The next day, when the break time arrived, Mizuha was preparing something out of her school bag. It was a drawing competition form that Hiroshi had given her yesterday. She had already filled out the form and was ready to submit it. She made her way to the classroom door, but suddenly she was stopped by Hikaru, who called her name. “Mizuha, where are you going?” he asked. “I’m going to class 3C to hand in this form to my club president, Hiroshi,” she answered.
Hikaru replied, “Oh, for the competition, right?” He then said, “Mizuha, can I accompany you to him? I want to talk to him too.” Mizuha agreed and said, “Sure, why not? Let’s go, Hikaru.”
Mizuha went to Hiroshi and Honoka’s classroom to submit the competition form, while Hikaru accompanied her. She knocked on the door and called out Hiroshi’s name. He looked up from his desk and saw her holding the form. He quickly got up and walked over to her. “Hey, Mizuha. Thanks for bringing this. I really appreciate it.” He took the form from her and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll update you about the competition as soon as possible.”
Suddenly, Hikaru, who was standing behind Mizuha, spoke up. “Hey, Hiroshi. Can I ask you something?” He looked at Hiroshi with a hopeful expression. Hiroshi nodded and said, “Sure, what is it?” Hikaru took a deep breath and said, “Can I accompany you guys to the upcoming drawing competition?” Mizuha gasped and turned to look at him. She couldn’t believe what he just said. Why would he want to go with them to the competition? He wasn’t even a member of the art club.
Mizuha was also surprised by Hikaru’s request. She tilted her head and asked, “Why do you want to do that?” Hikaru smiled and said, “Well, I want to give my full support to you and the others.”
Hiroshi smiled and replied, “Sure, why not?” Hikaru then asked, “Are you sure?” He turned to Hikaru and said, “More people, more fun, right?” Hikaru nodded, saying, “That’s right!” Hiroshi continued, “Alright then. I’ll inform the teacher advisor about this later.”
Honoka, who had been listening to the whole conversation from her seat, suddenly piped up. She looked at Mizuha and Hikaru with a teasing smile and said, “Is that good, Mizuha? Your boyfriend is joining us for the competition.” She winked at them and giggled. Mizuha felt embarrassed and said, “Yes, I’m so glad about it.” She tried to sound enthusiastic but she was actually feeling nervous. She wondered how Hikaru would react to seeing her draw in front of other people.
Hikaru smiled at Mizuha and said, “Okay, I will inform you guys about this later.” He waved at Hiroshi and Honoka and said, “See you later!”
Mizuha and Hikaru then excused themselves and left Hiroshi and Honoka’s classroom after finishing their discussion. They walked down the hallway while Hiroshi and Honoka returned to their classroom as the break time was over.
After the evening, Mizuha and Hikaru were walking home together from their school as usual. Mizuha turned to Hikaru and said, “Hikaru, can we stop at the stationery store? I need to buy some drawing supplies for the competition.” Hikaru nodded and replied, “Sure, let’s go.”
They entered the store and began looking around for the supplies Mizuha needed. “I need to find some pencils, color pencils, and watercolors. Do you see any good ones?” Mizuha asked. Hikaru pointed to a set of art supplies and said, “Hmm, how about these? They look like good quality.” Mizuha nodded in agreement and said, “Yes, those look great. Let’s get those.”
They headed to the checkout counter to pay for their purchases. As they walked out of the store, Mizuha turned to Hikaru and said, “Thanks for your help, Hikaru.” Hikaru smiled and replied, “No problem, Mizuha. So, what are your plans for your artwork?” Mizuha thought for a moment before answering, “I have some ideas, but I’m still working on the details. I want to create something really special for the competition.” Hikaru nodded encouragingly and said, “I’m sure you will do great.”
The next day, Hiroshi walked down the hallway towards Mizuha classroom. He had some news to share with Hikaru. As he reached the classroom, he stood in the doorway and scanned the room, looking for his friend. Finally, he spotted Hikaru sitting by the window, engrossed in a book.
