Capítulo 39: We Fell in Love Secretly
For nearly an hour, Izumi Kotomi focused on familiarizing herself with the steps and techniques of oil painting, gradually putting them into practice. She didn't actually paint anything risque; she didn't want to take such an unconventional route on her first day in the art club. Instead, she chose to recreate a simple painting from her art book, something appropriate for beginners.
First, she used a pencil to lightly sketch the main elements from the reference image onto the canvas. This initial step was easy for her, as she'd spent the past few days doodling in her notebooks during her free time. Then, she moved on to the next step: applying the background layer using broad brushstrokes to add the darker shades first. She had recently learned from an oil painting guide that with oil paints, you typically start with the dark colors and then layer the lighter colors on top—a technique that differed from what she knew about watercolors, where the process often goes from light to dark.
Kotomi paused, stepping back to view her work from a distance. The painting depicted an autumn street covered in fallen leaves, with the sky tinged in the colors of twilight.
Autumn, fallen leaves, and twilight—these elements combined to evoke a sense of laziness in Kotomi. To her, lazy elements were synonymous with warmth and comfort. Autumn, she thought, was a season that made you want to relax and take things easy—just like winter.
"One more session to add some finishing touches, and this painting will be complete," Kotomi thought with satisfaction. Given that this was her first oil painting and primarily an exercise, she didn't stress over the finer details. After finishing, she began to clean up her tools.
As she put away her supplies, Kotomi glanced ahead and noticed that the other art club girls were still gathered around the older girl in the center of the room. "They sure are devoted fans," Kotomi mused with a smile.
It seemed that her quiet, unobtrusive movements had gone unnoticed by the others, who were too engrossed in their admiration to pay attention to her.
"I just hope the art club members are easy to get along with," Kotomi thought. Since she would be spending a lot of time in the art club, getting along well with the other members was important. Wherever you are, maintaining good relationships is crucial.
As her father, Izumi Kaneyoshi, often said, you can't treat human relationships like a machine.
"Hey, there's a new student here!"
"Really?"
"When did they come in? I didn't even notice."
Hearing the girls' chatter, Kotomi smiled slightly as she realized she'd finally been noticed.
Standing up, she greeted them with a warm smile, "Hello, everyone. I'm Izumi Kotomi from Class 1-F. I just joined the art club today."
One of the girls, with long, purplish-white hair, recognized Kotomi and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's Kotomi! Hi, I'm Seiko Kirigiri, from the same class."
"Seiko, what are you doing here? I thought you joined the Mystery Club?" Kotomi asked. She remembered that Seiko Kirigiri, a classmate she'd spoken with a few times, had signed up for the Mystery Club rather than the Art Club.
Seiko laughed, explaining, "The Mystery Club meets tomorrow afternoon. I got the days mixed up, so when I saw the club room was closed, I thought about heading home. But when I passed by the Art Club, I decided to drop in since I didn't have anything else to do."
"Oh, I see," Kotomi nodded, though she couldn't shake the feeling that Seiko looked familiar.
The purple-white hair, the distinctive ahoge on top of her head, and that increasingly familiar name...
"Seiko, is your mother named Kyoko Kirigiri?" Kotomi couldn't resist asking, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Seiko smiled and nodded, "Yes, that was her name before she got married. Now she's known as Kyoko Naegi, and my father's name is Makoto Naegi."
"So, you're using your mother's maiden name?" another student asked.
"Yes, exactly. My parents named me Seiko Kirigiri to honor my mom's maiden name. I also have an older sister named Hibiki Naegi," Seiko explained.
"That's such an interesting way to name someone."
"I've heard of that before. It's a nice way to keep the family name alive."
Kotomi mentally consulted the God-Level Heroine System. "System, why are there characters from Danganronpa here?"
[It's a matter of fate and parallel worlds... Don't ask too many questions; just think of it as a happy coincidence. In this world, Makoto Naegi and Kyoko Kirigiri are an ordinary, loving couple who met, fell in love, got married, and had two daughters. It's a wonderful, celebratory thing.]
"Yeah, it really is," Kotomi agreed, nodding in understanding.
That explained why Seiko had such a strong interest in detective mysteries. After all, her mother, Kyoko Kirigiri, was known in the original Danganronpa game as the Ultimate Detective.
And now, Kotomi finally understood why Seiko looked so familiar—the resemblance between Seiko's purple-white hair and her mother's, and the way her ahoge was similar to her father's, Makoto Naegi, made it clear. No wonder she had seemed so familiar.
At that moment, the senior girl who had been surrounded by admirers put down her brush and walked over to Kotomi.
"Are you the new member? Izumi Kotomi, welcome to the Art Club. I'm Hibiki Naegi, the current club president—also known as the older sister Seiko mentioned," the girl said.
Kotomi was momentarily taken aback, not expecting that the girl who had been painting earlier was Seiko's older sister, Hibiki Naegi.
No wonder Seiko had come to the Art Club instead of heading straight home when she found the Mystery Club closed—she was waiting for her sister.
"Hello, Hibiki-senpai," Kotomi greeted her with a smile.
