Chapter 22

Though I’m Not a Whale

“Now then, the first segmeeeent.”

“Why are you dragging out the ending? Isn’t it just ‘segment’?”

“Hey, this is cuter.”

“Whoa. What good does it do for an old maid to be cute?”

“...You little.”

“Whatever TV! So what TV!”

-lol

-Are you an elementary schooler lol

-Seventh grade is basically elementary school

-lol

“All right, all right, enough joking around. Hup—.”

Rainbow Hair picked up a tablet and displayed several paintings on the screen.

“You just have to look at these paintings and say whatever Lili feels.”

“Like last time?”

“Yeah. The reaction was really good last time.”

Isn’t this something anyone with eyes can do?

“What do you think of this painting?”

“Hmm...”

Let’s see.

“The top feels a little stuffy.”

“Stuffy?”

“Yup.”

“Can you explain in more detail?”

“Here. Right here.”

I pointed at the lower part of the painting.

“All the colors are concentrated toward the bottom, so the bottom feels heavy. And that red thing in the middle is way too strong. My eyes keep going there, so I can’t see anything else. It feels like it’s fighting with the blue thing beside it.”

“Wow. You’re reading it exactly the way the artist intended. You hit the nail right on the head.”

“What is this, are you imitating Chat JPT?”

“You really never studied art, right?”

I had no memory of ever attending an art academy in either my previous life or this one. I probably had art classes at school in my previous life...

I do not remember. Then I guess I never really learned it properly.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I said I never learned.”

“No, I’m just genuinely amazed. You really have a feel for this. I thought so last time too.”

“Really? I’m just saying what I see.”

“Most people who haven’t studied it can’t see that.”

“Why not? They have eyes. Ah, except blind people.”

“Hey, that’ll cause a controversy.”

“Eek! I sincerely apologize to the National Association of the Blind!”

“This kid really...”

When I immediately prostrated myself flat on the floor, Rainbow Hair laughed in disbelief.

After looking at a few more paintings and saying what I felt, Rainbow Hair continued making a huge fuss.

“Now then, let’s do the really fun part. Number two.”

“Eeeing... I don’t want to.”

“You said it was fine earlier.”

“I said I’d do it. But what am I supposed to do if I don’t want to?”

“Come on, don’t be like that. It’s fun once you try it. I pity you, for you know not the joy of painting!”

“Huh? Isn’t that a line from some old-fart comic? As expected of an old maid...”

Clap!

Do not worry, I was not slapped across the face.

When Rainbow Hair clapped her hands, a staff member came over carrying an armful of sketchbooks and colored-pencil sets.

“Today, Lili is going to draw one picture herself. Unnie will help from beside you.”

“...Do I really have to?”

“Of course. This is the main event today. So, what do you want to draw?”

There was nothing in particular I wanted to draw. To begin with, I had no talent for art, so why would there be something I wanted to draw?

“Anything.”

“You know that’s the phrase men hate most, right? When they ask, ‘What do you want to eat?’—.”

“But unnie, you’re an old maid. Your words aren’t persuasive.”

-Why is Lili-chan so good at talking lol

-lololololol

-What’s PaintAddict noona gonna do now, the old-maid joke fits too well

-She’s not even thirty and she’s already an old maid lololol

-In the seventies she’d definitely be an old maid, for real

“Argh, seriously. Anyway, is there really nothing you want to draw?”

“Yup.”

“Then unnie will choose for you. Hmm... how about an apple? Something like that is the most basic. You draw those a lot in school too.”

“Ah, is that so.”

I would not know because I have never gone to school—.

No, wait. I did in my previous life. I even graduated from university.

All right, let’s give it a shot!

Since I had already come this far, what else could I do? If I drew badly, then at least that would be funny in its own way.

Rainbow Hair brought over a real apple, placed it on the desk in front of us, and started explaining everything one by one, beginning with how to hold the colored pencil.

“Now, relax your grip like this, and don’t draw the line all at once. Layer it gently several times—.”

“I know that much.”

“Okay. Then you can do it by yourself, right?”

“Of course I can.”

But when I actually held the colored pencil and drew however I felt, the red line crooked and wandered off however it pleased.

“Eek. Why is it doing this?”

“Huh, Lili. Have you never drawn before?”

“Hmm... not very much.”

“For someone like that, you had a really good sense for understanding paintings earlier...”

“M-Maybe I was born with it.”

In truth, I had looked at all kinds of otaku art on my phone, but I could not exactly say that.

“All right, relax your grip and try again.”

“L-Like this?”

“Hmm...”

She said to relax, but I did not even know how to do that. As one crooked line after another appeared, my motivation steadily drained away.

“...Can I stop drawing?”

“H-Hey, let’s try a little longer. Hmm... would it be okay if unnie helped?”

“Yup...”

“Here, like this. Don’t grip it too tightly. Imagine you’re just lightly resting the pencil tip on the paper.”

When Rainbow Hair gently held my hand from behind and moved it together with me, the line came out fairly smooth. Of course, the moment she let go, it went right back to looking like a worm crawling around.

“Uh... unnie. This isn’t an apple, it’s just a circle.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Everyone starts like that. Now, let’s try adding some color.”

Once I started coloring, things became even more ridiculous. I was definitely drawing an apple, but the more complete it became, the more it looked like some kind of deformed plum.

“Kgh.”

I heard Rainbow Hair trying to hold back her laughter beside me. I could not even complain. It looked funny even to me.

When I raised my head and looked at the screen, the chat was exactly as expected.

-lololololol

-That’s supposed to be an apple?

