Keitaro does not want this peaceful dinner to turn into a blood bath....as it is already close to becoming one.
He decided to do the only logical thing, he decided to ask Edgar about his progress. The boy seemed eager to tell his sensei about his progress, his eyes lighting up as he began recounting his recent progress.
"Sensei," he started, his tone brimming with pride, "you're going to love this. I've been working on integrating solar panels into my armor's design!"
Oh, the boy was beginning to use his construction curse technique in a very efficient way, if Keitaro would have a guess on how it worked, he only expanded cursed energy to make the suit, the thing that would power the suit wasn't the boy, but the energy stored.
That was kind of smart, making construction more cost-effective.
Wasn't that neat?
Though he did not want the boy's excitement to die down, he would play the curious card.
Keitaro raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
"Solar panels? That's impressive. How does that work with your curse technique?"
Edgar grinned from ear to ear, he was clearly thrilled by the opportunity to explain his progress to his sensei. "It's amazing. The panels absorb sunlight and convert it into energy, which I channel through my construction curse technique to power certain functions of the armor. It's still a bit experimental, but it makes the armor way more self-sustaining. I don't have to rely as much on external cursed energy reserves, especially during the day."
Tldr, he had solved the construction energy consumption problem....instead of using his own curse energy to do the building, he created a curse tool that turned sunlight into curse energy, which was its only purpose, the other tool was to store that curse energy.
And by using those two together, he only had to use 25% of the amount required, the other 75% would be taken care of by the stored energy.
Though, if he could do that, he wondered if the boy could create a curse tool that passively saps away at someone's curse energy pool, that would be a good suit.
The suit would only stop working when both, he and the person ran out of curse energy and his storage also ran out.
That was good.
Keitar nodded his head, his expression one of genuine interest,
"That's smart, Edgar. You're thinking about efficiency and adaptability—good stuff."
And there it was, the praise, something the boy had been starved for by his father...
Speaking of which, where is Alistair...
Edgar who currently was encouraged by the praise continued.
"And that's not all! I've been improving the structural integrity of the armor itself. I can now layer different materials using my technique, creating multi-functional armor pieces. For example, I made this forearm plate that doubles as a small shield and has an integrated grappling hook. It's like a utility belt but way cooler."
Keitaro couldn't help but smile at the boy's enthusiasm. "You've been busy, huh? That's some serious progress."
The boy's smile faltered slightly as he looked down at the table, fidgeting with his fork, he acted like a child who had gotten a bad grade in his class, it was that expression you might get as someone with a strict parent with an A in all your class except the class your parents were good at, let use math for this example.
You know, you going to get scolded so you try to make the scolding less by first showing every good you did, before the bad, however, you knew at the back of your mind the second they see that F, you will be put in a 4-hour unskippable cutscene that may end with your ass cheek being redder than a tomato.
"Yeah, but... I'm still terrible at barriers. No matter how much I practice, they always end up unstable or weak. It's like... I just don't have the knack for it."
The boy expected some scolding, and even flinching as Keitaro leaned forward, a flashback of being hit for not being good enough flashed in his mind.
However, what came out of Keitaro's mouth was a calm and reassuring voice.
"Edgar, listen. Progress isn't about being perfect at everything. It's about improving bit by bit, step by step. Look at what you've accomplished so far. You've created functional, innovative armor and taken your construction technique to new heights. That's no small feat."
The boy glanced up, his eyes hesitant but hopeful. "You think so?"
Was he being praised?
...
He felt giddy.
Keitaro nodded firmly.
"I know so. The barriers? That's just one piece of the puzzle. You'll get there when the time is right. For now, focus on what you've already done and how far you've come."
"Plus barrier, the fun part about barrier technique is messing around with them, it's like coding, you will fail....a lot, and that's why most people tend to give up on it, however when you succeed, that feeling you will feel will be like no other"
His voice was comforting and warm, the boy felt safe.
His face brightened at the words, and a genuine smile spread across his lips.
"Thanks, Sensei. That.....Mean a lot"
"Now," Keitaro said with a grin, "how about a demonstration? Show me what you've been working on."
The boy practically jumped out of his seat, excitement radiating from him. "Really? Okay, just wait here! I'll be right back!" He dashed off to retrieve his armor, his energy infectious.
What came after that was a child full of enthusiasm showing off a new toy.
The solar panels gleamed under the dining room's lighting, and he eagerly demonstrated the grappling hook mechanism, launching it with precision. He then raised the shield plate to block an imaginary attack.
Keitaro watched with a soft smile, his chest warming at the sight. The boy looked so happy like a kid proudly showing his dad his latest project. "That's some impressive work, Edgar," he said, his voice filled with pride. "You've outdone yourself."
"Thank D..Sensei"
There was a slip off there, Keitaro had caught it, and the boy had almost called him dad.
He ruffled the boy's hair, which he put little to no resistance against.
He was a good kid, with his suit he probably would scale to a semi-grade one.
If he fought Megumi he would win....like 8 times out of 10...only reason is not 10 out of 10...big raga....and then because of Megumi's insane potential his growth may just push the battle in his favor if Edgar played with his food.