Chapter 742 42.JK
“Molly?”
Hearing the voice from outside the door, Fisher, who had been in a daze, instantly woke up. He hurriedly stood up, walked to the door, and grabbed the tightly closed sliding door, pulling it open.
“Whoosh~”
In an instant, the morning light from outside burst into Fisher’s arms, carrying the chill of winter and causing him to suck in a sharp breath, making him shiver uncomfortably in his thin clothing.
It was only when this reaction occurred that he realized he hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
Cold.
“Seriously, the weather is so cold right now, and Teacher Fisher is still dressed so lightly.”
But the shy voice of the girl in front of him immediately captured Fisher’s attention, which had been stuck on his own physical sensations. He was momentarily stunned, then looked up at the person in front of him.
What he saw beyond the wooden sliding door was a small courtyard paved with fine white pebbles. Standing outside the house was a soft-looking girl with black hair.
She had long black hair, a beautiful face, and a plump baby-like complexion with a touch of peach-like redness. Her big, dark eyes, like longan pits, flickered with shyness, seeming to melt away as they fell on Fisher, who was in disheveled pajamas at that moment.
This was undoubtedly Molly’s face.
However, the clothes she wore were…
Fisher’s incredulous gaze drifted down from her gray scarf at her neck and quickly spotted her impressive figure wrapped in some sort of synthetic fabric he didn’t recognize. Judging from the craftsmanship, it didn’t look handmade at all.
On her white student uniform, a black female tie hung perfectly. Thoughtfully, a pocket had been sewn onto her shirt, and Fisher noticed a name tag hanging from that pocket.
Because of the cold weather, she was also wearing a snug black wool coat over her shirt.
Her lower half featured a knee-length dark red skirt, with cotton black knee-high socks that accentuated the shape of her calves.
As Fisher’s stunned gaze swept across her, Molly’s body seemed to shrink a little, like a sensitive plant, as if she felt that almost tangible gaze, and she couldn’t help but raise her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
The characters on the name tag were written in the script of Tang Zeming Asuka’s hometown, which Fisher didn’t recognize at all. Confusion spread across his face as he muttered, “This… this outfit.”
He had never seen clothing in this style before, but unexpectedly found it quite beautiful, very fitting to her youthful aura.
No, what was he thinking? Was now really the time to consider her outfit?
The crucial point was, why was Molly wearing such clothes?
These clothes were very similar to what Tang Zeming Asuka was wearing when she first arrived, which meant that everything unfamiliar around him must be part of Tang Zeming Asuka’s original world?
“Clothes? What’s wrong with my clothes? Is there something wrong, Teacher Fisher? Strange, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with the uniform.”
Upon hearing this, Molly also examined her clothes from top to bottom, but found nothing amiss, making her expression even more puzzled.
Just then, while Fisher was still taking in the oddities of Molly’s outfit, especially the unfamiliar characters that he couldn’t recognize, those characters in his line of sight seemed to know he couldn’t read them, twisting and writhing like tadpoles.
Meanwhile, the previously unidentifiable text finally took on meaning.
“Year B Class 1”
“Molly”
This. Is a name tag.
“Alright, alright, let’s go eat breakfast! Mom has already prepared it and sent me to call Teacher Fisher! If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late!”
“Late? Late for what?”
Molly puffed out her cheeks and pushed Fisher back into his room without explaining anything, simply saying, “Hurry and change clothes!”
“…”
“Click!”
With the sliding door closing again, the cold wind was blocked out, but inside, Fisher felt slightly disordered.
Something was off.
Molly didn’t seem to realize there was a critical situation, and the environment of the Transmigration World around him filled Fisher with an extremely ominous premonition, just like a dream.
Right, Dream.
Everything here should have been created by the Crimson Mist.
But what about Renee? What about Hela?
What exactly was going on?
Fisher narrowed his eyes, filled with confusion, and out of the corner of his eye caught sight of the neatly folded clothes on the table. He picked them up and found they were not too different from the Nali style he had worn before.
No matter what, he should put on the clothes first and say something.
Fisher quickly changed into the clothes, and once the fleece vest and coat were on, he finally felt completely free from the cold, his stiff body thawing out and stretching completely.
It seemed even the rank had thoroughly transformed into that of a human?
However, in the Transmigration World, there were only humans and no subhumans. Tang Zeming Asuka had mentioned this before.
While Fisher was lost in thought, he pushed the door open again. Outside, Molly was facing away, looking at a wooden building in the distance, where the faint aroma of incense was wafting. Even the earlier “thud thud” sounds that had awakened him came from that direction.
Fisher looked at Molly’s back and soon noticed that the whale tail and long ears she had were both gone, her blue hair had turned black, and only when all her non-human features had disappeared and reverted to human did Fisher realize how much she resembled Tang Zeming Asuka, especially after donning this outfit.
“…”
“Ah, you’re ready, Teacher Fisher?”
Upon hearing the sound of the sliding door open behind her, Molly snapped back to reality, quickly turning around and smiling at Fisher, asking, “Are you comfortable living here? Does the sound of Dad chanting and striking the wooden fish in the morning bother you?”
