Chapter 16: The Effect of the Puppet Heart
"Shogun, what are you doing?" Liam asked, surprised as the Raiden Shogun pointed the camera at him.
"Didn't you say we could capture moments we like?" The Raiden Shogun's face remained expressionless.
Then, she took out a tripod, set it up, and pulled Liam over to stand under the cherry blossom tree, as if she wanted to take a photo with him. Liam didn't resist and let her lead him.
Just when Liam thought it would be a simple photo, the Raiden Shogun suddenly pulled him closer. Even though Liam was prepared, he couldn't resist her unexpected move. The next moment, he felt a warm sensation on his lips. Staring at her almost perfect face, his mind went blank.
Before Liam could fully comprehend what had happened, the Raiden Shogun released him and quickly walked over to the camera. Two identical photos had already emerged from the camera.
The Raiden Shogun looked at the photos, showing the two of them kissing under the cherry blossoms. Although her face remained unchanged, there was an indescribable expression in her eyes.
She put one photo away and handed the other to Liam.
Liam, still in shock, stared at the Raiden Shogun. Although both Ei and Makoto had kissed him before, it had always been on the cheek. The Shogun had just taken his first kiss, and it was completely unexpected.
"Shogun, what was that about?" Liam asked, still bewildered.
"Ei and Makoto have both done it, so I wanted to as well. They kissed your cheeks, so I wanted the middle," the Raiden Shogun replied flatly, as if she hadn't just kissed him.
Hearing her explanation, Liam was speechless. Was the Raiden Shogun really that clueless, or was she pretending to be? He couldn't tell.
"Do you understand what that action means?" Liam asked, exasperated.
"Do you not like it?" the Raiden Shogun asked in return.
Liam: "..."
Saying he didn't like it would be a lie. After all, the Raiden Shogun was an incredibly attractive and cool beauty. But admitting he liked it felt wrong too. When did the Shogun learn this? What happened to the previously awkward and clueless Shogun?
"Um, let's go somewhere else," Liam said, wisely changing the subject.
"Alright," the Raiden Shogun nodded lightly, not pursuing the matter further.
Liam took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Although the Raiden Shogun's actions had caught him off guard, he realized he wasn't really at a disadvantage. Taking her hand, he led her to their next destination.
After walking for a while, they reached a place near Uyuu Restaurant. Liam pushed the door open and entered with the Shogun.
With the Raiden Shogun's appearance, all eyes in the restaurant turned towards them.
"Shogun-sama!?"
"It's the Shogun!"
"The Shogun has come to Uyuu Restaurant!"
The place buzzed with whispers. The customers looked at the Raiden Shogun with a mix of reverence and awe.
Okazaki Rikuto quickly approached them, nervous. "What brings the Shogun to our humble establishment?"
Liam chuckled, seeing Okazaki's nervousness. "Relax, Okazaki-san. The Shogun is just here for a walk. I'm the one who wants to buy something. I'd like four servings of three-colored dango and one serving of fried tofu."
One for Ei, one for Makoto, one for the Shogun, and one for himself. He figured Yae Miko might still be around, so the fried tofu was for her. If she wasn't, he'd eat it himself.
"Right away, Liam-sama!" Okazaki hurried to fulfill the order, not questioning why Liam needed so many dango. With the Shogun present, he worked quickly, soon handing Liam the packed items.
Despite Okazaki's initial refusal to take payment, the Shogun's order made him accept it. Liam hadn't expected to encounter a situation where he had to force someone to take money.
Liam handed one set of dango to the Shogun to take to Ei in the Plane of Euthymia and gave another to her, keeping one for himself as they continued their walk.
As they walked, Liam noticed many people in the streets. He politely declined the Shogun's attempt to feed him, and also refused to feed her. Despite her unchanged expression, he sensed she was a bit disappointed.
Liam couldn't help but wonder when the Shogun had started acting this way.
They soon reached Ichika's small stall.
"Yo, Ichika! I'm back!" Liam greeted.
"Liam-san, you're here?" Ichika turned and saw the Raiden Shogun beside him.
"Sh-Shogun-sama!?"
As a simple vendor, Ichika had never been this close to the Raiden Shogun before.
"Hehe, didn't I tell you that the Shogun also likes dango milk? I brought her here since we were out for a walk. Surprised?" Liam laughed.
Ichika was certainly surprised, if not exactly delighted.
"I thought you were joking, Liam-san!" Ichika said, a bit embarrassed.
"Haha! Who would joke about something like that? Five dango milk, please!" Liam ordered with a grin.
"Right away!" With the Shogun present, Ichika worked diligently, soon handing Liam five dango milks.
Liam gave two to the Shogun, telling her to take one to Ei, and took a sip himself.
"Not bad, but Ichika, I have a suggestion. Your dango milk is great, but having only one flavor might get monotonous. Try experimenting with new flavors, maybe add some fruit," Liam suggested, hoping Ichika could innovate.
Ichika thought deeply for a moment before replying, "You're right, Liam-sama. I'll work on developing new flavors!"
Satisfied, Liam nodded and left the stall with the Shogun. They had explored enough for the day.
...
[Ding~! Congratulations, Master, on completing the task. The task reward has been distributed!]
As Liam returned to the Tenshukaku with the Shogun, the system's voice echoed in his mind. Liam immediately took out the reward, the [Puppet Heart], discovering it looked more like a golden-glowing exotic fruit.
