Chapter 592

And for ordinary, or even many professional painters, completing a satisfactory portrait within half an hour was a very harsh or even impossible requirement.

But for Xia Xia Xia Mujun, who possessed "special talents" or "bonuses," it was more than enough.

As the paintbrush in Xia Xia Xia Mujun's hand began to dance on the white paper, the tip of the pen and the paper rubbed to make a dense and regular "rustling" sound.

On the drawing paper, Midou Orihime's contours, features, and charm also gradually appeared at an astonishing speed, from blurred to clear, from lines to three-dimensional.

And Konoe Hitomi retreated quietly to a position not far or near behind Xia Xia Xia Mujun's side, like a real statue.

She didn't say anything, didn't do anything, just those eyes that always lacked emotion, looked at Xia Xia Xia Mujun's dancing paintbrush and the image gradually taking shape on the drawing paper without blinking, focused.

However, the more she looked at the portrait on the drawing paper that was gradually becoming lifelike, capturing Midou Orihime's charm in every detail, the more complex and inexplicable emotional waves couldn't help but rise in the depths of her originally calm and waveless eyes.

And Midou Orihime, when Xia Xia Xia Mujun was focused on painting, did not deliberately maintain absolute stillness like an ordinary model.

Her gaze had long since moved away from the pine stones in the garden and landed on Xia Xia Xia Mujun.

Her eerie and deep gaze also looked at Xia Xia Xia Mujun without blinking, carrying undisguised inquiry and focus.

He was carefully observing her, decomposing her image into light, shadow, and lines, and then reorganizing them on the drawing paper.

And she was also carefully observing him, observing his expression when he frowned and thought, observing his confidence when he made a decisive stroke, observing the trembling of his eyelashes when he blinked occasionally, deeply imprinting his figure, which was focused and seemed isolated from the outside world at this moment, into her mind and heart.

After a period of time.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun's wrist paused, and he stopped the paintbrush.

He leaned back slightly, examined the painting in front of him as a whole, then looked up at Midou Orihime who was still maintaining her sitting posture, and said calmly.

"I'm done."

Hearing this, Midou Orihime's hands, which had been folded on her lap, moved imperceptibly.

She reached out, palms up, her fingers hooked slightly inward, a silent and clear request action.

"Let me see."

Xia Xia Xia Mujun followed her lead, carefully taking the drawing paper off the easel, the paper making a slight crisp sound.

He stood up, walked to Midou Orihime, and handed the finished painting to her outstretched hand.

Midou Orihime took the drawing paper.

Then, she lowered her head, her gaze falling on herself in the painting.

In the painting, she was sitting on a chair, the background was the blurred garden scenery.

Every strand of hair seemed clearly identifiable, the depth of her eyes and the faint arc of her lips were accurately captured, and even the subtle shadows cast by the light on her cheeks and neck were handled just right.

Lifelike, as if she were another plane of her.

Midou Orihime's deep and eerie eyes couldn't help but flicker repeatedly the moment she saw the image in the painting.

Sure enough.

The conclusion in her heart that had been repeatedly verified but still made her feel incredible was once again confirmed most intuitively.

In his eyes, she was indeed "normal."

...In this disgusting world wrapped in endless flesh and corrupt breath, only he, Xia Xia Xia Mujun, was the only, special exception who could see the "truth."

Thinking of this, an indescribable emotion mixed with confirmation, comfort, and even a trace of secret joy quietly spread in her heart.

The corners of her perfectly shaped mouth rose upward uncontrollably.

A genuine and rare, pure smile that no longer carried any playful or probing meaning slowly bloomed on her face.

Sure enough—only Xia Xia Xia Mujun was her only kind.

It's just that... after the smile, the light in those deep eyes did not dissipate, but instead settled into deeper contemplation.

A huge question, like a black hole, circled in her heart and wouldn't go away.

Why... only he could ignore the distortion and so clearly and accurately draw this painting that belonged to "reality" for her?

How exactly did he do it?

Midou Orihime frowned slightly, moved her gaze away from the painting, and looked at Xia Xia Xia Mujun.

Speaking of which... from the first time she saw him today, she noticed... compared to a few days ago, he had an extra layer of very thin, transparent 'Qi' on his body, she didn't know what it was.

