They all have hidden attributes!

Seeing the confused look on Takahashi Makoto's face, Tachibana Yuki suddenly found it a little funny, so he changed to a stern tone and said, "In that case—please be sure to let me go with you."

Under her serious gaze, Makoto Takahashi breathed a sigh of relief and agreed as if to back down: "Thank you, senior. Actually, I was just about to go to the National Museum of Modern Art. I'm not very familiar with the area around Chiyoda."

It's not that you get lost, it's just that because it's close to the Imperial Palace and there are many elevated roads nearby, the walking routes are too complicated, and first-time visitors can easily take a long detour.

As for taxis, they're still a bit too expensive.

"Lengzi, send a car over," Li Jianxing ordered magnanimously.

Chapter 28 Art is truly terrifying

This was the first time Takahashi Makoto had met Tachimi Yuki since July.

Yesterday, Saturday, he couldn't get an appointment with Nekoya Hina, who was busy with training, so he didn't go out all day.

Today was the day I was supposed to go to the art supply store to pick up my paints and new brushes, so I had to go out. I decided to go see my own art exhibition first, but I unexpectedly ran into an angel.

As she said, the young lady took several days off in a row. The only places where ordinary people like Takahashi Makoto could have any interaction with her, besides the archery competition, were the academy.

Sitting in the back seat of a luxurious black sedan, looking out the window at the bright shop windows of upscale shopping streets, this feeling became even more pronounced.

Of course, he didn't mean to feel inferior.

It's just a temporary gap right now. As the system holder, her future achievements will definitely not be lower than those of a chaebol heiress.

"Takahashi-kun, would you like some chocolate?"

A sweet voice drifted from his side. Makoto Takahashi took the chocolate from Yuki Tachimi, thanked her, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

“Last month, Uesugi-kun also gave me chocolates from this brand. She got them from her senior.”

Aside from archery, the only common topic he and Tatsumi Yuki share is Uesugi Maya.

Makoto Takahashi, a hopeless romantic, can't find a decent topic to talk about, even when facing a girl who clearly has feelings for him.

"Yes, they suddenly came to the student council and bought all my snacks, making a killing." Tachimi Yuki nodded and smiled, a look of pleasure in his eyes.

It seems that bullying Uesugi Maya makes her genuinely happy.

Recently, Makoto Takahashi has also had this feeling. When he orders Maya Uesugi to run errands or do chores, it's quite amusing how she puts up with it.

"Uesugi-kun has always wanted to defeat his senior. Is she afraid?" Takahashi Makoto asked.

"As for the band, I'm not afraid at all."

Tachibana Yuki rested her head on one hand, turned her head to the side, and said with a smile, "Takahashi-kun should know that a band is not a one-person affair. She...she doesn't even understand how to effectively utilize others."

She paused noticeably, a shadow falling over her beautiful blue eyes. Makoto Takahashi sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere and steered the conversation deeper.

"Your senior knows her very well."

"Yes, after Sayo joined, she was the only one left in the kendo club."

Tachimi Yuki immediately resumed her usual gentle smile and continued, "She said she wanted to challenge me, and I said I would lose if the Kendo Club won the Jade Dragon Golden Flag, but she couldn't do it at all."

The Jade Dragon Flag Kendo Tournament has two top awards: the Jade Dragon Gold Flag for team competitions and the Jade Dragon Silver Flag for individual competitions.

It's really troublesome that Uesugi Maya is always getting into conflicts with others. No matter who it is, her words always hurt the other person, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

According to Makoto Takahashi's observation, if it were a stranger, it would be fine, but at least Maya Uesugi would not have intended to cause conflict and would have been harmed without realizing it.

If someone tries to get close to her, she will deliberately be sarcastic and sharp-tongued because she doesn't want to rely on anyone.

"Although the weather is a bit bad today, let's leave this topic here."

Tachikawa took another bite of chocolate, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it, as if he was using this method to throw the task of finding a topic to talk about to him.

She always manages to subtly control the pace and atmosphere of the conversation, making Makoto Takahashi inexplicably nervous and uneasy if he doesn't say something.

He chose to use focused breathing, forcing himself to ignore the atmosphere. The narrow car interior instantly became quiet, with only the sound of tires rolling over the puddles remaining.

As the black sedan slowly came to a stop in front of the art museum, Tachibana Yuki opened her beautiful blue eyes and looked at him with surprise: "So, Takahashi-kun is the type who would be interested in art exhibitions."

Makoto Takahashi couldn't quite put his finger on what was puzzling her, but he decided to set aside the topic for now and instead seize the initiative in the conversation.

"Senior Li Jian always uses some very unique words. Is this the legendary rich girl's verbal tic?"

"Like, thank you for your kindness or something? Yes."

"After hearing it so many times, I actually find it quite cute."

"Teasing senior girls isn't a good habit, you know."

The two chatted as they got off the bus from opposite sides and arrived at the entrance. Takahashi Makoto took a ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Tachimi Yuki, then looked back at the driver and Kashima-senpai following behind him.

“I’ll buy the tickets for everyone else,” he said, taking out his wallet.

"No need. I'm happy to know that Takahashi-kun doesn't plan to go on a date with anyone."

Tachikawa gave Kashima Reiko a look, and the latter went up and talked to the staff guarding the entrance, saving Takahashi Makoto a lot of money and a ticket.

The art museum was brightly lit and not crowded, as everyone was deliberately speaking in hushed tones, making it relatively quiet.

