Chapter 106 – Traces of a Divine Maiden

……

“Wow, you’re pretty talented at drawing, Hayakawa.”

“No, no …… it’s just a simple check mark, it doesn’t count for much.”

Takahashi Ayano flipped through a few pages of the original and looked at the special effects sounds of her other drawings, “See, it’s just very talented, it’s only just started a week ago and your hand can be so steady, Hayakawa, you’re a born manga artist eh!”

“No, no, no, please don’t say that! I-I just take the time to practice when I have, when I have time in school, it’s not considered a talent.” Hayakawa waved her hand in denial, she had always felt that her life was very ordinary, if she had to add a talent to it, it would bother her.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, it seems Hayakawa is really into drawing manga, I’m thoroughly impressed by you.” Takahashi Ayano stroked her chin, narrowing her eyes and nodding frequently.

At this moment, the two were still in the room where Ayano drew her manga, and three meters away from the two, Aoi Natsuki was also sitting there looking at the jp club’s manga books.

Originally, I guess, he didn’t want to come, but since Ayano had said in the past two days that the jp club’s Tezuka Awards were about to open, and she wanted to participate, she had to come up with an excellent title, so she called him along.

Before coming here, Aoi Natsuki had also specifically checked out this tournament, but there were still some questions.

“Does this Tezuka Reward refer to Osamu Tezuka?”

(Osamu Tezuka: Legendary Japanese manga artist, founder of modern Japanese animation, author of books such as Astro Boy, Black Jack, the Three-Eyed Prodigy, and others.)

“No, although it’s very similar, there’s a difference between the two competitions. The Osamu Tezuka Award is an award established by TV Asahi, and it has a much higher relative gold content, and the ones that usually win are some particularly outstanding manga, for example, let’s say the Freshman Prize in the list of winners for the 10th time: Higuchi Asahi’s Ace Pitcher Revving Up the Arms. The Freshman Award in the 15th edition: Hiroshi Arakawa’s “Alchemist of Steel”. That should tell you a lot about the awards, shouldn’t it?

The Tezuka Prize is a competition that is exclusive to Jp Society, and is held twice a year, with the winner receiving up to 2 million yen, which is quite a lot of money, and in addition to the winners, second and third prizes, as well as a number of masterpieces, are also selected.

All of them will receive great attention, and if things go well, they can even go straight through the editorial meeting and have a long serialized story! Although this possibility is a small one, there are still such talented manga artists out there ……”

Ayano said and averted her eyes.

Natsuki Aoi was a bit curious, “Who are you talking about?”

“Eh ……” Ayano Takahashi felt a little hard to say, but after a few seconds, she said it anyway, “Drawing, drawing Tron Isayama from Attack on Titan… …”

“Ha ……”

Hearing that name, Aoi Natsuki also gave a slightly embarrassed harrumph.

Never mind, back on topic.

Since the short story that won the Newcomer Award before was about the subject of youthful love, this time around Ayano felt that she could still expand in that direction.

A lot of the shorts epitomize the future of long-running serialized comics, and it’s always right to try to drill down in one direction.

But when it comes to the topic of love, Hayakawa Keiko is very shy, after all, she has never been in love, she used to read some teenage manga, the beautiful male and female protagonists bring her a very strong visual impact, and the line of feelings will be more simple.

However, Ayano didn’t want to draw a girl’s manga, she felt that a school comedy manga would be more popular, and she had always enjoyed reading some boy-oriented manga, so if she really drew it, she would have to think more from a boy’s point of view.

But girls drawing boys’ comics have a very natural advantage in that they can be much more subtle and tense in their emotional narratives.

Among the current three, there was only one boy, Natsuki Aoi, so he was also treated as a key target for questioning.

That’s enough! Being asked by a female character in a romance game how to draw a romance manga! That’s a really weird experience.

But it can’t be helped, who let him get involved with Ayano in the first place, and now with the addition of Hayakawa’s bundle, watching her value become 3 points of Manga Specialty Value, it would be worth it to work even harder for himself!

In the next two whole hours, Aoi Natsuki was asked countless questions to a mental breakdown, the perception of boys and girls is a world of difference, when the first version of the plot text came out, he felt that he was reading a youth literature light novel, which …… should not work at all.

Even in the face of the two girls’ incredibly expectant gazes, he shook his head in denial.

The two girls immediately dropped their heads in defeat.

“Well …… failure is the mother of success, and then more understanding of the psychology of the boys will be better oh, let’s say I think that since it is a campus comedy, the beginning of the relationship, the funny part can be more, you see, when the “Slam Dunk” in the beginning is not Sakuragi Hanamichi a lot of comical operation well, made of The animation is also very good, and then cut into the tension and excitement of the varsity basketball team, and did not feel out of place.”

