The next afternoon.

When Ryunosuke and Kuta went back together, they were not met with the slightest suspicion.

But

"It's very early today to tie the ponytail!"

As if defiant, he said to Nanami.

"Is there anything Akasaka-san would like to say about this?"

Seven seas go toe-to-toe.

"That Aoyama, calm, calm," looking at the scene between the two with a hint of gunpowder, Sora hurriedly played a round "Actually, I'm also curious - doesn't Aoyama need to work in the student union today?" ”

"It's not." Glaring at Ryunosuke, Nanami looked at Sota and shook his head, revealing a hint of puzzlement, "The matter of the student council was replaced by Tosaka-senpai, and he said that Sakuraso has more important matters, so let me go back with you first-Kanda-san, do you know what it is?" ”

"Humph!" Ryunosuke, on the other side, let out a faint snort.

Crunch!

Sota seemed to hear the sound of the green tendons popping.

"Well, I don't know."

While snatching the conversation, Kuta glanced at Ryunosuke urgently, hoping that he would stop speaking - but he also felt that he was doing his best to obey the destiny of heaven, and when he was at school, the two of them were incompatible, and whether he would listen to himself now, Kuta felt that this was not very likely.

God, please grant me peace and that of those around me!

He prayed in his heart.

Perhaps God heard his prayers, and Ryunosuke didn't do anything to stimulate Nanami's nerves anymore

"Welcome back, Minnasan!"

As soon as the group entered the entrance, Kuta heard Rita's sweet voice.

"Rita!" Mahaku responded.

"Well, do you want to eat? I bought you your favorite Baumkuchen! ”

"Yes."

Mashiro nodded earnestly

"I have something to ask Rita for."

The five of them sat together at the table in the living room, and after eating the baumkuchen, Mahaku said to Rita opposite him with a serious attitude again.

"What is it?"

Slightly stunned, Rita asked with a smile.

"Meow Bolon."

“？”

"You know we're preparing a piece for the school festival, right? There is a shortage of manpower right now. ”

Kuta next to him added.

"So you need my help?"

"Yes. Because everyone else is busy, and there is probably no one who can match Shiina's level...... Shiina says it's okay if it's Rita. ”

Ryunosuke operated his phone and didn't speak—it wasn't his time yet.

"If that's the case, allow me to refuse—I don't deserve to be white."

After thinking for a moment, Rita smiled and refused.

"Nothing like that."

There was no doubt that it was said in vain—with nothing to say in her voice that she believed in it for granted.

“……”

Rita, who had already left her seat, stopped, and then slowly turned the whole person around.

"Rita is very good at drawing."

Mahahiro continued.

"Please don't, I'm not going to paint anymore - I've decided I won't paint again."

Still with a smile like the spring sun, Rita rejected Mashiro again.

But, in Ryunosuke's opinion, this is just a hypocritical calm before the outbreak.

"Why?"

“……！”

Like a fuse, after Mashiro's words, although Rita still maintained a smile, whether it was Kuta, Nanami, or Ryunosuke, who pretended not to care, they all felt the change in the atmosphere - the warm sun of spring had turned into the biting cold wind of winter.

"Rita is very good at drawing."

I didn't notice the atmosphere, and Mahaku still said seriously and puzzled.

"Just kidding."

Rita whispered, her voice muffled.

"Rita?"

“…… Please stop kidding. ”

Rita looked at Zhenbai with cold eyes, and said expressionlessly, her tone was extremely indifferent.

"Mahaku is not qualified to say such things."

"You're the only one who doesn't have the right to say that."

"Why"

It's like a child who has been reprimanded by an adult for no reason.,Mahaku's tone was full of confusion.。 She couldn't understand why Rita, who had been so kind just now, had become like this in an instant.

Sota and Nanami were also shocked by such a Rita and were speechless - they didn't know what to say.

"Who do you think did the murder?"

"Who do you think made me give up drawing?"

"Isn't it all really in vain?"

The tone was calm, but the intense emotion in Rita's voice could be felt even by Kuta Nanami on the side.

“…… Why? ”

As if looking for a child's mother, it was like forgetting other words, and Mahaku repeated this sentence.

"I'm not the only one who was hurt by Mahaku to give up painting!"

“…… Why? ”

"You really don't know. But this is what we look forward to, we can't catch up if we want to, and the Shiina Mashiro who is more hateful than anyone else! ”

Like an aria, Rita continued to speak softly.

Mashiro kept blinking in confusion. The air froze around Rita.

"Do you remember the children who studied painting with us in Grandpa's studio?"

"Yes."

"Did you notice that the kids were disappearing from the studio one by one every month?"

“……”

"When someone disappeared, do you remember?"

"Me"

"Mayaku probably doesn't even remember his name or face, right?"

“……”

"I only have my own paintings in my eyes, and I really don't know anything."

Sighing, Rita closed her eyes—not knowing if it was because of the pain she had been suffering for so long, or because of some other emotion.

"Why?"

How many times has this phrase been repeated?

"Didn't I say it was really in vain?! Because I know Mashiro, I began to hate my favorite paintings, more than anything else, and I don't even want to see the canvas, easel, and brush! ”

Rita's wide-open eyes reflected the shrunken whiteness.

Zhenbai's eyes, which were forced to look at by Rita, were full of uneasiness and panic.

"The children in Grandpa's studio are not the same as the innocent children in the painting classroom. They are children who have come from all over the UK and the world in order to learn professional painting and become famous painters. ”

"Everyone has a great table xiàn force. Even though they are children, they are already artists. However, in an art studio where only geniuses gather, even geniuses become ordinary people...... Because it was the first time since I was born that I had met an opponent who was better at painting than me...... The studio is one such place. Knowing that there will be competitors, there are several people who give up immediately because they can't stand it every year. Because I always thought I was special, but it turned out to be different, and the reality presented in front of the eyes of children is very cruel. However, as long as it is in the world of talent, these are things that can be taken for granted. Yes, of course, but our situation at that time was a little different - because the true white is stored zài......"

"I ......"

"That's right. No matter how hard you try, you can't become the same as Masaki, and we can't compare to it at all. The real white eyes didn't look at us at all...... Mashiro uses an invisible knife to chop up the children who are just alive and gathered in the studio just to paint. The dream of his peers to be a painter was as painless as it is now. When you look at the painting, you think, 'Ah, our world is different.' 'Experiencing first-hand what a true talent is. Even so, I still believed in myself, struggled in pain, and when I looked up thinking that I was moving forward, I only saw that Mahaku had reached the place ahead...... It's as if she's the only one with wings......"

Even if he was just watching, it was as if he could feel the emotion in Rita's words—the kind he had at one point.

He opened his mouth, but he couldn't say anything, and could only look at Rita wordlessly—Nanami was the same as him; Mashiro listened with a serious expression - like a person who fell into the water treats a life-saving straw; Only Ryu no Yu looked at the ceiling expressionlessly, not knowing what he was thinking.

PS: This week, let's guarantee the bottom of the three.