The so-called Annual Japan Young Artists Collective Exhibition was, at its core, a public showcase where young artists in their teens and early twenties debuted and made a na for themselves.
Precisely because it was a public exhibition, submissions were open to all. Anyone could send in their work without passing any kind of threshold.
And because there were no barriers, an overwhelming number of low-quality, filler submissions flooded in. So art school clubs even opted to submit entries as a group.
Naturally, this exaggerated volu of entries made the screening process arduous. In the end, only a few select works actually won awards.
Still, even a simple "consolation prize" from this kind of open call would be enough to surpass ninety-five percent of the competition.
"Are these all contact emails?"
Kazami Haru raised an eyebrow as he looked at the constant stream of new ssages popping up.
From the looks of it, the oil painting he had sent in, Sumr Bloom, must have won so kind of award. If it had been filtered out during the early stages, the organizers wouldn't be flooding him with so many emails.
Even though it was sothing he had painted casually, it wasn't surprising for it to be recognized at this level of competition.
After all, Haru had no na or reputation. He'd assud the submission might just vanish into the void.
"It already made it through the final screening?"
He opened one of the emails and scanned through it. Most were from people wanting to get in touch, asking for a direct conversation with him.
The most eye-catching detail was that Sumr Bloom had passed both the preliminary selection and the official review. It had even made it to the final stage, where awards were formally determined.
Traditional art painting wasn't like manga.
With manga or light novels, all it took was an editor's approval to move forward with contacting the author and planning promotion or contracts.
But traditional painting required large-scale initial screenings, then professional evaluations before submitting candidates for awards.
And any winning piece still had to pass judgnt from multiple reviewers before the prize could be finalized.
He stared at the official exhibition notice and the words confirming his award on the phone screen. Perhaps because he had only provided a minimal contact detail, the organizers had been trying repeatedly to reach him. To properly feature the winning piece in the exhibit, they needed more information, like an artist's alias.
"Things are moving faster than expected, but that's not a bad thing…"
Haru wasn't particularly surprised by the news that he'd won. In his simulations, he had spent a lifeti refining his skills to the peak of mastery. In the realm of oil painting, no living artist could rival him.
Even a piece he dashed off casually carried a fraction of that mastery.
Thinking about how Sumr Bloom would soon be shown at the exhibit, Haru didn't hesitate to fill in all the necessary personal details. But when it ca to choosing an alias, he paused for a mont.
This kind of na, much like a pen na or stage na, had to be chosen with care. Once an artist gained fa, their title often beca tied to their alias.
If Haru chose sothing like "One Punch Man," he might end up saddled with the title Bald-Caped Hero in the future.
"I've always been better at painting flowers, both in simulation and reality… if that's the case—"
After a mont of thought, Haru slowly wrote the characters for Yuuka.
A soft, pleasant fragrance often used to describe the scent of flowers, it suited him well.
"Since I'm just making my debut, I might as well get serious about the next piece too…"
He shut off the dimly glowing phone screen and took a deep breath to collect himself, then turned and walked toward his bedroom.
Before, he might have drifted along aimlessly. But now that he'd decided to take responsibility for those around him, he had to show he was capable.
He planned to enter several well-known open competitions and exhibitions in rapid succession, climbing to fa and earning money as quickly as possible.
…
Several days later.
The last lingering traces of sumr heat finally vanished with the wind. Autumn's golden light dappled across the maple leaves, and Kazami Haru bent down to pick one up from the steps, only to casually toss it into a dustpan filled with other debris.
He didn't look even remotely like an artist.
Falling leaves spiraled down at the entrance of STARRY. Though it looked picturesque, to the one stuck sweeping it all up, it was just a ss.
After clearing the final maple leaves from the ground, Haru stretched with a quiet sigh.
"Thanks for your hard work, Haru!"
A blonde girl holding a broom approached from above. Unlike earlier, she now held a small plastic bag. Haru gave it a glance and quickly guessed the contents from the size alone.
"Nijika, you already finished sweeping up there?"
"Hmph hmph, who do you think I am, Haru? I've been helping out at LiveHouse since I was little. A bit of sweeping like this is no big deal!"
"But still, thanks for coming all the way to help . As a thank-you, I bought you coffee, okay?"
The blonde girl in the pale green knit cardigan lifted her chin proudly, flashing her small white teeth as she waved the plastic bag in her hand.