Each oil painting is protected in an exquisite frame, with an outer layer of glass for added protection. They are hung on the wall and illuminated by spotlights for easy viewing.

When Takahashi Makoto first came to this kind of place, he didn't know the appreciation process. After using the [Lv.3 Painting] skill, he could only make superficial judgments such as which works were good and which were bad, so he simply looked at his own works.

His increasingly quickened pace was very purposeful, so Tachibana Yuki stopped admiring him and wanted to see what Takahashi Makoto was looking for.

Not long after, Makoto Takahashi stopped in the most central area, his dark eyes fixed intently on the painting on the wall, while Yuki Tachimi stood beside him, raising his face.

""spring thunder"?"

She recognized the scenery of Tsurumizawa—a heavy and oppressive scene, with the leaden sky seemingly stretching endlessly, and in a daze, she seemed to hear the thunderous roar.

A sense of resonance, indescribable and inexpressible, welled up from the bottom of my heart, so familiar.

Yuki felt her heart inexplicably quicken, and her gaze was completely drawn to it.

"What exactly is this—"

“As expected, it’s still a problem with the paint. The flaws are very obvious when displayed in a place like this,” Takahashi Makoto suddenly said.

Suddenly, Tachikami Yuki turned her head and stared at his profile, trying to understand why she felt a sense of familiarity.

She is not lacking in artistic cultivation; at this level of art exhibition, there are no paintings in the entire venue worth spending money on, only what is different in front of her.

This painting, "Spring Thunder," seems to be a draft casually tossed out one night. There is no trace of the creator's passion; it simply uses lines and space, as well as bizarre colors and light and shadow to show off his skills.

He's just like that guy who's completely focused on archery but doesn't like it at all.

"Junior Takahashi, how much are you asking for?" Tachimi Yuki glanced at the nickname and decided to buy it to hang in his bedroom and keep it as a treasure.

"I don't know much about art," Makoto Takahashi frankly admitted, acknowledging that this was his own work.

"How about 50 yen?"

"Deal." He readily agreed, then turned to see Li Jianxing with a pleased smile on his face, thinking that he might have sold it too cheaply.

Art is terrifying.

Chapter 29 [Boring] Painting (Please continue reading!)

When Makoto Takahashi received a text message from the bank notifying him of a deposit of 50 yen, he still felt a sense of unreality until the art exhibition staff removed his painting and handed it to Yuki Tachimi's driver.

If you become a top master in the art world, can you paint one picture every month based on an "assessment" and then live a life of ease, enjoying food and drink to your heart's content?

Standing in front of the empty wall, he couldn't help but think that.

"Takahashi-kun is such a surprise to me. I never thought he could paint with oil paints."

Standing beside him, Tachibana Yuki continued to cast an admiring glance, but her playful tone carried a hint of danger: "Reiko, aren't you surprised?"

If her voice is usually sweet enough, then when she said this, it had a sharp quality to it.

“Very unexpected, Miss,” Kashima Reiko said expressionlessly.

Makoto Takahashi didn't sense any surprise from her composed demeanor, but it was all too obvious that senior Tachimi was in a bad mood today.

"Senior, you don't seem to be in a good mood today?" he asked casually.

“It’s really bad.” Tachimi Yuki said bluntly, glancing at Kashima Reiko with a cold look before turning back to her with a gentle gaze.

It's one thing for a foolish subordinate to be lectured by his mother, but even the information gathered by his most trusted confidante, Kashima Reiko, is problematic.

Is there anything in this world that is infallible?

"No wonder the senior was a bit fierce today."

Makoto Takahashi glanced at the dirty hem of her kimono, then immediately looked away to look at the other gold award-winning works: "But I don't think my senior is usually the kind of person she seems to be. I feel like she's just being special to me."

"You're not mistaken, because I really care about Takahashi-kun," Tachimi Yuki admitted with a smile.

It's that cunning excuse again. Last month it was "I have a good impression of her," but now all that's left is "I care."

"I never expected that I would suddenly be demoted in my senior's eyes," Makoto Takahashi said in a half-joking tone.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Tachibana Yuki seemed to lose interest, and his lips flattened out: "Junior, you don't care at all."

"What price would you offer for these paintings, senior?"

Makoto Takahashi changed the subject. She glanced at the oil painting, then at the nickname, and coldly commented, "Completely worthless."

"You don't even like this newbie?"

"This painting, 'Spring Flowers at Asukayama,' is extremely beautiful. Although its use of color is not as good as yours, as long as you can buy it, its value will only continue to appreciate in the future."

Tachibana Yuki's certain tone gave Takahashi Makoto an urge to immediately hand over his money, and then he remembered what Kashima Reiko had said: things you can't have are worthless.

Senior student Lijian must know this painter whose nickname is [Fenghua], and knows that he would never sell it.

As for her other works, judging from her eyes, she clearly doesn't think much of them.

While thinking to himself, Makoto Takahashi casually said, "I'll make the painting in your senior's hands appreciate in value as well."

"I just won't sell it."

Tachikawa smiled and asked him, "Does my junior have any plans to participate in other competitions?"

"I'm thinking of registering for the Japanese Young Artists Group Exhibition, but since it's an open-ended exhibition, I haven't decided what to paint yet."

"When it comes to color usage, perhaps someone can give you some inspiration."

"Who?" Takahashi Makoto asked.