Giving the Wizarding World a Little Shock!

"Miss Luna! Are you going to be my first investor?!"

Having a ten-year-old girl fund his painting—how embarrassing...

"I'd be absolutely delighted, Miss Luna."

Ethan's eyes sparkled.

He'd thought before about submitting to newspapers and magazines.

But the same problems remained: no professional art tools, too young, and no one with the insight to appreciate his art.

One rejection letter actually said, "You should pay me compensation for the mental damage of viewing this piece."

Damn it!!

That was a biology journal! What was wrong with him drawing some professional anatomical diagrams??

But now, Ethan had finally found a "kindred spirit."

Even though she hadn't seen his work yet.

But Ethan would never let her regret it.

Luna blinked, not sure why this boy had suddenly started calling her "Miss Luna."

But she illogically decided that this boy, who could chat with her so freely, must draw beautifully too.

"Mm, then it's settled."

Luna nodded, giving Ethan a small smile.

"I'll tell Dad when I get home. Oh, and he's the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler."

"Hmm... I think the article 'Long-Term Flying Broomstick Use May Cause Nasty Broom Rash' still doesn't have a proper illustration. Because, you see, everyone's still flying around on broomsticks. And the people who get it never want to show anyone their bottoms."

Luna said it with complete seriousness.

Ethan suddenly realized.

The reason he could have such a back-and-forth conversation with Luna, a ten-year-old witch, was that she actually spoke very logically.

Especially in longer stretches, she could clearly convey her meaning.

Most kids just said whatever popped into their heads, rambling wildly and meaninglessly.

...Maybe it was precisely because everyone could understand what Luna said that they found her content so absurd.

Ethan: "I'll make sure everyone fully understands the dangers of Broom Rash. Don't worry."

With that, Ethan flashed a confident smile.

With the art supply problem solved, and even a magazine to publish his drawings.

Ethan's mood instantly brightened.

Luna's pale blonde hair, shimmering in the sunlight, and her fair face, all seemed bathed in a layer of golden light in his eyes.

Luna, a little angel!

At the same time, Ethan silently vowed.

He would use his brilliant artwork to bring The Quibbler into the public eye.

And crush The Daily Prophet!

Meanwhile.

Someone in the Daily Prophet office suddenly felt a chill.

As if they'd been targeted by some evil presence...

Tch, must be their imagination.

After all, the greatest terror, the Dark Lord, had already fallen, hadn't he?

After buying school supplies, Ethan went to the bookstore for research, flipping through books like Complete Collection of 16th Century Punishments, Various Wounds and Their Treatments, and The Truth About Witch Hunts You Don't Know.

He learned a lot.

When the sun set, painting the sky in fiery reds.

Ethan said goodbye to Luna.

"I'll write to you when I get home," Luna said. "Too bad my house is having a Freshwater Confetti Fish flood right now, or I'd invite you over to play."

"I'm looking forward to it," Ethan smiled.

The wind brushed his face, his black hair flowing, his cobalt blue eyes curving, crow-feather lashes casting a small shadow beneath them.

Even in thin, worn clothes, his striking presence couldn't be suppressed, drawing eyes.

Luna stared blankly at Ethan until his figure disappeared at the street corner, then snapped out of it.

"...Made a new friend. Dad will be happy."

Luna muttered, her mood lifting again.

Ignoring everyone else's stares, she bounded like a little deer toward her waiting father.

Spider's Alley.

After returning home, Ethan didn't have to wait long. One misty morning, an owl arrived from Luna's house.

It carried a full set of painting supplies.

Including a set of twelve oil paints and turpentine, a pad of oil paper, and three brushes of different sizes.

Nothing fancy—all very basic.

In his past life's studio, surrounded by that arsenal of heavy-duty gear, these wouldn't even count as scraps. After all, even canvases had their own hierarchy of quality.

But now, Ethan held this pile of art supplies with blackened fingertips, cherishing them like treasure.

In this drab, shabby room covered in black-and-white sketches, they were the only splash of color.

Along with them came a letter from Luna:

[My good friend Ethan,]

[I talked it over with Dad. He's happy to publish your artwork and can't wait to see what you'll paint. I think we should illustrate "Broom Rash" for the first issue. The original text is below.]

[Once you finish, give the original to Carrot—the owl delivering this letter.]

[After we receive it, we'll make copies at home and send your original back, so you can keep it.]

[Looking forward to your reply, Luna]

[P.S. Hope I didn't buy the wrong supplies—they're "animal-derived, all-natural pigments." I thought that was interesting.]

After reading the letter, a smile crept across Ethan's lips.

He looked up at the gray-blue owl perched on the windowsill. The owl stared back at him with its amber eyes.

"Hoo?"

The owl twisted its neck ninety degrees and blinked.

Dumbass.

Ethan chuckled softly, raised a hand to beckon the owl over, and poured it a saucer of water.

As for food.

In trash-strewn Spider's Alley, it could eat its fill.

No time to waste. Ethan immediately started preparing to paint.

He went to the tap, carefully washed his hands, dried them, and then opened the sketchpad.

Running his fingers over the cream-colored texture of the paper, he felt his painting soul blazing.

An illustration for Broom Rash, huh?

Fine!

He would make sure no one could ever dismiss this article as a ridiculous joke again.

With his emotions running high, inspiration surged like a spring, gushing from his mind.

Ethan picked up the brush—he still couldn't transform his wand into a brush of his own.

He dipped it in red paint, smeared it across the paper, and painted with total focus.

Gradually, a faint, elusive scent of blood began to fill the room.

When the sun rose and set, and the sky darkened, Ethan finally stopped.

By now, his face was pale, and he was panting heavily.

Yet his eyes shone like stars, wide and fixed on the paper, wearing an entranced expression.

To an outsider, it might have seemed eerie—enough to send a chill down the spine.

The once-pristine white paper was now covered in red.

[An Extraordinary Grade Artwork has been detected. Automatically collected into the Gallery.]

[Name: Broom Rash]

[Type: Painting]

[Grade: Tier 1 · White Rare]

[Description: "You're reading this article—Broom Rash? What the hell? Haha, that's hilarious!—Wait, which part of you are you talking to me with?!"]

[Effects: ① Viewing it causes strong discomfort in the target, potentially triggering Broom PTSD; ② When using this painting, it can cause mild Red Rash on the contact area of the target.]

[Tip: This painting can be upgraded further if combined with the corresponding spell.]

[Current Gallery Collection Count: 2]

[Novice Gift Pack Unlocked: 2/5]

—Done.