I might be misinterpreting the situation, but the person in front of me is her—the Aunt.
She might look like a child on the outside, but one conversation is all it takes to realize she's a fully functional adult.
She loves manga, she loves anime, she loves games, and she absolutely detests anything scary. Sometimes, when things don't go her way, she'll throw a bit of a tantrum... okay, so she's cute, but she's still a respectable adult!
"Overseer Punch!"
"Whoa?!"
That was a sudden Heartbreak Shot. If it weren't for the 'Ultra Instinct' auto-evade I developed through Siegfried's rigorous training, my heart probably would have stopped right then and there.
Realizing the danger, I clenched my fists and shouted, as if possessed by the spirit of Jonathan Joestar himself.
"W-What was that for?!"
"Oh, sorry. I just felt some strange, suspicious brain waves coming from you."
"Strange brain waves...?"
"How should I put it? It felt like you were making excuses for me in your head, but somehow using them to insult me?"
Taken aback, I re-examined my own thoughts.
I definitely started with a compliment, but every subsequent thought was just listing her flaws.
Wait, but isn't lying a sin?!
As a true father, I want to show my daughter a version of myself that is completely honest!
"Would I ever do such a thing?" I asked innocently.
Of course, that's a face I only show in front of my daughter.
Whether in the past or the present, the fist is always closer than the law.
For the sake of my own survival, a single lie is—
"You did it, didn't you?"
Tch, this is why I hate quick-witted ki—Whoa?!
I leaned back sharply, dodging another Heartbreak Shot aimed at my vitals.
"I haven't even answered yet! Isn't resort to violence a bit much?!"
"That reaction is your answer. Should we take a moment to 'cool your head'?"
"Anything but that line! Please!"
"Then tell me exactly what you were thinking about me."
"I thought that even though you love manga, anime, and games, hate scary things, and sometimes throw tantrums when things don't go your way... you are still a respectable adult!"
"...Heh~"
The moment I finished, the Aunt lowered her head, her bangs shadowing her eyes. I immediately thought, *'Oh, crap!'
I had absentmindedly blurted out every single thought.
A Honkai aura began to shimmer around her, signaling that things had gone very, very wrong.
I swallowed hard as I watched her right hand slowly rise.
T-This is it... I'm going to be murdered!
"Aw~ Well, I guess I have no choice then! I'll let you off the hook this once~"
"...Eh?"
Contrary to my expectations, she placed her raised hand against her cheek and spoke in a bright, cheerful voice. I blinked in confusion.
What? Am I dreaming?
Her reaction was bizarre.
She said she had no choice, but her expression was melting into a wide, relaxed smile.
Now that I looked closer, her face seemed strangely flushed... wait, no way!
Did her anger spike so high that she lost control over her facial expressions?
Yes, that has to be it. That would explain that awkward smile.
"Thinking something weird again, aren't you?"
"No, ma'am!"
"Really? Well, I'll let it slide for now."
She twirled the end of her 'short-lived side-ponytail' around her finger, turned around, and began walking ahead. I exhaled a breath of relief.
I don't know why, but thank goodness.
Sensing she was in a strangely good mood, I followed closely behind.
By the way, what was I thinking about at the very beginning?
Right—the reason she invited me to her house.
Generally speaking, the Aunt views me like a child.
To be fair, the adults of her generation have seen us since we were kids or students at the latest, so they don't exactly view us as romantic interests.
Major Himeko was different, though. Our age gap wasn't... that large, relatively speaking.
...If she knew what I was thinking right now, she'd probably drop a Greatsword in front of me and ask, 'Why did you hesitate there?'
She's no longer with us, and even just dwelling on those memories makes me miss her, but her will lives on through Kiana.
Which is why Kiana also swings a Greatsword in front of my face whenever she's mad... honestly, that was one trait she didn't need to inherit.
Regardless, back to the reason for this house visit.
If my hunch is right, it's probably something like: 'I have nothing to do right now, and it's too early for the cafe... Oh, I have that new HOMU game I bought! I'll take him home!'*
"Auntie, what are we going to do at your place anyway?"
"The new 'HOMU Impact' I ordered arrived yesterday! I was going to wait until the weekend, but since things turned out like this, let's beat it today!"
"A new title? I'm looking forward to it."
"Right, right?!"
Seeing her eyes sparkle confirmed my suspicion.
Tomorrow might be a workday, but skipping a new game when you have free time in the afternoon is practically an insult to gaming itself!
Besides, I heard the developer of this game was actually my wife's company.
Apparently, the original studio was going bankrupt and the project was about to be cancelled, but my wife played it, liked it, and bought the whole company.
Wasn't this HOMU game selected as one of the most anticipated titles of the year?
My wife said it was an open-world game. I haven't played it myself, but I know the die-hard fans have been hyped for it.
But why is this happening?
When I heard the name, I felt a strange sense of deja vu.
Once we arrived at her house, her excitement made her move with blinding speed to set up the console.
She sat on the sofa and patted the spot next to her—*thump, thump!—with glowing eyes, beckoning me to sit down.
"Come on, let's start!"
"Ah, right."
The game began with a long loading screen.
During the loading sequence, the camera panned across a stone path stretching infinitely forward, surrounded by pillars and towers. For some reason, there was no ground below—just an endless sky.
The feeling of walking along a path in the clouds made my sense of deja vu spike.
What is this? Have I played something like this before?
"This loading is kind of long~"
"It is. Can I go grab us something to drink?"
"I want a Bitter Melon Americano!"
"...Just asking, but do you even have Americano ingredients?"
"You have to make it!"
From that answer, I knew the task fell to me.
Well, I knew where everything was, so it wasn't an issue.
The Aunt has everything fully equipped in her kitchen even though she never uses any of it—including a high-end coffee machine.
The beans were there too. I pulled out a vacuum-sealed pack of roasted beans, ground them into a fine powder, and started the brew.
Meanwhile, I grabbed bitter melon and lemon from the fridge.
I juiced them both and mixed them with sugar syrup.
Honestly, no matter how much syrup you add to bitter melon, it never really feels 'sweet.'
Most people can't stand it, but whenever I make Bitter Melon Americano this way, the Aunt says it's the perfect flavor.
I poured the lemon and bitter melon syrups into cups, added ice, and then sliced a bit of each for a garnish to make it look presentable.
Of course, if you actually tried to 'eat with your eyes' by rubbing this in them, it would be excruciatingly painful, so children, don't try that at home.
After adding a bit of cold water and the freshly pulled espresso shots, it was done.
"Here is your Bitter Melon Americano."
"Mmm~! As I thought, the Captain's Bitter Melon Americano is the absolute best!"
She kicked her feet in delight while sipping the drink through a straw.
"So, did it finish downloading?"
"Oh, right. An enemy showed up to block the protagonists, and after a short, fierce battle, they were captured. Then, strangely enough, a window popped up asking me to choose between a pair of twins."
"Heh?"
Now that... sounds like a story I've heard somewhere before.
"By any chance, is the enemy's name 'The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles'?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
Wait, it really is* the sibling game?!
Hold on.
I feel like I've gone through something like this recently.
What was it? When was it? It felt like it happened very recently—Wait, ah!
"Um, just checking, but is this a dating sim?"
"...Captain, did you participate in the beta test or something?"
She looked at me with suspicious eyes, her gaze warning me not to give her any spoilers. I instinctively facepalmed and screamed internally.
'First Honkai, and now Genshin?!'
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