Episode 338: Results Announcement

Kusahara Yutaka POV

Am I dreaming right now?

Is this really reality?

「E-Exactly!! To go as far as saying engagement or marriage, you are like children playing house without understanding the meaning!!」

I don’t know what happened to Rena, or what is driving her that far. I cannot understand it. To begin with, this is the first time I have seen Rena being so aggressive. But if I were asked if the young lady did something to Rena, I could not imagine that either.

Even considering the figure of the young lady I saw at the party before and the talk from Managing Director Satsukawa, I can’t believe the young lady would take the initiative to contact Rena.

If that is the case, there must have been some problem on Rena’s side… no, the problem is no longer there.

The thing I must think about most right now is the fact that Rena is repeatedly spouting abuse at the young lady with clear hostility. And the fact that Managing Director Satsukawa is showing displeasure toward Rena.

For me… no, for Rena’s father who is our company President, and ultimately for our company itself, this is a very grave situation.

To be blunt, it is no joking matter.

「And once everything settles down, I will marry Sara-san!! This is not a lie or a joke!! We are serious!!」

And what has been happening on stage for a while now is something like a speech by that man. No matter how much of a high schooler he is, he is still a child, so normally there would be no need to take him seriously when he makes a fuss about marriage.

…Or so it should be, but in this particular case…

His intimacy with none other than that young lady is unbelievable. On top of the shocking fact that they are living together, there was a proposal and an engagement declaration. They even exchanged a kiss on stage… and for the young lady to be the one to initiate the kiss, it is no longer something that can be described as「unbelievable.」

To top it all off, even the wife, Satsukawa Mayumi-san, officially recognized their engagement. Once things reach this point, the「weight」of the story changes completely.

「Phew… I didn’t intend to announce this publicly yet, but I suppose it was my mistake not to tell them. Well, I never imagined those two would do something so bold, so I guess it can’t be helped.」

「M, Managing Director Satsukawa, this story…」

「…It is a fact. But regarding anything beyond that, please wait for the announcement at the year-end party as I mentioned before. I have no intention of making it public yet.」

「U, Understood. But that means… there is more to this story…」

「Yes. The engagement of those children is only half of the story… I suppose?」

「H, Half!?」

Even the fact that Managing Director Satsukawa’s daughter is engaged would cause an unimaginable uproar!!

And yet more than half of the information remains untold!?

This story could develop into a massive scandal that runs from the top to the bottom of the company… no, the super giant corporation that is the Saba Group!!

Especially for those who were desperately plotting to get close to the young lady, this is a matter of life and death.

And if the partner is some「someone」whose name they have never even heard… I can’t imagine this story being accepted so easily…

Wait…

Could the announcement at the party…

Be something that involves even that kind of thing!?

「Anyway, please wait until the year-end party for more details. As for what to do with today’s talk, I will leave that to your judgment. There is no guarantee that there are no other company associates here… and they say you can’t put a door on people’s mouths.」

「U, Understood. I shall keep this matter internal.」

「I see. Well then, sorry, but I will take my leave here.」

「Eh? Th, the Miss Contest is not over yet…」

「I would love to see it until the end, but letting Mayumi stay free like that seems bad in various ways. I have no choice but to take her home quickly.」

「I, I see…」

Certainly, the wife’s behavior… it is a mystery why she was there in the first place, but to think she had a side like that. In that sense, the young lady might be the same.

Like mother, like daughter?

「KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! CUT IT THE HELL OUT ALREADY, YOU SUPER-ACCELERATED IDIOT COUPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!」

「This is bad. Honestly, what is Mayumi thinking… Well then, I will be going.」

「U, Understood!! Take care.」

「Thank you. Oh, and one more thing.」

「Y, Yes?」

「…You are to handle her matter eventually. There are some things that concern me, and I may ask for a report later, so keep that in mind.」

「Y, Yes… I am deeply sorry. If possible, I would like to apologize to the young lady directly…」

「That is unnecessary. She extremely dislikes any man other than Kazunari-kun approaching her. It would be counterproductive.」

「Yes…」

「Well then, I will be going.」

In the end, Managing Director Satsukawa left with nothing but a sharp gaze, without a single smile or even a polite one.

I couldn’t provide a single follow-up for Rena’s matter to the Managing Director, and I left him with a bad impression… far from making up for the loss, I couldn’teven avoid a negative evaluation.

Not only that, but given his attitude, it’s highly likely I will be asked for some kind of report later. I don’t know what bothered him about Rena, but if that is the case, I have no choice but to get serious about questioning her for details. This is a serious matter that could get even worse depending on how it is handled from now on.

