Chapter 59: Beauty Contest Main Event Second Half [side Mishima Satsuki]
Murmur... murmur!
The audience is buzzing...!
Ugh, it's so annoying!
That Tomonaga girl is using dirty tricks, playing her own commercials non-stop to promote herself!
I heard yesterday that the film club guys made a documentary about Yukari Tomonaga's diet project and presented it.
When I heard that, I was like, huh?
Isn't it just a fat girl who got dumped and lost weight to get back at someone?
Good for you, nice job! That's about all it deserves, right?
Ugh, it's so annoying!
Anyone who watches that and worships Tomonaga as a heroine, or says, "Even introverts can do it if they try!" is just pathetic.
...Above all, Kousuke and Tanaka from the same middle school. Back when I was dating Kousuke, I told the film club guys to quit because they were just a bunch of otakus, and now it feels like they've tripped me up, which irritates me even more... .
Even when Tomonaga walks or stops at the center of the runway, cheers erupt.
I watch her with bitter feelings.
What's with that? A white dress.
Acting all pure and innocent like that... are you a virgin or something?
My evening dress is supposed to be sexier and prettier... .
I remember, yesterday when I returned to class... .
☆ ☆ ☆
The maid café is packed even at the end of lunchtime.
Kageno "Satsuki! Welcome back! How did it go!"
Yeah, I think I'll do pretty well... but that Tomonaga girl is such an eyesore... .
"Well, the Miss Freshman title might be a close race."
Kageno-chan seemed relieved and muttered that a lot of people who saw the beauty contest pre-event PR have been coming in since earlier... .
Kageno "You did your best! But hey, something crazy is happening next door... do you know about it?"
I said with bitter feelings,
"There's this girl, Yukari Tomonaga, from the class next door who's in the beauty contest. She's showing off in a maid outfit."
Kageno "Tomonaga? Was there someone like that? The mysterious beauty everyone was talking about for a while?"
"Mysterious beauty? Sounds like something out of a light novel that otakus love (lol)."
It's true that both Class 5 and Class 6 are super crowded... it's so frustrating... .
Class 6 is... way more lively.
I said, "I'm gonna take a look," and peeked into the neighboring Class 6,
Tomonaga "Yes! Iced coffee and a sandwich set, right! ...Yes! Oh, thank you for the support! Ah!"
Yukari-chan is so cute!
She's such a natural!
Just like in the documentary!
I recorded it!
Suddenly, Osada, dressed in black, approaches with a serious face,
Osada "We do not allow recording or filming in our café. Hey."
Some boys from the class surround the otaku-looking guy who was recording and make him delete the footage from his phone.
Anyway, Class 6 is incredibly lively.
...More than ours...!
A girl who's in the beauty contest doing such menial work... .
Well, whatever, if she's busy with maid work, that's convenient for me.
Returning to Class 5,
"Kageno-chan! I'm gonna prepare for tomorrow!"
Kageno-chan panics,
"Satsuki! Be a maid! We're short on people! If you do maid work here steadily, you'll get fans who'll vote for you tomorrow!"
"Even if I scrape by with a few votes, I won't win! I need to come up with a strategy! I'll take off the maid outfit right away, so handle the staff however you want, Kageno-chan!"
Shaking off Kageno-chan's attempts to stop me, I get ready to leave!
Of course, I'll take off the maid outfit and let everyone come contribute to the maid café.
...I've already lost interest in this mass-produced maid outfit.
☆ ☆ ☆
In the end, I went home early, but I kept thinking about various things, which led to choosing the evening dress, so I can't change my outfit now, and there's no special strategy coming to mind.
If anything, maybe shorten the hem a bit to make my legs look longer and sexier? That's about it.
In the end, seeing that,
Masaki "As expected, Satsuki, you're the best... ."
"Geez... the dress will get wrinkled... ah... ."
I didn't come up with any particular strategy... well, maybe just topped up on feminine hormones? Some lovable charm? That's it.
That's important, right?
☆ ☆ ☆
The first half of the main event, the date outfit check, is over.
How did it go? Cheers don't always translate to votes, but... I can't deny I'm at a disadvantage.
I even asked my boyfriend Masaki for help, to ask his friends and others to vote for me, but... .
Honestly, I feel like I'm at a disadvantage... .
This is all because of that girl, and Kousuke and Tanaka from the film club!
So frustrating! Why me!
Losing to some nobody who just popped up out of nowhere!
I change clothes while feeling anxious.
