"Susannah, my dear daughter!" The middle-aged man, carrying the faint scent of alcohol, said happily, "Quick, come over and let Dad see, have you gotten fatter again?"
"I haven't gotten fat!!" Susannah immediately got angry. "I exercise properly every day! My weight has only increased by one kilogram over the past year! B-But I'll definitely slim back down!"
"Slim back down? You're still growing, how can you slim back down!" After speaking, Susannah's father gave his daughter a big hug, then said, "Ah, Susannah, regarding your Seventh Mother, could you help me talk to your mom? She doesn't seem to approve of this marriage much. One hundred tries to marry one, Dad really is a bit..."
Seventh Mother? He's already marrying the seventh one? Good kidneys.
Listening, Jun An instantly understood why Susannah was the one set to inherit the family business. Judging by the tone, although Susannah's father had several wives, the status was likely one husband, one primary wife, and multiple concubines. And Susannah's mother seemed to hold the position of the primary wife, making Susannah the eldest legitimate daughter, right? Not only that, but it seemed Susannah's mother held a significant position within the family business.
"You found another one!!" Susannah also frowned instantly. She already had seven mothers! Each one younger than the last!
"Shh! Shh!!" Susannah's father quickly silenced Susannah. "Isn't it because Earth is rebuilding, productivity is insufficient, leading many men unable to marry and have children? And as wealthy people, aren't we proactively taking responsibility for creating labor, contributing to rebuilding human civilization, and providing a place for these poor ladies to live!"
"—Your Dad is doing a good deed here!"
"..." Susannah's head seemed unable to process so much at once, feeling a bit confused. However, this seemed to mislead her father somewhat.
He quickly said, "My good daughter! I promise, this one is true love!"
"Mmm..." Susannah pondered seriously for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, if it's true love."
Ah, she didn't actually believe that, did she? Jun An lamented Susannah's gullibility, but thinking he was hardly any better, decided not to say much more. Besides, the man's situation was reasonable and legal. He even had his own set of twisted logic.
[Very similar to Host.]
—It's different.
[How is it different?]
—Mine is true love!
[...]
"But—" Susannah continued, "Dad, you're also not allowed to set me up for matchmaking anymore! I've already found a boyfriend! The best boyfriend in the world!"
"Boyfriend? Wait, you really found one?!" Susannah's father's expression gained a touch of paternal seriousness. "Who is that brat?"
"He's not some brat! I won't allow you to talk about Senpai like that!" How could Susannah tolerate someone speaking ill of Senpai? This was the idol "brother" she pursued! Anyone who slandered brother was her enemy!
"Susannah, you're still young. There are many things you don't understand." Susannah's father spoke earnestly, like an elder trying to persuade. "Leave the matter of your marriage partner to Dad. Dad has met many people and can definitely pick a good one for you!"
Susannah, however, stated firmly, "There is no man better than Senpai in the world!"
Susannah's father said helplessly, "Many girls think that way when they're in love. But I'm not in a hurry to refute you. At least let me meet him first, right? Let me take a look, I'll vet him for you."
"Um... Uncle." Seeing himself mentioned, Jun An spoke up appropriately. "I am Susannah's boyfriend."
"You?" Susannah's father sized Jun An up, then stared intently, feeling like he had seen him somewhere before, the voice also very familiar. Although he felt the familiarity, it was impossible for Susannah's father to connect resurrection and age regression with an ordinary human, so he only regarded Jun An as a normal little boy.
After pondering for a moment, Susannah's father spoke in the earnest tone of an old father, "Ah, Susannah, although I don't think lying is necessarily a bad thing, next time find someone a bit older to act with you." His expression, worried about his daughter's intelligence, hurt Susannah slightly.
"Acting?!" Susannah instantly panicked. "We're not acting!"
"If he's your boyfriend... you're breaking the law. Even the age of consent laws here can't be lower than fourteen." Susannah's father explained helplessly. "Or perhaps you just like little boys? Just like your parents, I suppose."
Jun An: ????
"That's not it!" Susannah hurriedly said, "It's just that the person I like happens to be a little boy right now!"
Jun An felt Susannah was digging herself deeper and could only helplessly take out his ID card. After looking at Jun An's ID card, he instantly understood that Jun An was indeed an adult.
"Dwarfism?" Susannah's father looked at Jun An, astonished. So small, didn't look like an adult at all. Clearly, he still hadn't recognized Jun An, making Jun An embarrassed to play the pig eating the tiger so soon.
"No, more like side effects from human experimentation. Age regression? Should grow back after a while." Jun An said, "Schicksal job, iron rice bowl."
Susannah's father continued sternly, "Just because you have an iron rice bowl, you think you can marry my daughter? How much savings? Got a car? Got a house?" Thinking about it, Jun An was in his early twenties, probably not a high-ranking official. Plus working at Schicksal and human experimentation... sounded unsafe.
"Then what do your parents do?"
"My biological parents died in the Second Eruption." Jun An answered honestly. "Later adopted by my foster mother. Just inheriting the mother's business, that's all." He was referring to the Hyperion and the Great Eruption.
