10/29
-Afternoon-
I stood in our empty classroom full of tables and decorations with Yosuke, Chie, and the male class rep. No one had come and I doubted anyone would.
"C-Come in for a first-hand experience with group dating..." Yukiko stood at the door advertising with Yu. "...Ooh...This is so embarrassing...There's not that many people passing by here in the first place..."
"I think we need some shills to drum up interest." The class rep suggested and Yu and Yukiko walked over to where we were standing at the head of the classroom.
"Shills...? Uh, who?" Yosuke asked.
"Who else is here besides us?" The class rep asked.
"I-Isn't that kinda sad?"
"Do we have a choice? We need customers to get the ball rolling. If there aren't many people passing by, we have to get the attention of the ones who are by any means necessary."
"Will that really make a difference, though?" I asked doubtfully.
"Yo, how's it going?" Kanji entered the room then. "I came to check up on you...Guys?"
"Perfect timing!" The class rep said.
"But now we've got four guys and three girls." Yosuke said.
"Yeah, so you guys can be the shills and I'll help any customers that might come in when they see it." The class rep seemed happy to push his part onto Kanji.
"Ugh, fine. Let's just get this over with." I sighed, going to sit down at the nearby table. The others followed, Yu, Kanji, and Yosuke sitting across from Chie, Yukiko, and I.
"Well, get started." The class rep said, standing next to the table, but no one said anything. "...Uhh...You guys can start now." He waited another few seconds. "...Will someone please start?" But no one did.
"Actually, what the hell is this?" Kanji asked.
"A mock group date..." Yosuke answered.
"...S-So, what are your hobbies?" Kanji asked.
"Video games." I answered bluntly.
"I like, uh, martial arts in general. M-Mainly watching them...Ahahah..." Chie laughed a bit nervously. "Yikes, this is really embarrassing..."
"M-My hobby is, um...defeating Shadows?" Yukiko said uncertainly.
"That's not a hobby!" Yosuke said, likely because the class rep looked utterly confused.
"O-Oh yeah, sorry..."
"Okay, then we'll ask you a question next!" Chie said. "Umm, umm..."
"What type of girls do you like?" Yukiko stepped in to save her.
"Whoa, getting right to the point..." Yosuke said.
"A kind girl." Yu answered.
"Ooh, me too! You get this urge to care for and protect them..." Yosuke agreed.
"Well, since you're so eager, why don't you tell us about your type?" Chie sounded like she was being partly sarcastic, but partly moving this thing along.
"W-Well, for me, um...I guess a girl that's kind and sorta fragile, you know? Someone I'd want to protect...Uhhh...Man, this is...um, yeah..." Yosuke muttered, blushing a bit and not looking at anyone.
"Aren't you describing Kyoka...?" Yukiko asked, although she didn't seem to really get the implication.
"Th-There's lots of girls like that!" I protested.
"H-Hey, your turn, Kanji..." Yosuke quickly changed the subject.
"Uh, well, I...I-I guess someone who's kind of mysterious, and looks strong but's actually kinda..." Kanji trailed off.
"...Yeah, I really wonder who you're talking about." Yosuke muttered.
"Okay, out of the three of us here...Who would you want to date?" Yu asked.
"Hey...I object to this line of questioning!" Yosuke protested.
"Oh, don't worry. This is going pretty well. Alright, let's start with you, Chie." The class rep said.
"Huh!? Wait, um...A-Ahaha...Uhhh, well..." She was blushing and looking over to me for help.
"Hey, Yukiko, what about you? Who would you go for?" I decided to ask.
"M-Me!? U-Um, who would I choose to date...? Well...Th-That's private..." Yukiko was blushing as well.
"Isn't it!?" Chie agreed and gave me a wink of thanks.
"Okay...your turn, Kyoka. Who would you want to date?" Yukiko asked as everyone looked to me.
"Uh, well...Probably Yosuke..." I muttered, not looking at anyone.
"Y-You're just saying that so bluntly in front of everyone!?" He looked shocked and seemed embarrassed.
"Yeah, I kinda expected that..." Chie muttered a bit awkwardly.
"Well, I admit, I'm pretty dependable...and decent lookin', right?" Yosuke looked kinda proud.
