Kiana lifted her head and met Griseo's expectant gaze.
Those light-violet eyes were full of a child's unique kind of innocence—bright, pure, and hungry for approval.
"…Big sister, what do you think?"
Kiana felt as if an invisible little hand had squeezed her heart.
Too clean.
That look.
It was nothing like her own world—nothing like the ruins in her memory—and nothing like Shenxue, who had ended up becoming a monster.
"…It's really beautiful." She looked away, her voice dry, like she hadn't learned how to accept this kind of uncomplicated kindness yet. "Thank you."
The little girl's face burst into a radiant smile, so pure that Kiana instinctively wanted to dodge it.
Pure enough to make her uncomfortable.
She shifted her gaze, folded the sketch carefully, slipped it into her coat pocket, and pretended to focus on drinking her milk tea.
Su Yu watched the exchange and decided the heat was just right.
He fished a few neatly folded sheets of printed paper from his pocket—like he was sliding over classified documents—and slowly pushed them toward Griseo.
"Griseo, take a look at this. It's a story I've been working on recently," Su Yu said. "I'd like to ask you to draw it."
Griseo set down her milkshake and picked up the pages with careful hands.
Kiana watched from the side, and for some reason, her nerves tightened.
It was Three-Year Sakura.
A story she had told with her own mouth—about Asakura Shenxue, about twisted love, about a girl she had ended with her own hands.
The air seemed to congeal for a few seconds.
Kiana stared hard at the pearls drifting up and down in her cup, barely daring to breathe.
Is it really okay to show something like this to a ten-year-old?
Griseo read slowly.
At first, her expression didn't change.
But her light-violet eyes gradually sharpened, focusing more and more—growing serious.
Page after page, she turned them, fingertips lightly brushing the paper's edges.
A few minutes later, she looked up.
"…It's interesting."
Her voice was still soft, but there was warmth in it now—an artist's pulse, the moment inspiration takes hold.
"Romance, mystery, horror… and a very deep sadness."
"Especially the ending—contrasting it with Big Sister Kiana spending her birthday in the dorm with friends."
"Griseo… likes this story."
Su Yu's eyes brightened. "Then would you be willing—"
"But."
Griseo cut him off.
She folded the pages back up neatly and pushed them toward Su Yu again, her movement oddly firm—almost stubborn.
"Griseo… can't draw it."
"Why?" Su Yu asked.
"Griseo only draws… flowers." The little girl's eyes drifted to the window, her voice turning floaty, like she was reciting a line she hadn't practiced enough. "Oil paintings. Teacher says Griseo's paintings… feel very artistic. And Aponia Mama likes that."
A perfect excuse.
Su Yu lifted his iced Americano and took a slow sip, letting the bitter liquid slide down his throat to suppress the urge to laugh.
"Is that so? You only draw flowers? What a shame."
He sighed, pulled the script back toward himself—yet with his other hand, he calmly took out his phone.
"Actually, I happen to have a collection of some very special flowers—stunning style, delicate emotions. I've always wanted to ask which master could possibly have created them."
His finger tapped the screen, and he turned the phone toward Griseo.
It was a comic cover.
Exquisitely drawn. Gorgeous linework.
Two handsome characters leaned close together, eyes soft with unmistakable intimacy.
The title, written in ornate script, read: Honeyed Love.
Griseo's previously calm little face froze in an instant.
Her pupils practically shook.
"Th-that…"
Su Yu didn't give her time to react. His finger swiped again.
Another cover.
Then another.
One after another—works with the same unmistakable style, the same dramatic flair, the same signature polish.
Kiana's eyes flicked from the phone… to Su Yu's face… and back to the phone again.
Her expression turned spectacularly complicated.
Because one of those covers—no matter how stylized and prettied up—looked suspiciously like Su Yu and that guy named Kevin.
She stared at Su Yu like he was a monster.
"These comics were posted under the pen name 'Huishi,'" Su Yu said with a faint grin. "Tens of thousands of fans. People in the circle call them 'Lady Huishi.' Supposedly, the artist is good at all kinds of themes."
He glanced meaningfully at the petrified Griseo.
Griseo's face turned red—so red it looked like it might start steaming.
The blush spread at a visible speed, until she looked like a tomato about to burst.
Under the table, her white-socked feet drew together anxiously, toes turned inward, fidgeting like they were fighting.
Her small hands clenched the hem of her skirt.
Those eyes that had seemed hollow before were now misted over with panic, darting around in helpless circles.
"Griseo… Griseo doesn't know what you're talking about…" she insisted, mounting her final resistance.
"Being stubborn won't help." Su Yu swiped again. "Then what about this draft?"
On the screen was an unfinished sketch—still rough lines.
The background was unmistakable: the Golden Courtyard.
And in the corner, there was a tiny signature—
"Huishi," with a little flower drawn beside it.
Exactly the same as the one Griseo had just put on her sketch.
Checkmate.
Griseo went completely rigid, like someone had hit the pause button on her.
"I saw your sketchbook in Dr. Mobius's lab," Su Yu said as he put his phone away.
He folded his hands under his chin and smiled in a harmless, almost gentle way.
"Your signature is distinctive. Anyone who's seen it once would recognize it. As a fan, I've got a very good memory."
"… "
"So, Teacher Huishi." His voice carried a teasing lilt. "Do you want me to keep going?"
Griseo's face was so red it looked like it could drip.
She bowed her head, shoulders trembling slightly, like a rabbit caught in a trap.
"You don't want Dr. Mobius to find out you're Huishi… do you?"
Su Yu leaned forward and lowered his voice.
"She has very high hopes for you. She's always saying you're the Golden Courtyard's future star artist. If she found out her beloved little painter's online identity is actually—"
"Su… Su Yu-gege!"
Griseo finally cracked.
She snapped her head up, eyes rimmed red, voice trembling like she was about to cry, pointing at him in accusation.
"You're… the worst!"
"You're a huge bully!"
....
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