A comic book, but a librarian

Uesugi Cheng was not lying. One problem caused by the damage to his soul was that he could not completely control his inner thoughts. The side effect brought by his obsession and charm was not just a simple decrease in soul power, but also a certain decrease in his concentration and attention. What was worse was that he tried to paint a certain theme for himself, but halfway through, messy inspirations would always pop up in his mind, and he would end up messing up the whole painting.

"Is that so? Then let it go for now. Come to think of it, Shin is really casual. He just lets you run around like that." Ijichi Hoshige seemed to be quite familiar with his brother, so Uesugi Sumika didn't intend to hide anything.

"Maybe he feels that he can't stop me from doing what I want to do... After all, everyone has things they want to do, right?" When Uesugi Sumiko said this, he looked at Ijichi Kouka, who was passing drinks between the guests. Although she looked a little tired, her love for the stars and music was obvious.

"Indeed..." Ijichi Hoshika nodded, then followed Uesugi Cheng's gaze to look at her sister, smiling as if thinking of something. "But those children are still just children, and they still need some guidance and help from adults from time to time."

"After all, they are a girl band, so they have to think carefully about the future, unlike me..."

Uesugi Cheng thought about it and felt that he didn't need to worry about his future. After all, his family really had a fortune waiting for him to inherit. Even if his brothers and sisters would take most of it, the property in his hands would probably be enough for him to live a carefree life for the rest of his life. However, it would be too hurtful to talk about this kind of thing, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, that's true... After all, both Ashin and you have no worries about food and clothing. Forget it, let's not talk too much. I'm starting to look worried. If you think you can take on a commission, just tell me and we can discuss this matter in detail then."

Uesugi Cheng nodded. He still needed some time, not only to recover his damaged soul, but also to vent the inspiration that had nowhere to accumulate.

"Hey, are you leaving? I was thinking of letting Uesugi-san listen to the results of our rehearsal!" said Ijichi Hongka. She did feel a little embarrassed. It was clearly her who took the initiative to invite Uesugi Cheng to listen to their rehearsals and performances, but Uesugi Cheng still hadn't heard it yet.

"That's nothing. After all, I'm already very grateful that you guys let me participate in your band activities, although I'm a little busy recently."

Uesugi Cheng shook his head indifferently. After all, the four members of the Bond Band might all have the potential to become high-level assistants. Appropriate contact and training are always better than doing nothing.

"Not really, but Uesugi-san is really good at music..." Ijichi Kouka looked a little embarrassed. In fact, Uesugi Sumiya's playing ability has exceeded their imagination. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a monster, so they also want to learn Uesugi Sumiya's technique.

"That doesn't matter. Remember to call me at the next rehearsal. Maybe I can provide you with some help." Uesugi Cheng waved his hand and left Fanxing. He looked into the distance, and the gentle smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of melancholy and sadness, just like a poet.

"Fire... the color of fire."

Uesugi Sumire was sitting on the train, watching the video of the burning flames on his cell phone.

"No, that's not enough... I need to see more real flames."

Chapter 68 Drawing the Flame

"Is this why you pulled me out to burn things? Brother, I'm not an idler. I still have to go to school."

Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the flames burning in the brazier and complained helplessly, but after saying these words, he fell silent. Uesugi Sumire stared at the dancing flames in the brazier, looking even a little infatuated. Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but shudder.

".......It shouldn't be that weird." He said in a low voice. Hikigaya Hachiman has recently become addicted to looking up information, or rather, he has become addicted to the pleasure of finding some unknown little secrets from those information files. For example, some perverts who have gone astray will enjoy watching the process of flames burning, and finally even set fires themselves to satisfy their desires.

"What are you talking about... I just want to know how to draw a flame." Uesugi Cheng raised his head and asked while muttering something. His hands did not stop moving and he added some wood into the brazier. They were now on a relatively empty beach. The only light around them was probably the brazier in front of them and the moon in the sky.

"Ah, but aren't there tutorials for this kind of thing everywhere? And to be honest, with your skills, it would be terrifying just by drawing it." Hikigaya Hachiman shuddered again. He didn't even dare to imagine if Uesugi Sumire really painted the flames so vividly, would he feel like he was on fire when he saw the painting?

