Anime rating game

"I want to work with Aoi and the others to create an anime that everyone will love. I'm also very happy when I work with everyone and discuss the content of the anime."

"But I think that shouldn't be called happiness."

"For me, the happiest moment is probably right now."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ema Yasuhara realized that what she said was ambiguous, her face flushed slightly, and she quickly explained:

"The 'now' I'm referring to isn't this very moment, sitting in the car right now. It's every single day right now."

"Well, happiness is temporary, a short-term state, while bliss should be long-term. If one can be happy all the time, I think... that might be bliss."

“You’ve explained it very well, very comprehensively.” Masamune smiled, then asked, “So, what do you want to draw for this week’s assignment?”

"I haven't decided yet. But I want to try to find that comfortable and peaceful state first."

“That makes sense. Let’s do that too. If it doesn’t work, we can discuss other solutions in a couple of days.”

……

Since Mashiro only had some inspection work to do that day, after making suggestions for improvement, there was nothing else to do.

As for Masamune himself, he had nothing to do in the afternoon.

So the two of them continued discussing how to draw their "happiness" assignment until they left work.

He even went up and down the stairs, specifically asking many people what happiness meant to them.

"How about drawing a contrasting picture? On the left, paint a wealthy man who is all alone, and on the right, paint a poor man who is destitute but has a harmonious family. With this contrast, the sense of happiness will immediately come out."

"No, it's not as good as a thousand people, one face."

"Why not just paint a picture of thousands of lights?"

"Ten thousand lamps?"

"No, that's not what you meant. 'Ten thousand lights' refers to..."

As Masamune explained the multiple meanings of the idiom, he took out his key and opened the door.

The moment I stepped through the entrance hall, a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes appeared before me.

She was wearing a well-fitting shirt that cinched at the waist, a plaid pleated skirt, and white stockings. She was sitting on the sofa chatting with her young daughter's mother.

“Hello…”

Because she spoke so fast, Masamune only understood a few common words, leaving him completely bewildered.

Seeing this, the girl stood up, smiled slightly, and then spoke in Japanese:

"Sorry, I thought the president of a big company would have excellent English skills?"

“My English test scores used to be pretty good, but test scores and speaking and listening skills are completely different things. If you speak slowly, word by word, I’m sure I can understand you.”

"Unfortunately, no one talks like that in real life."

"That's right, because I don't use English in daily life, I've almost forgotten all the words I memorized back then."

"Then let's communicate in Japanese. I'm quite confident in my Japanese skills."

The girl smiled slightly, then looked at Mashiro next to Masamune. The two walked towards each other almost at the same time and gently hugged each other.

"Long time no see, Mashiro."

"Rita too, long time no see."

Chapter 174 Mashiro's Only Friend

"Why is Rita here?"

After a brief, gentle embrace, the two sat down on the sofa, and Mashiro asked first.

“I’ve seen all of Mashiro’s drawings from the past year.”

"Ah."

“You’ve really made great progress. Your paintings from when you first returned to China last year were pretty much the same as before. But now, they’re imbued with a strong sense of personal will.”

Rita seemed to think she had said a good word, nodded slightly, and repeated it:

"That's right, it's about individual will."

“When you were in the UK last year, your progress had actually slowed down considerably compared to the previous two years.”

"Therefore, when I heard that you were invited by President Hayase to return to Chinese comics and animation key drawings, I was actually very happy."

"At that time, I kept thinking that if you went back to China to draw comics, you would probably give up drawing. In that case, I might be able to slowly catch up with you."

"Isn't this a really malicious idea?"

"But what I didn't expect was that after you returned to China, you not only didn't give up, but you progressed even faster."

"You've made more progress in the past year than in the previous few years."

"Seeing how fast you've improved, I know I'll never catch up with you, but I still want to keep trying."

"However, last autumn, after Grandpa saw your painting, he told me, 'Forget it, you don't need to paint anymore.'"

"At that moment, I was truly desperate."

"I know I can't compare to Mashiro, but I'm not comparing myself to you. Why should I have to give up just because you draw well?"

"Is it because I lack talent that my efforts are just a waste of time? Or is it because he mentored such an excellent painter as Mashiro that I am now an unwanted child?"

“After that, I gave up painting and deliberately stopped contacting you.”

"But a few days ago, when I saw your new work posted online, I felt as if I could sense your state of mind."

"No matter how great the obstacles ahead, as long as you make a little effort, you will always see the light."

"So, I started drawing again."

"However, after half a year of not painting, I have regressed a lot, and the things I paint are completely unbearable to look at."

"I cried for a long time that night. In my sleep, it felt like I had fallen to the bottom of a cold cliff."

"When I came to my senses, I found myself at the airport, holding my plane ticket in my hand."

"I don't know what I really think, but I just want to see you and talk to you."

Mashiro quietly looked at Rita, and after she finished speaking, she gently hugged her.

"I understand what's on Rita's mind."

"I never knew about your troubles before."

"Keep drawing, that's my suggestion."

Unlike Mashiro, Masamune noticed that Rita's face was full of despair and sorrow, her eyes staring blankly into the air, looking like she was already broken. A lot of thoughts came to mind.

In this situation, it's clear that Zhenbai can't be persuaded successfully with just a few words.

Thinking of this, Masamune subconsciously looked around.

Tomoyo, who was pouring tea for Mashiro, noticed Masamune's pleading gaze and fell silent.

How can I persuade them? I'm not good at this kind of thing myself.

"Miss Rita, do you like to draw?"

"I don't know, I wouldn't say I like it."

"If that's the case, why have you been able to persist from childhood until now?"

"Because my grandfather was a painter."

"If you were to give up painting, what other things would you like to do?"

"No."

"In that case, there's nothing wrong with continuing to treat drawing as a hobby, right?"

"You do not understand."

Rita glanced at Tomoyo with emotionless eyes and said again:

"Mashiro's talent is exceptional, not just a little bit, but almost monstrous."

“When I was little, in my grandfather’s art studio, Mashiro was always the best, far surpassing everyone else.”

"She is always the one being praised, the one being compared to, and the one being the focus of attention among adults."

“Many children couldn’t stand that situation and left one after another, giving up painting.”

"I have also woken up from nightmares countless times, and cried silently alone on countless nights."

"The reason I was able to hold on until last winter was because I really admired Mashiro. Even if I couldn't keep up with her, I wanted to stay by her side."

"However, the gap between the goal and reality is too great."

It turned out to be the case.

Tomoyo seemed to be deep in thought. She probably also liked drawing, but she was hurt by Mashiro's talent.

However, is it longing? This is indeed a feeling that many people experience.

"Since your target is Mashiro, then... Grandpa's words should be irrelevant. Why are you so upset about it?"

"I...may not be as strong as I think I am."

"No, you're just too concerned about Mashiro. Life is your own; you don't need to live for anyone else."

It has absolutely no effect.

Upon discovering that Tomoyo's words had also had no effect, Masamune fell into deep thought.

Unlike the original work she had seen in her previous life, Rita has more troubles, perhaps because Mashiro was taken away by her a year earlier.

Although it's a bit troublesome, she was, after all, Mashiro's only friend in the past, and it wouldn't be right to just leave her alone.

"These kinds of worries about the future are not decisions that can be made in a few days."

“Since you don’t want to stay in the UK any longer, if you don’t mind, why don’t you stay with us for a while? I’ll help you with the transfer procedures. After that, you can think about your future.”

"Is that okay?" Rita subconsciously looked at Masamune. "In that case, I want to be in the same school as Mashiro, preferably in the same class."

"Unfortunately, this is impossible."