Chapter 131 - Kano's Breakdown

"The hell did he just say? Artist's signature?"

"He can't be talking about the seal every artist places at the corner of their works, right?"

The incredulous talks prevailing in the audience caused Kano to blush in embarrassment.

"By the artist's signature, I meant the unique imprint every artist leaves in their work that speaks to its context. As in, the artist's personal touch that brings their own soul, for the lack of a better word, into their work," Kano elaborated with some difficulty.

The audience nodded absent-mindedly, yet it was evident that they didn't understand what the boy was trying to say. They were just too shy and embarrassed to admit it out loud. Although Keegan was of the same mindset, he was far too intrigued by the boy's line of reasoning. He decided to drop his arrogant demeanour and asked, "I don't quite understand."

Kano scratched his chin in thought as his eyes darted around the area. He figured that in order to illustrate his point, it would be more efficient to use an example or test case. He had learned from watching Teacher Larks that sometimes an apt example could do wonders towards assuring assimilation of knowledge. As an idea started to form in his mind, Kano approached Artist Norris who was fidgeting in place behind his table.

"Artist Norris, your entry for this duel was a painting of a building," Kano started. "I've noticed that you never attempt anything other than buildings, structures, or architecture. I recollect observing a single landscape from your earlier works, but you never made another one after that."

Artist Norris nodded in affirmation, and the crowd added a few agreeing hums as well. "That's not a secret. Artist Norris is famous for his recreation of architecture, cityscapes and so on."

"Well... Why is it that you don't draw or paint landscapes, portraits, or any other such genres?" Kano inquired.

"I don't know," Artist Norris blurted out subconsciously. "They're just too... irregular I guess."

Kano nodded lightly before raising his hands and turning one of the hanging brushes on the table by a small angle. Immediately after he left the brush, Artist Norris leaned forward and returned the brush to its initial orientation. This time, Kano moved and nudged the table forward from one side. Artist Norris clicked his tongue and quickly shifted the table to return it into its original position. Kano tilted the inkstone by a small margin, and while Artist Norris was busy fixing that discrepancy, Kano went up to the hanging paintings and tilted Artist Norris' by a bit.

"Boy, what are you doing?" Artist Norris exclaimed as he briskly walked forward and adjusted the askew sheet.

"Why do you do this?" Kano inquired.

"What are you talking about?"

Kano repeated his earlier action and started to tilt the painting, but his hand was captured by Artist Norris who scowled back in irritation.

"This," Kano indicated by nudging his head towards his imprisoned hand. "Why are you doing this?"

"I-" Artist Norris stopped midway. He never thought about why he did these things, he just did them because they felt right. "What are you implying, boy?"

"I can't say for sure, because I am not exactly qualified, but I think you have obsessive-compulsive disorder," Kano hypothesised.

"What disorder?! How dare you?!" Artist Norris exclaimed out loud. Although he hadn't heard of that ailment before, knowing that it was some form of disorder generally enraged him. He turned his head around to see the audience's reaction, only to find out that everyone was equally puzzled. No one had ever heard of it before. Well, no one except for Jo Way, whose eyes widened slightly in shock. He quickly controlled his agitation, lest his internal injury gets exacerbated.

'How does the boy know? Is- Is he also a transmigrated soul?' Jo Way quickly inquired his "system", only to receive silence as usual. Unfortunately, the boy wasn't displaying martial techniques or spells, otherwise, Jo Way could have consulted the book generated in his mind about the boy. He immediately trained his complete attention on the boy.

The reason Kano knew about OCD was that he had heard about it from Teacher Larks. After learning that he had dyslexia, Kano was encouraged to talk with Teacher Larks and learn more about what it meant. Through it, Kano was introduced to a myriad of other, similar, conditions that people suffered from. One of them that stood out to Kano was OCD, this was because he didn't understand why such a condition was labelled as a mental disorder along the same line as his dyslexia. Based on how it was described, Kano felt that it was pretty harmless, maybe even a boon. The compulsiveness to achieve just the right result or being extremely thorough didn't sound malicious to him. Yet after facing someone with the disorder and observing just how distressed they felt with the slightest deviation in their surroundings, Kano finally understood why.

Kano expounded with a measured tone, "D-D-Do you often feel an urgency to repeat an action because something just didn't feel right? D-D-Do you find yourself repeatedly cleaning your hands or clothes at the slightest invasion of your private space?"

Artist Norris frowned as he nodded in affirmation to both the questions.

