Chapter 357
Chapter 357: Aimi: This Meal Tastes Bland
2,716 words
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14 min read
Despite their sharp minds, Kotomi Izumi and Mashiro Shiina spent a long time pondering why they had received their acceptance emails early but couldn’t figure it out.
Mental exertion wasn’t exactly pleasant, so they decided to stop thinking about it and go about their usual routines. They would just ask Hibiki Naegi tomorrow at school—since she was the president of the Art Club, she might know something.
As for why they didn’t just call her now?
Well... neither of them had her phone number.
Kotomi had actually saved it before, but when she switched to a new phone, some data wasn’t fully transferred, including Hibiki’s number. She had only realized this yesterday—on Saturday—because she rarely called Hibiki. They usually talked in person at school, so nearly half a month had passed before she noticed the missing contact.
As for Mashiro, she had bought a new phone after arriving in Japan, and it initially only contained her parents’ and cousin’s numbers. After meeting Kotomi, she added hers, and only after nearly a month of school did she gradually add Yukino, Yui, and Megumi’s contacts.
Since Mashiro never asked for contact information, it was always the others who took the initiative to exchange numbers with her. That was the only reason her phone’s contact list had grown over time.
As for Hibiki...
Hibiki had assumed that Kotomi had shared her contact information with Mashiro, so she never brought it up. But in reality, Kotomi had completely forgotten about it.
Meanwhile, Mashiro had assumed Hibiki didn’t want to exchange numbers, so she never asked.
As a result, neither Kotomi nor Mashiro had Hibiki’s phone number, and there was no way to contact her directly.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Although Kotomi could probably get it from another classmate—especially Utaha Kasumigaoka, who would definitely have it—she was feeling lazy. Right now, all she wanted to do was lie in bed and watch anime.
So she decided to just ask tomorrow at school.
After hanging up the call, Kotomi shut down her computer. She had spent almost half the day drawing manga and now just wanted to relax and watch anime. She wasn’t even in the mood to play games that night.
All she wanted was to watch anime until she got sleepy and then drift off to sleep.
With that thought, she clicked on a simple, lighthearted children’s anime—one of those wholesome and mildly educational shows that Japanese kids loved. Kotomi occasionally enjoyed watching these kinds of peaceful, cheerful cartoons. It was similar to how she sometimes went to casual gaming sites to play simple cooking games.
During dinner, just as Kotomi finished her twelfth bowl of rice, she overheard her father talking to her mother.
"Akina, I’ll be heading to Tokyo tomorrow. I have an afternoon meeting with a client to discuss a contract renewal. You don’t need to prepare dinner for me—I’ll be eating out."
"Ever since your promotion to section chief, your social obligations have increased," Akina Izumi chuckled as she poured miso soup for her husband. "Just don’t drink too much."
"Don’t worry, I know my own limits," her father replied with a confident smile.
"Besides, I’m a section chief now, not just a senior staff member. Drinking with clients is my subordinates’ job. I’m just there to finalize the deal. This renewal has been dragging on for eight months—I just want to wrap it up quickly and be done with it. If we settle it before the end of the year, we can head back home for New Year’s without any worries."
Every New Year, the Izumi family would return to their ancestral home in Yamanashi Prefecture to celebrate with Kotomi’s grandparents, staying for a few days.
When she was younger, Kotomi especially loved visiting Yamanashi. Her grandparents’ house was enormous, with a famous karesansui (dry rock garden) in the courtyard.
A ten-minute walk from the estate led to a vast, open field. Though it wasn’t lush and green in winter, it was still an expansive, boundless space. Back then, Kotomi loved playing with her remote-controlled airplane, while Aimi preferred her off-road remote-controlled car.
That field felt as if it had been made just for them—a perfect playground where they could race and fly their toys without worrying about obstacles. Every time they visited, they would spend hours there, running and playing. Their grandparents would always watch from a short distance away, smiling warmly as they let the two of them run wild. Sometimes, they would even join in, competing to see whose car was the fastest or whose plane could fly the highest.
Kotomi, being competitive as a child, was always obsessed with making her plane fly as high as possible. But that often led to her losing control and crashing it mid-air.
She had lost count of how many remote-controlled planes she had broken as a kid—reckless and overly enthusiastic.
Only when they grew older did Kotomi and Aimi learn that the vast field wasn’t just an open space—it was actually a golf course their grandparents had built because they loved golfing.
Back to the present, when Kotomi heard her father mention he would be going to Tokyo the next day, she suddenly had an idea.
