***
"So go on, tell me why I'm attractive in your eyes." She was listening with a certain impatience. "I've tried my best to be accommodating—and you're making it difficult for me by being so stubborn and quiet. Are you perhaps embarrassed?"
"Well, I'm not the one who shies away from giving compliments to women, so if you really want to know...I Iike the way you dress. The gothic style is definitely different than what most people wear, but it fits you well. Also, this might seem a bit weird, but your skin color is...very pleasing to the eyes. I love it. Plus, you have gigantic breasts too so it's hard to not be attracted to you as huge natural breasts equals a win," he admitted bluntly after thinking over every detail of her body until now.
It was weird since he was speaking to a stranger, but it felt natural to do so due to alcohol's effect on the mind. Alcohol did wonders, after all.
"My complexion...what do you mean?" She inquired while looking down at herself in bewilderment. She could understand being attracted to her figure, but her skin tone? That was ridiculous. Everyone told her she looked disgusting and terrifying.
Her ghostly pale grey skin had an unusual hue to it—the exact same tone as a white pebble that fell into mud or clay—it was also similar in fact to the flesh of a dead fish that had been left out in the sun all day long, and was also the main reason why everyone was afraid to approach her, not counting her cold attitude.
To them, she looked like a zombie, or a vampire, creatures that brought terror among humans, and while she wasn't any of those two options, she didn't deny either as she was too lazy to argue.
Yet this man was telling her he loved it? That seemed quite ridiculous.
"...Surely you jest. Do I look like a human to you? With this skin color? You're making fun of me now, it's dirty. Go and fetch me another beer. I would much rather drink than listen to the bullshit you spout."
"Not at all. In fact...it makes you more beautiful. I think it fits your whole cold persona. If you were a character in a novel for example, with a few illustrations, fans would dig you for sure. A cold beauty everyone's afraid of, until finally, she meets someone that isn't afraid of her and warms up to him. It's a popular cliche that people all around the world love."
When being drunk, Yomite usually said whatever was on his mind...this time, even going as far as to imagine Rosaria as a character in a book he was reviewing...
Well, he was telling the truth at least.
"..."
Rosaria's eyes widened slightly before returning to their usual lifeless stare.
"...You're joking...aren't you? I'm like a zombie, or a vampire from those old stories to scare children who do not listen to their parents... There's nothing 'nice' about my appearance, got it?"
Yomite couldn't help but smile back at her, "I promise, I'm not joking, if I didn't already have women I love, and didn't put a certain set of rules for myself to not go overboard with collecting women, I may have already asked you out on a date right now. I'm quite interested in you if we go by looks only. You're indeed as gorgeous as you've said."
"..."
Rosaria said nothing else.
"Oh, collecting women...that does sound a bit iffy..." He just realized.
There was something off about the way she looked at him. It was as though she was trying to hide her expressions through the restlessness of her facial muscles.
"What? Are you upset? Rosaria?"
"..."
"...Rosaria?"
"..."
Rosaria slowly took her hand off of his shoulder and turned her face away while whispering quietly, "Don't be stupid..."
He noticed her shoulders shudder after her quiet comment and her face turned red as a tomato—but she still remained expressionless as ever, though there was now the slightest of blushes visible on her pale cheeks.
"I'm only telling you the truth."
"You're...you're...so unbelievably...!" She seemed to be mumbling something under her breath again; either way, he couldn't hear what it was.
She stared at him with dead eyes and a scowl that seemed to express disgust for his very existence.
A scowl that screamed, 'this guy is an idiot with no common sense and wants to die horribly.'
And yet, her gaze was also filled with a hesitation, a bit of uncertainty regarding what he just said.
Was it possible that she was actually considering his words?
Was he not lying to her about her hideous skin? Could he actually like it? What was his goal?
"How...How dare you...How dare you say such words to me..."
"They're nothing to be ashamed of, you know? I'm just stating the facts. I think you're truly gorgeous and I find you attractive. I don't think anyone should have a problem saying someone's beautiful when they feel that way. At least I don't find it embarrassing."
Yomite wondered what this woman felt inside since he never got to see any genuine emotions out of her until now; this wasn't normal at all. She must have had some sort of trauma that turned her emotionless.
A half of him didn't feel like listening to anyone's backstory, but the other half of him, the book reviewer half that emerged on the surface was greatly interested in her as a character with potential for further character growth.
To others, Rosaria always had that stiff mask of a face with no emotion to it, yet he could tell how surprised she really was at hearing that compliment and confession just now.
Her ears turned scarlet and her lips quivered unnaturally, and she bit them softly several times upon realizing it.
It was so strange. It was so different from how she usually acted.
'Am I stupid? Why is my body reacting this way?' Rosaria wondered as her heart pounded within her chest.
She had never been attracted to anyone before and certainly never felt any physical reactions towards anyone, yet when she touched his shoulder earlier, and received those pleasant compliments, she suddenly felt a deep warmth from this man.
"You don't need to be embarrassed. You're absolutely stunning." He continued.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, you idiot! I'm telling you to stop talking to me you jerk!" she shouted, her voice reverberating throughout the pub, instantly silencing everyone.
Rosaria covered her face with both of her hands. Her face was so bright red it seemed as if it was never grey to begin with.
Why did he have to say that? How was he able to say something like that without feeling embarrassed?
"Nah, you're wrong. I think you're extremely attractive. In fact, I think you're one of the prettiest women I've ever seen."
"..."
There it was. The finishing blow.
His attempt to push her buttons had worked perfectly.
This was exactly what he was hoping for. It was clear he was doing everything to get her flustered and irritated, thus giving him the chance to tease her further—which he happily accepted with his next words, "You look good in black, I like that gothic nun look. Maybe you'd look even better naked?"
".....Shameless...bastard..." she murmured quietly.
There seemed to be so much hidden behind those dead fish eyes of hers that one wouldn't know unless they saw it themselves firsthand.
"Nah, but for real. I'm really curious about your skin. Is it just a part of your skin that's so beautifully grey, or is your whole body made up of that shade?"
"....!!"
She could barely believe what she was hearing. This man was truly shameless and he clearly enjoyed teasing her as much as he could.
However...Being treated as a woman for the first time in her twenty-four years of life made her heart pound as fast as a rabbit's running pace for some reason.
"Umm, you look rather red, are you okay? Rosaria? Should I get you more beer? Or do you like wine more? I doubt a few compliments could make you feel something, right?"
"...Just die already!"
Rosaria swiftly stood up, ran downstairs, paid for all of the alcohol herself and left the pub without saying another word.
The drunkards downstairs looked at each other in disbelief, as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Was is truly 'that' Rosaria...?"
"I've never seen her so flustered....I wonder what happened. She's usually so quiet..."
"It seems like she was on the verge of tears..."
Yomite looked down and waved at the people.
'...Woah, I didn't think anyone could get embarrassed enough like this...much less her. I barely even spoke a few sentences...and she completely broke down and ran away... I shouldn't have gone so far with my teasing...well, at least she paid for the alcohol. That's good manners alright. She's a good person. Anyway...I went overboard asking her to strip naked. Stupid alcohol.'
He kept on forgetting that women of this world were very different from those in the modern era. They were weak and fragile creatures, that would get embarrassed at the slightest hint of physical contact or pleasantry.
Rosaria was wild and cold, yet she was still a woman, and Yomite had unintentionally crossed a line that made her show an emotion she never felt.
The harem archetype of the hero from another world, gathering women around himself without any trouble and having sex with them whenever he pleased, did fit him perfectly after all.
