Festival of Love and Hate
One afternoon, not long before the culture festival...
Some of the boys of Class 2-4 were murmuring excitedly as they stared at the flier that had been passed around to each class. It was a recruitment flier for that major culture festival event, the Miss Jindai High pageant. Last year’s winner had been a third-year who had since graduated, which meant there was no obvious favorite to win this year. This led to a lot of speculation among the boys.
“Who do you think it’ll be this year?”
“Saeki-san from Class 1 would be the obvious choice. She placed second last year, and she’s pretty and classy.”
“There’s room for debate, for sure, but she’s a pretty solid choice.”
“And she’s in the drama club. She’s got that presence, that aura... all on another level.”
“But Mikihara in Class 3 is great, too. She’s more the quiet, unassuming type.”
“Yeah, I get you! She’s got lots of secret admirers.”
“And she’s got hidden assets. She wears a long, modest skirt and acts like a good girl, but in her gym uniform...”
“Yeah, those projectile weapons. Once I was timing their sprints, and...”
“Yeah, I saw it! The jiggling...”
“Amazing. Almost did me in.”
The boys offered their unsolicited opinions one after another.
Incidentally, this was going on concurrently with our last story, while Class 2-4 was still struggling to prepare their café in time. Even though it was lunch time, they surely had better things to do than engage in such leisurely conversation, and yet...
“But enough about the other classes. What about our own girls?” Onodera Kotaro, the main instigator of the topic, offered.
The other guys had a look around the classroom.
“Of course, if you’re just basing it on looks...”
“...There’s an obvious choice, yeah, but...”
Their gazes united on a girl sitting nearby, eating her lunch—Chidori Kaname, who had long black hair and excellent curves, a symmetrical face, and pretty features. She looked like the kind of person who might get scouted as a model any day now. Except...
“Ahh... hahm, om nom nom... Mgh! Man, you can’t beat Hanamaru Pan’s yakisoba rolls! That’s what they call filling! There’s no better moment in life. Irresistible!” She laughed heartily, her face contorted in a way that lacked even the slightest trace of eroticism.
“Kana-chan... you’re such an old man.” Tokiwa Kyoko, who was eating with her, whispered disapprovingly while poking at her own bento box.
“Yeah, every time...” Kotaro sighed.
The other boys agreed, chiming in with their own anecdotal evidence.
“Remember what happened last year when we started talking about nominating Chidori for the pageant?”
“But when we saw her like that, we decided not to.”
“If only she could sit and be quiet...”
Realizing that the boys were watching her, Kaname flinched. “Huh? What? You can’t have my yakisoba roll, if that’s what you want. I won this through blood, sweat, and tears.”
“Wouldn’t want it,” they responded in chorus.
“We were talking about Miss Jindai. You might win it if you could clean up your act a little,” one boy said.
Kaname cackled in response. “Miss Jindai? How stupid,” she scoffed. “It’s nothing but sexual commodification and misogyny. I’m anti-pageant and anti-participation.” She laughed heartily again.
“C’mon, it might be fun. You can nominate yourself, or someone else can nominate you.”
“You might do pretty well.”
“And there’s amazing prizes. A DVD recorder and stuff.”
When Kotaro said that, Sagara Sousuke, sitting nearby eating French field rations (renowned for their tastiness as field rations went), perked up his ears. “Onodera. Is this true?” he asked sullenly.
“Yeah. It runs about 50,000 normally.”
“A pageant, you said? It might be worth entering such an event.” Sousuke thought about it seriously for a few minutes while Kaname and Kotaro stared at him in disbelief. “What is it?” he asked. “Why are you looking at me that way, Chidori?”
“Sousuke... could you summarize what you think Miss Jindai is?” said Kaname. “Fifty words or less.”
“Miss Jindai: short for Mission Jindai,” Sousuke replied. “The participants are given a grueling series of tasks—running a shooting marathon in full armor, indoor CQB, assembling a firearm in a certain time limit—and forced to compete in these fields.”
“The way you can get things so far off the mark... it’s impressive, in its way.”
Sousuke just looked at her in confusion.
Ignoring him, then, Kaname looked back at the other boys and shrugged. “The point is, I’m just not interested. Though it’s an honor to have been considered.”