“Wooden fish?”
Molly was momentarily taken aback, then covered her mouth and laughed, “Why does it seem like Teacher Fisher hasn’t fully woken up today? You look so… cute.”
The last word was said very quietly, making it hard to hear.
When Fisher’s inquisitive gaze chased after her, Molly quickly collected herself, bouncing on her feet as she turned in the direction of the wooden corridor.
While walking, she waved to Fisher behind her, loudly saying, “Come eat breakfast! I’ll go call Dad over too!”
Fisher opened his mouth, taking in the extremely unfamiliar surroundings again. He had no choice but to temporarily follow along, at least to figure out what was going on, and hopefully meet up with Renee first.
Only after following Molly onto the wooden corridor did Fisher get a clear view of the structure of this area. The surrounding walls were closed, and there were trees planted in the land outside the corridor. The buildings and the text above gave Fisher a distinctly religious feel.
The small courtyard where he had been living just now was already on the edge of this area, just a corner courtyard of sorts.
“Yo, Mr. Fisher!”
At that moment, an extremely familiar voice came, and Fisher’s pupils shrank. Before he could turn around to see, the familiar name slipped from his throat.
“Gouwen.”
But as soon as he turned his head, the calling in his throat got stuck like a fishbone.
He saw Molly and by her side, Gouwen, who also had long black hair, smiling as they walked over. However, Gouwen was no longer wearing the traditional aquatic clothing made from jellyfish materials, but rather a black robe.
Of course, Fisher didn’t recognize what kind of robe it was; he only thought it looked complicated and heavy, completely incompatible with Gouwen’s usual appearance.
He, like Molly, had also lost all characteristics of the Whale Folk.
“Namo Amitabha. How did you sleep last night?”
Gouwen smiled warmly, making a strange hand gesture toward Fisher while asking.
With Molly’s groundwork, Fisher adapted quickly this time. After a brief moment of daze, he replied, “Not bad.”
“Is that so? That’s good.”
“Not really! Teacher Fisher didn’t sleep well yesterday! This morning I got up feeling dizzy, I even stared at the clothes I was wearing for a long time.”
“Hahaha, that’s because Mr. Fisher likes you!”
“No! It’s because Teacher Fisher came all the way from abroad, and there’s a bit of… jet lag or something.”
The conversation between Molly and Gouwen seemed harmonious, looking like a natural father-daughter interaction, but Fisher felt that there was something very wrong.
First of all, Gouwen had been in the Spirit Realm earlier and rarely saw Molly, so even if they didn’t say anything, Fisher still felt they should have some awkwardness when they met. But now that barrier seemed to have dissolved completely, appearing just like a father who had accompanied his daughter from childhood.
Secondly…
How could Gouwen be so straightforward about the relationship between himself and Molly?!
He wouldn’t even cut himself with a knife, and yet he could jokingly banter with Molly like a doting father?
Shouldn’t he be storming to the kitchen to grab a knife and chase him around with a dark expression?
Something was definitely not right.
“Breakfast is ready, come quickly or you’ll be late, Molly! Did you hear me?!”
“Ah, I heard you, Mom! Coming now!”
Molly was still making excuses, but in the distance, Xu’s voice made her reply quickly. After that, she shot a glare at the smiling Gouwen, leading Fisher in the direction of Xu’s voice.
“Let’s go eat breakfast, Teacher Fisher! Dad still needs to pray, we should eat first and hurry to school, or we’ll miss the train.”
“Wait a moment, Molly, I might have slept late last night.”
As Fisher walked with Molly, he rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.
From the snippets of conversation, he seemed to catch some key pieces of information, allowing him to roughly infer his situation.
First of all, Molly’s outfit was like Tang Zeming Asuka’s; they both seemed to be school uniforms, and she seemed to still be at school. At the same time, she called him “Teacher Fisher” and wanted to take him to school with her, meaning he was likely teaching at the school she attended?
Furthermore, Molly had just mentioned he came from abroad and that he was experiencing some jet lag, so the current situation was likely that he had transformed into a teacher from overseas at Molly’s school?
While he pondered this, Molly led him to what seemed like a dining hall. The table was already set with four breakfasts, all some type of rice ball Fisher had never seen before, with only the milk on the side being somewhat familiar to him.
“Where’s your dad?”
Nearby, Xu, wearing an apron and carrying some pickled vegetables, approached Molly and asked.
Molly, unable to wait, sat at the table and told Xu, who also didn’t have any traits of the Whale Folk, “Dad said he would come over after his prayers; let us eat first.”
“Eat what? Come on, every single day.” Xu gripped her fist tightly, letting out a cold laugh, “You guys eat first; I’ll go call him myself.”
With that, she rolled up her sleeves and walked out of the dining hall, looking like someone was about to get into trouble.
Watching Xu leave, Fisher sat down across from Molly, who seemed to be waiting for Xu and Gouwen to return so they could eat together.
At this moment, she smiled, looking at the food on the table. Feeling Fisher’s gaze, her face flushed again.