-Lili-chan draws like absolute crap lol

-But why is it so cute

Up until that point, I had felt like I might shed a tiny tear, but seeing someone call it cute made me feel a little better.

...It is embarrassing to react to being called cute at fifty years old, but they say compliments can make even a whale dance. Though I’m not a whale.

Well, I came here to be funny, so maybe this counts as a success. Thinking somewhat self-deprecatingly, I kept moving my hand—

“Huh? Wait.”

“Whyyy?”

Rainbow Hair suddenly stopped laughing and pulled my sketchbook toward herself.

“This shadow color. Did you do this on purpose?”

“Since the apple is red, I thought using black for the shadow would look too dull. I thought mixing in some dark purple would look prettier.”

“...No one actually taught you this? Really?”

“Taught me what?”

“Mixing the opposite color into shadows. You figured that out on your own without learning it?”

Her eyes were completely different from when she had been making a fuss earlier. Her tone was quite serious too, enough that I felt a little intimidated.

“I’ve been thinking this since earlier, but... the way you see color really is different. If you practiced even a little, you could become seriously good at drawing.”

The moment I heard that, heat rushed to my face.

...I was glad I wore a mask. Seriously.

If all these people had seen me turn red from such a simple compliment—.

Just imagining it is horrifying.

I would have kicked my blanket several times tonight. I might even have torn a hole in it. I exercise every day now, so I am a super-duper muscle girl.

Anyway, let us just say I did not dislike the feeling.

I repeat, I am not a whale.

“It’s nothing special.”

“No, it is. This is exactly what talent is.”

“...Please stop.”

“Stop what?”

“...Nothing.”

Even as I said that, I had already picked up the colored pencil again.

“Oh, yes, yes. That’s it. Wow, look at you?”

Every time Rainbow Hair excitedly showered me with praise, my hand kept moving without me realizing it.

“Unnie, can I blur the shadow underneath a little?”

“Huh? Yeah, yeah, try it. Oh, that’s good.”

“I think this side should be a little brighter.”

“That’s perfect. Hey, you seriously have amazing instincts. Who puts this much thought into a simple apple still life...”

Every time I was praised, my fingertips tingled. It was strange. I definitely had not wanted to do this just a little while ago.

After scribbling away like that for quite some time—.

“All right, finished. What do you think, Lili? Your first work of art.”

A deformed plum... no, an apple sat quietly on top of the sketchbook.

The shape was still unimpressive, but the colors looked fairly convincing. Looking at the drawing and then back at the apple on the table, it somehow seemed more believable.

“...I think it’s good.”

It was a little fascinating that this had come from my own hand. The shape was weird, but it was still something I could insist was an apple.

-Oh, the colors are really pretty

-Turns out Lili-chan is talented

-PaintAddict noona, take Lili-chan as your disciple lol

-Please sell that apple as merch

-lol lol lol lol

-(This message has been deleted)

“Hey, fuck. Is there nothing you won’t say to a kid?”

The moment a chat message crossed the line, it vanished from the chatroom in an instant. Apparently, one of Rainbow Hair’s managers had acted quickly.

“Guys, let me say this now.”

Rainbow Hair looked straight into the camera and lowered her voice.

“Our Lili is still a minor. If anything like that comes up one more time, I’ll seriously take legal action, so behave yourselves. No, actually, that bastard just now went too far. You got a screenshot of that, right? I’m reporting it as soon as the stream ends.”

-Wow, PaintAddict is scary when she gets serious

-Obviously, what the hell are you doing to a kid

-Guys like that should all be killed

Rainbow Hair is decisive when it matters. Usually she just laughs everything off.

Well, I already knew she was not a bad person.

The stream continued for quite a while after that. Rainbow Hair must have liked me quite a lot, because after the broadcast ended, she started openly pestering me.

“Lili, let’s do this again. Hm? Next time, let’s really paint properly on a huge canvas.”

“A huge canvas?”

This tiny apple drawing alone took almost an hour. What, did she want to stream all day?

Naturally, I was about to refuse, but the words that came out were different from what I had intended.

“...I’ll think about it.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. Hm? Pleasepleasepleaseplease.”

“Ah! Stop clinging to me. My pants are going to come off.”

“Eeeek! Don’t goooo!”

I have no idea where this person put all the years she has lived. Maybe up her butt—. Ahem.

When I went out to the parking lot where Driver Park was waiting, the color of the sky was very different from when I had arrived.

“Wow, it’s already five? We filmed longer than I thought.”

“You didn’t realize?”

“No. It felt like it ended really quickly.”

“That means you had fun.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Ms. Sejin was right. It was... not as bad as I expected.

No, honestly, it was pretty fun. But saying that out loud somehow felt like losing, so I swallowed it.

“Yaaawn...”

“Are you tired?”

“I’m gonna sleep for a bit.”

“Yes. You worked hard today.”

After arriving home, eating dinner, and washing up, I rolled around on my bed for quite a while.

“Hmm... I guess this is pretty good for my first try?”

Suddenly, the apple I had drawn during the day caught my eye.

That plum-like apple drawing Rainbow Hair had insisted on giving me, sketchbook and all.

Well, it is my first work of art, so I will keep it as a souvenir. There is no other meaning to it.

“...I’m a little tired. Hmm... but I still have to stream.”

It was my own rule that I had kept without missing a single day. No matter how hard I had worked during the day, that was human Shin Yua.

At night, there was Vampire Princess Lilith.

“Have you been well, my ignorant subjects? This body has descended once again today.”

As always, I composed my voice and delivered my opening greeting before turning my gaze toward chat.

-Princess, are you Lili-chan by any chance? I came from Paint Addiction’s stream

...?