After dinner, he carried an insulated container with chicken soup his mother had woken up early to make.
Arriving at the hospital, he pushed open the ward door.
"Brother!" Shiba Hoshino was leaning against the headboard, reading a book. Her complexion had regained some color, and her eyes sparkled.
Seeing Tatsuya, she immediately smiled.
Tatsuya placed the chicken soup on the bedside table, opened the lid, and a rich aroma filled the air. "Mom made it. Drink it while it's hot."
He watched his sister sip the soup, her mental state noticeably improving, and his heart settled slightly.
"Hoshino, Brother has to go out again soon to inspect a project. It might take a few days," Tatsuya said in a normal tone, just like before. "The signal might not be very good, so don't worry."
Shiba Hoshino heard this and looked a little worried: "Going out again? Then Brother... don't overwork yourself."
"It's fine. The project is quite important. The subsequent returns will be better if it succeeds," Tatsuya reassured her.
He chatted with his sister for a while, helped her regulate her body again, and then carefully instructed the caregiver and the attending doctor before Tatsuya left the hospital.
Just then, Tatsuya's phone vibrated.
A bank app notification popped up—his company account had received another transfer of two million yuan.
Almost simultaneously, Lucci's call came in.
"Hello, Lucci."
"Tatsu-bro, did you get the money?" Lucci's voice was boisterous on the other end of the line.
"I got it," Tatsuya replied. He paused, then added, "I have to go out again."
"..."
A few seconds of silence passed on the other end, then Lucci's somewhat irritated voice came through again.
"Got it. You... be careful in everything. I'll look after your family's affairs, don't worry."
"Okay, thanks. I'll drink with you when I get back next time."
Tatsuya's tone was uncharacteristically gentle.
As soon as he said this, Lucci on the other end seemed to bristle: "Go away, go away! Don't say things that sound like setting a flag; it's bad luck!"
After hanging up, Tatsuya felt a slight warmth in his heart.
Lucci, that guy, though he didn't mince words, was truly dependable.
Love University, the experimental building was somewhat deserted in the afternoon.
Tatsuya opened his computer and pulled up the data.
These past few days, the core data analysis he was responsible for had progressed far beyond Hizan's expectations, even with his conscious effort to rein it in and only use fragmented time to process it.
He sent the final, perfectly organized analysis report and data package to Hizan's email and sent a message.
"Teacher, I've sent the data to your email."
Soon, Hizan's call came in.
Tatsuya answered the phone, and Hizan's surprised yet satisfied voice came from the other end: "Tatsuya? Your efficiency... it's just too... I just took a quick look, and it's much more in-depth than I expected. You rascal... did you stay up late again recently?"
"No, Teacher, the ideas just flowed easily," Tatsuya said calmly.
"Also, I'd like to request a few more days off. I have some personal matters to attend to at home."
If it had been before, Hizan might have frowned, but looking at the impeccable report on the screen, and remembering Tatsuya's difficult family situation, he agreed without hesitation: "No problem, go ahead and take care of it! Your progress on this part is far ahead of schedule; just let them follow up later."
"But you, Tatsuya, don't just focus on studying and your family; pay attention to rest! I think you look a bit better recently, but you still can't be careless!"
"Thank you, Teacher, I will pay attention," Tatsuya hung up the phone.
The academic front was once again stable.
Everything was arranged properly.
In the evening, Tatsuya returned to the rented villa in the suburbs.
The setting sun cast his shadow long.
He entered the basement and locked the door.
In the basement, the air seemed to condense.
Tatsuya sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his consciousness sinking into his body.
In his meridians, the energy of Thunder Breathing flowed ceaselessly like a surging river, already a natural instinct.
In a deeper layer, the wisps of azure Chakra streams were even more solidified, quietly Spring Thunder, waiting for the moment of eruption.
His mind stirred slightly.
Sizzle—!
A piercing electrical roar suddenly exploded, breaking the dead silence of the basement.
Tatsuya's entire body was instantly enveloped by a dazzling layer of blue electric light. It was no longer the thin, flickering membrane from before, but a solid, heavy, true armor woven from pure lightning!
The electric light swirled, emitting a heart-pounding hum, illuminating his stern profile and intensely focused eyes.
A powerful sense of strength filled every inch of his muscles, every cell screaming with excitement under the stimulation of the electricity.
Speed, defense, and power were all elevated to a new height.
Two minutes and seventeen seconds.
This was his current maximum duration for fully maintaining the Lightning Release Armor.
It was several times longer than a few days ago, and its intensity was incomparable.
With another thought, the Lightning Release Armor suddenly dissipated, leaving only a faint smell of ozone in the air and a lingering tingling sensation beneath his skin.
"It's enough."
He opened his eyes and muttered to himself.
His gaze swept over his personal space.
In the corner were neatly stacked and pre-packaged large quantities of medicine.
Beside them were a separately placed medical cooler and a thick stack of cutting-edge medical documents.
On the other side were antique coins, handicrafts, backup supplies, and the dormant nichirin blade, "Spring Thunder".
Nothing could go wrong.
After the final check, he took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and adjusted his state to its peak.
He took off his modern clothes and changed into a set of dark gray, narrow-sleeved cloth attire, covered by a haori for ease of movement.
Having done all this, he sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Thunder Breathing slowly circulated, driving the hot energy flow within his body in a stable cycle.
The nascent Chakra also surged and lay dormant, like an undercurrent.
Multiverse Physique subtly adjusted his physical state, gradually elevating his functions to their optimal level.
The cold prompt sounded in his mind: "[Time remaining until forced traversal: 10 seconds]".
Tatsuya took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and his eyes became sharp and focused.
His concerns in the real world were temporarily settled; next was the battlefield of another world.
[3... 2... 1...]
The familiar sensation washed over him the moment the countdown reached zero.
His body once again became light and blurry, transforming into countless tiny points of light, like fireflies scattered by the wind, completely disappearing from the empty basement.