Chapter 243: The Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 243: The Proposal
The main competition was scheduled to begin in about thirty minutes, at 3 p.m.
The preliminary round, which had started after lunch, had run for well over an hour, so both the participants and the audience needed a break.
The contestants also needed time to choose their swimsuits for the second round of judging. The moment the finalists were announced, they all flocked to the racks of swimwear.
Watching them from the judges' table, I asked the Vice President sitting next to me.
"By the way, how did you ever come up with the idea of a swimsuit competition in this weather?"
Even though the heaters were blasting inside the auditorium, making it warm unlike outside, it was still mid-November.
Holding a swimsuit competition with winter right around the corner… it was the kind of insane idea you’d expect from a madman, just short of making them wear modernized hanboks.
It wouldn't have been surprising to receive complaints from students or their families.
But the Vice President simply replied with a shameless look on his face.
"As I said earlier, the swimsuit competition is not an option but a requirement in world-class beauty pageants. Just because this is a school event, there's no reason to cut corners, especially since the student council is officially sponsoring it."
"Ah, right."
I was at a loss for words at the Vice President's completely sincere explanation, which was devoid of any personal agenda.
He genuinely believed what he was saying.
In any case, the sweet break time passed, and the main competition finally began.
"But what awaited us was no ordinary contest…"
"Hey, Vice President, don't just start narrating like that out of nowhere."
You make it sound like a murder mystery is about to happen in the auditorium.
*
The Ichijo Academy Beauty Pageant, the long-awaited main competition!
Having overcome a fierce 2-to-1 competition ratio, the nine beautiful girls who passed the preliminaries had all changed into swimsuits during the break for the second round of judging.
And unlike the preliminaries where they were introduced one by one, all nine of them came up on stage at once due to time constraints.
"UOOOOOOOOH!!"
The atmosphere in the hall erupted.
Before our very eyes stood a lineup of girls, each one beautiful enough to be called an S-rank beauty of the prefecture, all in revealing swimwear.
The reactions from the contestants on stage were just as varied.
Some, like Rika, Sasha, and Nao, confidently showed off their figures, while others, like Karen and Fuma-senpai, shyly hunched their shoulders.
I suppose exposing yourself in front of so many people requires a considerable amount of courage.
"The level of competition is quite high this year."
"Hehe, to think the scene I've only dreamed of is unfolding before my very eyes. This humble one could die today and have no regrets."
Sitting in the front row of the audience, I could unfortunately hear the voices of the guys from the Pretty Girl Research Club all too clearly.
I did my best to pretend I hadn't heard them and fixed my gaze on the contestants before me.
The first person to catch my eye was Karen.
It was partly because she was the shortest among the contestants, making her stand out, but there was also a huge difference between the Karen I saw in the summer and the Karen of today.
When I first saw her, she had a short haircut with a strong boyish feel, but now her hair had grown long enough to touch her back.
And perhaps because she was in the middle of a growth spurt, her once stick-straight figure now had curves, making her look much more feminine than before.
Unlike the childish, frilly swimsuit she wore back then, this time she was boldly wearing a bikini. When our eyes met, she blushed and turned her head away.
She seemed embarrassed.
Meanwhile, her father, witnessing his daughter's daring exposure, stared blankly at the stage with an expression that said he couldn't decide whether to be happy or not.
Next, I looked at Rika.
She was dressed in an outfit that blurred the line between a swimsuit and casual wear, looking like she could be working a part-time job at a beach house. The brightly colored fabric and the denim shorts she wore as an accent highlighted her refreshing charm.
As expected of a former reader model, she had an exceptional sense of style.
Unlike Karen, when our eyes met, she gave me a small wave.
Then there was Sasha.
Unlike before, when she wore a functional competition swimsuit that prioritized performance, this time Sasha was wearing a form-fitting rash guard.
Generally, rash guards are considered less revealing than swimsuits and not particularly sexy, but it felt completely different when Sasha wore it.
The saying goes, right?
Being moderately covered is sexier than being completely naked.
And Sasha's bombshell figure wasn't something that could be hidden just by covering it up.
If anything, it only served to emphasize her curves.
