Chapter 4: Sketches Beneath the Garden Sun

The late afternoon sun painted the academy garden in warm amber light, casting long shadows over the cobblestone path. Flowers bobbed gently in the breeze, and the distant hum of cicadas filled the air with a sleepy rhythm. Beneath one of the large maple trees near the fountain, four students sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket, surrounded by notebooks, pens, and the occasional snack wrapper.

Shi Yue, as usual, sat a little apart—only a few inches, but the distance was deliberate. While Zhang Jie and Xia Yan debated over a line from the poem they’d been assigned, and Li Mei cheerfully munched on dried apple slices, Shi Yue quietly flipped open his sketchbook.

He didn’t speak unless necessary. The words in his mouth always felt heavy, like stones. But the pencil in his hand? That was where he spoke freely.

His strokes were quick but precise. Xia Yan’s side profile, caught in a moment of laughter. Zhang Jie’s serious eyes, downcast as he reviewed a stanza. Li Mei, mid-chew, cheeks puffed. A story of the moment unfolding in grayscale across the page.

> [Yinbao: Host, wouldn’t interacting more actively increase favorability faster?]

(“I’m doing it my way,”) Shi Yue thought back calmly, shading the fold of Xia Yan’s sleeve. (“They’re opening up because I listen. Not because I talk.”)

Yinbao huffed but didn’t argue.

[System notification:

Zhang Jie: Favorability +10 (towards Xia Yan)

Xia Yan: Favorability +10 (towards Zhang Jie)]

“You’re really good at that,” Li Mei finally said, leaning over to peek at his drawing.

Shi Yue’s ears turned a bit red. “It’s… just practice.”

Shi Yue thought, ("Acting perfect. I am the best.")

> [Yinbao: "Yes host you are."]

“Can I see mine?” Xia Yan asked eagerly, already shuffling closer. Zhang Jie looked over as well, his expression unreadable—but he didn’t object when Shi Yue flipped the page to show them.

“That’s… wow,” Xia Yan breathed. “You made me look so peaceful.”

“You were,” Shi Yue said simply.

Just then, two shadows fell across the group.

Liang Yushen, hands tucked into his pockets, tilted his head at the sketchbook. “Mind if we join?”

Ren Zhaoyuan stood beside him, eyes sharp but strangely unreadable. His gaze flicked to Jiang Min’s hands, lingering for a moment too long.

Zhang Jie’s eyes narrowed instinctively, but Xia Yan smiled politely. “It’s an open garden.”

They sat down, both surprisingly quiet. Liang picked up the poetry worksheet. “This is the one about longing across lifetimes, right?”

“You read this?” Li Mei asked, surprised.

“I read a lot of things,” he replied easily.

Ren said nothing. His eyes were fixed on Shi Yue’s drawing, though he masked it well.

“You drew those?” he asked finally.

Shi Yue gave a slight nod, pencil still moving.

“Do me next,” Li Mei grinned, pulling her braid forward dramatically. “Make me look mysterious and powerful!”

“I’m not a magician,” Shi Yue murmured, but flipped to a clean page.

Liang Yushen chuckled, watching his hand move. “You’ve got something in your lines. It’s… alive.”

Ren Zhaoyuan said nothing again, but his hand had curled slightly against the grass. That feeling from before—when Shi Yue had spoken in class—returned now, stronger. As if something in that quiet presence brushed against the locked doors of his memory.

Later that evening, as the group packed up, Ren finally said, “We should work together again. You’re not bad company.”

It wasn’t exactly praise, but from him, it was close.

Shi Yue blinked. “Okay.”

Li Mei gave a sly smile. “Look at you making friends.”

He didn’t respond, but something flickered in his chest.

> [Yinbao]: Alert. Favorability increased: Zhang Jie +13%, Xia Yan +15%, Ren Zhaoyuan +22%, Liang Yushen +22%.

> Mission Progress: 31%

As the sky turned rose-gold, Shi Yue lingered behind, sketching one last portrait—two new figures at the edge of the page, drawn in quiet curiosity.

Enemies or allies, he didn’t yet know.

But they had stepped into the frame.

---

> System Update Panel: