Chapter 65
The woman who had introduced herself as Melissa let out a satisfied sigh as she crunched through shrimp, shells and all, in her stew.
"As you'd expect, when you come to a port town, you have to eat seafood. You hardly ever get shrimp or shellfish inland. Huh, this wine isn't half bad, either."
In a good mood, Melissa tipped her glass of white wine, licked her bright-red lips, and turned her gaze toward Monica, who was sitting across from her.
"Here, you eat too. I'll treat you to at least the little one's share."
As she spoke, Melissa roughly scooped some food onto a small plate and shoved it toward Monica.
"Th-thank you very much..."
Though bewildered, Monica thanked her and began eating as well.
Monica still had no idea who this woman was.
The woman had been standing in front of Monica's house and said she had business with the owner of the house, but Monica had no connection whatsoever to Melissa.
As she carefully peeled the shell from her shrimp, Monica wondered whether Melissa might have mistaken the house.
So far, all Monica knew was that Melissa ate a lot, drank a lot, and talked a lot.
She didn't seem accustomed to seafood and seemed to need directions... so it was reasonable to assume she wasn't from Southdoll.
The flashy rose-colored dress she wore was high quality, and she had no accent. However, she had a rough air for someone of the upper nobility, so she was probably a lower-ranking noble or some similarly wealthy person.
"Um, Big Sis Melissa... what brings you to Southdoll?"
"...Just a little work."
Melissa knitted her freckled brows and licked the shrimp juice from her fingers.
"To put it simply, some idiot in this city is selling a product I once sold after ruining it. I've come all the way here to punish that idiot and retrieve the product. That's the gist of it."
"I-I see... Right..."
As expected, Monica couldn't make heads or tails of it.
As Monica wondered whether she should tell Melissa that she had probably come to the wrong house, Melissa sighed while tearing off a piece of bread.
"This world is so damn harsh, it makes me sick. If I don't chop up both the idiot who resold it and the idiot who ruined it and use them as fertilizer for the garden, I just can't go on."
While casually saying something that would have ruined anyone's appetite, Melissa dipped her bread into the seafood-rich soup and took a hearty bite.
"Well, now that my stomach's full, it's time for shopping."
"Um, what about retrieving the product...?"
How had the conversation suddenly turned to shopping?
Melissa looked at the confused Monica as though she were a child who was slow on the uptake.
"I know the idiot who's selling the ruined product is somewhere in Southdoll, but I don't know where. So I have no choice but to walk around all sorts of places and investigate. And if I'm going to do that, why wouldn't I do a little shopping while I'm at it?"
Swallowing her honest thought—What do you mean, why wouldn't you?—along with the bread, Monica hesitantly looked at Melissa.
"Um, so... what did you need me for...?"
"I'll go settle the bill, so hurry up and finish the rest."
"Huh? Ah, w-wait..."
Urged on by the impatient Melissa, Monica hurriedly stuffed the rest of the food into her mouth.
＊ ＊ ＊
Having eaten her fill of seafood, Melissa next headed for a street lined with clothing shops to indulge her shopping appetite.
The little one named Monica, whom Melissa had made her guide, apparently wasn't very familiar with clothing stores. Even so, most of Southdoll's clothing stores were clustered along the same street, so finding them hadn't been difficult.
Melissa peeked into an accessory shop and grinned.
As expected of Southdoll, there were plenty of accessories made with unusual stones and designs.
Melissa picked up a reasonably priced necklace and held it against her chest.
"This necklace is so cuuute. Hey, look, look! Come on, isn't it cute?"
"Y-yes..."
"Don't you want anything? Come on, there are things even a little one's allowance could buy."
At Melissa's words, Monica made a troubled face and responded with an ambiguous, "Uh..."
What a wet blanket, this little girl is, Melissa thought, pursing her lips.
"You're so plain and drab, you should dress up a little more."
"...Um..."
"At your age, you must have a guy or two you like, right?"
Monica said nothing. But Melissa didn't miss the slight twitch of her thin shoulders.
This had to be good material for teasing, and Melissa's sadistic streak began to stir.
Melissa licked her lips like a cat that had found a feast and put on an especially syrupy, coaxing voice.
"Oh, you do? You have someone, huh? What kind of guy is he? Come on, tell Big Sis Melissa all about him."
"N-no, um... I-I don't have anyone I like."
Monica shook her head vigorously and lowered her gaze to the floor.
Melissa put the accessory back on the shelf, then faced Monica and crouched to meet her eyes.
She smiled sweetly and kindly, then pinched Monica's cheek as hard as she could.
"Keeping secrets from me? You're awfully cheeky for a MoniMoni."
"Eeeeee!"
"Oh my, MoniMoni, even your cheeks are all squishy. Shall I see how far I can stretch them?"
"P-please stahp!"
Having had her fill of sadistic pleasure from Monica's pitiful sobbing, Melissa finally released the cheek she had been pinching.
Sniffling, Monica rubbed her bright-red cheek.
"So, what kind of person is the one you like?"
"I-I can't tell you!"
"Why not?"
Melissa waggled her fingers in front of Monica.
Faced with the silent threat of another pinch, Monica held her cheek and opened her mouth with tearful eyes.
"Because someone like me could never be a match for him... I'd just be a nuisance..."
Monica's voice grew weaker and weaker, and her gaze fell lower and lower.
Melissa knitted her brows.
"Is he married?"
Without a word, Monica shook her head.
"Then does he have a fiancée or girlfriend?"
Again, Monica weakly shook her head.
"Then there's no problem at all."
"But someone like me..."
Melissa clicked her tongue and poked Monica between the eyebrows with a red-painted fingernail.
"Stop with that 'I'm just a nobody...' nonsense. Putting yourself down will only make people look down on you. And it annoys me to hear it, so if you say it again, I'll pinch you."
"Eek..."
When Melissa glared at her, Monica trembled like a small animal.
Her self-deprecating attitude was irritating, but this little girl certainly did a fine job of satisfying Melissa's sadistic streak.
"Honestly, what are you fretting over like this, you little MoniMoni?"
"...B-but if I started liking him... I'm sure I'd only cause him trouble..."
"There's nothing wrong with simply liking someone. You won't gain anything by denying your feelings."
At Melissa's words, Monica looked up with a start and stared at her.
A film of tears glimmered over her eyes, which looked slightly green in the light. Those round eyes gazed up at Melissa as though pleading for permission.
"...If all I do is like him, do you think that would be okay?"
"How should I know? Whether it's okay or not, decide that for yourself."
Monica stared wide-eyed, her mouth half-open in a vacant expression.
Melissa was not giving Monica romantic advice out of kindness.
Whether Monica's love came to fruition or ended in spectacular heartbreak, Melissa couldn't care less.
Still, there was no harm in playing the big sister and forcing Monica to owe her one.
"And, well... this is advice from Big Sis Melissa, based on my own experience."
"Y-yes!"
"If there's another woman who likes the same man as you, and she says, 'Let's not try to get ahead of each other, okay?♡' be suspicious. She's bound to betray you."
"Eek..."
The sight of her, pale and trembling, was just like that of a small animal. What a timid little brat.
"I see. What you're lacking is guts. I'm going to toughen you up starting now, so come with me."
"W-where... are we going?"
"A test of nerve means gambling, obviously. It's fun, it's profitable, and it'll build your courage. See? Nothing but benefits."
"G-gam-bling...?!"
Ignoring Monica's wide-eyed shock, Melissa swished her rose-colored dress and strode off with a flourish.
"Come on, let's go, little one!"
"W-wait, please, Big Sis... Big Siiis!"