“Hey Hikaru, can I talk to you for a minute?” Hiroshi called out.
Hikaru looked up from his book and nodded, getting up from his seat to join Hiroshi.
“I have some good news for you,” Hiroshi said, a smile spreading across his face. “Our advisor teacher has approved you and given you permission to accompany us to the competition. “Really? That’s great!” Hikaru exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
Two days passed, and the day of the competition finally arrived. Just like last year, Mizuha and the others gathered at the school gate, waiting for their advisor teacher to pick them up and take them to the competition. Mizuha was happy because this time, Hikaru was accompanying her.
Just then, their advisor, Miss Yukino, arrived in her van to pick them up and transport them to the competition venue. Brimming with excitement, they eagerly hopped into the van, ready to embark on this thrilling event. Inside her head, Mizuha said, "I feel like déjà vu."
Upon reaching the venue, they registered their names and received instructions. This time, Miss Yukino stayed with them until the competition finished. After registering, Mizuha, Hiroshi, and Honoka entered the competition hall. Hikaru wished them good luck, saying, "Mizuha, good luck! I know you can win this time," while waving his hand to Mizuha before she joined the hall. Inside her head, Mizuha thought, "I'll do my best, and I'm determined to win this time."
Hikaru and Miss Yukino went to the upper hall floor to get a view of the competition as spectators. They chatted briefly, and Hikaru expressed his gratitude, “Thank you for allowing me to come to the competition and support Mizuha and the clubmates. It means a lot to me.” Miss Yukino, in turn, thanked Hikaru for his unwavering support, “No, thank you, Hikaru. Your support means a lot to all of us. We’re lucky to have you here with us.”
Hikaru responded humbly, “I’m just happy to be able to help in any way I can.”
Miss Yukino smiled and said, “And we’re grateful for it. Let’s enjoy the rest of the competition together.”
They both smiled, happy to be able to share this moment together as they continued to watch the competition unfold.
As they continued talking, their conversation was interrupted when Hikaru suddenly looked shocked upon seeing a familiar face on the competition ground. Concerned, Miss Yukino asked him, "What happened, Hikaru? You look pale suddenly. Are you fine?" Hikaru replied, "It's nothing, I'm fine. Thank you."
Meanwhile, Hikaru was thinking, "Damn, what is that person doing here? I never expected them to enter this competition too. I better avoid meeting and making contact with them," he said to himself.
Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke up beside Miss Yukino. “I’m glad I made it in time,” said the person who had suddenly taken a seat beside Miss Yukino. As the person looked at Hikaru and Miss Yukino, he was shocked. “Eh, Miss Yukino, you’re here? And Hikaru, you’re here too?” “Oh, Taki-senpai, long time no see,” said Hikaru.
It was revealed that the person was Taki, the former president of Mizuha’s club. Miss Yukino said to Taki, “So you’re coming too, huh? How’s college going? Are you doing well?” “Yeah, I’m doing fine with college.
Today I have no classes so I can attend this competition to give support to them.” “So, Hikaru, you also came to give support to them, huh?” “Yes,” replied Hikaru. “This might be their last competition for high school so I must give them support so they can achieve their goal for this competition.” “Thanks, Hikaru. Your support means a lot to them,” replied Taki.
Meanwhile, the three club members meticulously prepared their drawing equipment, ensuring that everything was in place before the competition began. Mizuha turned to her clubmates and said, "Good luck, you guys!" In unison, Honoka and Hiroshi replied, "Good luck to you too!"
"You must win first place this time, Mizuha," said Honoka encouragingly. "Yeah, I will do my best," replied Mizuha with determination.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached them, "Oh, look who we have here, the girl who came in 2nd place, Mizuha." It was the same girl who had mocked Mizuha at last year's competition. This time, she appeared again with her club members, attempting to provoke Mizuha and the others. Honoka felt angry and yelled at them, "You again! What do you want this time?" Mizuha stepped forward, using her hands to block Honoka from reaching the girl.
