She couldn't do it!
Eriri shook her head inwardly...
If she could, she wouldn't have been so consumed by guilt over what happened back then, nor would she have betrayed that guy—though, according to someone, it didn't count as betrayal at all. It was merely a child's instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, but...
She just couldn't do it!
To not care about the malicious looks others gave her, to not care about their mocking ridicule—something like that, something like that...
Was that the difference between her and Mashiro? So, was she really wrong?
Just as she was about to start questioning her entire life, Sogo Doma suddenly spoke. "Eriri, everyone is different..."
"Huh!?"
"Was Mashiro's approach necessarily the right one?"
"What do you mean?" Eriri asked, confused.
"Let me put it another way..." Sogo Doma chuckled. "Is it wrong to care about how unrelated people judge you?"
Sawamura Eriri: "..."
It was... wrong, wasn't it? Didn't Mashiro just say that she didn't even know those people...
"Tsk, tsk..." Regardless of what she was thinking, Sogo Doma merely shook a finger. "How many people in this world live for fame and profit? Even emperors in ancient times, with countless people answering their call, were constrained by public opinion. Let alone you."
Sawamura Eriri: "..."
As the daughter of a diplomat, her English might have been failing, but her knowledge of history was definitely not lacking. So... she wasn't wrong?
Sogo Doma continued, "Mashiro is a pure artist. She likes drawing—no, it should be said that she knew what she wanted to do from the very beginning. That's why, until she achieves her goal, Mashiro won't care what others think of her..."
As he said that, he ruffled Mashiro's hair.
"Mashiro, I'm not wrong, am I? You like drawing..."
"It's