After the painting area, Rosemary-san showed me around the artwork she collected in turn. She owns a wide variety of artworks, and her explanations were easy to understand, which made the tour quite enjoyable.
After visiting all the rooms, we decided to go back, when I suddenly noticed something.
[...Rosemary-san, what about that room over there?]
Yes, we had one last look at the room where the sculptures and other exhibits are displayed, but there was a different door than the one we had passed through on the way here. Since this was the end of the exhibition area, it was most likely not a room where artworks were displayed, but just as the thought that asking such a question may have been rude, Rosemary-san answered without seeming to mind.
[That's the atelier.]
[Atelier….. Ahh, you mean the room where you were painting stuff like the painting earlier?]
[Unnn... If you're interested, should we check it out a bit?]
[Eh? Is that alright?]
[I don't know if you'd find anything interesting there though...]
When Rosemary-san opened the door with a wry smile on her face, I found that the interior of the room was quite spacious, and there was a set of tools around for not only painting, but also sculpting.
[...Arehh? Why do I see the flower garden from here?]
[Ahh, that's because the walls here allow the view reflected in the window of the room above to be seen as it is.]
[I see, so it's for your painting.]
[Unnn. I often paint pictures of the flower garden.]
[Heehhh... Whoa, you have many kinds of brushes.]
This may be the first time I've taken the time to look closely at a full-scale painting set like this. The reason is that I had music as an elective class back in junior high, so I hadn't really been involved in the field of arts.
The canvas seemed quite large, and it seemed to be quite difficult to paint on it. At least, it would be difficult for me with my poor sense of aesthetics.
[Kaito-kun, since we're at it, why don't you try your hand at painting?]
[Hoehh? Me? I'm interested in it... but I've never painted at all...]
[Don't worry, I'll teach you.]
When was the last time I painted again... I think it would be around junior high? That should mean it must have been at least 10 years since I last drew it. The painting I made also isn't very good... No, it should be better to say it looks quite bad.
I mean, I suppose I'd be bad at stuff related to art... Even that clay work I made before was terrible... but I don't really feel comfortable refusing Rosemary-san's offer.
No, considering the hopeful eyes Rosemary-san was sending towards me, refusing wasn't an option.
[...T- Then, I'll try it out a bit.]
[Unnn! Wait a moment. I'll get you a new canvas.]
As Rosemary-san, with a bright smile on her face, started setting things up, seemingly happy to share her hobby, I looked around restlessly.
She's putting up a new canvas... I really don't feel like I have the artistic sense for this though...
With an indescribable sense of tension in my heart, I sat down in the chair offered to me by Rosemary-san and faced the canvas. Sitting in front of it though, this canvas is much bigger than I thought it would be. How can I paint on a canvas of this size?
[...Errr, I really don't have a clue what to do here, so what do you think I should paint?]
[I'm not sure. How about you try painting the landscape then? I think a painting of the flower garden in front of us would be fine.]
[I- I understand.]
[You don't have to be so nervous. You shouldn't think about trying to paint well, just enjoy the process of painting the view.]
[Y- Yes... Errr, what should I do first?]
Nodding my head, I picked up the brush and palette, but not knowing where to start, I looked back at Rosemary-san behind me again. Thereupon, Rosemary-san smiled kindly and took my hand.
[Let's start by dividing them roughly by color. For example, there's a concentration of red flowers there, right? So, let's paint this area red...]
[Eh? Is it alright to just paint it so decisively?]
[Unnn. You can just layer the colors on top of each other. After that, this area...]
Thereupon, with Rosemary-san's hand on mine, she teaches me the way to stroke the brush by guiding my hand holding the brush. As I was listening to her explanation... I suddenly felt the touch of soft things behind my back.
Let's ascertain what those are. I'm sitting in a round chair with no backrest. And Rosemary-san is holding my hand from behind, guiding me on how to paint.
In other words, the soft sensation on my back is... errr... This is troubling, the explanations on how to paint are suddenly falling on deaf ears.
Just like that, Rosemary-san continues to teach me how to paint without noticing my thoughts, but my awareness is concentrated only on my back. Rosemary-san is pretty big... No, calm down, stop with those wicked thoughts!
No, but seriously, what am I supposed to do about this? It would take a lot of courage to say something like "I can feel your breasts touching me"... but not saying it makes me unable to sit still, or rather, it kinda feels like I'm doing something wrong if I don't say it...
[Unnn? Kaito-kun, what's wrong?]
[Eh, no, errr... I- It's nothing! F- For the time being, now that I have some understanding of what to do, I'm going to try drawing by myself!!!]
[U- Unnn. Alright. If there's anything you don't understand, I'll teach you again.]
In the end, I couldn't point it out to her, but I didn't want to keep quiet either, so although it was somewhat forcibly, I somehow succeeded in getting Rosemary-san to leave by choosing to draw by myself.
However, once I became aware of my situation, it got quite difficult to calm down for some reason, and needless to say, I had a lot of thoughts imbued within my painting hand for a while.
***
[Afterword]
Serious-senpai : [She freaking did it! That thing those big breasts-types do, having them touch him from behind! D*mn it, this sweetness... Nggghhh, at this rate...]
? ? ? : [What the heck are you even fighting against...]