NTR Kousuke

Chapter 53

It was a hectic daily routine, being swept up in the preparations for the cultural festival.

But once it started, it somehow felt enjoyable, which is strange.

Today, we successfully welcomed the cultural festival.

With Yukari-san, since summer, we've been working on dieting and documentary shooting,

With Nagase-san, we produced our class's mock hamburger stall,

With Airi-senpai, we organized the basketball club's mock yakisoba stall,

It was incredibly busy, but after today and tomorrow, the busyness should settle down.

9:00, the cultural festival starts! Our school is open to the public on both days.

It operates on a ticket system distributed to students.

So, the general visitors are mostly students' families or friends.

Sho couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict. Well, it usually ends up being early November, right?

Now, about our class.

Nagase: "1-4, let's get fired up and go for it!"

"""Yeah!!"""

Under Nagase-san's command, we split into customer service and cooking teams to start our tasks!

The main menu items are,

hamburgers, cheeseburgers, teriyaki burgers, double burgers,

French fries, and drinks.

And Nagase-san's recommended Big Nagase Burger!

...It's just a double burger with a slice of tomato added, yet it costs 100 yen more, and it's selling like crazy, mainly to boys in the same grade.

Nagase: "Thank you!"

A handshake comes as a bonus. Is this okay? Doesn't it involve public entertainment laws or something?

Later, because disinfecting hands after every handshake would roughen them, they changed the sign to a wink, and then more idiots started buying the Big Nagase Burger just to see the wink, making the stall extremely busy.

By the way, Nagase-san is bad at winking. The customers were like, "But that's what makes it good!" and kept flocking in.

I worked silently in the cooking team.

We have a shift system with one-hour rotations, but first, I'm going to watch the film club's documentary. It should be screening in the gymnasium at this time!

By the way, since Nagase-san is key to attracting customers, she walks around the school with a signboard and male bodyguards. She nominated me, but I declined. She was mad.

In the gymnasium, a big screen shows Yukari-san from when she was overweight.

It just started.

The documentary begins with Yukari-san crying and confessing her desire to change.

Then, it shows her talking about confessing to a boy she liked since middle school, getting bluntly rejected, being mocked by a pretty classmate for it, and wanting to change... with tears streaming down her face.

Episode 16: Those Who Laugh, Those Who Are Laughed At - reference.

The scene changes? Is this in front of the school cafeteria?

Huh? This scene...?

??: "Ahahahahahaha! You're with someone like this?"

Their eyes are covered, but... it's Satsuki, right?

Tanaka-kun?! You filmed this?!

??: "...Don't say rude things."

I'm in the shot at an angle where I'm barely visible and can't be identified!

So that's why! They edited me out!

The mysterious pretty girl seems genuinely amused,

※Satsuki

??: "I mean! I mean! Such a chubby, overweight girl! Always eating sweets? Never moving around? Saying stuff like, 'I want you to see the real me!' or something? Like, her head and her diet are just a Happy Meal, right? And she still had the guts to confess? The guy she confessed to is spreading the story, you know? I shouldn't laugh, but! Ahahahahaha!!"

※Satsuki

Tanaka-kun! The editing is sloppy! Satsuki's face peeks out from behind the eye cover here and there!

Anyone who knows her would recognize her instantly!

?: "...She's way prettier than you..."

Did I... say something like that?

Things got a bit heated after this, didn't they?

I think I might have mentioned someone's name?

I'm glad they cut that part out.

??: "...Just watch. Tomonaga-san is a wonderful woman. She'll definitely become beautiful, so just shut up and watch..."

※Kousuke

Huh. Did I say something like that? Sounds like the kind of taunting line Sho would say...!

?: "Hmph! I thought you had an eye for things, but you're blind, aren't you? Go ahead and keep polishing that dull gem of yours as much as you want!"

After that, I said something like, "Good luck with remedial classes!" but that part was cut out too.

Thank goodness.

And Yukari-san was shedding hot tears without making a sound.

Tomonaga: "It's true, I'm overweight and easily swayed. But did they have to go that far? Did they have to say all that? I want to change! I want to lose weight! Become beautiful! I want to prove those girls and the ones who mocked me wrong! I'll change! I'll show them I can change! Please cooperate! I'll do anything!"

