The award ceremony at Sobu High School proceeded from the lower prizes to the higher ones. Thus, the first to be announced were the Encouragement Awards, followed by the Third Prize, Second Prize, First Prize, and finally the Grand Prize.
Of course, many people believed that, just like the past three years, Sobu High wouldn't be awarding the Grand Prize again this year.
Among the performance awards, only the First Prize and the Grand Prize came with prize money. The First Prize came with 10,000 yen, and there were two recipients each year.
The Grand Prize, however, came with a reward of 200,000 yen—and there was only one of those.
Many thought the reason Sobu High hadn't given out a Grand Prize in three years was because the prize money was simply too high.
Even so, quite a few of the performing students still hoped they might be the one to receive the Grand Prize this year.
After all, 200,000 yen was a huge amount for a high school student. With that kind of money, they could buy all sorts of things they wanted. Even if it was a group performance and the money had to be split, each member would still get a nice share.
Of course, for someone like Kotomi Izumi—who came from an extremely wealthy family—200,000 yen was practically pocket change. She knew that performing at the festival could earn extra credit, and that winning First or Grand Prize also came with money, but she hadn't known how much—and didn't really care to find out.
When she heard that the Grand Prize came with 200,000 yen, she just thought, Oh, mildly surprised. It wasn't common for a high school to offer such a large cash prize for a cultural festival performance.
But even then, Kotomi wasn't interested. 200,000 yen was less than her monthly manuscript royalties.
In fact, her monthly allowance alone was worth more than that. So she didn't particularly care what award she would get. When she had gone on stage to perform, she hadn't done it for the prize—only to make sure she didn't let down the effort she, Yukino, and Yui had put into rehearsing.
Now that they had won something, she was happy, but as for which prize... whatever~
Although there had been many performances over the three-day festival, the number of awardees was still quite limited, so the Encouragement, Third, and Second Prizes were handed out rather quickly.
As the last of the Second Prizes were announced, Kotomi wondered to herself, Could it be that we won First Prize?
Someone else wondering the same thing was Usa Saion. During the previous announcements, she had been paying close attention to Kotomi's name, but it never came up. Now, with only the First Prize remaining, she grew tense.
There were two First Prizes—did that mean Kotomi would win one too?
The thought made Usa click her tongue unconsciously. To her, sharing the same award level as Kotomi Izumi would be nothing short of humiliating. The joy she felt about winning First Prize herself was instantly dulled.
As for the Grand Prize?
It hadn't been awarded in three years. Her? Usa thought disdainfully. There's no way she'd win it!
"First Prize, Class 1-C—Usa Saion," Mai Sakurajima read aloud from the winner's list.
Usa straightened her back proudly and walked up to the stage.
The girl standing beside Mai Sakurajima handled the presentation and photography. After everything was completed, Usa stepped down from the stage. She knew there were two First Prizes, so she listened carefully for the name of the other winner.
"First Prize, Class 2-E—Nao Fujime and Shunsuke Aoi."
Eh?
Descending from the stage, Usa Saion blinked in surprise. It's not Kotomi Izumi? Instead, it was two boys from Class 2-E.
Could it be that Kotomi Izumi and her group didn't win anything at all? Usa thought.
Once that idea formed, she became more and more convinced it had to be true.
They must not have won anything. Otherwise, why would all the prizes be handed out already, and their names still haven't been called? How shameless—showing up here pretending they're award-winners when they clearly aren't. No wonder it was only Kotomi answering the congratulations earlier while her two friends just stood there awkwardly. They probably didn't have the nerve to act as thick-skinned as Kotomi. Maybe she even dragged them here against their will.
With that thought, Usa couldn't help but let out a soft, derisive laugh. In her mind, she was completely certain she was right.
With renewed confidence swelling in her chest, Usa Saion stepped down from the stage. Instead of returning to her previous spot in the corner, she strode directly toward Kotomi Izumi and her friends.
Kotomi Izumi, who was at that moment discussing with Yui and Yukino whether they should have grilled beef rolls with green peppers or cheesy Orleans chicken rolls after the ceremony, instinctively looked up when she heard approaching footsteps.
Seeing that it was Usa Saion walking toward them, Kotomi didn't think much of it. Instead, she turned back to Yui and said:
"Yui, I want both the grilled beef rolls with green peppers and the cheesy Orleans chicken rolls, but I don't like green peppers, so I'll leave them to you, okay?"
