VAP - Chapter 148
Chapter 148: The Intersection of Illusion and Reality (13)
There were still six months until Ji You’s eighteenth birthday. Over the past few years, the Main System had remained silent, so quiet it was as if it didn’t exist.
Having not heard that cold, mechanical female voice for a long time, Yue Du sometimes almost forgot she was a System meant to assist the host with missions. If not for Ji You’s truly unique growth trajectory, she might have really started to think she was just an ordinary parent wholeheartedly raising a child.
This day, Yue Du returned from outside. As soon as she entered, she smelled the aroma of seared meat and rich soup wafting through the house.
She changed her shoes, quickly washed her hands, and followed the scent to the kitchen.
Ji You, now a young woman, stood before the stove. Her long, wine-red hair was loosely tied up at the back of her head, and a pure black, ruffled apron was tied around her waist. She was slowly stirring the contents of a clay pot with a ladle, her eyelashes lowered.
—The one currently in control of the body was “Jealousy.”
Hearing Yue Du’s movements, Ji You immediately looked up. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly into an exceptionally beautiful smile. “Sister, you’re back.”
Yue Du walked over, drying her hands with a small towel. “Did you make cream of fish soup?”
Ji You said, “Mhm. I just finished. Come have a taste, Sister.”
Wen Yilan, whose workload was comparable to that of a cafeteria chef, had taken leave a week ago to visit relatives at another stronghold.
This wasn’t her first time taking leave. In this era, being forced to separate from family and friends was commonplace, and the scenario of coincidentally reuniting with them in another stronghold after several years was even less surprising.
Wen Yilan’s parents had died long ago, but she still had an older brother living. He had married, had children, and started a family in a stronghold hundreds of miles away long ago, only getting in touch with Wen Yilan the year before last.
Unwilling to bid farewell to Yue Du and Ji You—and also unwilling to lose such a well-paying job—Wen Yilan didn’t follow her brother’s advice to move and settle in that stronghold. However, an annual leave to visit family was now indispensable.
Jealousy was happy to see this happen. She even coaxed Yue Du into extending the family leave from one week to two, scheduling it for when Gluttony was dormant and Jealousy was in control of the body. She pretended not to hear any of Gluttony’s protests.
Are you kidding? A world for two, in the truest sense, with no one to disturb them. She’d be a fool to pass up this opportunity.
For this reason, Jealousy specifically practiced her cooking skills, completely shelving Yue Du’s suggestion to “just buy a full meal from the System store.”
Cooking is a kind of romantic fun, you know! Fun!
And so, this led to the current scene. Ji You gently blew on the rich soup in the ladle until the temperature was just right, then raised it to Yue Du’s lips, smiling sweetly. “Have a taste, Sister. How did it turn out? Is it just right?”
The creamy white soup entered her mouth, its rich, savory aroma naturally filling her senses. It was neither fishy nor greasy, but mellow and exquisite. As long as one didn’t think about how ugly the giant black fish used as the main ingredient was, the soup’s wonderful flavor was impeccable.
Yue Du gave a thumbs-up in praise.
The curve of Ji You’s lips widened. As she served the soup, she didn’t forget to badmouth her other self to Yue Du. “Sigh, next month, I won’t be able to give you any peace of mind at all. I can’t cook, and I eat so much.”
Yue Du: “…” It wasn’t that she’d be a handful. Their private chef, Miss Wen, was always ready to be both pained and happy.
After a pleasant dinner that was more or less within the range of a normal-sized meal, the two went out for a walk to aid their digestion.
Although it wouldn’t have made much difference if they didn’t, there was nothing wrong with cultivating good health habits.
In the past, when Ji You was still young, Yue Du would always take her for walks. Even back then, Ji You would subtly guide Yue Du toward quiet areas with fewer people. If she couldn’t do it without being noticed, she would use illusions to make the number of passersby in Yue Du’s eyes fewer, and fewer still.
Now, she openly and familiarly pulled her sister to stroll in less crowded places.
This was a trait of Jealousy. As she grew older, the feeling of not wanting her System to be exposed to too many people’s gazes, and likewise, not wanting too many people to appear in Yue Du’s line of sight, grew deeper and deeper.
Compared to the former, the latter seemed even more intolerable.
Therefore, the only opponent she could truly take seriously was herself. As for other people or things, in the eyes of Ji You, who also possessed a degree of pride, they were merely unsightly and non-threatening existences.
But even so, she was still unwilling to let these things remain in Yue Du’s sight for even a brief moment, which was enough to show how terrifying her deep, dark jealousy was.
Yue Du was not entirely unaware of this. That said, wasn’t it common for the little actress to play dumb, deny everything, and then start wheedling relentlessly? This was just one more instance. Besides, a quiet walk was nice… Yue Du chose to turn a blind eye and let it be.
“Sister, in half a year, I’ll be an adult,” Ji You said suddenly.
Yue Du smiled. “That’s right. It feels like no time has passed, and you’ve gone from a little one to a big one.”
Ji You: “So do you like the little one or the big one?”
Yue Du, well-practiced, answered smoothly, “I dote on the small one and love the big one. But when it comes to liking, as long as it’s you, I like you.”
As tested, this was the most standard answer, with a particularly noticeable soothing effect.
Ji You’s expression indeed softened. She continued from where she left off, “When the time comes, I don’t want to have my coming-of-age ceremony with the other people my age in the stronghold. Can we have it at home? Just the two of us.”
