After enjoying a lovely meal with everyone, I had proudly put my fork aside with my stomach filled to the brim. In truth, I have no clue what the hell D even served me. All I know is thst it's extremely tasty, and that the recipe hails from Simpleton according to the accent he had when pronouncing the dish's name.

"Simply delectable." I nodded, "This food, D, you've really outdone yourself."

"Verily, D's cooking is second to none." Beth agreed with me.

"Pff..."

"Oi, why're you laughing now?"

"S-Sorry, it's just..." I had to actively look away so as not to burst out laughing in front of her face, "Your clothes are...!"

Normal, in quite literally every sense of the word. Obviously, D wouldn't embarrass Beth by making her wear something weird, and even Beth herself knows very well how to look stylish. So then, I hear you ask, what's got me laughing so hard at her?

"What? Spit it out! What's up with my clothes?" She got more and more pouty.

"Sorry, but just taking one good look at you wearing this leisurely fabric as you're seated right next to the scratched up D like you did nothing wrong has been making me giggle the entire time. You really did a number on him and didn't apologize even once, huh?"

"You're a weird guy, mister." She grumbled as she put one elbow on the tabletop, "Laughing at other people's relationships, as if you know how you are and aren't supposed to treat him better than I do."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" D inquired as he carefully removed her elbow from the table, warning her offhandedly that that's considered bad manners.

"You know what I mean, D!" She explained herself, "You tell me to do something I don't wanna, we bicker, I playfully scratch you up a bit and you get your way. It's how we've always done things, so why should I apologize for it, right?"

"Hell no." D replied as a matter of fact.

"...Eh?"

"What in the Gods' Green world do you find normal about that? Did you seriously think I never wanted you to apologize for all the scratches I had to treat over the years?"

"W-Well, that's... H-Ha-ha, oh D, trying to embarrass me in front of our guests, are you? Ever the trickster!"

"It's exactly because we have guests over that I hope I'll be able to get through to you." D got up to take everyone's plates, "You're immature and childish, and I think you think that that way of acting is justified for whatever reason. I'm very happy that you figured out a system that makes your job easier, but that really doesn't translate well at all into any other spheres in your life."

"Oh boy, D's mad again..." Bia sighed.

"He's kinda right, though." The boys quietly sided with him in the end, "Beth is acting like we are, even though she's way older."

"Wha-!? Traitors!" Beth angrily ruffled both their heads of hair, "Haha, but you kiddos said you liked me like this, so what's the big idea all of a sudden!?"

"Well, we do, but..." Rex scratched his cheek, "Not when D's getting hurt."

"Yeah, mom and dad also had some things to say regarding your behavior." Cybe finished her off with a nasty blow, "I dunno, I guess at times you kinda come off as... annoying?"

"Huh? Me, annoying?" Beth couldn't help but laugh in their faces before turning to us out of desperation, "Mister, missus, do you guys hear what they're saying?! Seriously, I come visit them out of the goodness of my heart, and they treat me like this in front of my friends, what's up with that? Come on, let's get going already."

"Hold on, we're friends now?" I raised an Eyebrow.

"Dear!" Cecily scolded me, but I continued nonetheless.

"Beth, let's get one thing straight - We're strictly operating under a client/driver relationship. Please don't misunderstand, we're not about to butt into your family's affairs."

"Oof, that's so mean, mister... How can you even say such harsh and cruel words?"

"Because I want you to understand how the world works." I continued, "I've said it before, but you really do remind me of my daughter at times."

"Your daughter?"

"As a kid, she was very bright, and very bubbly, but she lacked that sense of responsibility." I shook my head, "Nelly could accomplish anything she set her mind to, but at times I had to wonder if the reason she was doing all those impressive things was justified in any way. If I had to put it bluntly, it's her one flaw."

Nelly, I seem to be thinking about her more and more as time goes on. Neither she nor Meil have said anything about coming over to visit, and have made zero efforts to invite us over to Simpleton either. I'm unsure if there's a reason for this or if they just simply forgot about us, but both options seem equally as scary to me. Does my very own daughter not feel obligated to come by every once in a while, if not for me, whom she thinks dead, then at least her poor worried mother and brother. No, ever since we gave her the idea to enroll in University, the only topic that ever came out of it was "Marry Meil this" and "Have his kids that". It was funny to tease her over it as a kid, but she never changed even now that she's grown up. Frankly, and I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm disgusted by my own daughter's ideas at times.

"That's cool, but what's that got to do with me?" Beth totally zoned me out.

"It's cause I'm worried about her." I said truthfully, "And I don't want my daughter to ever end up like you."

"Oh!" She heard something she didn't like, slamming her fists on the table before retreating back to her room, "Is that the case, huh!? I'm that bad, am I!? Then fuck you! Find someone else to take you to the dock, cause I quit!"