The girl confidently said, "Do you really think you can defeat me and win first place? Please, forget it."
One of the girl's club members intervened, saying, "Hey, aren't your words going too far? Show some respect." The girl retorted angrily at her club member, who fell silent.
Mizuha responded to the girl with a fake smile, "Oh, you underestimate me again, huh? I assure you that I will take first place today and defeat you today." She then turned to Honoka, saying, "Just ignore this person, Honoka. Let's focus on preparing our stuff."
"Keep dreaming loser, hahaha," the girl laughed as she and her club members left Mizuha and Honoka's place.
“That girl is doing the same thing as last year again. I feel like slapping her face if she comes here again,” said Honoka, angry at the girl’s earlier actions. “Calm down, Honoka. She just wants to provoke us and bring our spirits down. Let’s show her that we can defeat her,” replied Mizuha. “Yeah, let’s do it,” said Honoka.
As the competition commenced, Mizuha picked up her pencil and began to sketch out her drawing. She was focused and determined, carefully planning out each stroke. Once she had the basic outline of her drawing, she put down her pencil and picked up her brush. Dipping it into the watercolors, she began to add color to her artwork.
As Mizuha worked on her drawing, she carefully added details and shading, bringing the image to life. The drawing was a beautiful representation of a photo she had taken with her friends during a spring view party. In the drawing, Mizuha and her friends were gathered together, smiling and laughing as they enjoyed the beautiful spring scenery.
Mizuha used watercolors to add vibrant colors to the drawing, making the flowers and trees in the background come to life. She carefully blended the colors together, creating a stunning and realistic image. As she worked, she could feel the excitement building inside her. This was her chance to show everyone what she was capable of.
The time for drawing seemed to fly by, and before she knew it, the announcer called out that there were only five minutes left. Mizuha took a deep breath and put the finishing touches on her drawing. She stepped back to admire her work, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment.
As the final seconds ticked away, Mizuha put down her brush and waited for the time to end. When the announcer called out that the time for drawing was over, Mizuha let out a sigh of relief. She had done her best, and now it was up to the judges to decide.
Mizuha looked around at the other participants, who were also putting down their pencils and brushes and stepping back from their drawings. There was a sense of anticipation in the air as everyone waited for the results to be announced. Mizuha smiled, feeling proud of what she had accomplished. No matter what happened next, she knew that she had given it her all.
After the judges finished scoring, there was a 20-minute gap before the winner was announced. Now, all visitors could enter the competition hall as the competition had already ended. “Wow, your drawing is so pretty, Mizuha. What is your drawing about?” said Honoka.
“Oh, for this, this is the moment when my friends and I were enjoying the Sakura viewing party two weeks ago. This is the best moment I ever had with my friends,” said Mizuha. “How about your drawing, Honoka?” said Mizuha as she took a look at Honoka’s drawing. “Oh, my drawing is the moment when we were all together doing our club activities in our clubroom.” “Wow, it’s also pretty, Honoka,” said Mizuha as she looked at the photo Honoka had drawn of their clubroom activities with all members, including Mizuha, Honoka, Hiroshi, and Taki.
After that, Hiroshi joined them. “So pretty, you two,” said Hiroshi. Mizuha and Honoka asked Hiroshi about his drawing. Hiroshi said his drawing was about the moment when he and his siblings went to the beach. “Your drawing is also good, Hiroshi,” said Mizuha. Taki was thanked Mizuha for her compliment.
After that, all visitors could enter the competition grounds to look at all the participants' works, as the competition was already finished while the judges were judging all the participants' points. Hikaru, Taki, and Mrs. Yukino came to Mizuha's group side.
“Mizuha”, called Hikaru while they walking to Mizuha group, “Hikaru, Mrs. Yukino” replies Mizuha.
