My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

"Ahem, everyone, don't panic. Although participation in this competition is mandatory, theoretically, only one person from each class needs to participate. Since it's a national competition, the entries will be judged nationwide. So, is there anyone who thinks they have good skills and would like to participate?"

When Matsuzaki-sensei said those words, the students who had been wailing and complaining suddenly sat down quietly like obedient children, afraid that Matsuzaki-sensei might displease them and make them participate in the competition.

Are you kidding me? A national competition? That would be a huge embarrassment for the entire country! Who would dare do that?

Although there were a few students in the class who were quite satisfied with their level, they immediately chickened out when they heard that it would be broadcast nationwide.

At this moment, the students all looked around warily, searching for something that could become a sacrifice.

"This is going to be a difficult situation."

Seeing that not a single person in the entire class dared to participate in the competition, Mr. Matsuzaki's expression began to darken. Everything had been fine with Mr. Hiratsuka's class next door when they announced their activities. Why was everyone in his class so uncooperative?

"Ah Qiu!"

Just then, for some unknown reason, Sakuta suddenly sneezed.

When Sakuta came to his senses, he found that everyone in the class was staring at him.

"Ya Bai, this is really bad."

Seeing the way his classmates were looking at him like he was a sacrifice, Sakuta got goosebumps.

Oh my god, if I were to participate in this competition, I would become a complete laughingstock.

"Hee hee hee."

Suddenly, a very faint laugh reached Sakuta's ears.

At this moment, Sakuta saw his best friend Naoto slumped over the table, his body twitching.

No doubt, this guy is laughing, he must be.

Sakuta, looking at his friend who was so mischievous, thought, "Why aren't you killing him yet? Are you going to keep him for the New Year?"

Since you've done something like this, don't blame us brothers for being unrighteous.

"Teacher! I recommend Yamashita as a candidate for this event! Naoto's work has already been published in JUMP!"

When Sakuta said those words, Naoto was stunned, and the class erupted in chaos.

"JUMP?! Is that JUMP?!"

"No way?! There are actually works by Yamashita on there?"

"Are you kidding me? That place down the mountain?"

"Wait, there are only two short stories in this JUMP series. Is Naoto Ashirogi Muto or ONE?"

"Are you stupid? Akira Muto is only a middle school student, while ONE is a high school student. Do you even need to think about it?"

"Naoto is ONE?!"

Upon realizing that his identity had been exposed, Naoto clutched his chest and stared at Sakuta in disbelief.

However, Sakuta looked at Naoto with an indifferent expression. "Brother, good luck to you."

Just as Naoto was about to argue that comics and traditional paintings are different, he discovered that the entire class had already used him as a sacrifice.

Even Matsuzaki-sensei looked at him with a gratified expression.

I never expected that Yamashita would actually become a manga artist. As expected, Kusunoki still has a way with people. It's wonderful that she was able to bring him back to his senses.

Looking at the eyes of those around him, Naoto knew that this time there was probably no way to escape.

And all of this is my damn bad friend's fault.

Chapter Ten: The Most Beautiful Smile

"Oh no, how am I supposed to draw this?"

At his desk at home, Naoto was slumped over the table, his mind a complete mess.

Although I have explained repeatedly that comics and traditional oil painting are completely different things, those scoundrels in the master class don't care about these details at all.

It's like how older generations believe that anyone who studies computers can definitely fix them. These same people also think that someone who can draw comics should be able to draw oil paintings too.

Good heavens! Even back when I was an art student, I mostly worked with sketching! Have you ever seen a high school art student study oil painting? That's just asking for trouble. It's not even on the college entrance exam.

Although I had nothing better to do back then, I went to a few senior students to try oil painting, but that thing was just too torturous.

Even if you paint from morning till night, it will still take at least a week. That doesn't even include the time spent thinking about the subject matter.

What's most infuriating is that the deadline for this project is only half a month. Not only do I have to complete the vampire story, but I also have to finish an oil painting. This workload is simply inhuman.

Fortunately, after learning about Naoto's situation, the teachers in his class kindly allowed him to take three days off to find inspiration, and also gave him the option to choose not to hand in some assignments for the following week.

Otherwise, he really would have refused.

Even more fortunately, the system seems to be improving his drawing skills not only in the area of ​​comics.

He can now paint in various styles, including sketches, oil paintings, and even traditional Chinese paintings.

Otherwise, his lack of professional knowledge alone would be enough to completely shut him down.

"Let me think... This time the theme is... the most beautiful smile. How should I draw it?"

