Hero of Justice

“Good thing that Zhang is the judge. A different judge would not let such an answer slide without a low score. Let’s see what Diantha and Silveria have to say about it,” Yutaka is aware that Ravel’s taunts could backfire at him.

Diantha is watching him closely with a mischievous smile under her nose.

“Woah, those were some audacious words from our male contestant!” Liko doesn’t hide the fact she enjoys these moments, “Well, Queen Silveria?”

“That speech of yours about appearance and challenging these cowards to prove you wrong was cringe as fuck, not gonna lie. I mean, hello? This is a beauty contest, of course us royalty and these plebs living in my castle are all going to judge your physical appearance the most.” Silveria knows exactly what to say.

Ravel’s blue eyes reflected regretful agreement. Deep down, he knew Silveria was right.

“But~, as a good girl I am, I can appreciate your guts. To stand here in front of the whole school, giving such foolish proclamations like some kind of a hero of justice. What a hopeless romantic you are, little puppy. Here, take these royal points with gratitude, okay~?” Silveria picks up the card with a number 3.

“Ahh, there’s not a woman alive more perfect than her!” Yutaka’s infatuation mode kicks in again.

“Forget it, it has no future,” Seko bluntly shuts him down, foretelling how their potential ship would never sail.

Yes! From Silveria, that’s a big compliment! Eh, why am I happy? It’s not my goal to win or anything. Ravel is kind of conflicted about the situation. It probably strokes his ego more than he is willing to admit. Now Zhang, your turn, buddy!

“Hmph, his friend is a judge. Of course’s he’s going to give out a perfect score.” Zinia rolls her eyes.

“2!” Zhang raises the card resolutely.

Whaaaat?

“Whaaaat?” Zinia, Eleona, Yutaka and Seko all drop their jaws in unison, trying to make some sense out of Zhang’s move.

“Hehe, t-thank you, but… why?” Ravel visibly disappointed asks awkwardly, without taking a microphone.

“I guarantee that with me here, you’re not winning,” Zhang shouts louder than he should have. Even without a microphone, the whole vestibule where hundreds of people are present has probably heard him.

Damn, that leaves only…

Ravel nervously turns his gaze to Diantha, anticipating a disaster. She is smiling at him, with one of her hands against her chin, elbows on the table, already holding a card with a 1 in the air with the other.

“You see, I’m just being fair. You didn’t actually answer the questions properly according to this contest’s standards. Fufu.” Diantha enjoys this way too much.

“You’re just making it up!” Yutaka and Seko shout from their seats. They have already seen through her, just like any other normal person knowing their history would.

“Oooh, what do we have here? Our Hero of Justice has got the lowest average score so far! Will anybody end up being even worse?!” Liko’s voice travels through the venue.

Ravel walks off the stage, realizing Fantasia still hasn’t returned. Where are you, Fantasia?! The students don’t even send off Ravel with applause just like that with all the other contestants. Perhaps, his loud proclamations toward them ticked them off.

“And with that, we’re slowly approaching the final moments of the first round! Contestant no. 1, Fantasia of 1.B, please come forward!”

The vestibule remains silent.

“Fantasia?” Liko approaches the contestants' seats, noticing her absence.

Damn it!

“Please give me just a few minutes, I’ll go find her!” Ravel pleads, causing murmurs to ripple through the audience.

Disappointment echoes among the audience.

‘She has probably realized she doesn’t stand a chance.’

‘Yeah, she chickened out.’

‘Awww, I wanted to see the ugly duckling compete in a beauty contest! And then I’d go watch fish run the marathon, ahahah!’

“You have 5 minutes, if you are not back by then, we will have to disqualify her.” Liko agrees to Ravel’s request.

“I’m sorry I’m late!!” Fantasia comes running toward the stage, hand in hand with Leanna, who follows her closely.

“You made it…” Ravel sighs and sits down on his chair in relief.

“I’m glad you’re back, babe!” Eleona expresses her support.

“Eleona, can you please take care of Leanna for me?” Fantasia steps in front of Eleona with determination in her eyes, holding Leanna’s hand and offering it to Eleona.

