Common Sense (4)

The pork cutlets were made to perfection-- somehow makes me want to eat hash browns. Yeah, it's been a while since I last ate those. On this note, we've been eating at home quite often since-- Prune and Liliath are the ones who make the meal. Maybe we should go out to eat once in a while too.

Nine taking his food with gusto. At this rate, she's becoming a full fledged female. And since she doesn't really use her male form too frequently, she no longer needs to eat double the portion. I wonder why.. she's originally a male right? Maybe her sexual orientation is.. well, different?

Based on her explanation, if she eats as a male now and then switches to her female form, when she changes into a male after that, the food will remain in her male form's stomach. Something like a spare battery-- seriously, what a weird TALENT.

"I'd like to apologize for my behaviour yesterday," placing her utensils to the side with a clear ring, she lowered her head.

Everyone stopped and turned to her.

Fortunately her hair was tied to the back else the food on her plate would've gotten to it. Unlike a certain someone who still hadn't noticed the breadcrumbs on her hair.

"There's nothing to apologize for though Liliath. I know you have it hard yourself too," Prune said with a loose laugh.

"I don't know what happened exactly but all I know is that Noel got himself a hickey so.. not related to me. I'm good," Nine shrugged.

"A hickey?! Noel, what did you two do?!" Prune shot a look at me.

"It's a misunderstanding I swear!" I flinched.

Haha.. fuck. That bitch. In anycase, I'm pretty sure Liliath's apology applies more to me than anyone else. Prune was also caught up in it somewhat, I'm glad it didn't affect her too much?

"Misunderstanding? The hickey is obviously there you know?" Nine raised a smirk.

"No way.." Prune's eyes twitched.

"I checked it, it's not on my neck!"

I swear I checked it properly. How the hell does Nine know about it anyways? I didn't tell anyone about this!? Don't tell me she managed to set up a camera in the bathroom?

"Look again, you blind." Nine giggled.

"What? So you admit you actually have it on your body?!" Prune was reaching the edge.

"What's a hickey?" Liliath raised her arm to ask.

Nine slammed the table and bawled out in laughter, Prune leaned against the recliner of the chair, 'dead', while I massaged my temples with my fingers.

Oh boy. How does one explain something to the perpetrator who did something inappropriate without knowing what that is?

"You two actually did 'that' y-yesterday?! T-that's illegal you know?! We're underaged!" Prune looked at both me and Liliath.

"Hey. Can you be more rasional, how can one complete an entire intercourse in under 30 minutes?" was it thirty minutes? I don't know how long I was out for yesterday.

"Heh.. so Noel is experienced with these kinds of things after all. Look Liliath, a hickey is a the red mark you made on Noel."

"Really?" Liliath looked at my chest. And to that Prune covered her eyes with her hands. I, on the other hand, am obviously starting to feel heat rush to my head.

"Yes really, just look at how red his ear is.. wait. Liliath is the dense one between the two of you? Not Noel? What.." Nine flattened his mouth.

Yup. Now you know, please don't corrupt her anymore than this. Fucking embarrasing.

I felt something small pressed against my chest, the smell of her shampoo, a jolt ran through my body.

"L-Liliath.. stop that.." I pulled her fingers away from me by holding her wrist.

Liliath obediently listened to my advice and retracted her finger-- more like, she placed her finger on her lips as if pondering. And then she came to a certain conclusion.

"Noel, I have decided. I want the skill book regarding this world's common sense."

"T-The skill book huh.."

Common sense I. In fact, I did ask Liliath about this before but she rejected it saying that she wanted to experience and learn things as is. That way, she wouldn't lose out in the novelty factor.

I looked at her, wondering why she changed her mind.

"I don't want to repeat my mistakes," she said resolutely.

"Got it," maybe she's thinking about how she broke down yesterday due to a misunderstanding? Maybe she's thinking having some level of common sense could help prevent getting any wrong ideas-- something like that. "Nine, Prune.. what?"

"Look at them in their own world. The mood just shifted like that as if nothing happened," Nine whipshered to Prune who was peeking at us between the gaps of her finger with a red face and ears twitching expectantly?! What?

Hah.. and here I thought I just wanted to explain my TALENT to them properly..

Actually, they already know the gist of it. But not to a complete degree. Whatever.

I pulled up the UI and utilized the search bar in the shop. Making the panel visible to them at the same time.

"What is that? A shop?" Nine leaned forward.

"Yup."

"This one." Liliath pointed at the skill book, sharing the same UI.

Ah. Here it is.

Common Sense I to V. The first book costs 200 points, the subsequent ones are two times the price of their previous ones.

Buy.

Like magic, without a puff of smoke nor any glitter, a small pocket sized book appeared in my hand. In bold letters, COMMON SENSE I.

"You can actually buy stuff using that?! WHAT!? No way, what is that?" Nine pointed at the UI.

"Common sense-- here Liliath."

"Common. Sense?" Prune, though still a little flustered, spoke up.

"Yup. Watch."

"Can I eat this?" Liliath asked.

"Didn't you eat it last time?"

"Then I suppose.. thank you for the meal."

"Meal.. WHAT?! NO!!! A BOOK ISN'T FOR EATING!!" Prune screamed.

As if to sync to Prune's retort, accompanied by lightning, a loud thunderous crack and boom reverberated outside the apartment.

...

"It's supposed to be like this though. And it's rather sweet to the taste," Liliath tore another page and stuffed the pages in her mouth.

I really wonder if there's any better way to consume skill books… when I mean consume, I mean the reading or imprinting kind of 'consume'. Not the 'consume' kind of consume like what Liliath is doing now.

"What did I just see.." Nine said in a faraway voice.

Liliath ate the book piece by piece and at the very last piece she blinked a few times and stared at the paper in her hand.

"Why is this book edible?"

It seems it's working.

"Hey Noel.. what exactly is that book? Is it really something you can eat?" Nine asked, a little deterred.

"I suppose..it's called Common Sense I, a skill book." well, if Liliath ate it and says it's sweet so it must be right? I do want to try it but-- I was afraid of the consequences if Liliath was missing half a skill book. Maybe the effects would be incomplete.

"Doesn't that mean there are other similar kinds of that book?" Prune asked.

"Yeah. One example would be the language comprehension skill book Liliath ate before."

"Ah, so that's why.." Prune's eyes lost their light. Hm?

"And there are a lot of other inappropriate items in the shop if I'm correct?" Nine raised her eyebrows.

"Y-yeah.."

I'll just say it frankly. Since Nine wanted to know. There's practically every item related to 'love' here-- pretty scary stuff. I have to control myself.

"I think I understand more about this world now.. but somehow I still don't get what a hickey is?" Liliath glanced at me with a curious sparkle to her eyes.

Uh..

"Seriously though. Can I get one of those anti-Noel documents signed? At this rate, I'm VERY unprotected and at risk of verbal and physical molestation."

Yeah.. right..

"T-this feels weird," Liliath turned away and looked at the rainy scene outside.

"Liliath?"

"N-nothing. Act as if you never heard anything."

Hm? Never seen her like this before. How odd. The effect of the skill book maybe?