Chapter 48

"Please give me another one," Hisashi said as he points at the green paint.

"Another one? Okay, then. Good luck with your work, young man." The old vendor said as he gave the bottle to Hisashi.

He then left and went on the mountain as he sat down the cliff. There, he laid out a large piece of paper and secure it to not be blown away by the wind. He removes the cap on the bottle of paint and continues the unfinished painting on the paper.

If one was watching him, they'd see that it was a landscape painting of the town. With all the trees and mountains, he ran out of paint for green.

As for why he was painting the town, it was because this town is the very first he encountered in Goryeo Country. It was called Angdong and it was rich with art-related necessities and is famous for the arts sold in there. Many famous artists also live there and teach people around the country.

He has troubles when he first came here given the high security on the coast and his straw hat. Luckily, they simply needed some gift as it wasn't entirely illegal. It also helped that the country uses the same currency as Hino country. He deduced that it was probably from before when they were still one big kingdom. They also use one common language because of this.

Suddenly, a bunch of footsteps came behind his back. He turned around to see a bunch of kids running around. Behind them, a smaller kid in a cute dress came running after.

Seeing Hisashi, they all stopped and look at him. The straw hat he wears piques some of the kid's curiosity and asks him about it.

"Hey, old man. Why do you have that in your head?" One of the kids asks and lowers his head to try and look behind the mask. However, he wasn't able to see anything.

"This hat? I need it to cover my face." Hisashi said to them.

"Why? Are you ugly?" Another one of the kids ask and they all laughed except for one.

"No. I just want it that way. Why are you here?"

"We were playing. What about you?"

"Me? I am drawing the town." Hisashi said as he move to let them see the paper. Then, the kid smiles mischievously and said, "It looks ugly! My brother can do better."

They laughed once again as he ran spit and run away. The spit hits the bottom right of the paper which prompted Hisashi to look at him. When the kid saw this, he run away fast as others all run away too.

"That old man hates me! I'm gonna tell Mom!" The kid said as they all run away. However, one didn't and remained on the cliff. It was the smallest girl with a cute dress. Looking at her in more detail, there was dirt on her hands and some part of her dress.

"Sir, are you a painter? I'm sorry for my friends." The girl asks in a scared voice. Hisashi looks at her intently. Seeing her, he felt that something is off but he can't tell what it was. Along with that, some parts of the girl's arms looked a little weird but other than that, it looks normal. He shrugs it off and looked for his bag.

"Yes, but don't worry. You don't have to apologize since I can just do it again. Also, you didn't do anything." Hisashi said as he take another paper.

"I think it looks good." The girl said. Expecting her to leave, Hisashi then looks at her which made her flinch.

"There's something you want to tell me, didn't you?" Hisashi said as he lean down and try to calm the girl down. She bashfully evades his face but managed to speak out.

"Sir, can you… can you teach me how to paint?" The girl said as she looks at his painting. Before he can answer, she spoke again.

"I wanted to learn how to paint secretly. But everyone said that they can't teach me without money. I tried making money once, but my father found me so I stopped. Still, I wanted to paint, and your painting, I thought that it was the best ever." The girl said to Hisashi. The latter on the other hand, just looks at the town below and asks.

"Why do you want to learn secretly?" Hisashi asks. The girl went silent for a long time again.

"I… I wanted a gift for father. I want to paint Father, secretly. I can just ask someone to paint him but that also needs money." Hearing her reasoning, Hisashi smile for a bit. He looks at the girl warmly as she continued avoiding his gaze through the hat.

"Okay then…" The girl's face brightens up.

"But not without a payment." Then falls into disappointment. Hisashi saw this and laughs at himself.

"I didn't mean it like that. You see, I'm not from here and so I'm not familiar with the places. I always get lost and luckily I found this place. Since you gave me a great idea, I would also treat you with the materials. However…" Hisashi said. The girl perks up as she wants to know what he wants.

"Tell me about the town. Some stories about everyone, like your father. Or even the best places. Everything I can learn about the town."

"That's it?" The girl asks. Hisashi simply nods which makes her smile wide.

"Okay then! Do we start now?" She said enthusiastically.

"No. Meet me here tomorrow. I'll be here for a long time so time won't be an issue. Anyway, go back to your friends now." Hisashi said. The girl jumps happily as turns around. She turns back to Hisashi again.

"Thank you… what's your name, teacher?" The girl asks. "Mine's Aime. My father gave it to me."

"Just call me Hisashi. Don't tell it to others though." Hisashi said to her as she repeats his name under her breath. "Okay, Teacher Hisashi!" She then runs away. Hisashi just smiles again but then stopped at something.

The back of Aime's dress was full of dirt. Seeing this, he thought about something but dismissed it. They were kids after all and dirty clothes are a common sight.