The Four Preparatory Steps

"Is there a prize?" Izumi Kotomi didn't bother asking about the specifics of the painting award and directly inquired about the prize money.

Whether it was a prestigious award or not was secondary; what Izumi Kotomi cared about most was whether there was prize money.

Naegi Hibiki was momentarily stunned. For other art students, just being qualified to participate in the Tokyo University and Kyoto University National Youth Art Award was already something to be happy about. But Izumi Kotomi seemed uninterested in whether she would participate or not. What she cared about was how much prize money she could get if she won!

As expected of Izumi-san, she hadn't even entered yet and was already confident of winning the award! Perhaps this is what it means to be strong—someone whose eyes are always fixed on the benefits they can obtain after victory!

"There is a prize. Since it's a national award, just making it to the final selection will earn you a prize of 200,000 yen!"

That's a bit low.

Upon hearing the amount of the prize, Izumi Kotomi's first thought was just that—it was low.

Writing just one volume of "Sword Art Online" would net her an after-tax income of 860,000 yen. And that doesn't even include the royalties from publishing the standalone volumes or the income from the novel's copyright.

Add it all up, and earning a few million yen a month isn't a dream as long as she keeps pushing hard. There's no need to spend time and energy participating in some art competition.

With this in mind, 200,000 yen did indeed seem a bit low. So, Izumi Kotomi shifted her attention to the fact that the National Youth Art Award was co-hosted by Tokyo University and Kyoto University.

If she won the award, would she have a chance to be admitted to one of these prestigious universities without taking the entrance exam?

"Naegi-senpai, besides the prize money, are there any other benefits to winning this award? This is the first time I've heard of the National Youth Art Award, so I'm curious."

Izumi Kotomi asked softly, pretending to be curious rather than assuming she would win. After all, she hadn't yet shown any outstanding talent in painting. If she acted as if she was certain to win the award right from the start, she might be seen by others as an overly confident student with no sense of her limits.

"Benefits? Of course! Any award under the national award category has one common benefit, and that is an added advantage for university admissions."

Admission to university!

This was exactly what she wanted!

If she were to take the university entrance exams, she was 100% confident she would meet the admission requirements for Tokyo University or Kyoto University. But now that there was a shortcut to university admission, why wouldn't she choose to take it?

In Izumi Kotomi's eyes, the allure of guaranteed university admission far outweighed the 200,000 yen prize.

"Guaranteed admission to Tokyo University or Kyoto University?!"

"That's right. Moreover, if you manage to win this award, even the Tokyo Five Arts Universities might extend an olive branch to you. There have been cases where the Tokyo Five Arts Universities and Tokyo University have competed fiercely over award-winning students. It's said that during the most intense disputes, teachers from different universities even got into physical altercations, and the principals were eager to join the fray with chairs in hand."

If winning this award meant guaranteed admission to university, then she absolutely had to participate. And not just participate—she had to win the award with an overwhelming advantage, secure the admission spot, and claim the prize money!

After all, 200,000 yen is still money. It could be used to buy diamonds in games, single-player games, gaming consoles, or even some risqué life-size pillows and figurines. Who wouldn't want that?

Kotomi really wanted a PS5!

"So, are you interested in signing up?" Naegi Hibiki asked.

Izumi Kotomi nodded without hesitation. If she missed this opportunity, who knew when another chance to secure university admission might come her way.

When the opportunity presents itself, grab it firmly and hold onto it with all your might!

This has always been Izumi Kotomi's philosophy.

"Good, then I'll help you sign up."

"Huh? You can sign me up, Naegi-senpai?" Izumi Kotomi had thought she needed to apply through a teacher, but it turned out Naegi-senpai could handle it.

Naegi Hibiki let out a proud little laugh. "Well, I am the president of the Sobu High School Art Club after all. Of course, I can help you sign up. Since you're participating, that makes two of us representing the Sobu High School Art Club at the Tokyo University and Kyoto University National Youth Art Award."

