Chapter 766: Jasmine and Asuka · Taiyaki
“How is Jasmine’s condition now?”
Deep in the ocean trench, where the darkness is thick and unbroken by light, crossing over the homes of the marine creatures living on the seabed, one can finally glimpse the crevice as deep as a rift valley. The dust in the water gently stirs, outlining the silhouette of a sea beast like an island.
On the back of this enormous sea beast, Fisher and Gouwen sat cross-legged, facing each other as they looked down at the gradually revealing settlement of the Whale Folk below the trench. Finally, Fisher spoke to Gouwen, asking the question.
This was not Fisher’s first visit to the trench of the Whale Folk. After all, his in-laws lived here, and after resolving the Apocalypse Prophecy, he had come here with Jasmine to pay a visit.
This time, after a long interval, it was due to Jasmine’s earlier mention of feeling unwell, prompting a return to the underwater home to have Gouwen examine her.
However, it had already been over a month since they left land to return to the trench without any word, and when Fisher went to seek out Gouwen, he had come to him first, saying that there was something wrong with Jasmine’s health.
This startled Fisher, prompting him to hastily leave the Dragon Court and ride the sea beast back to the depths with Gouwen.
Hearing the worry in Fisher’s voice, Gouwen glanced at him and sighed, saying, “Have you ever seen a different side of Jasmine?”
“A different side?”
Fisher thought for a moment, conjuring the terrifying image of Jasmine from the Demon Dynasty, who wanted to devour him, and then recalled the insatiable desires observed during his time in the Dragon Court.
But with Gouwen in front of him, he dared to think this but did not dare to respond that way, so he reluctantly asked, “Can you be more specific?”
“Back when Jasmine’s curse acted up, she would often exhibit symptoms similar to a second personality. At that time, both Xu and I thought this was a protective mechanism following Asuka’s loss of memory, but now that Dream has died and the pollution has been eliminated, this problem has not eased.”
After a moment of pause, Gouwen adjusted his wording, his tone becoming more uncertain. “Therefore, we suspect that when Ramastia rescued Asuka’s soul back then, something might have gone wrong.”
“Are you saying that Jasmine’s soul is not actually Asuka’s, but Asuka’s soul is still within Jasmine’s body?”
“Ah, but we are still not sure of the specifics. Both Xu and I do not understand much about souls, and my medical skills are ineffective at the soul level. Ever since Jasmine quietly returned to have me diagnose this condition, I have been helpless.”
Upon hearing this, Fisher couldn’t help but grow nervous. “But you said it wasn’t serious before? What about Jasmine now, what symptoms does she have?”
“Hey…”
At this point, Gouwen’s expression grew heavier, and his sighs were like heavy blows to Fisher’s heart, causing him great distress.
“Come on, say something.”
“Hey…”
“…”
Gouwen fell silent, and as Fisher rolled up his sleeves, ready to physically interrogate him, the giant beast beneath them had already arrived above the Whale Folk settlement.
So Gouwen’s meaning had become clear: you will know when you get there.
The sea beast silently maneuvered down into the trench, and soon, amidst the sleeping caves of the Whale Folk, they saw the glittering palace. Gouwen leaped down, and Fisher followed closely, turning back to take one last look at the immense beast, giving its head a friendly pat as a gesture of thanks.
“Dear wife, I’m back!”
“Sorry for the intrusion, Aunt Xu.”
Though he couldn’t see Xu, Fisher still greeted her, then anxiously followed Gouwen to the backyard, quickly arriving at the door of Jasmine’s room—he had been here before, so he was still quite familiar with the layout.
“Jasmine, how are you?!”
At the door, Fisher feared pushing it open to find Jasmine suffering from the torment of personality splits. The water inside the room rushed quickly in response to his strong movement to open the door, causing a bluish veil made of some semi-transparent aquatic plant to sway.
Behind the veil, a massive bubble isolated the water flow, creating an environment inside the room that was similar to that on land.
The translucent veil cast shadows under the light, revealing a Whale Folk figure that looked very weak, bent over in discomfort, causing Fisher’s breathing to hitch in the water.
“Jasmine?”
