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!