My girlfriend is Saiki Kusunoki

Under these circumstances, Naoto managed to complete two paintings within a week.

Looking at the oil painting in front of him, Naoto felt a sense of satisfaction despite his exhaustion.

Both of these paintings are much better than my previous works.

This is arguably the best work I can currently produce.

"But what should we do now? We've created two paintings. Which one should we submit?"

After looking at the two works in front of him, Naoto hesitated for a moment.

After all, both works are the culmination of his own efforts. One is an interpretation of what happiness is from the perspective of his childhood self.

The other one is about how I see happiness from my current perspective.

Naoto is extremely satisfied with every single one of them.

Even these two paintings contain a little secret that the artist himself kept hidden.

"This is going to be difficult, I have a problem making decisions."

When he realized he couldn't bear to part with any of his works, Naoto simply gave up thinking about it.

Since my mind is a complete mess right now, I might as well just let it go and upload all my works.

After Naoto thought about it this way, he instantly felt a sense of relief. He then packed up his two works and planned to submit them to the art association later.

And so, Naoto rested for another day. On the morning of the second day, having finished his revisions, Naoto took his work and headed toward the Tokyo Fine Arts Association.

Naoto hasn't been back here since the last competition.

Even Naoto was somewhat surprised that he would actually continue to come to this place.

The staff member sitting at the front desk was the same one who had greeted Naoto last time. When she saw Naoto arrive, she greeted him warmly.

"Mr. Naoto, welcome! Is this your entry for the competition?"

The staff member took the painting from Naoto, looking somewhat puzzled.

Why does Naoto's entry for this competition seem so thick?

"Ah, this, because..."

"Mr. Nagumo, are you confident about this competition?"

"Mr. Nagumo, the most popular choice online right now is Naoto Yamashita, who is currently considered Japan's number one genius. Are you confident about facing him this time?"

Just as Naoto was about to explain his work, he suddenly felt a commotion behind him.

Out of curiosity, Naoto turned around and found that a large group of reporters had gathered outside the association.

Among them, a rather arrogant-looking young man walked into the association with a haughty expression.

"Who is this person? Is he also here to participate in the competition?"

Looking at Nan Yunxiao surrounded by reporters, Zhi Ren felt a little confused. Was it some big star who came to participate in an art competition? Otherwise, why were there so many reporters?

"Ah, this person is, Professor Nagumo, who is also a favorite to win this year's Youth Award."

"A favorite to win?"

Naoto looked at Nan Yunxiao at this moment. His neat suit and flamboyant red hair, especially with the large sunglasses on his face, made him believe that he was the male protagonist of a hot-blooded manga.

The key point is that you said he was a painter?

Perhaps it's because Naoto isn't very involved in the traditional art world, but he has absolutely no recollection of this guy.

At this moment, Nan Yunxiao walked arrogantly to the receptionist and handed her a packaged painting.

"Oh? A high school student? Are you here to participate in the junior category of the Youth Award? You have a good eye."

At this moment, Nan Yunxiao glanced at Naoto. Judging from Naoto's age, he assumed Naoto was here to participate in the junior group competition. No one recognized Naoto's true identity.

That makes sense, since Naoto rarely appears in public, and today he even dressed up and tidied his appearance, looking completely different from his usual student self.

"Ah, yes, but not a boy, it's..."

"Ah, I know. The junior group is very competitive. Back then, I went through a long and fierce battle before finally winning first place in the junior group. You have to work hard too. Young man, I have high hopes for you."

"I already said I'm not..."

"Consider this advice from a senior: work hard. Although you'll never catch up to a genius like me, if you work hard, you can still make a living."

Looking at the red-haired youth, Naoto couldn't help but wonder if he had encountered an idiot.

Why is this person talking to himself for so long without listening to anyone else?

The receptionist who overheard Naoto and Akira Nagumo's conversation couldn't help but burst into laughter.

I don't know why, or what's so funny, but it's just really funny.

