Chapter 14: Award Ceremony
Naoto and Teacher Matsuzaki were probably the last to arrive at the venue. When they got there, the entire hall was already packed with people.
Naoto's suit at this time didn't fit him well. At a height of 178 cm, wearing this outfit made him look a bit small.
But there was nothing he could do. Naoto hadn't prepared any clothes beforehand, and this suit belonged to Teacher Matsuzaki's son.
Even if it didn't fit, he just had to make do.
"So many people, and there are even reporters."
Upon entering the venue, Naoto looked at the scene before him and immediately felt immense pressure.
He still felt like he was dreaming that he could actually win the national Ichiban-shō.
Although this was only the venue for the National High School Art Competition, it was still a nationwide event, gathering artworks from excellent students from hundreds of high schools across the country. Naturally, many media outlets were live-streaming the grand occasion of this competition.
At PK Academy, where Naoto was enrolled, the school's leaders, for the first time, were watching the live broadcast of this competition in Naoto's class.
Naoto and Teacher Matsuzaki nervously walked to their seats and sat down.
Now, only a little over ten minutes remained until the award ceremony.
At this time, the surrounding crowd was discussing the winners of this competition.
"Hey, who do you think will be the winner of this competition?"
"I'm not sure. This year's competition is a gathering of masters. I heard that Mr. Neguchi's student, Miss Matsusaka, also participated in this competition."
"Is that so? Should we say a famous teacher produces outstanding students? I've seen Miss Matsusaka's painting before, and it's indeed very good. To have such skill at the high school level is already very strong."
"Yes, I heard that Miss Matsusaka is going to one of the five major art departments. She's not like us guys."
"However, although Miss Matsusaka has good talent, she still lacks a lot of experience. She's like a leader among the younger generation."
"And there are quite a few impressive figures this time too, like Mr. Sakata's son, Mr. Kamura's grandson, Ms. Shioda's daughter, and so on. It can be said to be a fierce competition."
At this moment, listening to the discussion of the few painters in front, Naoto and Teacher Matsuzaki felt quite different.
From their mouths, Naoto felt that the people they were talking about were each more formidable than the last.
Like the children or apprentices of these 'teachers' he hadn't heard of, their strength couldn't possibly be weak.
Now Naoto was wondering if the Art Association had called the wrong person? Was the actual Ichiban-shō winner someone else?
At this time, the artworks of this competition were displayed one after another before everyone's eyes.
It must be said that the approximately twenty-odd works at this award ceremony were all very strong.
At least in Naoto's opinion, at least three of the works were very well-painted.
"Indeed, the painting by Miss Matsusaka beautifully captured the diligent morning smile of a sanitation worker."
"Hmm, the smile of the farmer tilling the land, painted by Mr. Sakata's child, is also very impressive."
"And also, the smile of this police officer serving the people is quite wonderful."
Just as Naoto had thought when he was painting, most people chose the smiles of workers in daily life as their subject matter. In terms of conception, they displayed a grand scale.
Although Naoto felt that his painting skills were stronger than these people, he couldn't be sure that these people wouldn't outdo him in terms of conception.
Just then, the discussions of the crowd abruptly ceased.
The artwork now appearing on the big screen was none other than Naoto's painting.
When this painting appeared before everyone's eyes, for some reason, they were suddenly captivated by the girl in the artwork.
"'The Most Beautiful Smile' PK Academy, Yamamoto Naoto?"
At this moment, in a corner of the venue, a middle-aged man in a suit, upon seeing this painting, sat there motionless, completely transfixed.
Sweetness.
This was the most intuitive feeling the painting gave to this man named Kazuo Sayama.
Although the painting used a large amount of cool tones for coloring.
Yet, it gave people a very warm feeling.
The delicate painting technique made the girl in the picture appear so ethereal and beautiful.
A faint smile carried a hint of mysterious veil.
This feeling was almost like looking at the "Mona Lisa's Smile" in the Louvre. But the girl was different from Mona Lisa.
Every trace, every bit of emotion in her smile, you could clearly feel.
When the girl took your hand and invited you to a world far from the city's hustle and bustle.
It was as if the restlessness within your heart completely disappeared.
Serenity, warmth, beauty, charm—every adjective you could imagine to describe something wonderful seemed applicable to this painting.
Once upon a time, they too were young, and there was such a beautiful and charming girl who invited them to wander through mountains and rivers together.
But after the financial crisis, the entire society of Japan seemed to collapse. With increasing age, all the past beauty dissipated like clouds in the sky.
That girl from back then might have long become a married woman, or perhaps no longer in this world.
But that beautiful memory always remained in everyone's heart.
After viewing the painting, Mr. Sayama immediately recalled his first love, that sweet and tender time. The sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that arose from the depths of his heart even made him feel as if he had returned to his mid-teens.
"Yamako, are you doing well now?"
Kazuo Sayama recalled everything he had done back then.
Kazuo Sayama was once a poor child from a small mountain village, and his family's only source of income was his father's plot of land.
However, although life was not wealthy, Kazuo Sayama still couldn't forget the nights in that village.
Summer nights were quiet, with fireflies all over the sky and birds flying about, appearing particularly full of life.
Especially the girl who would lead him on adventures in the forest.
Some things are only truly appreciated once they are lost.
Fearing a life of poverty, Kazuo Sayama studied desperately, eventually getting into a prestigious school, then steadily rising through the ranks to found his own company.
But when he recalled everything from those years, nothing remained.
The village of his childhood was gone. And along with it, the girl from his memories.
That bittersweet yet beautiful memory became the happiest thing in his heart.
In the eyes of a young man, what could be more captivating than a girl's smile?
"This painting is truly a masterpiece."
This young man, Naoto Yamashita, his paintings, his ideas, his love for the girl, were all displayed in this artwork.
Compared to this one painting, all the previous works paled in comparison.
Kazuo Sayama was certain now that this painting was definitely the First Prize winner of this exhibition.