“Fine, then.”
That was the end of the Miss Jindai talk.
Then the next day, after class, in the student council room...
Kaname was working on minor tasks in preparation for the culture festival, when the door opened and a girl entered. She was tall, with slightly wavy shoulder-length hair and almond-shaped eyes, and fair, smooth skin.
Who’s this? Kaname wondered, having never seen her before. I don’t remember a girl this pretty at our school... Nevertheless, the number of bands on the other girl’s uniform sleeve suggested that she was a second-year.
The girl looked around the student council room and said, “Is it just you here?”
“What? Oh, yes... They all left to buy things and discuss things...” Kaname responded quickly. It was just her and the new girl.
“Do you know where Sagara-kun is?” the girl asked.
She knows Sousuke? Kaname felt even warier now. “He’s tossing out the trash. He’ll probably be back soon.”
“I see. Then maybe I’ll just wait here.” The girl took a seat in a nearby folding chair.
“Excuse me... you mind if I ask who you are?” Kaname asked trepidatiously.
The girl just smiled smugly in response. “You don’t recognize me, Chidori-san?”
“No. I’m sorry, I don’t.”
The girl didn’t appear hurt by her lack of recognition. Instead, she smiled in satisfaction. “Excellent. Ha ha ha...”
“May I ask...?”
“Shoji. Shoji Mia.”
Kaname hesitated for a second in confusion... then shot up out of her seat. “What? What?!” Shoji Mia from Class 2-2—the vice president of the women’s basketball team. She’d caused them a real headache during the first term’s inter-class tournament, and Kaname honestly didn’t like her very much. They hardly ever talked, and they barely interacted, either. “You’re her?!”
“I am.”
“But... but you’re—” Fair-skinned. Pretty. The Shoji Mia that Kaname knew had short hair, a tan, and an overall sporty appearance. When did she undergo this transformation? Kaname wondered. What’s going on here?!
“You already knew that I’m the ‘effort over all’ type,” Mia said quietly, sweeping a stray hair away from her downcast eyes. “After what went down at the tournament, I thought a lot of things over. I lost to you before I even fought; I can admit that now.”
“I... I see...”
“But that doesn’t mean that I lost to you as a human being,” Mia insisted. “And maybe I got a little crazy back there, but I thought I could still beat you in something and knock you down a peg. And then, one rainy day, it came to me.”
“Um... knock me down a peg?” Kaname asked in confusion.
Mia continued, “It’s clear that I can’t beat you at sports. You have the physique of a wild ape. So, I made up my mind... to beat you in beauty!”
“Beauty?”
“Yes. I hate to admit it, but you’re quite popular among the boys,” Mia told her. “‘Pretty as long as she keeps her mouth shut,’ ‘the supersonic old man girl,’ ‘the gift-eater that you wouldn’t want to date...’”
“Hang on, none of those titles are complimentary, are they? And do they really say that about me?!” Kaname asked, with tears forming in her eyes.
Mia shot a glare in her direction. “You must find it quite satisfying, Chidori-san.”
“I don’t. Not at all!”
“It’s that sarcasm of yours that I hate. Anyway, I spent all summer break refining my looks. I spent most of the rainy season going to salons, buying skin lightening oil, and refraining from my favorite hobby—surfing—to keep from getting a tan. I even underwent grueling training, standing in front of a full-length mirror and posing until I fostered the sort of mannerisms that all the boys like!”
Mia, who had always been the tomboy type, posing flirtatiously in front of the mirror... Just thinking about it made Kaname sad in a way she found hard to describe. “R-Really?”
“Are you ready, Chidori-san? I’m going to be Miss Jindai this year,” Mia boasted. “You can’t possibly beat me. This time, I’m going to win fair and square.”
“What?” said Kaname, her eyes going wide.
Mia frowned at her. “You are participating in Miss Jindai, aren’t you?”
“I didn’t have any plans—” Kaname started to say, but just then, Sousuke entered the student council room.
He set down the empty trash can and said, “I’m afraid the garbage area is almost full. It could be the result of the preparations for the culture festival, but we must think up countermeasures before it becomes a problem... Hmm?” He hummed as he saw the two girls in the room together.