Sure, there were drinks like cola and alcohol inside the LiveHouse too, but she had spent her own money to buy Haru's favorite coffee. Such a subtle, thoughtful gesture was hard not to be moved by if you noticed it.
In truth, Mr. Kazami was already beyond moved...
But the real reason behind this sudden rush of feeling was the angle of his current view.
Standing at the bottom of STARRY's staircase, Kazami Haru had the perfect vantage point to look up at Nijika.
Especially today, when Ijichi Nijika was dressed as usual in her navy blue pleated skirt, her slender legs fully visible from where Haru stood.
And if he kept looking up...
Though it might sound a little indecent, I...
"Eek! Ugh..."
Perhaps Nijika sensed sothing in that mont. She blinked, and her pale cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.
The bashful girl reflexively reached down to hold her skirt and quickly descended the steps. The small triangle-shaped tuft of golden hair on her head spun rapidly, as if flustered along with her.
"Did you... see?"
Her ears were glowing red now too, and before she could even finish the question, Haru answered solemnly without hesitation:
"Didn't see?"
"Why's that a question?! You definitely saw sothing, didn't you?! I knew it, you did see!"
In situations like this, whatever Haru said carried the sa shady aura as that scummy girl Ryo, completely untrustworthy.
"...No, seriously, I didn't see anything."
Haru averted his eyes awkwardly, his guilty look making it clear to Nijika that he had definitely seen everything.
But now that it had been seen, what on earth was she supposed to say or do?
"So, Haru... which color do you think is better?"
"...White?"
"You totally saw it!!"
Steam practically burst from Nijika's head as she flailed her tiny fists and began lightly pounding on Haru's chest like a miniature Platinum Star.
Just then, a voice called out. "Nijika-senpai? What are you and Haru talking about down there? Sothing about seeing sothing...?"
Kita Ikuyo poked her head down from above, guitar on her back, with a confused Hitori Gotoh standing beside her.
Nijika froze mid-sentence, her crimson face stiffening as she heard Kita's voice.
In the next instant, she instinctively reached out to cover Haru's eyes, stopping him from accidentally catching another glimpse of sothing "he shouldn't."
"It's nothing! Absolutely nothing!!!"
"Eh? But I definitely heard..."
Before Kita could finish her sentence, Nijika waved it off with a forced smile, her blonde ponytail bouncing. "Maybe you just misheard, Kita-chan?"
Still blushing furiously, she gave Haru a quick jab in the arm. His eyes still covered, Haru winced slightly but then nodded along in agreent.
"Since both Kita-chan and Bocchi-chan are here now, that ans everyone's gathered... so let's start our band eting already! Ryo's been waiting inside forever!"
Before Haru could respond, Nijika grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him into STARRY. Watching them from the staircase, Kita blinked in surprise. Her mind wandered back to a LINE chat she'd had with Anon Chihaya.
[As comrades, we need to stick together and reduce the number of future love rivals!]
Future love rivals, huh...
That was the plan at the ti...
But for Kita, playing the dominant role didn't co naturally. And more importantly, Nijika-senpai didn't seem like she had feelings for Haru. If she did, she would've shown so reaction back when Ryo made her aggressive move.
Still, her intuition told her this wasn't so simple.
Nijika-senpai was mature and dependable. She might just be hiding those feelings deep down.
But if Nijika-senpai really did have a crush on Haru, then what? There was still Ryo-senpai watching from the shadows. If Nijika was open to everyone dating Haru together, fine…
But if she couldn't accept that kind of relationship, wouldn't the band itself start to crumble?
"...Should I ask her about it later?"
"Kita-chan..."
A faint whisper tugged at Kita's ear. She turned and saw Hitori Gotoh staring at her curiously. Snapping out of it, she rushed to explain.
"Ah, sorry! I was just spacing out a little. Let's head into STARRY and get ready for the band eting, okay?"
"Ah, but..."
Hitori hesitated and glanced to the side. Kita followed her gaze and caught sight of a flash of white.
A girl with short, silvery hair walked silently past them.
…
STARRY
What looked like a long-overdue band eting was, in reality, more of a makeup party to celebrate with Haru, who had missed the previous after-show gathering. It was broad daylight, and the table was piled with snacks and drinks, it was clearly more than just a eting.
From the mont he sat down, Haru could feel all eyes on him.
