The next morning, Su Yu opened the backend data as usual and froze for a moment.
"The Three-Year Sakura"
Views: 470,000.
Favorites: 32,000.
Comments: 2,891.
Number seven on the trending list.
"...What's going on?"
He rubbed his eyes and confirmed he wasn't mistaken. The numbers hadn't changed; in fact, in the few seconds he was stunned, the view count had jumped by several hundred more.
It blew up overnight?
Although he was confident in Griseo's artistic skill and had faith in the script's emotional impact, the speed at which it had gained popularity still exceeded his expectations.
He opened the comments section and scrolled.
[Teacher Painted World is forever a god! This art style is absolutely insane, that feeling of brokenness is so powerful!]
[Crawled over from Sister Danzhu's live stream. I thought it was just a sponsorship, but I didn't expect yuri to be this good! So glad I gave it a try!]
[Waaah, that line "Happy birthday, Kiana" really broke my defenses!!]
[Who is the screenwriter "Moonlit Sea's Roaring Fishy Cat"? The name is super chuuni, but this story really made me cry. Miyuki is so pitiful...]
Danzhu.
When Su Yu saw that name, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
Danzhu, ah.
In that other world, she was an executor of the previous era's project to preserve the flame of civilization, Mobius's assistant, and the Nuwa who fabricated myths to ensure humanity's continuation.
She molded clay figures and recited legends, turning Fu Hua into "Fenghuang, the Immortal" who guarded Shenzhou, transforming heavy history into stories that mortals could understand.
You could say she was the grand matriarch of fan fiction.
And in this world—
She was Teacher Painted World's number one fangirl, a figure-collecting fiend, and a big-shot influencer who held great sway in the doujinshi community.
Su Yu's smile deepened, now tinged with a hint of mischievous anticipation.
If Danzhu were to find out that the Teacher Painted World she had placed on a pedestal, the one she practically kowtowed to on her live stream...
...was at this very moment wearing a backpack in Mobius Laboratory, munching on an apple while rushing to finish her homework, and even whining to Mama Aponia for candy when she got tired of drawing...
He wondered what kind of expression she would make.
She'd probably suffer a social death on the spot.
After all, in her passionate recommendation videos, she had hyped up Teacher Painted World as "a myth of the 2D art world," "a magician of lines," and "a genius of emotional expression."
The mental image alone was enough to bring him joy.
Ai, Little Dan, sometimes ignorance is bliss.
"What's wrong?" Kiana's voice interrupted his reverie.
She was holding a half-eaten piece of bread, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster stuffing its face.
"Nothing," Su Yu straightened his expression. "I was just thinking of something happy."
"What kind of happy thing?"
"Er, let's skip the theatrics and get to the point."
He turned his head and looked at Kiana.
"'The Three-Year Sakura' is a hit. Over four hundred thousand views in one night, and it's seventh on the trending list."
Kiana's chewing paused.
"...A hit?"
"Yeah, a big-shot influencer named Danzhu gave it a push. The effect was great."
He didn't explain who Danzhu was.
Kiana put down her bread, her expression complicated. It wasn't just surprise, but more of a... sense of unreality.
That story. The story that belonged to Asakura Miyuki, filled with despair and a twisted love.
Were people really reading it? Were they remembering the soul that had perished beneath the cherry blossom tree?
"This is just the beginning," Su Yu said. "A lot of people remember you now, too. They're all saying you're cool and dashing."
Kiana didn't say anything. She picked up the bread again and took a bite, but she ate slowly, as if savoring the wheaty flavor, or perhaps processing the impact of this news.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting bright patches of light on the dining table.
Su Yu's thoughts, however, drifted back to Danzhu. When the "Honkai Impact 3rd" game officially launched, this grand matriarch of the doujinshi community would definitely be the first to dive in.
At that time—if she discovered that the in-game version of Fu Hua looked exactly like the Ah Hua who worked part-time at the convenience store...
Su Yu leaned back in his chair, unable to hide the smile on his face. That scene would be absolutely spectacular.
