Even though Japanese schools all have small class sizes, the textbooks for a class of twenty or thirty students still add up to a significant number.
After all, there's so much homework, and each subject has its own textbook. Without a cart, it would probably take all the boys in the class to carry them all, right?
But even with the help of the cart, carrying the textbooks from the resource room to the cart wasn't an easy task.
It's only thanks to Kasuga no Tōru working all the time that he's built up such a strong body. If it were someone like a shut-in or a greenhouse flower, they would have already collapsed from exhaustion.
Even so, Kasuga no Tōru could feel a little fatigue.
“Whew, I knew I should have asked someone to help me,” the boy shook his head helplessly, looking at the mountain of textbooks.
But then he thought again, he didn't have any friends, so he probably couldn't ask anyone anyway. Better not to ask for trouble.
“Kasuga no-kun!” A panting female voice called out from behind him as he was about to push the cart back to the classroom.
“Sawamura-san?” Kasuga no Tōru was a little confused. Was this girl a Cao Cao?
She could appear anywhere at any time?
He had just seen her talking to that famous school shut-in. How could she have already teleported to the resource room?
Eriri felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Although she was seen as a perfect lady by others, her true nature was only known to a few people.
A shut-in!
And a hardcore one at that!
Although the distance from where she was to the resource room wasn't very far, running all the way here made her heart beat like a drum.
And it seemed like there was more to it than that.
“Finally found you, Kasuga no-kun.” After taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Eriri finally managed to say that.
“You're looking for me?” Kasuga no Tōru was even more surprised. They had only met yesterday.
He might have left a not-so-good impression, like the time he accidentally drew a portrait of Eriri that didn't look anything like her. But overall, Kasuga no Tōru felt like he hadn't done anything wrong to her.
If the girl was really angry, how could she have paid five万円 for that portrait?
Eriri was indeed looking for Kasuga no Tōru.
Ever since finding out yesterday that he was also a student at Toyosaki Private Academy, the girl had been searching for him in the school today.
Unfortunately, Eriri was a girl who cared deeply about her image. She had bad eyesight, but she wouldn't wear glasses with frames for image reasons. Plus, the girl was very popular and the center of attention, so she didn't have much time to look for someone she cared about. As a result, she was disappointed.
But when Aoi Rento called her to a secluded corner, she surprisingly spotted Kasuga no Tōru.
She didn't care that Aoi Rento was still kneeling on the ground behind her, and she hurried after him.
However, her weak constitution, coupled with Aoi Rento's entanglement, made it until now that she could catch up with Kasuga no Tōru.
“Kasuga no-kun, I…” Even though she found the person she was looking for, seeing Kasuga no Tōru's puzzled expression, Eriri opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say.
“Sawamura-san, if there's nothing important, could you please move aside? The teacher is waiting for me to go back.” Although he didn't know what Eriri wanted to find him for, Kasuga no Tōru's instinct told him that if he didn't leave quickly, it would be troublesome in the future.
Besides, even Sawamura·Spencer·Eriri, with her family background, had things she found difficult. How could he, a commoner, solve them?
It's better not to ask for trouble. Getting involved with these big families would only make you a miserable cannon fodder, perhaps Tokyo Bay would be his final destination.
But Kasuga no Tōru clearly didn't want that kind of ending.
Seeing the boy trying to leave, Eriri became even more anxious.
Fortunately, after a long build-up, she finally opened her mouth.
“Kasuga no-kun, please teach me how to draw!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Eriri's heart let out a scream.
“What am I saying!!!“
“Sorry, Sawamura-san, you're already the ace of the art club. I don't think I have anything to teach you in terms of painting, even in many areas I still need to learn from you. If you are making fun of me, then your goal has been achieved, can you let me go?”
Kasuga no Tōru had seen Eriri's work at last year's Toyosaki school festival.
To be fair, the girl was definitely better than him in terms of painting technique.
But that was unavoidable. He was a self-taught artist in his previous life, a kind of late bloomer. Although he was talented, he didn't have the guidance of a master, and he had crossed over too early, without the opportunity to learn and grow. Compared to the girl in front of him, his technique was indeed inadequate.
But he also had his own advantages. According to Machida Sonoko, he was full of 灵气 (ling qi).
This 灵气 (ling qi), actually, has many meanings. For example, Kasuga no Tōru understood that his paintings were always able to grasp the essence of things.
However, talent is something that cannot be taught.
Just as Eriri couldn't teach someone how to be a rich second-generation, Kasuga no Tōru's so-called 灵气 (ling qi) was just a more mysterious way of saying it, and it relied more on one's own understanding.
He believed that Eriri must also know this, and the girl had watched him draw for two days yesterday and the day before, so she couldn't have failed to realize this problem.
So when the girl said she wanted Kasuga no Tōru to teach her how to draw, the boy subconsciously thought it was another rich kid's game, and it was for the fun of manipulating people.
“No, I'm not making fun of you, I really want to learn from you.” Eriri was almost crying after hearing the boy's words.
It was true that she was rich, but that wasn't something she could choose.
Moreover, she didn't mean to make fun of Kasuga no Tōru at all. She really, really wanted to learn from the boy.
If you have to ask why, it was because the boy's ability to see through everything made her heart beat faster.
As long as she could learn this skill, her work would surely resonate more deeply with people?
If she could really do that, having her own manga wouldn't be a distant dream, right?
Thinking about fans reading her manga and being able to connect with her, to be immersed in the world she created, Eriri felt a surge of excitement.
However, if the current problem wasn't solved, everything seemed to be just a fantasy.
“If Kasuga no-kun doesn't believe me, I can pay you. You only need to teach me for four hours a week, two万円 an hour, how about that?”
Damn it, the same old formula, the same old taste.
Kasuga no Tōru flashed this familiar line in his mind.
How could there be such a person, how could there be such a person?
Knowing that he could resist all temptations.
Except for money!