"I really don't think I can go through with this…" I said weakly after I had changed, and we were all backstage as the beauty pageant was beginning. I had decided to simply wear my favorite coat, a blue double-breasted cardigan coat with gold buttons that I had to have custom-made for me, seeing as it is difficult to find masculine clothing in my size. Though it was what I casually wore, it was one of the nicest outfits I owned, and it was what I was most comfortable in. It concealed my chest rather well, as well as my stomach, smoothing out the feminine curves in my waist. We were all wearing the clothes we felt most comfortable in. Chie-san wore a greenish jacket with a light-colored blouse underneath, Yukiko-san wore a simple red sundress, and Rise-san wore a fiery orange sundress.

"I'm sure the boys will love me for my beautiful curves."

"W-well," I could hear the MC's voice from where I stood just a few meters from the stage, "Thank you, Ms. Hanako! But that's not all for the Culture Festival's main event! There's still more to come in the Miss Yasogami Pageant!" I could hear the audience cheering loudly through the sound of runway music. It sounded like there were even more people than there were at the cross-dressing pageant. "The judging continues! Can you hear the crowd going wild? Now, for our next contestant, Ms. Chie Satonaka of the second-year's Class 2! Come on out, Chie!"

"Meh…" Chie whined quietly, "Wish me luck, guys…" She bashfully walked out on stage.

"It's gonna be okay, Naoto-kun," Rise-san said sympathetically as she rested a hand on my shoulder. "Just remember what I said. Take that nervous feeling and use it as fuel. Make those butterflies in your stomach work for you!"

I was staring at the floor. "What is the point of me entering, anyway? If any one of us were to win this foolish pageant, it would be you. Everyone in this school is so infatuated with you, there's no way you couldn't win!"

"We don't know that for sure," said Rise-san. "And you're the Detective Prince! You definitely have a chance!"

"Up next, another contestant from Class 2, Ms. Yukiko Amagi!"

"Th-that's my cue," Yukiko stuttered before walking out.

"Be that as it may," I said, "A Prince has no place in a beauty contest. An idol certainly would." I sighed heavily. "It isn't right for someone like me to be on stage. I'm just not that type of person."

"You can do it, Naoto-kun," Rise-san said, smiling at me reassuringly. "I believe in you."

Her words echoed soothingly in my mind. I only recalled being told that by two other people: My parents. Long, long ago. I felt a shiver go up my spine, and my heart thudded strongly in my chest. If someone like Rise-san believed in me, I would put in whatever effort I could not to disappoint her.

"Th-thank you, Rise-san," I said quietly.

"Alright, that'll do nicely," I heard the MC say. "Next up, a very familiar face-from the first-year Class 2, Ms. Rise Kujikawa!"

"Well, gotta go!" Rise-san squeaked excitedly as she turned away from me. "Oh… And one more thing, Naoto-kun." She quickly took my hat by its brim and whipped it off my head, setting it down on a table beside us. "Lose the hat for now. Show off that beautiful hair of yours!" She turned on her heel and quickly stepped onto the stage. The crowd went absolutely insane as soon as she stepped foot into the spotlight. I had the desperate urge to take my hat and put it back on despite Rise-san's advice, but I decided against it. Rise-san obviously knew what she was talking about. I nervously gripped the crimson curtain as I watched her stop and pose happily in the center of the stage. She looked as if she was born for the spotlight. The way it enveloped her and reflected off of her golden skin seemed so natural. She was meant to be on stage.

"Hi-hi!" she said in the high-pitched stage voice that I had become so accustomed to hearing on the radio and in commercials on TV, but had forgotten was hers. She seemed to have had this all planned out, and she was definitely enjoying it. "My name's Rise Kujikawa! I haven't been in town very long, but it's a great place and I'm 100% thrilled to be here!" She was definitely aiming to win this stupid pageant, putting on some type of cutesy sort of facade. "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 crowd cheered wildly. I felt somewhat proud of Rise-san, though as soon as their cheers echoed throughout the room, I felt as if I was going to be sick. I began to shake violently, and had half the heart to run away from the stage. Still, Rise-san's words were repeated back to me in my mind. "Just remember what I said. Take that nervous feeling and use it as fuel."

