After Zhou Tianming left, Ogsha relaxed completely on the living room sofa.
She leaned back comfortably, letting out a long sigh as the soft backrest slightly indented behind her.
Lacus came over and sat beside her, holding her hand. "Mom."
Ogsha smiled and patted Lacus' head. "It's alright now. We can feel at ease here."
Lacus looked worried. "What about Dad..."
"Uncle Patrick is with him. He'll protect your father well."
Lacus nodded.
"How do you feel?"
Lacus shook her head. "I can't sense any emotions from him."
Looking surprised, Ogsha fell into thought and murmured to herself, "Could it be because he's an Ultimate Coordinator?"
Lacus didn't catch what she said and looked over curiously, but Ogsha just smiled without explaining.
After chatting for a while, the mother and daughter felt somewhat tired and went to rest in the room for over an hour.
When they woke up, they felt much more refreshed and had White Rabbit bring them some tea.
Lacus watched the fluffy White Rabbit plushie, her fingers twitching slightly as her gaze followed it moving around until the door closed behind it. Ogsha covered her mouth and chuckled at the sight.
Sitting on the sofa, the mother and daughter chatted and laughed together.
Unconsciously, the topic shifted to Zhou Tianming.
"Mom." Lacus clenched her hand slightly and sat up straight. "Can't we ask Tianming to help Dad? He's so capable." Ogsha remained silent for a moment, picking up her cup to take a sip of black tea before setting it down with a soft clink against the coffee table. "That might have been possible before that incident, but now... we've actually grown quite distant."
"That incident?"
"It happened when you were just born. The S2 Flu was very severe that year." Ogsha looked into the distance with a reminiscent expression. "Tianming came to ask for the vaccine formula to save his mother, but..."
She sighed. "Your father meant well, but who would have thought the Holy Order had tampered with the formula."
"Then... Tianming's mother..."
"That's why I say Zhou Tianming is truly a genius. He managed to deduce the vaccine formula entirely through his own intellect."
"But your father felt so ashamed about it, and Tianming likely holds some resentment toward us, so we lost contact."
Lacus looked disappointed.
"This time, it was Tianming's mother who contacted me hoping for my help. Since it happened at this critical moment, I brought you along to ease the pressure on your father."
"Strictly speaking, we're actually taking advantage of him."
Ogsha also seemed somewhat embarrassed, quickly drinking several sips of black tea to hide it.
Hearing this, Lacus immediately felt ashamed, blushing and lowering her head.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the room.
Ogsha stood up to answer the door, and the moment she saw Ray, her whole body jolted and her eyes widened in shock.
Ray tilted his head curiously. "Big Brother asked me to bring you ladies to the dining hall."
"Oh, right." Ogsha, snapping back to reality, kept studying Ray.
Lacus approached and bowed politely. "Thank you. I'm Lacus Clyne."
"Hello, I'm Ray Za Barril."
"Huh?"
Seeing Lacus's expression, Ray understood her confusion and explained, "Tian Ming and I aren't biological brothers. Mother Han Xiang adopted me." "Ah, my apologies."
"No problem." A happy smile spread across Ray's face. "I'm really glad to be part of their family."
Turning to lead the way, he said, "Come on, I'll take you to the dining hall. It's almost noon—you must be hungry."
"Thank you, Ray."
Lacus expressed her gratitude and, noticing Ogsha still standing dazed, took her hand to guide her along.
Upon entering the dining hall, they found Zhou Tianming cooking.
Conventionally, open flames weren't allowed inside cosmic vessels, but this was his ship, customized to his preferences.
Zhou Tianming activated a Satellite Stove on high heat, stir-frying vigorously.
The air filled with the savory aroma of cooking.
Ogsha and Lacus immediately felt their mouths water and stomachs rumble upon entering.
Ray handed them a handwritten menu. "Big Brother can make any dish listed here. You could order stewed items first to enjoy by evening." Ogsha flipped through the menu, overwhelmed by the options.
Lacus glanced at the menu, then at Ogsha.
Ogsha flushed bright red. "It's not that Mom can't cook—she's just... not particularly skilled at it."
From across the room, Zhou Tianming, with his sharp hearing, snorted in amusement.
Ogsha fumed. "Zhou Tianming!"
After sharing a warm lunch, the group felt more at ease, the initial awkwardness fading.
Leaving Ray to show Lacus around, Zhou Tianming and Ogsha headed to the study.
Two White Rabbits used their long ears to carry iron trays with tea, served them, and departed. The two sat down.
"Sister Ogsha, did Mother seek you out because of my condition?"
Mentioning Ogsha inevitably brought her daughter, the Coordinator Lacus, to mind—implying Zhou Hanxiang's sole reason for contacting her.
"Correct." Ogsha nodded, sighing as she looked at Zhou Tianming. "I never imagined you'd face such physical issues. Fate can be cruel." "I didn't expect it either," Zhou Tianming sighed. "Thank you for being willing to help, Sister Ogsha."
"I haven't touched this field of research in over a decade," Ogsha said with a troubled expression. "I'll do my best, but some experiments can't yield conclusions through theory alone..."
Zhou Tianming understood, clenched his hand slightly, and shook his head. "There's still time. Let's not resort to that."
"Silly child."
"Yeah, I think I'm pretty foolish too," Zhou Tianming chuckled. "But... being a little foolish gives me peace of mind."
Shaking her head repeatedly, Ogsha changed the subject. "That child, Ray..."
Surprised, Zhou Tianming asked, "You know about him?"
"Aula once mocked Hibiki for being short on funds, so we're aware of the cloning situation."
Zhou Tianming sighed. "Hard to say if you all have a good or bad relationship..."
"I can't do anything about lifespan, but I can address the aging and degradation. At least this child can live happily for several decades."
"Really..." Ogsha looked astonished, deeply moved. "You always manage to do the unexpected."
After her emotional moment, Ogsha straightened up with a serious expression and bowed deeply. "Tian Ming, I want to ask you to protect Lacus. Siegel can't take care of himself right now, but at least we must ensure Lacus's safety."
Looking at Ogsha and recalling Lacus's actions from the original work—though imperfect, she had given her all—Zhou Tianming felt such a person deserved protection. Sitting upright, he accepted Ogsha's solemn request. "I will protect her."
Rising to her feet, Ogsha's eyes shone with gratitude. "Thank you for letting bygones be bygones. I also want to apologize on Siegel's behalf for what happened back then."
"?" Zhou Tianming looked puzzled. "What happened back then?"
"Huh?" Ogsha was equally confused. "It's about the Vaccine."
"What? Why would Uncle Siegel apologize for that? Shouldn't I be the one apologizing?"
They stared blankly at each other, both sensing something was amiss.
After laying everything out, they exchanged bewildered glances.
Then they both burst into laughter.
Ogsha covered her mouth with a light chuckle. "You two are something else. To think you didn't contact each other for over a decade because of a misunderstanding."
"No one told me," Zhou Tianming said, both amused and exasperated. "At the time, I thought it was my fault that East Asia released the Vaccine first, not only disrupting PLANT's plans but also making Uncle Siegel look dishonorable. I was too ashamed to contact him."
"Siegel felt guilty because he thought the flawed formula he provided nearly killed your mother. He believed you held a grudge against him, which was why you never reached out. But it turns out..."
Ogsha couldn't stop laughing. "This is hilarious. You two are such fools."
Zhou Tianming hadn't expected things to unfold this way either. As he pondered it, he too began to laugh.