I Am Your Heroine, and You Are Mine

"You're really painting me?"

As the art club activity neared its end, Mashiro Shiina put down her paintbrush and walked over to Kotomi's side. Despite being recognized as a world-class genius painter since childhood, she couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration when she saw the figure in the painting.

In the painting, against the backdrop of a sunset signaling the end of the day, Mashiro Shiina stood at a lookout point in the city. This spot was ideal for driving up at night to enjoy a panoramic view of the entire city of Chiba. The scene was as vivid as a photograph taken with an expensive camera.

In the painting, Mashiro was slightly turned, her right hand gently pressing the wide brim of the sun hat perched on her head. The large brim seemed as though it might be swept away by the wind if she didn't hold it down a little.

She was wearing a summer dress, though the color was still unknown as the character hadn't been painted yet.

The sun hat with its wide brim, paired with the summery dress, would lead anyone viewing the painting to wonder silently, "Where did this girl go, or where is she heading?"

Was she returning home after a trip to the seaside at sunset?

Or perhaps she was about to leave the country, standing there to take one last look at the city as the sun set? If one interpreted the painting that way, a wave of parting sorrow would seep into the viewer's heart.

Appreciating the piece from different angles could evoke different emotional responses. This was one of Kotomi's goals when creating the painting.

Though the system's advanced painting skill had been of great help, the key factor was the system's ability to immerse her in her work. With this sense of immersion, Kotomi had complete confidence that she could captivate any audience with her art.

This painting, Twilight Sky: Sunset, was no exception—it had the potential to stir emotions on a profound level.

"Yes, I'm painting you. Do you see anything that needs to be changed?" Kotomi replied with a smile, stepping aside so Mashiro could fully take in the painting of herself.

Mashiro gazed intently at Twilight Sky: Sunset, her eyes wide open.

She stood there, unmoving, for a full ten minutes before she finally whispered, "It's so beautiful…"

It wasn't clear whether she was talking about the scene or the person in the painting.

If Kotomi had been the subject, she probably would have written an entire novel just to describe how stunning she looked.

"Kotomi, is this painting finished? Is this the final version? After the art competition, can I keep this painting? Please, can you give it to me? In return, I'll paint something for you and give it to you as a gift," Mashiro murmured, her voice filled with a deep, almost obsessive admiration.

She was completely entranced.

Mashiro Shiina, the world-renowned painting genius, had become captivated by a mere draft of Kotomi's oil painting!

Even more shocking was that this was not even the final version. Kotomi had only sketched the figure with pencil to determine Mashiro's pose, expression, and placement in the composition. She hadn't even started the final version yet.

For a painting still in its draft phase to have enchanted Mashiro like this was almost unbelievable.

Kotomi, even as the artist, was taken aback by Mashiro's request.

"Uh… Mashiro, what are you talking about? This is just a rough sketch! You'll have to wait a bit longer to see the final painting," Kotomi explained.

Hearing this, Mashiro finally snapped out of her daze, but her excitement remained palpable. She wasn't willing to let the matter go just yet, and asked again earnestly, "But after you finish it and submit it to the National Art Competition, can I have it? I'll give you a painting in return—a painting with you as the main subject."

Mashiro's tone carried a seriousness that was rare for her.

"You'll paint one for me?" Kotomi asked.

"Yes!" Mashiro nodded vigorously. "Just as you made me the heroine of your painting, I want to make you the heroine of mine!"

If Kotomi remembered correctly, this was the first time Mashiro had ever shown this much excitement since arriving at Sobu High School.

Seeing her expectant yet slightly nervous expression, Kotomi smiled and agreed, "Alright, it's a deal. After the competition, I'll give you this painting, and in return, you'll paint one for me."

"Absolutely!" Mashiro promised with fervor.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

Kotomi, eager to return home and dive into her video game event, wasted no time. After walking Mashiro to where her cousin Chihiro Sengoku was waiting, Kotomi quickly headed out of the school building.