What Natsuki Aoi offered was just a suggestion, and he wasn’t sure if it was right or not, but it was always good to have one more thought.

At this time to think about, he has a system is very useless, if he first came to a copy of the world, then by copying manga and light novels, he should be able to quickly get a large number of girls’ goodwill it ……

It’s just a shame that reality is pretty harsh.

Aoi’s advice was listened to very carefully by the two girls, followed by a short break.

Natsuki Aoi rubbed her temples on both sides with the thumbs of her hands and leaned her body back, lying down on the blanket.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

He closed his eyes, and after a moment’s work, reopened them and glanced aimlessly sideways.

Certainly not looking up a girl’s skirt, don’t get any ideas.

He looked over to Ayano’s side of the table and found her holding a book with a black cover and reading it with great interest.

Seeing as it’s a cardboard case, it doesn’t look like a comic book.

Does Ayano read normal books besides comic books? That surprised him quite a bit.

“Ayano, what are you looking at?”

“Hmm? Oh, A Brief History of Time, it’s quite interesting to look at.” Ayano straightened the cover of the book, displaying the front in front of Aoi Natsuki.

A Brief History of Time ……

Ayano still reads this type of book.

He noticed Ayano’s eyes, looking straight at the rows and rows of text on the book, a very noticeable difference from her usual self, having heard her say before that her academic performance in school was even worse than her sister’s, and since she spent most of her free time during the weekends volunteering, it was rare for her to have a quiet moment to stay home and study.

Suddenly, Aoi Natsuki’s pupils shrunk as a very incredible thought grew in his mind.

Ayano …… It wouldn’t be the Divine Maiden, would it?

Although she was a sister to Takahashi Mito, it was entirely possible to create a new memory with the power of a god, and often the more unlikely the object, the more likely it was to be the target, wasn’t it?

After all, it’s a god who keeps himself guessing!

His pupils quivered involuntarily, stopped after a second, and then sat up.

“Ayano, did you buy this brief history of time …… yourself?”

Ayano looked up, “No, this book was a gift, and while most of the content is unintelligible, some of the sci-fi content is quite interesting, and I occasionally flip through it.”

“Er ……”

When Aoi Natsuki heard this reply, he instantly dispelled most of the thoughts he had just had himself as well.

I’m such an idiot for thinking that Ayano would be a godly maiden, I guess I’m just too sensitive.

“That’s not sci-fi, that’s all science, just a lot of it hasn’t been proven yet ……”

“Oooooh, I see, but let’s just read it as a sci-fi magazine!” Ayano narrowed her eyes and laughed.

You. ……

There was no use explaining any more to Ayano, and Aoi Natsuki then didn’t want to go any further on this book.

“Whoever sent you the book seems to know you very little.”

“Uh-huh? That’s for sure, after all, we only met at the last birthday party, and even though we’ve been to the fireworks festival together since then, we haven’t seen each other much, have we ……”

“Birthday party? Who are you talking about?”

“Sakurajima Apricot ah, this book is what she gave me for my birthday.”

Ayano rested the book cover on the round table in front of her in a serious manner.

“Sakura, Sakurajima, Apricot ……”

Natsuki Aoi froze and pronounced the name.

How could it be her?

This time, countless looks of Sakurajima Apricot with a smile floated in his mind.

It’s hard to believe …… he misjudged again.

……

Monday, inside the school.

Aoi Natsuki messages to ask Sakurajima Apricot to meet her at noon, and the other replies that she’s going to the rooftop.

Why the rooftop? What was the magic of this place that always made Sakurajima Apricot yearn for it so much.

The noon bell had just rung, and before Yusuke could turn his head to call him to dinner, Aoi was already up and heading for the back door.

“Natsuki ……” Yusuke from the back shouted his name feebly.

Aoi Natsuki climbed up to the fifth floor, then pushed open the small door to the rooftop, and a sharp, cold wind hit his face, drilling into his collar without mercy, so why on earth was it chosen to be on the rooftop ah!

He wrapped his varsity jacket around him.

Even looking at the wooden bench on the rooftop at this point felt so rusty.

After waiting for a full five minutes, Sakurajima Apricot came in from the rooftop door, as usual, bright and shiny, currently she is also known as “the most beautiful girl in the whole school”, and he, “the most loathed boy in the whole school” formed a very strong contrast.

“So, Aoi-kun, what is it that you’re looking for me for?” Having been asked out specifically, Sakurajima Apricot’s tone also had a hint of joy and playfulness in it.