"Does Old Mi's game have such a thing?" Liam was somewhat stunned as he looked at the [Puppet Heart] in his hand. Apart from "Tears of Themis," he had dabbled in almost all of MiHoYo's games, including the beta test of the yet-to-be-released Project: Zero. Yet, he had no recollection of this item.
[Ding~! Please do not doubt the system's capabilities! The system's original items are beyond the master's imagination!]
Liam: "..."
Alright, it seems I've underestimated you! The system is indeed powerful! He then asked about some precautions regarding the [Puppet Heart] and handed it to Raiden Shogun.
"What is this?" Raiden Shogun asked, puzzled, as she examined the golden-glowing fruit-like item Liam handed to her.
"This is called the [Puppet Heart]. It can enhance your puppet body and transform it into a real body within about half a month. Just eat it!" Liam explained to Raiden Shogun. Without hesitation, Raiden Shogun took a bite of the fruit. In an instant, a golden light enveloped her, and wisps of white vapor emanated from her body.
The transformation didn't last long. Raiden Shogun reopened her eyes, with her appearance unchanged, but her eyes shone more brightly.
"Thank you!" Raiden Shogun's voice was as cold as ever.
"It's nothing, really. It wouldn't have been useful to me anyway. But how do you feel?" Liam waved his hand nonchalantly and then asked about the Shogun's condition.
Hearing this, Raiden Shogun clenched her fist and replied, "Very good. All my bodily functions have nearly doubled, and the enhancement is still ongoing. If this continues at the same pace, in fifteen days, I should reach three times my original strength. My body is indeed transforming into a real one, as you said."
"Phew—looks like it works well! I can relax now," Liam sighed in relief. Although he knew the effects of the [Puppet Heart] from the system, he was still concerned since it was for the Shogun. Fortunately, the effects were excellent.
Just as Liam was feeling relieved, lightning suddenly flickered around Raiden Shogun, and arcs of purple electricity danced wildly. The sky over Inazuma suddenly darkened, with thunderclouds rolling in. Electro energy became extremely violent.
The low rumble of thunder echoed across Inazuma, and the air grew thick with a menacing aura. The entire populace of Inazuma assumed that Raiden Shogun was angry and about to mete out divine punishment. They fell to their knees, praying fervently.
"What's going on, Shogun? Is something wrong?" Liam asked worriedly as he watched the lightning around Raiden Shogun. Had he been tricked by the system again?
"It's nothing. It's just that my power increased too much at once, and I lost control for a moment," Raiden Shogun explained. As if to confirm her words, the lightning around her dissipated, and the sky returned to its usual calm.
"Phew—good, as long as there's no problem. You nearly scared me to death!" Liam exhaled deeply. Noticing that Raiden Shogun had fallen silent again, he asked, "What's wrong now?"
Raiden Shogun's eyes flashed with purple light, and she looked up at Liam. "Liam, what did you give the Shogun? Why has her body and power increased so much?"
This felt like Ei talking.
"I gave the Shogun something called the [Puppet Heart]. It can give a regular puppet intelligence and a soul, and transform its body. But since the General already had a complete consciousness, most of the power went into enhancing her body. How do you feel, Ei?"
Liam asked, looking at Ei.
"Since the Shogun and I are one, I feel the same as she does," Ei replied with a smile. Then she looked at Liam with a peculiar expression in her eyes.
"Thank you, Liam! First, you helped eliminate my erosion, then you revived my sister, and now you've made me so much stronger. In such a short time, I owe you so much!" Raiden Ei placed her hands on her chest and looked sincerely at Liam. What Liam had done seemed nearly impossible to her, but he had managed it all. To her, Liam had become one of the most important people in her life.
"Heh, these were just minor tasks. Besides, I already got my rewards. There's no need to talk about owing anything," Liam replied. This was truly his thought. He hadn't done anything significant, just handed out some quest rewards he earned, mostly from tasks involving them.
Clearly, the three had already developed a strong fondness for him. Given that they had already kissed him voluntarily, he had certainly profited greatly!
Liam continued chatting with Ei as they walked to another room. Upon entering, they saw a gentle-looking Raiden Makoto and a relaxed Yae Miko lying on her lap. As expected, the sly fox hadn't left yet.
Seeing them enter, Makoto smiled and asked, "You're back? What happened outside just now?"
Liam placed some Dango and Inari sushi on the low table in front of Makoto and replied, "It wasn't much..." He then briefly explained what had happened outside. Makoto, grasping the key points, asked, "So, in half a month, Ei and the General will have a real body?"
Liam nodded. Seeing this, even Yae Miko gave him a few more curious glances, her eyes filled with intrigue.
"Oh my, I'm becoming more and more curious about you! You really are full of surprises!" Yae Miko then turned her attention to Ei.
"Oh my, who is this? Isn't it my dear Almighty Shogun? How did you manage to leave your shell? I thought you'd never come to see me again. I was secretly heartbroken!"
The sly fox's words immediately raised Ei's blood pressure, but she clearly wasn't planning to let her off easily.
"Oh my, I remember Liam was on a date with the Shogun. How come it's you and Liam coming back together? Could it be that someone was jealous and kicked the Shogun out?"
"Alright, Miko, stop provoking Ei. She really might cut you down!" Makoto intervened, helplessly. She understood that Miko was venting her dissatisfaction with Ei.
"Oh my, I'm so scared! Makoto, you see how fierce Ei looks. You must protect me!" The sly fox burrowed into Makoto's arms and threw a challenging glance at Ei, almost pushing Ei to the brink of a rampage.
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
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