This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame
Chapter 321 - 236. No Good (8000-word goal achieved!)_2

Chapter 321: Chapter 236. No Good (8000-word goal achieved!)_2

Her talent was impressive, and coupled with her diligent study under Qianye Yuki, the works she produced were naturally more delicate in craftsmanship than those of average students. Furthermore, influenced by Qianye Yuki, her conceptual depth was much more profound than the members of the art club.

But there’s an old saying that rings true,

"A tree that stands out in the forest is often blown down by the wind."

Perhaps it was Beichuan Hui Li’s exceptional talent that had aroused the envy of Ando Fuyu, a second-year student.

Originally, Ando Fuyu was the most outstanding member of the art club. But once Beichuan Hui Li, a junior, arrived, both seniors and juniors couldn’t stop praising her work, and all attention shifted to Beichuan Hui Li.

Even her favorite teacher, Qianye Yuki, had used Beichuan Hui Li’s works as examples during explanations.

This was the treatment that Ando Fuyu should have received!

But with Beichuan Hui Li’s talent, hard work, and the renowned instructors especially found by Beichuan Si for her, the gap between them only grew wider.

How could this not cause resentment in the proud Ando Fuyu?

Consequently, the group of girls centered around her started spreading rumors to slander Beichuan Hui Li.

"Maybe it’s because Hui Li is often influenced by Mr. Temple... After knowing these things, she didn’t care or get angry at all. She told me not to tell you and said she would show Ando Fuyu and her clique what for in this Youth Painting Award."

Shen Gu Mirai sighed, "That painting... How should I put it, it was originally done in the club room, but Hui Li’s drawing board was always maliciously hidden away. When it was finally found, the painting she planned to enter into the competition had been torn to shreds. This is also why she spent several days at Miss Qianye’s house to finish the contest piece."

Why did Beichuan Hui Li want to keep it from Beichuan Si?

Actually, Shen Gu Mirai knew it well.

Beichuan Hui Li wanted to show Beichuan Si that she was no longer the Salty Egg Sister who always relied on her older brother. She wanted to surprise Beichuan Si at this award event.

She wanted to walk the path that Beichuan Si had walked.

To disregard the malicious slander of others and live her own life well.

But the path Beichuan Si had walked was perhaps a bit too arduous for such a young girl.

"Is this what Hui Li means?" asked Beichuan Si in an indifferent tone.

"... It should be about right," Shen Gu Mirai said, tucking the pink notebook into her backpack, her clear black eyes looking at Beichuan Si: "Mr. Temple... What do you plan to do next?"

Was it to respect Beichuan Hui Li’s choice or to intervene in this matter?

Without much thought, Beichuan Si decisively answered, "Compromise."

Compromise?

What sort of approach was that?

Shen Gu Mirai looked at Beichuan Si with confusion.

She... didn’t quite understand what Beichuan Si was intending to do.

...

Today was yet another peaceful day for Beichuan Hui Li.

Facing the cityscape outside the window, she estimated the distance and began to outline with her painting tools.

In just a moment, the distant scenery came to life under her hands.

The sinking red of the setting sun, the gray of the shadows between the buildings, the blue of the sky tinged with a hint of red...

She kept mixing colors, painting in detail.

What surprised her was that Senior Ando, who would usually mock her and her ’Brother Temple,’ was unusually subdued today.

Ando Fuyu was pale, her fingers trembling so much that she couldn’t hold her paintbrush, looking as if she had just recovered from a serious illness.

The other senior girls around Ando Fuyu also had the same expression, as if they had been frightened by something.

Feeling Beichuan Hui Li’s gaze, Ando Fuyu and the few senior girls buried their heads behind their drawing boards, trembling and not daring to speak.

"Strange," Beichuan Hui Li muttered, then glanced at the small bucket by her feet.

The bucket, stained with various colors, had developed a thick, murky gray.

Clearly, it was no longer suitable for cleaning brushes.

But—

If she were to leave now, her drawing board might get hidden again.

Beichuan Hui Li frowned and shook her head after a long while.

No matter what, I had to change the water, or I would never finish this painting.

Beichuan Hui Li covered the painting with a black cloth, then carried the bucket to change the water and carried it back—

"Is everything okay?" Beichuan Hui Li became even more puzzled.

Logically, every time I left, the painting should have been hidden away, and the original artwork torn up, but this time none of that happened.

It felt like Ando Fuyu and her group were no longer causing trouble as they had before.

Anyway, it was a good thing for me.

Beichuan Hui Li refocused, lifted the black cloth, and, looking at the painting that was halfway done, started painting again with the wooden palette in hand.

As she immersed herself in her creative world, an expressionless youth and a cute-looking little girl with medium-length hair also appeared at the door.

After making sure Beichuan Hui Li was fine, the two turned and left.

"So this is the compromise, huh..." Shen Gu Mirai, realizing something, said to Beichuan Si beside her.

She had been following Beichuan Si and naturally saw what he had done.

He had directly stopped Ando Fuyu and a bunch of little girls and then knocked several ’flower protectors’ to the ground.

With their little faces turning pale, Beichuan Si’s icy voice also followed: "You can keep up those little behind-the-scenes maneuvers, I might overlook them, but I don’t want to hear any more rumors about Hui Li."

Saying this, Beichuan Si stepped forward, his voice dropping lower, his expression terrifyingly calm: "If I hear those petty rumors about Hui Li again, whether it’s you or not, I will hold you accountable."

Thinking about those little girls holding back their tears, Shen Gu Mirai felt a sense of relief.

They had it coming.

To pick on Beichuan Hui Li was to blatantly disregard the Beichuan Demon King who reigned supreme in Bunkyo District.

Moreover, Beichuan Si normally didn’t care about these matters; had those girls not provoked their own doom, Beichuan Si would likely have let things be.

"I’m just maintaining a minimum level of fair competition," said Beichuan Si, walking beside Shen Gu Mirai, his expression unchanged.

"But even if you just said that, Mr. Temple, Ando won’t stop her online ticket-buying campaign, right?" Shen Gu Mirai asked Beichuan Si, curious.

Talking about fairness, but buying votes was already an unfair action, wasn’t it?

However, Shen Gu Mirai wasn’t worried at all that Beichuan Si was lacking a backup plan.

"It’s just some online ticket buying."

Beichuan Si glanced at the grand prize page, unconcerned.

As soon as he saw what Beichuan Hui Li had painted, Beichuan Si’s gaze couldn’t help but soften a bit.

"If they don’t play by the rules, I won’t let Hui Li suffer."

"Really? But what can you do, Mr. Temple? Buy votes online too?" Shen Gu Mirai inquired.

Recently, other works had also begun buying votes online, and Beichuan Hui Li’s first place position with 1489 votes was gradually being threatened by the second, third, and fourth place.

This was turning into malicious competition.

The online votes were only there for netizens to pick out the pieces they liked the most.

There was still a jury to judge the grand prize works.

But even if this wasn’t the main method of judging for the grand prize, if someone used this method to take her down, Beichuan Hui Li would probably be very upset, right?

That’s why Shen Gu Mirai thought of ’buying votes.’

She didn’t feel ashamed because others had already started cheating, so her action was just tit for tat.

But Beichuan Si shook his head.

"I don’t need to buy votes."

"Huh? Do you have another way, Mr. Temple?" Shen Gu Mirai became even more puzzled: "Tell me, Mr. Temple."

"Can’t."

"Ah—? Tell me, please! Mr. Temple!!!"

"No."

"..."