"Isn't it because Kyoka's relationship with Yu-kun and Kanji-kun is more familial in nature?" Yukiko asked, making him deflate a bit.
"Yeah, her options weren't very good in this case, huh...?" Chie agreed.
We all then looked down as Chie sighed at this uncomfortable situation. The silence was heavy until Rise came walking in.
"Senpai, how're you doi-" She stopped short upon seeing the depressing atmosphere. "...Uhhh, ahaha...W-Well, see ya!" And she quickly backed out of the room and ran away.
"Mark it. The group date cafe is officially a failure..." Yosuke said.
I ended up walking around the school for a bit by myself. I didn't have much fun on my own, but pretty much everyone else's booths seemed better than ours...
10/30
-Daytime-
We all came to an empty classroom to prepare the guys for their cross-dressing pageant, but Kanji, Yu, and Yosuke stayed near the door.
"Why're you guys just standing there? Come on, hurry up and sit down." Chie said.
"C'mon, Kanji-kun. Over here!" Rise smiled.
They reluctantly came to stand across the row of desks from us.
"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Yukiko said to Yu, but all of them didn't look reassured at all.
"What about me?" Teddie asked and we looked to him. "It turns out I'm entering this too. I must win this contest to see my dream realized!"
"He seemed bored, so we signed him up as a last-minute contestant." Yosuke explained.
"So you're making him suffer too, huh...? Well, if he's been signed up, there's nothing we can do about it." Chie said. "Naoto-kun, can you lend us a hand? We'll leave Teddie to you."
"M-Me?" Naoto looked surprised.
"The Naoto-Teddie team's unstoppable!" Teddie looked happy.
"Well then, um..." Naoto looked around, as if trying to think of what to do.
"First, I need some dazzling makeup!"
"Y-You're right. Then I'll go borrow a makeup kit from someone..." Naoto nodded and ran off.
"Wait! The battle begins by choosing the right equipment!" Teddie ran after her.
"Ooh, we gotta use fake eyelashes, right?" Chie asked me excitedly.
"Y-Yeah, bring it on!" Yosuke apparently went with it.
"No, no way." I shook my head.
"Hey, wait up! Why does Yosuke-senpai get two girls helping him?" Kanji questioned.
"Because if me and Chie work together on this stuff, that's about equal to what Rise and Yukiko have on their own." I answered with a shrug.
"H-Hey, don't say it like that!" Chie looked a bit embarrassed.
I stood in the crowd with the other girls as the pageant got started.
Kashiwagi chuckled. "So it begins..."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" The MC with a ridiculous pink afro started on the stage. "We now begin the second day of the Culture Festival with the ever-popular "Miss" Yasogami Pageant! Let's get right down to it and introduce our first contestant! She's a runaway express train who's Inaba born and bred, and can kill with both her fists and her looks! Presenting Kanji-chan of the first-year class 3!"
Kanji walked on stage, reminiscent of a Marilyn Monroe costume on a guy with too much makeup rather than actually looking anything like a girl and said, "'Sup!"
"Gyaaaaaah! Ewww! That's so creepy!" Some of the girls in the crowd cried.
"This is wrong on every level..." A guy said.
"Rise, you weren't even trying to make him look good, were you...?" I sighed, but she just grinned innocently at me.
"Now, don't rip me apart for asking, but...What would you say is your best feature?" The MC asked Kanji.
"...My eyes?" Kanji answered and a bunch of people started laughing.
"Whoa! A conventional answer from this all-too-unconventional beauty!" The MC said. "After such a strong start, I don't know how much of a chance the others have, but here's our second contestant! An eloquent heiress of the noble Junes, she's pure disappointment from the moment she opens her mouth!"
"Chie, I thought you were going to write something at least kind of nice." I sighed, but Chie just smiled at me.
"Presenting Yosuke-chan of the second-year class 2!"
Yosuke walked onto the stage in a girls' school uniform with a red bow and looked utterly miserable as he said, "H-Hi!"
I mean, he still looked like a guy, but at least I tried to make him a little girly with hair extensions for a side-pony tail and forced Chie not to go overboard with the makeup...
"Holy crap!" A girl exclaimed.
