Hoonnaa!
Let's go home together!
Oh, you're all here!
Yes, let's!
*Sigh*
We were assigned so much homework again today. I'll have to get that out of the way somehow before practice.
Yeah, I should get some done too...
Same. I still have to write the report for my shadowing.
Speaking of which, Hona, you taught some kindergartners how to paint, right?
Oh, can we see that picture of you with all of them again?!
Hehe. Of course. Just give me a second to find it.
That's so cute.
All the kids have huge smiles on their faces!
Yeah, and the wall you all painted turned out really adorable too.
Thank you. The idea was to make it look like a zoo.
But then, Emu said, “We should make it an amusement park where we can play with animals!” As a result, it turned into a wonderful work of art.
That explains why there's a Ferris wheel.
Oh, if you want a better look at the wall... Here, it's much clearer in this photo.
Wow, you're right!
Let's have a closer look...
Hm? Honami, this person who's only partly in the frame... Is it Ena?
Huh? Who's that?
Oh, she's in the same group as Ms. Yoisaki, the person who I cook and clean for from time to time. Ms. Yoisaki introduced me to her, and she taught me how to draw.
Looks like she's a pretty good artist.
I mean, the bear behind her looks way more real compared to all the other animals.
Yes, she initially tried to draw animals in a cute and cartoonish way like everyone else...
But the kindergartners asked her to “draw a cool and scary-looking bear”, and she went along by sort of pulling out all the stops.
Hehe. That sounds like something Ena would do.
Oh, she also painted a pair of wolves. One cartoonish and the other more realistic, like the one her little brother saw at the zoo and became scared of.
Oh, I've heard a little about her little brother. I'm also curious as to what this wolf was like.
Hmm... Aha, Hona, found yours!
It's a...
Hippo...? No, a crocodile...?
Correct!
I practiced drawing crocodiles quite a lot, but I realized in the end that I should paint one that's true to me...
I see.
I see no problem with that. You can instantly tell that you painted it, Honami, and it really draws your attention. I probably couldn't get that effect even if I really tried.
Yeah♪ I also really love the way you painted it, Hona!
All of you...
(At first, I sort of dreaded having to paint during my shadowing...)
Honami, mind drawing a crocodile for us? You know, how you normally would...?
What?
But...
Don't worry.
Yes, some people might laugh at it because it doesn't look real...
But I'm sure someone will understand as long as you try your best.
(Ena was right.
The children really liked what I painted. And...)
Hey, wait...! Hona!
This cat wearing a scarf... Didn't you read me this same story when we were little?!
Yes, good eye!
I was reminded of that while I read to the children, and decided to draw it out of pure nostalgia.
A cat wearing a scarf...?
So it wasn't a snake wrapping itself around a rat...
I thought it was a swim ring...
A-Also, didn't we take a big bag full of picture books during one of our hospital visits when we were in elementary school?
Yeah, I remember it being really heavy. We crammed so many books in that we had to help you carry them...
That's incredible. You all really remembered?
Of course. I remember you reading us a few stories after we lugged it over.
Me too... I vaguely remember blurting out things like, “Why didn't they do this?”
Yeah! I remember you shouting, “Just say it already,” or, “Grow a backbone,” and all sorts of other stuff!
Hehe.
Unfortunately, I painted it from memory, so it ended up looking very different from the actual character.
You think so? I recognized it immediately.
I couldn't really tell...
But you really do have a unique style, Honami.
Yeah.
(They're all smiling after seeing that I painted.)
(Hehe. I'm so glad I went on that shadowing.)