"I've only observed a limited amount of Artist Norris' public works, yet from the ones I have seen, I've noticed that the structures you choose to paint are often symmetric or methodically built with quasi-symmetry in prominent sections," Kano continued. "This, as well as your behaviour before led me to believe that you have obsessive-compulsive disorder."

Before Artist Norris could howl and deny everything vehemently Kano offered some reassuring words filled with sincerity, "Please don't be offended, Artist Norris. I am not disparaging you, in fact, I r-r-respect that you've achieved such heights in spite of your affliction. I for one look up to you for it! I a-a-actually suffer from a similar disorder that makes it difficult for me to read."

"Nonsense! I've seen you devouring the guidebook just a few hours ago," Keegan interrupted.

"It's thanks to my Teacher Larks. I wouldn't have been able to reach such a level if not for his guidance," Kano quickly clarified.

'Teacher Larks!' Jo Way snapped. 'I've heard that name before... Where was it?!' As he wracked his brains to unearth the faintly familiar name, Kano resumed his earlier train of thought.

"What I r-r-realised after examining the paintings on display, and after understanding more about the artists that have made them, is that art and the artist are a joint package."

"That isn't news," someone from the crowd commented.

"The art r-r-reflects the artist. It portrays their true self, and what lies within their hearts," Kano continued. "Artist Norris' works are famous for their impeccable similitude. An artist needs to deeply envision their subject while painting it to successfully achieve level three. How can Artist Norris attempt any other genre of paintings if he himself feels anxious or uncomfortable to visualise something like nature that bears stark irregularities, flaws or variations?"

That statement evoked a symphony of awes from the audience who finally understood the crux of Kano's thesis.

"Artist Lysa's paintings all share one similarity, in that they all contain a dog or are derivative of canine spirit in some way," Kano said as he turned to a woman in the crowd. "I read in Artist Lysa's biography that you had contracted a Lion-Hound familiar for the majority of your early days as a mage, which passed away due to an unfortunate incident. Does Artist Lysa feel compelled to include her beloved companion in her works because she misses it dearly?"

The woman nodded lightly after pondering over the question.

"Artist Nana's paintings lean towards a darker colour palette, and the themes within the paintings lean heavily towards m-m-morose and ominous topics such as in 'The Dilapidated Gallows' or 'Plagued Land'," Kano said to another person in the crowd who looked scrawny, with a depressed aura radiating from him. "I've learned that Artist Nana lost his family at a young age to the P-P-Plague of Dark Cleansing. Does that unfortunate tragedy affect your thoughts when you sit down to paint?"

"It never leaves..." the man admitted with a dismayed expression. "It's all I think about."

Kano continued to list out his observations of the works of artists present in the crowd. One after another, he presented his findings as well as his explanation for the conclusion. Each artist was deeply moved by the incisive detail with which Kano broke down their deepest secrets which were often unknown to themselves. It offered a profound look within themselves and about how they approached their own crafts.

"As I've explained, an artist's work is a reflection of their inner self. In Artist Norris' painting, I can see him - I can see his signature. However, I cannot say the same for Teacher Way's faultless work. It is perfect, yet it does not show Teacher Way. Or maybe I am wrong and Teacher Way's signature is p-p-perfection. But beauty in art is in the imperfections that evoke thought from the audience. I don't feel anything compelling when I look at Teacher Way's work. I'm sorry," Kano added while bowing profusely in Jo Way's direction.

The concluding remarks caused the audience to reevaluate their earlier impression of the duel's outcome. While it was evident that Teacher Way's work was superior to Artist Norris, the boy's points made valid sense. The audience was thoroughly convinced thanks to Kano's earlier demonstration by including his breakdown of their work.

In fact, they had become so enamoured by the boy's fluid explanation with a vocabulary beyond his years, that they had nearly forgotten that he was just six years old at the cusp of breaking into his seventh year. Even Keegan had overlooked this detail, which suddenly dawned on him only because the boy's hardened expression regressed into sheepish embarrassment. He chuckled internally with amusement when he realised just how seriously everyone was taking the kid's words, which was a sign that they subconsciously respected the boy. This was an admirable feat - to earn these experts' respect - especially given that he was of such a young age.

However, Keegan wasn't totally satisfied. He was knowledgeable enough to realise that the boy's earlier thesis was a compilation of his insights specifically geared towards his artistic philosophy. To that end, the boy had covered almost all the artists whose works were on display. Almost all the artists, except for one...

Keegan coughed audibly, drawing everyone's attention.

"What about me?" He shot out.

"Pardon?"

"You've talked about your impression of everyone else and their works.. But you haven't talked about mine," Keegan urged with an excited look.