My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

"Of course, we'll always be friends."

"Then you better remember this! I forgive you for what happened back then! We'll be friends forever! Don't forget that!"

Sakuta's loud shout immediately attracted a lot of attention.

However, neither of them paid any attention to it.

After so long, this brotherhood is finally beginning to be repaired.

Chapter 172: The Friendship of Youth is Always Pure

When Naoto returned home, it was already 8 p.m.

After finishing his work, Sakuta, feeling relieved, took Naoto and Hachiman to a nearby izakaya for a good meal, a long-awaited treat.

However, seeing how happy Sakuta was, Naoto and Hachiman were also happy for him.

However, precisely because of this, Naoto almost missed the last train. The three of them ate and drank until late at night, which was quite a rare sight.

"Before, I didn't understand what kind of friendship I wanted to depict. Now, I think I can finally paint the artwork I envision properly."

Naoto was sitting in his seat, carefully examining the sketch paper on which he had already drawn a draft.

Witnessing the reunion of Sakuta and Kunimi's friendship today gave Naoto a unique feeling.

When he parted ways with Boss Liu before, he felt more melancholy and reluctance than anything else. But this time, Naoto felt the joy of seeing his friend again.

There has long been a saying in China that "the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water." Many people initially interpreted this as meaning that the friendship between gentlemen is too superficial and unreliable.

In reality, this sentence means that the friendship between friends is as clear as water, without any trace of impurity.

Naoto himself wasn't quite sure what this sentence meant, but after doing various things in society over this period of time, he realized how precious the friendships formed during his student days were.

True friendship is based solely on pure friendship, without any other entanglements of interest.

The preciousness of this pure friendship was understood even by the ancients, otherwise, it wouldn't exist:

Famous lines include Wang Bo's "Though separated by vast oceans and distant lands, true friends are never far apart," Gao Shi's "Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not know you?" and Li Bai's "The Peach Blossom Pool is a thousand feet deep, but it cannot compare to the affection Wang Lun showed me."

At this moment, Naoto picked up his paintbrush and began to draw the scene in his mind, stroke by stroke, onto the paper.

Naoto can never forget that starlit night.

The night my friend, Boss Liu, parted ways with me to pursue his own dreams.

Although there was a deep sense of reluctance to part, there were also blessings for each other to pursue their dreams in the future.

As the image unfolded stroke by stroke on the paper, even Naoto himself was surprised that he had produced such a drawing.

"Looks like I've finally finished drawing it."

Naoto finally finished his painting in the early hours of the morning.

Unlike any of Naoto's previous paintings, this time he incorporated a painting technique he had never used before.

He even incorporated some of the artistic conception of traditional Chinese ink painting into it, and finally completed the painting.

"Naoto, it's time to get up."

The next morning, as usual, Nanko went to Naoto's room to wake him up.

However, Nanzi soon noticed that there seemed to be something different in the corner today.

"Isn't this the painting that Naoto has been working on? Has Naoto finished it?"

Even Nanzi could feel the unique charm of the painting.

This kind of charm is something that superpowers cannot replicate; it's as if you can feel the artist's spirit and energy in it.

"Hehe, not bad, right? I spent all night drawing it and finally finished it before the deadline."

Meanwhile, Naoto, who had already changed his clothes, stood next to Nanako and said to her triumphantly.

"It feels different from your usual paintings?"

"A little, but they're pretty much the same."

"How did you do it?"

At this moment, Nanzi gently touched the edge of the painting with her hand, and immediately an identical painting appeared in Nanzi's hand.

However, although the painting was exactly the same, Nanzi couldn't feel that unique feeling, that feeling that could be called Naoto's own imprint.

"How should I put it? We don't know for sure. It just happened naturally after we painted it. As for how to explain it, I can only say that it's the unique characteristic of each painter."

It's like the paintings of those big names in the art world. Although many people have copied their paintings, some have even achieved a similarity of over 90%.

However, in the eyes of true connoisseurs, these paintings are merely forgeries, lacking the unique flavor of the artist.

It can be said that after Naoto's drawing skills improved again, his strength is now comparable to those of great artists.

"Well then, that's settled. Nanzi, could you ask for a day off for me? I need to submit this painting."

Although this art competition was jointly organized by five universities, the submission of works was still done through the Art Association.

Naoto also returned here after a long absence, and he was greeted by the same receptionist from before.

Speaking of which, the last time I came here, I ran into that bitch Nan Yunxiao. This time, Naoto specifically chose a time when there were fewer people and observed for a long time before coming in, just in case he encountered some strange guy again.

The staff found it amusing when they saw Naoto fully armed.

Who would have thought that the young boy from back then would now be a big shot in Tokyo?

The naive boy who was once afraid to even submit his work is now full of confidence.