Yue Du’s mind raced, and she knew that Gluttony would be the one occupying the body on the day of Ji You’s coming-of-age ceremony. She paused, then teased, “What about Wen Yilan? She’s right next door. Won’t she be lonely listening to all the laughter and cheer from the other side?”
Ji You was ruthless. “Isn’t she good at making desserts? The cake stays, and we’ll give her leave to visit her family.”
Yue Du: “Just one cake? Won’t you be hungry?”
Ji You said with a deadpan expression, “Please, by all means, let me be hungry. If I don’t eat my fill, I won’t have any energy. That’s great.”
Yue Du: “…” For some reason, she felt as if she could hear little Gluttony’s mournful cries.
Ji You continued her wishful thinking, “And as compensation, I want a coming-of-age present.”
Yue Du: “There’s still half a year. No rush.”
“Let’s agree on it in advance.” Ji You linked her arm with Yue Du’s, rested her chin in the crook of her shoulder, and activated her wheedling skill. “Okay?”
Yue Du: “First, tell me what it is.”
Ji You: “I haven’t decided yet—just promise me first.”
Yue Du thought to herself that she knew it. She agreed without much hesitation. Anyway, it would just be one of those same old lines, like “I want you” or “You are the gift.”
Was she not going to give it to her if Ji You didn’t ask?
Her host got her wish and revealed a triumphant smile, nuzzling against the crook of Yue Du’s shoulder. At the same time, she silently withdrew a certain invisible power that had been acting on her other self’s consciousness.
Little Gluttony’s consciousness, hidden in their mental space, suddenly recovered from a state of lost sight and hearing. She was stunned for a second, then angrily bared her small, sharp teeth. “What are you doing!”
Jealousy acted as if nothing had happened. “We’re outside. What could I possibly do?”
Gluttony blustered, “Don’t try to fool me! It’s not like I don’t know my own thoughts. Were you badmouthing me behind my back?”
Jealousy was dismissive. “Heh, you underestimate me.”
Gluttony: “…And you still say you didn’t do anything!”
Jealousy ignored the bristling Gluttony in their mental space. Her vision was starting to go dark, and her cold, pale face seemed to take on an even more exhausted pallor.
Trying to use an ability on her other self, to temporarily suppress a consciousness of the same level within an illusion, was an extremely mentally taxing affair.
Ji You concealed the discomfort on her face and said to Yue Du, “It’s getting completely dark. Let’s go back. We can have another late-night snack. No matter how much I eat, it’ll still be less than what I’ll eat next month.”
She still didn’t forget to land another blow.
For a moment, Yue Du actually thought that statement made some sense.
Wen Yilan had just returned from her brother’s place when she heard that she would be getting an extra family leave in half a year, right during the days of her employer’s daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony.
Wen Yilan was incredulous. “You’re not going to the stronghold’s public notary office? You don’t need friends to come celebrate? You don’t need a banquet?”
Why would you send the cook home to relax on such an important occasion!
Yue Du smiled apologetically and said, “We want to celebrate at home. While it’s more ceremonial outside, it’s ultimately not as comfortable. Doing the ceremony ourselves will be a bit busy, so we didn’t want to trouble you.”
Wen Yilan thought it over and decided it was fine. “Alright then. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask.”
By the time Gluttony came out to take control of the body, everything had already been decided.
Yue Du knew she could sense external events even from within the body, so she assumed Gluttony was aware of her other self’s arrangements and didn’t mention it specifically.
Thus, it wasn’t until a few days before the coming-of-age ceremony, when it was Gluttony’s turn to control the body again, that she learned of Jealousy’s arrangements.
First reaction: Would Jealousy be so considerate?
A coming-of-age ceremony at home, a world for two with Sister, with no other eyesores to disturb them—even the third wheel, Sister Wen, had been tricked into leaving. Would Jealousy really be so thoughtful on her behalf?
Second reaction: She knew herself. There was definitely a trick.
It was just that she couldn’t yet comprehend Jealousy’s train of thought—after all, not everyone can understand a lemon spirit—so she had to be extremely cautious. For example, she had to guard against Jealousy suddenly making a move to seize control of the body.
However, Ji You drank the purple chestnut wine symbolizing courage, ate the seven-colored rice symbolizing wisdom, and released the red paper kite symbolizing good luck… completing all the coming-of-age rituals of this small world. Right up until she was contentedly embracing her sister, wanting to add the most perfect finishing touch to the ceremony, Jealousy didn’t emerge to cause any trouble.
Had Jealousy had a change of heart?
Gluttony couldn’t figure it out no matter how she thought about it, so she simply stopped thinking. What she wanted to do most right now was pull her sister into a vortex and sink down with her.
Afterward, Ji You pressed a kiss to Yue Du’s forehead. The sleeping woman’s eyelashes merely trembled, but she didn’t wake. She had activated sleep mode to recover from the mental and physical fatigue after their indulgence.
This was a wonderful coming-of-age ceremony, Ji You decided, and she happily drifted off to sleep.
…Or so she thought!
After being unexpectedly thrown beneath the surface of the water representing the subconscious by a certain jealous individual, and after the body automatically switched dominant control, the ultimately-too-young Gluttony cursed wildly.
Jealousy!! You’re not human!!!
Jealousy: Thanks for asking. I wasn’t human to begin with.
Comments
Post a Comment