I returned to the boys with the fruits I had collected.

"Ahaha! Splendid! Ye brought more food for us!" Magni shouted in praise.

“I wanna eat! I wanna eat!” Modi chanted like a child.

“But you’ve just eaten,” I said.

“I don’t care! I’m hungry again!” Modi said, drooling with anticipation.

“Okay, then I guess it’s time for lesson two on manners,” I said.

“Huh!? There’s more to this manners thing?!” Magni and Modi exclaimed simultaneously in shock.

I felt Horsey chuckling at the brothers' reaction.

“Well, Horsey, this applies to you too,” I said, to which Horsey responded with a feeling of surprise.

“Last time, I taught you boys how to say thank you. This time, when you ask for something, what do you think you're supposed to say?”

“Give us the food?” Magni guessed.

“Wrong,” I replied.

“Give us the food... now?” Modi tried.

“Wrong again.”

Then I got a feeling from Horsey, “Give me the food or I’ll die from starvation.”

“Oh shut it, Horsey! Don’t try to guilt-trip me; you’ll be fine since you’ll never go hungry!”

“Then what do we say?” Modi asked.

“Simple, all you have to say is ‘please.’”

“Please?” Both Magni and Modi tilted their heads in confusion.

I sensed Horsey’s confusion as well.

“NO! IT’S NOT THE SAME WORD AS TRYING TO SEXUALLY PLEASE SOMEONE!”

That horse! I felt like he was getting wilder since I could communicate with him internally.

“Anyway, ‘please’ is just a kind and polite way to ask for something, like this: ‘Can I have a fruit, please?’”

“Is that how we’re meant to say it?” Magni asked.

“Exactly. It’s easy, right?” I smiled at them.

“Yeah, it’s very easy and quick. ‘Thank you’ is two words, but this one is only one, so I like it!” Magni said.

What a bizarre way of thinking.

“Then, Headless Knight, can I eat some fruits, please? I’m hungry, please,” Modi said.

“Ah, Modi, once you say ‘please’ you don’t have to repeat it.”

"Ye mean we only have to say it once and never have to say it again fer the rest o' our lives?! By my father’s hammer, I love this word! Ten times better than sayin' thank you!" Magni said ecstatically.

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“No-no, Magni, that’s not what I mean but—oh well, you guys are really trying. Why don’t we just dig in?” I said, too tired to continue the lesson.

Suddenly, a rotten, ugly-looking fruit dropped on the ground, catching everyone’s attention.

“That fruit looks hideous!” Magni screamed.

"Aye, but weren't ye the one who said it's not about what the food looks like, but how it tastes?" Modi reminded him.

“You’re right, but just look at that! I feel like gagging just from looking at it,” Magni expressed.

“You’re asking why I picked that fruit? Well, remember when Magni and Modi said food doesn’t rot or spoil in this realm, so I thought it was fine and wanted to show it to you guys to double-check,” I explained to Horsey.

But why did it drop on the floor? I’m sure I wrapped it properly with several leaves. Hmm, let me double-check...

Huh? Each leaf I used to wrap the ugly fruit has holes in it. But how? Maybe I didn’t check if any of them had holes, but still, what are the chances they all had holes?

“Ugh! I’m so hungry! I don’t care anymore! Modi, pass me that fruit on the ground.”

“Huh? There’s no way I’m touching such an abomination! And I don’t think ye should eat that,” Modi said with concern.

“Why? Ye already know that food in this realm doesn’t spoil, so what are ye worried about? Don’t tell me ye think that? Especially swearin' upon our fathers' names?” Magni said.

“No-no, of course I still believe that, but how do ye still get an appetite for eating that?” Modi said, puzzled.

“Like I always say, it’s not about what the food looks like but how it tastes!” Magni said, picking up the fruit from the ground, and chucking the whole thing in his mouth, and began chewing.

“Hmm? This one ain’t half bad. It’s very tangy and super bitter, something ye would want to spit out, but other than that, it’s not bad.”

What the—This guy just practically described it being awful but still proceeds to say it’s ‘not half bad.’

As the atmosphere became extremely quiet, the only thing you could hear was the sound of Magni's loud chewing.

GULP!

That was it! The sound everyone was waiting for! He swallowed it. Will he still be fine? What’s the worst that can happen after all they did say that no food spoils in this realm?

“Ye guys are worrywarts. See? Nothin' happened, I’m fine, but I wouldn’t eat a fruit like that ag-”

Instantly, Magni dropped to his knees, moaning and groaning.

“MAGNIII!!!!” I screamed out in terror.

“Older brother! Older brother! Say somethin' if ye’re alright! Older brother!” Modi called out to his brother desperately, sweatin' profusely.

Then I received a feeling from Horsey, which was a smart idea!

“Magni, Horsey said try to vomit it out! Put your hand down your throat, it’ll force you to vomit!”

But Magni ignored me, too busy with the pain, rolling on the ground and beating his fist in the ground as he let out scary yells, making the stars above go frantic, and the moon began sweating in fear, attempting to hide behind the rainbow.

“I told ye not to eat that, brother! Ye can’t die, or will we become a hundred times stronger than father!” Modi said, fear grippin' him.

Suddenly, Magni’s outburst halted, just lying face down, being dead quiet for seconds.

“Don’t say that, Horsey! You’ll jinx it!”

Suddenly, there’s low pitch mutterings coming from Magni, which we can’t hear.

“Kekeke....”

The sound began to be more clear.

“What’s happening to him? All he did was eat the fruit, or does the fruit do something else to ye?” as I thought out loud.

“Kekeke—Hahahahaah!”

Laughter? Is that Magni laughing? Or is it the fruit?

Suddenly, Magni got back up on his feet, filled with laughter, holding his ribs.

“Hahahaha! Ye guys fell for it! Ye really thought I died! Hahaha! Ye should’ve seen yer faces!” Magni revealed that the whole outburst was just an act.

“Real funny, Magni,” I said, disappointedly.

“Huh?! Don’t say that, Horsey! I know that pissed you off, but it doesn’t mean you should actually wish he died instead?!”

“Nope, he should’ve died,” Modi agreed with Horsey.

“Not you too?”

“Oh, yer fibbin', if I really died, ye’d start cryin' for yer ‘older brother,’ right Modi?” Magni said, mockin' Modi for his reaction earlier.

“C’mon Magni, that’s not nice, your younger brother was really scared for you! You can’t be pulling jokes like that! Is very immature!” I scolded.

“It was just a harmless joke, no need to start cryin', right, my younger brother?” Magni continued to mock.

Immediately, Modi turned to the fruits and began gobbling them.

“Hey! Don’t finish them! I still want more,” Magni said.

“Nope, ye should be full,” Modi said.

“And you don’t deserve any after pulling a stunt like that,” I said.

“Oh c’mon guys, I was just tryin' to prove a point that that fruit was harmless and nothin' in this realm really spoils.”