"Hey, you guys! Long time no see," exclaimed Taki, surprising them. "Huh!? Taki senpai, you came too!?" said Hiroshi. "Yes, of course, I came. I wanted to show support for you guys," replied Taki. "Don't you have a class today?" asked Honoka. "My class got canceled suddenly, so I got a chance to come here and support you guys today," Taki explained. "Let's see what you guys are drawing," Taki said again. "Wow, it's so pretty. I bet you guys will win this competition," Taki praised.
While Taki was talking to Honoka and Hiroshi, Hikaru approached Mizuha about her drawing, "Mizuha, is this a moment when we had a Sakura viewing party with our group earlier?" Hikaru mentioned, pointing to Mizuha's drawing. "Yes, you're right. This picture is about that," Mizuha replied. "It's so pretty, it looks just like the photo. I like it," complimented Hikaru. "Thanks, Hikaru," blushed Mizuha in response to her boyfriend's praise.
After that, Mizuha asked Hikaru to accompany her to look at the other participants' works. Hikaru agreed and they walked together. Meanwhile, from a distance, another person was looking at them, saying, "That's how it is, this is so interesting," while smiling naughtily. It was revealed that this person was the same girl who had mocked Mizuha earlier.
Twenty minutes had passed, and it was time to announce the winner of the competition. Mizuha, Hikaru, and the others were filled with anticipation as they waited to find out who would win. Mizuha, Honoka and Hiroshi returned to their competition ground while Hikaru, Taki and Mrs. Yukino returned to the visitor side's earlier place.
The winners from 10th to 4th place have already been announced.
Hiroshi secured the 5th place, but the names of participants like Mizuha, Honoka, and the unnamed girl had not been called yet.
“Nice works Hiroshi, 5th place not so bad”, says Mizuha to Hiroshi.
“Thanks, Mizuha, replies Hiroshi.
This was the moment everyone had been eagerly awaiting—the announcement of the top 3 placings.
"I'm really nervous, Mizuha. They haven't called my name so far," Honoka admitted. "Don't worry, Honoka. I'm sure your name will be called among the top 3 along with mine," Mizuha comforted her.
"You two might get 2nd and 3rd place, but 1st place belongs to me, not you guys," declared the same girl who had been making fun of them earlier. "We'll see about that. Let's wait and see," Mizuha replied, holding back her anger.
As the 3rd place winner is announced, Honoka's name is called. "Honoka, you got 3rd place!" exclaims Mizuha. "Yeah, I can't believe it. 3rd place is the highest rank I've ever achieved for my drawings," replies Honoka. Honoka then goes to the front to receive her prize.
Now comes the most nerve-wracking moment as they await the announcement of the 1st and 2nd place winners.
"The 1st place winner is...Mizuha from Hikarigaoka High School," announces the host.
"Yes, I did it! I finally won!" exclaimed Mizuha, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. The same girl's name was then announced as the 2nd place winner. "What!? I can't believe she actually won," the girl said in shock. Mizuha accepted applause from all those who attended, as well as from visitors, for her victory in the competition. She shed tears of happiness.
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Both of them came to the front to accept their prizes, Mizuha wearing a happy expression and the other girl looking somewhat angry about her loss to Mizuha. “I’ll get you next time,” the girl muttered to herself.
After the top 3 winners are announced, Honoka hugs Mizuha and says "Congratulations on winning 1st place, Mizuha!" "Thank you, I still can’t believe I won," replies Mizuha. As the 2nd place girl leaves the stage, Mizuha stops her and offers a handshake to congratulate her. "Don't touch me, you filthy girl. I don't want to shake hands with you," the girl spits back, rejecting Mizuha's gesture and the she left Mizuha and Honoka to her place.
Honoka's anger flared at the girl's actions. "What's wrong with that girl? She can't even bring herself to shake hands with you. Is she unable to accept that she lost to you?" Honoka remarked.
