But ordinary people couldn't see monsters.
Did they... need to hide?
Hmm...
The Scholar looked at White Plum Blossom.
This Plum Tree ought to be a little more restrained...
Plum blossoms bloomed in winter.
At least, he knew that much.
Just as the Scholar stood dazed, lost in "wild imaginings," he heard Lord Xiao Xiao call to him.
Without thinking, he took a step forward.
Then he realized.
Oh, didn't he need to hide?
And then...
He heard that voice call him teacher.
If the human hadn't been staring straight at him, he wouldn't have realized that he was the teacher the human was talking about.
Did the other party know him?
But he... didn't seem to remember him.
He looked at Lord Xiao Xiao.
Although he didn't quite understand why he'd said it, he first made it clear that he was surprised the human could see him.
After all, the monsters in the courtyard had looked so shocked earlier that he'd wondered if Lord Xiao Xiao didn't want anyone else to know there were so many monsters in the courtyard.
"...Teacher?"
All of Zhou Yao's emotions were shattered by the teacher's casual question.
The voice was light and airy, yet tinged with a discordant sharpness.
The teacher didn't remember him?
Didn't remember him?
What kind of... colossal joke was this?
It was absurd...
So... ridiculous...
He'd imagined countless scenes of reuniting with his teacher.
But not one of them had been like this.
He'd imagined so many, so many possibilities...
And yet...
"...Ha..."
Zhou Yao pulled at the corners of his mouth, his expression stiff.
"Teacher, you don't remember me?"
"...You're joking with me, right?"
"This joke isn't funny at all."
"Really..."
"Not funny at all..."
"...We haven't seen each other in so