Belle's Unexpected Discovery

Video Store, third-floor studio.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, falling across the paintings and bathing the entire studio in warm tones.

The air carried a faint scent of paint, mingled with the smell of wooden frames and linen. It was quiet, like stepping into a dream that would never wake.

"Wow! This is a study of Yao Jiayin's concert! It must've been from the front row, right?"

Ruby leaned over a painting, her eyes sparkling.

That was right. The painting before her was one Griseo had made when she went to Star Ring, and Yao Jiayin had personally applied to be the model.

Mona stood before another painting, unable to tear her eyes away for a long time.

It depicted a grassland: an endless green plain, wind sweeping over the tips of the grass, clouds seeming to press against the horizon as though they could be touched with an outstretched hand.

Apparently, the yearning hidden in Bull Thiren DNA had surfaced.

"So beautiful... Where is this?"

Mona murmured, her gaze drifting over the canvas, but no one could answer her.

Because the place in that painting did not exist on any map of New Eridu.

"Ruby, Mona—you two, come look at this!"

Rin's voice came from the other end of the studio.

The painting before her had a colder palette.

An abandoned train lay across the tracks, its body covered in dark purple veins.

Half the tunnel had collapsed, rubble piled at the entrance like a huge mouth that devoured everything.

Faint purple light drifted through the distant air, eerie and silent.

Yet at the very center of the painting, in one of the train's windows, was a spot of warm yellow light, as though someone had lit a lamp in that desolate world.

"This painting is of the environment inside a Hollow, isn't it?"

Ruby leaned closer, tilted her head, and stared for a few seconds before speaking uncertainly.

Then she pointed at the purple lights. "These look like Ether Energy. Those purple marks look like corruption symptoms."

"No way, Hollows are so dangerous, and there are Ethereals too..."

Mona shook her head. She could not imagine Griseo entering a Hollow just to paint.

Just then, a greeting came from the studio door.

"So, did you find any paintings you liked?" Belle pushed open the door and smiled at Ellen's three classmates.

"Manager Belle... Teacher Griseo is back too!"

Ruby looked over—Belle stepped aside, revealing the small figure behind her.

Sky-blue short hair, two long braids hanging over her shoulders, and two signature feather ornaments pinned in her hair.

It was Griseo, no doubt about it.

"Teacher Griseo—!"

Ruby rushed over and hugged Griseo, rubbing her cheek against hers while chanting, "So soft, so cute, smells so nice—"

"Ruby, that's cheating—!!" Mona and Rin protested at the same time, having been a step slower, then immediately rushed over as well.

"I want to snuggle too—!"

"Leave some for me!!!"

The three surrounded Griseo and all started kneading her little face at once. Squeezed in the middle, Griseo's expression shifted from bewilderment to helplessness.

Belle stood at the doorway, the corner of her mouth twitching. So... this was their real goal.

Visiting the studio was just an excuse, and Ellen's tutoring was an excuse too.

As her cheeks were kneaded, Griseo's thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to a distant past. She remembered the days when she had been at Elysia's mercy.

It had been like this back then too, at Golden Courtyard.

The Pink Elf would always pounce over with a smile, hug her and Sister Pardo together, and say, "Snuggles."

"Alright, alright. If you keep kneading her, Griseo's face is going to deform."

Belle deliberately waited until the girls had satisfied themselves before stopping them.

Ruby reluctantly let go, but her eyes remained glued to Griseo's face. "Manager Belle, when is Teacher Griseo usually at the store?"

"...Did you come here to buy paintings, or to get your Griseo fix?"

"Both."

Hearing that answer, Belle gave in. As the old saying went, persistent children got candy.

Taking advantage of the opening, Griseo quietly retreated behind an easel, hugged herself, straightened the braids that had been messed up, then sat down and asked.

"So, are the three of you looking to buy paintings? Or would you like me to paint one for each of you?"

"We want to make one painting together, like a group photo, but there's no rush for that. Ellen's still having her lesson, after all!"

Ruby's lips curved into a meaningful smile. "Teacher Griseo, we mainly came here for the manga this time."

Behind them, Belle looked at the mysterious smile on Ruby's face...

Then she looked at the expectant expressions on Mona and Rin's faces, and a strange premonition suddenly rose within her.

She felt like she might have discovered some incredible secret.

Sure enough, Ruby pulled a manga from her backpack and offered it to Griseo with both hands, as reverently as if she were making a sacrifice.

"Teacher Griseo! When will you update this [The Stars] manga!"

"Ruby, don't—!"

Griseo did not even have time to put down her paintbrush before reaching out to stop her, but it was too late.

Belle quietly circled behind Ruby and snatched the manga from her hand.

Thus, for the first time, Belle saw a guilty expression on Griseo's face—the kind of guilt someone had when caught doing something wrong.

Belle raised an eyebrow. Since when had Griseo started drawing manga? And founded a magazine, too? How had she not known?

She opened the cover... and the door to a whole new world.

[The Stars] manga was divided into four sections.

The first section: "The Tyrannical CEO Falls in Love with Me."

Belle turned the page, and a masked man came into view.

The male lead, Qianjie, was shown bracing one hand against the wall and trapping the heroine within his arm as he said, "Woman, I've tolerated you for far too long."

The second section: "My Knight."

In the panel, a white-haired knight named Kevin knelt on one knee, one hand pressed to his chest and the other holding the heroine's hand.

He solemnly swore, "I will protect our Pact until death, until..."

The third section: "My Personal Miracle Doctor."

In the panel, a gentle, refined doctor reclined halfway on a hospital bed, with a girl lying in his arms.

Doctor Su, the male lead, rested his hand lightly on the heroine's back. His gaze was so tender it seemed ready to drip with water, and the ambiguous atmosphere nearly spilled off the page.

"Stay tonight..."

Seeing this, Belle snapped the manga shut and took a deep breath.

Stay calm.

This was still within acceptable limits.

Although the heroine was obviously based on Griseo herself, those male leads were probably all people she had known in the past. It was understandable.

Belle reopened the manga and saw the fourth section.

A light yuri work: "After Transmigrating into a Fake Heiress, I Fawned Over the Real Heiress and Drove the Real Young Master Mad."

Belle turned the page and saw the character profile page—her brain froze for three seconds.

Real heiress: Gentle and kind, she had struggled alone after being abandoned by her family and now ran a small shop.

Real young master: Cold and arrogant, he looked down on both younger sisters, yet he was the family's sole heir.

Griseo's inspirations were obviously drawn from the people around her. If the real heiress was based on herself, then the real young master was her brother.

Belle took a deep breath, closed the manga, and tried to remain calm as she said, "Griseo, it's drawn quite well. Don't worry, I won't tell my brother.."

"..."