Aoi Natsuki pursed her lips and said, “Just wanted to ask you something, it’s about the last birthday party of Takahashi Mito.”

“Oh, and what exactly is that?”

“Did you give Ayano a copy of A Brief History of Time at that birthday party?”

As soon as the words were asked, Aoi Natsuki’s sight was fixed straight on Sakurajima Apricot, this was the reason why he had specifically asked her out, compared to asking on his cell phone, the sudden questioning face-to-face was obviously more revealing of the other party’s brokenness.

I believe that even a godly maiden should have a momentary hesitation at this point.

He just wanted to capture that moment.

Sakurajima Apricot was silent, and it was silent for a bit longer.

It wasn’t until five or six seconds had passed that she replied, “Yes, is that a problem?”

“You’ve always been a disbeliever and denier of science, so there shouldn’t be any reason for you to be giving Ayano a brief history of time, should there?” Natsuki Aoi asked.

“…… “Sakurajima Apricot was once again silent for a long time, and this time the little joy that had been in her eyes slowly faded away, and when she opened her mouth again, her tone became cold, “So you’re trying to cross-examine something from me? Why don’t you just get to the point?”

Aoi Natsuki instantly sensed that Sakurajima was angry, and that this anger was different from the exasperation he felt when his identity was revealed, but instead, it was like he was resenting him for this intent to cross-examine something from her.

The previously good vibes between the two took a sharp turn for the worse.

Natsuki Arai sensed that he was the one who was wrong, and made an immediate decision before things got worse.

Hands folded and his body came straight into a ninety-degree bow.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean anything in particular! It’s just that this answer is very important to me, and I’m here to apologize to you for any ambiguity! I’m sorry!”

Admit fault underneath your attitude.

You have to admit when you’re wrong. He’s never been macho.

Sakurajima Apricot looked at Aoi Natsuki who was behaving like this in front of her, her cold eyes turned into a smiling face after two seconds, “Hate it~ It’s not like I’m trying to do anything, Aoi, you’re too tense, I’m sure I’ll do my best to help you if you’re in trouble.”

ok, crisis contact.

Natsuki Arai made the optimal solution.

Sakurajima Apricot started telling him about it too.

“It’s a coincidence, one day when I was going to the classroom of the club activities, I just went in, I saw a brief history of time placed in the center of the desktop, when I looked through it, I realized that it was a library book, I thought at that time that there were other students who came to play in this classroom last week, and then forgot to take it away, so I didn’t pay too much attention to it, and idly looked through it and looked at a part of it,…

Here’s where I’m going to seriously criticize you Arai, I’ve never been a denier of science, Einstein said that the end of science is theology, I’ve never believed in both sides of things, and I’ve probed no more than what science can’t reach.”

“Well, what happened then?”

“Then I saw that the content inside was really good, and it was close to a birthday party, so I didn’t know what to pick as a gift, so I casually purchased a copy online and gave it to Takahashi’s sister as a gift.”

“Well.” Aoi Natsuki pondered, “Then what did you do with that book in your hands afterward?”

“I gave it back to the library.”

Returned to the library ……

Sudden appearance of books ……

Aoi Natsuki didn’t know if any of this would have anything to do with the Divine Maiden.

But since there was a slight hint of it, he had to check it out before he could do so.

“Come on, let’s go to the library.”

Natsuki Arai jogged out the rooftop entrance after she bypassed Apricot Sakurajima.

This mysterious vestigial feeling also drew Sakurajima Apricot’s curiosity, and also hurriedly followed behind.

Natsuki Arai thought that if this was really related, the borrowing card for that book would have had the name of the previous borrower written on it!

Maybe it has something to do with the Divine Maiden!

She was a person with a wicked sense of humor, and Natsuki Aoi could imagine the other person looking at him with a big smile on her face when she failed in her guess, and counting the clues that had been deliberately left around him, and finally uttering words like “Aoi-kun, you’re really slow ……! “.

It’s pissing me off just thinking about it!

Natsuki Arai ran to the library and searched the machine for the book A Brief History of Time, and when she checked it out, hooray! The book hadn’t been checked out yet!

According to the signs on the different shelves, he came to the classification of scientific geography, and after carefully searching one book after another, he finally found the one with a brief history of time.

A surge of surprise came up inside him.

Hastily, he flipped open the cover and drew out the library card inside.

As per recent date ……

Hmm?

No ……

This book has not been borrowed since, except for last March when it was borrowed.

Does that mean that the person who took the book didn’t go through the lending system, but stole it? ……

The trail to find the Divine Maiden is once again broken.