Then the scene changes.

Running, running! Running! Running!

??: "Keep going! We're doing shuttle runs now!"

The eyes are covered, so you can't tell it's Airi-senpai at all.

I can feel Tanaka-kun's resentment in how poorly Satsuki's eyes were covered compared to this.

A week passed.

Looking at the comparison footage, does she look thinner?

Her comments lack energy, just sounding exhausted. There's a hint of resentment.

Two weeks,

She looks thinner than last week.

Her comments still sound tough. The resentment hasn't gone away.

One month,

You can tell she's lost weight.

Her comments convey gratitude to those who helped her.

The audience seems completely emotionally invested; the gymnasium is silent, and you can feel them holding their breath during the weigh-in.

An interview as summer break ends and regular classes resume tomorrow.

Yukari-san, feeling both anxious and confident, is shown.

She might still be a bit chubby, but not to the point of being called fat!

The crowd in the venue lets out a collective "Oh!" of admiration.

I'm standing at the back watching, and no one leaves midway.

Two months,

The overweight girl is no longer there.

It's tough, but her comments are filled with joy at her transformation and gratitude toward those who helped her.

The venue is filled with sounds of admiration.

Amazing. You did great, Yukari-chan...!

The audience isn't just emotionally invested; they're watching with the affection of friends.

Tanaka-kun, who came up beside me, nods with satisfaction.

We worked hard, didn't we?

And then, the final weigh-in.

Last week's story.

Yukari-san stands before the scale, holding her breath in nervousness.

Resolving herself, she steps onto the scale gently!

The needle swings wildly! Then, it trembles slightly and stops.

?: "49.9kg!!"

My voice echoes!

Yukari-san hugging me is shown on screen!

Thank goodness it's from behind!

And Yukari-san is swarmed by people.

I quietly ask Tanaka-kun, who's next to me, a question about that day.

"Did you figure out who touched Yukari-san's side chest?"

Tanaka: "Nah, I couldn't tell."

I'm thinking it might be Tanaka-kun... or am I wrong?

※Correct answer, the culprit is Tanaka.

And then, the final scene.

Yukari-san, perfectly styled in a white dress with her hair and makeup done, is unveiled!

On the rooftop at dusk, Yukari-san is shown sitting on a chair, leaning against it, and even slightly lifting the hem of her dress while on the chair!

The audience sighed, looking at Yukari-san, who transformed from a chrysalis into a butterfly, with eyes of envy or admiration.

Having watched her struggle and become beautiful with such emotional investment, it's no wonder they'd become her fans.

After this, there's a scene where she's made to lift her hem almost to the point of showing her underwear and announce her measurements after the diet, but thankfully, that part was trimmed.

Wait, doesn't Tanaka-kun have that scene saved?

I look at Tanaka-kun, but he avoids eye contact. He definitely has it! I'm sure of it.

I have to confiscate it...

And then, still in the white dress, the final interview.

It was tough, painful, and hard, but there was also the joy of changing herself, the happiness of becoming beautiful, and gratitude to those around her, especially to the important person who supported her.

Just watching that interview fills my chest with emotion.

I'm proud of her.

Finally, the Yukari on screen conveyed her gratitude. It struck the audience's hearts.

As the interview ends, she receives a bouquet, shakes hands with each person while crying and expressing her thanks, and the staff credits roll over the scene.

Starring Yukari Tomonaga

Supporting Role Diet Assistant

Kousuke Saito

I'm proud that my name is next to Yukari-san's.

And with that, the film club's one-hour masterpiece documentary comes to a close with great acclaim.

During the cultural festival, this documentary plays on an endless loop in the film club's clubroom.

Ah! That was so interesting!

Yukari-chan became so beautiful!

That girl? She's amazing, right?

I want to meet her!

Comments can be heard.

Then someone said,

"Yukari Tomonaga is entering the beauty contest! At noon in the courtyard! She's supposed to appear for the pre-event appeal!"

"Class 1-6's stall... a maid café! Isn't Yukarin working there in a maid outfit?"

Buzz buzz!

The crowd starts moving all at once!

This is going to make Class 6's maid café super busy, isn't it?

And the beauty contest's pre-PR at noon might get crazy attention too?!

The cultural festival has only just begun!