location of the Gate of the Mystic Realm.
Some people, knowing the danger, still want to enter to get everything they desire. Others, worried they might use what's inside for evil, try to control the place.
Thus, conflict was born.
"There's so much I want to say to you, but there's no time. I hope you can grow up healthy and happy like a normal person, and never have to touch the other side of the world in this lifetime."
His large, gentle hand gently ruffled the thin hair on Okabe's head. A trace of tenderness appeared on Hakuji's rugged face, and then he looked towards Koyuki.
"Don't listen to your father's nonsense. You must work hard to grow up. With strength, you'll have nothing to fear.
This is a good-luck charm I embroidered for you. I know giving something like this is a bit old-fashioned these days, but Mom still hopes you can grow up safe and sound."
She hung the good-luck charm, tied with a red string, around Okabe's neck. As her fingers touched him, Okabe could clearly see that two of Koyuki's fingers were covered with adhesive bandages.
Evidently, she wasn't very skilled at embroidery. She must have pricked her hands often while sewing the charm, which made this token of love feel all the more profound.
"Let's go. Don't look back. If we look back, we won't be able to leave."
Looking at Okabe's somewhat bewildered eyes, Koyuki clutched the hem of Hakuji's clothes tightly. Then, she resolutely turned her head, her voice tinged with a sob.
"Ikaros, from now on, he is your master. Please take good care of his daily needs."
"Command received. I will follow it strictly."
Reluctantly, Hakuji placed Okabe into the arms of Ikaros, who was on standby. He bowed very seriously to her, then turned and left without hesitation.
If they didn't make a clean break now, they really wouldn't be able to leave.
"Sigh, humans."
Although he didn't have much affection for this pair of parents, seeing this scene made Okabe's nose sting, and he had to fight back to keep from crying.
In his previous life, he had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. He dropped out of school at sixteen to work, squeezing into a small, dilapidated rented room.
At twenty-two, he had saved up a hundred thousand by scrimping and saving, hoping to use the money to start a small business and get his life on track. Who would have known that just as his life was starting to look up, he suddenly coughed up blood at work. A check-up at the hospital revealed a terminal illness.
The good news was that the hospital was willing to cover his treatment costs in full. The bad news was that the terminal illness was named after him, and no one in the entire hospital could cure it.
After clinging to life for a few months with medication, he finally died on the operating table. He donated all the money he had saved to the orphanage that had raised him, which was his way of making one last contribution to children like himself.
"'There's nothing to be sad about. As long as I improve my culinary skills, we'll be able to meet again sooner or later. Isn't that what the proficiency system is for?!'"
Taking a deep breath, he pushed all the sadness back into his heart. His parents' love made Okabe feel a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time, and it solidified his resolve to become stronger.
"Ikaros, put me down."
With this thought, Okabe looked at Ikaros.
"Yes, Master."
Hearing Okabe's command, Ikaros didn't hesitate. She gently set him down and then stood quietly beside him, watching.
And Okabe?
After leaving Ikaros's arms, he first started jogging in circles around the room, occasionally hopping. This continued until dusk.
Twilight descended, and the last ray of daylight was swallowed by the night.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the newbie mission. All body-related basic skills have been integrated. Skill Body Control (Gold) acquired.]
[View current proficiency panel?]
[View]
[Name]: Okabe
[Age]: 0 years, 4 months
[Strength]: 0.4
[Spirit]: 4
[Charisma]: 8
[Skills]:
[Body Control (Gold)]: Allows free control over any part of the body. As the skill's proficiency level increases, the precision of control increases.
[Proficiency]: Slightly Accomplished (588/5000)
[Japanese (Green)]: Entered the Hall (24/1000)
[Chinese (Blue)]: Slightly Accomplished (91/5000)
As the system's notification sound echoed in his mind, Okabe felt a warm current flow through his limbs. Although there were no visible changes on the surface, he could clearly feel that something inside his body had changed, and a look of amazement appeared on his face.
The feeling was like disconnected mechanical parts suddenly being integrated, becoming a high-precision instrument. The efficiency was far more than just '1+1 > 2'!
_____
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