"And here I thought Yosuke-senpai would be able to pull it off better than that!" Another said.
"Dude, it's terrifying...I can just imagine someone like him sitting across from me on a train!" A guy said.
"Okay, now I feel bad." I muttered with a wince, seeing how miserable he looked up on stage.
"Now, you look ready to win in that outfit...Do you often dress like this?" The MC asked.
"Hell no!" Yosuke answered immediately, looking offended. "Uh..." He coughed and made his voice higher. "Like, no way!"
Everyone around us began laughing.
"What's with this? We're laughingstocks up here!" Kanji said to Yosuke with annoyance.
"What did you think this was about...?" Yosuke snapped back at him.
"I've already had about enough of this, but there's still more to come! Up next, our third contestant!" The MC said. "She has the mildly bitter tang of the city, and she's made more girls cry than there are stars in the sky! Presenting our transfer student who's been breaking hearts in the second-year class 2, Yu-chan!"
Yu walked onto stage in a black and yellow school uniform that had a long skirt. He had braids down to his shoulders and was holding a wooden practice sword as he stood as stoically as ever. People began to laugh, but I thought he was pulling it off a bit better than the other two.
"N-No more!" A girl said.
"Senpai!? Why are you doing this!?" Another girl cried.
"Whoa...I thought he was cooler than that..." A guy said.
"Sounds like your entrance is causing quite a stir! Did you sign yourself up?" The MC asked Yu.
"Damn straight." Yu answered with a blank face.
"Wow, he was more gung-ho about this than Kanji..." Yosuke muttered, then looked down. "Damn that Kashiwagi...How dare she tear away our innocence like this! Now I'm scarred for life, dammit!"
"Our last contestant is a random, unaffiliated entrant! She's a friend of our other "beauties"!" The MC announced. "Calling herself "King of the TV World," she's a cute, sexy little number! Give a warm welcome to Teddie-chan!"
Teddie skipped out on stage, wearing an Alice In Wonderland costume and with a perfect blonde wig that made him actually look like a girl as he skipped back and forth and posed for the audience that was cheering in shock.
"Gimme your hearts!" Teddie did a cute pose in the centre of the stage and winked.
"Huh!? That's a boy!?" A girl shouted.
"He's so cute!" Another squealed.
"I'd hit it..." A guy muttered.
"Ugh...Teddie's so cute...Naoto-kun, you guys're amazing...!" I looked to the detective with awe and she looked embarrassed.
The votes were collected, then the MC said, "And the winner of this year's "Miss" Yasogami Pageant is...The random contestant who won everyone's hearts, Ms Teddie! As our champion, Ms Teddie will receive a very special prize...Later this afternoon, we will be hosting the Miss Yasogami Pageant, with actual beauties this time! Your reward is a position as an honorary judge in that pageant!"
"Woohoo!" Teddie jumped up and down in excitement.
"A-An honorary judge...? That's one lame prize for what you gotta go through..." Yosuke said.
"Not everyone can get that excited over a judge position." Chie commented, smiling.
"Seeing him so happy kind of makes me happy too..." Yukiko said and I nodded.
"Yeah, he's like over the top innocent." Rise added.
"Well then, Ms Teddie, how does it feel to have won the pageant and become a judge?" The MC asked.
"Hmhmhm...The long-awaited day has finally come!" Teddie said. "I decree that one of the judging criteria later this afternoon will be...Tadaaaa! A swimsuit competition!"
"Whaaaat!?" I shouted angrily.
"Wh-Wh-What the hell!? Over my dead body!" Chie shouted.
"Aww, I didn't bring a swimsuit!" Rise seemed unfazed.
"That bear needs to be disappeared..." Yukiko muttered darkly.
"Well, I doubt he has the authority to declare that unilaterally..." Naoto stated, unimpressed.
Kashiwagi chuckled, though. "This is great! I love the direction this is going!"
I sighed miserably as I stood with the other girls in the beauty pageant dressing room.
"Dress yourselves up as well as you can, you little brats." Kashiwagi said to us out of nowhere.
"What is she, the rival woman on a soap opera...? Wait, is Kashiwagi serious about winning this?" Chie asked quietly.
Then, a girl entered with a bag. "Mr Teddie dropped this off." We all looked at her in confusion. "He said that they're swimsuits..."
