NTR Kousuke

Chapter 55

I dieted right up until the last minute to prepare for the pre-event PR of the beauty contest on the first day of the culture festival.

After all, if I win this, I'll be the undeniable number one in my grade! And if I take the championship, I'll be number one in the whole school!

I'm totally fired up!

My boyfriend Masaki is cheering me on too!

Masaki: "If Nagase-san doesn't enter, Satsuki's got the advantage!"

I snap back at him!

"Huh? Nagase this, Nagase that—whose boyfriend are you supposed to be, Masaki?!"

It really gets on my nerves. Even now, there are still so many voices insisting that Nagase Aya is the number one in our grade.

But didn't that girl chicken out and run away from the beauty contest? There's no way I can lose to someone like her in spirit!

I spared no effort in my preparations.

I've already entrusted the preparations for the class's maid café to Kageno-chan.

As the class top, I should probably take charge, but Kageno-san is more suited for it, and if I appeal in the beauty contest, I can easily contribute more than my share of the prep work.

I don't want to lose to Class 6 in this competition!

I think I should do what I'm capable of,

"...There's a competition to win, so I'm going to focus on the beauty contest."

Kageno-chan panics and says,

Kageno: "But! If Satsuki isn't here!"

"Kageno-chan, you can do it! Like I said before, feel free to use everyone in the class however you need!"

Kageno-san makes a troubled face and says,

Kageno: "...You'd better win, okay?"

"...That's why I'm focusing on this. I'm going to win!"

I push myself to the limit.

I still don't have a clear vision of what I want to be in the future.

Even so, if I can win the beauty contest... maybe a job that makes use of my appearance could become an option... possibly.

It might be a bit of a pipe dream, but it could open up possibilities, right?

I put my all into dieting, practicing my walk, and creating a PV with tons of energy.

I got help from everyone in Class 5, and my boyfriend Masaki also cooperated by covering the costs for esthetic treatments and hair salons.

☆ ☆ ☆

Finally, the day before the culture festival, while sending silent cheers to my classmates finishing up the maid café preparations, I head home to get my final esthetic treatment.

The class next door, Class 4, which is Kousuke's class, seems to be doing a hamburger shop.

The hamburger shop uniform is cute! Nagase-san is cute! The boys are making a fuss, so I decide to take a quick peek inside.

Only Nagase Aya is in the classroom, preparing to move things in.

Nagase is indeed dressed like a hamburger shop employee—kind of like a certain famous hamburger chain.

It's so cliché that it highlights the quality of the person wearing it. Boys like this kind of girl, don't they? She's a bit like Kashii.

I'm not losing to her... but can I win? ...Honestly, I don't know.

I'll admit that Nagase Aya is beautiful.

But didn't this girl run away from the beauty contest?

I decide to take a chance and talk to her. She ignored me before, but what about this time?

"Hey, why aren't you entering the beauty contest?"

Nagase: "..."

There's no one else in the room, you know? Is she ignoring me?!

"Did you run away? They say you're the most beautiful in our grade, but are you scared of being ranked?"

Nagase: "..."

This girl! Still ignoring me?!

Nagase is said to be a popular, cheerful, and friendly person.

Indeed, whenever I see her, she's always surrounded by people, smiling away.

But why? Why does she ignore me?

"What's your deal?! You—!"

She suddenly thrusts her hand out in front of my face, palm open!

I'm startled by Nagase's sudden movement and stop speaking.

Cheerful and friendly? A smiling popular girl?

Nagase Aya looks at me with cold eyes and says in a scornful tone,

Nagase: "Don't talk to me, okay? I don't want to catch whatever you've got, you tramp. ...Kousuke-kun really has no taste."

Huh? What?!

"Don't mess with me!"

Nagase: "..."

Nagase ignores me and walks out.

What's with her?! She's so incredibly rude!

As if Kousuke is somehow above me! It's infuriating! So infuriating!

☆ ☆ ☆

And so, the first day of the culture festival arrives,

11:20, beauty contest waiting room.

There are four entries from the first year, including me.

I've greeted two of them, and they greeted me back.

But the last one doesn't even look at me, and no greeting comes my way.

It's not like I need it... but this girl is probably the cutest among my three rivals...!

But, you know, usually, if someone stands out, their face or name catches your eye or you hear about them, right?

A girl of this caliber should be a topic of conversation...

Maybe she transferred in during the fall?

Oh well, I guess I'll at least say hello.

Raising the tone of my voice just a little,

"Nice to meet you today, okay?"

The slender, cute girl in front of me makes an incredibly annoyed face and says,

?: "Huh? I'm not going to play nice with you, okay? How can you even say that?"

What's with this girl?! I'm trying to be polite here!

Well, she's going to be my rival, right? No need to be friendly, I guess?

"I was just saying hello. I haven't seen your face before. Who are you?"

She distorts her cute face into a strange smile. What's with her?

?: "We've met before, you know? Did you forget? That's why you end up in remedial classes."

Remedial classes! That word stings my sense of shame! This girl?!

Tomonaga: "Didn't you mock me endlessly over the summer break? It's me, Yukari Tomonaga. The girl who got dumped by Kuzu-kun over the summer break, remember? Or did you already forget?"

She's openly hostile, provoking me!

That fat girl? The plain fat girl? This is her?

This girl with such a slender figure, a cute face, and even a noticeable chest?!

When we met before, Kousuke had declared,

☆ ☆

Kousuke: "...Just watch. Tomonaga-san is a wonderful woman. She's definitely going to become beautiful, so just keep quiet and watch..."

☆ ☆

Was he serious?! Did Kousuke actually help this girl?!

I couldn't suppress my agitation...!

And in that condition, the pre-event appeal began...