"Can my classmate Kiyono here, show her drawing to Class Four’s Mr. Dubian?" Dubian Che said grumpily.
"Do you know what this is?"
"What ’what is this’?"
"This is asking for humiliation."
Whatever you say, that’s what it is.
Kiyono Lin handed him her sketchbook.
On the sketchbook, despite being unfinished, the outlines of Misezawa Village were becoming clear, with a style leaning towards realism.
"Alright, I admit you’re the most impressive one here." Dubian Che returned the sketchbook to her.
"You’re mistaken, the most impressive one here isn’t me." Kiyono Lin countered.
"Huh?" Dubian Che paused, glancing at Jiutiao Meijie.
Kiyono Lin tucked her fallen hair behind her ear and said:
"Jiutiao is a genius at drawing, even before receiving any guidance from a painter as a child, she could easily render the scene before her eyes into a painting as vivid as a photograph and could dissect one scenery into another, displaying it in different forms."
"Meijie, you’re that amazing?" Dubian Che asked in surprise.
"Such things should come with age, shouldn’t they?" Jiutiao Meijie replied with disdain.
So after textbook knowledge, the drawing talent is now within the scope of the Dragon Clan’s memory inheritance?
Little Lian crawled over on her knees, poking her head out from under Jiutiao Meijie’s arm.
Jiutiao Meijie was caught off guard, looking at the little schoolgirl with her beautiful eyes slightly widened.
Other than Dubian Che, no one had managed to sneak into her embrace or even touched her sleeve, and they could be counted on one hand.
If this was any other first-grade little girl, she wouldn’t have lashed out physically, but she certainly would have scolded her with a cold face.
But this was Dubian Che’s little sister, so that made her her little sister too...
Little Lian looked up and tugged on her clothes:
"Meiji, I want to see your drawing."
Jiutiao Meijie came back to her senses, saying sternly, "Sit properly and I’ll show you."
Little Lian obediently "hmmed" through her nose and shuffled her bottom.
"I’m sitting properly now."
Watching the scene unfold before him, Dubian Che could have held back his laughter, but Kiyono Lin just burst out laughing, causing him to laugh along.
Telling a first-grader to ’sit properly’ in an adult’s arms, her first reaction naturally was to sit between the adult’s legs.
At that moment, Little Lian was seated in Jiutiao Meijie’s lap.
Jiutiao Meijie glared at them both with a murderous look in her eyes but when she looked away, her expression became helpless:
"Little Lian, right?"
"What I meant by ’sit properly’ was for you to sit to the side properly, ," Jiutiao Meijie looked up, glancing at the still-laughing Dubian Che, "Dubian, show your sister how to sit properly."
"Do we really need a demonstration?"
Dubian Che sat up straight, his back as stiff as an ancient samurai from the Island Country at a pre-war meeting.
"Little Lian, see? That’s how you sit properly, come on, get up."
"... Wow, amazing! Sitting properly is amazing!" Little Lian pressed her hands to her cheeks, her eyes shining.
"Little Lian?" Jiutiao Meijie called softly.
Shifted back to reality, Little Lian pointed at Kiyono Lin, imitating Jiutiao Meijie’s tone, saying:
"Kiyono, sit properly."
In the distance, crows cawed, their crude and hoarse voices carried far and wide in the desolate winter sky.
Jiutiao Meijie couldn’t stop laughing, her voice drowning out the crows.
Dubian Che had complete admiration for this little sister; she was the only God, even he wouldn’t dare speak to her like that!
Kiyono Lin pressed against her throbbing temples.
"Why didn’t it work?" Little Lian asked curiously, her tone innocent.
Jiutiao Meijie was still laughing, too exhausted to answer her.
Kiyono Lin, imagining herself as a kindergarten teacher, smiled patiently and replied:
"Your brother listens because he is Jiutiao’s boyfriend."
"Eh?!" Little Lian’s eyes widened, "Is that why?!"
"Yes, that’s why, Little Lian, you can’t let just anyone sit properly."
"Lin, can’t Che sit properly either?" Little Lian asked further.
"Well..." Kiyono Lin looked towards Dubian Che, "Mr. Dubian, is it okay?"
"Of course not." Dubian Che said without hesitation, "We’re friends, how could I sit properly just because you ask?"
Kiyono Lin looked at Jiutiao Meijie, smiling, "Do you want me to tell you if it’s true or not?"
"Whether it’s true or false, what does it matter?" Jiutiao Meijie showed no concern, "No one can fully master what’s in their heart; I just need to see what he actually does."
"I admit that you make sense." Kiyono Lin nodded.
Jiutiao Meijie was about to speak when Little Lian tugged at her clothes again.
"Meiji, show me your drawing."
Jiutiao Meijie glanced at the little Dubian in her arms, sighing.
"Look and then leave quickly, got it?"