Fisher hurried to the curtain, calling Jasmine’s name while gently lifting the cloth.
What came into view, however, was a strange back.
Before him stood a Whale Folk girl who looked to be around Jasmine’s age, holding some sort of aquatic food that resembled a sea urchin. She had a distressed expression and, upon hearing Fisher’s call, looked back and became even more aggrieved when she saw Gouwen.
“Uncle Gouwen, you came quickly! Quickly make Jasmine stop eating! I-I’m scared!”
“It’s okay now, Baicui, you can go. Leave this to us,” Gouwen coughed lightly, then raised his voice, “Jasmine, Fisher is here!”
“Teacher Fisher?!”
Fisher was taken aback for a moment, only to see that Jasmine’s room was piled high with a large amount of food—fish dishes, sea fruits, grilled shrimp, and octopus, among others. Not only that, but every dish was generously coated with spicy chili from the Southern Continent. Perhaps from staying too long in the Dragon Court, her taste has changed.
Amid the food, Jasmine’s cheeks were puffy from eating, and a bit of chili was smeared around her lips. At the sound of Fisher’s voice, she trembled, turning around to see Fisher’s astonished expression and her face turned panicked.
However, she had not anticipated that she still had food in her mouth, causing her to choke, her face turning red as she covered her throat, nearly unable to breathe until after a bit she finally coughed and slowly recovered.
Fisher opened his mouth wide, turning to Gouwen, questioning, “This…”
Gouwen’s expression was even more helpless, and he could only honestly say, “The situation is as it is. Jasmine’s earlier descent was indeed because there were traces of Asuka’s personality within her. There was a second personality; to put it plainly, both Asuka and Jasmine’s souls are crammed into Jasmine’s body right now, which has caused her significant burdens. So we wanted to rescue Asuka’s soul; there are ways to revitalize her, but…”
Jasmine awkwardly swallowed the food in her mouth and then stood up to add, “Ever since that time… she seems to have gone into hiding. No matter how much Dad and Mom tried, she wouldn’t come out.”
Finally, Fisher realized the situation. Initially, Gouwen and Xu had believed that Jasmine’s soul was Asuka’s soul, so the emergence of the second personality could be explained as her lost memories resurfacing. But now that the pollution was eliminated and Jasmine had learned about Asuka’s memories through her dreams, Asuka’s personality still manifested. This led Gouwen to recognize that there might have been a mistake when Ramastia rescued Asuka’s soul from the Sea of Souls back then.
The Sea of Souls was filled with countless souls, especially since Asuka had fallen into it with an intention of dying, which likely brought up not only Asuka’s soul but also others.
Thus, Jasmine would be the one with a truly pure soul, born as the child of Xu and Gouwen, while Asuka’s soul had been hidden within Jasmine’s body, influencing her and occasionally manifesting, causing symptoms such as the second personality.
However, now that they had realized this, Gouwen and Xu certainly could not allow Asuka to continue sharing a body with Jasmine, as it would be unfair to both Jasmine and Asuka, so they sought to separate their souls and let them exist independently.
But unexpectedly, perhaps sensing Gouwen and Xu’s intentions, Asuka’s soul had since completely hidden away and did not present itself.
“So that’s how it is. But when Jasmine came back to inform you, you should have told me about this sooner.”
“We originally planned to tell you, but Jasmine didn’t know her internal situation at the time; she just thought she was sick and came back to check. Also, you know that the Whale Folk at the ocean’s bottom perceive the flow of time differently. For us, this past month has been but the blink of an eye; having some discrepancies is quite normal.”
Gouwen’s explanation made sense; indeed, a month for the Whale Folk felt like a brief moment after a checkup to inform family of the symptoms.
For Fisher, as a family member on the sea, it had felt incredibly long.
Fisher rubbed his forehead and then asked, “So besides the emergence of Asuka’s personality, are there any other symptoms?”
“You already saw, Jasmine has been especially hungry, her appetite has increased dramatically. She says she always feels hungry no matter how much she eats. At this point, she has almost finished the food store piled up by our people. They hardly eat anything while sleeping, and I can’t imagine how they will react when they wake to find all the stored food gone.”