It's the final uniform check.
Since everyone's wearing the same uniform, the difference in raw material really stands out.
Since we're all girls, I can kind of tell just by looking,
Tomonaga "...What are you looking at? Don't do anything underhanded, okay?"
Huh? That sounds so rude...?
I hate this person.
Whether I win or lose, I have to show off my looks!
There's nothing more I can do.
I've polished myself to the limit.
Look closely! I'm the most beautiful and cute, right!
In uniform, I walk down the runway and stop at the center.
Huh? Something feels off?
The murmuring feels unsettling?
Doesn't that girl... look like the one who insulted Yukari-chan?
Huh?... In uniform, it kinda feels like that?
Huh? The awful girl who badmouthed Yukari-chan?
Awful girl? This one?!
The commotion is getting bigger?!
What is this?
I can feel the crowd's malice? What is this?
It's so scary, everyone is looking at me with contempt and disdain...!
Did I do something wrong?!
Because I dumped Kousuke?
Because I got three failing grades?
Because I skipped out on preparing for the maid café?
Because I bullied someone low on the class hierarchy?
Anyway, I can feel the crowd's malice swelling.
The beauty contest headquarters at the announcer's seat are frantically discussing something.
If this continues, someone might throw something, or it could turn into a riot!
What is that! So scary!
For now, the uniform check is suspended... and at that moment, Tomonaga steps onto the runway!
I'm not done yet!
The crowd suddenly fell silent.
And then, with cheers loud enough to split the air,
Yukari! Yukari! Yukari!
Yukari-chan! I found the awful woman who insulted Yukari-chan!
Should we do it? Should we do it?
Absolutely unforgivable!
The audience starts making a commotion!
So scary!
Tomonaga "Everyone! It's okay! She's not the one! Don't get so angry!"
Huh? She's not?
Yukari-san is so kind...!
It's okay? Isn't she just covering for her?
She's not? Oh, I see.
With just one word from Tomonaga, the situation calms down.
That was really scary...!
The first-year division has ended.
Next will be the second-years and third-years, followed by the results announcement, but...
It's frustrating, but this time, it's probably Yukari Tomonaga's victory.
Just look at the crowd's reaction.
This year's beauty contest wasn't decided by looks or appearance.
I was made to realize that things like this can happen too...
Tomonaga "Huh? Why do you look like it's already over?"
It's almost over, and just as I'm thinking I don't care about a beauty contest I can't win, Tomonaga comes over.
...Well, I guess things settled down because of this person's words... Should I thank her? Nah, I won't.
This person probably wants something from me anyway.
Tomonaga "If I win Miss First-Year, apologize to me. For all the insults you hurled at me that day during summer break."
What is this person, getting all cocky!
It's still before the results announcement, but this person is already so sure of winning!
"Huh? Insults?"
I decided to play dumb.
I just teased her a little, right?
Tomonaga "That day, at that location, Tanaka-kun recorded the scene and aired it in a documentary with faces blurred. That's why everyone noticed you and harbors such hostility."
"Huh? They're using my footage without permission! I'm the one who deserves an apology!"
Tomonaga, with cold eyes,
Tomonaga "Then, I'll say that Mishima-san is actually the girl who spewed those abusive words. I covered for you because canceling the beauty contest would be a problem, but really..."
Wait, having that hostility directed at me would be seriously bad.
"Okay, fine. I'll apologize first. Sorry. Is this good enough?"
Tomonaga "Of course it's not good enough! You said such awful things, and you think a simple sorry will cut it? Fine, I get it. After this is over, I'll tell the truth."
It's the truth, but that's so harsh! Why is it always me?!
I just want to cry!
Even so, facing that kind of hostility and trying to live a normal school life is way too scary...!
I made up my mind and bowed my head deeply,
"I'll apologize first... Yukari Tomonaga-san... During summer break, I mocked you for being rejected and laughed at you for being fat. I'm sorry... Is this okay?"
Tomonaga "After the beauty contest is over, don't ever get involved with me again, okay?"
Tomonaga walked away...
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
Tomonaga! Kousuke! Tanaka!
Is it because of that documentary thing?!
Because of that, I'm being blamed, exposed to malice, and even had the beauty contest award I was looking forward to stolen from me!
After this, there was the beauty contest award ceremony, but I had no interest anymore, so after coldly watching Miss Hokusho being called and the winner breaking down in tears, I quietly stepped off the stage and went home right away.
Seriously, unbelievable!