Kaname leaned forward. “Hey, Sousuke, did you see what Shoji-san—”
Interrupting her, Sousuke said, “Shoji? What do you want?” He didn’t seem at all surprised to see her.
“Where were you, Sagara-kun? You promised you’d help the women’s basketball team get their crêpe shop ready,” Mia reminded him. “Did you forget?”
“Did I promise that?”
“You did. And look, see?” Smiling, Mia pulled an apron from the paper bag she was holding, pressed it up to her chest and did a twirl. “I bought it yesterday. I thought I’d wear it at the shop.”
“I see,” Sousuke said neutrally.
“What do you think? Isn’t it adorable?”
“I suppose.”
Kaname watched the exchange taking place between Sousuke and Mia, glassy-eyed. The two of them had barely interacted, as far as she knew. How could they be so friendly with each other now?
After putting on an ostentatious show of closeness with Sousuke, Mia turned back to Kaname and said, “Well, I really should be going. If you want to drop out of the Miss Jindai pageant, now’s your chance, you know? That’s all I wanted to say to you.”
“Hang on,” Kaname protested. “I haven’t even signed up for the—”
“No worries. It’s not as if I’m going to tell everybody that Chidori Kaname ran away from our fight.”
“Grr...”
With a casual smile, Mia told Sousuke that she’d meet him in their club room later, and then left.
Once Mia was gone, Kaname raised her voice to Sousuke and said, “What was all that about?”
“What?”
“When did you get that close to Shoji Mia?”
“As far as I could tell, I was just interacting with her normally,” Sousuke told her.
“Really? That was normal?”
“Yes. Ever since second term began, she’s been seeking frequent interactions with me. She always seems to need advice in some way or o— Chidori. Why are you angry?” Sousuke furrowed his brow.
“I’m not angry,” Kaname insisted.
“You seem quite angry to me.”
“I am not angry!” she said angrily.
All Sousuke could do was stare at her in confusion.
The next morning, before class...
“I’m entering,” Kaname proclaimed.
Onodera Kotaro stared, not comprehending. “You’re entering... what, exactly?”
“Miss Jindai High,” she clarified. “You wanted me to, right, Ono-D? Didn’t you?”
“What’s gotten into you?” he replied cautiously.
“I suddenly decided I wanted the DVD recorder. That’s all.”
“Huh? But... well...”
“Are you gonna nominate me or not?” she demanded to know. “Make up your mind.”
“Um, okay, but—”
“Good. Thanks.” Kaname turned coldly on her heel and strode back to her own seat.
“She was rather intense there,” said Sousuke, who happened to be nearby.
“Yeah,” Ono-D observed. “She’s really in it to win it.”
“The Miss Jindai High contest?”
“Yeah. Even though she said yesterday she wasn’t interested... Wonder what got into her. Any idea, Sagara?”
“No, not one,” Sousuke said, and pathetic as it was, he meant it.
The day of the culture festival arrived. While busy with her class project and student council duties, Kaname found moments of free time to preen in front of a hand mirror, mess with her hair, and flip through makeup magazines. That first day proved to be quite a chaotic time, but they’d managed to make it through. Then the second day arrived.
That morning, once they had the class café finally up and running... “Okay! The class café’s good to go. Time to move on to the next task!” Kaname declared, slapping herself on the cheeks to rev herself up.
“What next task?” Kyoko asked.
Kaname sniffed and smiled indomitably. “Miss Jindai High, of course. It’s going down in the courtyard this afternoon. Didn’t you know? I’ve entered.”
“Oh, right,” said Kyoko. “But what made you decide to take part all of a sudden, Kana-chan?”
“Shoji Mia in Class 2. She decided to pick a fight, but she doesn’t know who she’s dealing with,” Kaname declared. “Just watch me... I’m about to prove my superiority to her in a whole new field.”
“You seem pretty confident.”
“Heh, of course I am. I’ve got it in the bag,” she said with great confidence.
“I’m not sure I like you when you’re like this, Kana-chan...” Kyoko mused.
“Hmph.”
