Questions

"Ohhh, there's a thin rod of carbon inside. Ah… Damien… I-I think I… I broke it…" Theo stammered, looking as if the world had just ended after snapping a piece of lead.

"Haha, it's okay! These are easy to break. I have plenty more right here, and even the one you just broke is only snapped in half—you can still use it," Damien explained, shaking the container of lead refills to show how many were left before handing it back to Theo.

"Wow, you're right! There are so many thin carbon rods that are all the same size… Such incredible craftsmanship."

"Craftsmanship… well, not exactly. I'm not completely sure myself, but machines… you know, like the ones I showed you before on my smartphone, the ones that make cars, they probably make these automatically too," Damien said, not entirely confident in his explanation.

"Whaaat?! Those machines that make cars can also make this? Earth technology is truly amazing!" Theo exclaimed in awe.

Even with Damien's hasty explanation, Theo listened intently, looking deeply impressed. It was clear he had completely misunderstood, but Damien wasn't quite sure how to correct him.

"Uh, well, even though they're both machines, the ones that make cars are quite different… Cars are for transportation, while the machine that makes mechanical pencil leads doesn't move at all…" Damien attempted, but his explanation was all over the place. He tried to take a breath and drink some tea, hoping to gather his thoughts—but his cup was already empty.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'll prepare some fresh tea right away…" Theo started, lifting his hand as if he was about to call Sebas for assistance, but then paused.

"...Is something wrong?" Damien asked, noticing Theo's hesitation.

"...Damien, I apologize if this is rude, but would it be alright to continue with the tea that's already in the pot, even though it's cooled down?" Theo asked, looking almost pained by his own question.

There was still tea left in the pot, and Damien didn't mind drinking it. But he couldn't understand why Theo looked so troubled over something so small. Why didn't he just call Sebas?

"There's something I want to ask you while Sebas isn't around, Damien…" Theo added quietly.

Ah, the real reason.

———

Damien hesitated for a moment, but realized that whatever Theo wanted to discuss, he'd have to talk about it eventually. He agreed, and Theo personally poured him some tea. It was indeed cold, but still perfectly drinkable.

"So… what is it you want to ask me?" Damien asked, feeling slightly uneasy. He had thought that after Theo's confessions about the lie-detection spell and overhearing Damien's breakdown the previous night, today's tea party would be over. But clearly, Theo had something more on his mind.

What could it be? Damien was prepared to answer most questions, but if Theo suddenly asked something like, "Can I cut off one of your arms?"—he wouldn't know what to do. Despite being a kind person, Theo's odd obsession with certain things was still unsettling.