CHAPTER 409: CHAPTER 296 DAILY INSIGHTS_2

Uesugi Sakura thought that since cooking wasn’t his forte, at least he could make a nice drink for Hanabi.

"Hmm, looking for materials and references."

On Hanamaru Hanabi’s computer screen, there were many pictures of foxes. Uesugi Sakura remembered she was designing a character of a fox lady for that light novel.

But seeing the screen, there was something he still didn’t quite understand:

"Doesn’t Hanabi have pretty amazing drawing skills? Why still look for references."

Uesugi Sakura noticed she would also observe other people’s character designs.

"To deepen my impression. That way, I can learn from the predecessors while spotting inspiration and drawing unique elements. It’s absolutely beneficial."

"I see. I thought at a high level, artists could casually create based on themes."

"Sakura-kun, actually no artwork is completely original. Everyone improves and supplements a certain image from reality, dreams, or previous works."

"No absolute originality?"

"Yes, drawing is about combining the impressions in the subconscious. The impressions all come from images seen accidentally before and the concept of changes regarding a thing. This concept can be distorted and deformed, can be inflated small, can be beautified or turned ugly."

"So it’s using the knowledge learned before and making a transformation?"

"Yes, exactly."

Uesugi Sakura suddenly recalled the influence after copying Monet’s watercolor in high school.

Although his painting skills were not great, whenever he painted a scene, he would always think of Monet’s style.

Thinking about how he would do it.

When that painting was finished, it was indeed his original work, but how could such work not have Monet’s elements in it?

Besides, he was painting based on a scene.

So, that painting was a combination product of "reality + Monet."

With elements from others and reality, can that be called "original"?

Were they not absolutely produced from oneself, but combined works, can that be called "original"?

Hanamaru Hanabi continued moving the sea-blue mouse, browsing photos on the computer screen:

"At school, Rie-chan would always tell Hanabi that someone said her work looked like others’, and she was concerned about being ’similar.’ But in fact, creativity doesn’t need to care too much about that part mistakenly thought to be original when quoted unknowingly from somewhere. Creativity only needs to understand elements and merge them naturally. That makes a good work. The teachers I know, their works all have borrowings and references."

After hearing this, Uesugi Sakura suddenly noticed Hanabi seemed to have become smart. At least that statement was quite thought-provoking.

It even made him think plagiarism could drive improvement.

How can plagiarism be progress?

But in creation, without exception, there is the process of referencing, imitating, and learning. Even if one wants to innovate, it’s just combining certain subconscious elements.

To put it bluntly, it’s like patchwork, so... can that be called original?

The more he thought about this question, the more uncomfortable it felt.

Uesugi Sakura decided not to disturb Hanabi from finding materials for now and sat by himself at the bedside pondering.

He had to write a paper recently, and this could just be a topic.

But until he fell asleep late that night, he couldn’t figure it out, so he had to put it aside for now.

...

The next day.

In the early morning, the weather cleared up a bit. The first thing Uesugi Sakura did after getting up was open the window to feel the beam of light sneaking through the clouds.

After over ten days of the rainy season, one can truly appreciate the warm, pleasant sensation of sunlight on the body.

"Let’s go for a morning run."

...

No response.

Uesugi Sakura sat by the bed, bent down, and whispered in her ear:

"Wake up, Hanabi-chan, let’s go for a morning jog together."

...

"Hanabi-chan~"

"Mm..." A lazy, not fully awake voice, "Don’t want to..."

Uesugi Sakura continued to whisper in her ear: "How can that be? How many days have you not exercised? You’ll get fat."

With her eyes closed, leaning on Shasha’s belly, Hanamaru Hanabi faintly smiled at the corner of her mouth, her drowsy voice like a sleep talk: "Sakura-kun... Sakura-kun really likes chubby Hanabi, because my belly is soft, he loves to touch it a lot..."

Is she awake or still asleep?

Uesugi Sakura felt like she was sleep-talking.

Anyway, he had no choice but to continue along with her words, whispering softly into the girl’s ear: "I don’t like it, I only like the kind of slender waist that can be held with two hands."

"Liar... Obviously... Obviously Sakura-kun likes chubby girls, you told me yourself, you also said you really like big chests, and you wish Hanabi’s were bigger..."

He definitely never said that.

"Isn’t it Hanabi who likes bigger chests?" Uesugi Sakura lay on his side on the bed, watching her talk in her sleep.

This time he waited for a long time and asked again before getting Hanabi’s sleepy response.

"No, no..." The voice was weak and small, yet adorably girly, "If the chest is too big... jogging would be tiring... Sakisa-chan told me..."

He seemed to have heard some secret of Kitagawa Sakisa.

"What do you girls usually like to do?"

"Um... Watch TV, chat about plots, eat snacks."

Uesugi Sakura thought there would be something unusual, but it turned out to be quite ordinary.

"Then how do you know Sakisa has a big chest? It doesn’t seem visible externally."

"We sometimes... sometimes go soak in hot springs together... Sakura-kun... Sakura-kun, don’t ask... Hanabi wants to sleep..." With that, she buried her face entirely into Shasha’s belly.

"Hanabi? Hanabi?" No matter how Uesugi Sakura called, Hanamaru Hanabi remained unresponsive, only her small hand still grasping Shasha’s dorsal fin, breathing peacefully in sleep.

"Big sleepyhead!" Uesugi Sakura saw her cherry-colored belly exposed under the thin sleepwear and could only sigh that today’s morning run would be solo again.

He couldn’t blame her, after all, she was busy until very late last night.

She has studies and work, while he only occasionally attends classes. She makes time to be with him as much as she can.

Though busy, they can see each other every day, always being close.

Nothing could be more satisfying than this.

With this in mind, Uesugi Sakura pulled up the bedspread to cover her exposed shoulder, then gazed at her sleeping peacefully and smiled:

"You’ll catch a cold like this, really don’t know how to take care of yourself."

Hanamaru Hanabi leaned on Shasha’s belly, her little face peacefully asleep.

Uesugi Sakura got up to open the wardrobe, and next to Hanamaru Hanabi’s clothes, he found his own. His white shirt was completely used as her pajama. When she didn’t feel like wearing her clothes, she would wear his.

He had heard some girls would secretly smell boys’ clothes.

He wondered if Hanamaru Hanabi did that.

Uesugi Sakura changed clothes while watching the sleeping girl. His clothes were all washed by her; maybe she did?

She seemed to have mentioned he smelled nice.

"Does it smell nice?" Uesugi Sakura raised his right hand and sniffed, finding no scent at all, let alone any fragrance.

He walked over to Hanamaru Hanabi’s bedside, lowered his torso, and sniffed her neck.

A faint fragrance.

Uesugi Sakura took in the soothing aroma in his nasal cavity and then opened his eyes, gazing at Hanamaru Hanabi’s pale neck.

Soft, smooth, with a few stray strands of hair resting atop.

It felt like there was a juicy, sweet-smelling fruit in front of his mouth, its enticing gleam making him want to take a bite.

This was the trouble of being with a girl, especially when the relationship was particularly close. Strange things could happen at any time.

He thought for a while and gave up the idea of disturbing her sleep.

Even if little Hanabi got mad, nothing serious would happen, but Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to upset her.

After all, troubles would accumulate, and he would rather see a happy, healed girl than a self-conscious one.