Drawn Mochi Volume 5 Chapter 13.2: A Stormy Competition*7

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“…the unicorns are being clingier this time.” (Fay)

“Well… those guys seem to like women.” (Tougo)

　By the way, the unicorns seem to have taken a liking to Lila. Compared to Ms. Croix and Ange, I feel like Lila was liked best. For now, all the horses are very friendly. From the beginning. …Those with horns are easy for them to deal with.

　…I’m a little bit jealous.

And while everyone else went shopping, I decided to work on Lila’s house.

　I decided to build another house for Lila, in addition to the one we had already prepared for our guests. Somehow, when I was looking at her, I got an image of what she might want.

　First, the exterior of the house would have an indigo-colored roof and calm brown walls. It was a bit urban in style, but it blended in surprisingly well with the forest.

　The color of the metal parts, such as the window frames and the exterior light of the entrance, is black with little luster. A chic look.

　The interior was also finished in a chic style. A set of dark brown, practical furniture with little ornamentation. The metal fittings are blackish and subdued. The carpet is a deep indigo color with white and gold patterns. The curtains are white lace curtains, light ivory curtains, and thick indigo curtains that can block out light.

　…The most important part is a room that is not a bedroom, guest room, or living room.

　It’s a room with very little stuff in it, but there is a chair, an easel, and a small desk. Also, on the easel, for now, are canvases. On the shelves, I have prepared a set of watercolor and oil painting tools. I don’t know about other tools, so I’ll ask her before I buy or paint all of them.

　And most important of all… light. You see, if you are going to paint still life, it is no good if the light changes during the painting. That’s why you need curtains that can block out the light, and you need light that doesn’t move. In this case, I put some built-in lights on the ceiling. Of course, they are not the ones you light with fire, but the ones that work with magic. They are the best for painting, because the light is stable.

“You’ve done most of it.” (Fay)

“Yep.” (Tougo)

　I wanted to create a room for people who draw pictures. So I was satisfied.

“I wonder if she’ll be surprised when she comes back.” (Tougo)

“I am sure she will…” (Laocles)

　…Wouldn’t it have been better to prepare a little more slowly? Oh well.

“So, this is your house.” (Tougo)

　When I showed Lila’s house to her, who had returned from the city in Redgarde territory, she was so surprised that she dropped her luggage.

“…Huh? Was there a house in a place like this?” (Lila)

“There was.” (Tougo)

　There was. Let us pretend there was.

“This is what it looks like inside…” (Tougo)

　Then I showed her the interior, and to Lila’s astonishment she said,

“W-when did you get this ready?” (Lila)

“Well, it was there originally, too…?” (Tougo)

　I let her think that it was there originally, and asked her to take a look at the interior. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are small. The bedrooms are moderately small. I prepared a guest room in case you want to use it as a guest room. There is also a room that can be used as a storage room or a study, and a large room for painting. And the second floor…

　…It’s a house like this, but Lila looked around the room in silence, and after looking at everything… she said to me with a very worried look on her face.

“Um, is it really okay for me to live here?” (Lila)

“Yep” (Tougo)

“By myself?” (Lila)

“Yep… Ah, I don’t mind if there’s someone who wants to live with you, and we don’t have cats or anything like that, but if you want to keep a rabbit, you might be able to keep one. If only there was a rabbit…” (Tougo)

　I was a little nervous when I saw Lila remained silent even after I answered her.

“Um, if you need anything at all, please let me know and I’ll get it for you right away. Well, I can build an extension to some extent, and if you need furniture or tools, I can get those for you too…” (Tougo)

“Uh, uh, I’m not saying that.” (Lila)

　When I started to explain in a hurry, Lila also got impatient and interrupted.

“Um… The rent for this house is 1,000 gold coins, plus more, right? …How much?” (Lila)

　…eh.

“Ah, uh…um, that’s…” (Tougo)

　When I looked up at Fay, wondering what to do, he nodded gravely… and held up a finger in front of Lila.

“One gold coin every month. Deducted from your paycheck. And your salary is… well, you’re Tougo’s caretaker and teacher, right? So that’s about 50 gold coins a month?” (Fay)

　Then Lila shrank down completely. She said things like, “What’s going on here…?” and “It’s impossibvle that it will take me less than two years to pay it off. There must be something behind it…” and “What should I do, what should I do…” and so on.

“…Don’t worry about it too much. He’s that kind of guy. It can’t be helped.” (Laocles)

“That’s right. There’s nothing you can do with Tougo. Why don’t you just give up and enjoy your life? Think of it as a sudden and unexplained stroke of luck. It’s like an accident.” (Croix)

“Well, you were surprised, weren’t you, Sis? I was surprised, too. But I don’t know, I can’t help it. So you’d better give up now, right?” (Lian)

“Sis, are you okay…?” (Ange)

　…And everyone in the forest surrounds Lila, who is in trouble, cheering her on. Cheering… Are you really cheering her? Really?

