[A/N: Uk, I had seriously thought of hold this chapter till I can actuslly write but... Y'ALL ARE DONATING POWERSTONES FOR 19 DAYS! Like man... woah... enjoy Asher finally eating ice cream.]
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"Hey... isn't this like... too much?" Asher had a strange expression on his face as he looked at all the food in front of him.
Kido chuckled. "Come on, spoil yourself. You haven't had a proper meal in what—two years?"
Gemma nodded, subtly gesturing to the maid. "Erina, go ahead."
Erina stepped forward and began serving Asher pasta. He laughed awkwardly."Well… if you put it like that, I can't promise I'll keep my table manners."
He glanced at Erina. "That's enough— thank you."
Erina froze for a split second before smiling politely.
"…I'm a minor."
Asher's face drained of color.
"I—I didn't mean it like that! I swear—what the hell—"
"PASPTA!!"
The shout came from the baby chair beside him.
Erina burst into laughter. "Yes, yes! I'm coming with the pasta!" She gave Asher an amused glance before turning toward the child.
Asher swallowed hard.
'There is a child in this room. I am finished.'
He slowly turned to Kido, who was glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
"Control your tongue, Asher."
"Yes. Yes ma'am."
He forced a smile and finally took a bite of the pasta.
His eyes widened.
Then softened.
It had been far too long since he'd tasted something like this.
Kido smiled at the child. "It's not paspta, Ashera. It's pasta. P-A-S-T-A."
Asher instantly choked.
He coughed violently, pounding his chest as Erina calmly handed him a bottle of water—still wearing that perfectly professional smile.
He drank greedily, then looked up with wide eyes.
"…Ashera?"
"Un?" The child looked at him, tilting her head.
Asher shook his head quickly. "S-sorry. Go ahead, keep eating."
He glanced at Kido, who now wore a small, knowing smile.
Kido cleared her throat. "Well…" She looked at Gemma. They nodded to each other.
"We're fairly certain we would both be dead if it weren't for you," Kido said quietly.
Gemma continued, her voice steady but heavy. "You may not realize it, but you saved my life countless times during the siege."
Kido's smile faded. "And after all of that… you still chose to sacrifice yourself for everyone."
Both of them stood and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for everything, Asher," they said together.
Kido straightened, smiling again. "The least we could do was name our child after you."
Asher panicked.
"Wait—no—guys—please stop!" He waved his hands frantically. "This is seriously embarrassing!"
He looked at Ashera, who was happily humming as Erina placed fries onto her plate.
Then back at them.
"I mean… we're friends, right?" he said, scratching the back of his head. "Do we really need to thank each other like this?"
Kido and Gemma blinked.
Then looked at each other.
Then burst out laughing.
"For Spell's sake…" Kido sighed, sitting back down. "You're right."
Gemma chuckled, pulling her chair closer to the table as Erina served a slice of pizza.
"PAZZEE!"
Asher laughed, leaning closer. "It's P-I-Z-Z-A." He gently patted Ashera's head, smiling. "What a nice name… Ashera."
The child puffed her cheeks. "I know!" She swatted his hand away with all the authority a two-year-old could muster. "I want pazza!"
Asher chuckled as Erina placed a tiny slice on the child's plate—perfectly sized for small hands and slower chewing.
His gaze drifted to Erina. Their eyes met for just a second before she offered the same flawless, professional smile as always.
Alright, Asher thought. Time to test a theory.
He forced a casual chuckle. "Erina, right?"
"Yes," she replied pleasantly.
Asher gestured toward the table. "The food is incredibly good. Seriously—thank you for cooking all this."
Erina's smile didn't change in the slightest."I'm glad you enjoyed it, sir."
No blush.
No fluster.
No change in tone.
Asher frowned.
Kido snorted, clearly enjoying his discomfort.
Asher went quiet, chewing slowly, eyes unfocused as his thoughts churned. His suspicion solidified into certainty.
Even in his past life, his looks had been… decent. Women usually reacted somehow. Even a little.
But this?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
And so, after careful observation and flawless logic, Asher reached his conclusion:
'This woman is asexual.'
There was literally no other explanation.
None.
***
Asher lingered over the last bites of his meal as Erina quietly cleared the plates. He rolled his tongue against the inside of his cheek, still savoring the flavors—real food, good food—something he hadn't realized he'd been craving for far too long.
Then Erina returned.
With ice cream.
Served in a pristine bowl.
Asher froze.
He looked at Kido and Gemma, who only smiled knowingly as he fought the very real urge to grab the spoon immediately. Then he glanced at Ashera, who bounced in her seat.
"ICE CREAM!"
"Asher," Kido said gently, amused, "you can start digging in. I think you've waited long enough."
His eyes sparkled."Thank you."
He took the first bite.
The cold sweetness hit him like a wave, and for a moment—just a moment—the weight of the past few years went numb. His chest tightened. His vision blurred. He raised his forearm quickly, pretending to wipe his mouth as his eyes watered.
"It's… so good…"
"Mama…" Ashera tilted her head, peering at him. "Ish Uncle cryhing?"
Kido laughed softly. "Uncle Asher really likes ice cream—just like you. He hasn't had any in a long time."
Ashera stared at him, something serious dawning in her little eyes. She leaned over and awkwardly patted his back.
"'It's finez!'"
Asher let out a shaky chuckle.
He stared down at the ice cream in his cup, the cold slowly melting at the edges, grounding him.
'I'm really here,' he thought. 'Back in the waking world.'
They let him finish in peace. When he finally set the spoon down, Kido cleared her throat.
"So… Asher. Do you have any plans now?"
Asher licked the spoon absentmindedly before answering, still half-lost in the aftertaste.
"Hmm. First, I get my compensation from Valor. Then I find out why those ba—"He glanced at Ashera and coughed.
"—why they are after me. Meet my army. And… I guess start training properly. Get used to soul essence."
Gemma raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You're not planning to remain an individual awakened, are you?"
Asher grimaced. "What? No. That's insanely inefficient. I'll probably join an allegiance."
Kido folded her arms. "Surely not one of the great Clans right? Considering they're actively trying to you know -tsk- you."
"…."
She leaned closer.
"Right?!"