"It's different... Hachiman, it's completely different. The object being burned, the duration of burning, and the environment will make the shape and color of the flame completely different. The best I can do now is to accumulate materials."

Uesugi Sumiya's words made Hikigaya silent for a while. He really couldn't understand the art things that Uesugi Sumiya said, but as a friend, it was vacation, and more importantly, there was money to be made, he had no reason to refuse to accompany Uesugi Sumiya here to make a fire.

"The more I see, the more I want to know. The more I learn, the more I feel that I have not mastered enough. Originally, I just drew for fun, but this time is different... I really want to draw it, to draw everything that comes to my mind, completely. I have to blame Akutagawa Ryunosuke for this."

"No... why are we still talking about that writer? Didn't he die a long time ago?" Hikigaya was shocked. Could this be blamed on a dead man?

"Who made him write those novels... Who made me just finish reading them? If I don't draw them, I'll feel uncomfortable in my head, you know. I haven't been in a good state recently because of this."

Uesugi Cheng stretched lazily, and attributed the countless moth-like thoughts in his head to a dead writer as a joke. What he wanted to do now was to vent his inspiration in a way that would satisfy him.

Scenes and perceptions can indeed help him achieve extraordinary effects in painting, but he is not satisfied with relying solely on the great technique to fulfill his inspiration. Uesugi Cheng hopes to make his basic skills stronger, and then rely on the blessing of the great technique to paint a painting that satisfies himself.

"That's true... Then I have to be careful, it would be bad if you become a perverted pyromaniac one day." Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to say this casually, but his attention was always on Uesugi Sumire, carefully observing his friend's reaction.

"How is that possible... I'm not a fool. Even if I want to see a large-scale burning, I can ask someone to take me to a film set or something to observe it. Why do I have to do this myself?"

After hearing the joke, Hikigaya suddenly felt that he should wear a wig and a red nose and go to the amusement park to work as a clown. How could he forget that Uesugi Sumika was a rich young master? If he really wanted to go to a filming set, he could probably just tell his family and go. Why was he worrying about such things?

"Come to the studio tomorrow and give me a hand. I need more practice."

"That's not a problem. Do you still have money to rent a studio?" Hikigaya questioned Uesugi Sumire's financial resources. Uesugi Sumire was indeed the young master of a wealthy family, but according to him, he had always been very frugal in living expenses. How did he suddenly have the money to rent a professional studio?

"Oh, you mean this? I've talked to our dear old principal and art teacher... They were very happy to give me a small sponsorship. They introduced me to an acquaintance who had art training and said they would help me advance the money for the studio."

Hikigaya Hachiman once again realized the disparity between people. Geniuses can enjoy certain privileges in this way. But he changed his mind and thought, what does this have to do with him, Hikigaya? Uesugi Sumire earned that special treatment through his own hard work. He, Hikigaya, doesn't have that ability, so forget it.

Hikigaya is very clear about his position, he is just an ordinary high school student...

So after the fire-watching activity ended that night, Uesugi Sumiya specially treated Hikigaya to a barbecue as compensation for letting him enjoy the sea breeze all night at the beach. However, Hikigaya knew that it was probably just that Uesugi Sumiya's fire-watching session had not yet ended, so he wanted to see what the flames would look like during a barbecue, so he specially chose an open-air barbecue stall.

The next day, in the studio.

Uesugi Cheng came to the studio early. His messy thoughts were particularly obvious after he fell asleep last night. He had dreamed that he turned into Godzilla and fought the noodle monster for three hundred rounds. If this continued, he would not be able to imagine what he would dream about.

"Hikigaya, paint, just the three primary colors will do... I'll mix the rest myself. Oh no no, you still have to bring the black and white."

Uesugi Cheng patted his cheeks and focused his attention on the canvas in front of him again. This time he was going to paint flames, blazing flames.

Hikigaya Hachiman listened to Uesugi Sumire's instructions in silence. He felt that Uesugi Sumire's paint seemed to be consumed a little too quickly, but since he knew nothing about art, he did not ask.

"You are...Hikigaya-san, right? Uesugi-san is here, right?"

When Hikigaya went out to the bathroom, he saw their school's art teacher coming over and asking directly about Uesugi Sumire's whereabouts without saying a word.

"Yes, he is in there.....Teacher, what can I do for you? He is very busy in there now."

