15 Chapter 15: Drawing contest

MC POV:

Right now, I am on my way to the drawing contest taking place in England. Since my parents couldn't go with me, I am together with their acquaintance that lives there.

He was an average-looking Japanese man with black hair and eyes. He was on the taller side of the spectrum, measuring 175 cm, and had a thin beard.

He and my father know each other from their student years, but he had to leave japan because of his job. Then, while working in England, he met his wife, and after settling down, they had a daughter named Alice.

"Uncle, what do you think are my chances to win this contest?" I asked out of curiosity.

I was sure of my victory, but I wanted to hear what he thought about it and deal with the uncomfortable silence.

"I am sure you will win. The contestants are people around your age, and while most of them are talented, only one girl is worth mentioning when compared to your art. She is truly talented," my uncle said.

I wonder who she is.

"What is her name?" I inquired.

"Her name is Mashiro Shiina. She should be around one year younger than you. A true prodigy when it comes to art, but I heard that she is quite... special." my uncle answered, his smile cramping at the end.

Why am I hearing so many familiar names? Hey, creator of this world, are you perhaps one of my people?

No matter, as long as it doesn't bring me any harm, I can ignore it. Even if Mashiro is there, it's not like we will meet for sure.

"There are still a few days left until the contest. Do you want to go sightseeing with my family?" my uncle proposed.

"Sure, uncle," I replied with a smile.

***

The day after my arrival, we went on a trip around London. I was able to witness tourist attractions like London Eye and Big Ben up close, thanks to my uncle's connections, and since their family preferred Japanese cuisine, I had no qualms about the food.

Then, in the days leading to the contest, I mostly went with Alice to play with her friends.

At first, my uncle thought it was not a good idea since I don't know English, but I quickly proved him wrong, once again garnering his amazement. The first time, it was because of my artwork, while the second was how mature I acted.

He was also surprised when we met since he thought I was Japanese. He knew I was adopted since that was something that my parents told him about, but they failed to convey that I am a foreigner.

Since I looked Caucasian and could speak fluent English, I had no problem playing with the other kids. After all, kids are at the same time the most innocent and cruel beings. If someone is different, they won't hold back and will speak their mind without thinking about the consequences.

I had a bit of a problem in Japan because of that, but I managed to turn the situation in my favor.

To sum it up, during my stay here, I got to sightsee London and made new friends, which to my delight aren't calling me boss. I hope they will never find out about that.

***

Today is the day of the drawing contest.

Everything proceeded smoothly. Maybe too smoothly.

"...I have a bad feeling about this," I grumbled to myself.

"Did you say something?" my uncle inquired.

"No, it's nothing," I replied.

"Are you perhaps nervous because it's your first time?" my uncle asked with a gentle smile.

"Eh? Yeah. I don't know what to expect," I lied through my teeth, not wanting him to worry.

"Don't worry. I am sure you will win. Just give it your all, so you have nothing to regret," my uncle said, trying to sound supportive.

"Thank you, uncle," I said with a slight smile.

That's a piece of good advice, and it doesn't apply only to this contest. Perhaps that's the best way to live?

"No problem," he replied, also with a smile.

After that, we entered the venue of the contest.

It was a lot more underwhelming than I expected, just a big hall.

Each contestant had a chair accompanied by a desk or easel, depending on their request, prepared for them.

The tools and materials were also provided by the organizers to make things fair. After all, while it's possible to draw something decent even with common crayons if you have better tools, you can create something better.

The contest would take a few hours, so I decided to take a look around and see who will be sitting next to me. There were both boys and girls, most of them older than me, at least based on their appearance.

Yeah, most.

One girl sitting on the right was younger than me. She had red eyes and long pale blonde hair that reached her waist. Her skin was pale, and she wore casual clothes.

She looks so adorable. Like a cat? Yeah, that's the kind of aura she gives me.

"THE CONTEST STARTS IN FIVE MINUTES!!!" announced one of the staff through the speakers.

Come on, Arthur, you have to focus. Cute may be justice, but you have more important things to do right now.

Once more, I checked all my tools to be sure nothing gets in the way of my drawing. I slowly examined all of them, and as I was finishing checking the last one, I heard another announcement.

"THE CONTEST STARTS NOW!!!" announced the same staff member as before.

The moment I heard that I started drawing, as I already had something in mind, even before the competition.

While I was drawing, I stopped paying attention to my surroundings, time flew in the blink of an eye. I haven't even noticed when half of the time passed. Two hours before the end of the competition, I finally finished my drawing. I put it down, and just as I was checking how the other contestants fared, an unexpected announcement rang out.

"PLEASE, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND GO TO THE NEAREST EXIT!!! DUE TO SOME UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES FIRE BROKE OUT IN THE EAST SECTOR!!! PLEASE STAY CALM!!!" once again, the same staff member announced.

As could be expected, the announcement fell on deaf ears, and the chaos broke out shortly after.

I fucking knew it!!! It was too calm for too long!!!

Most of the contestants abandoned their work and ran towards the exit, not giving their drawings a second thought.

Yes, most of them. Two people stayed in their places. Me and the blonde girl.

She didn't even seem aware of the announcement and the whole situation, completely lost in her work.

"We have to go. There was a fire, and it's not safe to stay here," I said while approaching.