As for Rena, her relationship with the young lady is definitely hopeless… and the wife’s impression of her is probably the worst as well. It is almost certain that I have indirectly lowered my own evaluation instead of giving a greeting. It is truly the worst outcome…

Then there is that man, Takanashi was it?

Since they are going to announce that man’s name at a「Corporate Party,」it is hard to believe they are just reporting the fact of the engagement. And Managing Director Satsukawa’s「half」comment… some kind of announcement will likely be made regarding that man as an individual too.

Just what that could be is still within the realm of imagination… but judging by the Managing Director’s meaningful attitude, it could be something very unpleasant… no, it is too early to conclude that.

Anyway, I don’t know if I will have a chance to meet him at the party, but I need to think of some kind of follow-up in advance. I could tell from the exchange on stage that it might eventually lead to the young lady or the wife’s good graces.

All that is left is to pray that the trouble between Rena and the young lady is not definitive… I may need to report this to the President depending on the situation. Even if I must prepare for a scolding…

Truly…

Today is the worst day…

I thought Masaomi-san wouldn’t come today because of work, so why is he here… wait, there is no point in thinking about that now!!

More importantly, how long has he been here, and how much did he see? That’s the most important part!!

「M, Masaomi-san… um, since when…?」

「Hm? Let’s see, since the cooking battle in the final round… I suppose?」

「WHAAAAAAA!? Th, that long ago!?」

「Sorry, I didn’t intend to show my face like this… but we will talk about today again later.」

「Y, Yes…」

Talk again later… meaning he won’t just act like today never happened or let it slide. I see, I see.

Well… I’m aware that I pulled quite a few stunts myself, so it’s impossible to ask for that, I get it.

But I’m a bit scared to have that talk…

「Mayumi, I have many things to question you about, but that will be after we get home.」

「Okaaaaay. I understand.」

「Everyone, I am sorry for causing a disturbance. Mayumi, we are going home.」

「Eh, but the Miss Contest is not over ye… O-Okay, I get it, don’t look at me with such a scary face.」

「I expect an explanation once we are home, got it?」

「Okaaaaay… what a shame.」

Even Mayumi-san did not seem to have any intention of defying Masaomi-san right now… After bowing repeatedly to everyone around, she gave one big wave to the stands and obediently started down the center stairs. She did not forget to look back and give me a wink on the way. That person really never wavers.

「Kazunari-kun, Sara, I am truly sorry. I will give Mayumi a proper lecture later, so please forgive her this time.」

「Ah, no, it ‘s fine!? I’m sure Mayumi-san did it for our sake…」

「Nfufu, I love you, Kazunari-kun♪」

「Father, please give her a very thorough lecture.」

「…Sara-chan, you are so mean.」

「Yes, I understand. Kazunari-kun, I am sorry again, but I will leave the rest to you, okay? Also… please take care of Sara from now on.」

「…Yes. Leave it to me.」

「Good.」

That is an absolute for me, something I don’t even need to be told. So I gave a particularly dignified answer to let him know he could rest easy. Masaomi-san gave a big nod of satisfaction upon hearing it… and then left briskly with a refreshing smile.

As if chasing after Masaomi-san’s back… Mayumi-san looked back one last time, gave her usual soft smile and a small wave, and then departed.

「…They have finally calmed down.」

「…Yeah.」

「Kazunari-san, what is the matter?」

「Eh, what do you mean?」

「Nothing, you just look like something happy happened…」

「…It’s nothing major. Just…」

「Just?」

Just… the fact that Masaomi-san said「I leave it to you」…

The meaning behind him saying「I leave it to you」regarding Sara-san again after seeing my proposal. It felt a bit different than before, like it had a deeper meaning, or the「weight」of the words was different… I can’t put it well, but it made me feel strangely happy.

Also, I’m secretly happy that he relied on me to handle the mess or blunder Mayumi-san caused. It means I was relied upon that much at least.

「Fufu… Well then, Kazunari-san, shall we settle things here as Father requested?」

「Yeah. I guess it is time to wrap things up.」

「Yes.」

So many things got mixed together that it became a mess, so I don’t know if my engagement declaration was conveyed properly as intended.

But if it failed, I will just give it one last push… wait, what?

「Aaaah… I guess it ends up like this after all…」

「Um… what is this?」

In front of us, a long line of figures was trying to leave the area… or had already left.

They were almost all men, dropping their shoulders, slumping their heads, or wrapping their arms around each other’s shoulders to encourage one another… or running as if escaping from something, they were leaving the venue one after another for some reason.