On the way out, she ran into Megumi Kato, who was coming from the library. As usual, they walked home together.

With the exams behind them, life seemed to have settled back into its comfortable rhythm.

Kotomi was quite fond of this pace of life—neither too slow nor too fast. She didn't want to slow down, but she also didn't want to speed up. However, life often had little surprises in store for her, and while it wouldn't slow down, it could certainly accelerate unexpectedly.

Just like now—

"Kotomi, do you have time this Saturday?" Megumi asked, seeing the perfect opportunity.

"Saturday?" Kotomi thought for a moment before answering, "I've got plenty of time. No plans, just staying home to work on my manga and play some games."

Her perfectly scheduled weekend involved sleeping until 11 a.m., eating, playing Left 4 Dead 2 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., grabbing dinner, and then playing Azur Lane from 7 p.m. to midnight before going to bed.

It was a flawless schedule.

But, of course, if a cute girl asked her out, all those plans would vanish in an instant. She'd be wide open for any invitations.

When Megumi heard Kotomi's response, she laughed happily and said, "That's great! Then let's go to the aquarium this Saturday!"

"The aquarium?" Kotomi tilted her head slightly, an unconscious gesture that made her look incredibly cute.

Although she agreed to Megumi's suggestion, she didn't quite understand why Megumi wanted to go to the aquarium. In many novels and manga, aquariums were referred to as some kind of holy ground, but Kotomi couldn't recall exactly what kind of holy ground that was at the moment.

Oh well, if Megumi wanted to go, Kotomi would happily accompany her. Without overthinking it, she nodded and said enthusiastically, "The aquarium? Sure! Let's go together! I want to see the octopuses and penguins."

Though it had been Megumi's idea, Kotomi seemed even more excited than she was, like a child eagerly anticipating a day out.

"Alright, let's settle on going to the aquarium this Saturday. It'll be the perfect way to relax after the exams. I'll come over to your house to pick you up in the morning," Megumi Kato said with a gentle smile.

"Huh? You're coming to my house? Don't we usually meet at the train station?"

"That's because the aquarium we're going to is in a different direction. We need to board from a different station, so I thought I'd come pick you up, and we can walk to the station together," Megumi explained her plan before adding cautiously, "Is that alright?"

"Of course!" Kotomi quickly responded. She then asked, "By the way, which aquarium are we going to?"

"Aqua Park in Shinagawa. Since it's in the opposite direction, we'll need to go to Kenchō-mae Station first."

"Shinagawa, huh…"

Kotomi thought for a moment about the route from Chiba to Shinagawa. Megumi's route was correct, but the journey would take at least 1 hour and 22 minutes, with the return trip taking just as long.

Moreover, there would be transfers involved, and if they weren't careful with the timing, they could end up like last time, when they missed a train after watching a movie in Roppongi and had trouble getting home.

Taking a taxi was definitely out of the question. That distance would cost a fortune, and even with the over a million yen Kotomi had saved in her bank account, she wasn't willing to splurge that much.

Besides, that million yen was in yen, after all!

Sure, for a high school student to earn over a million yen in just a month was impressive. But living in a high-cost urban area like Japan meant that kind of money could vanish quickly if spent carelessly.

Thanks to her previous life, Kotomi was well aware of what it felt like to be broke.

In her previous life, her family had been well-off, and she received a generous monthly allowance. As a student, unaware of the challenges of earning money, she spent freely, living paycheck to paycheck.

But after her parents passed away, she almost reached the point where she couldn't even afford rent.

Life's harsh lessons were deeply etched into Kotomi's DNA.

So, after reincarnating, Kotomi made sure to prepare for the future by saving as much as possible, with the goal of accumulating a substantial amount before graduating high school.

After all, she planned to start a game company in the future. And without a healthy amount of capital, breaking into the gaming industry would be challenging.