“Let’s ignore her, Honoka. It's not worth getting angry at people like her,” said Mizuha, trying to calm down Honoka's anger towards that girl. “You're right, Mizuha. Let’s get back to our place and pack up our equipment and tools and meet Mrs. Yukino and the others,” replied Honoka.
As Mizuha returned to her spot, she noticed that all the attendees had crowded around her drawing, admiring it. Many attendees complimented her on her artwork and congratulated her for her victory. Some of people even taking a photo of Mizuha artworks.
As the crowd gathered around Mizuha's spot, suddenly, that girl and her group who had been mocking Mizuha approached her. They provocatively came over and intentionally splashed the juice she was drinking onto Mizuha's artwork, saying, "Oops, my hands slipped." Unexpectedly, someone stepped in to protect her art, allowing themselves to get wet from the juice – that person was Hikaru. Everyone there was shocked because of that.
"Hikaru, are you okay?" Mizuha asked Hikaru with concern as he stood there dripping with juice. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. Thank goodness your painting is safe," Hikaru replied.
"Oh, look what we have here, my ex-boyfriend Hikaru," said the girl with a smug expression directed at Hikaru. "As usual, you're always mocking people and underestimating those you don't like, huh, Misaka?" Hikaru retorted.
Mizuha suddenly asked Hikaru, "Hikaru, do you know this person?" Hikaru replied, "Yes, I know her. She's my ex-girlfriend, as I mentioned earlier. She's always like this, trying to provoke people and make them angry," Hikaru said, displaying an annoyed expression toward Misaka. "Oh, this is so interesting. I didn't know that you were once girlfriends with this person," Misaka said to Mizuha, referring to Hikaru as a "loser."
"Mizuha couldn't control her anger and replied, "He's not a loser. He's a nice guy who has always supported me, unlike you, who used him to become popular," Mizuha said, recalling Hikaru's stories about his past relationships.
After the tense exchange, Hikaru asked Misaka to apologize to Mizuha. However, Misaka chose not to apologize, saying, "Huh, why should I apologize to her?" She refused to apologize to Mizuha. Instead, she turned to Mizuha and wished her good luck with a smirk, still referring to Hikaru as a "loser." This comment provoked Honoka. "Watch your mouth," said Honoka, as she felt the impulse to slap Misaka for her actions. However, Hiroshi intervened, saying, "Honoka, calm down. Everyone is watching," signaling that they were in a public space being observed.
Misaka laughed and left with her gang members. As she was leaving, she said mockingly, “See you around, losers.” One of her gang members approached Mizuha and Hikaru, offering apologies for Misaka's behavior before hurrying to catch up with the departing group. The gang member said sincerely, “I’m sorry about Misaka’s behavior. She can be really mean sometimes and she going too far today”
After everything calmed down, Mizuha approached Hikaru and handed him her towel. “Here, uses my towel to dry yourself off,” she said. “Thanks, Mizuha,” Hikaru replied as he took the towel and began to dry himself off. Mizuha smiled. “No problem.”
Despite drying off, Hikaru still felt sticky from Misaka’s juice that had spilled on him earlier. “Ugh, I still feel sticky from Misaka’s juice earlier,” he complained. Honoka, who had been rummaging through her bag, suddenly perked up. “Oh, I have some wet tissue in my bag. Here you go,” she said as she handed Hikaru a pack of wet tissue.
“Thanks, Honoka. That’s really helpful,” Hikaru said gratefully as he took the tissue and began to clean himself up. Mizuha then apologized to Hikaru because he got wet while protecting her artwork from being spoiled by Misaka earlier.
"You don't need to apologize. I'm glad I could protect your artworks from being destroyed by her," Hikaru replied. "I still can't forgive her for what she did earlier. That girl went too far today," Hikaru said angrily about Misaka's actions.
