The picturesque rice cakes are delicious today

I was disturbing the teacher's house that day.

Since I got permission on that evening, I have come to see my teacher's house too often. [M]

"Sensei"

When I pushed the intercom and called, I went over to the intercom and said, "Oh, well done. I heard the teacher's voice."

When I hear that, I quickly go through the gate, open the front door and enter the house. [M]

"You're early today. What's the matter with you?

"It was a closing ceremony."

"If you say so, it's already such a time. It's early. There's only a few left this year."

As you enter the room, the heating warms you up softly. At the same time, the teacher took a seat and came back with a cup of warm tea.

I was a little surprised to receive it. [M] Because it was an unusual and stylish flavored tea for the teacher's house.... most of the tea that comes out of the teacher's house is made with a set of 100 virtuous tea bags.

"What's wrong with this?

"Hmm? Oh, it's for me. Sounds like an overseas souvenir." The teacher certainly didn't like coffee, so I made flavored tea instead of flavored coffee, "he said. I don't know why I put the flavor on."

When I tried it, the foreign-like scent came out of my nose. I wonder. It looks like strawberries or strawberries, but it smells different.

"Togo, what does this smell like? After all, there is something like strawberry on the package."

"... I feel like strawberries or strawberries, but I don't know."

I see. Hmm, I thought you were more familiar with this than I am.... "

... my parents might have understood. Yeah, but I'm not into tea. [M] It may be better than the teacher.

"I can read French, but I only know that this package is in French."

"A French souvenir?

"It seems so.... you see?"

The teacher showed me the tea package, so I received it and looked at it.

I can't read French as I should. [M] I can only read English as much as I study at school. But when I saw the picture on the package, I thought, oh, this is good inside. It's probably painted in color ink, not watercolor. The bright colour seems pop and is just right for the tea packaging.

"Strawberry tea... what is this?"

"But the smell is not like strawberries. Really, what kind of flavor is this? Does the French think this is strawberry and drink it? Or is this the scent of strawberries in France?

I don't know about strawberries in France, but for the time being, they have a completely different scent than the strawberries that can be taken here in the garden.

"... well, the exotic scent, I guess. Ah."

Yeah, well, exotic.

"By the way, I'm scared and I haven't opened the cookies yet. Do you want some? As far as the package is concerned, it's pink...."

... yeah, well, that's exotic too.

Pick a little pink cookie while drinking mysterious tea.

Cookies had a different colour than the vibrancy of the packaging, and the flavour was plain. Both I and the teacher were relieved. By the way, the taste is a bit exotic, with a hint of rose. Yeah, I feel a little too fashionable to come out at the teacher's house.

... at first, the teacher said, "I'm not used to the flavor. Well, this is also an experience," he said, but now he is completely concentrating on running a ballpoint pen in his notepad.

When the teacher started to concentrate, he didn't really understand the surroundings and the taste of cookies. I remember that feeling, too.

Across the way the teacher concentrated, I gently began to organize my bag.

The closing ceremony has a lot of luggage anyway. Later on, prints summarizing the points of caution during the winter vacation, winter homework, and returning tests that seemed to have remained sluggish all at once, and the inside of the bag became chaotic.

I buy wrinkled prints when I send them to my parents, so I put them in the file somewhat neatly, or fold them neatly and make them look like that.

... if you organize it like this, you will encounter a strange piece of paper among the prints of recycled paper.

"... oh"

When I was looking at it, the teacher who seemed to have lost focus sometime saw it in my hand.

"Togo. Is that a transcript?

I handed the piece of paper to the peeking teacher. [M]

"Hmm... it's a boulder. It's an ideal notification table."

"Mmm...."

My gradebook has a small number of tests in order of priority, and the fields in the notification table are generally large. Well, as usual.

Physical education is five in two consecutive periods. Well done. "

"Yeah, thanks to the teacher."

Longitudinal flexion extends the recording tremendously from shoulder to shoulder. The standing wide jump should fly at the moment when the measuring clerk sees it. The grip force is measured several times by changing the meter because the error occurs by the grip gauge. Repeated lateral jumps are counted even if the leg of the person other than the measuring clerk does not reach the line. If you are serious about running for a long time, the time will shrink.... after practicing what the teacher taught me, my physical education grades grew. Hmm, 80% of the way.

"Last year, physical education was 4 instead of 5. I wonder why that was...."