To put it bluntly, without sufficient funds and a refusal to accept sponsorship or investment from larger companies, it would be incredibly difficult to establish an independent game studio. She could easily fail without even realizing what hit her.

It wasn't just about money; technology and resources were also crucial.

Kotomi understood the difficulties of independent development, but she had faith that she could overcome them—after all, she had the system.

The divine blessing from Kazumi was her trump card!

Therefore, the first step in her game company plan was simple: make money—lots of it.

At the very least, she needed enough capital to establish a game studio and independently develop its first game.

If the first game was successful in terms of sales and impact, Kotomi could then proceed to upgrade her studio, Type-Moon Boundary, into a full-fledged game company.

And after that, she could secure a few rounds of investment—how satisfying that would be.

While Kotomi was engrossed in thoughts of her game industry plans, Megumi's voice suddenly pulled her back to reality:

"Kotomi, Kotomi…"

It wasn't until Megumi called her name several times that Kotomi finally snapped out of her thoughts, hastily looking at her and saying:

"Huh? What is it?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I've been calling your name for a while, but you seemed lost in thought, just walking ahead with your head down. I was worried your soul had left your body," Megumi said, puffing her cheeks in mock annoyance, clearly a bit upset at being ignored.

"Sorry, sorry. I was just thinking about… games."

Though a little embarrassed, Kotomi answered honestly. It wasn't a lie—she had indeed been thinking about games. However, she left out the part about planning her grand entrance into the gaming industry.

She was going to dominate this world's gaming scene!

Megumi couldn't help but chuckle and sigh at the explanation:

"You should've just said nothing. Honestly, no matter how much you love games, you shouldn't be thinking about them while walking. It's not that you ignored me—it's just that it's dangerous to be so distracted. Understand?"

"I-I get it," Kotomi replied meekly.

"Do you know why I've been calling your name?" Megumi asked, a playful smile curving her lips.

Her gentle tone felt like a soft caress, and Kotomi found herself unknowingly addicted to the warmth of it. It felt strangely intimate.

"I don't know," Kotomi shook her head slightly.

Megumi pointed to the side and said, "Look to your left."

Kotomi turned her head and realized they were already at her house!

To be precise, they had passed her house and walked an extra 300 meters. If they kept going, they'd end up at Megumi's house instead.

Seeing the front gate of her home just behind her, Kotomi let out an embarrassed laugh. "Haha… I guess I got a bit too lost in thought. I didn't even notice we'd already arrived."

"Not 'a bit,' definitely. We reached your house, and I tried to tell you, but you just kept walking and walking like you didn't hear me at all," Megumi explained before flashing a sweet smile. She reached out and playfully pinched Kotomi's nose.

"Were you trying to follow me home?"

Kotomi's face flushed red. Every time another girl got too close or made physical contact, she felt as though her legs would give out, and she'd collapse right into their arms.

Basically, like she was offering herself up.

"M-maybe next time… See you tomorrow, Megumi."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

Kotomi, cheeks still flushed, quickly turned and walked toward her home. As Megumi watched her hurried, slightly anxious figure, a growing smile of affection appeared on her lips, along with a visible determination:

"She's so cute~ I really hope that after this trip to the aquarium, our relationship can take a big step forward. My dear wife~"

Megumi whispered softly to herself, finally saying aloud the words she'd long wanted to call Kotomi.

After arriving home, Megumi saw her mother hanging up the phone in the entryway. "Mom, I'm back."

"Welcome home. Dinner will be ready soon, but if you want, you can go study upstairs while you wait."

"Okay. By the way, Mom, could I have those two tickets to Aqua Park Aquarium?"

"Tickets? Oh, the ones I won in that raffle at the shopping district? Sure, they're in the cabinet in the upstairs studio. Just grab them yourself. But who are you planning to go to the aquarium with? What's their name? What's your relationship? Are they a classmate?"