In female society—especially that of Japanese girls—overconfident personalities weren’t usually considered desirable, for reasons Kaname couldn’t understand. She herself felt that the tendency to work hard on one’s appearance behind closed doors and then be self-effacing about it in public was frustrating and gross. For the same reason, she hated people who studied their heads off for tests, then complained about how poorly they thought they’d done. She figured if you worked hard and you thought you did well, you should just be willing to just say so!
Kyoko’s comment here was actually coming from a slightly different place, but Kaname had assumed it was more of that typical attitude. Kyoko’s a nice person, but I guess she’s got that weird reticence like the rest of them, Kaname decided.
“I-It’s fine! I can be a little arrogant for stuff like this,” she said out loud. “As Muhammad Ali used to say, you can’t do anything without confidence!”
“Did he say that?” Kyoko asked.
“Yeah. Last year’s runner-up, Saeki-san, might be tough competition, but at least I won’t lose to Shoji Mia. And anyway, my greatest competition isn’t entering.”
“Who’s that?”
“The girl with supreme innate charm, in a polar opposite way from me. Although she’s an unconventional pick, her potential can’t be underestimated.”
“Wow. No idea who that is...” Kyoko said with an awkward smile.
Kaname side-eyed that angelic face, and whispered, too quiet for her to hear, “Truly terrifying...”
“Eh?”
“Nothing.”
Just then, Shoji Mia poked her head into the classroom. That gesture alone was enough to get all the boys staring at her. She certainly was pretty right now—she combined a girlish innocence with an air of maturity, without a trace of the sporty girl she’d been a few months before. She now had a noble grace about her, similar to Kaname’s own.
“Speak of the devil, huh?” Kyoko asked.
Mia walked up to Sousuke, who was dressed as a waiter by the door, and seemed to strike up a conversation. Kaname couldn’t hear what they were saying from here, but it sounded rather intimate... Or at least, she thought so.
“You okay, Kana-chan?” Kyoko asked.
“Okay about what?”
“Shoji-san seems to have designs on Sagara-kun... she might even be serious about him. I’ve seen her talking to him a lot lately.”
Kaname just let it roll off her back. “So what? What’s it matter to me who she talks to?” Then she thought, That’s right. And in a few hours, Shoji Mia will know that I’m her true superior. Then she’ll be sorry. Let her take in the compliments while she can. She’ll see!
“Who wants to go to New York?!” the student acting as MC called.
The audience just stared at him, nonplussed.
“Sorry,” the MC said, looking slightly abashed.
The sky above was blue, and they stood on a specially built stage in the courtyard between the north and south buildings. A horizontal banner in brilliant colors proclaimed the start of the Miss Jindai High contest. For some reason, there were even bouquets sent from the Sengawa vendors’ association there. Over two hundred people were in the audience. Students even looked down at the stage from the roof and the breezeways.
“Well, then... who wants to see pretty girls?!” he tried again.
“Yeeeah!” Suddenly, the audience (mostly boys) shouted out excitedly.
“Okay, then,” the MC continued. “Our school is well-known for its pretty girls, and we’ve got another great show for you this year. It’s the crown jewel of our culture festival, Miss Jindai High! Let’s cheer so loud that we drown out the objections of the students and teachers who oppose it. The talent known as beauty; the weapon known as charm... Thirty-two goddesses will appear on our stage to compete with these sinful attributes! What a thrill! Everyone, prepare to fall in love or maybe get jealous! Let’s bring in the judges!”
As he made that proclamation, a mixed gender group of ten came up to the stage.
“According to tradition, Miss Jindai High will be chosen based on a combination of your votes and those of the judges,” the MC announced. “The tallying method is...”
Principal Tsuboi, school nurse Nishino Kozue, and art teacher Mizuhoshi were representing the faculty on the judges’ panel. Hayashimizu Atsunobu, president of the student council, and a few others were representing the students.
Sousuke was one of the student judges, and looked like he had no idea what he was doing here.
“Why is Sousuke a judge?” Kaname, standing backstage, wondered in shock.
“Didn’t you hear, Chidori-san?” asked Mikihara Ren, beside her.
“N-No...”
“He’s representing the student council,” she said. “Since you, the vice president, and I, the council secretary, are both competing... well, I thought about withdrawing, but everyone was so enthusiastic about nominating me... I really didn’t know what to do.” She blushed bright red, her sleek black hair swaying back and forth.
