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.