I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Shall We Resume the Experiment?

When her parents died, when she was betrayed by a friend, when she abandoned her brother and fled—her mind had been shattered again and again, to the point where she couldn’t survive without cursing someone.

She was going mad, but she didn’t realize it herself.

“Pia, you come and get yours too.”

After all the children had received their meal, Lian called out to Pia with a smile. Pia contorted the corners of her mouth into a smile as she took a plate to get her food.

“If you don’t like the salad, try it between the bread. It’s quite tasty that way.”

Pia felt her insides twist every time she saw Lian’s naive smile. There was an indescribable sense of alienation, something intangible that she couldn’t have but Lian effortlessly did.

She fidgeted with the fork that came with her plate, Lian’s nape entering her vision. An inexplicable impulse echoed in her head.

“Lily is sitting over there.”

“Ah, thanks.”

The murderous intent dissipated upon hearing Lily’s name.

“My brother, my dear brother.”

Pia walked over to Lily with the plate in her hand.

“Ew, this tastes weird.”

Lily was scowling as she grudgingly ate her salad. Even though she wanted to be picky, her memories of being hungry for a long time meant she couldn’t easily leave food uneaten.

‘I have to help her!’

With a radiant smile, Pia made her way over to Lily. Just then, a fork darted down onto Lily’s plate.

“Yum.”

“Huh? That was mine?”

Lily looked up in confusion at the person who had taken some of her salad. Pia stopped dead in her tracks and followed Lily’s gaze. Nero was munching on the salad with his cheeks faintly blushing.

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“…Want to swap it with some meat if you don’t like it?”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, but I can’t give you much.”

“Okay! Thank you!”

Lily beamed with joy, and Nero watched her with wide eyes, rolling his pupils in amazement. His cheeks were adorably flushed. After Lily gave all her salad away, Nero handed her three pieces of his meat.

“Oh? Me too!”

Another child seated next to Nero poked their fork at Nero’s plate. Nero quickly pulled his plate away and said,

“No!”
T h is wa s c o p i ed f r o m k i n g m t l .o r g

“Why not?”

“…Because this is enough for me!”

Nero started to gobble down the salad. Pia watched him with an empty gaze. At that moment, a concerned voice reached her.

“Pia, are you okay?”

“Eh..?”

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“Your hand is all pale.”

Noah, who had come to get his meal a little late, pointed at her hand. Only then did Pia realize she was gripping her fork so tight that the plate was trembling.

“Ah -.. Maybe I’m shaking because I’m hungry.”

“Really? Should I ask Lian for some more for you?”

Pia silently watched Noah and thought.

‘Opportunist.’

She recalled a term she had learned in her affluent days and smiled.

“Thanks for worrying, but it’s better if I eat quickly.”

“Yeah? Then let’s hurry and sit down.”

Noah headed towards where Lily and Nero were sitting.
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“Huh? Nero, why did you get so much salad?”
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“Uh, well…because I wanted to eat it…”

“You don’t like vegetables -..”

“I do! I just grew to like them, that’s all!”

“Is that so?”

Noah tilted his head, puzzled, and sat opposite Nero.

“Then should I give you mine?”

“No, this is enough for me.”

Pia sat across from Lily and turned her gaze toward Nero, her hand trembling as she held a fork. The impulse surged again.

Her emotions ran wild, like a train with broken brakes. This time, unlike before, she couldn’t contain her cruel urges. The moment she rose from her seat, her hand white from gripping the fork so tightly,

“Anyone wants more salad? There’s quite a bit left over.”

“Ah, Nero was -..”

“No, I’m fine! I’m full!”

As Lian approached carrying a bowl of salad, the tense atmosphere dissolved, and Pia slumped back into her seat.

“Pia, want some?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Pia declined with a smile, taking shallow breaths to calm her excitement.

Thump.

“…?”

Her plan to cool down by stuffing her mouth with the cold salad failed the moment she tried to skewer a piece of vegetable, and it slid off the plate slick with dressing.

Opting for a better route, she pierced a salad with a fork and brought it toward her mouth.

Clatter.

The vegetables tumbled down onto the plate right in front of her open mouth. Her fumbling with the fork resembled that of a child, and Noah approached to offer help.

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“Do you need another fork to eat?”

“No, it’s alright.”

With barely a curve to her smile, Pia wielded the fork fiercely, but the salad proved elusive and vegetables dropped outside the plate from her rough handling.