"Dad, are you going to Chiyoda tomorrow?" she asked.
Taken aback, Kaneyoshi Izumi responded with mild surprise, "Yes, I am. More specifically, Marunouchi. I have a meeting with a client at 4 PM there. How did you know?"
Kotomi scratched her head awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed. "Hehe... I didn’t actually know. I just wanted to ask if you could help me pick up my train ticket at Tokyo Station tomorrow."
"At JR Tokyo Station?" her father asked.
"Yes," Kotomi nodded.
"Tokyo Station is right within Marunouchi, so it won’t be out of my way. I can stop by easily. But did you already buy a ticket there? Where are you going?"
Ever since Kotomi had started high school, the Izumi couple had taken a balanced approach to parenting. They believed that giving their teenage daughter too many restrictions during her formative years might trigger rebellious behavior. So, they weren’t overly strict with her daily life.
However, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t ask questions when necessary. No matter how independent Kotomi seemed, she was still a high school girl, and the world could be unpredictable. As parents, they had a duty to make sure she was being responsible.
Traveling to another city? Fine.
But they needed to know when she was leaving, when she would return, who she was going with, where she would be staying, and how much cash she had prepared.
When her father asked where the ticket was for, Kotomi casually replied without much thought, "Kyoto. I’m going with Mashiro."
Before her parents could react, Aimi, sitting beside Kotomi, momentarily froze, her hand holding her chopsticks mid-air.
Suddenly, the meal that had tasted so delicious just moments ago seemed utterly flavorless to her.
Kotomi had no intention of keeping the art competition a secret from her family, so she shared the news openly:
"The painting I submitted last month got selected—I received the notification today."
Every time she spoke about this, a bright smile spread across her face, almost impossible to contain. If she had a tail, it would be wagging so high it might hit the ceiling.
One could only imagine how smug she’d be if she advanced to the final round of the competition.
"You mean the Tokyo University National Youth Art Exhibition?"
Both of Kotomi’s parents clearly remembered her mentioning the competition. When she first brought it up, they had been quite surprised—after all, she had never formally studied painting before. Saying she had no foundation at all wasn’t an exaggeration.
To suddenly decide to participate in a prestigious national competition seemed almost reckless. Even though her parents had always believed in her, they hadn’t placed much hope in her actually making it through the selection process.
Art relies on two things: talent and foundation. A strong foundation without talent can only take you so far, while pure talent without any training doesn’t necessarily lead to remarkable work.
Even if Kotomi had some innate talent, it was hard to believe she could get selected without any formal preparation. Her parents, as well as Aimi, had all thought the same thing.
Though her manga Chainsaw Man was extremely popular, the National Art Exhibition was an entirely different beast.
Manga and fine art were worlds apart. It would be like comparing a comic book illustration to an oil painting masterpiece.
Originally, they assumed Kotomi was entering just for fun, and that she might even give up before the deadline due to lack of experience. But not only had she completed her painting—she had actually been selected?!
The emotional rollercoaster was almost too much to process. It was hard to believe it was real.
"Yep, that’s the one!" Kotomi nodded proudly. "I can’t believe I actually got in. But the weird thing is, they were supposed to announce the results on the 20th, yet I got my acceptance today—10 days early. Maybe they’re just really efficient."
As she spoke, Kotomi pulled out her phone, opened the acceptance email, and handed it to her parents.
Kaneyoshi took the phone, and Akina leaned in to read the screen.
"The official seals of both Tokyo University and Kyoto University..."
The two golden and blue ginkgo leaves represented Tokyo University.
The flourishing green camphor tree symbolized Kyoto University.
Seeing the seals of two of Japan’s most prestigious universities side by side on the acceptance letter gave it an undeniable air of prestige. If it had been a physical letter instead of a digital one, Kotomi probably would’ve already framed it and hung it on the wall.
"My daughter is amazing! She actually got into the National Youth Art Exhibition! No wonder her grandmother always said Kotomi was gifted at everything she tried," Akina beamed with pride. She didn’t fully understand the competition, but the fact that Kotomi’s painting had been recognized by such esteemed institutions was clearly worth celebrating.
If Kotomi’s grandparents back in Yamanashi found out, they would probably throw a three-day banquet for family and friends. They might even set off custom-made fireworks in her honor.
If her maternal grandparents found out, the walnuts sold by the Hisanaga family for the next few months might come with a special label:
"Our granddaughter Kotomi Izumi has been selected for the Tokyo University National Youth Art Exhibition!"
These thoughts weren’t exaggerated at all—if anything, they were too modest. If Kotomi’s grandparents and extended family found out about this, they might throw an even grander celebration.
