Chapter 19: The Genius Girl

Tianye Zhenyi was a genius girl — that wasn't something she said about herself, but something that came from everyone who knew her.

Although she was quite pretty in her own right, people were still won over by the painting skill she had displayed since childhood, along with the fact that her academic grades had always been at the top of the school.

Over time, she, who was so perfect she seemed to have no flaws at all, was crowned with the title of genius.

Before joining the Art Club of Tokyo Sakura-Ran High School, Tianye Zhenyi would sometimes feel uncomfortable when others called her a genius, but more often she accepted it gladly, basking in the praise and applause.

After all, no one dislikes the envious gazes of others.

That was until Niino Li appeared.

From the very first day's free-entry test onward, no matter whether it was sketching, oil painting, or training in observation, steadiness of the wrist, the use of line and color, Tianye Zhenyi did not surpass Niino Li's scores in a single category.

She realized that her reputation as a genius might be destroyed by that cold, aloof boy, and began to train like mad, honing her craft in an attempt to surpass him.

But in the end, even by the time Niino Li applied to quit the club, she still hadn't managed it; instead, she watched him, after being persuaded to stay by the advisor teacher, become a Ghostly Presence member who only returned for important competitions.

Tianye Zhenyi finally became one of the crowd looking up at a genius, but she didn't feel happy about it.

"Up ahead on the twelfth floor is Mayi-chan's home."

Izawa Ayane and Niino Li walked to the foot of a tall apartment building brimming with a modern air, stepped into the elevator, and began to rise.

"Come to think of it, Mayi-chan and Niino-kun must know each other, right? I heard from the others in the Art Club that you two are both amazing at painting — basically standing at the peak together, so to speak."

The elevator rose smoothly; seeing Niino Li drift off into a daze again, Izawa Ayane assumed he was still troubled.

"Mm, probably," Niino Li glanced at her and replied briefly.

He didn't even know what the other person looked like — how could he explain their relationship to Izawa Ayane?

Still, judging from his previous body's lifestyle of being constantly busy with part-time jobs and studying, at most he'd reached the point of remembering her name.

"Ding."

The elevator came to a steady stop on the twelfth floor; the silver-gray metal doors slid open, and the two stepped into a corridor filled with artificial light.

The instant he stepped out, Niino Li's eyes flicked rapidly to both sides as he carefully checked whether any lingering grudges remained on this floor.

"Wherever a spirit passes, traces must remain" — that was something Minazawa Yuu had told him.

Izawa Ayane, knowing the place well, walked to a bronze-colored security door on the right; after ringing the bell, she stood obediently at the doorway holding a white paper bag in both hands, waiting for a response.

A few minutes later, the crisp clinking of a zipper pull rang out, and the door was pulled open a crack.

"Mai?" Izawa Ayane tilted her head and called out cautiously.

Hearing the familiar voice, the door slowly opened at last, and a girl in loungewear stood in the entryway, giving her a wan smile.

Disheveled hair, eyes shot through with red veins, cracked lips, a thinness visible to the naked eye.

When she saw Niino Li behind Izawa Ayane, her pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints; an expression of utter terror spread across her face, and she stammered, unable to speak.

Meaningless ravings, tinged with a hint of hysteria, echoed through the empty corridor, sounding utterly chilling.

"Can you let us in to talk?" Niino Li guessed her identity, his gaze calm.

From the door opposite came a faint sound, as though someone was about to come out and check on the situation.

Tianye Zhenyi seemed not to have heard what he said; she gripped her hair tightly and crouched on the threshold, her features crumpling like wastepaper being kneaded, two streams of clear tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Mai?" Izawa Ayane, clutching the white paper bag, was at a loss, and turned her head in a panic to look at Niino Li.

"Let's get her inside first." He walked over and hooked his arm under Tianye Zhenyi's shoulder.