So that was it; no wonder the whale girl who had just left had such a miserable expression on her face.
“Dad!”
Jasmine protested Gouwen’s bluntness, but Fisher had no choice but to look at Jasmine at this moment.
Upon closer inspection, Jasmine had indeed gained a little weight, and it was easy to imagine how well she had been eating in the past month.
However, Fisher didn’t mind, since previously Jasmine had been in somewhat of a poverty-stricken state except for a certain part, which was now a bit out of balance.
Now looking slightly plumper not only seemed more balanced but also conveyed a sense of natural health, making one unable to resist reaching out to squeeze her chubby little face.
Fisher couldn’t help but chuckle, but Jasmine was still pouting, and saying anything further would be impolite, especially since this matter also involved Asuka.
Fisher straightened his expression, stroking his chin as he tentatively asked, “So, the current issue is to call out Asuka’s soul and separate her from Jasmine’s body?”
“Exactly, but we have tried all possible methods; talking to her and offering her familiar items have all been futile, so we have to turn to you, this ‘Teacher Fisher’, to give it a try.”
“I understand. Let me think about how to do it. How about you go rest for a bit? You probably haven’t had much rest this month, right?”
Fisher pondered, turning to look at the somewhat fatigued Gouwen before suggesting.
“Okay, then you think about it. Just let us know if there’s any progress.”
Gouwen yawned but did not refuse.
He had already tried everything without any reaction from Asuka, and there were some things that he might not want to say in front of his parents but could say in front of Fisher. Perhaps letting them be alone would yield good results?
This way might also encourage Asuka to reappear!
As Gouwen left, Jasmine blushed a bit, watching Fisher as he sat in front of her with a chair in hand, arms crossed.
She felt somewhat shy, especially since Gouwen had just said those things, like how she was going to eat the Whale Folk into oblivion by herself.
But just as she paused, her eyes couldn’t help but glance at the delicious food on the table, clearly craving it.
“Go ahead and eat if you want, Jasmine.”
Seeing this, Fisher said.
“Really?!”
“Ah, but will eating like this really be bad for your health?”
“It won’t! Nom nom!”
Before she finished speaking, Jasmine had already taken a bite of the grilled fish, tearing off a large piece of the white fish meat.
I wonder how they make grilled fish down here.
But as Fisher watched Jasmine eat heartily, he suddenly recalled the food he had seen in the dream world where Asuka was present.
Right, they seemed to have a lot of fish there; could it be…
“Jasmine, do you think your increased appetite is related to Asuka?”
“Um, could be related?”
“I think so too.”
As Fisher pondered, an idea suddenly struck him. He thumped his fist on his palm and guessed,
“Is it possible that your heightened appetite is actually because Asuka wants to eat a specific type of food? But since she hasn’t had it, that craving has never faded. If we find that particular food, it could not only solve your symptoms but also bring Asuka out.”
“Eh? But what does Asuka want to eat? Is this food not tasty?”
Jasmine picked up a cooked sea snail, deftly prying out the meat with a fork, dipping it in the prepared sauce, and offering it to Fisher for a taste.
Of course, she had to enjoy it herself as well, so she picked up another sea snail, prying out the meat with her mouth full.
This little foodie.
As Fisher savored the sea snail meat that Jasmine had fed him, he couldn’t tell if it was a symptom triggered by Asuka or part of her inherent nature.
“It’s delicious, but it’s not what she wants to eat—it’s not the most special, most craved one. Hold on, I think I might know what she wants to eat, Jasmine.”
But Jasmine didn’t know what it was. She just sat beside him, opening up the shell of a red crab, scooping out the crab roe and mixing it with the crab meat into a ball, then pinching off half to feed Fisher before taking half for herself.
As she chewed, she listened to Fisher continue.
“It’s a food called Taiyaki.”
“Taiyaki? Is that it?!”
Jasmine glanced at the table and lifted the steamed red drum fish, which was indeed Taiyaki, and seemed eager to use the spoon to divide the fish meat.
“Not this one.”
Fisher was fed another bite of fish meat from Jasmine, the taste of something delicious flooding his mouth, causing his thoughts to slow down.