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"Beth! Oi, Beth!" D called her down to no avail.

"Lune, just what were you thinking?" Cecily berated me, "Why did you hurt Beth like that? It's one thing to lecture her, but this? ...It's too much!"

"On the contrary, it wasn't nearly enough." I politely disagreed, "Though, I held back because, as I said, we're not friends."

"Sigh, sorry, I'll go call her down and make her finish the job you assigned her." D couldn't stop apologizing, "She can't keep getting away with this. Acting like a child is one thing, but jeopardizing your own travels is a completely different issue altogether. Please, I hope you can overlook this."

"Hey, my husband said some horrible things about her, so why aren't you mad?" Cecily turned to him, "Anyone would react the exact same way if they were told such hurtful things, so she's not at all at fault."

"For storming off? Definitely, she's justified." D sighed, "But your husband also only said what she needed to hear. If she had any semblance of responsibility or shame, she would have gotten mad, threw some swear words around, and stormed out of the room if need be, but she never would have left her job unfinished. That attitude might get her in trouble in the future, especially with how dangerous some clients can get."

"It's why D started working at the dock, even though it's so far away." The kids revealed as well, "He wanted to be close to her and keep her safe if she ever needed help."

"That's... very nice of you." I was at a loss for words, "It's just not the same if a person is in trouble alone in comparison to having even one familiar face on standby."

"Indeed, that's what I wanted her to realize as well." D slumped forward, "She's a good girl, but she's way too childish. I'm afraid that one day, when someone close to her needs her the most, she won't even offer a helping hand. That's what scares me, and Lune perfectly put that feeling of dread into words so that even someone as irresponsible as her could feel a tinge of regret in her heart."

Beth, Nelly, the difference between these two girls is so miniscule at times. In truth, I way overstepped my boundaries. I shouldn't have said what I said to someone as fragile as her just now. Gods know she was already under enough stress from the others telling her off, so my words were totally overkill. But in that moment, I didn't see Beth at all. It was as if I wasn't talking to her, but to an adult Nelly. A Nelly that stuck to her convictions. A Nelly that kept chasing after Meil...

"We'll be leaving now." I put my hand out for farewells, "I'd like to humbly apologize for startling her. I probably caused you guys a ton of problems from now on, and I wish we could stay to help, but I think I'll only end up causing her more pain."

"No, that's not it. Rather, you shouldn't let her quit as your driver." D refused to shake my hand, "You're not at fault here. She is, so please wait while I...!"

"Let her be, please." I stopped him, "She took us this far, she deserves some rest. We really don't mind calling another wagon driver over to take us the rest of the way, especially since it's not that far off. If you're worried about the pay, I'd also like to atone in a way with this. I know it's not much, but she deserves it."

"P-Put that back, Lune!" D stopped me from taking out 5 gold coins out of my wallet, "If you keep indulging her like this, she'll never learn her lesson!"

"No, this embarrassmnet already left a deep enough wound - In here." I pointed to my own heart, "But a job well done is a job well done, and I can't argue that she went above and beyond to take us across the country for a fair price. Besides, this way, we only ended up barging into your house and eating your food, so in a way it's also compensation for that as well."

"Honestly." Cecily pouted, "You owe them 10 after this display, dear. Scratch that, even it out and make it a hundred!"

"Hey now, even I'm not made of gold..." I chuckled, "But yeah, with this you at least know both Cecily's and my stance on this matter. It's not up for debate, so please take..."

"I'm not taking it!" He shouted, his voice quivering with distress, "She can take it herself once she smartens up and comes down here to drive you home!"

"....."

"You hear that, Beth!?" He looked up to shout towards her room, "I'm not helping you out this time! Do your job and get paid, otherwise don't go throwing a tantrum!"

"...Then, were sorry for intruding." I genuinely felt sick after ruining this poor family's day, "Please, let her collect her thoughts and above all, let bygones be bygones. You'll see, she'll learn from this experience, but not overnight."

"Haah, haah... Mn, yeah." He finally calmed down as well as he escorted us to the front door, "Thank you for this. I know you may think of yourself as the bad guy here, but you really did me a favor, Lune. For that, I am eternally grateful."

Sticking his hand out in front of me for that handshake he still owed me, I almost fainted just from the guilt alone. Still, I gulped and returned then handshake. Like a proper adult would...

"...Oi!" He got mad once he realized I snuck in the 5 gold coins into his hand, "I can't accept this! Wait, Lune! Get back here!"

"Run, run, run!" I hurried Cecily along as we booked it to the nearest wagon station, "Come on, it's childish, but it's the only way I could get him to accept the damned payment!"

Ugh, now I'm a hypocrite as well, it seems. First I attack a random teen who helped take us to my family for acting childish, and then I go ahead and pull the oldest trick in the book regarding childish tactics. Geez, I really am the worst... But she started it!