I adopted a child demon from the Gap, and I'm a special agent for the Bureau of Supernatural Ab

Holding this tiny, almost weightless body, Li Cheng couldn't help but worry. What if his daughter was too beautiful and many young men pursued her? Should he twist their necks or break their spines?

Regardless, this child is the one he will dedicate the rest of his life to.

"Since you're a girl, we'll call you Xi. After all, we already agreed that the boy would be called Chao and the girl Xi. So, little Xi, little Xi, you have to remember this well, okay? The man holding you right now is your most handsome, strongest, and dearest—Daddy."

Holding the infant who couldn't open her eyes yet, Li Cheng leaned forward and whispered in her ear.

Make sure to remember this carefully.

I walked through the hospital corridor to the hallway leading to our home. My wife was leaning against the wall, silently weeping, while my five- or six-year-old daughter, Xi, was squatting on the floor beside me, staring intently at the crack in the wall, completely ignoring her mother's voice.

Holding the hospital's diagnosis, Li Cheng stood at the door for a long time, unsure of what to do. Finally, he silently walked forward and embraced his wife.

"Cheng, what should we do..."

He heard his wife's fragile and helpless sobs.

You're always like this. You've been married for so many years, but you're still the same as when you were a kid following me around. You have no opinions of your own and you panic at the slightest thing.

Li Cheng smiled and hugged his wife tightly.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here. So what if she has autism? Our tide is still the most beautiful and intelligent child. She will grow up well, leave her to me. Don't forget, I can do anything!"

Communicating with tide, who has autism, is an extremely painful experience.

No matter how hard he tried to speak, she always ignored him. No matter how he tried to teach her, she couldn't understand things that were so simple for normal people. Li Cheng felt like he was facing someone from another world; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get into her heart, not even a little bit.

"Daddy, flowers—"

Startled awake, Li Cheng looked down and met tide's eyes, which were like black gemstones. Then, his gaze moved down and he saw the girl offering him a small white flower.

"Daddy, flowers—"

Once again, a voice tinged with a faint joy emanated from her slightly upturned lips, soft and delicate, both exquisite and melodious.

"Yes, the flowers are very pretty."

Li Cheng smiled and responded as he took the flowers from the girl.

"Hehehe—"

Laughing happily, tide ran to the side and went to play with the pile of flowers and plants that belonged to her on the balcony.

Li Cheng looked up and checked the time, realizing it was already time for work.

"Well then, tide, I'm going out now. Lunch is still in the microwave, just heat it up, but remember, only turn it out to about a third of the way."

"Uh-huh!"

I don't know if she listened to me or not, but after so many years of hard work, even when he's not home, she can take care of herself according to some fixed routines.

Well then, I'm off, darling.

Li Cheng silently recited the words to himself as he looked at the brand-new photograph by the door.

Reaching the door, Li Cheng put on his shoes, checked that his uniform was in order, and prepared to leave. Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded from behind him, and Xi, barefoot, ran out and grabbed Li Cheng's sleeve.

"Dad, the amusement park! Let's go to the amusement park!"

Oh no, it's this again? Have I forgotten about it again? This is terrible...

"I'm sorry, Shio."

Squatting down, looking at tide who was fiddling with her fingers, Li Cheng said apologetically:

"Dad has been very busy these days and hasn't had time to take tide to the amusement park. Next time, I'll definitely take you, okay?"

"Mmm, Daddy, bye-bye—"

That's it. Although she's a little different from other children, tide has always been so obedient and considerate of her father.

……

"Daddy, ice cream! I want ice cream!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, tide, Daddy is very busy right now and really doesn't have time to buy you ice cream. Maybe next time, maybe next time."

……

"Daddy, let's go to the beach, let's go to the beach!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, tide, Dad has been too busy these past few days and hasn't been able to find the time. Let's postpone the trip to the beach, let's postpone it a bit more."

……

……

"Hey!"

Li Cheng felt a tap on his back. He turned around and saw a friend who had been working with him for many years.

"You rascal," his friend said to Li Cheng with a very unfriendly look, "stop working all day long and take some time to spend with your daughter. What kind of child is she, locked up in the room all day?"

“I really want to take her out more often,” Li Cheng said with a helpless smile, “but as you know, given my family’s current situation, if I don’t work harder, I won’t even be able to earn enough for her living expenses. Besides, tide is a very well-behaved girl; she can take good care of herself even when she’s home alone.”

"Tch, whatever, you'll regret it sooner or later anyway!"

"Hey, that's going too far!"

……

"Captain, please, don't go in, don't go in..."

