Kotomi, Who Do You Want to Paint?

After the chatting ended, each member of the art club started preparing their own works.

Izumi Kotomi, Mashiro Shiina, and Hibiki Naegi needed to begin preparing their paintings for the National Youth Art Exhibition hosted by Tokyo Metropolitan University.

As for Hojo Ruriya and the others, since they weren't participating in the exhibition, they were focusing mainly on practice during this period.

Mashiro Shiina and Hibiki Naegi had already decided on the themes for their submissions and had started painting.

For now, only Izumi Kotomi hadn't begun painting.

It wasn't because she wanted to take it easy and slack off.

It was just that she hadn't yet decided what theme to paint.

She kept sketching here and there but couldn't make up her mind about the final theme.

Cherry blossoms, a photo album of white snow, or the school rooftop at night.

These were the three themes that Kotomi had thought of, all suitable for the National Youth Art Exhibition.

But maybe because she could do well with any of these themes, she found herself unsure of which one to choose.

Sometimes being too skilled can be a hassle, she thought wistfully.

An hour later, as the school bell rang, today's art club activities ended, as usual.

Declining Hojo Ruriya and the others' invitation to go to karaoke, Kotomi was preparing to head towards the main entrance of the school building. It was then that she noticed Mashiro Shiina quietly following her from behind.

She stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked at Mashiro.

Mashiro paused for a moment, as if thinking, "Ah, I've been noticed."

"Mashiro, is there something you wanted to say to me?" Kotomi smiled and asked.

The route she was taking wasn't in the same direction as the main entrance or the faculty office; instead, it was a path that led straight to the front doors after descending the stairs. So, it was unlikely that Mashiro was just following her because they were headed the same way.

"Manga… I want you to take a look, like I said before." As she spoke, Mashiro took out a thick stack of neatly bound papers from her bag.

They were the pages of the manga that Mashiro had drawn.

"You've already finished it?" Kotomi had been meaning to help Mashiro review her manga, but she didn't expect it to be finished so quickly.

It had only been a few days.

The stack of papers felt heavy in her hands—there were over sixty pages.

To have drawn more than sixty pages in just a few days… Mashiro's drawing speed was incredible! Kotomi thought to herself in amazement.

"A manuscript?" Kotomi glanced at the first page. She hadn't yet looked at the content, but seeing the drawings alone already left her stunned.

The manuscript was filled with extremely detailed hand-drawn manga.

There weren't even any visible rough sketch marks; it looked like she had drawn everything directly onto the paper.

Just from looking at it, there was no doubt that Mashiro's drawing skills were impeccable. In fact, her skills surpassed many well-known manga artists.

"I drew it directly on the paper. Is that a problem?" Mashiro tilted her head adorably, her expression full of innocence.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that when I draw manga, I'm used to using a digital tablet. This is the first time I've seen a hand-drawn manga manuscript in real life," Kotomi explained.

"A digital tablet?"

"It's a kind of tablet that connects to a computer, and you can use it to draw manga. These days, a lot of artists and manga creators prefer using digital tablets to draw. Of course, there are still many who stick to hand-drawing. Both methods have their own advantages, so it's best to choose whichever method suits you best."

As she spoke, Kotomi carefully placed Mashiro's hand-drawn manga manuscript into her bag.

"It's getting late, and Kato is still waiting for me, so I'll head out now. I'll read the manga at home and tell you my thoughts tomorrow, okay?"

"Mm-hmm." Mashiro's orange-red eyes showed a hint of a smile, and for the first time, her usually emotionless face revealed an expression of anticipation. "I'm looking forward to your feedback, Kotomi… by the way, what's feedback?"

Hearing Mashiro's question, Kotomi couldn't help but laugh. "It's just your thoughts after reading a manga or a novel."

"Oh, so that's what it means." Mashiro nodded, finally understanding.

The two parted ways at the first-floor entrance—Kotomi leaving the school building, while Mashiro headed back to the faculty office to wait for her cousin, Chihiro Sengoku.

"Hey~ You still haven't decided what to paint? That's not good," Megumi Kato remarked with concern as they walked home together.

Although there was still time before the deadline for the art competition, if Kotomi was planning to paint an oil painting, it would take a long time to complete.

If she didn't decide on a theme soon, even if she eventually chose one, there was a chance she might not finish the painting before the deadline, which would mean missing out on the National Youth Art Exhibition.

This would essentially mean losing her chance for a university recommendation.

Although Kotomi believed that with her academic abilities, she could easily get into a top university, why give up the easier route of a recommendation if it was available?

"If I haven't decided on a theme by Wednesday, I'll just randomly pick one from the three," Kotomi thought to herself.

"Since you haven't decided what kind of scenery to paint for the oil painting, why not try painting a piece that combines both people and scenery?" Megumi Kato suggested.

"Combining people and scenery in one painting?"

"Yes! Up until now, Kotomi, you've only been thinking about painting landscapes, right? But there are so many students entering the National Youth Art Exhibition, and a lot of them will likely choose landscapes as well. While the works won't be identical, the judges will probably get tired of seeing so many landscape paintings. So, if they suddenly see a painting that includes both people and scenery, it'll definitely catch their attention."

In most cases, the subject of an oil painting focuses on just one theme.

For example, if the painting is about sunflowers, the subject of the painting is a beautiful sunflower.

If the painting is of the starry night sky, then the focus is on the stunning, star-filled sky.

But what if you combined two subjects into one painting?

A girl holding sunflowers close to her chest.

Two people standing under the starry sky, making you wonder about their background and what emotions they might be feeling as they meet beneath that sky.

Having two subjects in one painting wouldn't cause any conflict; in fact, they could complement and enhance each other.

"I've decided! I'll paint both subjects in one oil painting!" Kotomi enthusiastically agreed, nodding.

Seeing Kotomi accept her suggestion, Megumi Kato's lips curled into a satisfied smile. Then, she asked meaningfully:

"So, Kotomi, who do you want to paint? And what background will you choose?"

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