Episode 321: Mother-Daughter Showdown

「Hey Kazunari… isn’t that person waving at you?」

「It’s gotta be, right? I thought I was seeing things at first, but… is she looking at Kazunari?」

「Wait, Takanashi-kun, who is that!?」

Yuji and the others who don’t know Mayumi-san are already starting to make a fuss, but I’m in no state to handle them right now.

Why is Mayumi-san standing up there!?

What on earth is she doing!?

I mean, this isn’t the time to be casually waving your hand, is it!?

「Gasp!? No way, is that…」

「Eh, Hanako-san, do you know that person?」

「E-Eririn, is that really…」

「Looks like it… though I don’t know why.」

Natsumi-senpai, Nishikawa-san, and Hanako-san seem to have realized who it is, staring at Mayumi-san on stage with blank expressions.

But the one who matters even more is Sara-san.

She’s obviously realized it’s Mayumi-san, looking like a deer in the headlights… it’s pretty rare to see her like this, but there’s no way she wouldn’t be shocked in this situation.

「OOOOOOOOOOOOOH, she’s a total beauty!!!」

「Crap, who is that person!!??」

「WHAAAAAAA, a glasses beauty is heeeeere!!!!」

「Wait, her level is way too high!!!」

「Is this happening!? N-No way, the winner has to be Satsukawa-san!!」

「I’m rooting for Mayu-san!!!」

「Whoa, incredible. I’ve never seen a beauty like that before.」

「Right. The favorite girl is a total beauty too…」

「I guess this year’s Miss Contest is confirmed to be a fight for the top between those two. This should be fun to watch.」

With Mayumi-san’s entrance, the atmosphere of the venue has already shifted into a two-way battle for the top. Cheers for Mayumi-san are starting to mix in with the voices supporting Sara-san.

But with things becoming this obvious, the other contestants probably aren’t too happy… wait, Sara-san moved!?

「…What are you doing?」

The microphone set up on the stage picks up Sara-san’s voice, and the conversation flows through the speakers. Even though it’s through a machine, I can feel a startling coldness in Sara-san’s voice… she’s obviously pretty angry.

「What do you mean?」

「I’m asking why you’re here.」

Mayumi-san is acting completely like her usual self against a Sara-san who’s quietly simmering with rage. The spectators in the venue… and the contestants, and even Minamin and the President, are watching the situation with interest.

But for my part, I don’t have the composure to watch this calmly.

Is this another one of Mayumi-san’s rampages?

No, more importantly than that…

What’s going to happen to my proposal!?

Am I supposed to propose in front of Mayumi-san!?

I mean… don’t tell me Masaomi-san is here too!!??

I try to check the surroundings, but pinpointing someone in this massive crowd is impossible.

I can’t read the situation at all… this is bad, seriously bad… what am I gonna do!?

「Oh, stop making such a scary face. I just came for a bit of ‘business.’ I thought I’d wander around a little, and then the kids from the prep committee practically begged me to enter.」

「Are you telling me you actually accepted for that reason? Why would you…」

「Hmm, I felt a bit bad for Sara-chan, but I thought it might be just the right opportunity.」

「The right opportunity?」

A somewhat ominous atmosphere is starting to drift from the usually carefree Mayumi-san… I can feel a slight sense of something being off.

Just what is she planning to say?

「What are you plotting?」

「Plotting is such a mean word. But if I had to say… well, I just thought I’d like to see if Sara-chan can really handle things from here on out.」

「…I don’t understand what you mean by that.」

「Do you really not understand?」

「…………」

The usual soft vibe vanished from Mayumi-san’s voice. Probably only Sara-san and I noticed… though Nishikawa-san and the others might have picked up on it too.

