This had happened some time ago—Robin and Demetrius had a fierce argument over whether tomatoes were fruits or vegetables, and in the end, both asked for her opinion.
However, Maru chose to side with Demetrius: fruit.
After all, as Demetrius's daughter, Maru was equally passionate about research. She clearly remembered seeing in a book from Demetrius's collection that explicitly stated tomatoes were classified as fruits.
"That's not it either. What are you thinking?" Robin pushed Maru's head.
"I just feel——" Robin let out a long sigh, but after a moment, swallowed her words.
Regarding the matter of the Green Rain that day, actually, father and daughter held similar views. Maru had even wanted to do some research herself, and after Demetrius confirmed it was safe, she proposed to Robin that if it happened again next year, she wanted to go with him to conduct research.
She wasn't sure if Maru could understand her feelings. She also wasn't sure if her emotions were simply too sentimental.
After all——that Green Rain had indeed been safe.
"It's nothing, dear." Robin looked at Maru, who was staring at her seriously, and said, "Actually, it's not a big deal. Probably just my brain not catching up for the moment."
Maru looked at Robin doubtfully. Robin couldn't help but laugh, then remembered something: "Once Penny's house is finished, I want to expand the carpenter's shop."
"Huh? Why?" Maru asked.
"I want to add a room above the basement for your brother." Robin thought for a moment and said, "Make a new opening for the basement, so if he wants to ventilate it or occasionally change his mood, he can move upstairs."
This realization came from the small bed Ron had specially prepared for sulking.
Sebastian could choose not to want it, could choose not to live there, but he couldn't not have the option.
Just because he didn't have a room above ground didn't mean he enjoyed dark, damp environments.
Furthermore, even if he did like it, occasionally that oppressive environment would breed different emotions—perhaps then he would want to live in a spacious, bright room.
Maru had no objections. She was even enthusiastic about helping out.
Though the prerequisite was that it couldn't conflict with her clinic hours.
Fall and winter were the busiest times at the clinic. She couldn't ask Harvey for too much time off, or else Harvey would be run off his feet.
The two chatted for a while, and by now they had reached the carpenter's shop entrance. Robin pushed open the door and smelled a strong burnt odor mixed with the sourness of tomatoes.
Normally, this scent would make one's mouth water. Even if you were full, a whiff might stir your appetite again.
But mixed with the smell of burning, it seemed especially strange.
"What happened?" Maru coughed twice. "Dad, did you burn the lab again? Didn't you say you were preparing a surprise for Mom?"
"It wasn't me." Demetrius, sitting in the lab nearby, said upon hearing this.
Robin paused, realized something, and hurried quickly toward the kitchen. After running up to Sebastian, she stared blankly at his face covered in soot from the oil smoke. Then she took a deep breath and hugged Sebastian tightly.
"I just—What's wrong? Are you crying?" Sebastian was startled. He looked at Robin helplessly. "I just ruined a few tomatoes. I bought them with my part-time wages, I didn't waste the family's money, I promise. I haven't even bought comics in a long time."
The next second, Robin raised her head. She reached out to wipe Sebastian's face, cleaning off the soot, then turned and strode over to Demetrius.
"Didn't you ever think to help Sebastian?"
"Hey! I wanted to! But he said before that he didn't want me telling him what to do!" Demetrius didn't understand where Robin's emotions were coming from. He held up the good stepfather guide in his hand: "I strictly followed the tutorial!"
Robin couldn't help but take a deep breath. She then asked: "If it were Maru right now, what would you do?"
Demetrius said matter-of-factly: "I wouldn't let her in the kitchen. Of course, if she insisted on cooking, I would——after her first failure——"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence: "It's different. Maru and I don't have so many disagreements, and I understand her."
"Right, so you don't need a good father tutorial."
Unexpectedly becoming the center of the argument, Maru was first startled. Then she realized why she had felt back then on her birthday that it didn't matter whether she went home or not when Demetrius had prepared something elaborate, but it seemed somehow wrong for Robin not to go home.
Because Demetrius would consider her feelings, accommodate everything about her. Her happiness surpassed everything, so she had nothing to fear.
Robin took a deep breath. "Don't you think you've never considered mine and Sebastian's feelings?"
"When you kicked apart his snowman, you didn't think about whether Sebastian would be upset. You only thought that snowman was shockingly ugly." Robin paused, then continued: "When you criticized the bed I made, you didn't think about how much time and effort I put into it. You only thought it had no practical value! You also didn't realize how worried I was about you that day during the Green Rain. You only thought it was safe and that I was worrying over nothing!"
"You don't care about his feelings, which is why you need to force such formulaic things onto him." Robin paused, turned to look at Sebastian: "You don't care about my feelings either. You only thought the research value of the Green Rain at that time surpassed everything!"
In reality, she hadn't been a good enough mother either.
By the time she realized it, Sebastian had already grown distant from her.
"Of course, I'm the same way." Robin lowered her head.
Sebastian looked at all this with slight confusion. He couldn't figure out what had happened during that trip to work at the farm, or if Robin had lost her mind because he'd made such a mess of the house.
"But——"
But it had been so long since he'd been noticed this way. Robin usually just repeatedly demanded he be more positive, repeatedly forced him out of the world of comics and the internet, forced him to look at the outside world.
So he scratched his head somewhat uncomfortably.
Demetrius fell into a long silence. He lowered his eyes, his gaze resting on the guide he had regarded as sacred.
After a long while, he stood up, walked over to the fireplace in a few steps, and tossed the book into the fire.
The flames quickly set the book ablaze.
"Sorry——I think I'll try to understand you all from now on." Demetrius watched the book burning in the fire. After a long time, he asked again: "Have you had dinner? I'll go cook."
Saying this, he walked toward the kitchen.
Passing by Sebastian, he reached out and patted Sebastian's shoulder, then continued forward without a word.
"Oh right, happy birthday, Robin."
Maru paused and walked over to Robin's side.
She watched Demetrius's retreating figure, but felt this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If this family could get better, that would make Robin happier than anything.
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