“S-sure…” Eleona agrees, unaware of the situation and takes Leanna’s hand, as she sits next to her.

“Y-you go get them, big sis…!”Leanna encourages her new friend. Her eyes are still slightly moist but now, they shine with admiration.

“Big sis? She’s younger than you…” Zinia remarks.

“Yes! B-but she’s a much bigger person than me!” Leanna defends her statement.

Ravel, not being able to assess the situation properly, stands up and looks Fantasia directly in the eyes.

“You’ve got this.”

“Sure.”

Fantasia enters the stage. Even though to her, it looked like a boxing ring. How many punches will she need to endure from now on? Will there be hooks from the judges? Jabs from the host? Uppercuts from the audience? She’s ready for it all. There’s no turning back.

“So, dear Fantasia! The first question for you! If you could be granted anything in this world, what would you wish for?” Liko initiates questioning the last competitor.

“Hmmm…” Fantasia places her fingers on her chin, thinking very hard about the answer. After a few seconds, she takes the microphone from Liko, “Got it!”

“A new pipe cutter!” She declares proudly.

The audience, judges and other contestants wear blank expressions on their faces, including Ravel and Eleona.

“Pffftt..!! Ahahahaha!!” The first one to break the silence is Ares, “A pipe cutter, she says!”

Seko and Yutaka are astonished to see Ares actually display some emotion, even if this is just to possibly ridicule Fantasia. The whole venue soon joins in the laughter.

‘She’s not only ugly, she’s also stupid!’

‘Such a ridiculous wish, ahahah!’

“Hihi, she truly is a daughter of a plumber!” Eleona recovers from the initial shock, acknowledging that this is who Fantasia really is.

“Life appears so simple to her,” Ravel chuckles playfully.

“Would you like to elaborate…?” Liko inquires with confusion spelled across her face.

“My dad said that the old one we have at home is going to break soon, so I guess we’ll need a new one!” Fantasia explains matter-of-factly.

“But… the question is more about your wish… you understand?”

“Of course! And I wished for a new pipe cutter, so…?”

“It’s about your dream, something intangible, something magical, something that would probably help a lot of people!”

“Being a skilled plumber who helps my dad is kinda my dream. And being able to fix pipes properly will help a lot of people!”

Liko isn’t sure whether Fantasia just tries to be funny or genuinely means what she’s saying.

“Well, people usually wish for world peace or something but I guess it’s okay to look at it from your perspective.”

“It’s okay if people wish for anything they like! But me… I don’t believe that just wishing for something grand is enough. I think that everybody should wholeheartedly fight for their dreams and not just rely solely on some magical wish or miracle. It won’t come. You need to go out there and take the first step.”

Fantasia’s words actually resonated with the crowd, capturing their attention more and more with every word.

Ravel’s eyes get a little teary. She’s right. If I merely ‘wished’ for the world to change so that it could accept her, I wouldn’t accomplish anything. That’s why I took the first step and accepted her with all my being.

“Now that’s the answer we were all waiting for! Onto the second question: What do you think is an ultimate form of happiness?”

“There is no such thing as a universal ultimate form of happiness. It varies for each person. Discovering a rock on a sidewalk, stumbling upon a rundown building, watching animals you love the most, holding hands with your precious person. For me, happiness can be found in every second of your life.”

The audience is completely mute, nobody dares to interrupt Fantasia’s speech.

“…R-right… ehm… I’m somewhat hesitant to ask this question… but here goes: Does appearance matter? What role-“

Cutting off Liko, Fantasia interjects with a firm voice, fully aware of the complete question.

“If the appearance matters? Why are you asking me?”

Fantasia’s eyes start wandering across the vestibule, surveying everyone present.

“You are the ones organizing this contest, you are the ones judging our beauty, you people are the ones voting for the most attractive person. Why do you try to make it look like we have to say something deep about this question? Does appearance matter? You tell me.”

Leanna watches Fantasia in awe, directing her words at Ravel, “I d-don’t blame you for falling in love with her… She’s a perfect match for a Hero of Justice.”

“I’m no Hero of Justice… She is.”

CHAPTER 19: END