「Since you’re quiet, I guess you have a hunch, right? Then it’s a simple story. I want you to show me your growth, Sara-chan, even if it’s just a little.」

「…Growth? What specifically do you want me to do?」

「Just one thing is fine. Make me think ‘I lost.’ If you can do that, I won’t interfere anymore. I won’t meddle with you again.」

「…I see. And if you don’t see a satisfactory result?」

「It’s a shame, but I’ll have to conclude that Sara-chan can’t grow in her current environment. If that happens, I’ll have to think about various things for the future, won’t I?」

「…So that’s how it is.」

The look on Sara-san’s face grew sharper, and I felt like sparks were starting to fly between her and Mayumi-san.

But for my part, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Mayumi-san like this. Probably since the time she got angry at Sara-san about the arranged marriage incident.

「…Fine by me. I’ve been thinking you’ve been sticking your nose in way too much lately anyway. I’ll make sure you never spout such nonsense again… and I expect you to keep your promise, you hear?」

「Yes, that’s fine. I won’t go easy on you, so come at me with everything you’ve got.」

Only that last sentence sounded like the usual, gentle Mayumi-san?

Even this situation, which seems totally chaotic, probably has some kind of reason behind it for Mayumi-san…

「Save your composure for later!! Don’t think for a second that I’m the same person I used to be… I will definitely not lose to you now!!」

Sara-san’s fire is completely lit now, and she starts a clash of gazes with Mayumi-san, her eyes sharp and intense.

This is the first time I’ve ever seen Sara-san show such clear hostility toward Mayumi-san.

I’m sure Mayumi-san has her reasons, but she really didn’t have to do this right now…

「Hey… just what kind of conversation is this?」

「I don’t really get it, but basically it means those two are having a personal duel, right?」

「That woman looks like a relative of Satsukawa-san’s.」

「This is great! Either way, one of those two is gonna win the whole thing.」

「Right!! Things are finally getting exciting!!」

「Satsukawa-san, go for it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!」

「Goddessssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!」

「Mayu-san, I’m rooting for youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!」

The audience seems to have decided to just enjoy the vibe, and they’ve already started a shouting match of support.

But those of us who know the circumstances… especially me… are in no state for that.

Thinking about Mayumi-san’s words, if Sara-san loses, is there a chance we won’t be able to keep living the way we are now?

The meaning of「thinking about various things」is way too deep, it’s nothing but anxiety…

What’s gonna happen here…

「Wait, wait just a second!!! I’ve been sitting here listening to you two talk nonsense… just what do you think you’re doing!!!!」

The stuck-up woman, who had been completely ignored until now, confronted Sara-san and the others without hiding her displeasure.

I’d completely forgotten she existed too, but now that I think about it, she’s been irritated ever since Sara-san was introduced, hasn’t she?

「Oh, I’m sorry. Um… oh? You’re… well, never mind that. Anyway, don’t worry, we won’t get in your way, okay?」

「That’s not the point!!! To begin with… GAAAAAAH!!!! Excuse me, President!!??」

「Hah!? N-No, well, this development was outside my predictions too!!! M-Mayu-san, what on earth is the meaning of this!?」

「Ufufu, I’m sorry. But I did promise that in exchange for my cooperation, I’d get to do as I please, didn’t I?」

「Th-That was…!?」

「Wait, President!!! What exactly does that mean…」

Man…

How should I put it, I feel bad for the other contestants, but this actually feels pretty good.

The price for forcing Sara-san to enter has come back to bite them through Mayumi-san.

Well, I was originally planning to wreck the Miss Contest myself, so I feel like I’ve been beaten to the punch a bit.

「Anyway, I don’t intend to get in the way of the contest, so you can just proceed as usual, okay? We’ll just have our own separate battle on top of that.」

「That is right. We shall just be doing as we please over here. So please, don’t mind us.」

「I! SAID! Don’t move the conversation along without me!!!」

「Goodness… haven’t I already said we won’t get in your way? Regardless of us, you can just participate in the contest normally, can’t you? Anyway, please stop bothering us.」

「Wha!!?? Ugh… you…」

The stuck-up woman, completely left out of the loop, glares at the two of them with frustration… but neither Sara-san nor Mayumi-san cares, and they aren’t even looking at her. For Sara-san, who didn’t care about the contest in the first place, everything else is probably trivial.

