Chapter 109: Being Compared

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Translator: Soafp

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On the morning of the national holiday, with school closed for the day, Sora let out a long yawn aboard the bus heading toward the station. As the vehicle moved along, she exchanged cheerful “Good Morning” stamps with Ginji before rubbing her eyes. She had spent the previous day deep in study and then stayed up late into the night preparing her test workbook.

“…So sleepy. Kinda overdid it with the problem set…”

She wore a pair of worn denim overalls, the cuffs rolled up, along with a slightly oversized white blouse designed for women. Her sneakers were chunky mesh kicks—Sora's favorite type of footwear, partly because their thick soles made her a bit taller.

She had worn these overalls since her days of dressing like a boy, but her current hairstyle and feminine blouse, while still boyish in vibe, now gave off a clearly girlish impression. More than anything, Sora had begun caring about her appearance—and much more than she realized, it made her strikingly attractive. Even on a quiet holiday morning, she was drawing attention on the bus.

“Kōen-mae, Kōen-mae. Please watch your step as you exit.”

“Here we go… Alright.”

Shouldering her bag and paying via smartphone, she stepped off the bus. Though it was only 7 AM, the sun was already high and beating down. After a five-minute walk, she reached her destination.

It was a low-rise building with a second-floor sign that read Atelier M. The entrance was narrow, but inside seemed surprisingly spacious. A poster proclaiming “Over 100 Art University Admissions!” hung nearby. Sora, looking like she'd done this countless times, headed to the reception desk and showed her student card for the art studio.

“Well, well—Sora-chan. Long time no see… And you're looking awfully cute today.”

An elderly man with white hair, a beret, and round glasses chuckled heartily.

“It's been a while, Shige-sensei. A lot's happened… I don't have to dress like that anymore.”

“I see… You're like a different person.”

His eyes sparkled with the clarity of someone who had devoted his life to observing. Sora felt a little nervous under his gaze.

“C'mon, you knew me back in junior high, right? I only dressed as a guy for about half a year. I haven't changed that much…”

“You were here just a month ago, right? Even since then—especially since junior high—you've changed a lot. You seem… more balanced. Beautiful, even.”

“Th-thank you… very much…”

Though the art studio had long been one of the few places Sora could talk freely, being praised so directly still embarrassed her.

“You're welcome. So, using the usual workspace today?”

“Actually… I'd like to attend a lecture for the first time in a while.”

“Today's session is an advanced figure drawing. Not oil painting. We'll be doing comparison critique too—think you're up for it?”

“Yup. Since it's almost exam time, oils would take too long. And… I want to challenge myself with comparison critique too. Is it okay if I join last-minute?”

“It's just me and my wife here—we're pretty relaxed. Most of the others who come during the break are kids from prep schools, anyway.”

“I saw that poster saying you had a ton of students accepted into art universities…”

“Looks good on a wall, doesn't it? Come on in.”

With another raspy laugh, he ushered her into the large classroom near the front. The room had easel stands and drawing boards ready to go. Several students were already seated—clearly older than Sora.

The studio's loose reservation system, combined with the nearby art prep school, meant many of the attendees were repeat-year students rather than current high schoolers.

“Alright…”

Sora placed her bag at a spot without nearby students, then pulled out her apron and arm covers to start setting up.

More students trickled in over time, and—as always—Sora avoided eye contact, directing her focus entirely to her workspace.

Those entering scanned the room for open seats… and stopped dead when they saw her.

“Wait—who's that super cute girl!?”

That was the unspoken cry of nearly everyone present. The male-to-female ratio was roughly 2:1. While some paid her no mind, most of the room was clearly on edge. A number of them had previously taken classes with Sora but failed to connect this version of her—post-boyish phase—with their memories.

To the repeaters in the room, it looked like: “Out of nowhere, a beautiful girl appeared in our all-too-familiar studio.” For students teetering between dreams and reality, the shock was immense. Ironically, it was the girls who seemed more shaken.

“Who is she? Why's someone like that here…?”

“She's got to be a current student… never seen her before… scary…”

“We were all current students once too, remember? But still… she's dazzling—I can't even look directly.”

“I heard rumors about a silver-haired doll-like kid at this studio years ago…”

“…I am not losing.”

While whispering discreetly so Sora wouldn't hear, many gathered around her.

At 8:30 AM sharp, Shige-sensei entered and immediately silenced the room.

“Alright, today's theme is plaster bust drawing. The one we're using is pretty simple, so you'll have five hours. After that, we'll critique each other's work. Let me explain the key points first.”

A bust of a foreigner with deep facial features was placed at the front. Once the tips were shared, everyone, now used to the process, grabbed their frames and pencils and began sketching. Though they'd all been distracted by Sora earlier, as soon as they had their task, the air became serious again.

Only the sound of pencils scratching paper could be heard—a small sound, but it filled the space with quiet intensity.

Sora was the last to start drawing. But once she did, her hand never paused—not even to check the bust. It was as if her pencil weren't drawing on the paper, but carving the sculpture out of it.

By 4:30 PM, the drawings were finished. Shige-sensei arranged them by quality for comparison. Sora's piece was placed in the top-left—the best position. Some students clenched their jaws hard.

In plaster bust drawing, where abstract interpretation is minimal, raw technical skill is everything. The disparity was undeniable.

“Alright, brief critiques… The top row is clearly a cut above. What separates them from the rest is how well they captured the light areas' volume. That's where the biggest difference lies. Today's best work belongs to Takagi-san. From this drawing alone, you can tell exactly where she was sitting and how she viewed the bust. Her handling of light and shadow is outstanding… She used to just draw what she saw, but now she draws how it felt. That's an important leap… Alright, next—”

At the mention of her name, all eyes turned to Sora. Their stares were laced with envy, admiration, curiosity. Sora, clearly uncomfortable, shrank under the weight of their attention.

As soon as the critiques ended, she scrambled to pack up and dashed out of the classroom. A few students had wanted to talk to her, but missed the chance, exchanging awkward glances instead.

“That girl is insane… She started last, finished first, and still topped the rankings.”

“Yeah, sometimes you get monsters like that. And she's that pretty on top of it? God really is unfair… But whatever. No point looking up forever—we've got to push through. If I don't get into art school this year, my parents are gonna drag me home.”

“Sensei said she's improved since before—has she always been here?”

“Maybe in the kids' program? She's tiny. Maybe she just refused comparison critiques before?”

“She's not that tiny, okay?”

“Can we not talk about chest size, thanks…”

“Wait—wasn't she that girl who went viral recently? My little sister goes to her school.”

One of the boys interrupted the girls' chat, holding out his phone. It showed an image of Sora in a dress—taken at that clothing shop not long ago.

…

Meanwhile, Sora—still reeling from the attention during critique—staggered her way to Ginji's house. When she rang the doorbell, Ginji, wearing an apron, answered.

“Hey, you're early. I'm making fried rice toni—whoa, what's wrong?”

Seeing Sora clutching her bag and looking downcast, he leaned forward, concerned.

“G-Ginjiiii…”

With tear-filled eyes, Sora threw herself into his arms.

“I-It was scary… But I did my best—so praise me!”

“…What happened?”

Though puzzled, Ginji caught her firmly in his arms and gently stroked her head.

From the living room, Tetsuya peeked out, saw the two of them embracing at the door, gave a knowing nod, and quietly went back to setting the dinner table by himself.