nycdaug Chapter 34 Gretchen's Paintings
Chapter 34 Gretchen's Paintings
……
off day.
Yun Fuyu had been staying at home in her apartment, but having developed a training habit recently, she felt a little out of sorts now that she was suddenly idle. Coupled with her constant worry about Xier's condition, she became even more restless.
So he got dressed and went out for a walk.
As he walked, with no one he knew around him, a sense of emptiness washed over him (both psychological and physical; physically, it was because the evil Mebius had conducted evil experiments on him, you know what I mean). He eventually went into the bar that Hen had taken him to once before, casually ordered a cocktail and a soft drink, and slowly mixed them together.
I must say, my head was a little dizzy, but the feeling of restlessness did subside somewhat.
Coincidentally, a short while later, Hen also walked into the bar and immediately saw Yun Fuyu sitting alone, so he simply sat down next to him.
Hen: "You can't hold your liquor, yet you dare to come to a bar alone?"
Yun Fuyu: "I'm a little bored, come and sit down."
"You can leave the Firemoth Base on your days off. This is the center of the Mu Continent, so you'll never be bored."
"That makes sense, but I'm too lazy to do it."
"Then you deserve it."
Hen gave his shoulder a light tap.
Yun Fuyu: "You seem to come to bars often? You have a wife and daughter, why are you out drinking in broad daylight? Are you unhappy in your life?"
Hen: "Of course I'm happy. Who dares to say I'm not? But how does that conflict with my drinking?"
He looked bitter and resentful: "You don't understand the suffering of middle-aged men. Although home is warm and cozy, after work I just want to stay outside, whether it's getting a foot massage or going to a bar, it's more relaxing than going home."
Yun Fuyu: "...Please accept my condolences."
"Let's celebrate with an egg!"
Hen laughed and cursed.
A short while later, Hen Dian's cocktail and a plate of fried chicken were served. He happily poked at the ice cubes, acting like a child, even more childish than Yun Fuyu.
Yun Fuyu stole a piece of his fried chicken. The taste was different from the ones she had eaten before. It had a hint of wasabi and mint, but the aroma of fried food was still so tempting.
"Dad? Dad?"
Just as Yun Fuyu was considering whether she should also order a plate of fried chicken nuggets, a voice broke the silence.
The girl's voice was clear and melodious, with a slight hoarseness. When she called out "Dad," there was even a pitiful feeling that she might cry at any moment.
Hen jumped up, immediately stood up and ran out, shouting, "Gresh, Daddy's here!"
Yun Fuyu shook his head, then, remembering it was Gretchen, followed him out.
At the bar entrance, a short, light blue-haired loli clutched her collar, timidly peeking into the bar. Her light-colored dress was stained with paint, and her two braids cascaded down her shoulders. Her eyebrows and eyes didn't quite resemble Hen's... but she was definitely a top-tier loli (just kidding, scratch that). Fortunately, she didn't resemble Hen, which made her features delicate and incredibly cute.
Seeing Hen rush out, little Greta couldn't help but smile, waving a slender arm and calling out "Daddy" repeatedly, melting everyone's hearts.
Hen picked up his daughter and rubbed her little face against his chest, his voice involuntarily becoming high-pitched: "Baby, why didn't you stay at home and be good? Why did you come out to find Daddy?"
Greta was still holding a rolled-up piece of drawing paper in her arms. She first said "sorry" in a soft voice, then excitedly unfolded the drawing paper: "Daddy, look! This is the inspiration I found from you yesterday!"
Hen's gaze then shifted to the drawing paper.
On the scroll, heavy shadows almost engulf the world, but the young man stands with his sword in hand, his gaze indifferent, facing the terrifying presence of the thick, dark shadows before him.
This is……
Hen frowned: the painting clearly depicts Yun Fuyu, but Gretchen has never seen him before!
Furthermore, the artistic conception in this painting is also very strange. What does the shadow represent? And why does Yunfuyu face the shadow directly?
Just then, Yun Fuyu followed Hen out. The sun outside was scorching, and the bar was rather dim, so he couldn't help but squint and shield his eyes with one hand.
After adjusting for a moment, Yun Fuyu looked up and saw Hen's strange expression, and couldn't help but shudder: "Boss Hen, why are you looking at me like that?"
As an aside, most of Hen's men liked to call him "Boss Hen," and over time, Yun Fuyu also started calling him that.
Hen Shen gave him a deep look, put one arm around Gretsch, and held the scroll out to him with the other: "Look at it yourself, and write me a 5,000-word reflection after you've finished."
"??"
Yun Fuyu took the scroll, completely bewildered: "Why do I need to write my thoughts? Who painted this?... Hmm, you know what, it's pretty cool."
The boy in the painting seems to be protecting the world, and this quality makes him particularly attractive. But why is it himself who's depicted?
Hen: "My daughter drew this. She said she found inspiration in me. So I want you to write a 5,000-word reflection. Don't ask any more questions, or the number will double."
Yun Fuyu rolled her eyes angrily, too lazy to pay attention to his so-called "five thousand words of reflection", and turned to look at Gretchen in Hen's arms.
The adorable, light blue-haired loli with her delicate features just blinked innocently, her cuteness almost piercing one's heart. An unknown loli-loving person couldn't help but wipe away their drool (exaggeration), then bypassed the marks and went straight to talk to Gretsch:
"Gresch, is the person in your painting me?"
Little Greta looked up at Hen, then at Yun Fuyu, and nodded firmly: "Yes, it's you!"
Yun Fuyu: "Did you see me in your father?"
Gretchen nodded again, but then said with a puzzled look, "But you don't seem to have as many colors as him."
Yun Fuyu looked down at the painting again.
The painting is actually only black and white, so how can it be said that it has fewer colors than the painting itself?
Oh, right, this is Gretchen. Her special talent allows her to "imprint" people onto a painting, creating a strange artwork. These paintings are often bizarre and varied; for example, Kosmo's painting is a lonely boy under a starry sky, Alicia's painting is a pure white expanse, and Aponia's painting is a withered sunflower growing in the shadows...
To put it in a more fantastical way, the scene printed on the scroll represents the spirit and vitality of that person. The "color" that Gretchen refers to may not necessarily refer to the color of the paintbrush, but rather to the "temperament," "spirit," or even the more essential...soul.
Now, the boy standing with a sword in the painting is, in a sense, much more "splendid" than Yun Fuyu.
But is this really him?
Yun Fuyu considered himself to be an easygoing person. If he hadn't come to the most dangerous pre-civilization, he probably wouldn't have bothered with training at all.
After thinking it over and over but still having no clue, Yun Fuyu returned the painting to Gretchen, gave her a casual compliment, and then paid no more attention to it.
Hen seemed to be guarding against him like a thief, using his broad shoulders to block Gretsch and keep Yun Fuyu out of Gretsch's sight... but he didn't know if it was just his imagination.
Greta craned her neck one last time to look at Yun Fuyu, then looked down at her painting, seemingly lost in thought. Hen was at a loss; he asked Yun Fuyu to settle the bill for the drinks, as he needed to take Greta home first.
Slightly tipsy, Yun Fuyu stepped away, but a strange thought suddenly popped into her head.
Is the boy standing with a sword in the painting protecting the world, or... opposing it?
...Hmm, never mind, I'm overthinking it. He's clearly a complete slacker.