"Hey! We don't need them!" Chie refused.
Kashiwagi began to chuckle like an evil villain. "Heeheeahahahaaaaahahahaha! My mature charms will win the day! I brought my own swimsuit, of course."
"I brought my own too." Hanako spoke up.
"Wh-What's with these people...?" Chie muttered.
"Hey, l-let's not do this..." Yukiko said nervously.
"What's that? Getting cold feet? Wise of you to back out of a fight you can't win." Kashiwagi said and then looked at Rise. "You call yourself an idol...But you're just jailbait with no brains, no guts, and especially no figure."
"What...!?" Rise looked mad.
"There's no way their type would be crowned Miss Inaba. Why not just let them back out?" Hanako suggested to Kashiwagi.
"Oh, and I suppose you think you're gonna take the crown!? You little...snoring pig!" Chie got mad and Yukiko seemed to fall for the taunt as well.
"Snoring? What're you talking about? Your face is as foul as your mouth, and your brain's as rotten to boot." Hanako shot back at her.
"We went through hell because of you..." Chie growled while Yukiko got angry too. "Th-That's it! Now I'm pissed!"
"Oh? You're going to challenge me? It's useless...Don't waste your energy. Let this be a warning to the others, too. You're going to lose. Now's your last chance to run away."
"R-Run away? Why the hell would we run from someone like you!?"
"Well...We did kinda run away last time..." Yukiko pointed out.
"That's what I'm saying! We gotta stand our ground and get our revenge for that!" Chie replied. "How can we cower and hide when they're picking a fight!?"
"Y-Yeah..." Yukiko nodded to her.
"Right, Rise-chan? Kyoka!? We won't run from this, right!?"
Rise nodded and they looked to me.
"Actually, I'd much rather prefer to run this time..." I muttered.
"Wha-!?" Chie and the others then looked to Naoto more heatedly.
"Huh...!? Me too!?" Naoto looked surprised. "Why are you letting yourself be so easily provoked!? Th-Th-Th-There's no way! Absolutely. No. Way. That I'm wearing a swimsuit!" Naoto protested.
"Yeah, right!?" I agreed.
"You're not goin' anywhere...!" Chie stepped toward us menacingly.
And so, Naoto and I got forced into participating in the pageant as well...So much for our way out. They were even keeping an eye on us as we stood backstage waiting for our cue.
"But that's not all for the Culture Festival's main event! There's still more to come in the Miss Yasogami Pageant!" The MC was saying on the stage after Kashiwagi and Hanako had been introduced. "The judging continues! Can you hear the crowd going wild!?" The crowd cheered. "Now, for our next contestant, Ms Chie Satonaka of the second-year's class 2! Come on out, Chie!"
"H-Hi, I'm Chie Satonaka." Chie introduced nervously after walking out on stage in her casual clothes.
"Tell us a little bit about yourself!" The MC said.
"U-Um, I'm kind of shy and reserved...And my favourite food is...pudding." Chie lied and the audience cheered.
"Thank you very much!" The announcer said. "Up next, another contestant from class 2, Ms Yukiko Amagi!"
Yukiko walked out on stage in her casual clothes as well. "H-Hello, my name is Yukiko Amagi. Um, my family runs the Amagi Inn. If you ever find yourself in the area, please give us a visit. Our hot springs are open to the public year-round, so whenever you're in the mood to enjoy them, please drop by..."
"Alright, that'll do nicely!" The MC said as the crowd cheered. "And the last one from second-year's class 2 is...Ms Kyoka Kagayami!"
I reluctantly walked out on stage after Rise pushed me, and felt sick seeing the crowd watching me, so I just smiled nervously and waved.
"Shy, are you? Why don't you tell us something about yourself? How about what you do in your free time?" The MC asked me.
"...That's a secret." I responded quietly and the audience seemed somewhat confused.
"Alright then...Next up, a very familiar face-from the first-year class 2, Ms Rise Kujikawa!" The MC moved on and I went to stand next to Yukiko as Rise walked on stage.
