Chapter Seventy-Six: The Dream Practice Room

"Qiong, come down for dinner." Aoki Si washed his hands and sat at the dining table. The sound of little footsteps came from upstairs, and soon Qiong was seated beside the table.

Aoki Si watched her eyes light up at the sight of the food, ready to dig in without a word, and smiled as he tapped her forehead with his finger. "Go wash your hands!"

Qiong pouted, not entirely pleased, but finally nodded. "Okay."

Watching her slowly head off to wash her hands, Aoki Si smiled and said, "Do you just nibble on snacks for lunch every day?"

"...No," Qiong replied as she washed her hands.

When she returned to her seat, Aoki Si looked at her delicate smile and asked again, laughing, "Really?"

Qiong lowered her head, staring at her bowl, and shifted her gaze evasively. "I don't know."

He reached out and ruffled her messy silver hair, speaking gently, "I'm not going to scold you, but how can your health improve like that? I'd rather you order takeout than eat snacks all the time."

Qiong hesitated for a long moment, then looked up at Aoki Si, her expression reluctant. "Those takeout meals... aren't tasty."

It wasn’t that there weren’t good places, but mainly... they were too expensive.

Qiong kept her true thoughts to herself; she had never asked Aoki Si for money.

Anyway, Aoki Si always brought snacks home, and she had a little stash from playing games, so she’d never felt a pressing need for money. Still, she wasn’t unaware of their situation at home, and wherever she could save, she preferred not to waste.

Besides, truth be told, she genuinely thought Aoki Si’s cooking was better than anything outside.

"I see..." Aoki Si touched his head, lost in thought.

Qiong ate slowly with her chopsticks, watching Aoki Si frown in silence for a while. She spoke softly, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing," Aoki Si smiled. "How about this? From now on, I'll make two lunchboxes in the morning—one for you, and I won't need to buy convenience store bentos anymore."

"...Hmm." Qiong nodded, looking a bit worried. "But you still have to make breakfast. Isn’t that tiring?"

Aoki Si considered for a moment and replied easily, "Breakfast isn’t too much trouble. I can prep some bentos the night before and just heat them up in the morning. Don’t worry. I can’t relax knowing you’re only eating snacks."

Qiong nodded, looking at him, her thin lips curving into a faint smile. "Thank you, Si."

"Don’t say thank you next time!" Aoki Si glared at her, but her shy gaze made him laugh out loud again. "If you’re happy, nothing I do feels tiring."

Qiong nodded, lowering her head and eating energetically without replying.

Aoki Si guessed she was feeling shy again, but simply smiled from the heart, his voice gentle as he looked at her, tone resolute: "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your life keeps getting better."

That day wasn’t far off. Aoki Si imagined that maybe one day, he could take Qiong to school, watch her run freely without burdens, living happily like any ordinary girl. The thought filled him with motivation.

Alright! Tonight’s boxing practice, I’ll push myself even harder. I must win the MMA Rising Star Championship!

"Um..." Qiong suddenly stopped eating.

Aoki Si looked up in surprise.

"Tonight... can we play games together again?" Qiong’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

Aoki Si hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. But we can’t stay up as late as yesterday. When I get back, I’ll play with you for an hour, then we both go to bed. Deal?"

"Okay!" Qiong nodded vigorously, her smile radiant.

------------------

Night fell. Aoki Si, exhausted, shut down his computer and sprawled lazily on his bed, aching all over, unwilling to move.

After playing games with Qiong, it was already past midnight. Honestly, after four or five hours of training at Matsuyama Rock, he was drained. He nearly dozed off during the game while camping in the house. Still, the game was genuinely fun...

Phew... Aoki Si closed his eyes, feeling the soreness in his muscles, his mind growing increasingly hazy.

Then, in that state between sleep and wakefulness, his vision suddenly brightened.

"Did I travel to another world again?!" Aoki Si snapped his eyes open. Before him was a vast expanse of white.

Looking down, he seemed to be standing on light itself; all around was pure white, boundless, leaving him unsure of up or down, left or right.

[Dream Practice Room activated. Current available training: Kendo. Please select training duration and sleep duration.]

Aoki Si realized it was the new system function he’d unlocked.

He breathed a sigh of relief. If he really had to go through another transmigration, he’d surely lose his mind.

"Kendo, then. Practice for one and a half hours, sleep until six in the morning."

Curious, Aoki Si moved his body—the soreness from before sleep was gone, and his mind was clear, his body in peak condition.

[Kendo training: Please select 'Technique' or 'Combat'.]

Aoki Si eyed the two options, thought for a moment, and chose Combat. No particular reason—just curiosity.

[Combat—Beginner Training Ground activated. Number of opponents: 1.]

The blinding white before him flickered like a slide show, forcing Aoki Si to instinctively shut his eyes. When he recovered, he heard birds chirping, the wind rustling through bamboo, and found himself standing in a bamboo grove, lush green all around, the air crisp and fresh, even the sensation of his feet sinking slightly into the earth felt utterly real.

"Wow!" Aoki Si couldn’t help but exclaim.

This was too realistic!

He looked down; his clothes had somehow changed into the standard attire of a wandering swordsman from ancient times—loose black kimono revealing his toned chest, a katana at his left hip, a straw hat covering his shaved head, the coarse texture making his scalp faintly ache.

"Aoki Si." Suddenly, a furious shout rang in his ear. Turning, Aoki Si saw another swordsman dressed as a wanderer, katana in hand, glowering from nearby. "You dared insult my beloved and slay my dearest friend. Today, there can only be one of us! I, Kotaro, will fight to the death to cut you down!"

What the hell? Aoki Si was thoroughly bewildered—what bizarre scenario was this? He’d thought he was some sort of hero, but his role looked rather dubious now!

Before he could make sense of it all, the swordsman called Kotaro drew his blade and charged at him with a furious roar.

------------

PS: As mentioned in the previous chapter, the Medical Canon encompasses the medical techniques of traditional Chinese medicine throughout history (emphasis on throughout history). Please refrain from further debate.