Jasmine smiled playfully as she stroked the fluffy rabbit sitting in front of her while the doctor stitched the wound on her right arm.
She hadn’t felt this happy since waking up in this strange world. When she’d checked the rabbit’s right hind leg earlier, she’d found the small black circular birthmark she’d been searching for.
It was Rabbibi.
She was certain of it. Even in her old world, there had only been one mutated rabbit like him, and they’d lived together for three years.
Rabbibi continued licking his favorite food from the bowl, already finishing two servings. Every time Jasmine stopped petting him, he would glance up at her with such a pitiful expression that it was almost ridiculous, as if her hand existed solely for his personal use.
"I know... I know. You’re safe with me now." Jasmine stroked his head again, her voice soft. "Are you really that hungry? Go ahead and finish it. I’ll give you more when you’re done."
She continued doting on Rabbibi while her injured arm remained stretched out for the doctor to stitch. The poor man’s fingers had been trembling throughout the entire procedure.
Oleander understood why. Some of the staff were still wary of Rabbibi, especially after seeing what he had done in his mutated form. Leaving him uncaged only made everyone more nervous.
Once the doctor finished stitching the wound, Oleander approached.
"I’ll take over from here. You can go. Thank you, Doctor."
The doctor gave him a respectful nod and practically sighed with relief before leaving the room.
Oleander put on a fresh pair of sterile gloves and took the doctor’s seat beside the bed. As he unrolled a new bandage, his gaze remained fixed on Jasmine’s bright face.
That bright expression used to be his privilege.
Now, he only got to see it when she was around food and... the strange mutt sitting in front of her.
"You’re reckless," he said, his restrained anger evident as he began wrapping her injured arm.
Jasmine remained focused on Rabbibi. "What do you mean?"
"Why did you take off the earbuds?"
"Ah... you nag too much. I was trying to focus."
"Focus on getting yourself injured?"
"I knew what I was doing."
"Then you must know it was reckless."
Jasmine finally looked up. Her gaze went blank as she stared at the wall for a moment, as if searching for the most accurate word.
"It was called... miscalculation."
Then she calmly returned her attention to Rabbibi. The bowl was almost empty, and she gently scratched beneath his chin while he licked her palm.
"Jasmine!"
Oleander’s voice rose as he finished securing the bandage around her arm. "You’re under my supervision. Whatever you do is my responsibility too. So—"
"So is that why you didn’t trust me?"
Jasmine sighed and turned toward him.
The brightness in her face was gone. Her usual cold, indifferent expression had returned.
"What?"
"I told you to trust me. I told you not to kill him. But because I’m a suspect under your supervision, you doubted me. You trusted your own judgment instead." Her voice remained flat, almost clinical. "The moment Rabbibi hurt me, you decided I’d failed to prove that I deserved your trust."
"What are you even saying? I was just worried—"
"I understand your point. You don’t need to explain further."
Jasmine turned back to Rabbibi and continued stroking his chin, letting the fluffy rabbit lick her palm again.
"But why are you putting all the blame on my competence? You should have paid more attention to the circumstances and made sure there wasn’t a single artificial light left on. You had enough time to watch my movements, but you failed to support me as your... underling."
She paused, her fingers moving gently through Rabbibi’s fur.
"I don’t trust you either." Jasmine didn’t know why saying those words left such an unpleasant feeling in her chest.
In her old world, if her superior judged that she’d made a mistake, she would simply apologize. There was no point arguing with someone above her rank. But she didn’t want to do that here.
She didn’t want to be caged.
And right now, her position was still beneath Oleander’s authority. If she wanted to clear herself of suspicion, she needed to prove herself rather than blindly accept every judgment thrown at her.
Oleander rose from the chair, his expression gloomy.
"I know who turned on the flashlight. You don’t need to worry. I’ll punish him accordingly." He took a slow breath. "And you didn’t understand my point at all. I’m sorry if my concern bothered you, but I can’t change that about myself."
"I know that." Jasmine gave him a relaxed, genuine look. "A captain is supposed to worry about his team. It’s part of your job."
The words landed harder than an accusation.
Oleander avoided her gaze and clenched his jaw. He couldn’t decide whether she had meant to hurt him or simply stated what she genuinely believed.
Either way, it stung.
"Rest for now. Your brain and mental assessment will start in an hour."
He turned toward the door and started walking.
"Oleander!"
Her voice stopped him just as his hand reached the handle.
He glanced back lazily.
Jasmine hesitated. She bit her lower lip, her expression uncertain.
He hated that familiar expression on an unfamiliar person.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "Thank you for saving the researcher in time."
There was a brief hesitation in her voice, as though she wasn’t entirely sure whether she should have said it.
Oleander gave her a bitter smile and a single nod before opening the door.
What did I expect?
***
Jasmine’s eyes felt heavier than the metal frame wrapped around her head, its cables connecting to a cluster of machines and monitors around her.
Her body sat limp in the cold metal chair, with restraints fixed around her wrists and ankles. The noise around her gradually became muffled as her focus continued to fade, yet she forced the last of her fragile energy toward the monitor in front of her.
Her assessment results appeared on the screen.
Name: Jasmine Trunken
Age: 20 years old
Status: Guide
Level: E-Rank
Mental Purification Level: S-Rank
Jasmine’s gaze locked onto the final line.
S-Rank.
The letters blurred as her eyes grew heavier. She squinted, trying to keep them in focus, but the darkness slowly swallowed her vision.
The next second, she opened her eyes to silence.
She was sitting in the middle of darkness.
When she stood, a red one-door refrigerator appeared in front of her.
Jasmine’s smile immediately returned.
She still hated the Chef God’s choice of color, and the black lip logo in the middle of the door—with a tongue sticking out to the side as though it were licking its own lips—was hardly tasteful.
But she couldn’t deny how happy she felt every time she saw the entrance to her mental space.
Jasmine eagerly approached the red refrigerator and reached for the handle.
The moment she pulled it, a jolt shot through her body like an electric shock.
She stumbled backward several steps.
Did something short-circuit?
Jasmine tilted her head and cautiously approached the refrigerator again.
She had barely taken one step when a translucent blue screen appeared in front of her.
[Chef God Realm Access Report]
[Previous access attempt: Failed.]
[Two additional failures will result in the temporary suspension of your Chef God privileges.]
Jasmine’s eye twitched.
The screen updated.
[Compatibility Error: Soul and host body do not match.]
[Additional Issue: No E-Rank Host exists within the Chef God Realm.]
Jasmine scoffed.
Should I die again?
The screen updated with the same calm professionalism.
[Minimum access requirement: D-Rank Host.]
[Current host status: E-Rank.]
[Recommended solution: Increase host rank.]
Another line appeared.
[Would you like instructions on how to increase your rank and avoid further embarrassing administrative complications?]
[YES] [NO]
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed.
The system had somehow managed to make a threat sound like customer service.
She clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white, then punched it straight into the YES button on the translucent screen.