"I lost my point because my voice was low."

"Oh, I remember. So I said," Well, I'll take the microphone and the amplifier next time. "

"So I got in a little trouble."

Just recalling what happened a year ago, I smiled a little. [M] The teacher hasn't changed since then.

"And... oh my God, this test is in first grade! Wow, you!

The teacher looks very happy at my grades. [M] As if it were you.... if anything, much more than yourself.

"... what's wrong, Togo? I don't seem very happy. Your parents would be happy with that, wouldn't they? Only parents are in good mood, Togo."

I think so. If you're in third place, you're told to aim for second place, if you're in second place, you're going to aim for first place, but if you're in first place, you're not going to say anything. It's a public school, so take it for granted. Do it like this, and it'll probably end up like this.

"... no, I'm not happy."

But that's all. I'm not particularly happy.

"Hmm, I see. Well, that's what it is."

The teacher tilted his neck slightly.

"I like the first-class prize. Well, I've probably had less first-class experience than you."

The teacher looks at my transcript and laughs at the shards. [M]

"Yeah, it's creepy."

"... is that so?

"That's right. Well, this is your gradebook, not mine... but it's creepy that you're highly regarded. Even if this rating is for something you're not interested in. Anyway, it's evidence that you're doing well."

The teacher said so and poured it in with tea with one cookie. That expression certainly looks a little happy.

... I know you're not lying.

But I don't know that.

"... I'm not happy because I'm not interested in grades, so what?"

Looking at the transcript, my feelings don't move.

I have a little anxiety and worry, and above all, thoughts such as' I won't complain now 'and' What negotiation card should I use this report card for? 'move slightly, but... moving my head and feelings are definitely different.

... the teacher who was looking at me said that he was convinced.

"Complete. You certainly look like an abnegation for honor and praise."

Abnegation, what is it?

If you're not happy... it's definitely similar to not being greedy. Because I don't want it.

Yeah, I don't want it.

Nothing, I don't want a gradebook. I need it because my parents would be angry without it, but I just need it and I don't want it.

Besides, when they say "honor"... I don't want it, after all.

I don't really understand what the teacher says, "I like the first prize."

Then when I was drinking the mysterious tea in silence, the teacher went to the kitchen in silence and brought a pot with a tea refill. And I added tea to my cup without saying anything in particular.... well, please help me consume it, so I'll drink it quietly.

Hmm, that's right.

Then the teacher poured tea into his cup and suddenly started talking.

"In my opinion, honor is forgiveness given by others." You can stay here. "

"... forgiveness?

I repeat, the teacher nodded with a strange face. [M]

"That's right. Forgiveness. Then, depending on the degree, it will be 'stay here, please' or 'I've made a place for you'. Well, that feels pretty good to me, but for you... it might just be 'necessary'."

... I see. It somehow feels good.

For me, this transcript may be my forgiveness to stay home. [M] Without this, I may not be there. [M] That's why I'm in trouble without it. Yes, that's all.

"Of course, you can sit there without forgiveness. If your spirit gets fat."

"Yeah."

I'm not mentally fit. [M] That's why I need this transcript. [M] To get a rating. To be somewhere.

"... you look like 'I'm not nervous', but a lot of people do. That's what I am. My nerves are not thick. So... well, that's what this is all about. Humans, to a certain extent, seem to want 'approval' of creatures."

Approval.... Something's wrong with me. The desire for approval, well, I don't think it's a very good impression to talk about.

"Well, why don't we just leave it there for now? I believe that the desire for approval is a desire that naturally exists in this era of hunger and anxiety for death, but well... it may be the pride of a human being filled with the third stage. Yeah."

... I don't know what you're talking about anymore, but I'm sure the teacher knows that. After drinking tea as if I had recovered a little, I started talking again.

"Well, that's what you should think. You don't need a rating, but it's like a pass or a permit to stay. I've never moved before."

Yeah. Well, if we split it that way, maybe that's what it is.

"You said you didn't want any honor or ratings in particular... but I'm sure it would be fun to have a pass or a stay permit. Actually, it sounds like it's fun to be able to go anywhere. She gave me this souvenir. She enjoyed her trip."

I see. I don't really have a hobby for travel, but... I know it's better to go anywhere than nowhere.

"Well, sometimes I get the honor I don't want. That's convenient and convenient. Let's split that up, guys."

"Yeah."