Interestingly, Seiko had inherited her mother's hair color, while Hibiki had inherited her father's. Was there some kind of pattern or coincidence at play?
Hibiki nodded in response, her gaze shifting to Kotomi's easel. When she saw the painting Kotomi had been working on, her eyes widened in surprise.
"Did you paint this, Kotomi?" Hibiki asked, curiosity evident in her voice.
"Yes, I did," Kotomi answered confidently.
Hibiki stepped closer, examining the painting more closely. The more she looked, the more she couldn't tear her eyes away. She then reached back and said, "Seiko, can I borrow your phone for a moment?"
"Sure," Seiko replied, a little confused but obediently handing over her phone.
Hibiki immediately opened the camera app and started taking photos of Kotomi's painting.
She couldn't help it—the painting was just that impressive.
The way the colors and composition were handled made Hibiki, who had always prided herself on her own artistic skills, feel a deep sense of humility. She had to admit that Kotomi was on another level entirely.
But Hibiki didn't know that this was just Kotomi casually practicing...
After taking several pictures, Hibiki handed the phone back to Seiko and turned to Kotomi. "Have you been practicing oil painting since you were little?"
Such skill, Hibiki thought, could only be the result of years of practice.
"No, not really," Kotomi replied. "I only recently became interested in oil painting, so I just tried it out. I wasn't too focused on the details since this was just for practice."
Casually trying it out.
Not too focused on the details.
Every word from Kotomi hit Hibiki like a punch to the gut.
That was... a little heartbreaking!
If this was Kotomi just casually painting, then what did that say about her own work? Was it just childish scribbling?
"Have you taken lessons from an art teacher before?" Hibiki asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Nope, I just read a book about painting recently," Kotomi replied.
Another blow. Hibiki was struggling to keep her composure.
Was this what they meant by "My casual painting versus a master's casual painting"?
Without comparison, there is no harm.
Just then, the school bell rang, signaling the end of club activities.
"Hibiki-senpai, if there's nothing else, I'll head out now," Kotomi said with a smile.
Snapping out of her stunned state, Hibiki nodded and said with a bitter smile, "Sure, take care. And you don't have to call me 'senpai'—'Hibiki-senpai' is fine."
"Alright, Hibiki-senpai," Kotomi said cheerfully, leaving the art room with the other first-year girls who had also just joined the club.
The interaction had given her the chance to meet the other members of the Art Club. Aside from Hibiki Naegi, the club president, all the other members were first-year students like herself.
"Sister, let's go too," Seiko said, picking up her and her sister's bags as Hibiki lingered by Kotomi's easel, still captivated by the painting.
Taking her bag from Seiko, Hibiki left the art room alongside her sister. As they walked down the hallway, Hibiki suddenly asked, "Seiko, that Izumi Kotomi—is she really in your class?"
"Yes, why?" Seiko asked, puzzled.
"She's an absolute genius at painting," Hibiki said.
"Really? Better than you, sister?!"
Hibiki nodded, setting aside her pride. She had to admit that Kotomi was incredibly talented.
"Wow, Kotomi is that good? You've been painting since you were little."
In response to Seiko's surprise, Hibiki could only smile wryly and shake her head.
"Art is something you can learn through hard work and practice, but some people are just born with a natural talent for it. Kotomi is clearly one of those people," Hibiki explained.
"Hehe, that's okay. I may not understand the finer points of painting, but I just really like your art, sister," Seiko said with a laugh, taking the initiative to hold Hibiki's hand.
Hibiki instinctively tried to pull away, but when she saw that Seiko wasn't letting go, she reluctantly allowed it, blushing.
Seeing her sister give in, Seiko grinned mischievously.
"Sister, we should keep our distance at school," Hibiki said shyly, her cheeks flushed.
"What are you worried about? No one will see us, and besides, weren't you the one who made the first move back then?" Seiko teased.
"That was three years ago. Let it go," Hibiki protested, playfully glaring at Seiko.
"I remember when I was really little, I told you, 'I love watching you paint, sister.' I think that's when you decided to start painting, isn't it?"
"Yes, I wasn't particularly interested in painting at first, but when you said that you loved watching me paint, I decided to take it seriously. That's one of the reasons I started learning to paint. But there's another reason too."
"There's another reason? What is it? Tell me, sister!"
After a moment's hesitation, Hibiki blushed and confessed, "I want to paint you in a wedding dress."
She then leaned over and kissed Seiko on the cheek, her voice soft but serious as she added, "After you graduate from university, I'll tell Mom and Dad everything and work hard to gain their approval. Then we'll get married."
"Should I start picking out rings now~?"
"That's way too early! You should focus on your studies and get into a good university first."
"Sister, you're so strict... Even stricter than Mom. No, you're even stricter than her."
"If I wasn't strict, how could I keep you, this little troublemaker, in line?"
The two continued their playful banter, but their hands remained intertwined the entire time.
As the sun set, their shadows stretched out behind them, and at a certain point, their straight shadows began to curve and eventually intertwined with one another.
——Let's love each other in secret, away from the prying eyes of the world.
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