[172] The New Hug Pillow

Chapter 172: The New Hug Pillow

Listening to Rita's words, Shunsuke agreed, "Indeed, Mashiro's paintings are amazing, I can't compare to her."

Despite Shunsuke's tone of praise, Rita seemed a bit angry: "You say it so lightly, you're not an oil painter so you don't understand Mashiro's talent! Artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat aren't even worthy of being compared to Mashiro. Mashiro should be compared to great artists like Picasso and Van Gogh, who have made history! I was just stunned by your words earlier and didn't have time to refute you... although you are indeed a genius too."

By the end, Rita's voice had lowered again. She had just obtained most of Shunsuke's information through her family's connections in Japan, the Sawamura family.

The information introduced Shunsuke, and although it wasn't in the world of painting, Shunsuke's achievements at such a young age were impressive, undoubtedly marking him as a true genius. Mashiro's quick success in manga was also due to this man's help.

"You true geniuses wouldn't understand, you wouldn't understand the despair of ordinary people like me, just like Mashiro. Ah, yes, perhaps it's a good choice for Mashiro to stay here, because here there are peers who can help her. She needs real, equal companions, not mediocre friends who can only hold her back."

The more she spoke, the more disheartened she became. The once lively Rita now seemed like a dejected girl.

Shunsuke was completely baffled as to why the atmosphere had turned like this just from his ordinary agreement.

However, even so, there was one thing Shunsuke had to say.

"Rita, I won't deny that you call me a true genius, but Mashiro is not. She has talent, but she's just an ordinary genius. Most importantly, Mashiro is also a hardworking genius. To overlook Mashiro's efforts, Rita, you're going too far."

The first time he saw Mashiro painting and her works at the Izumi household, Shunsuke was convinced that Mashiro's achievements couldn't be explained simply by being a "genius."

A true genius is someone who can reach the peak in something without much effort. To give an example from Naruto, it would be Gaara. Even with almost no training, relying on the sand given by his mother and his own talent, despite having surprisingly poor data in the book due to lack of training, he became the Kazekage just after coming of age.

A hardworking genius, typical examples are Might Guy and Rock Lee. Their strength comes from a relentless self-exploitation that no one else can match, and Mashiro is clearly this type.

While Rita was stuck thinking about all sorts of trivial matters, all Mashiro did was paint; Rita's world had many things, but Mashiro's world, apart from painting, only included those two and a half people.

And these two and a half people, up to now, combined might not outweigh painting, at least Mashiro spends most of her day painting.

That's why Shunsuke doesn't acknowledge Mashiro as a "true genius." It's undoubtedly an act of dismissing all of Mashiro's efforts with the light phrase "genius," which is infuriating to hear.

As for himself... the returns far outweigh the efforts, so calling himself a "true" genius doesn't seem wrong, because to outsiders, there's no other explanation.

"You..."

Rita widened her eyes as she stared at Shunsuke.

"Ah, ah, I messed up in the end after all."

Seeing Rita's expression, Shunsuke sighed inwardly. The favorability that had just risen must have all dropped back. He had acted impulsively again. How could he save Kaede in time like this?

But even if given another chance, Shunsuke felt he would still say it. The points lost from Rita could be regained from others. However, watching Rita play the victim in front of Mashiro was honestly quite irritating.

Especially that self-pitying demeanor just now, which oddly resembled Kanda Sorata from the original story, made Shunsuke even more annoyed.

In Shunsuke's eyes, Kanda Sorata was someone who only knew how to complain about talent all day long. But he didn't even come close to the efforts of Mashiro, let alone Aoyama Nanami. No, perhaps he didn't even match the efforts of Aki Tomoya. He hadn't even reached the level where talent was a factor, yet he was so full of negativity. Sure, putting in effort might lead to even greater despair, but at least try first before complaining!

With such a gloomy mindset, constantly wallowing in self-pity and even causing Mashiro distress, he might as well get hit by a truck and be sent to another world to gain some cheat powers.

But since the choice had been made, Shunsuke wasn't a child anymore. He wouldn't regret it. Calmly, he waited for Rita to break down. After all, she had convinced herself to give up painting with that same rhetoric, and now that he had exposed it, she might become hysterical.

"Heh..."

But to Shunsuke's surprise, Rita simply chuckled lightly, then lay back on the bed, closing her eyes and murmuring softly, "I'm tired. I've been on a plane all day. I'm going to sleep."

—So, I was wrong about her.

—It seems it's fine for Mashiro to continue living here.

—Mashiro already has someone who truly cares about her.

Watching Rita lie on the bed wrapped only in a towel, without even wearing underwear, Shunsuke blinked and turned off the light. "Good night."

Perhaps Rita really was exhausted from a busy day. By the time Shunsuke finished washing up and returned to the room, Rita was already sound asleep, hugging the bedding and even snoring lightly. She must have been really tired.

"Rita?" Shunsuke gently nudged her. "Move over, move over. You're taking up the whole bed."

Rita didn't budge, showing no reaction. Shunsuke nudged her again, and she even smacked her lips.

"Everyone, take note. This isn't my initiative. I'm the victim here because my bed has been taken over."

Shunsuke, as if explaining to someone, deliberately put on his underwear before getting into bed. Due to the lack of space and the habit formed from often sleeping with Mashiro or others, after squeezing Rita aside, he naturally wrapped his arm around her waist.

Hmm, lately, sleeping next to girls has become more frequent. Without a pillow to hug, it just doesn't feel right.

"Tsk, the towel is still damp. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold like this?"

Then Shunsuke felt uncomfortable. The damp towel against his skin was really unpleasant, and it was still spring. Doing this could easily lead to a cold!

After considerately removing the towel, Shunsuke unconsciously—truly unconsciously, this was a habit of a playboy—placed his hand back on Rita's slender waist.

This hand deserves a slap!

After slapping his own left hand, Shunsuke looked at Rita. "Rita, if you don't want this, just say something."

"..."

Shunsuke, satisfied, placed his left hand back and began to sleep.

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