Yui Yuigahama nodded enthusiastically. "No problem!"
Yukino Yukinoshita, on the other hand, sighed and said, "You can't be picky with food, Kotomi. You're not a child anymore. You should at least try eating the green peppers—you might find they actually taste good. And Yui, you shouldn't spoil her like that. Let her eat them herself."
Kotomi pouted pitifully, furrowing her brows. "But green peppers taste awful... If it were grilled onions, I could eat them."
Yukino raised an eyebrow. "Now I'm curious—what do you do at home when your family makes stuffed peppers?"
Kotomi replied matter-of-factly, "I take the meat out from inside the pepper and have Aimi eat the peppers for me!"
"You can't just dump the food you don't like on your little sister! I thought only my foolish sister would do something like that."
"All big brothers and sisters do that~" Kotomi joked playfully, then added curiously, "Wait, so Haruno does that too?"
Yukino nodded slightly. "When we were kids, my sister hated cabbage. Every time there was cabbage in our meals, she'd wait until I wasn't looking and dump all the cabbage from her plate onto mine. And if that wasn't bad enough, right before pulling her chopsticks back, she'd steal a few pieces of meat from my plate."
Hearing about Haruno Yukinoshita's childhood antics, Kotomi couldn't help but comment:
"Haruno really is a terrible big sister, huh."
"I completely agree," Yukino said with a small nod.
During their casual chat, Usa Saion drew closer and closer until Yukino Yukinoshita finally noticed her.
Yukino nudged Kotomi Izumi's arm lightly and said quietly, "She's not coming with good intentions."
Kotomi glanced up at the approaching Usa and, pretending not to understand, asked innocently, "Sugarcane? Where's sugarcane? I'm actually kind of thirsty."
"...When we leave the gym later, head east—there's a stall selling freshly pressed sugarcane juice," Yukino replied dryly.
When Usa Saion stopped in front of Kotomi Izumi, she sneered and said, "Why hasn't your name been called even after all the awards were announced? Did they make a mistake on the list, or did you just not win anything?"
Her tone was arrogantly loud—clearly intended for everyone nearby to hear.
Kotomi's eyes darkened slightly. It seemed Yukino was right—she really wasn't here for anything good.
Usa's words caused a ripple through the crowd. Whispers spread around them:
"What's going on over there?"
"That girl looks like Usa Saion. She's got a really... aggressive personality."
"Is she picking a fight with Kotomi?"
Kotomi cast Usa a calm, almost indifferent glance. The faint curve of her lips—like a sharp thorn—pierced straight into Usa's heart.
To Usa, Kotomi's tranquil composure looked like unbearable arrogance—like a queen who never deigned to notice the crawling ants beneath her feet. That subtle, polite smile on her lips wasn't warmth—it was cutting mockery disguised as kindness.
"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Usa snapped coldly.
Kotomi didn't rush to reply. Instead, she turned slightly to glance behind her—at Yui Yuigahama, who, upon seeing someone trying to pick a fight with Kotomi, had quietly picked up a nearby folding chair. She even gave it a few experimental swings, testing the weight.
From the look of it, Yui was planning to sneak up behind Usa and bring the chair down on her head—
So she could, as she might say, "gently awaken her sleeping soul."
"Ahem."
Kotomi coughed softly. As touched as she was by her beloved dumpling's fierce protectiveness, she couldn't quite let this one play out. With Yui's strength, if she really swung that chair down on someone's head...
The result would probably look like when you drop a watermelon in summer—smashed to pieces, red juice splattered everywhere.
Hearing Kotomi's subtle cue, Yui reluctantly set the chair back down. She had been fully ready to give Usa's head at least a hundred whacks.
After making sure Yui stood down, Kotomi subtly stepped sideways, shielding Yukino behind her. She had noticed that Yukino's cold eyes had been fixed not just on Usa, but also on the ropes lying nearby—her expression calm, but her aura sharp.
Why'd you have to provoke both of them? Kotomi thought. This girl's either bold or just stupid.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kotomi said softly, smiling. "After the First Prizes, isn't there still the Grand Prize? What if Yui, Yukino, and I happen to win that?"
"Grand Prize? You really know how to dream!" Usa scoffed. "You didn't win anything, but you still have the nerve to stand here pretending you did. People can be shameless, but this level of shamelessness is almost impressive."
Usa snorted coldly, her irritation flaring as a dark scowl crossed her face. She looked down on Kotomi with open contempt.
Kotomi merely shook her head.
