Another hour passed, and Qiqi finally finished reading the manga.
"The manga... was very good."
After closing Doraemon, Qiqi was still savoring the experience.
There were many things she didn't fully understand, but she greatly envied the boy named Nobita.
Even though he was constantly bullied, he always had Doraemon by his side.
And Doraemon would always take out all sorts of magical gadgets to help him.
"Qiqi... also wants... someone to stay with her all the time."
A trace of longing appeared on her face.
"Someone to stay with you? This Director can do that!"
A voice like that of a mischievous little devil suddenly sounded beside her.
It startled Qiqi.
"Y-You... don't suddenly appear like that."
Seeing Hu Tao standing there, Qiqi instinctively scooted backward.
Although Han Feng had already told her that Hu Tao could be trusted, the fear she had carried for so long still made her nervous.
"Don't worry. This Director won't drag you to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. How about I take you out to play later?"
Hu Tao said with a bright smile.
She already knew that Qiqi was terrified of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, so she no longer brought up those old matters.
Instead, she proposed taking her out for fun.
That would help improve their relationship.
Besides, when it came to having fun, nobody knew more than she did!
Whether in Liyue Harbor or out in the countryside, she knew all the best places.
"O-Okay."
This time, Qiqi didn't refuse.
After a long pause, she finally nodded.
The boss had said that this Director was a good person.
So she chose to trust the boss.
And give it a try.
After all, deep down, Qiqi didn't want to be lonely anymore.
She also wanted someone to play with.
"Great!"
Seeing Qiqi agree, Hu Tao jumped excitedly.
She had finally done it!
"Come on, let's go ask Boss Han for your reward."
Hu Tao smiled and extended her hand.
After hesitating for a moment, Qiqi slowly reached out and took it.
"Let's go!"
And so the pair, one big and one small, headed toward the counter.
"Boss Han, what reward did Qiqi get?"
Hu Tao leaned across the counter and asked.
She looked even more excited than Qiqi herself.
"Looks like the relationship between you two has improved quite a bit."
Han Feng said with a smile.
"Hehe, there's nothing this Director can't do! Later I'm taking Qiqi out to have some fun!"
Hu Tao grinned proudly.
Han Feng nodded.
He was more than happy to see such a scene.
Then he looked at the system panel.
The information had already refreshed.
[Customer Qiqi has finished reading Doraemon and obtained the reward — Momotaro Rice Ball.]
[Momotaro Rice Ball: Throw a rice ball, and any animal that eats it will immediately become completely tamed and obedient to the thrower. After repeated training, the animal will continue obeying even without further rice balls.]
[Note: The rice balls can also be eaten to satisfy hunger, but they have no effect on humans.]
"That's quite an interesting reward."
A hint of interest flashed through Han Feng's eyes.
Although it wasn't particularly powerful, it was a dream item for beast tamers.
There wasn't an animal that couldn't be tamed with a rice ball.
And if there was—then two rice balls would solve it.
As for being ineffective against humans, Han Feng thought that was perfectly reasonable.
Just imagining otherwise was terrifying.
A casually available item that could control people would definitely be prohibited.
Buzz—
A dazzling beam of light descended and enveloped Qiqi.
A moment later, the light faded.
A bag appeared in her hands.
Inside were numerous yellow rice balls.
"Qiqi... thinks she remembers this a little."
Qiqi examined the reward and scratched her head.
Although her memory had recovered enough that she no longer needed notes to read manga, recalling specific details from a story on demand was still difficult.
At most, she could vaguely remember certain things.
"This is called a Momotaro Rice Ball. If an animal eats one, it will become completely obedient to the person who threw it. However, it doesn't work on humans."
Han Feng patiently explained.
Seeing Qiqi still looking a bit confused, he simplified it further.
"In other words, if you want to tame an animal, feed it one of these rice balls and it will listen to you afterward."
"Qiqi... understands now."
A spark of excitement appeared in her eyes.
She had always wanted a pet.
But due to various circumstances, she had never been able to have one.
Now, with these rice balls, that problem was solved!
Hm.
She should catch a Cocogoat someday too.
That way she'd never run out of coconut milk again!
"Come on, Qiqi! I'll help you catch some pets! Slimes, little turtles—I'll get you one of everything!"
Hu Tao leaned in with a grin.
She didn't know that Qiqi specifically liked pets.
But she did know Qiqi often felt lonely.
If that was the case, then they could use these rice balls to catch animals for her.
That way, she'd always have companions around.
Besides, adventures like this would help deepen their friendship.
As expected, after hearing Hu Tao's suggestion, gratitude appeared on Qiqi's face.
"Thank you... you're a good person."
"Of course! This Director has always been a good person!"
Hu Tao proudly placed her hands on her hips.
"Qiqi likes little finches. You can pay special attention to those."
Han Feng added helpfully.
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
Hu Tao patted her chest confidently.
Little finches might be difficult to catch since they could fly, but she had her Power Kick Shoes!
She could simply turn them up to maximum power.
No bird would be escaping her grasp.
Then Qiqi could feed it a rice ball.
Simple and effective.
Thinking about it, Hu Tao became excited too.
"Qiqi, let's go right now!"
"Okay."
Qiqi nodded.
Then she looked toward Han Feng.
"Thank you, Boss. Qiqi will come again tomorrow."
"Mm, go have fun."
Han Feng smiled and gently patted her head.
—------------------------------
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