Chapter 10: The Most Beautiful Smile
"It's over, how am I supposed to paint this?"
At his desk at home, Naoto was currently lying on the table, troubled, his mind a complete mess.
Although he had repeatedly explained that manga and traditional oil painting were completely different things, those resentful classmates in the class completely disregarded these details.
It was like how older generations believed that anyone who studied computers would definitely know how to fix them. These people also thought that someone who could draw manga should also be able to paint oil paintings.
Oh my goodness, even when he was an art student, he usually only dealt with sketches! Have you ever seen a high school art student learn oil painting? That's just being idle. It's not even on the college entrance exam.
Although he had, out of boredom, sought out a few seniors to try oil painting, that stuff was truly too tormenting.
Even if he painted from morning to night, it would take at least a week. And that didn't even include the time spent brainstorming themes.
The most infuriating thing was that the submission deadline was only half a month away. He not only had to finish the vampire manuscript but also an oil painting. The workload was simply inhuman.
Fortunately, after the teachers in the class learned about Naoto's situation, they kindly allowed him to take three days off to find inspiration, and subsequently, he could selectively skip some homework for the following week.
Otherwise, he would have truly refused this task.
And even more fortunately, the system's boost to his painting skills wasn't limited to just manga.
Whether it was sketching, oil painting, or even traditional Chinese painting, he could now draw them all.
Otherwise, the specialized knowledge alone would have completely stumped him.
"Let me think, the theme for this time is… The Most Beautiful Smile. How should I paint it?"
Simply put, this theme sounded very simple.
Naoto, having been tormented by the exam-oriented education of the Great Heavenly Dynasty, felt that this was merely child's play compared to a college entrance exam essay.
However, if you were to say it was an essay, it would be fine, but if you had to turn it into a painting, then it became a bit difficult.
What is the most beautiful smile? A thousand people have a thousand different answers in their hearts.
In the eyes of most students in the Great Heavenly Dynasty, they would probably start thinking about things like "labor is glorious" or praising some great moral. In Naoto's mind alone, there were a series of concepts like a farmer's smile, serving the people, and the beauty of life.
It's not that these are bad, but to express them through oil painting truly tests the artist's skill.
For instance, when it comes to depicting a single figure in oil painting, the strongest example should be Teacher Luo's "Father." As one of the ten best oil paintings in the Heavenly Dynasty, although it only depicts a farmer, it conveys a great deal. And to depict so much in a single painting, it requires someone of master-level existence.
Naoto admitted that even with the system's help, he couldn't compare to those top masters. Therefore, this became the reason for Naoto's difficulty.
He watched as time passed, yet he showed no sign of putting pen to paper.
If the deadline arrived and he still couldn't submit a piece, he would probably become the laughingstock of the entire class.
"Ha~"
Seeing that it was already late at night and still without a clue, Naoto walked alone to the balcony.
Due to the Yamamoto Family and The Saiki Family being neighbors, their balconies were almost less than 1.5 meters apart. It would probably only take one standing jump to reach the other's home.
And the most interesting thing was that Naoto's room directly faced Kuriko's room.
At this moment, Naoto looked at Kuriko's pitch-black room and couldn't help but sigh.
"Yes, it's this late, Kuriko should be asleep by now, right?"
Thinking this, Naoto felt that he was too miserable. It was so late, and he was still staying up late for an oil painting.
"Is something wrong?"
"Whoa!"
Just as Naoto was about to continue agonizing, Kuriko had appeared behind Naoto at some point. Even though he was already accustomed to Kuriko's sudden appearances, he couldn't help but be startled this time.
"Nan-Kuriko?! What are you doing here?"
"I sensed your telepathy and came over."
Naoto almost forgot that Kuriko's telepathy could reach her mind even if he didn't speak.
"You seem to be very troubled."
At this moment, Kuriko also understood Naoto's inner turmoil. The frustration of not knowing how to create a piece was currently making Naoto quite distraught.
"Then, let's go to that place."
"That place?"
Naoto heard Kuriko's words and, before he could react, was already teleported by Kuriko to a small hill.
At this moment, the bright moon and the dazzling galaxy appeared simultaneously above their heads.
The serene small forest quietly nestled at the foot of the mountain, appearing exceptionally deep and secluded.
In the distance, the hooting of owls occasionally echoed, and the cool evening breeze, even on this night nearing summer, felt so refreshing.
"Where is this?"
"Don't you remember? This is where we camped together when we were little."
Seeing that Naoto didn't remember this place, Kuriko thoughtfully told him.
Hearing Kuriko's explanation, Naoto suddenly remembered that when his predecessor was young, he seemed to have participated in a summer camp with Kuriko, and this was where they had camped.
Before high school, whenever Naoto was sad, Kuriko would bring him here, and they would quietly gaze at the sky together.
It seemed as if just doing this could cast away all worries.
Even at night, everything around them didn't feel eerie at all; instead, it appeared so vibrant.
In such an environment, Naoto's inner anxiety also seemed to truly begin to recede.
"Do you still remember? We were in that little stream back then. You tried to splash me with water, but you ended up being swept away by the current I summoned."
"Ah, I remember. Your psychic powers were getting stronger and stronger back then, becoming difficult to control. So much so that you would often cause great harm. So you didn't dare to play with other children, and only I stubbornly stayed by your side."
The two walked along the forest path, constantly reminiscing about their childhood.
Back then, Kuriko could destroy a mountain and fill a river with a single use of her psychic powers. She was practically a walking natural disaster.
Facing such a situation, Kuriko was very afraid of harming others, so much so that she had almost no friends and appeared exceptionally reclusive.
But miraculously, even when Naoto was little, he was never afraid of Kuriko.
Whether it was when they were playing in the water and he was almost swept away by the giant wave Kuriko summoned.
Or when they were playing hide-and-seek, and he was directly buried in the dirt by Kuriko, almost dying.
Or when Kuriko used her psychic powers to restore his body, turning him directly into a baby or something like that.
But Naoto was never afraid of Kuriko. He always considered Kuriko his best friend.
After that, Kuriko's older sister, Kusuke, created a controller that could suppress Kuriko's psychic powers, and only then did Naoto stop getting injured.
However, their relationship grew better and better.
"Thinking about it now, the reason I am the way I am now is all because of your help. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have become a strange person."
At this moment, Kuriko was very grateful that she could meet Naoto.
Although she still couldn't be considered sociable in class, her interactions with everyone still made her very happy.
All of this was due to Naoto always helping her.
Once, Kuriko had also been to a world where Naoto didn't exist.
Her counterpart there was actually a boy. In Kuriko's opinion, his personality was simply too aloof. Although he later successfully made friends and his personality improved a lot, Kuriko still couldn't stand the reclusive personality that led him to move constantly.
"So, Naoto. Although I know your heart is filled with sorrow after your father and mother passed away, just as you have always been by my side, I will also always be by your side. Please, you must cheer up."
Under the starry sky, the girl named Kuriko Saiki slowly extended her hand towards Naoto.
A faint smile appeared on the girl's face.
At this moment, Naoto felt as if he had seen a legendary fairy.
"Kuriko, I think I know what I need to paint."