After a moment of contemplation, he softly told Jasmine beside him,
“I think I know what to do. After I go back, I will bring some raw materials to make it, and you will know what it is.”
Jasmine nodded, picking up another piece of fish meat, placing it in Fisher’s mouth to taste.
“Flour, eggs, sugar, salt, butter… these should be enough.”
When Fisher returned, Jasmine, who had finally eaten her fill, stood nearby to lend him a hand. However, she soon felt hungry again and picked up a small bowl of shredded squid to nibble on.
To be honest, Fisher wasn’t too worried about Jasmine’s suddenly increased appetite, as she had originally eaten very little.
During their time in the Dragon Court, even Rafael, who was the weakest after giving birth, had an appetite two or three times that of Jasmine. This gives you an idea of how small Jasmine’s appetite had been.
But this was not determined by Jasmine’s body. Fisher had asked Gouwen before, and was told that the Whale Folk liked to sleep underwater, so even when they came ashore, their constitution didn’t change. They often ate according to the routine of life underwater, which could affect their bodies.
Jasmine eating a little more wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it was just that the Whale Folk didn’t prepare much food. Most of the time, they relied on the above-ground races to feed them, which made Jasmine’s increase in food intake seem sudden.
Jasmine fed Fisher a bite of the shredded squid and then asked, somewhat puzzled, “Does she really like eating this kind of stuff?”
“She probably does,” Fisher replied with a slight smile and casually added, “Jasmine, actually, there’s something I should apologize to you about.”
“Huh? Apologize? Why all of a sudden?”
“Asuka was once a very kind and strong Trans. Both humans and other Trans benefited greatly from her selfless contributions, and I am no exception. Once you receive a favor, you want to repay it, but that person is already gone, and that guilt drives me to want to make up for it through you, who is closely connected to her.
“It’s not that I think this way is wrong, because I initially thought of loving you. But this way makes it seem as if that affection is stained by Asuka rather than being for you. So even if it’s only a little bit, I don’t want you to feel like you’re a substitute for someone else.”
Egg batter mingled with flour, honey, and starch turned into something delicious. Fisher gently summoned the Fluid Sword, and under his control, it transformed into the shape of a mold he had seen in his dreams.
“Do you want to put it in?”
Jasmine, chewing on the shredded squid, listened to Fisher but shook her head with a smile.
She swallowed the squid, then extended her delicate hand to slowly pour the liquid from the bowl into the mold.
“It’s okay, Teacher Fisher. Actually, perhaps my parents are as conflicted as you, because I know that the feelings for that person can never be transferred to another, even if I tell myself in my heart that they are the same person.
“And for myself, to be honest, I think I’m not as excellent or as wise as her. The more I read her memories, the more embarrassed I feel and doubt whether I am the person you’ve been waiting and hoping for. But now, everything is clear, and I can finally just be my parents’ child. Such a simple identity might be easier for me, who is content.
“I have so much I want to say to her. We are both Teacher Fisher’s students, she is even better than I am, yet she has suffered so much. I also want to ask how she endured all the pain in her memories and why she remains silent when looking at me.
“Now that everything has returned to normal, I can be with my parents and live with Teacher Fisher and Rafael; I am already content with that.”
Upon hearing this, Fisher was momentarily taken aback, as if he sensed something observing him from the perspective of the soul.
But when he regained his senses, he saw that the last drop of semi-finished egg batter had been placed into several molds that looked exactly like the Taiyaki from his dreams.
After a moment of silence, Fisher closed the Fluid Sword again, inscribed a heating magic on the tabletop, and finally placed the Fluid Sword above it.
While baking the Taiyaki inside the Fluid Sword mold, Fisher also inscribed a “Dream” magic beneath the Fluid Sword, preparing to communicate with Asuka once her soul appeared.
With everything ready, the scent of sugar and eggs wafted through as he opened the Fluid Sword again, revealing several perfectly formed Taiyaki inside.
“It looks really good.”
Jasmine licked her lips, just about to reach out to taste it, when she suddenly seemed to realize something and withdrew her hand, puzzled.
“But she doesn’t seem to be reacting. Did Teacher Fisher guess wrong?”
“I don’t know.”
