What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?

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But she also felt that it wasn't right to always stand by and watch someone die, and after looking around for a while, she suddenly spotted... a couple feeding each other a bowl of Mercury pudding not far away, which made her lightly clench her fists and say:

"I heard this country was very rich, but it turns out they can't even afford one pudding per person, and they're still so considerate of each other... Rumors are really just lies. We clearly have enough money to have one each. Hmm... Thinking about our lives this way, even if we can't eat dessert every day, it's actually not so bad, right?"

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(PS: I've been forgetting to ask for monthly votes. I'm asking for some monthly votes and razor blades at the beginning of the month~~)

The Burial of Frilian: The Officially Beginning Journey: Chapter Thirty-Two: Frilian's Cognitive Bias, Frilian's Benefits, and the "Mother and Daughter" Turn Against Each Other?

Frilian's sudden realization startled Yubel, who was standing nearby, and even Ash and Philon, who knew her well, had strange expressions.

"If someone else said that, I would definitely think they were trying to change the subject..." Ash sighed easily, rubbing his forehead with one hand. "But you..."

"What are you talking about?" Frillie asked, puzzled. Seeing that he seemed hesitant to explain, she simply stopped asking and raised her hand, saying, "Boss! Five servings of Mercury Pudding, please!"

"Oh, five portions, right? Just a moment!"

The manager behind the bar didn't think much of it and soon brought them five plates of pudding.

Looking at the extra portion, Philen hesitated and said, "...Lady Frilian, are you going to eat two by yourself? Surely not...?"

"What are you talking about?" Frillie shook her head helplessly, picked up the extra portion, and walked over to the couple.

The movement was so fast that Philon didn't even have time to stop it, and could only look to Ash for help.

But what could he do? He could only silently move the chair to the side to avoid people thinking he knew Frillian.

"—Lord Ash?!" Philon grabbed his wrist, his face filled with disbelief. He hadn't expected Ash to abandon Freyren so easily. His gaze, looking up at Philon, seemed to be trying to awaken his conscience toward his friend.

That look made him hesitate for a moment, and then—he simply grabbed Philon's chair and pulled him and the chair to his side.

Following the momentum from below, Philon, who was about to fall on top of him, ended up lying down beside him.

This startled Philon, who unconsciously raised her slightly flushed face and looked at him hesitantly for a while, then pouted like a child and murmured, "Lord Ash... what are you doing?"

"I just wanted to prevent you from being seen as a weirdo."

"I've been with you guys for so many years, haven't I been misunderstood enough?"

"Don't give up, Philon! You have a long life ahead of you."

"...Shouldn't you be trying to correct this at this point to prevent me from being misunderstood again?"

What seemed like a commonplace encouragement made Philon's expression turn quite strange, and she couldn't help but lightly punch his chest with her little fist.

Although he didn't exert any force at all, and was simply expressing his dissatisfaction, Ash still seemed somewhat helpless: "I'm actively reflecting on my actions, but right now it's clear that Frilian's situation is worse."

"...Lady Frillian, I will speak to her properly later. Please do your best as well."

"Hmm... I will try my best."

"Why don't you look at me when you talk? What kind of effort is that?"

........

He abruptly turned his head away, letting Philen talk, while he drifted off into his own thoughts, letting the girl's words go in one ear and out the other.

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Not long after, Frillie, who had kindly brought the pudding, sat back down.

But she seemed oblivious to the sight of Philon almost leaning on Ash, playfully punching him like a affectionate lover; instead, she stroked her chin, a puzzled expression on her face.

"...How strange..."

"Lady Frilian, what's so strange?" Philon paused her attack on Ash, who was pretending to be stupid and ignoring her, and looked at her with confusion.

"Those two people's expressions are off; they seem to have become strange. Sure enough..."

"—Does Lady Frillian understand?" A look of surprise appeared on Philon's face.

"...What are you talking about? I'm not stupid. Although I might be a little slow, I understand, but at least I can tell from that expression." Frillie pursed her lips unhappily, then looked at Ash with distress, seeking help:

"Ash, I think I hurt that boy's pride. What should I do?"

"Uh... how so?" Even Ash was bewildered by the completely unrelated statement.

"The teacher said that when boys get angry for no reason, it's often because they've lost face in front of girls, but women rarely notice this because it's a difference in how men and women are emotionally."

“Volamei often talks nonsense, but he’s right this time…” He calmly straightened Philon, then sighed with a helpless expression, “However, Frilian… the scenario you’re using is a little off.”

