"Do you want Kenshin to be your dad?" Keiko asked tenderly, hugging her girl from the other side.
"YES! I do!" Karin declared confidently, trembling with joyful excitement. Overwhelmed by happiness, she couldn't sit still and jumped off his lap, squealing with emotion.
"That's wonderful, my little bun!" Keiko exclaimed joyfully, spinning around with her daughter who had leaped into her arms.
Kenshin tenderly embraced them both and kissed Keiko on the lips, stroking Karin's head.
"Sweeties, I need to tell you something." He whispered softly, causing Keiko and Karin to instantly focus on his words.
"I can make Karin my daughter in the fullest sense... She'll get all the benefits from my ability and in the future become a truly powerful Kunoichi. However, along with that, she'll get my genes and can never leave our family." He stated in a serious tone, catching every detail of their reactions.
Keiko was first greatly surprised, then her eyes widened in shock, and her lips spread into a joyful smile. Karin, in turn, only understood that she'd become Kenshin's "special" daughter and grow into a strong Kunoichi, so with shining eyes, she begged her mother for permission.
"Th-this is wonderful! Little bun, do you really want this?" she asked softly, leaning toward her beloved daughter.
Karin was a bit confused and glanced from her mother to Kenshin, then smiled and nodded confidently. Right after, an amazing contextual menu appeared before her eyes with a question.
[Do you wish to become the daughter of the Patriarch named Nakayama Kenshin?]
The young red-haired girl chose [YES] without a moment's hesitation and instantly lost consciousness.
"Wh-what's happening?!" Keiko exclaimed in shock, trying to touch her levitating daughter enveloped in blinding radiance.
"Everything's fine." Kenshin replied confidently, pulling the anxious mother to him.
Makoto was terribly scared for her friend and instinctively rushed into Kenshin's arms. He, in turn, gently embraced both women and waited for the ritual to end. His displayed composure was just a mask to calm the women; he was barely holding onto his own calm.
It all lasted no more than a minute, after which the glow faded, Karin slowly descended to her feet, and looked around in surprise. All her clothes had completely vanished, and her body had undergone massive changes. The excessive thinness was gone, her skin even softer, and her body filled with incredibly developed but not bulky muscles.
However, what everyone noticed immediately was her slightly changed face. Though she had always been an incredibly cute girl, the new look left Keiko and Kenshin stunned. Her eyes retained their crimson color, but her lips, nose, eyebrows, and even dimples on her cheeks left no doubt that the girl before them would grow into one of the most enchanting beauties in this world.
Moreover, Karin's formerly unruly short hair gained a truly mesmerizing shine, far brighter than her mother's, and lengthened incredibly, cascading down her entire back and covering her bare bottom.
As soon as she saw Kenshin, Karin's little heart skipped a beat, and her eyes lit up with indescribable love. In one motion, she jumped into his arms and pressed her head to his chest.
"Father!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice, feeling incredible love.
"My girl!" Kenshin exclaimed no less joyfully, feeling the same toward her.
"Mom! I'm so happy..." Karin said, climbing out of her father's arms and hugging her beloved mom.
"I'm so happy too, my little bun..." Keiko said with tears in her eyes, feeling as if new life had been breathed into her often-sick daughter. She clearly sensed great strength in the little girl's childish muscles and couldn't ignore the magnificent health of the small child.
Everyone was so moved by what happened that at first, no one paid attention to her nudity. If this had occurred earlier, Kenshin couldn't have shaken off the awkwardness. But now, he saw in this little girl only his affectionate daughter and paid no attention to her naked form. Still, he couldn't help removing his black shirt and wrapping it around the little girl's slender waist.
Karin just watched Kenshin's actions with interest, and after her nudity was covered, she climbed onto her mother's lap, who was bewildered by what had happened. Keiko, in turn, was insanely curious to explore all the changes in her daughter and began questioning her about everything.
Kenshin was no less interested in learning exactly what had changed in the little, joyful girl, and he couldn't help sighing with relief when he learned that no aspect of her personality—beyond immense love for him—had been touched.
After a short questioning, it turned out that Karin felt as if she'd been with Kenshin since birth and loved him no less than her mother. His silhouette appeared in most fragmented memories of her past, surprising even Karin herself, as she understood it hadn't actually happened.
However, her understanding didn't hinder her mind from realizing that Kenshin was her father since birth. For the first few minutes, she felt a slight dissonance, but soon the two conflicting facts merged into a stable, harmonious symbiosis.
Kenshin, Keiko, and Karin immersed themselves so deeply in family idyll that they completely forgot about time. While mom and dad were busy talking, Karin often got distracted playing with her best friend and the big, always-fleeing cat.
Red perceived the transformation of this pesky girl with mild surprise and found she could hardly escape her now. Along with the change, Karin gained unprecedented strength and grace; her rapidly deteriorating vision over the past few years not only recovered but became far superior, allowing Karin to take the lead in catching the dangerous, hissing beast.
The only safe spot for Red was the area near Kenshin. Even the girls absorbed in the chase stopped when the big cat reached her master's feet and whined pitifully.
"R-really, even the little one...?" Kasumi asked in surprise upon entering the dining hall, instantly sensing kinship with Karin.
"Don't talk nonsense..." Kenshin deflected and added: "She's my daughter."
"WHAT?!" Kasumi and Hitomi, who entered after her, exclaimed in shock.