“There’s a strong opponent here as well...” Kaname muttered to herself.
“What?” Mikihara Ren asked, confused.
“Oh, nothing. Never mind.” I’ll be the one laughing last, after all, Kaname reminded herself. She’d spent the last few days researching and thinking over ways to steal men’s hearts. Classic, yet reliable, ways.
And the one other person here who’s thinking about it that way... Kaname’s eyes met those of Mia, who was standing some ways away. Sparks flew. Hm... bring it on!
While they glared at each other, the MC declared the pageant open.
The rules were as follows: each of the 32 participants would be given three minutes. They could do anything they wanted in that time—give a speech, perform a routine, anything. They could wear whatever they wanted as well, and the order of the performances was chosen by lottery.
As far as scoring went, participants could earn up to one hundred points. The first fifty were determined by the enthusiasm of the audience response, while the other fifty were awarded by the judges. There were ten judges, each with five points to award.
The MC announced, “Now, our first participant, Sato Kumiko-san! Let’s give her a round of applause!”
Showered by cheers and whistles, a girl with long hair came out onto the stage. “Hello!” she said. “I’m Sato Kumiko! My hobbies are, um... drinking, pachinko, and beating up authors who miss their deadlines! Today I’m gonna chug a whole bottle of Kubota Manju in one go! One, two...”
“Hey, you stop that right now!” The principal and the MC ran up to her, quickly confiscating the alcoholic beverage. The student opted to chug a bottle of POM juice instead, and then left.
Her score appeared on the scoreboard: 42 points from the audience response; 28 points from the judges. A total of 70.
“Oh?! Given the audience response, the judges’ score seems a bit low!” the MC observed. “What does it mean? Please comment, Principal Tsuboi!”
“It’s entirely justified!” the principal said breathlessly, as she held up a card with a 1—the lowest score possible—written on it.
“And President Hayashimizu?”
Hayashimizu cleared his throat and held up a card with a 5—the highest score—written on it. “Of course,” he explained, “it was an excellent performance given the pressure of performing first. Her boldness deserves recognition, and she’s jolted the audience to life. I’d give her a special award for that, if I could.”
Sousuke’s score was a 3, Mizuhoshi’s a 2, and Nishino’s a 4.
“I see!” the MC concluded. “Next up, Niyano Rin from Class 1-1!”
The competition continued in that manner.
Hayashimizu was right that the first performance had jolted the audience to life, and it didn’t hurt that the participants—as expected from those who would participate in this sort of event—were all very attractive. The audience score never dipped below 40, and the size of the audience just kept growing. Around the time the thirteenth participant, Saeki Ena—who had taken second place in last year’s Miss Jindai contest—came up to perform, the grounds were thick with spectators.
Saeki Ena appeared in a lovely cheongsam (worn over pants) and performed a routine of tai chi, her latest obsession. It was quite a smooth and graceful performance for a beginner, and it got the audience revved up. Her score was the highest so far—a 91, with an audience score of 47.
Another ten participants followed. Many did quite well, but none bested Ena’s score of 91. Until...
“Moving on to entry 22!” said the MC. “Class 2-6, Mikihara Ren-san!”
A particular section of boys let out a cheer as the reticent Ren came out quietly onto the stage. Her traditional Japanese clothing bore a pattern of dazzling goldenrod on a muted green background, which complimented her classic good looks.
“My name is Ren,” she said, then sat elegantly down in front of the koto that had been placed on the stage in advance. Amidst the hushed silence, her slender fingers began to pluck at the instrument’s strings.
It was a sensitive, elegant song, suggesting far more years of practice than any of the previous performances. And as for her expression... Ren wore a peaceful smile as she played the quiet melody from beginning to end. When at last it did end...
“Thank you for your kind attendance,” she said politely. “Farewell...” While the crowd stared in disbelief, Ren politely bowed and left. Then two men, resembling members of the yakuza, came up onto the stage and carried the koto away.
It was only after a pause that the audience seemed to remember to clap. The audience enthusiasm score was 42, while the judges’ score was a perfect 50, giving her a total of 92.
