He chuckled and asked, "Why are your legs shaking?"
"They're not shaking, are they? No, no, no, they are. It's your solemn dignity, sir. Before you, this student feels as if he's being crushed by five great mountains. This student is just... frightened by your commanding presence. Yes, that's it. I'm frightened."
"You little rascal. You've got a silver tongue. Do you use that smooth talking of yours to sweet-talk young ladies often?"
De'an looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.
'What young ladies has he ever sweet-talked?'
'He's at the prefectural school from dawn till dusk. Where would he go to sweet-talk young ladies?'
'There are girls at the school, sure, but they're not 'young ladies'—they're tigresses.'
De'an put on a pleading expression. "I'm as honest as they come, I would never dare get into any romantic entanglements. If my mother found out I was misbehaving, she'd skin me alive."