Even though the voting is not over yet…

「It is not ‘what is this’!! After showing off such an emotional proposal and flirting with each other for so long… and you two are living together, right!? In that situation, talking about kids is too real, so of course the people who were in love with Satsukawa-san would fall into despair!!! I mean, aren’t you basically a married couple already!? Are you already married!?」

「No, that is still a bit…」

「Yes, we are still fiancés. Marriage is a little further off, you know?」

「Yeah, yeah, I see, I see.」

Even as we talked, the spectators… almost all men… left the venue one by one.

From what I could see from here, the number of people remaining in the stands was about half… If it decreased this much, there would be no point in voting…

I wonder what will happen?

「Um… well then, I would like to start the voting…」

A declaration was made by Minamin, whose tension was bottoming out, and the staff members waiting by the side of the stage all started moving at once. They headed toward the stands, obviously… but empty seats were already standing out everywhere, and when I checked as I stepped down from the stage, the number was truly less than half.

Basically, I was shown clearly how many people were only there for Sara-san and not the Miss Contest.

「Man… I was really moved today.」

「Really, really, to think I would see a scene of a classmate being proposed to!!」

「The part where he put the ring on her was like a movie!!」

「And on stage too… as expected of the boy chosen by that Satsukawa-san!!」

「The father said please take care of her, right!? It is a straight line to marriage now!!」

「Takanashi-kun, want to go to karaoke next time!? With your wife, of course!!」

「How sneaky! You just want to hear the details, don’t you!? I’m joining too!!」

「Hey, hey, what do you think, Takanashi-kun!?」

「E, Um… sorry, I have to consult with Sara-san first…」

And the situation around where we had taken our spot changed completely… the groups talking to us on both sides were the women who had originally been in the back. Since the front row had suddenly emptied out, they had moved forward to fill the space.

Of course, that in itself was not a problem… but they seemed quite excited, I suppose.

「You have to ask her!!」

「Even if we invite her normally, Satsukawa-san won’t come.」

「She has turned us down before… but if Takanashi-kun comes, then even Satsukawa-san might…」

I think it’s a good thing that Sara-san is being sought after for communication by members of the same sex. Especially right after Sara-san spoke her true feelings today, I’m happy that they are still trying to interact with her in a friendly way.

However, it depends on what Sara-san herself thinks.

「A lot happened, but it looks like everything is going to turn out fine.」

「Kazunari’s proposal and the goal of showing those idiots reality were all achieved. I would say it was a great success.」

「Yeah. I think Kazunari showed his manliness.」

「True. To be able to do that much in that place is really something.」

「No… if you’re going to say that, I’m the one who got courage from those two, okay?」

「What are you talking about?」

「All of this is the result of Kazunari’s strength, right? Truly… yeah.」

「Hayato?」

What is wrong… Hayato’s behavior seems a bit strange?

He doesn’t seem to be hiding his embarrassment, but he looks like he is looking at me while thinking of something else… like something is on his mind? That kind of feeling…

「Alright, I am collecting the voting forms~」

A staff member holding a ballot box in both hands had arrived right next to us without me noticing. Currently, they were in the middle of having the group next to us… the women who were making a noise with high-pitched voices earlier… cast their votes. For some reason, the women kept stealing glances at me with smirks every time they cast a vote.

Just what was with that meaningful reaction?

「Collecting the voting forms~」

Next, Yuji cast his form into the ballot box held by the staff member who came in front of us. Then Hayato and Hanako-san each put theirs in one by one, and finally, after I put mine in…

「Takanashi-kun, you voted for your wife, right?」

「W, Wife…」

「No, no, don’t be shy now!! Ah, that was a silly question. Please be happy~」

…Even the staff member ended up teasing me.

If things stay like this when school starts after the break, what will happen… I have nothing but anxiety, though in a different sense than before.

「Alright, all the voting forms have been collected. Thanks to ‘certain people,’ the collection and counting time should be much shorter… please wait for a while~」

Minamin’s tension is still low because the Miss Contest was ruined. But if I may say so, this situation was completely outside my predictions… I had intended to pull my stunt after Sara-san won. So I feel a bit sorry, but I still want to say it was an unavoidable accident. It was by no means an intended result.

「Mufufufu, he said ‘wife’!!」

「If I tell her I want to hear how she met her husband, will Satsukawa-san be happy to talk about it!?」

「I-I’m so curious about their private life…」

「There is no way nothing happens when a young boy and girl are living together!!」

「KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! I-Is that really how it is!? Did Satsukawa-san also become a woman…!?」

「Th, That is enough!! No more of that from a maiden’s mouth!!!!」

And the women around us are still noisy as ever.

Wait, wasn’t there one very familiar voice mixed in just now!?