Just by sounding it, this question is actually very simple.

For those who have been through the grueling exam-oriented education system of China, this is nothing compared to the college entrance exam essay.

However, it's fine if you say this is an essay, but turning it into a painting is a bit difficult.

What is the most beautiful smile? A thousand people will have a thousand different answers.

In the eyes of most students in China, this is probably the time to start talking about how glorious labor is and how to sing praises of certain great ideals. Just in the minds of straight people, there's a whole host of things like the farmer's smile, serving the people, and the beauty of life.

It's not that these things are bad, but expressing them in oil painting requires a lot of skill from the artist.

When it comes to depicting a single figure in an oil painting, the most outstanding example is probably Luo Zhenyu's "Father." As one of the top ten oil paintings in China, although it only depicts the image of a farmer, it expresses a great deal. To depict so much in a single painting requires the skill of a master.

Naoto believed that even with the system's help, he couldn't compare to those top masters. This was the reason for his predicament.

As time passed by, I showed no sign of actually writing anything.

If I can't submit a piece of work by the deadline, I'm afraid I'll become the laughingstock of the whole class.

"Ha~"

Seeing that it was almost midnight and Naoto still had no clue what to do, he went to the balcony alone.

Because the Yamashita and Saiki families are neighbors, their balconies are only about 1.5 meters apart. It would probably only take one standing jump to reach the other's house.

What's most interesting is that Naoto's room is right across from Nanko's room.

Looking at the pitch-black room of Nanako, Naoto couldn't help but sigh.

"Yeah, it's this late, Nanzi should be sleeping by now."

Thinking about this, Naoto felt that he was being too miserable, staying up so late to paint oil paintings.

"What's matter?"

"Whoa!"

Just as Naoto was about to continue with his headache, Nanako appeared behind him without him noticing. Even though he was already used to Nanako's unpredictable appearances, he couldn't help but be startled.

"Nan, Nanzi?! What are you doing here?"

"I sensed your telepathy and came over."

Naoto almost forgot that Nanako's telepathic abilities could reach her mind even without him speaking.

You seem to be very troubled.

At this point, Nanko also learned about Naoto's inner turmoil. Naoto was currently feeling quite overwhelmed by the frustration of not knowing how to create a particular artwork.

"Then let's go to that place."

"that place?"

Before Naoto could react to what Nanko said, Nanko used teleportation to take him to a small hill.

At that moment, the bright moon and the dazzling Milky Way appeared simultaneously overhead.

The tranquil grove of trees, nestled quietly at the foot of the mountain, appears exceptionally secluded.

In the distance, the occasional hooting of owls could be heard, and the cool evening breeze felt refreshing even though it was almost summer.

"here it is?"

"Don't you remember? This is where we camped together when we were kids."

Seeing that Naoto didn't remember this place, Nanko kindly said to him.

Upon hearing Nanko's explanation, Naoto suddenly remembered that when his predecessor was young, he seemed to have participated in a summer camp with Nanko, and this was the place where they camped back then.

Before high school, whenever Naoto was sad, Nanako would bring him here and they would quietly look at the sky together.

It seems that as long as this is done, all troubles can be shaken off.

Even at night, the surroundings did not feel eerie at all; on the contrary, they seemed so vibrant and full of life.

In this environment, Naoto's inner anxiety seemed to really begin to subside.

"Do you remember? We were in that stream back then. You tried to splash me with water, but the current I summoned swept you away."

"Ah, I remember. Back then, your superpowers were getting stronger and stronger, becoming uncontrollable. So much so that they would cause great harm all the time. That's why I didn't dare to play with those kids, and I just clung to you and stayed by your side."

The two walked along the forest path, constantly reminiscing about their childhood.

Back then, Nanzi could destroy a mountain and fill a river with a single use of her superpowers. She was practically a walking, talking natural disaster.

Faced with this situation, Nanzi was terrified of hurting others, to the point that she had almost no friends and appeared extremely withdrawn.

But what's amazing is that Naoto was never afraid of Nanako when he was a child.

Whether it was playing in the water with Nanzi, or almost being swept away by the giant wave summoned by Nanzi.

During a game of hide-and-seek, Nanzi buried him in the ground, and he almost died.

When Nanko used her superpowers to restore her body, she was turned into a baby or something.

However, Naoto was never afraid of Nanako. He always considered Nanako his best friend.

After that, Nanako's older sister, Sora, created a controller that could suppress Nanako's superpowers, which prevented Naoto from getting hurt again.