"Fuel," I repeated slowly to myself, clenching my stomach tightly. Come on, butterflies… Work for me.

"The real Risette ladies and gentlemen, in the flesh! Thank you very much!" the MC said as my eyes fell upon Rise-san, who peered at me encouragingly from where she had walked to beside Yukiko-san. "Next is the mysterious transfer student of the first-year's Class 1, Ms. Naoto Shirogane!"

Everything seemed to freeze, and then progress in slow-motion. I closed my eyes, remembering Rise-san's words again. "You have to take that feeling, and make it do your bidding. You need to take it, and turn that fear into a rush, into a drive to want to do well out there on stage. You have to hear the crowd calling your name, and realize that those voices aren't there to yell at you or to chase you away, or even to judge you. Those voices are there to cheer you on, and to appreciate everything you've worked for…"

I felt the glossy wood of the stage come into contact with the bottom of my foot. Before I could process what I was doing, I opened my eyes and saw myself walking out on stage, as if I was not in control of my own body, but some outside source. It seemed that Rise-san's encouraging words were what piloted me out onto the stage. I glanced out into the audience, barely able to see them because of the bright lights that shone on me. I could tell, however, that there were hundreds of students watching me, cheering for me, and shouting my name.

"Yeah! Naoto-kun!"

"Woohoo! Detective Prince!"

"Lookin' good, Naoto!"

I could hardly believe that I was standing where I was, with the spotlight pointed on me. This was the first time I had ever been on a stage, save for a piano recital when I was very young. But during the recital, I was on stage for my piano playing, not for myself. Now, I stood here, not knowing just what to do, because the purpose of this event was simply to look pretty and show off my appearance. My cheeks filled with blood and my face went bright red. I felt extremely hot, because of the heat from the lights, my blushing, and the adrenaline being pumped through my veins. I tried my best to control my shaking, and feared for a brief moment that I would faint on stage. I had to keep my composure, though, lest I embarrassed myself even more. I realized that I was standing still without speaking at all, and that maybe I should speak up and say something.

"...I'm Naoto Shirogane," I said shyly, almost having to force the sentence out of my quivering throat. "It's hard to believe that I'm up on stage at a pageant like this… This is beyond my wildest imaginings… I-I really don't know what to say…" The excited murmur of the crowd enveloped me. Hundreds of students were looking at me, judging me by my appearance. The thrill of the moment was indeed something new and interesting, but the terror instilled in me overcame that thrill. I wanted nothing more than to get off this stage post-haste. I glanced over to the MC, unsure of what to do. "...C-can I step back now...?" To my surprise, the audience cheered again, and I could hear that the female audience members were surpassing the males in volume. I quickly stepped back into the line with the other girls, beside Rise-san. She glanced at me from where she was standing and grinned, as if to say "Good job."

"And with that, all six uniquely beautiful contestants are on stage!" the MC said when I was in my place. "Now, let's have our special judge, Mr. Teddie, ask them some questions."

Teddie then came out on stage, smirking in the smug, devious way he always did, and holding a microphone. When he was front and center, he turned to us and said into the microphone: "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…" If we angered him…? He first approached Chie-san. "Well, Ms. Chie. Do you have a boyfriend?" He held the microphone in front of her face.

"Wha-!?" Chie-san sounded flustered. "T-Teddie, you…!"

He didn't give her any time before he turned to Yukiko-san. "Ms. Yukiko, have you ever smooched anyone before?"

"Huh…!?" she said, "S-Stop it!"

He then turned to me. "Ms. Naoto, where are you ticklish?"

Where was I… W-what…? "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Can I say at your house next time, Rise-chan?" he turned to Rise.

Even she looked confused."What kind of a question is that…?"

