Chapter 241: Talent Show
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: Talent Show
Even after Nao, who had received overwhelming support from the audience, stepped back with a triumphant smile, many other female students continued to take the stage and introduce themselves.
I was surprised by the sheer number of participants, far more than I had expected, but considering the prize money at stake, it wasn't all that strange.
The first-place prize was 50,000 yen, second place was 30,000 yen, and third and fourth place would receive 10,000 yen each, making the total prize pool a whopping 100,000 yen.
It seemed that any female student with a certain degree of confidence in her looks had entered with the thought that she could at least walk away with 10,000 yen.
The seemingly endless stream of introductions passed contestant number 17, Fuma-senpai, and finally reached the last number, 18.
"Alright! And now for our highly anticipated contestant number 18! Please come to the stage!"
At Satoru's call, contestant number 18 finally made her entrance.
The introductions alone had already taken up a significant amount of time, so the audience erupted in fervent cheers at the thought that it was finally the last one.
Waaaaaaaaah!!
And as if to meet those expectations, the person who stepped onto the stage was an incredibly beautiful, white-haired girl.
"...Huh?"
I felt like I'd seen her somewhere before.
I blinked rapidly, staring intently at the face of the final contestant on stage.
But no name came to mind.
While I was tilting my head with a strange sense of unease, contestant number 18, who had been handed the microphone, finally opened her mouth.
"I'm a second-year student, Ryu... Ryuko. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Her voice was slightly husky and charming, reminding me of Sasha.
Even though one of the school's top three beauties, Fuma-senpai, had just been on stage, the girl named Ryuko didn't lose out one bit in terms of appearance.
"Was there a girl like that in the second year?"
"Her hair is so pretty..."
"Is she a transfer student?! Our Beautiful Girl Research Club has no data on a beauty like her!"
The audience was in an uproar.
If nothing else, she had certainly managed to grab everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that all the contestants have introduced themselves, it's time for the long-awaited first round! The talent show! Only the nine contestants who survive this round will advance to the main competition! Now, we're short on time, so let's move things along quickly! Contestant number 1! Tojo Karen!"
"Yes!"
At Satoru's call, a nervous-looking Karen stepped forward.
"Miss Tojo, what kind of talent have you prepared for us?"
Karen swallowed hard before making a surprising choice.
"I... I've prepared a song."
"A song! Excellent! Broadcast club, please play Miss Tojo's requested song!"
At Satoru's signal, musical accompaniment began to flow from the stage speakers.
~♪
However, contrary to the audience's expectations of an idol song, pop song, or ballad, the song Karen chose was enka, a genre primarily favored by the middle-aged and older generations rather than teenagers.
"Like the wind you came, and like the wind you leave, my love♪"
The folksy melody of the song echoed across the stage.
The lyrics, representing the heart of a woman reminiscing about a lover who left like the wind, brought tears to the eyes of the students' family members in the audience.
Satoru looked flustered by the sudden somber mood, but Karen, oblivious to his inner turmoil, closed her eyes and sang her heart out.
"Tears soak the collar of the clothes you left behind..."
Soon, the first verse of the song ended, and applause echoed through the solemn atmosphere.
The source of the applause was Karen's father, Tojo Naoto, and his right-hand man, Mr. Takeyama, who were sitting in the front row.
"Amazing! I don't know whose daughter she is, but that voice is incredible!"
The praise was truly blatant.
Karen's gaze naturally shifted in their direction, and as soon as she recognized them, she blushed and ran backstage.
Satoru, who had been watching the situation unfold, hastily made his closing remarks.
"Yes! That was a wonderful song from Miss Karen! Next up is contestant number 2! The stage belongs to Miss Kishimoto Rika!"
Waaaaaaaaah!
The appearance of a new face sent the crowd's energy soaring once again.
It wasn't that Karen's enka was bad, but it had dampened the mood for an opening act. The appearance of Rika, a human vitamin, was an encouraging sight.
Standing on stage, Rika took a small, deep breath, then bowed a full 90 degrees to the audience and said.
"This is my first time singing in front of people, so I might not be very good, but I'll do my best."
Then, she gripped the microphone tightly and shouted.
"Listen to my song!"
~♪
The song began with an intense beat.
Rika had chosen the theme song from a robot anime that was popular about ten years ago.