Fisher scratched the back of his head, feeling confused about whether his guess was incorrect.
But out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a faint crimson mist swirl past in front of the table, bringing an otherworldly aura with it.
Fisher squinted to look and seemed to glimpse a bit of the soul’s essence stirring within Jasmine’s body, but that soul remained hidden, as if it were unwilling to come out.
Why?
Did Asuka not want to leave Jasmine’s body?
Fisher found this utterly incomprehensible.
But from this, it seemed that Asuka’s soul was reacting to the outside world.
Then it was time for the “Dream” magic to take effect.
“Jasmine, are you ready?”
“Eh? Huh?”
Jasmine’s eyes sparkled as she watched the finished Taiyaki, but Fisher, instead, focused on the faint soul waves emanating from her body and activated the already inscribed “Dream” magic.
“Buzz!”
With a resonating sound that seemed to emanate from the depths of the world, the surrounding environment changed explosively as Fisher’s soul rose.
“Ding ding ding.”
When Fisher opened his eyes again from the perspective of his soul, what greeted him was a scene that looked exactly like what he had seen in the previous dream—an alternate world.
In the bustling commercial street, people came and went, but it seemed as if they had no faces. Only Fisher stood dazedly at a stall, with freshly baked Taiyaki still steaming in front of him.
Fisher opened his mouth and turned to look at Jasmine beside him, only to find she had lost consciousness and was lying on the ground.
“Jasmine?”
Fisher’s expression changed, and just as he was about to investigate why Jasmine’s soul had fainted, he suddenly discovered a small soul whirlpool was seemingly locked in her lower abdomen by the Spirit Realm, causing her soul to become a bit fragile, and it was this that had led to her coma under the magic of dreams.
This is…
Fisher gazed in disbelief at the Soul Realm fluctuations at her lower abdomen, strikingly similar to those Rafael had exhibited earlier, and he froze in place.
At that moment, he also noticed that outside the Taiyaki stall in this dream, a frail little girl in a watermelon hat and worn-out school uniform was standing there, looking worriedly at the unconscious Jasmine.
“This sister is too weak; she must be hungry.”
“Asuka?”
Fisher’s eyes widened as he looked at that little figure, frail in both shape and soul. He finally saw Asuka’s soul residing within Jasmine.
At this moment, Asuka’s soul, having experienced the turmoil from a thousand years ago and then being retrieved by Ramastia, was already battered and bruised. This was why she had remained in a dazed state within Jasmine, maintaining a half-conscious appearance, and even now, in the dream magic, she still appeared as a child.
But as long as he could extract her, based on his understanding of souls, Fisher was confident he could restore her and remake her body using the Subhuman Girl Enthusiast method.
However, the seemingly frail Asuka stepped back in fright when she heard Fisher’s call.
In order not to startle her, Fisher could only change his approach and gently said to the little Asuka, “Um, what happened to her? I’m still not sure; can you help me?”
“…”
Upon hearing Fisher’s plea, Asuka’s soul finally stopped her retreat.
Even though her subconscious was hesitant for a moment, she was soon driven back by the kindness within her and walked carefully up to Fisher, facing Jasmine as she said cautiously, “This sister must not have been eating properly. After having a little baby, her body will become even weaker. So as long as she eats a bit more, her body will surely get better. She is already so happy; it would be even better if her health improved.”
As Asuka’s childlike voice rang out, Fisher finally understood why Jasmine suddenly returned to the underwater realm and why her appetite had increased.
Jasmine’s physical discomfort was entirely due to her pregnancy, and the manifestation of Asuka’s soul and her increased appetite were because Asuka’s subconscious had sensed Jasmine’s weakening body and was prompting her to eat more.
It is important to note that souls have an unending craving for physical bodies; any wandering soul yearns for a body to carry its consciousness.
This resolute need for a physical form drives the Sea of Souls to continuously lock onto newly born fetuses, which is why those with Soul-Loss Syndrome are driven to approach souls.
However, when the fervor of consciousness disappears without the support of a physical body, it becomes an empty castle in the air, compelling one after another of fervent souls to enter their bodies and write their own stories.
