Twilight Sky · Sunset

"When can I take a look at Volume 2 of your manga, now that it's finished?" Izumi Kotomi asked.

She was genuinely curious to see if Mashiro Shiina had made any progress with the storyline this time.

Upon hearing Kotomi's eagerness to read the manuscript, Mashiro smiled happily. "The original draft is in my bag. I'll give it to you after school."

"Great," Kotomi nodded.

After arriving at the art club, Kotomi started working on her submission for the National Youth Art Competition.

While she hadn't fully decided on the figure she wanted to include in the painting, after several days of reflection, she settled on the setting: a sunset at dusk, with the sky bathed in the warm glow of the fading sun.

With the background decided, the rest of the painting didn't seem too difficult.

Rainy days and sunsets—these were Kotomi's favorite weather conditions.

The key to painting this piece was capturing the twilight hues of a sunset with oil paints, creating a scene that wasn't just realistic but also dreamlike and atmospheric.

The challenge was to blend the boundary between light and shadow, making the transition between them seamless while giving the colors a sense of life and movement. Achieving this wasn't particularly hard for a seasoned painter, but for students, it could be quite challenging.

This required patience, as one would need to experiment repeatedly to mix just the right shades for the sunset, and any mistake could mean starting over.

Aside from patience, there was another concern—weren't these paints expensive?

Using so much paint just for trial and error to get the colors right could really hurt the wallet, not to mention the thought of wasting so much material!

Fortunately, the art club at Sobu High School had a good supply of paints. It was one of the reasons Kotomi had joined the club in the first place—no need to buy her own materials.

Kotomi immediately got to work, trying to create the colors she envisioned for her painting.

Painting begins with color creation!

Although the paint wasn't purchased with her own money, Kotomi didn't want to waste it either. She had a rough idea of the hues she wanted to mix beforehand.

The overall color scheme of her sunset painting was about the interplay between light and shadow, with the light gradually fading as the shadows grew, eventually covering the entire sky.

In simple terms, it was a mixture of warm and cool tones.

Usually, an oil painting would have a dominant color scheme—either warm tones or cool tones. However, when painting a sunset, both warm and cool colors were equally important and essential.

There were many schools of art, such as Impressionism, Fauvism, De Stijl, Pointillism, and more.

Kotomi chose to go with Impressionism.

Thanks to her mastery of various painting styles, supported by her "God-Level Heroine System," Kotomi found that Impressionism was best suited to create the sunset she envisioned.

The title of her piece: "Twilight Sky · Sunset."

With the theme set, Kotomi, under the system's influence, painted like a master artist. She could easily visualize the rough composition in her mind and started mixing the colors from the paints provided by the art club. However, something felt off—it just didn't feel quite right.

Was it because the paint was too cheap? Kotomi jokingly thought to herself.

Unfortunately, she couldn't run to the art supply store to buy her own paints at the moment.

Her eyes then fell on the paints Mashiro was using. Ever since joining the art club, Mashiro had always brought her own high-quality art supplies, including her paints.

Just looking at them, Kotomi could tell they were expensive. You wouldn't even dare ask about the price without some savings in your wallet.

"Mashiro," Kotomi called softly.

"Yes, Kotomi? What is it?" Mashiro looked up from her own painting.

"Could I borrow some of your paint? The ones the school provides don't seem to be giving me the colors I want," Kotomi explained.

"Oh, you didn't bring your own paints?" Mashiro tilted her head innocently before extending both hands and offering her entire set of paints to Kotomi. "Please, take them. I've always loved this brand since I was little, so I hope you'll like them too."

Mashiro then kindly added, "When it comes to painting, it's best to have the right tools that suit you. Otherwise, it might affect your work."

Kotomi took the paint set and immediately recognized the brand. Just the other day, she had read about this brand in a famous art magazine—it was known for its high quality and... high price.

These were true artist-grade paints!

Compared to the student-grade paints provided by the art club, Mashiro's paints were in a completely different league.

And, of course, they came with a much heftier price tag.

You get what you pay for, after all.

If she remembered correctly, this set of paints cost at least 23,000 yen (160$).

Suddenly, the paint set felt a lot heavier in Kotomi's hands. This is expensive stuff!

Her hands trembled slightly just thinking about it.

Still, expensive materials might make the painting process smoother.

With Mashiro's paints, Kotomi quickly mixed the exact colors she had been trying to achieve on the canvas.

Not wanting to borrow too much, Kotomi returned the paint set to Mashiro after mixing her desired colors.

Mashiro, who was also participating in the Tokyo University National Youth Art Competition, had already completed half of her painting. The art club president, Hibiki Naegi, was about to start coloring his piece as well.

Looking around, Kotomi realized she was the furthest behind, having just finished the background sketch.

However, she didn't feel rushed. Now that she had settled on a theme, she could take her time completing the painting.

As for who to paint in the foreground under the sunset?

Kotomi still hadn't decided.

Should I paint myself?

But it didn't quite match the image she had in her head.

Who would be the right person to paint?

As Kotomi continued refining the background, this question lingered in her mind.

By the time the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, she had finished sketching the background.

"Oh, you've finished the background already? Not bad, but you'd better pick up the pace. You're the furthest behind now," Naegi reminded her as he left.

"Don't worry, I've got this," Kotomi replied, unhurried.

After leaving the art club, Mashiro returned to Class 1-F to retrieve the original draft of Volume 2 of her manga, while Kotomi waited in front of the school building.

Soon, Mashiro came running over, holding the manuscript in her hands.

Standing in front of Kotomi, Mashiro seemed a bit nervous as she handed over the manuscript. Softly, she said, "Here's the draft for Volume 2... I'm really looking forward to your feedback, Kotomi!"