When a person doesn't want to believe something, you can explain it to them a thousand times—they still won't believe it. They'll only believe the story they've already told themselves.
Though no one around harbored hostility toward Kotomi, even they found her mention of the Grand Prize hard to believe.
After all, Sobu High hadn't awarded it in three years. Most had assumed the school had simply retired it.
"All right, all right, calm down, both of you," someone interjected.
"Maybe the announcer just forgot to read Kotomi and her friends' names," another added, trying to defuse the tension.
--
Kotomi Izumi didn't pay any attention to Usa Saion. Glancing toward the stage, she saw Mai Sakurajima looking back at her with a faint smile. When their eyes met, Mai raised a discreet thumbs-up.
Kotomi immediately understood and returned a smile, giving a small nod in response.
Without a word spoken, the two had silently exchanged a moment of perfect understanding.
"Isn't the award ceremony over already? Why hasn't Kotomi's name been called yet?"
"Could it really be like Usa said? Maybe Kotomi didn't win anything and just showed up pretending she did?"
"Kotomi doesn't seem like that kind of person though..."
"Then how do you explain that her name still hasn't been read out?"
Kotomi didn't bother answering. Instead, she patted Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder, then beckoned Yui Yuigahama over with a small gesture—telling her to stop thinking about picking up that folding chair again to bash Usa's head in.
Yui had been pouting slightly when she saw Kotomi touch Yukino's shoulder, ready to get jealous again, but before she could, Kotomi reached over and patted her gently on the head.
Just like a puppy being petted by its owner, Yui instantly brightened up, all her bad mood vanishing in an instant.
"Let's go," Kotomi said softly with a smile. "It's our turn."
Though Yui and Yukino still didn't know which award they had won, both of them chose to trust Kotomi completely. They followed her lead without hesitation.
As Kotomi took her first step forward, Usa Saion sneered.
"What? You really think you won the Grand Prize? The ceremony's already over. Going up there now just to embarrass yourself—why not admit you lost? Is it really that hard?"
"I already said," Kotomi replied with an unbothered smile, "the award we received is the Grand Prize. If you don't believe it, then don't. After all—"
Her voice, calm and warm a moment ago, suddenly grew cold. Her eyes sharpened as she looked down on Usa Saion with quiet disdain, as if finally deigning to glance at an ant crushed beneath her heel.
"I, Kotomi Izumi, owe no explanation to the likes of you."
With that, Kotomi turned and led Yukino and Yui toward the stage.
The crowd was stunned. The ceremony had clearly ended after the First Prizes—no more names had been called. For Kotomi to walk up now… wasn't she just walking into humiliation?
"Hey, Kotomi, calm down! Don't do anything rash!" Akira Hiyama called out quickly.
But Kotomi didn't even seem to hear her. She walked steadily forward, each step measured and sure.
And then—Mai Sakurajima's voice echoed through the gymnasium:
"Grand Prize—Class 1-F: Kotomi Izumi, Yui Yuigahama, and Yukino Yukinoshita!"
Her announcement resounded through every corner of the gym, loud and unmistakable.
Kotomi Izumi and her group had won the Grand Prize—the award that hadn't been given in three years!
In that instant, Usa Saion froze as if struck by lightning.
She stood motionless, the echo of Kotomi's name ringing in her ears, her trembling eyes fixed on the white-haired girl's back as she ascended the stage—step by steady step, growing more distant with each one.
"Kotomi Izumi... she really... won the Grand Prize?!"
Kotomi's cold, mocking smile from earlier flashed in Usa's mind again like a nightmare.
"Usa..." Akira Hiyama murmured helplessly. She didn't know what to say. She hated seeing things get so tense between Kotomi and Usa—but Usa had clearly gone too far. Akira had almost stepped in several times but didn't have the courage to scold her friend outright.
I, Kotomi Izumi, owe no explanation to the likes of you.
Those words weren't a challenge—they were a statement of fact.
They weren't declaring war. They were a declaration of truth.
A reminder that Usa Saion wasn't even qualified to stand on the same stage as her.
Akira Hiyama quietly began to clap for Kotomi Izumi, choosing not to look at Usa anymore.
Usa cared too much about pride—too obsessed with winning. Comforting her now would only hurt her more.
Ruriya... you fell for Kotomi Izumi, huh? I can't blame you—your taste is good. But she's too extraordinary. Can you really hope to stand beside her? Akira thought silently to herself.
—
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