Thus, Fisher found it difficult to imagine that Asuka’s soul could coexist with Jasmine’s body for so long without asserting itself, fooling everyone and making them believe Jasmine was her.
She quietly lingered deep within this body, only revealing herself when Jasmine faced danger or her body weakened.
Contemplating this, Fisher felt a mix of emotions. He simply gazed at the small figure of Asuka, who seemed to be forever trapped in childhood pain, and softly asked,
“Isn’t Asuka jealous?”
The little Asuka was momentarily taken aback but swiftly shook her head. Lowering her gaze, she pinched her fingers and said in a little voice, “I just think it’s so nice that this sister has such loving parents, has you always by her side, and gets to know so many friends. I hope she can always live happily like this.”
“And what about you?”
Little Asuka bit her lip slightly, her subconscious gaze drifting in one direction before she pointed at the giant tower over there with her tiny finger.
“My home is over there. I… I’ll go back after wandering outside for a while.”
Fisher lowered his eyes and, seemingly not understanding anything, continued to ask, “Really? Then why do you keep standing in front of my stall?”
“I…”
Asuka took a small step back, feeling a bit shy. She glanced at the freshly baked Taiyaki emanating a fragrant aroma from the nearby stall, and her voice gradually became faint.
“Because my birthday is coming soon, and I wanted to eat Taiyaki to celebrate, but my mom gives me too little money for dinner every night, only a few dozen yen. I saved up for several days without eating dinner, intending to buy Taiyaki here on my birthday, but one coin went missing at school, so… I don’t have enough money to buy it.”
In her small, frail hands, she clutched a few small coins tightly. They stood in front of her stomach, which emitted a “growling” sound, marking her helplessness.
Fisher slowly closed his eyes. The next moment, he gently took little Asuka’s small hand and asked,
“How old is Asuka this year?”
“I’m almost seven.”
Looking at the little girl in front of him, who lowered her head and grasped a few coins tightly as she stood at the Taiyaki stall, it seemed as though she had been stuck here for many years, unable to move past this day.
The day before her seventh birthday.
Fisher tightly held Asuka’s small hand, and at that moment, he said nothing else, hoping to persuade Asuka’s soul to leave Jasmine’s body.
He simply turned around and picked up the freshly baked Taiyaki on the table, carefully placed them into a paper box.
For some reason, the Taiyaki at this stall looked exactly like the ones Fisher had baked with Jasmine outside of the dream.
After completing these actions, Fisher slowly crouched down and gently placed the still warm paper box into her hands.
Asuka opened her mouth slightly, staring at the few ordinary desserts lying inside the box, and then looked up at Fisher.
Fisher simply smiled and pierced one of the pieces of Taiyaki with a skewer, bringing it to her lips.
“This is the first time I made it; how does it taste?”
Asuka’s eyes fixed on the Taiyaki, her gaze seemed to melt at the sight of it so close. Even her lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
Yet despite that, her lips gradually opened until they could barely accommodate one piece of Taiyaki.
Then, with a gentle push from Fisher, the Taiyaki slowly entered her mouth.
“Crunch.”
The crispness of the set egg batter, the sweetness of the sugar, and just the right amount of warmth suddenly erupted in her mouth.
This was not the void of a dream, but a dish crafted by Fisher’s own hands.
Normal?
Whether in another world or here, this was perhaps one of the simplest desserts, a snack that could become too sweet if eaten too much.
But as she chewed the simple taste, tears began to fill little Asuka’s eyes, moistening her lashes and sliding slowly down her cheeks.
She continued to chew, as if trying to extract every bit of flavor from the Taiyaki.
“Woo woo woo woo woo.”
“Is it good?”
“So good woo woo so good woo woo woo.”
“That’s great.”
Her cries broke the silence of this dream, with tears rolling down to liberate her stuck at six years old, symbolizing that her blurred soul was awakening, gradually breaking free from chaos.
Yet, at this moment, Fisher couldn’t say anything else or do anything more.
He merely looked at the now tear-streaked soul of Tang Zeming Asuka, offering her the long overdue blessing that should have been given many years ago.
He sincerely said to Tang Zeming Asuka, “Happy birthday, Asuka.”
(End of Chapter)
