Capítulo 242: The “Promise” in the Art Room
Before her stood Iroha with a determined smile. Aimi, knowing her best friend's usual playful and teasing nature, was well aware that Iroha could be sincere and utterly serious when it truly mattered.
This was one of those moments.
To Aimi, the usually bright and carefree smile now seemed unbearably glaring.
Until recently, Iroha had been indifferent about the topic of high school applications. If nothing changed, she'd probably only start thinking about it on the eve of the application deadline.
But now, she had already made up her mind.
Aimi wasn't naive; she could clearly see that her older sister, Kotomi, was the main reason for Iroha's sudden resolve to apply to Sobu High School.
The image of the "couple photo" taken at the Tako-nee's Sukiyaki Restaurant came flooding back to her mind.
A stabbing pain pierced Aimi's chest once again.
She refused to let her best friend become the "enemy" who would steal her sister away.
Iroha, I don't want to hurt you. You're my best friend. So please… please don't harbor any inappropriate thoughts about my sister.
If you just tell me this is all a joke, I'll forgive you immediately. I promise.
These thoughts echoed in Aimi's mind, trembling with an unspeakable mixture of emotions.
"You're really planning to apply to Sobu High School?" Aimi asked, her tone sharp. "My sister may have had terrible grades during her third year of middle school, but she worked tirelessly before the exams and barely managed to scrape past the cutoff for Sobu High School."
Her tone softened slightly as she continued, "Don't underestimate her. When Kotomi puts her mind to it, she's incredibly capable. But don't assume Sobu High School is easy to get into just because my sister made it."
Pointing to the entry on Sobu High School in the book, Aimi said, "Look at this—here's the cutoff score for this year. The bar has been rising every year for the past five years. What was your score in the last mock exam, Iroha?"
Aimi was trying everything she could to dissuade Iroha from applying to Sobu High School. She couldn't bear the thought of her sister and Iroha being in the same high school.
"699," Iroha replied casually, smiling brightly.
"What? You're lying! I saw your scores before—you barely scraped above 400!"
"Oh, you mean that last mock exam at school?" Iroha grinned, scratching her head sheepishly. "Yeah, back then, my scores were always hovering in the 400s. But I've been attending a cram school every day after school for the past half month!"
"You've been going to cram school?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
Aimi was stunned. Deep down, a sense of unease began to take root.
Iroha had never taken cram school seriously before. Her parents, lenient as they were, never forced her to attend one.
For her to willingly start going to cram school could only mean one thing: Iroha had asked for it herself.
What's more, Iroha always shared everything with Aimi. But now, she had kept this from her.
From Iroha's casual explanation, it was clear that she had started cram school a while ago, and her scores had already improved significantly.
As a third-year student, the bulk of the syllabus had already been covered, leaving the remainder of the year for review and practice exams. This meant that Iroha could feasibly achieve her target scores.
Seeing Aimi's reaction, Iroha chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wanted to surprise you, Aimi! My plan was to blow you away with my improved scores at the next mock exam."
The jump from 400+ to 699 was nothing short of astonishing. Even if Iroha were to sit for Sobu High School's entrance exam now, she would stand a strong chance.
Realizing this, Aimi's heart sank.
It was clear now—Iroha was fully committed to the idea of attending Sobu High School with Kotomi.
Clenching her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, Aimi felt no physical pain—only the aching void in her heart. Her internal bitterness was like a wilting autumn flower, both beautiful and sorrowful.
"Aimi? Aimi, are you okay? You've gone quiet all of a sudden," Iroha asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Hm? Oh, it's nothing," Aimi replied with a bright, seemingly relaxed smile. "I didn't expect you to be so keen on going to Sobu High School with my sister. Hehe… Since you've made up your mind, then give it your all. It's great that your grades are improving, but don't get too cocky. You don't want something unexpected to happen during the entrance exams and ruin your chances."