“Hmm... This is quite a surprise. The audience score seems regrettably low, but rules are rules. Nevertheless, combined, that’s the highest score we’ve seen so far! What do you think, Mizuhoshi-sensei?” the MC asked the art teacher, who was serving as a judge.
Mizuhoshi, in tears, took out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. “Ah... it spoke to the heart,” he choked out. “The longing sorrow in the song. The canonical infinite progression found in paradox and delusion, a meaningful dual-structured context—
“Yes, thank you for that!” the MC shouted, mindful of the time. “What did you think, Sagara-san?!”
“Very skilled,” said Sousuke.
“Thank you for that brief comment! That leaves but ten performers remaining,” the MC reminded everyone. “Will anyone be able to beat Mikihara-san’s score?! Let’s all watch and see!”
Backstage, Kaname sighed in relief. Ena and Ren... Their performances had been the ones to watch out for, but unexpectedly, both of them had failed to seal the deal.
Ena’s performance had been amazing, but it had lacked sex appeal. Had she worn the same cheongsam, bare-legged, with dramatic slits up the side, she’d have had the audience in a fervor. And yet she’d worn pants? Incomprehensible. Utterly incomprehensible! A truly fatal mistake by Saeki Ena.
The same went for Ren. Of course, she was perpetually oblivious and completely guileless—qualities which Kaname had always liked about her—but as a result, she’d clearly failed to take the audience reaction into consideration. An unexpectedly masterful performance, as elegant as it was, would leave the audience more confused than anything. If she’d given more consideration to the rules, she might have been able to present things in a more appealing way.
Heh heh heh... Neither of them was calculating enough, Kaname thought to herself with a smile.
Still, Ren and Ena had both looked very satisfied as they came back to the wings, and now they were just standing around with the other finished performers, smiling and chatting about how nervous they’d been and how much fun they’d had.
Kaname watched the ocean of smiles with great cynicism. Hmph, she thought. What’s the point if you don’t even win?
After all, what place was there for enjoyment? Art was suffering. It was hard! The only place for those shining eyes and breezy smiles was in front of the audience. To be taking it so casually was the proof that these were still amateurs. Effort to work your fingers to the bone, cold calculation and careful consideration—at the end of trials and tribulations, that’s what opened the door to true victory.
Yes, that’s how professionals behave! Thought Kaname. Not that she herself was any kind of professional... but she wanted badly to win! And there’s one person I absolutely have to beat...
Kaname looked up and saw Shoji Mia glaring at the other girls, likely thinking the same thing. Oh, come on... It’s one thing to be hostile to me, but leave them out of it! Taking it out on them is so pathetic. I’ve got to teach Shoji Mia a lesson! And I’ll wake up those drooling lechers in the audience, too!
Mia was next up, as entry 30. Through some trick of fate, Kaname had been assigned the last spot, number 32. These two adversaries were now the only ones standing a chance of beating Ren’s score of 92.
“Now, entry number 30—Class 2-2, Shoji Mia-san!” the MC declared.
Mia cast a glance at Kaname, gave her a gleaming, confident smile, and then headed onto the brightly lit stage. She was wearing a school tracksuit that wasn’t even a little bit sexy.
“I’m Shoji Mia of Class 2-2. I’m the vice president of the basketball club,” Mia said with a businesslike smile. She had a slender face and almond-shaped eyes. Each time she moved her head, her silky hair shimmered in the light.
The audience reaction was warm enough... but she was still just wearing a tracksuit. She was getting a much more muted response than either Ren or Ena had received.
“I don’t do this kind of thing very often, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but... I decided it’s best to just do what you love. So that’s what I’m going to do. I hope you like it.” She spoke hesitantly and bashfully (in a way that was surely rehearsed), then began to play with the basketball on her palm.
She spun the ball on top of her finger. Three seconds, four seconds... six, seven, eight seconds. But though the audience stared, enraptured, she suddenly stopped, and set the ball on the floor.
While the audience looked on in confusion, Mia let out a shy laugh.
“I’m sorry. I’m so nervous, I got a little overheated...”
With the ball on the floor, she lowered the zipper on her tracksuit, then smoothly removed her top layer of clothing... Piece by piece, with lots of pauses in between. It inspired shouts of enthusiasm from the male spectators as they watched her, entranced.