That's right. I think you should split up and receive ratings, honours... grades, comments on them, and so on. I'm sure.

... and then the teacher said.

"But... if it's a corner, I want it to be somebody's heart."

Huh?

It was so sudden that I wondered what the hell was going on.

However, the teacher seems to be having some fun.

"There are many things about honor and appreciation. Yes, your gradebook is meant to give you a place in the community and your family, but apart from that, sometimes you get a place in the hearts of others."

After drinking tea, the teacher smiled a lot and put his back on the back of the chair.

"It's special. Being allowed to be in the minds of others is much more special than being allowed to be in the community, class, society or something."

The teacher's smile seems so happy, and I feel somehow happy watching it.

"... in my heart"

I try to murmur, but the feeling doesn't spring.

I want to know why the teacher seems happy, but I don't know why. That's annoying.

"I appreciate you. Togo"

Suddenly, the teacher said that when I was upset. [M]

Surprised.

Suddenly, you look happy, but you're serious about it.

"You're an interesting guy. And some of them are thinkers and philosophers. Above all, you're an artist. Then, although immature, watching you grow up is very fun. [M] As I said before, you're the bait of my heart, and sometimes you're not, and you don't show me anything.... yeah. That's why I appreciate you."

The teacher said... he takes another file of the prints in the bag I was organizing... under it.

Looking at the contents, the teacher nodded happily.

"Oh, and I appreciate what you're drawing. This painting is pretty good, isn't it? Yeah, it's really nice to be bumpy and mellow. You're good. Draw more.... if I draw this, it'll look like a ping-pong ball with a rattle anyway. I can easily imagine."

... what's stuck in your file is a painting I drew with a pencil on the back or blank paper. What the teacher sees is yuzu. It was taken from the teacher's garden.

"... but... How you doing, Togo? I appreciate you. I have a place for you in my heart. [M] I hope you'll enjoy staying here."

"Yeah, I'm glad."

Honestly, the words came out.

... I was a little surprised myself.

The "rating" given by the teacher was quite different from the "rating" and "honor" I have received everywhere until now, but... I was convinced of various things.

I'm glad. I want more. I want to meet expectations. I still don't know what the teacher says about "feeling good", but I understand that feeling a little bit.

... I see. I'm glad to hear that. Evaluation, honor, that sort of thing.

I still don't know. But... just a little bit, okay, I feel it.

I see. Glad to hear it. I'm glad to hear it. Well, you just have to remember that there is such a rating. Remember this and you'll be able to spend time with your cool face even if you don't need it. "

The teacher laughs at the shards. Looking at that, I... suddenly thought of it and tried to say it.

"... me too. I also appreciate the teacher."

In my heart, I've made your place.

To tell you that, I highly value you.

I see. I'm glad to hear that. "

The teacher laughed hard and responded.

Then we talked again, laughed... and then the teacher disappeared, and then came back.

... and they put it in front of me.

"By the way, do you know what day it is?

... on the desk were old art textbooks and collections.

Look at that, my head and heart will be filled in an instant. Because they threw mine away. But what's here is like being abandoned, but it's older and more splendid...

"Merry Christmas to you who are working hard. Togo. I'm not much of a reward. It's old me, but I'll give you this."

Very happy. Very happy.

I'm happier than any gift I've ever received from others.

"No, I totally forgot it was Christmas Eve until today, so I could only prepare old ones. If I hadn't forgotten..."

"... thank you. I'll take care of it."

I couldn't speak very well, that's all I could say. But that's all. What I'm trying to say is...

... after all, I really appreciate you. My heart is completely open before you. Really.

"Here, Togo. It's time to go home."

I've been reading art textbooks and collections ever since. Then, some time later, my teacher shook my shoulders and felt relieved.

The hands on the clock were certainly running out of time. I hurried back to work. [M]

... along the way, I put the art textbooks and materials I just received in my bag and remembered.

"... can I leave this at the teacher's house? If I take it home, they'll throw it away again."

"Oh, I don't mind. I'll leave it in the room you're in."

The teacher smiled joyfully and received textbooks and materials from me. [M]

"After all, it didn't seem like a lot of presents, this is..."

That's what the teacher laughed at, saying, "Failure, failure."

"Yeah, it's a great gift!

For me, nothing makes me so happy. [M]

Chapter IV: Places narrower than higher places

It's been a while since I became a spirit. [M] I'm still drawing, and I'll probably draw from now on.

