Haruhiro Tōno (春日野彻) was enjoying his current life. He went to school during the day, and drew pictures at night. Without the pressure of finances hanging over him like a sword of Damocles, his life could even be considered comfortable.
However, this peaceful life wouldn't last long, because Golden Week was approaching.
Japan's Golden Week starts on April 29th and ends on May 5th. Many Japanese companies choose to shut down during this week to give their employees a good rest. The government also encourages consumption and promotes tourism development by offering discounts in many tourist cities during this period.
Gradually, Japanese people have developed the habit of traveling during Golden Week. Those with a bit of financial means will choose to spend time with their families during this time.
But these things had nothing to do with Haruhiro Tōno, because he was broke.
Simple, blunt, and straightforward.
Before his sister, Kyō, started attending the private Otome-Saki Girls' Academy, she would make some snacks at home, and Haruhiro Tōno would take advantage of the peak tourist season to draw a few extra pictures for others.
The reason why Kyō would prepare the snacks was because her Kashiwa Mochi was unparalleled, even Haruhiro Tōno's skills couldn't match his sister's.
It wasn't surprising, though. Kashiwa Mochi was a traditional Japanese snack, and Haruhiro Tōno, who was originally from China, would have no way of knowing how to make it.
The last day of Golden Week, May 5th, was not only Japan's Boys' Day but also Japan's Dragon Boat Festival. On this day, people would eat Zongzi and Kashiwa Mochi, which were said to bring good fortune for "family prosperity".
But after his sister went to middle school, he never had those snacks again.
Making money was the most important thing. He didn't have the time to prepare these things by himself.
Originally, Haruhiro Tōno planned to take advantage of the fact that he had more free time this year and prepare some Zongzi to send to his sister. But he soon found that his plans were dashed.
"Izumi-san, did you say you were going to go out sketching?"
"It's not me going out sketching, it's us going together!" Eriri emphasized on the phone, emphasizing that she wasn't going alone this time, but kindly bringing Haruhiro Tōno along.
"But I didn't say I was going." Haruhiro Tōno was speechless. Was he that out of touch now?
Could anyone make decisions for him?
"It's to Izu, won't you come, Haruhiro-san?" After leveling up, Eriri even knew how to use skills like her mother.
Skill: Seduction activated.
Skill: Seduction failed.
Haruhiro Tōno shrugged unconcernedly. He wouldn't even go abroad, let alone to Izu.
Don't ask, he's just lazy.
Besides, if he went this time, he would owe Eriri a huge favor.
He could occasionally accept a favor if it was an exchange of benefits.
But owing such a huge favor for no reason at all, it wasn't something that could be easily repaid.
"No, no, it'll be crowded everywhere during Golden Week. I don't want to go out and look at the back of people's heads."
Seeing that her skill was ineffective, Eriri didn't panic, because she had a second move.
Skill: Temptation activated.
"I was thinking that if you were willing to go to Izu with me, Haruhiro-san, then I could tell you about the JIA Illustration Award."
"JIA Illustration Award?" Haruhiro Tōno repeated, swallowing his saliva.
Since he had decided to pursue a career in illustration, he had specifically researched relevant competitions.
What could be better than breaking into a heavyweight competition and becoming famous?
The JIA Illustration Award (referred to as the "Award" hereafter) was for illustration works that were not used or published for commercial purposes. It was known for its diverse styles and for not limiting the subject matter or number of submissions.
These competition rules were highly inclusive for participating illustrators and were deeply appreciated by them.
More importantly, it was a competition that was not limited by nationality or age. Whether you were Japanese or not, an adult or not, you could participate.
"That's right, the Award! I bet Haruhiro-san is very interested, right?" Eriri on the other end of the phone smiled like a little fox. Her level had skyrocketed compared to a month ago.
"But I remember that you don't need anyone to recommend you for this competition, you can sign up yourself, right?" Haruhiro Tōno really didn't understand what Eriri was up to. She just told him about this competition, did she think that would lure him out?
"You're right, Haruhiro-san, you can sign up for this competition by yourself." Eriri wasn't worried about Haruhiro Tōno not being interested. Her trump card hadn't been played yet.
"I guess Haruhiro-san knows that this competition is judged by a panel of five judges. The work with the highest score will win the Grand Prize, and the rest will be awarded Gold Prizes, Holbein Prizes, etc."
"If you're willing to go sketching in Izu with me, Haruhiro-san, I can ask my mom to collect past winning works for you. I can even introduce you to one of the judges. If you can know in advance what kind of works are more popular, I believe that with Haruhiro-san's skills, it won't be difficult to win an award!"
It was indeed easy for the Sawamura family to collect past winning works. Haruhiro Tōno could actually do it himself, after all, the internet was so developed now, you could find anything online, it just took some effort.
But what he really valued was the judge introduction.
You should know that those who could become judges were all big shots in the circle.
What was the most valuable in this society?
It had to be connections. Only this could make money, everything else was fake.
So Eriri's move hit Haruhiro Tōno's weak spot.
Skill: Temptation判定成功 (judged as successful).
Haruhiro Tōno was unable to resist!
…
Time rewound one hour.
"Eriri, can you talk to your mom about why you have to invite Haruhiro-san to go to Izu with you?" Seeing her daughter's excited look, Sawamura Sayuri felt like her taste buds had been scrambled, a mixture of emotions.
Eriri used to never go out with boys.
Don't even talk about going out with boys, even if she had to go out and buy a manga herself, she would find all sorts of excuses. She wouldn't even go out unless she had to.
And it was like someone was chasing her, she would not only wrap herself up tightly, but also make sure to go out quickly and return quickly. She wasn't at all like the usual Eriri who suffered from advanced procrastination.
"Because I want to continue asking Haruhiro-san for advice. He knows so much, a lot of things that students probably wouldn't know, right? I feel like Haruhiro-san is like an adult, he can teach me a lot of things that only adults know." Eriri said these predatory words without a care.
Sawamura Sayuri's face turned even darker…