"Mr. Yamashita, you've finally arrived! Our judges have been waiting for your work for a long time."

"Phew~ Don't even mention it. I didn't finish this piece until last night. By the way, did no strange people come over today?"

Seeing Naoto's wary expression, the receptionist probably guessed who Naoto was talking about.

A month ago, the conflict between Naoto and Nagumo Akira was quite a big deal. Even the higher-ups of the Art Association got involved in Nagumo Akira's arrogant attitude.

It's only because Nan Yunxiao is the only son of the Nan Yun family and the future heir that this would have resulted in a complete online ban.

Even so, Nan Yunxiao was still tortured terribly.

Compared to his high spirits a while ago, Nan Yunxiao has changed a lot now.

"Ahem, don't get me wrong, I just simply don't want to see that guy. Alright, I should go back now, this piece is yours."

As soon as Naoto handed the artwork to the receptionist, the fact that Naoto had finally given up the painting was immediately shared online by someone with ulterior motives, causing a huge reaction.

Chapter 173; Online Feud, Panda Head Emerges

"Naoto Yamashita! He finally submitted his work! Cough cough cough, I've been waiting for so long!"

At this moment, in the Nan Yun family villa, Nan Yunxiao was so angry after seeing the news online that his face was contorted with rage.

These past few months have been incredibly difficult for Nan Yunxiao.

Because of something online, Nan Yunxiao's parents grounded him, forbidding him from going anywhere and forcing him to stay at home. They even cut off a large portion of his allowance.

If this was merely a matter of physical discomfort, then Nan Yunxiao's physical condition was truly wretched.

During this time, Nan Yunxiao felt as if she were possessed by an evil spirit. Her body was unusually tired and uncomfortable, and even her previous cold wouldn't get better. She still has some lingering health problems.

Of course, the reason why Nan Yunxiao is like this is because of Nanzi.

Although Nanzi herself had forgotten that she had gone through so much trouble with Nan Yunxiao, it was still hard on the child.

Strangely enough, perhaps because Nan Yunxiao is a bit slow on the uptake, when he saw Naoto finally submit his artwork, there was no resentment in his eyes, only anger and fighting spirit.

Perhaps what this guy sees more as the fact that Naoto dared to issue him such a challenge, and that his words completely disregarded him.

Moreover, Naoto had issued a challenge, but Naoto was unable to respond due to his illness, which was simply unbearable for him.

When Nan Yunxiao's condition finally improved and she was finally able to get out of bed, Naoto surprisingly stopped responding.

This made Nan Yunxiao feel a sense of frustration she had never experienced before.

It felt like Naoto didn't even bother talking to him (in reality, Naoto was busy drawing and hadn't even checked the message).

Nan Yunxiao has always considered himself a chosen one, a star that is different from others.

Now, he's actually encountered someone who looks down on him, which shattered his already fragile self-esteem.

This young master, who was already single-minded, immediately tagged Naoto on his phone after learning that Naoto had come out.

"You coward, Yamashita Naoto, you finally dared to show your face! Didn't you say you were going to crush me? Why are you only showing up now? Are you scared?"

After crafting the message, Nan Yunxiao confidently sent it out. She thought, surely Zhiren will reply now?

But what was unexpected was that before Naoto could reply, netizens started having fun.

[Hilarious! Isn't this the idiot who got yelled at last time? How come he's back?]

【Seriously? They're scared because they only have a month left before submission? ONE-sensei wears glasses, do you think everyone's like you?】

[ONE-sensei still has movies to direct and comics to draw. Do you think everyone is as idle as you? He's already a billionaire by now. Don't you even know if you deserve that title?]

Some people are just too confident; they can't even tell who they really are. Why are you getting impatient before the other person has even spoken?

Nan Yunxiao had barely spoken when he was overwhelmed by a flood of comments from netizens.

"Damn it, what do these people mean by this? I'm looking for that kid down the mountain, why are you all making such a fuss!"

Having not spoken for so long, Nan Yunxiao had almost forgotten just how bad her reputation was online.

Although everyone is quite busy, if Nan Yunxiao really disappears for a year or two and no one talks about it, naturally no one will remember this guy.

But alas, it hadn't been long since then, and it just so happened that Naoto submitted his work. Now it was hard for everyone to remember him.

At that moment, Naoto, who had just returned home, looked with great interest at the message that Nanon Akira had sent him.

He didn't expect that this guy would still remember him. He had just returned from outside when this guy started calling him.

I don't know if this is just stubbornness or fearlessness.

"This is really interesting. He actually dared to call me? In that case, I'll have some fun with this guy."

Upon seeing Nan Yunxiao's outburst, Naoto wasn't particularly angry.

After all this time, the anger that was there has long since subsided, and recently Naoto has heard that Nagumo Akira is having a pretty tough time.