The man felt as if divine inspiration had guided his hand as he drew. He had thoroughly enjoyed it.
He was also very satisfied with the finished picture.
It looked exactly like the kind person in front of him.
It captured both the appearance and the spirit.
His drawing skills had improved!
The man grinned so broadly he could barely close his mouth.
"Thank you for bringing me back."
"I'd like to give you this picture."
"Consider it a thank-you gift."
"If you don't mind, please accept it."
Before the other person could respond, he rattled off a string of words.
"By the way, were you holding an umbrella just now?"
"It must've been hard to hold one while helping me, right?"
"Did you get wet?"
"You should dry off in the restroom."
"It's so cold out. What if—"
"Huh?!"
"You're wearing a sleeveless dress?!"
"Aren't you cold?"
"It's winter, after all. Even if there's heating inside, there isn't any outdoors."
"Did you leave your coat somewhere?"
Rain Master Concubine furrowed her brow slightly.
What a noisy human.
All she could hear was a buzzing in her ears, and she didn't bother to make out what the human was saying.
She took the picture from the human's hand.
When she saw herself in the picture, faint glimmers of light appeared in her eyes.
This was the first time she had seen herself drawn by someone else.
Not a reflection in a puddle,
but lines sketched across white paper.
This was her.
And yet, somehow, she felt different from the self she saw in the puddle.
Rain Master Concubine gazed intently at the picture of herself.
She seemed quite reluctant to part with it.
At least, that was how it looked to the man.
The man grinned.
He was delighted