“Fay, did I do something wrong?” (Tougo)

　I asked Fay, and he patted me gently on the back.

“Don’t worry about it. If anything, Lila has been living a hard life more than me. She’s not used to this kind of thing because she’s been in a less-than-ideal environment. You were a little confused when you were told you could come here and paint, weren’t you?” (Fay)

“Yep…” (Tougo)

“Then, it’s the same thing. You’ll get used to it right away. Huh? Let’s just do that, okay?”

　Really. I see. If that’s the case… It’s alright? Yep.

　…In the end, Lila is getting used to the forest little by little.

　For the first week or so, she worked extremely hard, doing all the housework, doing crafts, selling knitted lace and embroidered handkerchiefs in town to make money, and many other things…

　I felt that such a lifestyle could not be good for her health, and I thought that there was nothing I could do about it, so I consulted Laocles. So I decided to stick with Lila and live the same way she does.

　While Lila was working, I decided to ask her to do some side work as well. When Lila does the housework, I also do the housework.

　…So, when I felt like painting, I asked her to paint with me, and she had time to paint as well. I decided that when I needed to be taught, I would be taught, and when I wasn’t, I would ask her to paint regardless of what I was doing. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to paint.

　…Lila would then go to bed early so that I would sleep, and if Lila was going to sleep, I had no choice but to go to bed too.

　Since Lila ate every meal, I had no choice but to eat, too.

　In time, it became ambiguous whether I was imitating Lila’s life or Lila was imitating me. …Eventually, Lila got used to the forest.

　Also, I started going to bed a little earlier and eating meals more often. Yep. Maybe that’s a good thing. Teacher also said that I can paint more if I sleep and eat well… Well, we are the kind of creatures that sometimes skip those things…

　… And tonight, Lila and I talk about painting again.

“…The way you draw bamboo is really nice.” (Tougo)

“I-is it?” (Lila)

“Yes… Did you study design as well?” (Tougo)

“Dezyn? Well… You know, there’s a certain kind of abstract painting where you can just insist that it’s like this even if it is not. There was a nobleman who did a lot of abstract painting, and he… There was a time when I had to paint instead of him… so I did a bit of trial and error.” (Lila)

　The bamboos that Lila painted were more like… abstract paintings, or designs. It’s not realistic, but that’s what makes it so cool.

　Bamboo painted in deep blue and yellow on a pure white canvas. The bamboo that overlaps over and over again, and the way it expresses light and shadow, is really wonderful.

“I can’t paint colors beautifully like this with opaque watercolors. It ends up being uneven…” (Tougo)

“Layer it over and over again. Change the vertical and horizontal directions. I’m better at opaque things like this. Anyway… Your use of color is unique. It’s so fluffy.” (Lila)

　Next, Lila said that after seeing my painting.

　…I was not sure if Lila would even call me fluffy. I thought I was getting a little more mature these days…

“So, this color is amazing. It’s hard to get it to bleed like this.” (Lila)

“I change the density of the paint. The thinner the paint is the lighter it is, and the stronger it bleeds. …Also, the more moist the paper is, the more likely it is to bleed like this. But if the paper is too wet, the paint floats in the water and doesn’t blend well.” (Tougo)

“Huh. I guess I’ll try it next time. The paint you prepared is quite interesting, isn’t it? It’s almost transparent… Um, then this one…” (Lila)

　…While we were talking, the door to the room opened with a bang.

　And Laocles, who was standing there, said quietly.

“Go to sleep.” (Laocles)

　…If Laocles tells us to sleep, Lila and I will have no choice but to sleep.

　Lila went back to her house, and I went and crawled into my bed. After watching us, Laocles let out a deep sigh.

“…good night.” (Laocles)

　Yeah. good night. Also, I’m sorry. You have one more person… [T/N: Tougo, you are a terrible influence with your art idiot personality. Poor Laocles.]

　A few more days passed.

　I asked Lila for advice as I worked on the commissioned painting.

　Lila was hesitant to give me advice because she was afraid that I might not accept it. But when I put the painting in front of her, she said a lot of things to me. What a surprise! She really likes painting! I’m glad I brought her to the forest! [T/N: Technically it was the bird.]

　…And while Lila gave me advice on painting, she also painted a bit herself, and then, because it would soon be spring, she started plowing a corner of the forest, doing handicrafts and household chores for a living, and then she came back to the forest to help me with my painting…

　One day.

“Um… do you have any business at the Royal Capital?” (Lila)

　Suddenly, Lila asked me that.

“Nothing in particular, why?” (Tougo)

　When I asked back, Lila seemed to hesitate for a moment and closed her mouth… Then said.

“I want to go get my mother’s belongings.” (Lila)

T/N: Lila graduated from her tsundere phase and is now deredere.

Going to the Royal Capital? What kind of trouble is Tougo bringing this time?