Chapter 38: Leadership [side Mishima Satsuki]
The sports festival was over. The sports festival ended with the usual excitement.
The sports festival, led by Akino-chan from the second clique, had everyone in the class wearing matching class T-shirts in our team color, and the girls all wore headbands styled like cat ears in the team color to show our unity.
Of course, it was all about class unity, so I did it too!
The response on social media was great—people said it was cute and that they could feel our teamwork! The class got hyped! The reactions were great... but our team lost, right? Overall, if you look at it, it was just average, wasn't it?
...That's why there's this, right? No matter how excited everyone gets, in the end, whether your team wins is just luck, isn't it? That's why Akino-chan got the sports festival, and I got the culture festival assigned to me!
I mean, the culture festival definitely has a bigger budget, and you can get clear results from things like the food stalls and events, right?
Sure, if you have a lot of physical monsters in your class, you might win, but winning and losing is just too dependent on luck.
Next up, after about a month at the culture festival, I'll get results, take charge of Akino-chan and the second clique, and make everyone see that I'm the one who can really lead!
In HR, when they picked the festival committee, I nominated Kageno-chan, our group's number two!
Of course, we'd already talked about it, and it was already decided, and I'd let everyone know in advance about the food stall plans and gotten their approval, too.
...Rena Kashii was great at using this method. Prepping behind the scenes, letting everyone know, asking for cooperation. She was so good that the second clique almost never went against her... It's frustrating, but I learned from it—if you don't do things right, being in the top clique is a dangerous spot.
See Chapter 31: Class 1-5's Conflict.
Kageno: "So, our food stall for Class 5 will be a maid café!"
It might be old-fashioned. But nothing says festival vibes and excitement like this!
Cute costumes, flashy events! And for the boys, only the good-looking ones will dress like butlers, right?
This will totally hype things up, right?
The second clique girls were all,
"Isn't this a bit too basic?"
"There's definitely going to be other classes doing the same thing, you know?"
"...But... I want to wear a cute maid outfit!"
Nah, nah, there's no maid outfit for you lot to wear (lol).
I quietly told Kageno-chan to have the second clique work backstage.
The supporting strength behind the scenes? Go for it, second clique!
Hehe! It's hilarious.
I'm going to have my maid outfit be the flashiest and cutest one!
I mean, if you don't show off the cutest girl, no customers will come in!
And then, on the second day of the two-day culture festival, around noon, there's the beauty contest.
I'm entering that!
Not just defending the top clique of the class, but aiming for number one in our year!
Actually, aiming to be the top of the whole school!
I'm going to focus on the beauty contest and get myself ready.
If I win, our class will draw in even more customers!
A major plan that kills two birds with one stone!
After HR ended, Kageno-chan came up to me and said,
Kageno: "Hey, Satsuki. About the maid outfits?"
Can we even make maid outfits? Or should we just buy them?
I have no idea. I'll leave it to you.
"Ah, just handle it however you think is best! I'm busy!"
Kageno-chan asked back, sounding flustered,
Kageno: "Huh? This was your idea, right? Don't you have a supplier or some kind of plan?!"
Kageno-chan is a sharp-looking beauty with long black hair who could be top of her class in another group, smart and pretty. But apparently, she's not the type who wants to be at the top. She's capable and attentive, so she's super useful and basically our group's number two.
And then, I told her about the beauty contest.
This will draw in customers for sure, right? I'll absolutely make sure it has a CM effect!
Even then, she kept grumbling about needing more people and arrangements...
"Come on, you can use everyone in the class however you want! Kageno-chan, you're so competent, I can totally trust you!"
Kageno-chan might look severe, but she's surprisingly easy to flatter,
Kageno: "Geez! You think you can just butter me up and get your way! Okay, then, I'll use everyone in the class, all right?"
With the maid café left to Kageno-chan, I'm going all in on the beauty contest!
I'll become beautiful! I'll get results! I'm competing in a whole different league from when people used to call me plain!
My boyfriend, Masaki, was smiling and said,
Masaki: "Satsuki, I bet you'll do great."
Huh? Do great? Am I not that cute?
When I asked back, Masaki got flustered,
Masaki: "No! That's not it! It's just that upperclassmen always have the advantage every year because they're more well-known."
...That was a blind spot.
It's true that the third-years and second-years might remember girls they saw in last year's beauty contest, or since it's the same school, the more years you're here, the more your popularity increases.
But apparently, there's a rumor that last year's Miss First-Year, Tendou-san, is dropping out this year?
Among our year, it's confirmed that Nagase from Class 4 isn't entering either.
Also, there's a persistent rumor that Nagase Aya is the cutest out of all the first-years this year.
Huh? I mean, you can tell she's cute if you look at her.
She's in the class next door, and since my boyfriend Masaki and her desk neighbor Kousuke are nearby, I see her a lot...
I don't like that girl.
She's always looked at me coldly, like she's looking down on me.
What's up with that? People say she's friendly, outgoing, talented, and popular, but whenever I try to talk to her, she ignores me.
And on top of that, my boyfriend Masaki! Maybe because they're in the same class, there's a rumor about him flirting with Nagase!
I'll say it again: I don't like that girl.
But even Nagase isn't in the beauty contest!
There are plenty of cute girls. I won't let my guard down, but it's my advantage!
At the very least, I'm aiming for Miss First-Year! But I'm really going for Miss Hokusho!
My battle is about to begin!