Upon arriving at school, Nobi Hiroshi's routine was as usual: eating, sleeping, spending time with Shizuka, and chatting with her close friends.
He was quite popular and never felt bored.
However, in Terakoya Eiichirou's class, he would still listen carefully, striving to be a good student in the homeroom teacher's eyes.
The morning passed quickly.
It's worth mentioning that the entire afternoon was dedicated to sketching class, located in the back mountain of the school, making it even more relaxed.
The teacher also looked forward to every sketching class, as it meant a chance to slack off and rest.
As long as his students didn't wander too far or get into dangerous accidents, it was fine. This was truly a day both teachers and students looked forward to.
Carrying their respective drawing boards, the students walked along the path, their feet rustling on fallen leaves and dry branches. In a short while, they reached the halfway point of the mountain.
"Students, you can move freely here, but please be careful and don't go too far. Start finding a spot to sketch."
After giving instructions, the leading teacher set up a chair and comfortably lay down to rest.
It was cool under the shade of the trees. Compared to the stuffy classroom without air conditioning, it was much more comfortable to enjoy the cool breeze in the back mountain.
"Okay."
Everyone responded, splitting into their own small groups, two or three choosing their preferred spots to sit down.
Due to appearances or strange rumors, it was mostly boys with boys and girls with girls forming groups. Of course, there was one exception.
"Hiro, Shizuka, hurry over. Let's go that way."
Tachibana in a yellow shirt and Otome in a blue skirt stood at the top of the slope, waving downwards.
"Okay, coming right now."
Tian Mei responded, leaving the tree-covered mountainside. Nobi Hiroshi and Shizuka, along with her close friends, walked further ahead.
Not playing with girls? Heh heh, you probably won't have the chance after graduation. From now on, you might not even be able to talk to them.
"Hmph..."
Looking at the chattering adolescent boys around him, Nobi Hiroshi cast a pitying glance at them. They were just pathetic fools who didn't know how to adapt to the times, destined to shed tears in old age.
Following the path, turning around the winding trail, the four arrived at a tranquil small flat area.
It was covered by soft grass, with wildflowers dotted among the green, as if it were a carpet meticulously woven by nature.
"Wow! So beautiful."
"Let's sketch here."
The adorable Tachibana clasped her hands together, looking at the beautiful scenery before her with a contented expression.
The view suddenly opened up. From here, half of the town was visible, with houses, streets, parks, and lakes unfolding like an exquisite painting. The distant horizon met the skyline, and clouds drifted leisurely by.
They finally found a place with excellent scenery, which would make a great reference.
"Okay, this is a very good spot."
Otome and Shizuka nodded in agreement. Nobi Hiroshi also had no objections, so the four began to draw there.
Sitting close together, Nobi Hiroshi propped up his drawing board, comparing it to the street view below.
"Shizuka, you draw so well."
"Hiro has also made great progress. I remember your first drawing was a stick figure pushing a rock."
"Heh heh heh~"
Tachibana leaned over, examining Nobi Hiroshi's drawing board, and let out a bell-like laugh.
The dignified Otome also covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
The girl's big eyes gave a sense of closeness and attraction, and her vibrant clothing complemented her fair skin, making her even more charming.
Especially Hiro's fingers propped on the ground, unintentionally touching the edge of the basic garment under her skirt. They were quite close, and even without looking, he knew her 'fruit' was very perky.
"I'm so sorry! My stick figure pushing a rock made you laugh again."
Holding his paintbrush, Nobi Hiroshi glanced at the girl beside him, gritting his teeth and forcing a smile.
A pleasant scent, was it the same brand of shower gel as Shizuka? As expected of best friends, the three of them had very similar scents.
Actually, he was naturally not good at drawing; he was a 'soul painter' through and through.
However, after so many classes, with the help of the system, he could finally draw something recognizable.
For example, the 'Gou Si' on his drawing board right now could only be described as passable.
In the quiet mountain forest, there was only the sound of brushes rubbing on paper and occasional discussions.
"Rustle~"
In the green grass, something seemed to be moving quickly, stepping on the branches on the ground with crackling sounds, and rapidly approaching Nobi Hiroshi's direction.
"Look, something seems to be moving in the grass. It's not a snake, is it~"
Otome dropped her paintbrush, her face filled with terror as she recoiled a few steps.
She remembered once during a sketching class, a male student was bitten by a snake and was rushed to the hospital for treatment, almost not making it.
"No... no way..."
Shizuka, scared, hugged Nobi Hiroshi, burying her face in his chest. Tachibana hid behind him, and her shoulder was then occupied by Otome.
He was truly enjoying the blessings of others.
But ladies, if you hug me like this, I can't move. Even if a snake comes, I won't be able to help you.
"Ahem, don't panic yet. It might not be a dangerous animal."
Feeling the three-way squeeze, Nobi Hiroshi strained to stretch out his neck and used his X-ray vision.
It turned out to be the yellow creature, Nobi Nobita, wearing glasses, slowly approaching, which had startled everyone.
"Shizuka! You... how can you all be hugging each other?!"
Looking at Shizuka intimately nestled in Nobi Hiroshi's arms, Nobita ran over furiously.
Condemning such an indecent act, as she was clearly his future wife, Nobita, who had originally intended to secretly put a couple's badge on her, felt his invisible crown grow a bit grander.
"Nobita? Why is it you? Secretly scaring us is truly too much."
The girls were slightly stunned when they saw that the person who rushed out was Nobita; they had been truly terrified just now, thinking it was some biting venomous snake.
"Yeah, Nobita, why are you in the bushes? Isn't there a path to come over?"
Questioning Nobita, Nobi Hiroshi clearly saw the couple's badge hidden in his pocket; he knew exactly what that kid was trying to do.
"I... I was just..."
Nobita stammered, momentarily at a loss for words; he couldn't possibly say he came to sneakily attack them and put a couple's badge on her.
After much thought, he finally fabricated an excuse: "I... I was just painting on the mountaintop, and accidentally dropped something, so I was just looking for it."
Nobita rubbed the back of his head, his eyes flickering, feigning a smile to cover himself.
"So that's it. Did you find your item?"
Hiroshi continued speaking.
"Found it, of course I found it, it's this thing."
Nobita helplessly pulled out several shiny couple's badges from his pocket; anyway, they didn't know their function, so it should be fine.
"Wow, what a beautiful badge!"
Shizuka's big eyes were drawn to it; girls all like such shiny accessories.
"Shizuka, do you like this badge?"
"It's fine, I'll give you one; remember to wear it."
Seeing Shizuka practically offer herself, Nobi Nobita excitedly ran forward and took out a red couple's badge.
The smile at the corner of his mouth couldn't be suppressed.