「Well… after showing them that much, this was bound to happen. It’s going to be noisy after the break… Oh, I’ll deal with Yuri later.」

「We just have to wait until they get bored. Natsumi-senpai, please handle the follow-up for the wife in your class and request cooperation from the fan club. You too, Pretty Boy. Since Kazunari might run into other trouble, I’ll stay with him when the wife is not around.」

「Got it.」

「I understand. I leave Kazunari to you.」

「You don’t need to tell me.」

「Um, Hanako-san?」

Hanako-san gave out orders briskly as if she had planned it from the start, and the discussion on countermeasures finished in no time… without me being included.

「In cases like this, it’s better to think of the worst-case scenario. If nothing happens, we can just laugh about it later.」

「…I see. Thanks.」

「It’s a sister’s duty to work hard for her brother.」

While saying that, Hanako-san gave a slightly bashful smile.

Her blunt style of using few words and only hitting the main points is the same as ever, but I can certainly feel her kindness.

「Alright, sorry for the wait~. It seems the counting is already finished, so let’s get right to the results!! Contestants, please come up to the stage~」

At Minamin’s signal, the contestants appeared from the side of the stage one by one in entry number order. Since Mayumi-san withdrew, the last one was of course Sara-san.

By the way, the stuck-up woman had stopped even showing a fake smile… She kept stealing glances at the stands looking uncomfortable and never looked straight ahead. The contrast with her first appearance, when she was so full of confidence, was incredible.

「Well, contestants, first of all, good job!! In the end, I didn’t really know what was going on, but I think each round was a heated battle!! We are about to announce the results, but actually I don’t know them either!! So many irregular things happened that I’m actually looking forward to seeing how it turned out in the end!! Now, a word from the Executive Committee Chairman… was the plan, but due to various circumstances, the Chairman is not in a position to give a comment. So, we shall omit that!」

The Chairman has various circumstances?

The last time I saw the Chairman before leaving the stage, I remember he was staring blankly at the empty seats with a somewhat sorrowful back… was he so shocked he could not even give a comment?

But if I may say so, he is just paying the price for forcing Sara-san onto the stage.

「Um, by the way, what happened to the match between Satsukawa-senpai and Mayumi-san?」

「N-Now that you mention it…」

「Kazunari, did you hear anything from Mayumi-san?」

「No, I have not heard anything… but…」

「Judging by Mayumi-san’s behavior, Sara probably won.」

「Yes. I think so too.」

I didn’t get a clear answer, but Mayumi-san was enjoying the exchange between Sara-san and me. If Sara-san had failed, she would have shown some kind of reaction earlier.

But since she said nothing, it means…

「Now for the results!!! Please note that we will only be announcing the top three!! First… Third Place!!!!」

Dudududududu…

A typical sound effect to build the atmosphere started playing from the speakers, and the words「Final Results Announcement」appeared in big letters on the screen on stage. The spotlights moved around wildly as the audience watched with bated breath for the moment the name would be called… A staff member ran over to Minamin from the wings and gently handed her something.

Jyan!!!

The sound effect stopped sharply, and Minamin opened the something… a piece of memo paper…

「Third Place!! Entry No. 4!!! Sakura…」

The person called for third place was the only third-year contestant in this Miss Contest. From what I remember, she received relatively high evaluations in all the rounds, so it was a natural result in a way. But considering Mayumi-san’s withdrawal and the fact that the stuck-up woman came in last, I had thought that person might be the runner-up?

「Eh? That person is in third?」

「That is a bit unexpected. But then, second place is…」

「Hmm, there is no way that woman… right? Surely not.」

As I thought, everyone had the same prediction as me, and now it was getting even harder to tell what would happen. Even if the stuck-up woman came in second, it would not be a problem, but after I attacked her earlier with「is there anyone supporting you?」… it might be a bit awkward if she actually came in second.

「Now, now, next is the announcement for Second Place… the runner-up!!!!」

Dudududududu…

The sound effect to build the atmosphere started playing again, and the same kind of production began.

As someone who had already achieved my goal, the importance of Sara-san’s ranking itself had faded, but after she worked this hard, it was only natural to want her to win.

That said, Sara-san’s victory is surely certain, so there is no need to be particularly anxious…

「Second Place!!! Entry Number… wait? The number? Takanashi Kazu… Hah!? Takanashi Kazunari!!??」

「…Hah!?」

「…Eh!?」

「…Wh-What is that!?」

My best friends all stared at me with stunned expressions, and in response, I checked the monitor display, believing I had misheard.

But the name shown there was, mercilessly,「Takanashi Kazunari,」clearly and sharply.

Um…

Just what is this?