Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

"Where are we going today?" Mel was the first to speak, a bit eager and excited.

"We're going to the riverside embankment outside Bronze City. There's going to be a large outdoor painting session, with students from nearby art schools," Lola explained to the two of them.

"Yay~" Mel cheered, lifting up her cat excitedly.

Riding in the Academy's hover car, the group arrived outside Bronze City, and by the time they got there, many people were already present.

On the gently breezing hillside, one could see quite a few people standing at their easels painting, with occasional students frolicking and talking about happy things.

The morning sunshine streamed in from one end of the river, not too intense, with a hint of dew-like coolness in the air.

"Lola, do you paint?" Walking along the riverbank, Tilan asked curiously.

"Not really, I'm pretty bad at it, so I'd rather not embarrass myself," replied Lola, uncharacteristically admitting something she wasn't skilled at.

"What about Hexia? I seem to recall seeing you painting at the Academy, especially when watching the ducks swim by the lake," Mel accidentally let slip the girl's secret.

"That, huh." Tilan thought about her own mediocre painting skills, feeling somewhat reluctant to discuss it in front of everyone.

"Just some casual painting."

"Actually, painting doesn't necessarily have to be realistic. If you paint with that goal in mind, it's too exhausting," she defended her approach modestly.

"If it's about real-life accuracy, you could just use a photo. I think painting is about adding a bit of your own imagination to the scenery you see, followed by re-creation."

"It doesn't have to be exactly like reality, what's more moving and important is the emotion conveyed in the painting."

"Hexia is so awesome~"

It became Mel's everyday catchphrase to say this, seemingly out of habit since they had started going out together. Especially after the girl occasionally shared her thoughts, Mel would always repeat this phrase.

After so many times, some might mistake it for sarcasm, but Hexia knew that the child was simply expressing her genuine feelings, with no ulterior motives.

Having spent a lot of time with Mel, sometimes one could wonder if society has tainted us too deeply, making us overthink things.

Initially, Tilan would modestly deny being so great, but after a while, she felt it was somewhat hypocritical and eventually stopped objecting.

"Yes, Mel is awesome too," she responded with a smile, trying to catch the frolicking child on the grass, only to have Mel dodge away.

"No way! If Hexia catches me, she'll definitely pat my head again," Mel ran off with foresight, then set down the gray moon cat in her arms and started to play happily on the grass with the cat.

"The child has grown up," Tilan shook her head, then continued her walk on the grass with Lola.

At first, no one paid much attention to the few people strolling and enjoying the breeze nearby, until a few of the artists inadvertently caught sight of Tilan by the river, and suddenly couldn't look away.

Even the most beautiful scene can feel a bit dull without a human touch, but what if the landscape suddenly features a perfect, dreamlike figure? It's like a godsend to the artists, and thus many started to adjust the directions of their easels, aiming at the trio walking by the river.

Long hair like raven silk lifted slightly in the morning breeze, along with the ribbon in it; the white dress covered a graceful figure, with the rippling river behind and the morning's golden sunlight showering the white skirt and river surface, casting a faint golden halo at the edge of the cheeks and figure, creating an ethereally beautiful scene.

At first, it was only a few painters who did this, but as more people became aware and took note, they too began to change their focus to capture this moment.

As this occurred, Tilan initially thought it was only a few people, but the attention grew and soon it was too late for her to leave.

If she ran off now, most of the artists present would probably have to abandon their efforts. As a result, Tilan had no choice but to pretend she didn't notice and continue her walk by the river, until the sun rose higher, the dawn's rosy glow faded, and the sunlight grew stronger. Then, she returned to the embankment with the accompanying entourage.

Some people wanted to come and chat at that point, but they were stopped by a few maids standing by, allowing Tilan to leave uninterrupted in the hover car.

Seeing this unknown girl depart, the artists on-site couldn't help feeling regretful, for who knows how many times in one's life one could encounter such beauty.

Sitting in the car, the maids laughed and joked about what they had just seen.

"Hexia doesn't know, but some people were so stunned looking at you they didn't even move their pens and didn't paint anything," they said.

"There was another who did paint but seemed dissatisfied no matter what, and ended up changing canvases over a dozen times."

"I bet there will be quite a few people posting looking for who Hexia is."

"Will she be recognized?" asked one of the maids curiously.

"Hard to say. Even though we applied light makeup to Hexia and deliberately chose accessories and dresses of a different style than usual, Miss Hexia's fame is too great, and there are so, so many who know her."

"If she's recognized, we'll just have to reveal it," Tilan said, holding Mel's gray moon cat and looking a bit embarrassed.

"It's not bad, really. Everyone's quite curious about what Hexia is like in her everyday life," said a maid, noting that many of her friends were fans of Hexia.

"Hexia is so mysterious, not like other songstresses who participate in various events and have lots of photos taken."