"Isn't that right? What's going on? What's the problem?" Frillie frowned. "Isn't it because I gave them pudding that the boy felt his self-esteem was hurt in front of the girl?"

"Is it possible... that they actually enjoy this situation?"

"So... finding joy in suffering?" Frilian instantly understood and nodded thoughtfully, "Indeed, hardship can enhance the various feelings between people."

"That's true! But it's not like that at all now!"

"Don't you want to listen to what you're saying?"

"...Of course I know what I'm saying! You just don't understand the situation right now!" Even Ash couldn't help but sigh at this point.

"Please don't jump to conclusions and then act like you know it all too well. What I mean is that while eating together might sometimes indicate a lack of money, it's mostly something we do when we have a really good relationship, and it can actually strengthen our bond... Do you understand now?"

"Now I understand! I was wondering why adults always feed children; there's a deeper meaning behind it all." Hearing this, Frilian suddenly understood and looked at Philen, scooping up a spoonful of pudding and smiling as she handed it to her: "Here, Philen, let's eat together!"

"...Lady Frillian, you don't think of me as some kind of child who needs to be fed, do you?"

"No, that's not it. I just want to get closer to Philon."

"I don't want to do this in public... It's embarrassing, isn't it?" Philon looked at Frilian's expectant face, his expression full of trouble: "Even if I did this, I would still say what I needed to say."

Now, Frillie, who already harbored this intention, fell silent, and then she simply reached for Ash with her spoon:

"Ash...do you want some?"

"Thank you." Ash truly accepted the food without hesitation, and ate it all in one bite. Just as Frilian's face lit up with joy, he smiled and corrected her, "Although I ate yours, don't count on me when it really matters. I don't want to be dragged into this either."

"...Is the idea that feeding each other increases affection really a lie?"

This callous statement, implying that he would abandon her after using her, froze Frillie's smile, and she looked at him with resentment, as if she had been betrayed.

She glared at him for a while, but Ash ignored her as if nothing had happened.

This prompted Frillie to act decisively. She swiftly snatched his pudding and swapped it with hers, which she had already taken a bite of, before happily enjoying the pre-dinner dessert.

However... this scene was witnessed by Philon, who had intended to remain uninvolved.

She stared in disbelief, her mouth slightly agape, her gaze involuntarily falling on Frilian's unused spoon, and a surge of indescribable emotion welled up within her.

Then, Philon, who had just moved the chair back, leaned to the side, pressing his chest almost entirely against Ash's arm, making him feel the real softness and pressure.

But Philon stared intently at him with strangely dim eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "Lord Ash... what did you and Lady Frillian... just do?"

"I didn't do anything, did I?"

"No! You just... indirectly kissed Lady Frillie!"

Despite her dim eyes, Philon's voice grew barely audible as she spoke, her face flushing crimson: "This...this is practically the same as a direct kiss! How could you do this!"

“…I think there’s a huge difference. After all, when you were little, didn’t I also…” He tried to ease the awkwardness with a lighthearted tone, but Philon firmly denied it: “—Absolutely not! I always fed myself!”

"Hmm... Thinking about it carefully, there really isn't any."

As a child, Philon was so obedient it was heartbreaking, but now... looking at the girl who unconsciously harbored an overdeveloped evil within herself, yet was completely oblivious to her own anger, Ash couldn't help but sigh softly.

This unconscious action touched a nerve with Philon.

"Lord Ash! Why are you sighing at me right now?" Philon questioned, his tone tinged with grievance, forcing him to look at his companion opposite him.

"Frilian..."

"Oh my, this is so delicious~" Frillie pretended to be clueless, eating her pudding and looking at the menu, thinking about what to eat for dinner.

This made him give up on relying on this guy who was unreliable no matter what, and he also ignored Yubel's observing gaze.

After a moment's thought, Ash reached out and placed his hands on Philon's shoulders, forcefully pushing him back and straightening him up as he did so. Then...

"Ah! What are you doing?!"

Amidst Frillie's discontented cries, he snatched the menu from her hands and handed it to Philon.

"Anyway... shall we eat something first? It's on me, anything is fine!"

"I wouldn't do that...wait, this..." She was initially against it, but when she saw the prices on the menu, Philon couldn't help but frown: "...It's not even a birthday, is it really this extravagant?"

"I have money."

"Even so! I'm an adult now, and it's really not right for me to use your money under these circumstances... Also, no matter how many times I remind you, please don't treat me like a child!"

On the issue of independence and autonomy, Philon, who has a strange obsession, is reluctant to use Frilian's money even if it's for her.