[V5C7] Sisterly Advice

The woman who introduced herself as Melissa joyfully gnawed on the simmered shrimp, exhaling with content.

“Of course, when you come to a port town, you have to indulge in the bounty of the sea. Shrimp and clams are stuff we can hardly get inland. Hey, the taste of the wine isn’t bad either.”

The spirited Melissa drank her glass of white wine and licked her bright red lips. She then turned her gaze to Monica, who was seated across from her.

“Come on, eat up, Little One. I’ll treat you for this at least.”

Melissa casually ladled some food onto a plate and shoved it at Monica.

“T-Thank you very much…”

While expressing gratitude, the still perplexed Monica took a bite of the dish. She still had no idea who this woman was.

Although Melissa had stood in front of Monica’s house saying she had business with the owner, Monica had no acquaintance with Melissa whatsoever.

Perhaps she had the wrong house, Monica thought while meticulously peeling the shrimp shells.

All Monica knew at this point was that Melissa was someone who ate a lot, drank a lot, and talked a lot. She seemed unfamiliar with seafood, and the need for a guide suggested she wasn’t from Sazandol.

The flashy rose-colored dress she wore was of high quality, and her speech lacked any regional accent. However, her somewhat rough demeanor indicated she might be from a lesser noble family or a relatively affluent background.

“Um, Melissa-oneesan… What business brings you to Sazandol?”

“…Just a bit of work.”

Melissa wrinkled her freckled face and licked the shrimp juices off her fingers.

“To put it simply, there’s an idiot in town who’s been tampering with and reselling a product I sold. I came all the way here to punish them and retrieve the merchandise.”

“O-Okay… I see…”

Once again, Monica had no clue how she was related to this.

As Monica contemplated whether or not to tell Melissa that she might have the wrong house, Melissa sighed as she tore a piece of bread.

“What a harsh world, right. I can’t stand those idiots who tamper with my stuff. Maybe I’ll cut them up and turn them into fertilizer for my garden.”

Despite casually mentioning things that would kill most people’s appetite, Melissa dipped the bread into the rich soup filled with seafood juices and enjoyed it with relish.

“Now that our stomachs are full, let’s move on to shopping.”

“Uh, um, what about retrieving the merchandise…?”

Why had the conversation suddenly shifted to shopping?

Melissa cast her eyes at the perplexed Monica as if she were looking at a clueless child.

“I know there’s an idiot here in Sazandol tampering with my merchandise, but I don’t know where they are. Thus, I have to walk around and investigate. In that case, why not do a bit of shopping along the way?”

Monica swallowed her true feelings along with the bread and timidly asked Melissa, “Um, so… why am I…?”

“Okay then, I’ll take care of the bill. You go ahead and finish the rest of your food.”

“Uh, ah, h-hold on…”

Prompted by the impatient Melissa, Monica hurriedly stuffed the remaining food into her mouth.

＊　＊　＊

Having satisfied her appetite with seafood, Melissa, now craving for shopping, headed toward the street lined with apparel stores.

The petite Monica, who was acting as a guide, seemed to know little about clothing stores. Nevertheless, clothing stores in Sazandol were generally concentrated on the same street, so finding a store wasn’t much of a challenge.

Melissa peeked into a store that sold accessories and grinned.

Indeed, this was Sazandol; there were many accessories with rare stones and unique designs.

Melissa picked up an affordable necklace and placed it around her neck.

“This necklace is so cuuute! Hey, look, see! Isn’t it cute?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Do you want anything? Come on, there’s gotta be something even you can afford with your pocket money.”

Monica responded with a troubled expression and an ambiguous nod, and Melissa frowned at her lack of reaction.

“You’re a dull and unimpressive girl, so at least try to be a bit more stylish.”

“…Um.”

“For a girl your age, there must be at least one or two guys you like, right?”

Monica remained silent, but Melissa didn’t miss the slight tremor in her thin shoulders.

This seemed like an amusing topic to tease, and Melissa, like a cat finding a treat, licked her lips and continued pressing with an excessively sweet, coaxing voice.

“Oh, you have someone, huh? Tell me, tell me, what kind of man is he? Come on, tell your big sis all about it.”

“N-No, I don’t… have anyone I l-like.”

Monica shook her head faintly, eyes cast down.

After placing the accessory back on the shelf, Melissa faced Monica, bent down to meet her gaze, and pinched her cheek with a gentle smile.

“Don’t keep secrets from me, Moni-Moni. How cheeky of you to think you can hide anything.”

“Hyaa!”

“Oh wow, your cheeks are so stretchy. I want to see how far they can go.”

“Pleash shtop!”

Having satisfied her sadistic pleasure as Monica grew teary, Melissa finally released Monica’s cheeks from her grasp.

Monica sniffled, rubbing her red cheeks with her hands.

“So? What’s the deal with your crush?”

“I-I can’t say…”

“Why not?”

Melissa wriggled her hands in a threatening manner in front of Monica.

In response to the silent threat of pinching, the teary-eyed Monica put her hands up to guard.

“Because someone like me is no match for him… I’d be… a bother…”

Monica’s voice continued to wilt, and her gaze dropped even further.

Melissa frowned.

“What? Is he married or something?”

Monica remained silent, simply shaking her head weakly.

“Then does he have a fiancé or a girlfriend?”

Again, Monica shook her head powerlessly.

“Then there’s no problem, right?”

“But, everyone else is just so much better than me…”

Melissa clicked her tongue and prodded Monica’s forehead with her bright red nails.

“Never say things like ‘everyone is so much better than me’. Belittling yourself does nothing aside from allowing others to look down on you. Also, it’s grating on my ears, so I’ll pinch you if you do it again.”

“Eeek…!”

Monica trembled like a small animal under Melissa’s stern scowl.

While Melissa hated Monica’s timidness, she proved to be a girl who moderately satisfied Melissa’s sadistic tendencies.

“Good grief, you can only talk about depressing troubles, huh.”

“…B-But, my love is… I’m sure it would be… bothersome.”

“It’s fine to just be in love. Nothing good comes from deceiving yourself about your feelings.”

Upon hearing those words, Monica lifted her face with a start, looking at Melissa.

Her eyes, with a thin film of tears, had a slightly greenish tint due to the play of light. Those round eyes gazed up at Melissa, as if pleading for forgiveness.

“…Just being in love is… okay?”

“How should I know? Whether it’s okay or not is for you to decide.”

Monica widened her eyes and made a slightly foolish face with her mouth half-open.

Melissa wasn’t offering romantic advice to Monica out of kindness. Whether Monica’s love bore fruit or she experienced a spectacular heartbreak, that didn’t concern Melissa in the least.

However, playing the role of an elder sister and selling her favor couldn’t possibly hurt.

“Also, listen up. This is advice based on the experiences of your big sis Melissa.”

“Y-Yes!”

“If another girl who likes the same guy as you says, ‘no sneaky moves,’ doubt her. She’s definitely going to betray you.”

“Eeek…!”

The way Monica trembled in fright closely resembled a small animal. Her timidness really knew no bounds.

“Oh I know. What you lack is courage. I’ll train your courage starting now, so follow me.”

“W-Where are we, erm, going?”

“When it comes to testing courage, it’s gotta be gambling, of course. It’s fun, profitable, and builds plenty of courage. Three birds with one stone.”

“G-gam, gambling!?”

Without sparing a glance for the wide-eyed Monica, Melissa flipped her rose-colored dress and walked off at a brisk pace.

“Come on, let’s go, Little One!”

“W-wait, please, Onee-san… Onee-san!”

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