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“Phew, huh…”

Unable to consume even a single piece of salad, Pia eventually shifted her target and picked up some meat with the fork. This time it was picked up without trouble.

For a reason unknown to her, a sense of triumph surged from deep within. The very moment she put the meat in her mouth and started to chew,

“Pfft!”

She choked.

“Cough, hack hack!”

As Pia coughed, tears welling in her eyes, Noah stroked her back with a worried gaze.

“Are you okay?”

“Cough, yeah… thanks.”

Pia managed to offer gratitude through gritted teeth. After much suffering, she finally finished her meal.

***

Since Lania’s visit, Mia had not conducted experiments for over a week. She was too busy casting an unknown spell throughout the house. She also seemed to have business outside, as her outings became more frequent.

Thanks to that, I had spare time on my hands. During that free time, I helped Noah educate the children.

“This is 1, and this is 2.”

Starting with simple counting.

“We have to be very careful with fire. And knives even more so because they can hurt us if used wrongly.”

We taught them various things, including simple cooking methods.

‘There’s so much to teach because the kids know so little.’

Noah was instructing them on proper speech and reading and writing. Once they acquired some language skills, Pia started teaching them manners.

Though Pia seemed reluctant to teach the children, she began doing so properly after Lily expressed a desire to learn with the others.

Classes were held in the dining room or any available room, and today, Noah and I were teaching the children in the dining room. With a more relaxed approach, we handed out paper and asked the kids to draw whatever they wanted.

The paper, castoff sheets from Mia deemed okay to use, now bore the children’s drawings.

The pens the children were using had been provided by Mia.

When Lania had visited, she had been so pleased with the cookies and juice prepared that she said the children could ask for anything they wanted. So, I had requested pens suitable for the children to use.

Perhaps because I asked specifically for pens the children could use, I managed to receive one for each child.

Scribble scribble.

The children diligently drew their pictures, lips pressed tightly together.

“Feels peaceful, huh?”

“…Yeah, it does.”

With nothing else to do, Noah and I blankly watched the children and chatted softly.

“The kids seem to catch on faster than I thought.”
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“I agree. I was surprised too.”

“Once they speak a bit more, I’d like to read them fairy tales… I’m considering making some.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!”

Noah’s mention of fairy tales made me think back to the fairy tale books in the comedy world.

‘…In the comedy world, fairy tale books were often used as summoning or prophetic texts.’

Kids innocently utter, “The dinosaur appears,” and a real dinosaur appears, smashing the city. The ground shakes, and the kids’ bodies float up and down without them even registering, focused instead on reading the fairy tale.

After finishing the book, the teacher says “Well done!” with a smile or the kids cling to the teacher’s side and run away. Generally, it’s safer to be beside a teacher who says, “Well done!”

‘Maybe I shouldn’t help.’

Fearing the possibility of a dreadful accident, I held back my desire to assist the children.

“I’m a little worried because I don’t have many memories to draw from.”

“How about making it with the kids? Have them come up with the story themselves.”

“…! That’s a brilliant idea!”

Flattered by Noah’s praise, I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders, and Noah smiled back at me.

“Bro! I’m all done!”

Amidst our exchange, Nero’s cheerful voice broke through. Nero showed off his clumsy drawing filled with circles and lines.

“This is you, this is me, and this is Brother Lian!”

“And this is?”

Noah pointed to the character drawn with a skirt and a flower on its head, and Nero blushed and muttered.
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“That’s…a secret.”

At that, Noah’s mouth hung open in a look of shock.

“Noah, you just thought, ‘My brother has secrets from me?!’ didn’t you?”

“…! How did you know?”
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Noah turned to me, his face a mix of confusion. It was amusing how ‘SHOCKED’ was practically written across his face.

“Well, it’s written all over your face.”

“What? Really?”

Flustered, Noah began to feel his own face, and both Nero and I burst into laughter.

“Pfff, haha! I meant…it’s really obvious from your expression.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant.”

Noah reddened to the tips of his ears and glanced away.

“Bro, I’m done too! Here!”

“Me too! Here!”

Children who had just begun to learn formal speech ran over, holding up their drawings. The kitchen was filled with an uncomfortably peaceful air.

***

“Phew…I can finish the rest later.”

Mia checked the state of the protective magic around the mansion several times before heading towards the research lab.

“Now then…shall we resume the experiment?”