Chapter 2: The Transmigrator and Aileen (2)
1472 Words
[Host Ai, do you want to transfer now?]
"Sure."
There was the familiar flash of light before she felt her soul settled in a comfortable shell. It felt better as she’s no longer as if floating and immaterial. At the same time she felt vulnerable since another power was embracing her life in this world—the world's divine law.
'Soon...' she thought to herself.
[Host Ai? How do you feel?]
"I'm fine, Xiaoyi. I'll give you a hint, this is not my first time doing tasks," she gave a wink to her system.
[Oh...]
"But don't worry, I will do my job. And I won't let anyone hurt you," she was thinking about her previous system. She wasn't able to save it before, but not this Xiaoyi this time.
[Host Ai... Wuwuwu!]
"Xiaoyi, be good."
[O-okay... would you like to receive the body's memory now?]
"Alright."
There was not much discrepancies from the memory she received. At the current timeline, the soul of the modern woman has already transmigrated while the Crown Prince has been ingratiating himself with Aileen for a while. The latter still has no idea of his real identity, though.
"Big sister..." someone called from inside the small house.
Familiarity hit Ye Ai and can't help but move her feet towards the room. Inside, she saw immediately the small bed where laid a very emaciated body of a young boy, probably around eight years old but she knew he's already a teenager. Next to his bed was a toddler girl around four years old, trying to feed him a clear soup of unknown herbs and gruels.
"Xiaoyi, life is too unfair," Ye Ai told her system silently as she went forward to help the little girl feed the boy. "Little Chichi, let big sister do this. You play outside."
"I want to help, Big sister. Big brother will soon be better and we can play around. That's why Big Bro, come eat ah," she told him with those wide smile but her eyes held sorrow. It's an expression a child should never have. It was a heart wrenching scene and after many many years or maybe decades of solitude, Ye Ai was able to feel at least a tinge of emotion due to this scene.
"D-don't worry ab-bout brother. Go play, Little Chichi," and he coughed incessantly. It was really hard labor for him to talk or move around.
Ye Ai massage the boy's back while silently sending her consciousness to check the body. She found out that he was riddled with illness not only because of malnutrition but also because of poor pregnancy when their mother had him. She sighed, remembering that their mother almost had a miscarriage back then.
"Caron, don't push yourself," she gently told him. On this occasion she didn't need to act. She has no hobby of kicking people at their lowest. Of course, granted they didn't touch her prior.
"Big Sis..." he protested.
"Ssh. Be good. I'll make something better later. Mom's coming home, too."
"Chichi knows!" the little girl supplied. "What will you cook, Big Sis?"
"How about some meat?" she teased the little lump.
"Yehey! Sister is the best!" cheered Chichi.
Their father can be called the most diligent father in the world. He not only kept their house since the mother had to stay at the castle, he also worked non-stop in the crop field. The mother also wanted to stay at home but the medical expenses for Caron cannot be supported simply by their harvest. At the end of the week, though, she can return home and then go back to the castle again by the following morning.
Ye Ai helped soothe the little boy to sleep with her energies. She didn't try using too much of her power to avoid detection by the world law and caused it to attack her or immediate ejected her, thus, this was all she can do for now. Anyway, she has the time in the future. For now, she had to forage.
"Xiaoyi, what's my task then?" she asked her system while she agilely looked for herbs and ingredients in the forest. She already hunted a fowl and some spices. The ones she's looking around now were the medical herbs for Caron and, of course, for the parents and youngest child, as well.
[Host Ai, why do you know to do that? They're not in your skills ah?]
"I told you, this is not my first time taking task. Of course my parameters have been reset but I still remember them so this is no big deal to me."
[If...if you say so.]
"Do you think I will lie to you, Xiaoyi?"
[...You won't lie with me, right?]
"What do I get lying from you? You can see all I do."
[It's n-not that I don't believe you...]
"I understand, Xiaoyi. You still don't know me so you can't trust all my words yet. But remember this, I won't let anyone hurt you."
[Eh, that should be my line, Host Ai.]
"But I also want to protect you so I will do all my tasks."
[Host Ai! Wuwuwu! You're the best!]
"Xiaoyi, be good," she can't help smiling at this. System 3611 may be a new system but it's pure and has no ulterior motive. It was the main reason she has to attack the system network earlier. An older system has more privileges and has grown a shrewder personality. If she's bonded with such system she can't do much on her tasks at early stages due to such administrators’ manipulation.
She gathered enough and was about to go back when a rustle shook her musing. She sharply turned remembering the ambushes she experienced from her previous tasks but all she saw was a cute little thing.
"..." (Ye Ai)
"Squeak!"
"Xiaoyi, it's squeaking."
[Host Ai, it's a rabbit.]
"I know, but why would it squeak at me?"
[Host Ai, it's a rabbit, you have food in your hand and it looks hungry.]
"I know, Xiaoyi."
[Why are you still asking?]
"Animals hated me."
[...]
"It's one of my golden fingers. No animals would make trouble with me and even those lower level beasts didn't want to come near me," she reminisced offhandedly.
[...Why?]
"...You'll know."
[...Classified again ah!]
She knew that her system tried again to check her personal data but was obstructed by the network limits and administrator requirements. She can't help smiling, this can help her motivate this system to work with her more and upgrade quickly.
"Xiaoyi, be good."
[Host Ai! I reaaally want to know.]
"You will."
[When?]
"When you've upgraded enough."
[Eh? You really seem to know much about us.]
"Of course," she can't help remembering her old friend. Again. And the usual pain hit her chest. She might not be able to move on from this. Suddenly, she heard a sigh from her new system and can't help smiling. This one's really cute.
[Host Ai, do you think you can touch it now?]
Unknown to both of them, that said rabbit has already closed in next to her feet, looking up at her like she had wronged the nine generation of its herds.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"Squeak!"
"I don't speak rabbit."
"Squeeeaaak!"
[Pfft! Host Ai, don't make a skit show here.]
"I'm telling it the truth. It kept squeaking but who can understand it?"
[Just give it food ah!]
And she did but instead the said rabbit jumped to her arms! Ye Ai was ready to chopped it to minced meat but since she didn't feel any malice from it she waited its next move and surprisingly, it just wanted to be cuddled.
[...]
"..."
[Host Ai, you said animals hate you?]
"Yeah."
[Then why is that?]
"No idea, Xiaoyi."
"Squeak!"
"Silence."
"..." the rabbit amazingly dropped its ears.
[It can understand you!?]
"Maybe?" she was also curious so she brought it back to the ground and commanded. "Play dead."
"Squeak?"
[It's not a dog ah!]
"Xiaoyi, be good. You're getting excited again."
[Host Ai!]
"Yes?"
[... nothing.]
"Okay," looking down again, she stared at that white rabbit. "Roll."
"Squeak?"
"Fetch," and she threw a small branch from somewhere who knew where she got from.
"Squeak?" and the rabbit still didn't move.
"Then what can you do?"
"Squeak!"
"Squeak?" she repeated.
"Squeak! Squeak!" the rabbit answered excitedly.
"Crap, it went rabid," she touched her forehead when she felt trouble had just knocked on her door because of this lump of a meat.
[I think it's happy when you squeaked. Try again.]
"You doping me, Xiaoyi?"
[Of course not, Host Ai. Xiaoyi is just curious, too.]
She bent down and took the still exultant rabbit and went back home. She had decided to give this as a present to Little Chichi.
- Writer