"Hey bro, look at that kid, doesn't he look familiar?"

"Huh? Really? Let me see."

While the reporters were taking photos, they also noticed Naoto talking to Nagumo Akira.

At first, no one paid much attention.

However, the more the reporters looked at the straight man, the more familiar he seemed.

This person looks so much like the legendary Naoto Yamashita!

After repeatedly comparing the two, the reporters became excited when they realized that the person in front of them was very likely the mysterious Naoto Yamashita.

"Holy crap, it's Naoto Yamashita!"

"What! It's Naoto Yamashita!"

"It really is him!"

Amidst the exclamations of the reporters, Nan Yunxiao was still somewhat bewildered.

"Naoto Yamashita? Where is he? I don't see him."

At this moment, Nan Yunxiao was still looking around, but when he saw that the reporters were all focusing their attention on Naoto, Nan Yunxiao looked a little confused.

Naoto: (°ー°〃)

Nagumo Akira: (ΩДΩ)!

Chapter 83: A Declaration of War from a Goofball

"Are you Naoto Yamashita?"

"Ah, if there are no other Naoto Yamashitas participating in the competition right now, it should be me."

"That national high school champion?"

"Correct."

"That currently best-selling cartoonist in the country?"

"Just use my name directly."

At this moment, Nan Yunxiao looked at Yamashita Naoto and suddenly felt that he was starting to lose his composure.

What was he just doing? Praising his biggest rival? And saying those kinds of things in front of so many people? If this gets broadcast, he'll probably be in hot water.

This has really made a fool of itself.

"Mr. Yamashita! Are you here to submit your work for this project?!"

"Are you confident about this competition? There are many strong competitors this time!"

"Could you reveal what your latest work is? And how it was created?"

"Mr. Yamashita! I heard you're currently working on a new manga. Could you tell us about its content?"

At this moment, the reporters who were originally surrounding Nan Yunxiao all started surrounding Naoto like crazy.

You know, normally straight people don't say a word.

I'm looking for someone all day long, but I don't know where to start.

Finally, Naoto gave a public interview. Everyone has been waiting for so long.

But after the interview, the person seemed to vanish into thin air, disappearing without a trace.

Anyone who didn't know better would think this person was a ninja.

At this moment, Nan Yunxiao looked at the reporters who had originally surrounded him, and realized that they had all betrayed him. He felt that he had been greatly insulted.

"What do you mean? Do you think I'm not as good as him? It's just drawing comics, I... I can give it a try too!"

"Uh! Can everyone calm down? Can we take it one at a time? It's hard for me to answer your questions if everyone keeps talking like this!"

Faced with reporters who seemed to have gone completely mad, Naoto felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the receptionist contacted security, which finally restored order.

However, for some reason, Naoto felt like this was his own personal press conference.

"Ahem, first of all, everyone's first question is about this painting. I painted two pieces in total. Although I was quite conflicted about which one to submit after finishing them, I felt they were both great, so I just submitted them both. But I can reveal something: I left some little surprises in both paintings. I think it would be very interesting if anyone could find them."

"What?! You actually drew two pictures?!"

When Naoto actually submitted two paintings, even Nan Yunxiao, who was secretly listening nearby, was somewhat shocked.

I spent nearly a month preparing, neglecting sleep and meals, before I finally finished this painting.

Based on his own intelligence, he knew that Naoto had received the news of the competition in about a week.

How did this person manage to complete two paintings in just one week?

"So, Mr. Naoto, what are your expectations for this competition? There are many people online saying that you will definitely win the championship this time."

"what?"

After hearing the reporter's question, the straight man's brain seemed to overload.

What do you mean by saying someone online is guaranteed to win the championship? I don't even know if I'll make it to the finals, and you're already telling me I'll win?

"Oh? You don't know about this? Recently, several of your fans and people connected to you have expressed great confidence in you."

Naoto, who had already begun to realize what was happening, immediately took out his phone, logged onto the forum, and started browsing the latest information.