She had refrained from mentioning it since she had horrible memories of talking about it to others, which had left her heartbroken and with life-altering trauma, which was one of the biggest reasons she thought of herself as a detestable person to look at.
But since she wanted to prove me wrong at all costs, she didn't hesitate to talk about it, even if there was a possibility of me looking at her with a hint of repulsion after pointing out her biggest deterrent characteristic.
"Okay, fine, Kafka...Let's assume that I really do have this 'perfect face' you're talking about." Nina emphasised her words like she still didn't completely believe my words, even though she was actually really curious to check how accurately I described her.
"It's completely normal to find someone like that attractive, since we humans are always attracted to good looking things, and I can understand why you would be interested in me for that."
Nina gave a sigh as she was still reluctant to talk about her insecurity since she was afraid that someone like me, who she was rather fond of, would realise how ugly she actually was after pointing it out and was afraid that she would re-experience the trauma of the past.
But in the end, she gained some much-needed courage, swallowed her own worries, and hesitantly said,
"But let's forget my face for a second...W-What about the colour of my skin?...D-Do you really find my green skin that looks like cow manure just like those three said to be attractive?"
Nina held out her hand with a nervous gaze in her eyes and showcased her smooth skin, which gave off a green glow. She was normally a proud woman who stood with her chest puffed and wouldn't back off, no matter what challenge came before her.
But right now she was like a frightened little animal that was scared of what was to come, and she was too scared to look up at me since she was afraid I would react in a rather unfavourable manner after she revealed her deepest insecurity, which probably stemmed from racist tendencies among the rest of the residents of this world.
"Nina..."
And just as she was waiting for me to say something in response, hoping that it wouldn't be too bad, Nina heard me calling in a rather sombre tone, which gave her no other choice but to look up at me.
But to her surprise, when she glanced at me nervously, she found that I didn't have a look of realisation of how vile she actually looked like she had thought, and she actually found me staring at her with a solemn look on my face. She then heard me say in a rather authoritarian manner, like I was giving her no option to decline,
"The small lawn and ferns you have on the sides of your home?"
"Fresh and peaceful."
"The decorative statue of a couple of parrots over there in the corner?"
"Enchanting and lovely."
"Then what about this table that looks quite expensive?" I pointed at the coffee table in front of us that looked like it was made out of ancient jade. "What do you think about it?"
"Well, I think that I spent a little too much money on it..." Nina had a guilty look on her face. "...But I also don't regret purchasing it since it looks really pretty and charming, especially with all these carved patterns on the side."
"I see...Now tell me why you think I chose those specific things to know what your opinion about them is and not anything else?...Or more exactly what all those objects or places all have in common?" I asked Nina, who pondered my question for a second since she didn't want to embarrass herself by giving a dumb answer.
"I don't exactly know if this is the answer since it sounds rather childish in my head, so don't you dare laugh at me if I get it wrong since I'm bad at anything that involves using my brain..." Nina warned me not to make fun of her thinking skills, which she admitted she wasn't prevalent in and looked like she would knock me on the head even if I were to smirk.
"...But I think that the answer to your question and the characteristic that ties them all together is their similar colour, which is green."
"Yep, that's right, Nina! You got it right!"
I gave her an approving smile and nodded at her attempt that went right, which embarrassingly actually made her feel all giddy inside since back in school she usually got all the questions the teacher asked in class wrong, and she was elated that she actually managed to solve something by herself today, even though it wasn't anything extraordinary.
"Now, Nina, could you answer one final question of mine that will surely make you understand how I feel about your insecurity?" I asked, to which Nina excitedly nodded her head, completely forgetting the gloomy mood she was in earlier.
Rather than the deep topic we were talking about, she looked forward to getting another question right as well as some recognition from me, like a nod of approval for her efforts since she liked the feeling of being the smart student for the first time in her life and didn't want to lose her streak right after.