「Uhihihi, things have turned into a total mess, but seeing that woman’s frustrated face is fun enough on its own. I mean, her mask is already starting to slip.」

「Um, that person with the glasses is…」

「That’s Mayumi-san… Sara’s Mother.」

「「「 WHAAAAAAA!!?? 」」」

「I-I didn’t realize!!」

「She’s so young!? I thought she was a Big sister or a cousin at most!!」

「Whoa, wait… so that’s the rumored…」

「Satsukawa-senpai’s Mother, the one who’s supposedly obsessed with Kazunari?」

「Hey, come on now…」

It’s true that Mayumi-san dotes on me in all sorts of ways, and I’m honestly grateful for it.

But being called「obsessed by my girlfriend’s Mother」… that’s a bit…

「If that’s the case, then that exchange earlier was…」

「Right… to put it simply, Mayumi-san is testing whether Sara can really handle things with Takanashi-san from here on out.」

「But wouldn’t you normally do that to Takanashi-kun? Like, I’ll test if you’re worthy of my daughter!! or something?」

「Maybe, but Mayumi-san has always been a bit strict with Sara.」

Nishikawa-san is right, Mayumi-san does have a strict side when it comes to Sara-san. Especially regarding her heart… even with that marriage meeting incident, Mayumi-san was quite harsh about Sara-san showing weakness. (And apparently she got scolded afterward for running away and becoming dependent on me).

She usually seems like a laid-back, very playful and bright Mother… but I do see her sharply warning Sara-san sometimes, so I think she’s fundamentally a strict person.

Though she’s nothing like that toward me at all…

「Also, this is just my hunch, but she’s probably decided to leave Takanashi-san to Sara’s Father, Masaomi-san. That’s why Mayumi-san is only strict with Sara.」

「I see… it’s kind of complicated… wait, Nishikawa-san, how do you know so much?」

「Well… let’s just say I have some understanding of these things.」

Nishikawa-san gave a wry smile and left it at that.

But assuming her guess is right… if Masaomi-san is going to be my teacher, I’d actually welcome it.

「E-Eh, um… sorry, Minamin can’t keep up with the situation at all… but for now, what’s the connection between Mayu-san and Satsukawa-san? That was some seriously meaningful talk… AH!! Don’t tell me you’re Satsukawa-san’s Big sister!?」

「Nfufu~ that’s a se-cret, okay? I wouldn’t want to influence the scoring for the Miss Contest, after all.」

「Who-ho-hoaaaa, she won’t deny it or confirm it, this development is getting more and more mysterious!!??」

「…He-Hey, now that she mentions it, don’t those two look alike!?」

「…You’re right, if she took those glasses off…!?」

「…Crap, a beauty sister duo like that is a total foul, isn’t it!?」

「UOOOOOH, is it the mature charm of the healing Big sister, or the dignified and lovely Satsukawa-san!?」

「I can’t choose!!! This is too hard to choose!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!」

The commotion in the audience grew even louder following Mayumi-san’s meaningful comment.

I understand how they feel since I made the same mistake when we first met…

But if everyone found out Mayumi-san is actually her Mother, it might cause a riot of a different kind.

「Anyway, now all the contestants are he… they’re all here, right!? I feel like my rhythm is all messed up by this irregular turn of events… but anyway, I’ll officially declare the start of the event!!!!!!!! Ten contestants in all!! Your host is me, everyone’s Minamin!!! With this lineup, the 32nd Rinka High School Miss Contest… BEGINS NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!」

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

Minamin’s declaration and the overly dramatic fanfare BGM from the speakers echo through the entire venue. A massive cheer erupts from the audience, loud enough that I’m sure it can be heard by all the neighbors outside the school.

How is this battle(?) between Sara-san and Mayumi-san that started for some reason going to end, and what about the biggest moment of my life…

There are nothing but concerns from the very start, and my plans are already falling apart… but still, I’m sure everything will work out in the end.

No, I’ll make it work.

I’m gonna do this!!

But setting that aside…

Masaomi-san… don’t tell me you’re here too?