She quickly shifted her gaze to the clock that was still ticking on the wall behind Fisher and explained, “Don’t worry, Teacher Fisher, we won’t be late. I’ve calculated the time, today Teacher Fisher didn’t actually wake up late; I guarantee we’ll make it to school on time!”
After saying this, she confidently patted her chest and even though it lacked force, it still made that area surge.
Fisher’s throat tightened, but not knowing if it was because he was in a religious location, he didn’t feel any worldly desires at this moment, simply shaking his head, “I’m not worried. Just, Molly…”
He raised his gaze, feeling somewhat unsure about Molly’s current state, preparing to probe into the real situation.
What had happened before she came into contact with the pollution?
What had Hela done to her? Where was she now?
What was the current situation regarding the pollution?
Such weighty questions lingered in Fisher’s heart, but just as he was about to speak, hurried footsteps came from behind him.
“Eat your rice first!”
“Ouch, be gentle!”
It turned out to be Xu, pulling on Gouwen’s ear, who was trailing behind with an abstract expression.
Seeing Fisher and Molly hadn’t started eating yet, Xu’s “ferocious” expression immediately softened as she asked, “Why haven’t you eaten yet? You’re going to be late?”
“Don’t worry, Mom, we won’t be late. Come eat quickly! It’s Dad’s fault; if he’d come over with me just now, there wouldn’t be so much trouble!”
“Ah, forgive me, Buddha.”
“Hmph, I don’t believe Buddha would stop you from eating. Sit down!”
Molly watched as Gouwen and Xu sat down, smiling as she picked up her chopsticks, but seeing Fisher still not moving, she glanced at the chopsticks in front of Fisher and then standing up, said to Xu, “Mom, Teacher Fisher came from abroad and doesn’t know how to use chopsticks yet. Did you forget?”
“Ah, sorry, Mr. Fisher.”
“It’s fine, I’ll get a fork and spoon for Teacher Fisher.”
Molly had already returned with cutlery, placing it in front of Fisher, and shyly smiling at him before sitting down to enjoy her breakfast.
“Remember to finish your milk! You two always leave some behind for Buddha?”
“Hey, Molly is now a JK (high school girl)! She’s at her growing age; let her have more.”
“Hmph.”
Molly took a bite of her rice ball, holding her cup of milk high, proudly showing off the “Year B Class 1” tag on her uniform to Xu and Gouwen.
Xu shot a look at Gouwen while eating, reminding, “And remember, you need to study hard! It’s just convenient that Teacher Fisher is temporarily living at home for work; don’t think I don’t know you plan to take him out instead of focusing on your studies, which gives me a headache.”
“I was just taking Teacher Fisher around to get familiar with Japanese customs and culture!”
“Haha, I see you just want to spend time with Teacher Fisher and let him get to know your local culture, right? You think I can’t see through your little thoughts?”
“Mo! Mom!”
“…”
Fisher didn’t touch his utensils, simply raising his gaze to look at Molly, who was blushing from her mother’s words.
At this moment, she was so embarrassed by what her mom said that even her feet, wrapped in black socks, seemed to lift slightly off the ground.
Outside the window, the winter morning sun finally brought a bit of warmth to dispel the cold. It was unknown which of the temple’s walls a bird flew to for a temporary rest, hopping around on the tiles as it chirped, calling to its companions.
But at this moment, as Fisher looked at Molly’s flushed face, the words he wanted to say were once again pushed back into his heart by the sight before him.
Because he had never seen Molly, or even Tang Zeming Asuka, show such an expression.
Even at their happiest, no matter what exciting moments there were,
Nothing could compare to this seemingly ordinary moment of enjoying breakfast together with family.
*Click*
Fisher’s fingers slightly brushed against the fork on the table, and the fork struck the breakfast plate, producing a crisp sound. That originally shy Molly sharply noticed that Fisher hadn’t yet touched his fork. With a glance at Xu, who was talking with Gouwen, she leaned a little closer to Fisher and whispered, “Isn’t breakfast to your taste, Teacher Fisher?”
“No, it’s quite good. I was just thinking about some things.”
Coming back to reality, Fisher grasped the spoon, scooping a portion of rice ball and putting it in his mouth, saying so.
It just felt like this food tasted exactly like that of Nali and the Dragon Court?
But Nali didn’t seem to have such food. Was it just an illusion?
Molly sighed with relief, and as she drank her milk, an idea struck her. She asked Fisher, “By the way, just now, did Teacher Fisher want to say something to me?”
“…”
Fisher set down the spoon, resting his hands on the table. He chewed on the rice in his mouth until the sweetness emerged.
That sweet taste dispelled the silence, and he raised his eyes slightly, looking at the sunlight-drenched Molly. The corners of his mouth helplessly lifted a bit, then he said, “…No, I just feel like you seem happier than before.”
“Before…”
Molly opened her mouth, a little unclear on what Fisher was saying, but she took it as a compliment, causing her face to flush even more, trying hard to sound calm as she replied, “Of course! I’m in high school now!”
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(End of Chapter)