Midou Orihime lifted her gaze from the painting, fell back onto Xia Xia Xia Mujun's face, and her tone seemed more casual than just now.

"Haven't had breakfast yet, right?"

The management of the kitchen had always been Natsume Ruri's absolute domain; if Xia Xia Xia Mujun touched it, his sister would mutter like a little cat protecting its food.

So even if he woke up early, it was hard for him to have the opportunity to make breakfast himself.

When he went out, his sister was still in a sweet dream, so naturally, he hadn't eaten a bite.

He didn't intend to put on any airs, and admitted it very frankly.

"Not yet."

Midou Orihime seemed to remember something interesting, and the arc on her mouth deepened again.

She turned her head with interest and said to Konoe Hitomi, who was standing quietly not far away, her tone carrying a hint of unquestionable casualness.

"Let the people in the kitchen make an extra portion of the breakfast I usually eat for him."

Konoe Hitomi paused upon hearing this, and no emotion could be seen on her face.

She then lowered her head expressionlessly and responded.

"Understood, young lady."

In the spacious and bright dining room, exquisite tableware and a white tablecloth had already been set on a long solid wood dining table.

Beside the dining table.

After the well-trained servants served the food one by one, they all bowed and retreated quickly and silently, without lingering in this space belonging to the master at all, as if they had never appeared.

And Midou Orihime did not sit at the head of the dining table, but chose to sit on the chair beside Xia Xia Xia Mujun.

A portion of breakfast identical to his was also placed in front of her, but she didn't move her knife and fork, just sat quietly on the side, her gaze falling on Xia Xia Xia Mujun, observing his every move.

In her cognition, the beautifully presented food in front of Xia Xia Xia Mujun was all twisted flesh blocks of various shapes, writhing slightly, emitting an uncomfortable breath.

Even the ordinary drinking water in the glass cup, clear and transparent, dotted with mint leaves, was in her eyes a viscous "bloody," constantly bubbling with tiny bubbles of weird liquid.

For this "food," she had long been accustomed to it; from the time she had memories, she had been eating these to maintain her physiological needs.

But she had... never seen another "normal person" eating in front of her.

She was a little curious about how Xia Xia Xia Mujun would face this "food" that was incredibly terrifying in her view.

Xia Xia Xia Mujun always felt that Midou Orihime's gaze on the side was a bit strange.

But he didn't say much, just picked up the knife and fork, and started eating very directly and quietly, his movements natural, his chewing speed neither fast nor slow.

And Midou Orihime looked at Xia Xia Xia Mujun, who was a "normal person" just like her in her eyes, eating this "food" so normally, and also raised her exquisite eyebrows slightly.

She couldn't help but ask, her voice carrying a hint of real inquiry.

"What do you think... the taste is like?"

Xia Xia Xia Mujun blinked, swallowed the food in his mouth, and felt this question was a bit inexplicable.

"It's quite delicious, the ingredients are very fresh, and the heat is just right."

He answered truthfully, the standard of this breakfast was indeed far beyond the ordinary.

Midou Orihime's gaze moved to the exquisite glass cup beside his hand, which contained a light pink sweet drink that should be some kind of mixed fruit juice.

She reached out her slender fingers, pointed to the drink, and asked.

"This... what is the taste?"

Xia Xia Xia Mujun's expression became even stranger, looking at the cup, and then at her.

"Sweet, with a bit of berry sourness, what's wrong?"

He didn't understand why she would ask such a question that was almost common sense.

Midou Orihime frowned slightly, seeming a bit puzzled by this answer.

She reached out, picked up the cup beside her hand that was filled with "scarlet liquid" and constantly had tiny "blood foam" churning in her view, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip.

The texture exploded in her mouth instantly, a rust taste that was intense enough to make one nauseous and an indescribable fishy smell, mixed with a kind of corrupt sweetness.

But Midou Orihime's expression didn't change at all, not even frowning, as if what she drank was just the most ordinary white water.

She just put down the cup thoughtfully, her fingertips gently rubbing the wall of the cup.

This... is the "sweet" taste he described?

In her completely twisted senses, was "sweet" originally a mixture of this nauseating rust fishy smell and corruption?

Or... was his "sweet" fundamentally something completely different from what she felt?

Konoe Hitomi stood quietly at a position a bit further away, her peripheral vision always paying attention to Midou Orihime.