Two months after the time travel.
Crackling! Crackling!
"I never thought it would turn out like this."
Byakuya sat on the sofa chair with his legs crossed, holding black tea, looking at the blazing fireplace in front of him. The light and warmth of the flames made the orphanage no longer cold and dark.
Around him were a group of very lovely girls. Except for a pair of twins who were asleep, the rest were eagerly discussing topics of interest.
Occasionally, a few girls looked at Byakuya, and their eyes showed clear reliance and admiration.
"Dong! Dong~!"
At the same time, the chiming of the clock echoed.
Byakuya put down his teacup and clapped his hands. Immediately, the little girls who had just been frolicking gathered obediently in front of him, even the sleeping twin sisters.
"Children, it's bedtime. No matter how much joy you still have to share with each other, now is the time for good children to sleep. However, Rosalia and Liliya, you two will need to go back to sleep later."
"No problem, Papa Byakuya!"
"Hmm, Rosalia is very good at sleeping, and Liliya hasn't had enough sleep yet, haah~"
"Excellent. Children who go to bed early and wake up early will grow tall in the future. At Hearth Home, this is one of the rules. If anyone stays up late and I catch them, then tomorrow's after-meal cupcake will disappear, understand?"
"Understood, Papa Byakuya!" xN
Byakuya's lips curved up in pleasure.
It felt great to hear a group of adorable girls call him Papa! No, he had to maintain his expression. The dignity of the father of Hearth House could not be shaken!
"Very good, now everyone return to your bedrooms. Tonight, I will randomly check to see who isn't asleep."
The girls scattered and ran upstairs.
Byakuya nodded with satisfaction, then continued to sit in front of the fireplace, holding a newly started novel, intending to stay up all night to finish it.
Children cannot stay up late.
But adults can.
Although some mischievous children might call him cunning, he was the father of the orphanage, after all. Even if he didn't sleep all night, no one would deduct Byakuya's black tea the next day.
"Host, it seems you've adapted."
"Hmm? System? It's alright. After accepting the identity setting you gave me, I feel quite refreshed."
Byakuya continued to read the novel in his hand without raising his head.
At this moment, he was much more composed. Compared to his less-than-fifteen-year-old body during the Second Honkai Eruption, he was now a mature adult nearing thirty.
Byakuya's height had exceeded 180 cm. He now often wore a silver-gray suit with black leather gloves, and his hair was neatly combed.
Both the innocence of a young boy and the immaturity of a teenager had faded from Byakuya at this moment. Although his every move was not exaggerated, it made people feel elegant and steady.
If Kiana and Mei were present, they would surely be surprised and exclaim that this was what Byakuya looked like grown up; his maturity, handsomeness, and charm were truly captivating.
He was the manager of the Hearth House orphanage.
The common father of over a dozen orphans.
This was Byakuya's identity in this simulation.
"Has two months already passed? Hehe, I remember when you, System, first threw me into this time and space, I didn't know how to act for a while. After all, it was supposed to be Bronya and Seele's past, but in reality, I haven't seen either of them, and…"
Byakuya narrowed his eyes, looking at the silent System.
"And it's an identity almost identical to that woman's. You really outdid yourself, System."
"Originally an officer of a military unit, but after encountering a small Honkai attack, the squad was wiped out. After that, disheartened, he left the unit and dedicated himself to building an orphanage, adopting many children who lost their homes due to Honkai—isn't that good?"
"Hmph, don't think I didn't notice. Isn't this the template of that vixen Cocolia? Currently, the person I dislike most in this world, second only to Otto."
Byakuya said angrily, raising his hand to grab both sides of the System's light screen interface, pulling hard as if to tear the System in half.
"Cough, cough, at least that vixen was indeed a righteous companion in the early stages. Please have mercy, Host. Stop pulling."
"Forget it, I'm just a little curious. If my identity template is based on Cocolia, then what's her situation now? Could it be that she no longer exists in this world?"
"Of course not. Although Cocolia's fate has changed due to the Host, and she no longer establishes the Cocolia Orphanage, the rest remains unchanged."
"Tsk, so that vixen will still become the internal strife master, Coco Danzo later on? Troublesome. Why not just kill her in this era?"
Byakuya frowned slightly, but the trouble he just mentioned wasn't Cocolia, but fate itself.
Everyone's destiny in this world is predetermined. No matter what changes occur, they will eventually return to their original path, unless their destiny is directly altered by Byakuya himself.
Only Byakuya, who is unaffected by corrective influences, can create a brand new future.
Just then.
Pat-pat-pat
The sound of slippers on the floor came.
"…Oh? Let me see which disobedient naughty child isn't sleeping yet."
"Papa Byakuya, it, it's me."
A Blue-haired girl in white pajamas was timidly looking at Byakuya. She was holding a pillow, looking small and fragile like a small animal, a pure girl who easily evoked others' protective instincts.
"Oh, it's Seele. Is there something you need?" Byakuya's gaze immediately softened.
Rosalia
Lilia
Seele