Thirty Days of Classes, part 9 (after battle)

Wow, he's really taken a liking to her.

Yeah. He wouldn't stop crying when we tried to get him to calm down...

Besides... how's she even doing that with her hands? Not even masters of martial arts move like that.

Ryōshū was practically giving him no time for any other distractions, or even a moment to cry - she was taking care of that kid almost effortlessly.

She was employing all kinds of tactics, including but not limited to ventriloquism... kongzhu, a traditional Hongyuan toy...

... fan tricks... sugared fruits... and eventually...

Hee hee~

Don't pull too hard.

The child ended up piggybacking on Ryōshū, the fear he showed earlier gone without a trace.

Never would've imagined Ryōshū would be good at this... neat.

And with the exact same expression as her usual one, Ryōshū was gently caressing the child. Well, to be more exact, she was giving him a gentle pat.

But... I think I get it.

Showering kids with tasty stuff and gifts isn't the best way to go about it - what's important is helping them understand just what kind of person I am.

Yeah, the kid's really on edge for his age. I'd start to make some progress, but whenever he suspected that I was lying or something, he'd immediately go back to being on guard.

... That's also because he's a Daguanyuan kid. Kids... don't survive this place for long if they're not quick on the uptake.

Venerable Hierarch... m-may I ask you something...?

Well, asking's free, but I gotta tell you, it's going to depend on what you're about to ask whether I can help you or not.

Huh...?

Wrong move, rookie Hierarch. Why say all that when T.W.D.T? You don't get the immaculacy of succinct abbreviations.

Ryōshū grabbed the child's shoulders, brought him before Jia Xichun, then, in her usual curtness, spoke precisely two words to the confused child, and that seemed to do the trick.

Speak, kid.

Ah! I-it's, uhm, my big sis said that when the Family Hierarch war's over, I can finally play tons with friends...

... but their parents told em to stay inside 'cuz it's too dangerous outside...

…….

My cousin says you're the biggest and the baddest of Hongyuan, venerable Hierarch...

... so I wanted to ask if... you can make Daguanyuan safe? I wanna play with my friends...

... Gotcha. I'll review your suggestion positively.

She says she'll totally make that happen.

Sometime later, after Xiren guided the child out of the classroom, I found Jia Xichun whispering something to herself.

You've got a lot on your plate, huh... Dealing with Restructuring Days is just one of them.

Hmph, I was going to try to improve the safety of this place anyway, whether he asked me to or not.

Safe enough for a kid like that to run around the market all on his own... A place where he doesn't have to be afraid to go outside...