Paulina has been silent ever since Eliseus admitted she didn't educate her well. She knows that her spoiled life will end soon—she is lamenting about the unfortunate fate awaiting her.
I am surprised that she doesn't even look at me, the cause of the end of her spoiled life, in grudge, but I may be wrong to assume that she is afraid of it in the very first place.
Judging by how manipulative she is, there is, after all, a slight chance that she has gotten her leash around Eliseus. In other words, there is a chance that my advice to Eliseus won't be actually followed.
"Let's hear about how I should educate Paulina." Eliseus looks at me seriously.
"You can take it easy." I put my hand up to calm Eliseus down. "First of all, parenting is about knowing when to be harsh and when to be caring. It comes instinctively, but I can tell you how to differentiate the situation."
I have never been a parent in my life even once—my life as a kid was pretty fucked up too—but I know what a good parenting is. My mother was a great parent, so I can tell Eliseus about her parenting method and my experience as a child.
"Ah, let's have the talk while eating the fruits I have bought!"
Just as I am about to open my mouth, Vibiane interrupts me by showing a tangerine like fruit that smells heavenly. She looks so proud of her idea, but unfortunately, no one seems interested in eating her fruits.
Eliseus and I, however, have the same thought about it: Vibiane will be heartbroken if we reject her idea. Therefore, we take the fruit she is offering, and she immediately beams at us.
"Thank you for taking them." Vibiane suddenly sobs, bewildering me and, probably, Eliseus. "It is my first time having someone take the fruits I am offering them."
'Just how pathetic you are to have every feedback you receive from people as your first time?' is what I want to say, but I hold myself. It is Vibiane and her first time issue after all—I already know how pathetic her social life is.
"What is this fruit anyway?" I ask.
"You have never seen an orange?" Vibiane looks at me in surprise.
"I have eaten many of them, but none of them was skinless." I gesture at the orange in my hand. "The oranges I have eaten had their endocarp wrapped."
"Endocarp? Do you mean the meat part?" Vibiane wonders with a hum. "As far as I know, there has never been oranges that are wrapped with a skin, but who knows? I haven't tried every fruit this world has to offer after all."
Vibiane shrugs lightly, and she seems excited to see the skin wrapped oranges I have mentioned. I already know that she is a fruit maniac, but seeing her like that still makes me wonder.
Turning my gaze to the orange in my hand, I slightly press it to figure out how hard it is. It is, as I expected, harder than all of the oranges I have ever eaten, so I am curious if it will be chewy.
When I try to peel one of the carpels, I find it sticks to the other carpels stronger quite strongly. Since I am afraid to accidentally squash it, I turn my head to Vibiane to ask for some guidance.
Munch!
The moment I do so, I am greeted by the scene of Vibiane eating her orange. It doesn't terrify me in the slightest, but it still surprises me to the point of making me speechless.
"Ah!" Vibiane slightly jumps back in surprise the moment she finds me staring at her. "Did I... Disgust you?" She looks at me with sad eyes.
Being asked that question by her makes me think to myself. I have just seen her rather unique way of eating, and I will like to think that I am not disgusted in the slightest.
p
I don't know how she could unhinge her jaws like that. That makes me wonder about what kind of Monster she is, and if that is the reason why she doesn't have a single friend.
I honestly find the scene of Vibiane opening her mouth gruesome, but it is not something that I can't get used to. Compared to the weird things happening in this world, I am inclined to believe it is not something anyone from this world should be afraid of.
Judging by her question earlier however, I can easily conclude that there are already people who have expressed their disgust at that. It honestly confuses me, and it takes me an extra minute to think of the best way to answer her question.
"You are beautiful the way you are."
Since I don't find denying my disgust at her display earlier appropriate, I end up comforting her. I pat her shoulder reassuringly, and it managed to bring tears to her eyes.
I immediately turn my gaze to Eliseus in the next moment though; I don't want to hear Vibiane's 'This is my first time' anymore after all. Eliseus, on the other hand, looks at me in wonder before nodding her head in, what I say is, approval.
Ignoring the urge to ask what she has approved of me, I ask, "Can you tell me how to eat this orange?" I glance briefly at the still emotional Vibiane. "I want to give that pitiful creature over there some time alone."
"Of course, I can." Eliseus nods in understanding. "You just have to stick your finger in that hole in the middle, and all of the segments will be apart from each other in a second. Be careful to not drop some of them though."
"Will something happen if I drop one of them?"
"The sack of the juice will significantly soften after each segment is apart from each other—it ruptures easily," Eliseus explains. "When the juice reacts to the air, it will turn into a corrosive substance, which will be enough to irritate your skin."
"... Doesn't seem edible to me," I remark after a pause of speechlessness.
"Don't worry. The juice will do nothing to your tongue, if you break the sack in your mouth."
Casually, Eliseus sticks her finger in the hole of the endocarp, successfully separating each segment from each other. She picks one of the carpels on her palm, and calmly feeds it to Paulina, who gladly takes it.
I am not afraid to try new things, but I am not someone who acts carelessly. After seeing that it is indeed safe to eat the orange, I do the same thing that Eliseus has done, and successfully eat one of the carpels.
It tastes different from the oranges from Earth, but it is easily better. It is pleasantly sweet and slightly sour, which greatly stimulates my palates in a good way—it is easily one of the best fruits I have ever eaten.
"It is... Good."
"Of course, it is!" Vibiane suddenly chimes in brightly. "Wait till you taste the other fruits!"
The idiot doesn't look like someone who has just cried. It is a good thing however; I find her annoying when she is crying.
Already regaining her brightness, she gives me another fruit after I finish my orange. Eliseus is also not pardoned from eating Vibiane's fruits, but contrary to my expectation, she just follows along quietly without showing any sign of annoyance.
I believe, however, it is because Paulina, who is enjoying the fruits greatly.
"Mr. Grumpy Demon, let's talk about what I can do to my parenting method."
... At least, until she realizes about the reason why she brings me there in the first place.
"My name is Layland." I lightly sigh as I glance at Paulina. "You can't just believe the name that midget has given me is my real name, can you?"
"She is Paulina, not midget." Eliseus lightly frowns, but then widens her eyes in realization. "Is that why you don't like to be called Mr. Grumpy Demon?"
"That's a little bit late to realize it, but yes ... Anyway, how can everyone tell that I am a Demon? What part of me indicates that I am a Demon?"
"Do you think having horns is what makes you a Demon?" Eliseus lightly frowns. "You have Demonic Mana in you—every living creature can easily tell you are a Demon by that."
"Even though they can't use Magic?"
"Yes. Unlike Monsters, who don't have a specific 'aura,' we, Demons, are easily distinguishable because of the repulsive aura our Demonic Mana makes us exude."
"No wonder," I muse. Turning my gaze to the happily eating Vibiane, I discreetly ask Eliseus, "Correct me if I am wrong ... Is Vibiane a Banshee?"
"She is, but she is not a full Banshee," Eliseus answers while caressing Paulina's head. "She is the offspring of a rogue Spirit and a Banshee—that, unfortunately, makes it hard for both sides to accept her."
"Oh, so that is the case."
I have learnt how to deliver my voice directly to the ears of the person I am talking to, so Vibiane doesn't hear a single thing about our conversation. Still, it doesn't feel quite right talking about it without her consent.
Who knows she has that kind of background?
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