Although it was an anime song, it was sung by a "space idol" in the show, so its stylish lyrics and exciting beat made you want to move your shoulders instinctively.
I'd noticed it when we went to karaoke before, but Rika's voice was fundamentally good, and her singing skills were top-notch, making her sound almost like a professional singer.
The rapid-fire lyrics combined with Rika's perfect diction felt like the song was being hammered straight into my ears.
When the first verse ended, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
With beads of sweat on her forehead, Rika looked moved and bowed her head repeatedly.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
After Rika's performance ended, the stages of contestants 3, 4, and 5 that followed didn't receive much of a response.
It was partly because Rika's performance had been relatively incredible, but also because their own performances were underprepared, as if they had entered the competition on a whim.
Soon, it was Sasha's turn.
"Alright! Next up is contestant number 6! The ice princess from Russia! Miss Sasha's stage!"
Waaaaaaaaah!
Perhaps because Sasha had already shown her extraordinary side during the introductions, the audience's reaction was not bad at all.
And not one to betray their expectations, Sasha walked onto the stage carrying a pair of pistols.
"Pistols...?"
The words left my mouth, but I wondered if I was seeing things correctly. I rubbed my eyes and looked again, but sure enough, Sasha was holding a pair of pistols.
Satoru, the MC, asked with a bewildered expression.
"I have to ask, but... they're not real, are they?"
Sasha smirked and replied.
"I have that much common sense. They're both airsoft guns."
As she spoke, Sasha detached the magazine and showed the contents to Satoru.
They were definitely BBs inside.
"...So, Miss Sasha, what talent will you be showing us?"
After getting the magazine back from Satoru, Sasha reinserted it into the pistol and answered.
"Marksmanship, of course."
As she said that, she snapped her fingers, and the broadcast club members who were on standby backstage brought out a desk with aluminum cans on it.
Once everything was set, Sasha took her position about 10 meters away, her right hand hovering over the grip of her gun like a cowboy in a Western.
The audience watched her formidable posture on stage with bated breath.
And then—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the blink of an eye, Sasha drew her pistol and, with astonishing accuracy, knocked every single aluminum can off the desk from 10 meters away.
It was a god-like display of marksmanship.
As soon as Sasha's trick shooting was over, applause poured from the audience.
But Sasha wagged her index finger from side to side as if to say it wasn't time yet, then snapped her fingers once more.
This time, the broadcast club placed desks with even more aluminum cans all around the stage.
"Hoo—"
Taking a small, deep breath, Sasha stood in the center of the stage. Then, as her eyes flashed open, she drew both pistols.
And then, without a millimeter of error, she shot down every single aluminum can placed around her.
Even if there was no recoil, to hit all the desired targets with not one, but two pistols, and without even properly aiming...
It was a truly absurd display of shooting skill.
After her trick shooting was finished, Sasha blew on the muzzles of the empty guns and said in a deadpan voice.
"That is all."
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!
Perhaps as a backlash from having suppressed their applause earlier, the cheers and clapping that erupted were even louder.
The heat was so intense that even people who had no interest in the beauty pageant would have craned their necks to see what was happening.
Following Sasha, who walked off the stage with a confident expression, Nao came on with a look of utter defeat.
Whatever talent she had prepared, it was obvious that it would be impossible to generate as much buzz as what we had just witnessed.
It seemed Nao felt the same way. With a resigned expression, she showed the flute in her hands to the audience.
"My talent is playing the flute."
It goes without saying, but despite her being a famous actress, the audience's reaction was lukewarm at best.
Maybe this, too, was a form of honorable death.
*
Sakamoto Ryuji sensed that he was fucked.
No, perhaps he had been screwed from the moment he promised Chiaki he would lend her his body.
But it was too late to back out of the promise now.
He had already come too far.
"...Next up is contestant number 18! Miss Ryuko!"
He heard his name being called from the stage.
「Ryuji, just do what we practiced. Just stick to the plan.」
Chiaki's voice echoed in his ear.
But he was so nervous that her encouragement wasn't much help.
After a moment of deliberation, he asked.
"...It's too late to run away now, right?"
Chiaki replied in a firm voice.
「No. You made a promise to me, didn't you?」
Escape was not an option.
The answer was already set, so Ryuji let out what felt like his hundredth sigh and stood up from his seat.
"Alright, let's go."
Since it's come to this, I might as well aim to win.