Are You Two on a Date?

As the sun began to set, the orange-red glow of the sunset filtered through the sky, casting its warm light across Sobu High School's campus. Mashiro Shiina stood with her back to the sunset, bathed in its gentle radiance, serene and beautiful. It was as if the soft orange light had turned into a delicate veil draped over her, creating a tranquil and picturesque scene until the evening descended.

Izumi Kotomi's eyes widened slightly, her pink irises shimmering with a spark of realization.

The orange glow of the sunset, the twilight sky, and the girl standing bathed in the soft light—all of it struck her in that moment, making the once vague image in her mind suddenly crystal clear. This beautiful scene was now etched into her memory.

At that instant, Kotomi realized this was what she had been trying to paint all along, Twilight Sky · Sunset.

The most fitting girl for her painting wasn't herself or anyone else—it was Mashiro Shiina!

"Kotomi?" Mashiro tilted her head curiously, noticing Kotomi's long silence.

Her movement, combined with the sunset's gentle glow, only made her appear even more adorable.

"Mashiro!" Kotomi suddenly grabbed Mashiro by the shoulders, her voice hurried with excitement, perhaps unable to contain her emotions. "Mashiro, can you be the main character in my painting?"

"Eh?" Mashiro looked at Kotomi, puzzled.

Realizing her excitement had caused her to speak too hastily, Kotomi took a deep breath and explained, "Mashiro, I've finally decided on what to paint for the National Art Competition today. I've already finished the background sketch, but I hadn't settled on who the main character of the painting should be. Then I saw you standing there, with your back to the sunset, bathed in that beautiful orange light. Everything clicked in my mind. It was as if I was always meant to paint you standing in that sunset!"

When Mashiro heard Kotomi's words spoken so close to her, her face gradually turned a faint pink. Whether it was because of the sunset or something else, she softly asked, "You want to paint me?"

"Yes!" Kotomi nodded enthusiastically.

But soon after, Kotomi began to calm down. Would Mashiro agree?

The goal of painting Twilight Sky · Sunset was to enter it into the Tokyo University National Youth Art Competition. Mashiro was also competing in that same competition.

To put it simply, Kotomi and Mashiro were rivals in the competition.

With only one spot for a university recommendation, anyone would naturally want their own painting to win and would put in their best effort. Helping a competitor, especially someone like Kotomi, seemed unlikely.

Realizing this, Kotomi mentally prepared herself for Mashiro to decline her request. It would be perfectly reasonable for her to refuse.

"Sure, I'd love for you to paint me. Please make me the main character of your painting," Mashiro agreed without hesitation, her orange eyes brimming with anticipation.

"Mashiro, I'm entering this painting into the National Art Competition," Kotomi reminded her, worried that Mashiro didn't understand the stakes.

"I know. Didn't Ms. Shizuka Hiratsuka mention that only three people from Sobu High School are competing this time? You, me, and Naegi-senpai."

"Since you know that, why would you agree to help me?"

"Kotomi helps me with my manga, so I want to help you complete your painting and win the competition. Why not?" Mashiro asked matter-of-factly.

"But what about you?" Kotomi pressed.

"I'm confident in my own painting," Mashiro smiled.

Hearing Mashiro's response, Kotomi stopped worrying. She wasn't one to be overly modest, so after they confirmed the arrangement, she thanked Mashiro.

The girl who would appear in Twilight Sky · Sunset was now decided: it would be Mashiro Shiina.

With both the background and the figure settled, Kotomi felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She couldn't wait for tomorrow's art club session.

She was eager to start bringing Twilight Sky · Sunset to life.

More specifically, she was eager to start painting Mashiro.

"Hey there, are you two on a date?" a voice called out. Chihiro Sengoku, Mashiro's cousin and the art teacher, approached them with a teasing grin.

Her tone was lighthearted, but it sounded like she meant it.

Seeing Chihiro, Kotomi realized it was around the time for the teachers to leave work as well.

Of course, many teachers stayed late for additional work, especially those teaching senior-level subjects. But for Chihiro, who barely got to teach a full art class in a semester, every day was a chance to leave on time.

It wasn't her fault—art, music, and PE classes were the first to be taken over by other subjects, especially in the lead-up to exams.

Chihiro walked up and threw her arm over Kotomi's shoulder in a friendly, almost brotherly manner. "Not bad, Kotomi. You've already hit it off with my adorable little cousin? I'm rooting for you!"

She then leaned closer to Kotomi's ear and whispered, "The Shiina family is loaded. Marry Mashiro, and you'll be set for life."

"Is this really something a teacher should be saying?" Even Kotomi, who had lived two lives, couldn't help but sweatdrop at Chihiro's remark.

Had teachers really started advising their students to marry rich and skip 20 years of hard work?

"As a teacher, I wouldn't say that, of course," Chihiro replied, feigning seriousness before grinning again. "But I heard from Shizuka that Mashiro here seems to be really attached to you, so I'm rooting for you, girl!"

"Uh...," Kotomi was left speechless.

"Nee-chan, what are you telling Kotomi?" Mashiro asked, clueless, as she looked at the two, noticing they'd been whispering to each other.

"Oh, nothing important. Just some things I wanted to tell Kotomi. Let's go home, Mashiro. And don't forget to call your parents tonight. They're really concerned about how your life at a Japanese high school is going," Chihiro said, finally releasing her playful hold on Kotomi.

After saying goodbye to Chihiro and Mashiro, Kotomi didn't waste any time and headed home, looking forward to a good meal and a long rest.

As for her manga? She decided to skip drawing tonight.

She had only taken a few steps outside of Sobu High School when her phone chimed with a message notification.

She pulled it out to see a message from Tokyo Central Bank.

"Huh? Could it be the royalties from Shueisha? I've been so busy with my drafts that I almost forgot," Kotomi murmured to herself as she unlocked her phone.

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