The MC looked as if he were in a rush to end Teddie's questioning. "A-Anyways, I have a surprise announcement for you all! Wait 'til you hear this! For the first time ever, this year's pageant will feature a swimsuit competition!" I felt like I wanted to hide my face. I had almost forgotten that this was not the worst part of this foolish event. As the audience roared, I pleaded to God that I could just go home.

"And it's all thanks to Mr. Teddie here!" the MC said. Teddie was beaming with so much pride that he almost glowed. "We'll take a brief break while our contestants put on their swimsuits and be back in just a few moments!"

I was so glad to leave the stage, but the pressure only got worse from the moment I stepped out of the spotlight. We had returned to the changing room, where the Junes bag full of swimsuits was still sitting on one of the desks. It was as if it was a bag full of snakes. No one dared to approach it.

Kashiwagi chuckled darkly from where she had retreated to one corner of the room, taking a sleek, black one-piece out of a bag she was carrying. "Best of luck, you little brats. Don't chicken out on stage, if you can even bear to put on those silly little bikinis in front of other people." Her taunts were beginning to annoy me.

"There's no way that you're gonna beat us," Hanako-san said with the smug grin that I hated. "Me and Ms. Kashiwagi are like, so much more mature than all of you."

Chie-san growled as if she were a dog. "Why, you…" She stormed over to the bag of swimsuits and began rifling through it. "Everyone come over here and get these swimsuits on! We're doing this!"

"Yeah, let's make the best out of it!" said Rise-san.

There were several swimsuits that seemed to have been chosen specifically for each of us. I wondered at first how Teddie could have possibly known what size to get, until I remembered that he had gotten his hands on all of our measurements during our episode at the hospital… The memory of that fact made me cringe.

Everyone was dressed in their swimsuits soon enough, except for me. Chie-san was wearing a yellow bikini with boxer-type bottoms, Yukiko-san was wearing a pink skirted bikini, and Rise-san was wearing an orange swimsuit. I stared at the bag, feeling utterly terrified.

"Naoto-kun," Yukiko-san said, "Aren't you going to change into your swimsuit?"

"I-I…" I swallowed hard before reluctantly peering into the bag and pulling out a blue bikini top. The cups were much bigger than those of the others, though I regretted to realize that it was perfectly my size. I felt like I was going to be sick. I placed a hand over my mouth as the blood drained from my face.

"Ooh, looks cute, Naoto-kun!" Rise-san cooed. "Hurry up and put it on!"

"I.." I stuttered, "I can't…"

Before I could say anything else, her face was inches from mine. "Hey," she said, "Listen. You can do this. I know you can."

I was trembling, but I still remembered the words she had said to me about taking my anxiety and turning it into a drive. I nodded timidly, thinking that if I could do it once, I could do it again.

I changed in a corner after asking everyone to look away. Even when I was changed into my swimsuit, I felt as if I was still not fully dressed. I was reluctant to tell everyone that I was finished. I still felt utterly exposed. With a red face, I hesitantly forced "I'm ready," out of my trembling lips.

When the other girls turned around, their expressions quickly transformed from content to stupefied. "Woooah," Chie-san blurted out, her eyes immediately falling upon my chest. I covered it with my arms as a reflex, crossing my legs and hunching my shoulders.

"You look great," Yukiko-san said.

"Great?" said Rise-san, "She looks completely adorable!" She squealed as she dove to wrap her arms around me. This made me feel even more uncomfortable. Her warm, exposed skin pressed against my own, and wanted desperately to get out of this entanglement of limbs.

"Th-that's enough, Rise-san," I said, "P-please refrain from physical contact…"

She tore herself away from me, and the three girls surrounded me almost instantly. "Wow," Yukiko-san said, "You look so great in that."

"I would have never expected this," Chie-san said, "You have the perfect body! Such a slender waist and round hips…"

"A few months ago, we would have never pictured Naoto-kun to look like this," Yukiko added.

"Such an impressive chest, too," Rise-san said in awe. "You hide it so well I would have never guessed. I'm practically jealous, Naoto-kun!"