"I really want to see what kind of painting Kotomi created," Kaneyoshi remarked with anticipation.
"Hehe, after I finished it, the teacher packed it up and sent it off to the competition organizers right away. I was so eager that I forgot to take a picture," Kotomi admitted sheepishly.
She had originally wanted her family to be the first to see her completed artwork, but in her rush to secure and ship it, she missed the chance to capture a keepsake.
Plus, after finishing Twilight Sky: Sunset, Kotomi had been in a dazed state. One moment, she’d be thinking about something, and the next, it would completely slip her mind. By the time she remembered, the painting was already on its way.
"When you first mentioned entering the Tokyo University National Youth Art Exhibition, I looked up some information about it. Apparently, there will be three exhibition rounds. The first two will be held in Kyoto and Musashino City, and each round will eliminate paintings until only one remains.
That final painting will be showcased solo at the third and final exhibition—marking it as the grand prize winner. The final venue is planned to be the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo," Kaneyoshi explained.
Even though he hadn’t initially placed high expectations on Kotomi’s selection, he had still taken the time to research the competition’s structure and process.
"Wow, Dad, you really did your homework!"
"Haha, I just looked up a little after you told me about it. But speaking of which, you mentioned going to Kyoto with Mashiro. Putting aside how many days you’ll be gone—who exactly is Mashiro?" Kaneyoshi asked.
It was great that Kotomi’s painting had been selected, but he was still concerned about her traveling alone, even if she was going with classmates.
Coincidentally, on the 19th, Kaneyoshi had to go on a business trip to Kumamoto. Aimi had midterms coming up, so Akina had to stay home with her.
"She’s my friend! The last time I was sick, she visited me at home—the blonde girl. She got selected too, though for her, it was a given. She’s a world-renowned art prodigy—Mashiro Shiina."
As soon as Kotomi said her full name, both Akina and Kaneyoshi’s eyes widened in realization.
Mashiro Shiina’s name was too famous—so much so that even people who didn’t follow the art world had heard of her. She was a figure that could only be admired from afar.
The only one who remained clueless was Aimi, who listened in confusion to the conversation between her parents and sister.
She remembered Mashiro well. From Aimi’s perspective, among all the girls surrounding Kotomi, Mashiro was the only one who didn’t seem to be competing for her sister’s attention. Naturally, Aimi considered her a good person.
But she never expected Mashiro to be an art prodigy!
Good thing Megumi doesn’t paint... Otherwise, she’d probably be in this competition too, Aimi thought with a silent sigh of relief.
As for Kotomi and Mashiro going to Kyoto together? At first, Aimi was puzzled. But after hearing the reason, she felt completely reassured.
To Aimi, Mashiro was a good person—a friend worth knowing.
If Kotomi was traveling with Mashiro, Aimi had nothing to worry about!
"Making friends with talented people is always a good thing. But if you hadn’t told me, I never would’ve guessed that the blonde girl who visited our house was a world-class art prodigy. She’s so low-key—if I didn’t know her name, I never would’ve suspected it.
She’s only a first-year high school student, yet her artwork is already renowned worldwide. Some people are truly blessed with extraordinary talent."
Kaneyoshi saved the ticket code to his phone, signaling his approval of Kotomi traveling alone to Kyoto. Overprotecting his daughter wouldn’t be beneficial—this was a great opportunity for her to experience independent travel.
"I’ll pick up your train ticket when I’m in Tokyo tomorrow and bring it home in the evening. Just remember to stay safe. When you board the train, arrive at your destination, and check into the hotel, make sure to keep in touch with us."
"Don’t worry, don’t worry! I’m not a kid anymore."
Traveling alone to Kyoto on the Shinkansen was hardly a challenge for Kotomi. In fact, if she had the money, she wouldn’t even be fazed by the idea of flying abroad on her own.
"Green car tickets for the Shinkansen? These two combined must cost around 50,000 yen. Tokyo University and Kyoto University sure are generous," Akina remarked after glancing at the ticket code.
"Ugh... I wish I could go to Kyoto with my sister."
Aimi didn’t particularly care about the trip itself—she simply wanted to spend time alone with Kotomi on a vacation.
"No," Akina swiftly shattered Aimi’s hopes. "If it were any other time, I might have considered it. But you’re in your third year of middle school now. Every exam is an important assessment for your future. Unless there’s an emergency, you can’t afford to miss them."
Aimi suddenly felt like she had lost her appetite.
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— End of Chapter 357 —