# 731
Chapter 731: His Father
Uncle Kyosuke's health was in poor condition.
After ascending to [Pure Land] and fighting several Oracle Envoys, the physical injuries had been slowly healing, but the severe illness left by the calamity of disease was getting worse with the passage of time.
Every organ in his body had become diseased, some mild and some severe. Besides going to the hospital to get a mess of medications to forcibly suppress the symptoms, he had no other way...
If the [Illusory Pupil] illusion were removed now, revealing Yuzuri Kurotetsu's true appearance, one would find his face had become several times more haggard than before, as if aged twenty years, taking on a sickly pallor.
Uncle Kyosuke put away the medicine and checked the time.
"The release time for the new game is coming up soon. I'll buy the game, and on the way back, I'll pick up some groceries and make curry pork cutlet rice for dinner tonight."
Curry pork cutlet rice?
Yuzuri Takishiro's eyes lit up, and he licked his lips, nodding obediently. "Sure, Uncle. The dishes you make are way better than nutrient solution."
Uncle Kyosuke smiled faintly, reached out and patted his head, a look of doting affection in his eyes.
A few minutes later, Yuzuri Takishiro rushed out of the store clutching the latest game cartridge, his snow-white hair tied back at the nape of his neck, seeming to have been gilded by the setting sun. He笑着对走在后面的京介大叔挥了挥手，像是个单纯的邻家大男孩。
Yuzuri Takishiro's handsome appearance attracted attention from girls wherever he went. They gathered in small groups, staring at him while whispering among themselves.
"That boy is so handsome!"
"Yeah, even better looking than TV stars. Could he be a celebrity too?"
"Nah, no way. A celebrity that good-looking, I would've definitely heard of him!"
"His white hair is really beautiful. Is it real?"
"Of course it's a wig. What boy has hair like that nowadays? And can't you tell he's wearing colored contacts?"
"He really is handsome, just too thin. I hope he's not malnourished..."
"......"
Under the dusky evening light, Uncle Kyosuke walked with slightly unsteady steps, smiling as he watched the excited white-haired boy running ahead, slowly heading toward the end of the street.
Behind them on the asphalt road, two long shadows merged together in the shifting light.
More than ten minutes later.
Yuzuri Takishiro unlocked the door with his keys, took off his shoes, and ran into the rental apartment clutching the game box. He couldn't wait to turn on the TV and inserted the game cartridge.
Uncle Kyosuke, carrying the groceries, walked to the kitchen and rolled up his sleeves to start cooking.
"Uncle, come sit over here! Haven't we been waiting for the sequel to this game for ages? Let's play for a while before dinner!" Yuzuri Takishiro connected both controllers, sat down on the soft cushion, picked up one controller, and waved it at Uncle Kyosuke.
"You play first. I'll finish making the food, and then I'll play with you after dinner."
Yuzuri Takishiro shrugged and could only pick up his controller, starting to play on the screen.
Uncle Kyosuke stood in the kitchen, watching Yuzuri Takishiro's back as he played games alone, and helplessly smiled.
Over all these years, he had imagined Yuzuri Takishiro's personality countless times. Having been used as a test subject in that insane laboratory called [Pure Land] for so long, he had expected Yuzuri Takishiro's personality to have become very dark, even extreme...
But he never expected that Yuzuri Takishiro would just become a gaming otaku, and one as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Perhaps some people are simply born good. Even in such painful and desperate circumstances, they still harbor a pure land in their hearts. And games had become the vessel for Yuzuri Takishiro's spiritual sanctuary.
Without those games, perhaps Yuzuri Takishiro would have gone mad already. Perhaps he would have grown into a powerful demon with extreme personality...
For Yuzuri Takishiro, games were not just games... they were his salvation.
What was fortunate was that games had also become Uncle Kyosuke's salvation.
Without games, Uncle Kyosuke wouldn't have been able to get close to Yuzuri Takishiro so easily. After learning that his interest was gaming, Uncle Kyosuke immediately put to use his professional skill of smooth talking from his host days, shaping himself into a seasoned gaming enthusiast. He took Yuzuri Takishiro on a shopping spree in Akihabara, quickly closing the distance between them.
Of course, for an middle-aged man like Uncle Kyosuke, gaming was indeed exhausting, especially staying up late to play.
But Uncle Kyosuke enjoyed it anyway.
Not because of the games themselves, but because the person sitting beside him playing games together was his son.
A few dozen minutes later, two bowls of fragrant curry pork cutlet rice were carried out from the kitchen. Uncle Kyosuke, wearing an apron, wiped his hands on his clothes and called out:
"Dinner's ready."
Yuzuri Takishiro caught the aroma and suddenly felt hungry. He swallowed, put down the controller, and walked to the table to sit down.
He picked up a piece of golden curry and put it in his mouth, and his eyes immediately brightened.
"Uncle, your curry pork cutlet rice is really delicious." Yuzuri Takishiro said sincerely.
"Right? My daughter says the same thing." Uncle Kyosuke said proudly.
"Uncle, you have a daughter?"
"Yeah, same age as you. Very well-behaved and smart."
Yuzuri Takishiro thought for a moment. "Then you... are also a father?"
Uncle Kyosuke was stunned, then smiled. "Of course."
Yuzuri Takishiro lowered his head, scooping rice into his mouth, as if pondering something.
"What's wrong?" Uncle Kyosuke asked, noticing Yuzuri Takishiro had gone quiet.
Yuzuri Takishiro spoke slowly. "Before I came down, someone told me... that my father was waiting for me. He had waited a long time, and told me to go find him."
"And then?"
"I asked him, what is a father?" Yuzuri Takishiro paused. "He said a lot of things, like selfless, willing to give everything for you, grand and noble... I said I couldn't understand.
Then he said,
When you meet the man who is most special to you, don't doubt it—that's your father."
Uncle Kyosuke's chopsticks froze in mid-air.
A moment later, he calmly continued to pick up another bite of rice. "So now, what do you think about fathers?"
"I don't know." Yuzuri Takishiro shook his head. "I've never seen him, and I've never experienced the 'fatherly love' they talk about. Maybe to me, he's just like a stranger you meet in line waiting to buy a new game—just a fleeting passerby.
Besides, I've been down here for so long, and that 'father' still hasn't come to find me...
But that's fine too. If he came, he'd just interrupt our gaming sessions."
Yuzuri Takishiro said with a smile.
Uncle Kyosuke was silent for a moment. "But what if he really did come? What would you do?"
Yuzuri Takishiro thought about it. "If he really did come,
Maybe...
I'd ask him if he wanted to sit down and play a game together?"
Uncle Kyosuke heard this answer, and after being stunned for a long while, a smile appeared on his lips:
"Let's eat. After we're done, we'll stay up all night playing together."