Even the manager, Ijichi Seika, had paused her work in the distance. Her sharp gaze bored into him from across the room, nearly ten ters away, and still, it gave off an unnerving intensity.
On a normal day, Haru might've chalked it up to looking extra handso again.
But today, that thought didn't even cross his mind. Because even though everyone's eyes were clearly on him, the truth was they weren't really looking at him.
"Wh-why is Raana-chan suddenly here?"
It was Kita who finally broke the silence.
The stray cat, dressed in a loose-fitting black-and-white knit sweater, had suddenly appeared, sitting squarely in Kazami Haru's lap.
She wriggled slightly, repositioning herself from ti to ti until she found the most comfortable spot. Then, satisfied, she leaned her head against Haru's chest, her fine silver hair brushing softly against his neck.
Such unrestrained affection from her made the other girls squirm inside for reasons they couldn't fully na.
Curled in his lap with half-lidded eyes, Raana answered nonchalantly.
"No live. Bored."
In other words, she was just killing ti.
As a free-spirited stray cat, her daily routine wasn't particularly packed. Usually, it revolved around playing guitar, napping, and eating matcha parfaits. When things got dull, she'd stroll around different LiveHouses just to pass the ti.
But recently, she had found a new interest...
Raana tugged lightly at Haru's collar. Taking the hint, he sighed and grabbed a bag of chips from the table, expertly feeding them to her. Everyone could see the familiarity between the two in even these tiny gestures.
Maybe because the stares around him were getting more intense, Haru shrugged and explained.
"Back at RiNG, Shiina and I were basically the ones taking care of her. I guess she got used to this sort of thing over ti."
"But Raana doesn't an anything by it. So let's just get on with the eting."
"No, no, no, how are we supposed to ignore this?!"
Nijika waved her hands in exasperation. Her gaze toward Raana, curled in Haru's lap, was hard to read. Finally, she couldn't hold back.
"This isn't okay, is it? I an, Raana-chan's still a girl…"
Even actual couples aren't this touchy, right?!
Kita pursed her lips, eyes glinting with jealousy. She wasn't sure what to say. Raana looked a bit lost as she snuggled into Haru's lap. Even she hadn't sat in Haru's lap yet.
And she was practically already his official girlfriend, the only thing missing was Haru's confession.
Kita's fingers trembled slightly as she spoke up.
"Raana-chan, you really shouldn't sit on Haru like that. It makes it hard for him to move, right? You don't want him to be uncomfortable, do you?"
"And besides, Nijika-senpai's right! As a girl, you need to be more careful about boundaries with boys!"
Damn it, why couldn't she be the one in his arms right now?
"No. Haru likes holding ."
The stray cat narrowed her eyes and shook her head stubbornly. Then, as if explaining sothing obvious, she added, "I only do this with Haru, so it's fine."
With that, she nuzzled him again, just enough to make Haru suck in a sharp breath.
"No, it's not fine at all!"
Nijika flailed helplessly, forehead glistening with cold sweat. How was she supposed to explain this to soone this innocent?
She hesitated, then the little cowlick on her head gave a bounce as she declared seriously:
"Raana-chan, listen carefully. As a girl, you have to understand modesty and how to maintain proper distance with the opposite sex! Boys and girls shouldn't just touch each other so casually… T-these kinds of things are only ant for soone you're going to spend your whole life with!"
"Oh!"
Raana's eyes lit up at that.
Just as she opened her mouth to say sothing, Haru clamped a hand over it and urgently shot a look at Bocchi to grab a chair. He then gently lifted the little cat off his lap and set her down in the seat beside him.
God forbid she said that out loud. His whole life might've been over.
"Matcha parfait."
Hearing those words, Raana's expression finally changed.
Pleased, the stray cat obediently sat in the chair beside him. Just as Haru started to breathe a sigh of relief, his gaze t with Ryo's across the room.
"…"
Ryo, who had hardly spoken a word until now, wore her usual calm expression, but her golden eyes were fixed intently on him.
Her beautiful face gave nothing away, but sohow, Haru felt like… she was angry?
Her stare was so sharp even Raana, quietly swinging her legs beside him, seed to notice. Then, as if sensing sothing interesting, she smirked ever so slightly and reached out to wrap her arms around Haru's.
That one small move made Ryo's golden eyes go icy cold.
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