"Oh, come on! What could possibly go wrong? Catching a cold at the last minute?" Iroha waved her hand dismissively, her tone carefree. "Don't worry. To attend Sobu High School and study with Senpai, I'll give it everything I've got!"
Then, as if struck by a thought, Iroha furrowed her brows.
"But you're right—I can't let my guard down yet. Sobu High School's cutoff scores are rising every year, so I'll need to stay focused. No slacking off during revision! I need to make absolutely sure I can get in!"
Looking at Iroha's enthusiastic expression, Aimi couldn't help but feel a cold, sharp smile creeping onto her lips.
"Don't get too full of yourself. My entrance exam scores will definitely be higher than yours."
The only person who'll be attending the same high school as my sister will be me—not you, Iroha.
"Oh? Is that a challenge? Alright, Aimi, I accept! Let's see who scores higher after the exams!"
Iroha's eyes sparkled with excitement.
But then, she noticed the subtle but chilling edge in Aimi's smile.
An invisible pressure seemed to envelop her, making the air feel colder and heavier. Iroha instinctively shrank back, her confidence wavering.
Was that… my imagination?
Iroha wondered uneasily, shivering slightly.
After the final two classes of the day, the bell signaling the end of school finally rang—a sound that all students adored.
However, for those like Kotomi and Mashiro who were part of clubs, school wasn't quite over yet. They still had to attend their club activities before they could leave.
With the submission deadline for the National Youth Art Competition fast approaching, Kotomi felt that the one-hour daily club activity was far too short. If possible, she would have loved to extend it to three hours.
But, considering that not all the art club members were participating in the competition, pushing for longer club hours would undoubtedly stir some discontent.
She could only make the most of the time she had.
Packing up her things, Kotomi turned to Mashiro and said, "Mashiro, let's head to the art club together."
"Mm!"
Mashiro nodded, putting down the cat-shaped keychain she had been fiddling with.
The Iriomote wildcat keychain, something Mashiro hadn't had last week, was probably a recent purchase from the weekend.
"That's a cute keychain. Did you get it over the weekend?" Kotomi asked casually as she waited for Mashiro to finish packing her bag.
"Mm. My sister took me to a department store on Saturday. I bought a lot of things, including this keychain. I saw it in a boutique and thought it was cute, so I bought it."
Throughout the afternoon, Mashiro had been playing with the keychain rather than drawing, clearly very fond of it.
"Well, if you like it so much, be sure to take good care of it," Kotomi advised with a smile. "If you keep playing with it like that, you might lose it."
"Really? I'll be careful!" Mashiro replied with a solemn nod, clutching the keychain tightly. It was clear she cherished it greatly.
Watching Mashiro's movements, Kotomi couldn't help but think of how much she resembled a playful little wildcat herself.
With her bag packed, Mashiro picked up her precious keychain, and the two of them left the classroom together, heading toward the art club.
"Ah, Kotomi and Mashiro are here! Good afternoon, you two!"
As Kotomi and Mashiro pushed open the door to the art room, they were greeted warmly by Hojo Ruriya, who had already arrived a while earlier.
"Good afternoon, Ruriya-san, Ishikawa-san, Tsujimoto-san," Kotomi replied with a light nod and a cheerful smile.
Her beauty and charisma made Kotomi popular among her classmates and art club members alike.
Every afternoon upon arriving at the art club, she would tidy her art supplies while casually chatting with the other members about high school gossip—topics that were always a hit among teenage girls.
Mashiro, on the other hand, would immediately sit down at her station and begin drawing, rarely initiating conversation.
Even those who wanted to approach Mashiro often hesitated; her quiet focus created an unapproachable aura. It wasn't that she was deliberately distancing herself, but Mashiro simply believed that the purpose of coming to the art room was to paint and nothing more.
Whenever this topic came up, Emi Tsujimoto would always sigh, "This must be the difference between us and geniuses. Even in mindset, we're completely outclassed."
"But Kotomi, have you noticed anything different about the art room compared to last week?" asked Ruka Ishikawa, sitting beside Kotomi with a mischievous grin.
