I ended up living together with the school's number one beauty who rejected me even though I hadn't confessed to her, but why are her beautiful sisters aiming to steal my virginity?

Chapter 24 : Even if it’s painful!

On this quiet night with the crescent moon sitting in the sky, I once again faced the pure white canvas with a brush in hand.

“…..”

…However, my hand just wouldn’t move. The scream of my father, long dead, echoed in my ears, causing a nauseating reflux in my stomach.

“Ugh, damn it.”

I pressed my hand against my mouth, enduring the nausea. Unpleasant sweat poured from my whole body, and a discomforting sensation made it feel like I was sinking at my feet.

“Please do your best, Nazuna-san.”

Seeing me in such a state, Suou-san smiled with pure eyes like that of a child.

She said she wanted me to draw for her. She was serious, willing to pay any amount. She was genuinely obsessed with my art to that extent.

…But I can no longer paint.

In front of the blank canvas, the forgotten shouts of my father resurface. The painful memories entwine around my body, rendering my hands motionless.

So, I said…

“Sorry. It’s impossible after all. I can’t paint anymore.”

Putting down the brush, I looked at Suou-san, as if escaping from reality…. Suou-san gazed straight at me.

“It’s okay. You can definitely do it, Nazuna-san. Because you have a talent that surpasses anyone else.”

Those were Suou-san’s usual words. Whenever I expressed weakness, she always told me I had talent… But no matter how much she flattered me, I couldn’t paint anymore.

“Being told that makes me genuinely happy. But talent, you see, if you don’t use it, it easily rots. My talent has long since rotted.”

“That’s not true. Your talent is not something ordinary. It’s not so simple that it would rot after just a few years of not using it.”

Slowly approaching me, Suou-san, with a loving touch, stroked my cheek. Then, with eyes that seemed as if she were dreaming, she continued speaking joyfully.

“I used to enjoy drawing too. My father has always been fond of art, inviting many teachers to the house, desperately practicing. I hesitate to say it myself, but I had quite a talent. I received several awards, and there were expectations for my future…”

“Then why don’t you draw instead of relying on me?”

“Haha. Indeed, that’s true…. But you see, I am aware of my limits. My talent is nothing compared to yours. It’s nothing more than garbage when compared to the geniuses.”

“Sorry, but that’s just being modest.”

“Haha.”

Then Suou-san’s hand left my cheek. She licked her cold hand with her tongue, seductively. It was a gesture so provocative that it sent shivers down my spine.

“I also loved to draw, but above all, I loved to look at them. A world of beauty beyond words, stripped of unnecessary embellishments. I loved such paintings, especially… your father. I was a big fan of Haimiya Ketsuji.”

“….!”

The moment I heard that name, my heart throbbed in pain.

“When I first went to his solo exhibition, I was shocked. Truly… shocked to the point that it changed my world…. But Haimiya Ketsuji stopped painting one day.”

“So, what, you want me to replace him? Sorry, but I can’t.”

“Haha. Do you understand what I’m saying? No, that’s not it. Because after a while, Haimiya Ketsuji started painting again.”

Suou-san took the brush I had put down.

“…I was astonished. The paintings from his later years were exceptional. I asked my father to buy many of those paintings. Even my busy father took the time to make space just to see those paintings… They were beautiful.”

“…..”

It hurts. Despite receiving praise, my chest hurts.

“But that’s why, when I heard that Haimiya Ketsuji died in an accident, I resented the unfairness of the world. There are plenty of other people who should die, so why did he have to die? And…”

“…He wasn’t someone who deserved to live.”

“Haha, that’s right. Truly, that’s correct…. After many years had passed since Haimiya Ketsuji’s death, I found out. That his son was attending the same high school as me. And, with a little curiosity, I found out that it was you who painted those pictures!”

Suou-san looked at me with eyes tainted with madness. Just like the deep madness that resided in my old paintings.

“When I learned that fact, I stopped drawing. Because my talent is nothing compared to yours. The talent of Haimiya Ketsuji, called a genius, cannot be compared to mine. That’s why I want you to draw for me more than anyone else!”

Suou-san offered me the brush. But I didn’t take it.

“…Sorry. Even so, I can’t paint anymore.”

Saying that, I bowed my head. But Suou-san, without any disappointment, laughed with a joyful voice.

“Nazuna-san. You suffered severe abuse from your father, Haimiya Ketsuji… That fear and despair at that time became the pigments of your paintings. Isn’t that right?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Haha. Don’t worry, I won’t use violence against you. I don’t have that kind of strength or courage. But instead, how about this?”

Saying that, Suou-san took out a piece of paper from the file on the desk behind her.

“Why do you have that?”

It was the manuscript of the poem left by ‘Sensei’ in his final moments. It was my only treasure now. Suou-san, as if it were a matter of course, tried to tear it apart.

“Stop!”

I shouted and grabbed Suou-san. Suou-san didn’t resist and simply fell backward.

“Haha, you have a good expression…. It gives me shivers!”

“…Know your place. Give that back. There’s nothing more to talk about between us!”

I’ll leave this house. I don’t know about happiness or anything idealistic like that anymore. Such things aren’t worth protecting to the extent of abandoning a treasure.

“Fufu~. I won’t let you escape.”

Seeing my state of mind as if she could see through it, Suou-san laughed with a chilling voice.

“I mentioned it earlier, but not only I, but also my father, is a big fan of yours.”

“…So, what’s the matter?”

“Hehe. If it’s for you to draw a picture, a little inconvenience is acceptable. My father said so.”

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“Yes. If I use money, it’s easy to destroy a house like that mountain hut…. And, I can also have some fun pranks on your precious sisters.”

“You…! They have nothing to do with this!”

“Yes. Those sisters have nothing to do with it. So, it doesn’t matter what happens to them, does it?”

“…Damn it!”

For a moment, I seriously thought about killing her…. But even if I did that, it wouldn’t make anyone happy.

“Now, please hold the brush. This brush is already yours, right? Nazuna-san.”

She offers me the brush that I once put down.

“…Just draw, right?”

I gritted my teeth and received the brush. Then, I stand up and face the blank canvas.

“Fufu~. As expected, you are most beautiful when enduring pain. That beauty shapes that painting, doesn’t it?”

While hearing those words from behind, I recall the old days…. How did I draw pictures? What kind of despair did I turn into colors? I look back at the past I had been avoiding for so long…

Something seemed to become visible.

“……”

But no matter what, my hand won’t move. From behind, I can hear the sound of my last treasure being torn apart…. Tears won’t flow anymore. Because I know…

Life is an endless winter.

I will probably continue to suffer until I die. There are no miracles or magic in this world. That’s why no one will help me, and I couldn’t save anyone either.

“…Ah, that’s right. I thought the same thing back then.”

When my father forced me to draw a picture. I wished…. I wished for someone to help me, please. I earnestly wished for the heroes I loved and the gods I didn’t believe in.

But no one helped me…

No matter how much I screamed…

This voice…

This pain…

This suffering…

Won’t reach anyone…

…So that was true magic.

“Don’t bully my brother!”

Cutting through the darkness of the night, a hero emerged in my life. For the first time, a crack appears in my long and chilly endless winter.

☆☆☆☆☆☆

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