"I know, I know, he is a genius... I won't bother him, I just want to look at his paintings."

Hikigaya even felt that there was a hint of humility in the teacher's words, but he did not have the power to make the decision, so he went in obediently and asked.

"Oh, nothing, you can just let him come in and take a look... just don't disturb me." Uesugi Sumiya said without turning his head. Hikigaya looked at the unfinished orange and yellow layered combination on the drawing board, and suddenly felt as if the temperature in the room seemed to have risen. Uesugi Sumiya's painting seemed to have become more real.

Chapter 69 Experimental Works

"Speaking of which, the holidays are coming up...any ideas?"

Uesugi Cheng stretched and spoke without looking up. Although he was fully focused on painting just now, he would still want to say a few words to distract himself and take a break after such high concentration for a long time.

"Ah, playing games at home. I finally have a holiday and don't want to go out."

"Well said. I'll reward you with the iron fist of Hiratsuka Shizuka. Do you think she will let you stay at home for a vacation?" Uesugi Sumiko took out a tissue and wiped his fingers lightly. The feeling of paint on his hands made him feel uncomfortable after a long time. What was even more uncomfortable was that there seemed to be no improvement after wiping it.

"It's okay, as long as she doesn't hand it over... By the way, our art teacher is still waiting over there, how are you doing?" Hikigaya Hachiman glanced at the art teacher who seemed a little anxious sitting there, and thought that he never saw this kind of expression when he saw him in class.

"Well, it's okay... I'll work on it. The use of colors has improved a lot. Painting is indeed a refreshing thing." Uesugi Sumire's drawing board was facing the door of the studio and the seat next to it, so no matter how anxious their art teacher was, he couldn't see any of the work. Uesugi Sumire licked his slightly dry lips. Hikigaya silently lowered the temperature of the air conditioner by another degree, and then took the bottle of water to the table next to Uesugi Sumire.

"Just put the water there, it's almost done... I didn't expect that drawing fire is actually quite interesting. Maybe I can improve a little bit next time."

Uesugi Cheng casually put down his paintbrush, picked up the water bottle, unscrewed the cap, took a sip, and then looked at the teacher who was waiting.

"Mr. Maehara, would you like to come and take a look? Perhaps you could give me some comments?"

"Okay, okay, I'll just take a look... As for evaluation or something, maybe I can only give you some inspiration." The teacher called Maehara looked somewhat delighted. He immediately stood up and trotted to Uesugi Sumika's side, and then he saw the painting.

Flames, all he could see were flames. The crackling wood looked extremely fragile under the flames. The orange and bright yellow flames almost occupied the entire picture. Maehara came to his senses and felt the ruthless flames had already rushed up his arms. His hair was curled and gave off a burnt smell. His body was reminding him that he seemed to have stepped into a fire.

However, in the midst of the fire, there was a man whose face could not be seen clearly, who seemed to be standing in the center of the fire. He had a knife on his waist and was wearing gorgeous clothes.

"Life is fifty years long, like a dream or an illusion. Life is about death, so a brave man has no regrets."

The man drew his sword and seemed to be laughing in the fire scene that had turned into purgatory. The billowing black smoke and ruthless flames blocked all roads. It was clearly a scene of certain death, but the warrior showed no fear.

"Nobunaga... Nobunaga?" Maehara felt a bright knife flashing towards him. He subconsciously used his hand to block it, took two steps back and touched the wall, then subconsciously jumped up as if he had been electrocuted.

"Huh... Huh... It's just a painting, just a painting..." Maehara was sweating profusely. He just thought he had touched the wooden wall that was on fire and that he had been burned. When he came to his senses, he found that he was just absorbed in looking at the painting.

The composition of Uesugi Sumiko's painting is not complicated. In a fire scene that looks like hell, a warrior with a blurred face is about to draw his sword towards the flames. It looks like he is going to fight to the death with the power of nature.

Although this warrior seemed to be casually dealt with with crude blocks of color so that people could barely understand his identity, the blazing flames around him seemed to be real and might jump out and set him on fire in the next second.

"Come and drink some water. Are you okay?" Hikigaya Hachiman was already exhausted. His breathing was just a little heavy. He began to feel that even with the air-conditioning turned down, it was still too hot. Uesugi Sumire's paintings were becoming more and more terrifying, and they even made him feel like he was being burned by flames.