"Why are you blocking my way! Why can't I go in? Wasn't it said that my daughter is inside? Why can't I go in? Get out of the way! Get out of the way, all of you!!"

"Wait, wait a minute! Hey, you guys, come here right now and stop the captain!"

……

what.

What a mess, what is this...?

Sitting in the pitch-black world where he couldn't see anything, Li Cheng just sat there blankly, as if he was looking at something, or as if he wasn't looking at anything at all.

A transparent glass marble rolled along, slowly rolling to his eyes and stopping right in front of him, motionless.

Li Cheng looked up at Xi, who stood before him with black hair and black eyes, timidly extending her hands towards him and whispering:

"Dad, hug."

He reached out and gently, tenderly embraced the girl in his arms. She seemed almost nonexistent, so frail he could barely feel her touch. Yet, at this moment, she was undeniably there. Li Cheng could feel her familiar scent, smell the fresh fragrance of her usual shampoo, and feel her small arms clinging to his. Everything was still so clear, so vivid; nothing had faded.

tide, she's here. She's still here. She wasn't lost.

Yes, she's here, she's not lost; she's here, she's not lost; she's here, she's not lost; she's here, she's not lost; she's here, she's not lost…

"Cheng?"

As if cold water had been dripped onto his neck, Li Cheng was startled and subconsciously let go of her. He looked down at Xi, who was curled up in his arms, with blonde hair and purple eyes.

"Cheng?"

tide tilted her head, seemingly puzzled by his reaction.

"To you, tide is nothing more than a substitute for your daughter, nothing more than a reason for you to continue deceiving yourself, isn't she?"

Standing beside him, on the edge of darkness, with most of his face covered in shadow, Konoe Hitoshi looked at Li Cheng with a mocking expression.

"Cheng, what's wrong?"

The girl in his arms was still asking questions with a curious voice.

"me……"

Li Cheng looked at tide, who was becoming uneasy in his arms, and wanted to reach out to comfort her, but he seemed stuck. He stretched out his hand helplessly, not knowing what to do next. He stared blankly at Xi in front of him, at the Xi with black hair and black eyes, and at the Xi with golden hair and purple eyes. The faces of the two girls were intertwined, mixed, and broken.

Substitute...? Deception...?

"..."

Opening his eyes, Li Cheng stared blankly at the ceiling, which wasn't entirely unfamiliar. He was in a hospital, and in the same ward he had once stayed in, on the same bed.

"Finally woke up?"

Kiritsugu Emiya's voice sounded beside him. He turned his head and saw Kiritsugu Emiya's impatient expression beside the sickbed.

"With that contorted expression, it must have been a pretty painful dream."

Reaching out, she handed over an apple she had just peeled. Li Cheng took it, instinctively wanting to pass it to Xi beside him, before realizing it had already been taken from her. The second time, it had been taken from him by someone else.

"Now that you're awake, get up. The battle meeting is about to begin."

Standing up, Kiritsugu Emiya said without any politeness.

"Operations...meeting?"

Having just woken up, Li Cheng, whose mind was still a little foggy, repeated blankly.

"Yes, the war council," Kiritsugu Emiya repeated grimly, his expression cold and murderous. "No matter who it is, anyone who dares to snatch someone from Group Six has no reason to be let go, right? Or are you being scared off by a few sarcastic remarks from the enemy?"

click-

The freshly peeled apple was crushed by Li Cheng with a clean and decisive squeeze, and apple juice was spilled all over the bed.

He stomped heavily on the ground, cracking the floorboards, and stood up straight, expressionless. Looking at Kiritsugu Emiya before him, he said without a trace of emotion:

"go!"

…………

Thank you to readers Feng Yong Sui You Fei, Xuan Du Guan Li Chang Sheng Ren, Kanata no Gensokyo, Shiro Reimu, and Xian Yu de Qiu Zhang for their recommendation votes.

Second update complete. 7k words today, so tired! As for the third update... well, if there are any angry comments, umm, or maybe a tip, that wouldn't be out of the question! (Makes a frantic wink)

Section 83, Chapter 18: War Conference

"Oh, you're back. Looks like you're alright."

As Li Cheng entered the meeting room of the sixth group's branch, he immediately saw the group leader, Ryougi Shiki, standing by the wall. Ryougi Shiki turned around and glanced at him when she heard him. After exchanging a few words as a greeting, she turned her head away and remained silent.

It was clear that she was quite annoyed to have encountered such a formidable opponent for the first time.

Turning her head, Rin Tohsaka slumped weakly onto the table, her face etched with dejection. She had used up a lot of gems in the battle that night, but the result was so bad; it must have been a huge blow to her.