"Then what about assets? Got a car? Got a house?" Susannah's father eyed Jun An scrutinizingly. "Young man, my requirements aren't high. As long as you have these two things, I'll agree." Susannah's father wasn't some inflexible person. Wasn't the point of earning so much money so his daughter could spend it without worry? As long as the person Susannah found wasn't someone with ulterior motives or recklessly extravagant, it was fine. As for why he required a car and house, it was mainly to probe Jun An's position. After all, working at Schicksal, the background check should be fine.
Susannah's father had already made his calculations. Early twenties, working at Schicksal. If his position was average, he could probably only afford either a car or a house, which meant the person had potential. If he had both, it meant he had some ability or connections, a talented individual worth investing in. If he not only had both but had a lot more, then direct pass, nothing more to say, because Bishop Theresa had just recently begun the great purge within Schicksal over the past year.
Jun An immediately fell into deep thought.
"Hiss~ I don't seem to have either of those things." Jun An rarely went out, and when he did, he took taxis. Although he had a driver's license, Jun An's assessment was that he was worse than Sirin. As for a house, let alone owning one, Jun An not only lived in Himeko's place, but his room didn't even have his own bed yet.
"Don't have them?!" Susannah's father was instantly thrown off. "Schicksal's benefits are so good, working for just a year or two, you should be able to afford one of the two, right? Even with a loan?"
"Nope." Jun An still shook his head.
"Then savings? You must have savings, right?" Susannah's father was practically ready to marry Susannah off to Jun An directly! As long as Jun An had savings like a normal person should, Susannah's father planned to marry his daughter off. After all, he was counting on Susannah to put in a good word for him with her mother. As long as he saved his money, it at least showed the person had decent financial management skills and wouldn't squander the family fortune.
—So give me a reason to marry off my daughter already!!
"Er... This probably counts as none too."
"None?" Susannah's father instantly became unhappy. If you were anything like a normal person, I could entrust my daughter to you, but you don't even have this?!
"Don't be like that!!" Susannah's father immediately panicked. "If you even had fifty cents, I'd marry her off to you!! You can't possibly not even have fifty cents, right?!" If Susannah wasn't satisfied, how could he marry his seventh wife?!
"Dad!!!" Susannah instantly felt like some cheap commodity.
Susannah's father even fumbled in his pockets, but unfortunately, this was a banquet, and he couldn't find fifty cents to lend Jun An.
"Little brother, got a phone? We can just go through the motions with this too. I'll give you two or three small targets, you just treat it as the betrothal gift, just a gesture."
"Er, phone broke two days ago."
"No! No car, no house, and no phone?! H-How dare you approach my Susannah?! Couldn't you even trick her out of fifty cents?!" Susannah's father seemed genuinely panicked. Jun An could tell, perhaps Susannah's father truly loved that Seventh Mother.
"Er, I haven't sunk to being a kept man quite like that. Besides, the reason I have no money is actually related to Susannah." Jun An took out the bank card he had prepared earlier. Although his heart ached terribly, in front of Susannah's father, Jun An managed to hold back tears and pushed the bank card towards Susannah.
"I've saved up the three hundred million yen. It's all yours now. Password is six zeros." This way, the money he had borrowed from Susannah back then was considered repaid. As for why he only took it out now, it was simply because Jun An had forgotten. Since Susannah's father happened to mention it, he might as well pay it back now. Better to settle it early to avoid being looked down upon by the Valkyries back home, saying Jun An even scammed money from a child.
However, Susannah misinterpreted it. Senpai is from Shenzhou. Could this be the legendary betrothal gift!!!
"Senpai, a-are you serious?" Susannah wished she could slap her own face to calm down. Although this was just acting, what if it was real? Didn't it happen often in novels! Acting, acting, and then it becomes real!
"Of course I'm serious! I said how much, that's how much. Would I go back on my word?" Honestly, Jun An really wanted to go back on his word for a bit, but Herrscher of Sentience knew about this, so modifying memories wouldn't work. Pain, it really hurt too much!
"Senpai, if this is Senpai's intention, I am willing..."
"Wait a minute! You say three hundred million, just like that! Kid, do you know what three hundred million means?" Susannah's father immediately frowned. It was too much. If it were three million yen, he could marry his daughter off, but this was three hundred million! Although it wasn't considered a huge sum to him or even Susannah – even a slightly larger gem-encrusted wine glass in his house could be worth that much – being rich didn't mean he was detached from the common folk. As a wealthy man, he understood this wasn't money a twenty-something low-level Schicksal employee could earn in two years!
"Susannah, hand it over first. I'll have someone check if this card really has that much, then investigate if the source of these funds is legitimate." Susannah's father held out his hand. "If it's legitimate, Dad will build another hotel just like this one for you two to get married!" If Jun An truly had the means, Susannah's father didn't mind handing his daughter over. If the money's origin was dubious or deceptive, then he had to use some means to protect his daughter.
Jun An merely shrugged at this, indicating welcome to verify.
"No!" Susannah refused. What if the Captain was just acting? Besides, no matter how much was in there, this was the betrothal gift for her! Even if it was empty, she would still marry him!
"Excuse me, three of you. Although I didn't mean to eavesdrop, would it be convenient for me to say a few words?" Just as Susannah and her father were arguing, the long-missing Misteln made her entrance.