"What's the name of this painting?" Maehara found his voice trembling a little, but it didn't matter. He no longer cared about his image. The only thing in his eyes was the words full of flames.

"How about "Fifty Years of Life"? Give it to the unlucky general who was burned to death in the fire." Uesugi Sumiya was very casual, as if the painting that shocked the other two people present was not drawn by him.

"Okay, okay...very good, this painting can be exhibited now. No...it should be exhibited. Uesugi-san, if you want to exhibit your painting, I can help you contact a large-scale exhibition for free. It deserves to be seen by more people!! And your name, a genius that only appears once in a thousand years!"

There seemed to be a flicker of fire in Mr. Maehara's eyes. He could already imagine the grand occasion after the painting was exhibited. However, facing this proposal that many painters and artists could not refuse, Uesugi Cheng looked indifferent.

"No, forget it. This painting isn't that good-looking... I'm just experimenting. If I can't even draw the flame effect I want, I should practice behind closed doors. It looks okay now."

The flames drawn with ordinary paints were already enough to satisfy him. When he used the precious materials that could be used as paints stored in the Silent Bookstore, what he could draw would definitely be better than what he had now.

"Ah...Uesugi-san, you mean this painting?"

"Oh, sorry, I think I have to take this painting away. Maybe it will never appear in the eyes of another person in my life. I don't want anyone to be scared by this painting, so I can only..."

Uesugi Sumiko flattened out the painting he had in mind depicting the last moments of Oda Nobunaga's life, seemingly waiting for the paint to dry.

At this time, the look that art teacher Maehara gave to Uesugi Sumire had changed from genius to rare treasure. If he had not retained a bit of reserve, he would have probably rushed out the door to inform his mentor that he must recruit this genius student, Uesugi Sumire.

"It's okay, it's okay, as long as you keep practicing and creating, Uesugi-san!! As long as you can keep learning and creating, you can tell us if you have any difficulties, and we will do our best to help you solve them!"

Maehara has already used us. He knows that if his teacher could see this painting, he would definitely say the same thing as him.

"Thank you. I want to take a short break now. Let's leave it at that for now." Uesugi Cheng took a deep breath, and his face looked a little tired.

Chapter 70 Summer Vacation is Coming

"So...what exactly do you want to draw? Isn't this the thing you want to draw?"

"Ah, that's not true... As for what I want to draw, Hikigaya, you've seen Hell Transformation, right?"

"I've seen the story about the painter Yoshihide who watched his daughter burned to death in order to paint the best painting..." Hikigaya suddenly felt a little uneasy and turned around to ask Uesugi Sumire next to him.

"Ah, that's about it... Don't ask me, I might have given up sometime. This kind of thing is just talk, so let's stop here."

Uesugi Cheng looked at the sun above his head, the midsummer sunlight was extremely dazzling. If he hadn't been wearing sunglasses, he would have kept his head down obediently. The flying insects flying around in his heart seemed to have a vent and temporarily quieted down. His restless heart was finally able to calm down temporarily, but just as he thought, after satisfying one desire, what awaits him will be even more turbulent inspiration and fierce desire, unless he completes the final work in his mind.

"That's all. I feel much better now. Let's try other themes and materials next time when we have time. I'm suddenly so sleepy that I want to go back to sleep." Uesugi Sumire yawned, and his face looked so tired that even Hikigaya Hachiman felt a little sleepy after just one look at him.

Since the incident, Uesugi Cheng has hardly had a good night's sleep. Even in his dreams, his mind is full of uncontrollable inspiration and messy thoughts. But today, after finishing that picture, his brain suddenly calmed down, as if it had been fully released, and was replaced by a fatigue that almost made him unable to open his eyes.

[“Fifty Years of Life”]: Although the author said that he was painting the scene before Oda Nobunaga’s death, almost everyone could see that he just wanted to paint a blazing fire. (3 casts, 1 blade, 1 winter)

Looking at the teasing in front of him, Uesugi Cheng couldn't help but smile bitterly, then shook his head. He planned to lock this painting in the studio of his apartment like the other paintings. After all, it would be bad if his current painting caused hallucinations and injuries to people who viewed it.

