Chapter 15: The Most Ardent Confession
"Who would have thought there would be such a surprise among this year's contestants?"
After seeing Naoto's painting, the surrounding artists began to discuss who this Naoto Yamashita from PK Academy was. Why had they never heard of him before?
After this brief visit, President Fujino, the head of the Art Association, slowly walked to the podium to announce the winners of this competition.
As President Fujino stood on the podium, the seats below immediately fell silent, showing the high regard in which he was held by those present.
"Ahem, everyone, the annual National High School Art Competition has finally come to an end today. First, I would like to thank the students from 4400 high schools across the country for their support of this competition. After three days of review, my fellow judges and I have finally selected the top three winners of this competition."
After President Fujino finished his opening remarks, thunderous applause immediately erupted from below.
After the warm applause, President Fujino did not, like some leaders, deliver a long, convoluted speech, but instead directly announced the list of winners.
The second and third places went to the hot favorites, Aiko Matsusaka and Matsu Kitayama, respectively.
One painted the smiles of farmers during a bountiful harvest, while the other depicted police helping the public with smiles.
Both works, whether in concept or technique, were perfectly executed, typical academic-style pieces that were almost flawless.
But just as he was about to announce the first-place winner, President Fujino paused, uncharacteristically.
"To be honest, the first-place entry in this competition is probably the only one among all the submissions that truly surprised us. It's hard to imagine that such a work could be painted by a high school student, and even entered into our competition."
Upon hearing President Fujino describe the first-place entry in this competition in such a way, the surrounding media personnel immediately looked astonished.
It was well known that President Fujino was one of the top figures in the entire Japanese art world, and his works still enjoyed international renown.
For such a venerable figure to praise a high school student so highly was unprecedented.
Because of this, the surrounding media personnel were all curious about this First Prize winner, eager to see what kind of work had emerged this time.
And President Fujino did not keep everyone in suspense.
When President Fujino unveiled the First Prize artwork, the artists in the venue all showed expressions of "as expected."
However, the media personnel and television viewers simultaneously erupted in a frenzy.
In Naoto's class, the classmates watching the live broadcast stared blankly at the painting.
"No, isn't that Kuriko?!"
"Holy cow, that's incredibly lifelike!"
"Good heavens, is this in the forest? Naoto actually took Kuriko to a place like that?!"
"No way, the Ice Queen goddess actually smiles? As expected of Naoto, truly amazing!"
"Although I've long suspected their relationship, it's true, they really are a couple, aren't they?! They must be!"
Upon seeing this painting, even an art novice, as long as they weren't an idiot, could basically see the deep love the girl in the painting had for the artist.
Some of the more romantic young girls were already screaming in surprise.
"Kuriko, Kuriko! Is the person in that painting you?!"
"How romantic! Naoto actually painted you to enter the competition! When did you two officially get together?"
"No, we're not..."
"Oh, don't hide it! Don't try to fool us with that childhood sweethearts excuse; how could childhood sweethearts do something like this?"
Under everyone's teasing, Kuriko's face gradually began to flush.
It was hard to imagine that Kuriko, of all people, would feel shy because of a painting.
(No wonder that guy Naoto never told me what he was painting; he actually used it! When he gets back, I'm definitely going to make him pay!)
"Achoo! Am I catching a cold?"
Naoto, who was at the venue, suddenly felt a chill and quickly pulled his body tighter, thinking at the time that it was just the air conditioning in the venue being too low.
"I'm sure everyone wants to know why I call this painting the most surprising one I've received. Leaving aside the technique, just the choice of subject matter surpasses everyone else's."
In response to President Fujino's words, everyone around him looked puzzled.
If he had said the other party's painting technique was stronger, everyone could understand. After all, Naoto's painting was indeed remarkable; just a smile could convey so many emotions, and in terms of technique, many established artists might not possess such skill.
But why would President Fujino say it was stronger in concept? Generally speaking, weren't the academic-style themes praising beautiful things more popular?
"Indeed, in everyone's eyes, works praising laborers are certainly a better concept. However, that should be for the Youth Award or higher-level competitions, not here. Let's not forget what kind of competition this is."
Upon hearing this, many people looked thoughtfully at President Fujino. Connecting it to Naoto's previous painting, they seemed to understand something.
"The National High School Student Art Competition should be a place to showcase the diverse and colorful art of our high school students, a place where a hundred flowers bloom. But the works I've received are practically identical, like exam answers. Is this art? I don't think so."
President Fujino sighed, pointing to Naoto's painting and saying, "It's actually very simple. Does a high school student constantly think about national affairs? Do they pay attention to laborers every day? I don't think so, or if they do, it's only a minority. I don't want the art world ten, twenty, thirty years from now to be just a muddy puddle, where everyone's thinking is constrained by rules and regulations. If that were truly the case, then it would be a tragedy for the Japanese art world."
Hearing President Fujino's resounding voice, many people had an epiphany.
Yes, art should not be confined by frameworks; art should be free and expansive.
If even competitions only featured works constrained by rules, then how could future creations be good?
"And this painting, while ensuring exquisite imagery, also boldly expressed the artist's truest inner feelings. The love for one's girlfriend, I'm sure everyone has experienced it personally, haven't they? For children of this age, what could be more beautiful than the smile of a loved one? Because of this, it is the undisputed first place in this competition."
As soon as President Fujino finished speaking, the entire venue erupted in thunderous applause.
But at this moment, Naoto was a bit confused. Did he really think so much when he painted this thing? No way! I just wanted to be lowkey!