Story

Audrey said in surprise, "It seems you really aren't very fond of sweets."

Neph froze for a moment. She did not know how to argue with that, and only spoke after thinking for a few seconds. "-That's not quite it.

"Generally speaking, people might think I love sweets-well, I like sweet dishes."

Audrey nodded thoughtfully, took a small sip of her black tea with cream, then smoothly introduced a new topic. "You seemed surprised that I arranged to meet you in the studio?"

"How should I put it?" Neph tilted her head to look at her. "I originally thought you'd choose the study or the drawing room? But you don't seem to have any way to explain why you'd spend so long alone in the drawing room, so my first guess was the study, or perhaps some manor."

Audrey smiled. "Do you remember those four paintings of yours that were printed in the newspaper?"

"So that was why?" Neph remembered.

"Yes." Audrey nodded. "I guessed you must know how to paint."

Neph nodded in acknowledgment, then could not help asking, "You aren't planning to make me paint here, are you?"

"Actually, I think there is a treatment like that?" Audrey replied. "I recently learned that one method of diagnosing psychological problems involves having patients draw, then assessing their mental state through their drawings."

"Hmm-" Neph blinked. "Then we might have quite a problem."

"Why?" Audrey asked instinctively.

Neph blinked and told her, "Because I usually only use my paintings to record people or things that are about to disappear-and I paint them in that state of disappearance.

"That sounds like someone who's very attached to the past," Audrey said thoughtfully.

"Attached to the past-" Neph repeated, falling briefly silent.

Audrey keenly noticed the change. Realizing she seemed to have touched