As always in the woods... when Faye told me that he had taken the painting home, he decided to take one with him.

... I wasn't expecting him to take the painting, so I'm surprised.

"Um, do you decorate it?

"... can't you?

"No, it's fine, but... I'm a little surprised."

Laocles chose a bamboo painting. A bamboo tree that extends straight into the sky. He painted it on a slightly smaller piece of paper, but he likes the coolness of the bamboo.

"... well, that's fine. Sometimes I want to try something like this.... it may not suit me, but this is also what you call a" heart feeder "."

That's what Laocles said and took home the bamboo painting in a bamboo forehead. Um... I'm glad he's the bait of his heart.

"Oh, nice gallery. It's really luxurious to be able to see such a nice thing as much as you like. It's like in the woods.... well, this is a picture drawn by the Spirit of the Forest."

Crowe also took less time to take a picture while looking at the second floor of my house. [M]

"Can I take this? You got the rest of them, right?

"Go ahead... I might be a little surprised that you chose that."

"Really? I think it's nice."

Crowe chose a picture of a large tree with a few bird nests, where the children of the independent bears and gummies lived. The point is a picture of birds in the woods.

"These birds are cute. Although the parent bird is cheerful."

... yeah, well, I know how you feel. Cheekiness and cuteness go hand in hand. Mm-hmm.

My paintings were then decorated outside my house. [M]

Somehow, this... uh, I'm so happy and embarrassed.

A week after I became somewhat happy and embarrassed that my paintings were decorated in everyone's house. As always, I keep drawing in the woods.

I just... started drawing lots of creatures, not trees.

"Oh, what a beautiful bird. Where is she?

"Outside the forest, south. I'm raising a child now."

Since I became a spiritual person and understood the state of the forest, the animals in the forest became all-you-can-draw.... I never knew there were so many creatures in the woods before.

"Where's my deer?

"This one is also south. They often go to the west."

"Is this a rabbit? There are other creatures like this. I didn't know."

"When I'm going back and forth with the Redgards, I'm going all the way north."

That's why on the second floor of my house, there are more and more paintings of creatures mixed with paintings of the forest. [M] This place Claire calls "the gallery," is it getting a little bit like that?

"Gallery" is not a big deal, but it's amazing because it looks a little bit like that just by completing and arranging a few pictures.

I think it's time for an oil painting.

"Speaking of which, the paint you use has changed. I don't see much of it."

Yeah, if that's what they say. I haven't seen anything but oil or murals since I came to this world. Perhaps watercolor painting is unusual in this world.

"This fluffy kanji is lovely. Clear, seeping, blurry, fluffy. Like you."

... am I seeping through and blurry and fluffy? Isn't that more than half bad?

"Ah, can I have this squirrel painting?

"Please.... of course, Mr Crowe's house is going to be covered in my paintings."

"Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do. Good to see you again."

... that's what Claire said and carefully removed one of the paintings that was stuck to the wall. She likes her naked paintings, but she often decorates my paintings at home. [M] I wonder if that's okay. What should I do with my paintings on the walls of my house? [M] Did you like it that much? Hmm...

I painted the woods, I painted the animals, and then I painted many other things.

Draw the sky, draw stones. Paint jewelry or paint mochi. Paint breakfast made by Claire, or paint Claire. Draw façades that come to play, or draw Laocles.

If that's the case, Fay will take the mochi pictures with him for fun.... eh? Do you decorate the mochi painting? No, if you like it, that's fine.

However, I feel that Fay is somehow mistaken for the meaning of the lyrics of "Mochi Painted in Pictures".

In other words, it's a symbol of dreams! Yeah. No, I'm not wrong. But, hmm...?

That's why I kept drawing. [M]

... one day.

"Hey! Go!

Faye came suddenly. No, it's almost always sudden when Faye comes. He suddenly comes back and strokes the birds bathing in the spring, looks at the horses, naps on hammocks, peeks at my paintings and talks to us. This seems to be his distraction, so we don't think Faye should come suddenly.

I'm asking you!

So, even if you suddenly get a request, well, don't be surprised.

"Yeah, I got it. Where are we going to decorate this time?

"Uh, looks like the front door hall."

Well, I guess it's a bright picture.... what if I thought about it?

"Oh, by the way, it's not a request from the Redgards."

"The guests who came to us liked your paintings! What do we do!?

... wow.

This is... surprising.