Once it was all done, she was dressed in the uniform of the girls’ basketball club—a red tank top and shorts. But she wasn’t wearing the traditional T-shirt or knee-high socks that typically went on underneath them. On top of that... it was all two sizes too small! It was a total fetish outfit. An outfit designed for sex appeal from top to bottom.
Her slender shoulders, her long legs, her ample bust barely squeezed into the tank top, and her slender waist (with a hint of belly button showing) were all on full display!
“Mm...” Maybe actually feeling embarrassed, Mia looked down, flushed, and let out a small sigh. That mannerism of hers was like a jolt of electricity to the men present. “A-All right... here I go.” She picked up the ball and dribbled a bit. She then began rolling it around her body with practiced motions. It felt more like a rhythmic gymnastics performance than basketball.
But honestly, at that point, she could have done anything. The boys spent the next two minutes hooting and hollering like they were on fire.
“Ngh...” Kaname, watching from the wings, let out a noise of frustration. Yes... that’s the way to do it. No matter how shameless it is, that’s what you have to do if you want to win. Well done, Shoji Mia! To start off with a disappointing tracksuit, then strip down—it had sent a shock to the boys’ libido. It was an utterly calculated, extremely crafty performance. An acceptable rival. Yes... That’s how it has to be. I’d expect nothing less from my true foe!
“Kaname-san... You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Ren said from the side.
“Heh heh heh... You bet I am. Look at them all, eating out of her hand,” said Kaname. “It means I made the right choice. And now that I know that, I can step on stage with confidence. Shoji Mia just paved the way for me. Heh heh heh...”
“But your appearance seems rather odd to me...”
Kaname was currently wearing a robe with ‘fighting spirit’ written on the back. She’d bought it at a merch stall at an Antonio Inoki fight long ago. “What matters is what’s under it,” Kaname reassured her.
Yes. Underneath the robe, she was wearing the swimsuit she’d bought over the summer. Her plan was to hang off the microphone in a bikini, dancing and singing Madonna’s Like a Virgin in the sweetest voice she could muster—and in English, at that. She’d show them the power she’d gained from her time abroad.
The bikini in question was made of white lace, and though very revealing, she felt confident in it. She’d spent a lot of time checking herself out in the mirror, striking corny poses with nobody around. It was a hollow pursuit that almost made her regret her life choices, but the effort had paid off.
No matter what else they said, none of the participants of the Miss Jindai contest had the guts to wear a bikini onstage. They had their pride, after all—but pride could also be a shackle. You had to break those chains to seize the light of victory!
“Yes... I won’t lose. I won’t run away! I won’t be afraid. I’ll buckle down, and I’ll have my revenge.” Kaname paused a moment to examine herself. “Yes, ready to go!”
“Um... Kaname-san, perhaps you should relax a bit?” Ren seemed a bit flustered over the way Kaname’s eyes were blazing, looking less like a pageant girl and more like a boxer before a match.
“Thank you, O-Ren-san. But I’m afraid I’m gonna give you a taste of bitter defeat as well.”
“Well... I was only trying to get a perfect score from Senpai, but... Kaname-san, you really should—”
“It’s okay,” Kaname said reassuringly. “I’m gonna go out there and pander like nobody’s business!”
“Hahhh...”
Around that time, Mia’s performance was ending, at last, to wild applause. Her score was 96, higher even than Ren’s. She’d gotten a perfect 50 from the audience, as enthusiastic as they could possibly be.
Meanwhile, the judges’ score was 46, which included a full five points from Sousuke. When the MC asked, he’d said, “It’s only natural. You saw how happy she made the crowd.”
The highest score, even from Sousuke?! Whatever... Watch this!
After a few minutes of waiting, the 31st girl finished and Kaname’s turn came up.
“Now, our last performer! Can she beat Shoji Mia-san’s score?! It’s entry number 32, Class 2-4, Chidori Kaname-san!” the MC announced.
“Okay!” Kaname slapped her cheeks and strode out onto the stage. But when she stood up there in front of the hundreds of people, she spoke with intentional hesitancy. “Um, hello! I’m Chidori Kaname. I’m really nervous right now!”
Even that tentative approach inspired genuine excitement in the audience. When she removed her robe to show off her very appealing, swimsuit-clad body, it filled the venue with the biggest cheers of the day.