No response? I guess I will have to grab her hand and bring her out.

"Nn? Who are you?" she asked as I stopped her hand, finally registering my existence.

"We have to go. There was fire and it's not safe to stay here," I repeated, this time having her full attention.

"Nn," she nodded in agreement.

She is quite obedient, and it doesn't look like she is scared. This is a bit abnormal.

I took her hand and started dragging her towards the exit, but soon after I realized something. She didn't want to leave her work here. Everyone else just abandoned their drawings, yet here she was, still thinking about it even in this situation.

*Sigh* It can't be helped.

I took both of our drawings and quickly brought us to the exit.

"Mashiro!!! Dear, I am so glad you are alright!!!" a woman resembling the girl next to me, likely her mother, exclaimed as she ran in our direction as we left the building.

Wait. Mashiro? It has to be a coincidence, right?

"Here," I said as I gave the girl her drawing and proceeded to look for my uncle.

However, before I could even start, I felt something tugging on my shirt. When I looked back, I saw the girl pulling it and her mother looking surprised.

"Name?" Mashiro asked.

"Eh? My name is Arthur," I replied.

"Nn. I will remember," she said and returned to her mother.

What a strange girl. She reminds me about Selen when we just met.

I thought and started looking for my uncle again.

***

A few days after the fire incident, the competition took place once again.

Since it was impossible to determine which drawings were taken from the venue during the fire and which were drawn after it, everyone had to start from scratch.

Not wanting to draw the same thing the second time, I chose a different topic. My first drawing was a landscape, but this time I went along with a portrait.

Well, at least I had one more piece of art in my collection. I am glad I brought it out with me at that time.

While on that topic, I am glad I took that girl with me. Considering how little attention she paid to her surroundings, she would die there.

Firefighters and security blocked the entrance, so her mother couldn't go inside. She was forced to watch as the fire spread while praying that someone takes her daughter with them.

"Are you nervous about the results?" my uncle asked me suddenly, seeing that I was deep in thought.

"Just a little," I replied.

Today the results will be published at the end of the ceremony, and all the participants have been invited. The sponsors of the event were several influential figures, so even with all the losses caused by the fire, the rewards didn't diminish in the slightest. Rather, to keep their reputation, they increased them, and we are talking about a big sum of money and an award.

This may seem like too much, considering the contest was for children, but the truth is that without my uncle's connection, I would be unable to take part in it. In other words, the contest was for either genius that already gained recognition or children with influential backgrounds.

In contrast to the contest itself, the announcement of the results takes place in an old theatre, which once again shows how much attention the organizers pay to this event.

Currently, together with my uncle, I am sitting on the seats in the twelfth row from the scene, waiting for the ceremony to start.

Hmmm, there is no one I can recognize. Well, it can't be helped, I guess, the only people I paid attention to were the people sitting around me during the competition.

"WELCOME TO THE AWARD CEREMONY OF OUR ART CONTEST!!! THE CHILDREN WHOSE NAMES WILL BE READ OUT ARE ASKED TO ENTER THE SCENE!!! ARTHUR YUKI, MASHIRO SHIINA, SCOTT JACOBS, BETTY MERKEN, AND MAX PENLIZARD!!! THESE ARE OUR FIVE FINALISTS!!! PLEASE ENTER THE SCENE!!!" the staff member in charge of the event announced as the lights went off.

After entering the scene, all of us were instructed to stand in the back and wait for our turn. There, among the other four winners, stood the girl I helped during the fire incident, confirming once and for all her identity.

She looked at me with curiosity masked by her overall emotionless face.

It seems she remembers me, just like she said she will. that's unexpected with how much of a clutz she is supposed to be.

"THE FIFTH PLACE GOES TO MAX PENLIZARD!!!" the staff member announced.

The kid whose name got read out approached the announcer and received his reward. Based on his looks, he was the oldest one among us, yet took the last place. He bowed slightly to the audience and received applause. After that, he returned to his place among us. The same happened with the fourth and third place, with the only difference being the volume and time of the applauses.

"THE SECOND PLACE GOES TO..." the staff member started, followed by the sound of drums.*DUM**DUM**DUM**DUM* "...MASHIRO SHIINA!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!" the staff member finished with excitement.

She approached the announcer a little bit surprised, as the surprised voices of the audience could be heard In the background.

They are surprised that someone they have never heard about before, a nobody like me, won, aren't they?

Mashiro bowed slightly, just like her predecessors, also receiving applause, and returned to her previous place.

"FINALLY!!! THE UNQUESTIONABLE WINNER OF OUR COMPETITION!!! THE WINNER OF THE FIRST PLACE, ARTHUR YUKI!!!" the staff member announced with the most excitement so far.

I received the award and bowed, waiting for the applause, yet it never came.

Eh? Are they too stunned or something? But why?

I turned around and found the answer. On a big screen behind, my drawing was displayed. It depicted the Mashiro, as her cuteness became my inspiration and refused to leave my mind until I put it on paper.

Even just a picture of my work was enough to stun them so much despite how greatly it diminished its beauty.

After some time passed in complete silence, my uncle stood up and started applauding. Just like dominos, people around him also stood up and started applauding, while the domino effect spread further and further.

I smiled in satisfaction, grateful to my uncle for breaking the silence.

Now it's time to go home, I guess?