Today, Lil was full of energy. It was the day she would teach the divine beasts how to read and write.

Lil carefully wrote each character on a large board.

Today’s students were the Bear and the Hawk—one of the smartest pairs among the divine beasts.

Both the Bear and the Hawk mimicked Lil, tracing the characters on the ground. First, she had them memorize the shapes of the letters before moving on to words and sentences.

As the lesson progressed, Lil realized she had underestimated the divine beasts’ intelligence.

No matter which divine beast she quizzed, none made mistakes once they were taught something. Truly, divine beasts were sacred creatures blessed by the gods themselves.

Both Lil and Justin, who was observing from the back, were utterly astonished.

At this rate, they’d master writing in no time. Just as Lil was about to move on to the next step—

A dark shadow blotted out the sky. The familiar sound of wings flapping echoed—it was the Dragon.

The Dragon landed and folded its wings.

“What’s the matter, Dragon?” Lil called out loudly.

The Dragon chuckled.

“Well, I heard you were teaching the divine beasts how to read and write. This old Dragon thought it might be time for me to learn as well.”

So, the Dragon had come to join the study session.

“I once learned a few simple characters from Wils, but the language seems to have changed since then. I figured it was time to start over.”

Lil welcomed the Dragon enthusiastically.

When she went over the basics again, the Dragon picked up the characters instantly. Such a quick learner—Lil’s job was easy.

Next, she moved on to common grammar rules. Some of the divine beasts struggled a little, but overall, they seemed to grasp it well. They already understood spoken language—all they had to do was apply that knowledge. Their comprehension was incredible.

By the end of the first day, the divine beasts had already learned the basics of sentence structure. Now, all they needed was to memorize vocabulary, and soon they’d be able to manage simple written conversations.

Lil pondered what to do for the next lesson.

Maybe she should make illustrated flashcards to help them learn words more easily. Then, they could practice forming sentences with them. That might work well.

She was already looking forward to the next class.

After the study session, Ria brought snacks for everyone. Today’s treat was kakuniman—braised pork belly buns—apparently chosen to suit the Bear and Hawk’s tastes.

Ria looked troubled when she saw the Dragon. The buns were far too small for him.

“I’m sorry, Dragon. We only have small ones…”

The Dragon laughed it off.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

With that, the Dragon began shrinking rapidly. Soon, he was about the same size as the Hawk, puffing out his chest proudly.

“Wow! You can shrink, Dragon?!”

Lil clapped her hands in delight. Ria and Justin, however, were stunned speechless.

“Hahaha! One of my specialties. Impressive, isn’t it?”

Even his voice had become cuter, leaving Lil utterly charmed. Ria and Justin finally snapped out of their daze and stared at the Dragon.

Unable to resist, Lil suddenly scooped up the tiny Dragon—he was just too adorable.

“What’s this, Lil? You like small things too? Wils used to say, ‘Cuteness is justice,’ all the time.”

Lil thought she and Wils would probably get along well.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, everyone enjoyed the warm kakuniman together. The meat was tender and delicious.

“Ria, you’re an amazing cook. I’ve never tasted anything this good before,” the Bear praised.

Ria, who had been feeding kakuniman to a Tanuki that had wandered in at some point, smiled brightly when Lil translated. She promised to make more next time.

“Did you like it?” Ria asked the Dragon.

The Dragon’s cheeks were stuffed full of kakuniman. Where had the dignity of the ancient Dragon gone?

“Mmm, absolutely divine. Even the gods would be pleased if this were offered to them.”

When Lil translated, Ria burst into laughter while thanking him. The shock of the Dragon shrinking had worn off, and now she just found the whole thing amusing.

“Hey, can none of you change your forms like the Dragon can?”

The others all shook their heads—it was impossible for them.

“He makes it look easy, but it’s an incredible feat. Something close to divine power,” the Hawk explained, gazing at the Dragon with reverence.

Lil pouted. So, they couldn’t shrink like Alice? What a shame.

Still, the tiny Dragon was unbearably cute.

As she patted his head, Lil secretly hoped he’d shrink like this every time.