"Just the two of us?"

"Yes, you didn't think just anyone could enter the Tokyo University National Youth Art Award, did you? Right now, in the Sobu High School Art Club, only the two of us have the ability to participate, as the third-year seniors have already left to focus on preparing for their university entrance exams."

Naegi Hibiki shrugged and smiled as she said this:

"Originally, I was the only one participating, but now that you've joined the Art Club, it's gone from just me to the two of us."

"If I'm not mistaken, when it comes to the final selection, everyone will be a competitor, perhaps even an enemy. Having more people participating just means more competition pressure," Izumi Kotomi said.

"You're absolutely right, especially with a talented artist like you joining the competition. This isn't just a bit more pressure; it's probably increased several times over," Naegi Hibiki admitted with a wry smile.

"Then why did you tell me about this, Naegi-senpai? If you had kept it to yourself and gone to the competition alone, wouldn't your chances of winning be higher?"

Naegi Hibiki shook her head and said:

"I did have that thought before, especially when I saw how much better your painting skills were than mine yesterday. For a moment, I really didn't want to tell you about the National Youth Art Award. But my father always told me that losing isn't scary; what's scary is winning without honor. So I figured it out—it's okay if I lose to you. I want to fully enjoy the process of participating in the competition. The result, for me, isn't that important anymore."

As she said this, Naegi Hibiki turned to look at the Art Club room, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Because of my little sister, I chose painting when I was a child. I don't even know if I liked it back then or not. But somehow, I've stuck with it for so many years. I must really like painting now. Being recognized by the excellent seniors in the Art Club and becoming the new president—I'm honored."

"I have one year left. When I enter my third year, I won't be able to continue as president of the Art Club, so I'll have to quit and focus on preparing for the entrance exams. That's why I want to create some beautiful memories while I'm still part of the Art Club. If I could win the National Youth Art Award, that would be the best!"

"Naegi-senpai, you give it your all. But I definitely won't hold back. You want to win, and so do I," Izumi Kotomi said with utmost seriousness.

"Yes, same here. We both need to give it everything we've got. I'd like to see what kind of painting you'll create when you go all out," Naegi Hibiki replied just as the bell signaling the end of club activities rang.

As Izumi Kotomi left the Art Club room and walked down the hallway, she looked at the flyer for the painting award in her hand.

The Tokyo University and Kyoto University National Youth Art Award.

It seems it's time to stop slacking off and start giving it my all!

On the other side, Naegi Hibiki, as usual, was the last student to leave the Art Club. After turning off the lights, she grabbed her bag and prepared to leave.

"Onee-chan!" Kirigiri Seiko came running over with a backpack on her back and a plastic bag in her hand.

"Seiko? I thought you said the Mystery Club was going to play a murder mystery game today, so you'd be home late," Naegi Hibiki asked.

"They said we'd play the game, but the club president didn't finish writing the script, so today's game was postponed."

"I see. Then let's go home together. Hey, what's in the plastic bag you're carrying? Is that a pineapple?"

Kirigiri Seiko mischievously shook the plastic bag with a pineapple inside, then clung tightly to Naegi Hibiki's arm, whispering in her ear:

"Eat pineapple, trim nails, brush teeth, tie hair... You know what I want to do, right, big sis?"

Hearing Seiko's words, Naegi Hibiki's cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment. She looked around and then asked softly:

"Tonight...?"

"Of course, sister, it's been half a month since we last did it. I can't hold back anymore. Tonight, I won't let you sleep!"

"All night?! But..."

"What's wrong, sister? Weren't you the one who initiated it in the first place? Are you saying you don't like it anymore after I took the lead?" Kirigiri Seiko teased, holding onto Naegi Hibiki's arm tightly.

"I... I don't..."

"Then it's settled—tonight, all night!"

Naegi Hibiki's face was flushed, but she eventually nodded slightly and softly responded: "Okay..."