"Hi-hi! My name's Rise Kujikawa!" Rise greeted the crowd enthusiastically, waving with both hands. "I haven't been in town very long, but it's a great place and I'm 100% thrilled to be here! So sorry that I'm not working as an idol right now! Risette's gonna do her best, so I hope you'll all cheer for me!"
"The real Risette, ladies and gentlemen, in the flesh! Thank you very much!" The MC said as the crowd went wild. "Next is the mysterious transfer student, of the first-year's class 1, Ms Naoto Shirogane!"
Naoto walked on stage in her usual casual clothing, just without her hat and blushed. "...I-I'm Naoto Shirogane. It's hard to believe I'm up on a stage at a pageant like this...This is beyond my wildest imaginings...I-I really don't know what to say..." She then looked at the MC. "...C-Can I step back now...?"
The crowd cheered for her, and, honestly, I thought she looked super cute today too as she went to stand next to Rise.
"And with that, all seven uniquely beautiful contestants are on stage! Now, let's have our special judge, Mr Teddie, ask them some questions." The MC said and Teddie walked on stage to face us in his usual clothing.
"Ehem. I am Teddie, the honorary judge for this pageant. Please keep in mind that if you anger me, you will be at a disadvantage...Well, Ms Chie. Do you have a boyfriend?" Teddie started off strong.
"Wha-!? T-Teddie, you...!" Chie blushed and looked shocked, but he didn't give her time to say anything else.
"Ms Kyoka, what type of guy do you like?"
"H-Hey! Teddie, don't-!" I glared at him, feeling my face warm instantly at the question, but he moved on before I could finish growling at him.
"Ms Yukiko, have you ever smooched anyone before?"
"Huh...!? S-Stop it!" Yukiko blushed.
"Ms Naoto, where are you ticklish?"
"I-I beg your pardon?" Naoto looked confused.
"Can I stay at your house next time, Rise-chan?" Teddie moved on, seeming not to care about the answers at all.
"What kind of a question is that...?" Rise asked uncertainly.
"A-Anyways, I have a surprise announcement for you all!" The MC took over again before Teddie could ask more stupid questions. "Wait 'till you hear this! For the first time ever, this year's pageant will feature a swimsuit competition! And it's all thanks to Mr Teddie here!" The crowd cheered excitedly. "We'll take a brief break while our contestants put on their swimsuits and be back in just a few moments!"
"Psst, Naoto-kun!" I whispered as the girls were grabbing swimsuits out of the bag Teddie had delivered to us earlier.
"Kyoka-san...?" Naoto looked confused, but also a bit distracted with nerves about what to do.
I held up a finger to my lips and glanced over at the still distracted girls as I slid open the door very slowly and quietly, then motioned for Naoto to go into the hallway first. Once she nodded and left the room, I slipped out as well and very carefully closed the door behind us.
"Hey, Kyoka what kind of-Huh? Where'd she go?" Yukiko's voice sounded from inside and I panicked a bit and grabbed Naoto's wrist as I took off running away from the room.
We ended up on the roof, lying flat on the ground behind one of the raised parts so that no one would be able to see us just by opening the door to the stairs.
"...You didn't want to wear a swimsuit either, did you, Kyoka-san?" Naoto sounded like she was holding back a laugh as she spoke quietly and I turned my head to look at her laying next to me on the ground.
"Yeah, I really can't, anyway...But I figured if I was going to escape, I'd help you while I'm at it. Sorry for dragging you up here suddenly."
"It's quite alright...Though I'm sure the others won't be too pleased with us for running away like this." She looked amused more than she felt bad.
"Well, we both have our reasons." I smiled at her. "And now we're accomplices in this, Naoto-kun. We'll take their wrath together if they get mad."
"Thank you." She smiled back and then turned her head to look up at the sky, so I did the same. "...I didn't think I would ever get mixed up in some kind of silly pageant."
"Me neither. Well, I got Yosuke back for not reading the fine print before signing us up, though. Even if I do feel kinda bad because that crossdressing thing was a lot harsher than I intended..." I sighed.
"Yes, I think it must've been very painful for them..." Naoto sighed as well. "However, it was kind of...Fun. T-To spend time together with everyone like we did today, I mean."
I laughed lightly at her embarrassed expression that I saw out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah, it was. I hope it becomes a good memory more than a bad one for the others, though..."