Chapter 687: You Smiled Five Years Ago
"I can draw a little."
Thinking about some books he read in the library and the knowledge he learned in art class, Ren answered.
Not all the books he read in the library that could teach him how to draw were like the book "Simple Drawings for Kindergarten".
"I see."
After knowing that he could draw, Yotsuba fell silent again.
"Do you need my help with painting?"
After waiting for a while and seeing that she still didn't speak, Ren asked speculatively.
Because Yotsuba asked, it meant that what she wanted to say definitely had something to do with drawing.
"That's not true. Actually, I have an unfinished gift, but I don't know if I want to give it to you."
Yotsuba raised her head and stared at him for a moment, then quickly averted her gaze to the side to prevent herself from becoming obsessed.
"An unfinished gift?" After a pause, Ren continued, "It's okay. As long as it's a gift you give me, I'll gladly accept it whether it's finished or not."
"...But I already agreed beforehand not to expect too much from that unfinished gift."
Saying so, Yotsuba opened the bag she was carrying, took out a painting tube, and handed it to Ren.
"What is this?"
After taking it, Ren looked at it curiously.
It was the first time he had made contact with this object.
The cylindrical paint tube had a relatively short radius and was very slim.
Its length was slightly longer than the width of the painting Yotsuba gave him.
"The paint tube is used to hold paintings." Yotsuba said simply.
"A painting? How do I open it?"
Since Ren had never seen a paint tube before, he didn't dare to handle it casually.
"Just open the cap from here and take out the painting inside."
Yotsuba pointed to the end with the cap on one end of the paint tube.
"Oh."
So, Ren followed her instructions, opened the cap of the paint tube, and took out the rolled-up drawing paper.
"Can I open it and see?"
After handing back the paint tube to Yotsuba, Ren was very curious about what the painting might be.
"Um, but you can't laugh because of this painting."
Yotsuba said anxiously.
"Yes."
Ren pushed the framed painting aside to make room for the painting to be opened.
As the drawing paper slowly unfolded, the painting inside also appeared before his eyes.
Just like the previous painting, the overall tone was black and white, and the background was still Kyoto.
But in this painting, there was no little boy, and there was a large area in the middle.
At the same time, it was clear that the painting skills in this painting were quite poor and couldn't be compared to the painting now.
There was a big difference in the background alone. In this painting, he could hardly recognize where the background was because of his familiarity with Kyoto Station and other iconic buildings.
"Did you paint this painting?"
After examining for a long time, Ren looked at Yotsuba who had been anxious since earlier.
"H-how did you know?"
Yotsuba was surprised, and the ribbon on her head straightened in an instant.
"Because you wrote your name here."
Pointing to the words "[Nakano Yotsuba]" written in pencil in the bottom right corner of the painting, Ren gave an answer.
"Oops, I forgot to erase it."
Yotsuba covered her face with her hand and said awkwardly.
She originally wanted to fool him, but in this situation, she had no choice but to admit it.
"Did you originally want to finish this painting yourself and then give it to me?"
As his eyes observed both pictures, Ren made a guess.
From the same background, basically, he could guess some of Yotsuba's thoughts.
"Yes, I specifically asked seniors from the art club to teach me, but my painting skills can only reach this level and are really inferior to the seniors."
At this point, Yotsuba no longer needed to hide anything and spoke honestly.
She wanted to paint it herself, but her talent was limited, so she had to give up on that idea.
According to the senior who taught her, as long as she studied hard for about ten years, she could reach a level similar to his.
After knowing this situation, Yotsuba had no choice but to ask seniors for help with drawing.
"Then you're helping the art club, not the basketball club?"
The scenes of the past few days flashed through Ren's mind.
"Well, this is what I do in return for the senior's request from the art club to teach me how to draw and help me draw."
"I help the art club, and the art club helps me draw. It's a fair deal. Otherwise, the art club wouldn't treat me so kindly for no reason."
"Thank you very much for your hard work."
Ren stared at the old painting for a long time before saying this.
"It's nothing difficult. The seniors are very nice to me. I just help with simple physical tasks like moving things and pouring water." Yotsuba said indifferently, "Compared to what the seniors have given me, my help is nothing."
"Then, are you going to give me this painting?"
Ren kept asking.
"I actually wanted you, Ren-san, to finish this painting."
Yotsuba revealed her true thoughts.
"With my painting skills, I couldn't draw you back then, and I couldn't accurately depict what you looked like back then, so the seniors could help draw it."
"I think only you in this world, Ren-san, can draw yourself like you were back then."
"That's true."
Ren understood her thoughts.
"But why do you want to paint me five years ago?"
This was something he couldn't understand. Wasn't his current self better than his self five years ago?
"Because you were smiling back then five years ago, and we were very happy when you smiled." Yotsuba said.
"You told me this five years ago." Ren's memory was still very clear.
"Um, Ren-san looks much better when you smile than Ren-san who looks like this now." Yotsuba replied honestly.
"Do you think about painting this picture because my smile looked good?" He asked.
Yotsuba looked at him with a chuckle and said softly, "No, I just want you to smile more, Ren-san, rather than stay expressionless like this."
"I want to see you smile again."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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