"Then I wish you first place," Yusei said.
"Of course! When it comes to drawing, I'm the ace among aces in the Arts department!" Eriri's voice was full of pride.
After chatting a bit more, Yusei hung up. Since Eriri was busy, he would handle it himself.
Fortunately, the house was spacious, with a study reserved for Yusei's work.
"Tohru, make me a cup of coffee," Yusei called out to Tohru, who was watching TV outside.
He went to set up his drawing tools.
"Okay!" Tohru responded cheerfully.
Although the TV was very appealing, she unconditionally obeyed Yusei's commands, having perfectly become a qualified maid.
After setting up the easel and other tools and placing the aromatic coffee nearby, Yusei was just about to start drawing when his phone, placed beside him, rang again.
He answered the call. A slightly seductive and alluring voice came through.
"Yusei-kun?"
"Utaha-chan? What's up?" Yusei put the phone on speaker and placed it to the side, talking while he started drawing.
"Can't I call you if there's nothing wrong, you jerk?"
"Being called a jerk so suddenly, I had no defense ready... Alright then, Utaha-sama, I actually really wanted to hear your voice too," Yusei laughed.
The person on the other end seemed amused by his words and chuckled lightly, "Alright, I'll stop teasing. Let's get to business. Have you been to school recently?"
"School? No, the last time was when I went shopping with you and Megumi."
"I see. Well, about the recent school event... are you curious? It's very suitable for a student like you who skips class often," Utaha deliberately built up suspense.
"The event? You mean the one where first place in a talent category gets a year's worth of credits?" Yusei said.
"Eh, you already know? Did Yuuki-san tell you?"
"No, Sawamura Eriri just told me. I'm not really interested. I don't plan on participating."
'Sawamura Eriri...' Utaha on the other end of the line noted the name. Of course, she knew who Sawamura Eriri was, after all, they had attended the same high school.
But she hadn't expected that amidst so many rivals, that blonde, flat-chested girl would pop up again.
Feeling she couldn't compete with Asuna or Kaguya, Utaha seemed to have found a new target.
'I might not be able to deal with the others, but can't I handle you, you blonde? Hmph!'
However, she didn't show any dissatisfaction in front of Yusei. Instead, she pretended to be mysterious and said, "Even so, there's actually a loophole in the rules. I think Yusei-kun might be interested."
"A loophole? Tell me about it," Yusei said.
"Hehe, actually, this event doesn't limit the number of categories a student can enter, nor does it limit how many times a student can win the one-year credit reward."
"In other words, if Yusei-kun puts in a little effort, you might just max out all four years' worth of credits in one go."
Utaha's words did pique Yusei's interest. Although he wasn't keen on school, as his mind was fully focused on the Path to Godhood mission, the idea of easily obtaining four years' worth of credits was quite appealing.
"What about you? Since you're saying all this, are you planning to participate, Utaha-chan?" Yusei asked curiously.
"Of course. There are categories for literary writing, novel creation, etc. Plus, there are bonuses for social achievements and public recognition. I have a natural advantage!" Utaha said proudly.
"Public recognition? What does that mean?" Yusei asked.
"Didn't I publish our brainchild back in high school? That novel gave me a track record in writing, and that record can actually be used as a bonus for this event."
"Or, to put it directly, there's a specific category for online writers like us. I'm not the only one at Tokyo University writing novels, as there are others. There's a category specifically for us online writers."
"The judging is simple too, based on three aspects: novel royalties, popularity, and content quality."
"I see. So it looks like you've already reserved first place," Yusei said.
Utaha's [Metronome in Love] was indeed a successful work. Even some people who had been in the online novel industry for over a decade didn't have a work as popular as hers.
How popular was it? The fact that industry insiders called her [Kasumi Utako-sensei] said it all.
The title 'Sensei' isn't used lightly, as it's reserved for those who have achieved a certain level of success and prestige in their field.
Clearly, Utaha was special. Yusei doubted there was another 'Sensei' like her in the entire Tokyo University.
Barring any surprises, first place in the novel category was practically reserved for Utaha.
"Hehe, exactly. So, what do you think, Yusei-kun? Planning to participate?" Utaha sounded eager, seemingly more excited than Yusei himself.
"Participate, huh?" Yusei hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and decided it wouldn't waste much time. Getting free tuition and having a bit of fun sounded pretty good.
"Let me ask first. Since there's a novel category, is there a manga category?" Yusei thought of his own Attack on Titan.
In the manga world, he was also considered a 'Sensei', and his earnings were far, far greater than Utaha's.
"Of course there is! Japan's manga industry is very developed. Even though people might say they hate otaku, many Tokyo University's graduates actually end up working in related industries."
"In that case, I'll sign up. Manga is one, and Kendo can be another," Yusei said.
"What about the other two? Doesn't Yusei-kun want to max out the credits directly?"
"Then let's add Kyudo as well. As for the last one..." Yusei thought it over.
He considered adding Kyudo because the Authority of Takemikazuchi he possessed included [God of Archery].
In fact, he had never actually used a bow, so he felt this is a good opportunity to try out just how powerful the [God of Archery] was.
For the final category, Yusei thought hard. He found another of Takemikazuchi's Authorities interesting, but was worried the school might not have such a category. So he asked, "Utaha, does the school have any strategy-based categories?"