But before considering anything else, he just wanted to throw himself into the comfortable bed in his home, cover himself with the quilt and sleep until going to school the next morning.

"Hey, hey, hey, you called me so late at night. If you can't give me a reason, don't blame me for telling you something you don't want to hear next."

Uesugi Sumika answered the phone with some annoyance. He glanced at the time on his phone. It was only eleven o'clock in the evening. He got up, took a shower, ate something, and prepared himself a little. When he was about to start treating his enchanted rhythm, a phone call suddenly came in. So Uesugi Sumika could only resist the urge to speak sweet words and said the words as calmly as possible.

"You know what? Someone called me again. It's a professor from the Tokyo University School of Fine Arts... What on earth were you doing? I just helped you deal with it last time, but this time he said he had to take a look at your paintings."

Uesugi Nobuyuki's tone even sounded a little teasing. It was not like he had not experienced his brother's genius painting skills before. In fact, there was a painting in his bedroom, which showed a tranquil and clear seaside and a soft-looking sandy beach. Admiring it before going to bed would help him sleep. Of course, there were also many people in the art world who had been persuading him to take his brother over to study with him so as not to waste his talent.

"It's nothing good. Do you think I'm someone who can paint expensive works of art? Why don't you tell him that I'm busy preparing for the entrance exams and I'm tired and ready to go to bed. If you really have something to say, we can talk tomorrow, okay?"

Uesugi Cheng waited for a few seconds and let his brother hang up the phone first. Then he put down the phone, lay on the bed and looked at the only air-conditioning temperature display light that was still on in the entire room. His thoughts gradually calmed down.

"Those things...what's so good about them? I just paint..."

Uesugi Cheng's breathing became more and more even. He did not say that he painted just to kill time. This might be too cruel to many students, but for him, painting was just a hobby. Maybe when he found a better way to vent his inspiration one day, he would give up being a painter.

No matter what, life must go on, Uesugi Sumiko thought as he picked up the thing that looked like a test paper that Yotsuya Miko handed him. That was the homework on the [Silence Technique] that he left for Yotsuya Miko. Although Uesugi Sumiko did not intend to teach the great technique to Yotsuya Miko, the spells of defense and communication with spirits in the Silence Technique were still very useful for this girl who had already accepted her Yin-Yang eyes.

Even he himself picked up the books in the bookstore for the first time in a long time. After completing a painting that day, his inner restlessness subsided temporarily, and he was able to read the books better.

"On Resonance": A record of "Celestial Craftsman" Everett Vinzant's experiments on fire stealing.

The fire stealing technique here does not refer to Prometheus's theft of fire, but is one of the nine great techniques. (Reading requires 6 domes)

[Fire Stealing]: Alchemy, Metallurgy, Pyrotechnics: Fire Stealing is sometimes called the Technique of Alteration.

This book is more like a detailed experimental record than a book. The divine craftsman has his own unique insights into the relationship between musical instruments and Si Chen. However, Uesugi Cheng feels that it is unlikely for him to come into contact with those high and mighty god-like Si Chen, so he does not pay much attention to these contents. Instead, the great casting techniques in it are more in line with his needs.

"What do you plan to do during your summer vacation?" Uesugi Sumiko asked while guiding Yotsuya Miko to correct her mistakes.

"Maybe I should accompany Ah Hua for a walk. After all, so many things have happened recently that we haven't had time to take a walk."

The holiday was just right for Yotsuya Miko to take a short trip. After all, now that she had learned some of the art of silence, she began to feel confident in dealing with some of the less powerful evil spirits, and now had some confidence in either exorcising or rescuing them.

"Is that so? Then why don't I... forget it, it's better to stay in the apartment." Uesugi Sumiya originally wanted to go back to his head family, but when he thought about the relationship between himself and his head family, he gave up the idea. However, what he didn't expect was.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Hiratsuka, I'm leaving my little brother in your care. He definitely doesn't plan to return to the family, so I ask you to just keep an eye on him and make sure nothing happens to him."

Uesugi Nobuyuki's words made the corners of Hiratsuka Shizuka's mouth curl up into an irrepressible arc.

"Okay, okay, don't worry."

Hiratsuka Shizuka hung up the phone.

"You kid, finally you've fallen into my hands." She smiled brightly, full of joy that could not be concealed.