As I was appreciating the swimsuit appearances of my female friends one by one, the stage MC, Satoru, stepped forward and shouted.
"Alright! Thank you for waiting! Let's begin the long-awaited main competition! The swimsuit competition!"
WAAAAAAAAAAAH!
A roar of cheers and applause erupted like wildfire.
The hall was already sizzling with the heat from the male students who had come to watch the swimsuit competition.
The auditorium was much more crowded than it had been thirty minutes ago; it seemed word had gotten out.
Honestly, even I couldn't pass this up.
It wasn't a sight you get to see every day.
"The second round, the swimsuit competition, will be conducted differently from the preliminaries, focusing mainly on interviews! The winner will be decided by a combined score of 30% from the judges and 70% from the audience! Please give a sticker to the contestant who captures your heart!"
Below the stage, staff members helping with the event were busily moving around, handing out stickers.
Seeing that they were giving out one per person, it seemed multiple votes were not allowed.
As I was getting the gist of the rules, a very excited Satoru thrust the microphone toward Nao first.
That guy was so obviously indulging his own preferences.
"Now, let's ask the contestant who's been getting the most attention, Nao! What was your reason for participating in this competition?!"
In her swimsuit, Nao initially looked troubled, but her expression soon turned determined as she spoke.
"There's someone I personally want to beat."
"Ooh! An unexpected declaration of a rivalry!"
A murmur went through the hall.
It was inevitable, given that Nao, an active actress and idol, had just personally declared she was conscious of someone at school.
From the competition's standpoint, however, it was excellent showmanship. Satoru swallowed nervously and asked.
"Could you tell us who that person is?"
"Of course."
With that, Nao raised her right hand and pointed at someone.
And at the tip of her finger was, naturally, Sasha.
"Unbelievable! The rival Naotang has personally pointed out is none other than Sasha from Russiaaaaa!"
Satoru dramatically called out Sasha's name, but the person in question simply shrugged her shoulders, showing her composure.
But then, a twist occurred.
Nao's finger, which had been pointing at Sasha, moved to the side.
The new person Nao was pointing at was Rika.
"Sasha-senpai is Sasha-senpai, but the person I actually feel is the most formidable here is Rika-senpai."
"Aaaaaah! An unbelievable twist!"
Seriously, can you stop overreacting to every little thing?
I know he has to liven up the mood as the main MC, but Satoru's theatrics were making my ears ring.
And Sasha, who had just shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, was now frowning and glaring at Nao.
She looked like she wouldn't hesitate to resort to violence if a satisfactory explanation didn't come out of Nao's mouth.
But Nao wasn't one to be easily intimidated. She replied with a relaxed smile.
"I see a sparkle in Rika-senpai that the others don't have."
"…A sparkle?"
I thought it was a ridiculous thing to say, but Nao, the one who said it, looked at Rika and spoke calmly.
"Rika-senpai, have you ever seriously considered entering the entertainment industry? If you're willing, I can help you."
"…What?"
Rika was just as surprised by the sudden proposal.
As she blinked blankly, Nao continued.
"To be honest, I was moved when I heard you sing on stage earlier. With your talent and looks, I'm sure you could become famous in no time."
"No, no, wait a minute. This is so sudden, I honestly don't know what to say right now, you know?"
As a flustered Rika began to ramble, forgetting she was in the middle of a competition, Nao shrugged and said.
"Well, I didn't expect an answer right here and now. If you think about it later, just let me know. I'm being serious."
"Ah, okay."
After Nao's offer, which had suddenly chilled the atmosphere, she smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.
"I hope I didn't waste too much time. Please continue the interview, Momochi-senpai."
"Ah, right."
Satoru, finally snapping back to his senses, realized that Nao had remembered his name and shivered for a moment before gripping the microphone tightly and speaking.
"Yes! That was the interview with Naotang! Now, the next person to be interviewed is!"
Looking for another topic to salvage the mood that had turned awkward from the unexpected comment, Satoru's eyes suddenly landed on someone.
The final contestant, number 18, who was bundled up from head to toe despite it being a swimsuit competition.
She was the perfect person to turn the stiff atmosphere around.
"Contestant number 18! It's Ryuko!"