Don’t underestimate me. This is what Kaname can really do!
Her singing and dancing were both excellent. She showed real talent, alongside the pure charisma and dazzle that you needed in a song and dance routine.
Obviously, she earned 50 points from the audience reaction, equivalent to Mia’s. That meant it would come down to the judges’ scores. Mia had received 46 points from the judges—if she could beat that score, Kaname would be Miss Jindai.
“Now, can Chidori Kaname surpass the shocking score received by Shoji Mia?! Judges, if you please!” the MC said.
The ten judges held up their score cards. Five, five, five... The “Five” scores came up one after another. Kaname watched them with understandable nerves.
Looking good... Looking good... Hayashimizu held up a 5. Thanks, Senpai. Mizuhoshi, also a 5. Thanks, Teacher! Principal Tsuboi gave her a 4 with a wince. Understandable, thought Kaname, I went with the sexy approach, after all. That’s the best I could hope for.
Nishino Kozue gave a 5 with a smile. Then two more uptight judges held up 4s. Go to hell, all of you!
Only Sousuke remained. If he gave her a 5, she’d score 97. Higher than Mia’s 96. Yes, it’s in the bag! Have my back, okay?! Sousuke had given 5 points to Mia, after all.
Kaname clenched her fists, certain of victory. Sousuke looked as sullen as ever as he held up his card, and...
“Er...”
Sousuke’s score... was a 3.
Shoji Mia bowed her head and cried as she received the winner’s trophy from Hayashimizu at the closing ceremony. Her tears were real. Despite the trashy nature of the event, she’d worked pretty hard and won fair and square.
Kaname just held up her second place trophy and gave a strained smile. But once the ceremony ended, she hid behind the school building by herself and cried tears of frustration.
I’m such an idiot. Taking part in that contest I didn’t really care about... building myself up about needing to win... even wearing that stupid swimsuit... and after all of it, I still lost. I lost to Mia. And because of his score, of all things. She didn’t really care about winning, but she’d wanted those five points. I’m such an idiot.
As she pressed her head against the wall of the school building, trembling, she heard steps approaching softly from behind.
“Chidori...” came a hesitant voice. It was Sousuke.
“What?” Kaname said, sniffling. She didn’t turn to face him as she wiped at her eyes.
“I’ve been looking everywhere. About what happened... Tokiwa told me everything.”
Kyoko. That nosy broad! “So what? Who cares? She’s just the girl you like better, right?”
“Well, I—”
“Five points for her, right? Fine, whatever. And I lost first prize because of that. But it’s not a big deal.”
“Chidori.”
“I just don’t care, so why don’t you leave already?” she said coldly.
“I will. But there’s something I wanted to tell you first...”
“Just shut up,” she snarled. “I told you to beat it. I don’t want to hear any more—”
“I think my point value was correct,” Sousuke said, interrupting Kaname.
“What?”
“The way you were acting wasn’t... you,” he explained. “I’m not good with words, so it’s hard to express... but that isn’t how you really are. That’s how I feel.”
There was a long silence. Kaname turned back hesitantly and looked at Sousuke with red, puffy eyes.
He looked away guiltily, scratching at his temple.
So that had been it... Winking in a sexy swimsuit with an insincere smile, making up a whole plan and putting on an out-of-character performance, getting thunderous applause from an audience and judges who didn’t know her at all... Sousuke was the only one who found that attitude of hers strange.
So that’s what it was? she reflected. Out loud, she said, “That’s why the three points?”
“Yeah. Was that... unfair?” he asked, trying to feel out Kaname’s feelings. He sounded a bit like a child being scolded for a prank.
She felt her anger and sorrow inexplicably fading. “Hmm... I get it. It’s okay now,” Kaname said with a big sigh.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Really, for real?”
“Just drop it already! I said I understand, okay? Let’s forget all the bad stuff and go help our class. C’mon!” Kaname gave him a wincing smile and patted Sousuke on the shoulder.
“If you’d acted like that, you’d have won.”
“Huh?”
“The way you are right now deserves a perfect score,” Sousuke said calmly, and began walking away.
Kaname just stood there for a while, her entire face red.
[The End]
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