I wrapped my arms more tightly around my breasts. "Wh-what is… What are you…" I didn't just want to hide anymore, I wanted to die. They all giggled, though. They giggled. Even though I was straining myself to make sure that I didn't lose my lunch.

"Time to head out," Kashiwagi said in her snarky voice as she slid open the door. "And time to take my reward."

"Later, skanks," Hanako-san grinned when she followed behind her.

"Ugh," Chie growled, "If I could in this world, I'd totally get Tomoe to kick her smug, pudgy ass!"

We made our way backstage once again, and as the runway music began to play again, I paced the dark room, my anxiety growing much more intense within me. I barely heard the voices of the other girls as they told me it would be okay. I was shaking violently, my bare stomach churned, I felt as if I was on fire and every inch of me was drenched in sweat. Eventually, I felt like I could barely stand on my own, and resorted to leaning against one of the walls, trying to calm my heavy breathing.

Kashiwagi and Hanako-san were already on stage before I knew it. The MC's voice, a herald of doom, was periodically echoing from the stage, like a countdown to my demise. Right after Hanako's entrance, Chie-san got herself ready and stepped out onto the stage, giggling nervously. "H-hi…"

The crowd cheered, and I saw Yukiko-san leave and enter the stage as well. "I-I'm sorry…" her stutters reverberated to where we stood. My hot, slippery fingers were curled into fists. I tried desperately to calm my breathing, but it would not slow.

"Take the anxiety," I whispered to myself, "Turn it into passion. Take the anxiety… Turn it into passion…" I was forcing the words through my teeth, but my body would not comply to them. "Goddamnit… I-I can't… I…"

It was Rise-san's turn right after Yukiko-san. She flashed me a concerned glance, and then in the next moment she boldly stepped out on stage sporting a broad smile. "Yoohoo, here's Risette!"

I was now standing behind the curtains, gripping them tightly. As soon as Rise-san turned on her heel to step into the line, and the crowd cheered for her, I knew that it was my turn. It was my turn to step out onto a stage in front of hundreds of teenagers… Practically naked.

I needed to do this. I had to do this. I could do this. I could make the butterflies work for me… I could… I…

I couldn't.

I felt my stomach seize up, and I thought for sure that I was going to be sick. I was frozen in place, and I couldn't get my body to move. I couldn't go out there wearing nothing but a thin sheet of blue cloth. The only thing I could do was stand there alone, eyes wide, in horror.

"Huh…?" the MC said, trying to peer backstage. "Ms. Naoto?"

I frantically shook my head at him. "Yeah… Um… I can't do this..."

"She's not coming out…" the MC said, trying to retain his theatrical attitude.

I felt my fingers separate from the red velvet curtain and I stumbled backward. "I'm sorry… I'm not feeling so good…" I quickly spun around and ran away as quickly as I could from the stage. I stopped at the door, however, not wanting to walk out into the hallway either. I was stuck, confused, uncomfortable, panicked and exposed. The only thing I could think to do was sink down against the wall, curl up, hide my body, and cry.

Before I could think about anything, however, I opened my eyes to see two feet standing in front of me. Jumping in surprise and covering my chest, I looked up to see that it was the MC. "Hey, Naoto," he whispered harshly, "I need you to get out on stage!"

"I can't," I cried through my tears, "I can't go out there! I can't have everyone seeing me like this!"

He sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose. Eventually, he looked down at me with stern sympathy. "Hey. It's alright."

I looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"Normally, I would be sort of pissed at you for not going on at your cue," he said, "But this is a frigging beauty pageant. If there's any point to this at all, I certainly don't see it. God… I like being the host for these kind of things, but, why in hell would Kashiwagi allow something like THIS in a high school? It's just stupid and pointless."

I nodded slowly, making sure to cover my body as much as possible.

"Anyway," he said, "It's fine if you don't want to come out, I guess."

