Miss Louisa was displeased by Shade's question and retorted:
"Shade, why should children be afraid? This fairy tale praises friendship, teaching children that even when they encounter hardships and setbacks, friendship will endure. The faint sense of sorrow contained within it is simply wonderful. This is my favorite fairy tale. Though, like Match Girl, it has a sad ending, Match Girl makes people feel regret, while Tree's Kiss makes one feel sad yet also feel that only such an ending could be perfect."
The long string of words spilled from her mouth, the slight flush on her face revealing her excitement.
Shade, holding the cat, pondered for a moment and tried to offer his own opinion:
"Miss Louisa, look, if we interpret this story another way, that ancient tree was actually a Relic or some evil object. It could lure in beautiful girls, raise them, then eat them and digest their bodies to nourish itself—"
"Enough, Shade. Don't ruin my childhood memories."
Miss Louisa stopped Shade's "reading comprehension" with some dissatisfaction. Shade could only stop, but he still asked:
"Then isn't this a horror story?"
The blonde writer looked even more displeased.
"Shade, it seems it truly is necessary for me to become your Teacher and guide you in understanding the Enlightenment of literature. Believe me, you still have a long way to go."
Only then did the conversation finally return to the proper subject: how to use the two leaves in Shade's hand.
"What I said just now was only the general outline of the story. The details show that when the Princess held a leaf that had fallen from the giant tree before her eyes, she could see the story the tree wished her to know. This fairy tale has spread far and wide, and its origins can