"You know, the influencer who promoted our manga is Griseo's number one fan," Su Yu said, as if sharing a piece of gossip.
Kiana's chewing paused once more.
"Number one fan?"
"Yep." Su Yu crossed his arms, his tone casual. "A very fanatical one. She's made several videos praising Painted World, calling her a magician of lines, a genius of emotional expression, a creator of divine works that only someone with her life experience could draw—"
He paused, a slight smile on his lips. "During her live stream last night, she almost kowtowed to 'The Three-Year Sakura', calling Teacher Painted World her eternal god."
Kiana chewed her bread, her brow furrowing slightly. The image of the little girl with messy, gray-blue hair who was always hugging a large drawing board appeared in her mind.
The first impression Griseo gave was that of a soft, squishy child who could be bribed with candy. When she spoke, she would tilt her head and stare at you with those big eyes, making you want to empty your pockets of all your sweets for her.
A mere elementary schooler like that—was being worshipped as a "god" by a bunch of adults? To the point of nearly kowtowing? This world really had its problems.
"..."
Kiana was silent for a few seconds, her expression cracking a little.
"Does that fan know Teacher Painted World is only ten?"
"Nope," Su Yu shook his head. "No one online knows Painted World's real identity. People only know that her art is god-tier, her updates are consistent, her aesthetic is on point, and she's a mysterious and aloof master."
His tone held a clear note of schadenfreude.
"Just imagine if the truth came out one day—[SHOCKING! Legendary Doujinshi Artist Teacher Painted World is Actually a Ten-Year-Old Elementary Student! Has to Do Homework After School and Asks Auntie for Candy After Finishing Her Drawings!]"
"How spectacular would that be."
Kiana imagined it.
An adult, passionately analyzing on screen how delicate Teacher Painted World's brushstrokes were, how profound her emotional expression was, how exquisite her composition was.
Meanwhile, the creator on the other side of the screen was sitting on a small stool, coloring while munching on an apple.
Next to her was her unfinished language arts homework.
"..."
Her lips twitched. The mental image was just too perfect.
"That fan would go crazy."
"She'd definitely go crazy," Su Yu laughed out loud. "But I think after she's done freaking out, she might worship Griseo even more. I mean, to be able to draw at that level at ten years old—what is that if not a genius?"
Kiana took another bite of bread, chewed a few times, and swallowed.
"Are you planning to tell her the truth?"
"Not now," Su Yu shook his head. "Griseo's identity is a secret. Exposing it wouldn't be good for her. But—"
His eyes narrowed with a mischievous expression.
"When the time is right in the future, maybe I could consider arranging a meeting for them."
"Right in front of that fan, have Griseo sweetly call her 'Big Sister' and then hand her a signed drawing."
In reality, Danzhu had met Griseo quite a few times in Mobius Laboratory and had even bought her lots of candy.
Kiana looked at his expectant face and had a peculiar feeling. This man—at his core, he was the type who loved to stir up trouble just to watch the show. He was just too wicked.
"You're terrible," she commented.
"I just find it amusing," Su Yu said with an innocent look. "Don't you? An adult online every day yelling 'Teacher Painted World, my god,' only to one day discover her god is still losing her baby teeth—isn't that contrast interesting?"
Kiana didn't answer. She lowered her head and continued to work on her bread. But in the shadow cast by the bread, the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.
It was almost imperceptible. But she was definitely smiling.
Ding—
The System's notification sound was particularly crisp and pleasant in the afternoon air.
Su Yu looked at the constantly updating value on the panel, and even he couldn't help but reveal a proud, fatherly smile of gratification.
[Current Recognition Level: Lv.2]
[Activity Range Restriction Lifted to: 1.5 meters]
"1.5 meters..."
Su Yu stood up, took out a tape measure, and ceremoniously stretched it out to that length on the floor.
Although it only sounded like an extra thirty centimeters, for the two of them who had been living like conjoined twins, it was an epic liberation of space.
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