"Thank you," I said, "I apologize… But I really can't do this…"

"If you want to go back to the changing room, no one should be in that hallway at this time," he whispered, pointing to the door.

I looked at it and nodded, and he nodded back to me before quickly returning to the stage. "Well, sad news, everyone," he said to the crowd, "But Ms. Naoto won't be coming out for this portion."

The booing of the crowd was the last thing I heard before exiting the room and dashing into the changing room to get my clothes back on.

A few minutes went by after I had piled on all of my clothes. I sat at one of the desks, burying my face in my arms and gripping my hat tightly. My body convulsed as I sobbed in the silence of the empty classroom. The desk was soon soaked with tears. I felt a variety of emotions: Terror, first of all, for what I went through, cowardice for not being able to set foot on stage, embarrassment for being a no-show in front of most of the school, shame for disappointing the students, my friends and the MC and confusion for not understanding my feelings. I felt utterly worthless. Even though Rise-san had believed in me so strongly, I had let her down. Everyone had believed in me, and I had let all of them down. My suspicions had been correct: The only thing I was good at was being a detective.

After the few minutes of sobbing and trying to calm my racing mind, the door slid open, and I heard Chie-san's voice squeal the one thing that I had least expected to hear. "Naoto-kun! You won!"

I lifted my head up a small bit. Surely, they must be joking in order to make me feel better. "I couldn't have won… Please, do not lie to me in an attempt to smooth things over. It's rather insulting, actually…"

"But it's not a lie!" Rise-san said, running over and hugging me tightly around the waist. "You won the beauty pageant, Naoto-kun!"

"It's true," Yukiko-san said politely from the doorway. Hanako-chan and Ms. Kashiwagi looked really distraught."

"You crushed 'em!" Chie-sah said, raising a fist into the air. "Way to go, Naoto-kun!"

"I-I really won…?" I said, "Even though I didn't go on stage for the swimsuit competition? Is there any possible way the ballots could have been totalled incorrectly?"

"Nope," said Yukiko, changing into her clothes. "You seemed to win most of the girls' votes."

"They really loved you, Naoto-kun!" Rise-san said, letting go of me and beginning to change as well. Chie-san was already doing the same.

I chuckled quietly to myself. "The female students… Of course. Perhaps I should have expected that I would appeal to them."

"I'm sort of disappointed that I didn't win," Rise-san said, "But it was still fun to be on stage again!" She smiled nostalgically. "And I'm really happy for you, Naoto-kun!"

I smiled to myself, wiping away some of the tears left on my face and blushing. "I'm just glad that the event is over…"

"Yo!" there was a knock on the closed door, and the voice was undoubtedly that of Yosuke. "You guys done changing?"

"Almost…" Rise-san said, slipping her sundress over her head and straightening it out. "There we go! You can come in!"

The door opened, and Yosuke-san, Teddie, Yu-san and Kanji-kun stepped in. "You girls were all great," Yosuke beamed.

"Such beeeeautiful ladies!" Teddie cheered.

"Yeah, yeah," Chie-san said, slipping her jacket on. "Both of the pageants are over now, so you'd better be nice to us or I might just sign you up for another one!"

"Too bad the culture festival's almost over," Yosuke smirked in Chie's face.

"Then I'll find some other horrible thing to do to you!" Chie replied.

"Ugh," Yosuke grunted, "You always have an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Yep!"

"Hey, guys," Yu-san said, "In celebration of Naoto's victory, we should go get something to eat before the festival closes down."

"Ooh!" Teddie squealed, "I want some noodles! They're so yummy, and they tickle when they slide down your throat!"

"I am kind of hungry after all that," Chie-san agreed.

"You're always hungry, though," Yosuke said, receiving a glare in return.

"What do you say, Naoto?" Yu-san said, looking at me. "You won the contest. What do you say I buy you something to eat?"

My face lit up red. I wished they would stop offering me things, but I was truthfully somewhat famished after the ordeal. I knew that he would not back down from his offer, either. "That would actually be very nice. Thank you."