"But teacher, isn't this technically not a still life?"

"What do you think is right in front of us?"

"A cherry blossom tree. Well, a model of one. And there are animals around it, though they’re also models."

"Since everything is still, it qualifies as a still life, doesn’t it?"

That logic felt a bit off to me. But... maybe she wasn’t wrong?

"You’re probably the only person who rents an entire set just to paint a picture," I said.

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

"Good for you. That wasn’t a compliment."

And so, my daily life continued, stacking …