Even after the chaos that Misaka had caused earlier, people still crowded around Mizuha's location to watch her art style. After 20 minutes, the crowd started to decrease as the event had reached its peak time. Mizuha and the others began to pack up their equipment and load it into Miss Yukino's van, as they were ready to return to their school.Top of Form
After everything was ready but before departing, they met with Taki. "Thanks for coming to give us your support today, senpai. We really appreciate it," Hiroshi said to Taki.
"Me too, I'm glad that I can do what I can to support you guys. Your performance today was much better than last year. Congratulations to all of you," Taki replied.
"Mizuha, I'm glad I invited you to join this club. Since you joined, we've achieved so much. I appreciate it, even though I'm no longer a member of this club," Taki said again while laughing.
"Thanks, Taki senpai. I'm glad I joined this club. Thanks for inviting me earlier," Mizuha replied.
"Will you be returning to your college after this?" asked Honoka. "Yeah, and I will contact you later," replied Taki to Honoka. Honoka then suddenly hugged Taki and said, "I will be waiting for it." Mizuha and the others were shocked by Honoka's actions. "Honoka, when you started dating Taki senpai, I never thought about that," said Mizuha. Honoka gave a wink and a smile and said, "It's a secret, right senpai?" After that, Mizuha and the others entered the van to return to their school, and Taki returned to his college.
After that, they departed from the venue and headed to their school. After a 30-minute journey, they finally arrived at their school. By the time they arrived, it was already 5:30 pm. Most of the students had already left for their houses. Mizuha and the others put the equipment in their clubroom before getting ready to go home. Mizuha, Honoka, and Hiroshi were feeling very happy because of their excellent performance that day. Hiroshi mentioned that they had broken a previous record this time, successfully securing 1st, 3rd, and 5th places in the competition.
After a brief conversation, each of them headed home. Mizuha and Hikaru, as usual, walked together. As they reached the school gates, Mizuha noticed her friends Elly, Shimizu, Zul, Kitamura, and Akemi waiting for them. Elly and Shimizu approached Mizuha, hugged her, and said, "Mizuha, congratulations on your 1st place," while Hikaru, Zul, Kitamura, and Akemi smiled at them.
"Wait, how did you guys know that I won 1st place?" Mizuha asked. "I told them earlier, sorry I didn't tell you," Hikaru explained. "Mizuha, congratulations," Akemi added. "Akemi, you're here too?" Mizuha responded. "Of course, I wanted to congratulate you too," Akemi replied.
Suddenly, everyone was shocked and laughed after hearing Mizuha's stomach growling. "Sorry, I haven't had lunch today because I was so nervous during the competition," Mizuha explained. Then Shimizu suggested, "Alright, to celebrate your 1st place win, we'll treat you today. Is that okay with everyone?" Kitamura then suggested going to the family restaurant where they usually hang out.
Everyone agreed with Shimizu and Kitamura's suggestion. "Wait, are you guys sure you want to treat me? I still have money for it," Mizuha said. "Don't worry, we'll cover the bill," Zul said suddenly. Afterward, they all walked together to the family restaurant to celebrate Mizuha's victory.
While on the way to the family restaurant, Akemi approached Hikaru and said, "Hikaru, wait." "Oh Akemi, what's wrong?" Hikaru asked. "Did you meet her at the competition?" Akemi inquired, referring to Misaka. "Yeah, she was there, and she caused some trouble for me and Mizuha earlier," Hikaru explained. "What do you mean?" Akemi asked.
Hikaru recounted everything that Misaka had done to Mizuha during the competition. "Oh, I see. She hasn't changed at all," Akemi remarked. "Yeah, she's gotten even worse since middle school. I had wanted to avoid her, but I couldn't because of what she did to Mizuha. Anyway, I'm glad I could protect Mizuha's artworks," Hikaru said. "We need to be careful because she might have her own agenda after this," Hikaru added. "Yeah, I agree with you," Akemi replied.
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