"Let me see..."
Kotomi had already noticed but decided to play along. She pretended to scan the room intently for about a minute before pointing to the southern corner.
"Oh! I see it now! There's a small refrigerator!"
Indeed, a three-tiered mini-fridge now stood in the corner. Though much smaller than a household fridge, it was perfectly adequate for a club room.
"Hehe, when I came in this afternoon, I saw Chisato-sensei bringing it in and plugging it in. She said we're free to use it, but we're not allowed to touch the bottom shelf—she's using that to chill her beer," Ruka Ishikawa explained.
"Wow, a fridge! This is amazing," Kotomi said, delighted.
The art room was one of the oldest rooms in Sobu High School. It had likely hosted generations of art club members and was considered an antique by the school's standards.
Because of its age, the art room couldn't accommodate modern upgrades like air conditioning. When the entire building underwent renovations years ago, plans to demolish and rebuild the art room had been proposed but ultimately rejected by the head of the arts department.
The department head, who was also Sobu High School's very first art teacher from the school's founding year, held a deep sentimental attachment to the art room. She believed the space, with its vintage aesthetics and splattered paint stains, was a cherished memory for countless graduates. To respect her wishes, the school kept the art room as it was.
As a result, while the room exuded a nostalgic charm, it lacked air conditioning and relied on electric fans to combat the heat.
Now, with the addition of the mini-fridge, members could enjoy cool beverages during hot weather, making their time in the art room much more bearable.
"Kotomi, would you like a cold drink? The drinks in the fridge should be chilled by now," Ruka Ishikawa offered.
"Let me take a look at what's inside."
Kotomi walked over to the fridge and opened it. Despite its small size, it was surprisingly functional, featuring a freezer on the top tier and two cold storage shelves below.
Thank you, Chisato-sensei!
From the middle shelf, Kotomi picked out a bottle of apple cider vinegar. On a hot day, she found nothing more refreshing than a chilled glass of apple cider vinegar.
She considered grabbing a drink for Mashiro as well but quickly dismissed the idea. Judging by Mashiro's intense focus, even if Kotomi handed her a drink, she probably wouldn't notice it until an hour later—by which point the drink would have warmed up.
I'll let her know about the fridge after club activities end, Kotomi thought, unscrewing the cap and taking a sip. The chilled, tangy taste was invigorating, prompting her to let out a satisfied burp.
Feeling refreshed, Kotomi returned to her seat and began painting.
With the submission deadline for the National Youth Art Competition approaching, Kotomi knew she had to pick up the pace. Every minute counted.
Thanks to her skill and focus, she quickly entered a flow state, her brush moving steadily and confidently.
By the time she finally came back to herself, nearly 55 minutes had passed. Her painting was now halfway finished.
"Another week... no, five days. I should be able to finish it in five days," Kotomi muttered, breathing a sigh of relief.
She wiped the light sheen of sweat from her forehead and smiled. Despite the oscillating fans in the room, the air still felt stuffy compared to the cooling breeze of an air conditioner.
Reaching for her bottle of apple cider vinegar, she realized it had warmed to room temperature.
"I got so absorbed in painting that I forgot to drink it while it was still cold," Kotomi murmured with a wry smile before finishing the rest in one gulp.
Just as she finished packing up her supplies, the bell signaling the end of club activities rang. Kotomi instinctively stood to leave but then remembered the "promise" she had made with Megumi earlier that day.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she sat back down, deciding to wait.
"Kotomi, aren't you leaving?"
Mashiro, having packed up her things, paused when she noticed Kotomi still seated.
"I'll stick around a bit longer. You don't need to wait for me—go on ahead," Kotomi replied with a smile.
"Alright."
Mashiro nodded and slung her bag over her shoulder. As she stood, however, the Iriomote cat keychain she had been fiddling with all day slipped from her hand onto the chair.
Neither Mashiro nor Kotomi noticed it lying there as Mashiro left the art room.
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