The Final Round

***

The final round of the Bratislava High School Beauty Contest.

This is what everybody has been waiting for.

Mesmerizing girls in their beautiful dresses, ready to captivate the audience with their magical presence.

The girls were directed to the backstage room in the corner of the vestibule to get changed into their ‘weapons’.

“Man, this is discrimination!” Ravel grumbles as he is sent to the other corner of the vestibule, hiding behind Seko and Zhang who hold a big towel so that the audience wouldn’t see him changing.

“What did you expect? To get sent into that room full of girls?” Yutaka retorts.

“Of course! I wanted to see them,” Ravel feigns tears.

“No, no, you’re not a pervert at all,” Seko sarcastically remarks.

“Hey! I’m a normal man, of course I would desire to see them all! But that doesn’t mean I would actually do it!”

Volunteers for the beauty contest began preparing a long red carpet, positioning one end in front of the backstage room door and extending it to the center of the stage. The carpet symbolizes the path the girls would follow, showcasing their walks before stepping into the spotlight at the center of attention.

Inside the room, the girls are ready to commence the preparations when somebody knocks on the door.

Eleona comes to answer, “We are not done yet~!”

“Open.”

A male voice from the outside commands.

“Oh god, what are you doing here…” She opens the door, “…Ares?”

Ares' gaze falls upon the girls behind her, who had begun removing their school uniforms but hastily put them back on upon seeing him.

“Sicko! Get lost!” Eleona attempts to swiftly close the door, but Ares wedges his foot between the door frames, preventing it from shutting.

“Calm down, I was sent here by the Student Council President. My father has gifted a new TV to the school but he didn’t have time until now to send it here. So the transport workers are here with me.

Eleona glances outside and spots two men carrying a large TV.

“Oh, o-okay. Come in, then,” Eleona agrees.

"I'll even install it for you. It can be used during the final round, allowing the contestants to see what's happening on stage. The volunteers are already setting up the cameras," Ares explains.

The men position the TV to a predetermined location, while Ares starts connecting all the cables.

Zinia approaches Ares, offering her assistance, but he declines, stating that he could handle it on his own.

“Done. If you’ll excuse me,” Ares walks away.

“T-thank you, Ares!” Fantasia waves at him with a smile, causing him to pause momentarily before continuing on his way.

As he reaches for the door, Leanna remarks to Zinia: “He’s a very kind person, isn’t he?”

Ares stops again, his face turning bright red. He hurries outside.

“By the way, Liko said we have 60 minutes for preparation, but what are we supposed to do for such a long time? I can get changed in 5 minutes!” Fantasia asks Eleona for clarification.

“We’re supposed to use the time to properly prepare, babe! Like applying make-up and other beauty treatments.”

Eleona seeks privacy behind the door of the wardrobe, turning her back to the room as she begins to undress.

“Make-up? But I don’t own any.”

“Whaaat? You don’t have any make-up, B-Big Sis?” Leanna grabs Fantasia’s hand and pulls her towards a chair, “Now sit tight!”

***

From afar, Ravel, Seko and Yutaka watch Ares come out from the girl’s backstage room, fake tears flood their eyes.

“Why was he allowed to go there???” They grieve in unison.

“And why are you hypocrites crying, too?!” Ravel is annoyed at them for labeling him a pervert earlier.

Having changed already, Ravel stands tall in his pristine white suit. The tailored jacket hugs his frame, accentuating his broad shoulders and slender waist. Crisp, white trousers flow seamlessly down to his polished black shoes. The tie, impeccably knotted, adds a touch of sophistication.

“I’m still bummed you’re not wearing a princess dress…” Seko keeps teasing him.

“You’re such a dick!”

“Careful, that language doesn’t suit you now that you look quite decent for once,” Yutaka adds, not missing the opportunity to deliver a backhanded compliment.

“Guys…” Ravel’s face turns serious, “I've been thinking about Ares and his manipulations. I'll expose him once the final round is over. Zinia's victory will be the evidence, right?”

“I don’t know man, it sounded like he didn’t bribe majority of the students. She can still very well lose.”

“But Fantasia has a significant lead in points. She has a good chance of winning! I don't want him to spoil it by doing whatever he pleases...”

“Dude, get real. There are hundreds of students who definitely won’t vote for her. The points she accumulated so far may be her final score,” Seko doesn’t pull any punches.

“…”

***

“Ladies and gentlemen, iiiiiiiiiiiit’s SHOWTIME!” Liko commences the final round with a bang, causing the whole vestibule erupt in applause.

Ravel is sitting alone on a chair outside of the backstage room. The organizers promised to make the environment of the contest way more favorable for men next year.

“As you all know, this round is all about the beauty! Even though the Double Joker has been already used, our three judges still have ten other cards at their disposal! In this round, a perfect score is 10 points!”

Excitement fills the entire venue.

“Despite tradition, we are not going to completely follow the current ranking’s line up. Because this time, it’s gentlemen first! So in order to preserve the last bits of his dignity, please welcome our finalist ranked at no. 4 – Ravel of 2.A!”

What? I’m going first?? They didn’t tell me! I don’t know what to do, I was hoping to watch some girls first!

“Ravel of 2.A??” Liko repeats her call.

Ravel anxiously rises from his chair, walking towards the beginning of the red carpet from where he’ll make his way toward the stage.

“Tempo, tempo, princess!”

“The sooner you’re done, the sooner we’ll see the ladies!”

The crowd was cheering him for all the wrong reasons.

Thanks, you jerks. Heh. You reminded me that I don’t need to worry about a single thing, this is not about me at all.

Ravel continues his walk with newfound assurance, reaching the stage. All lights on him.

Before she is even asked for it, Diantha already awards Ravel with 1 point, to nobody’s surprise.

“Well? Promote yourself!” Zhang asks Ravel to … only Zhang knows what he actually wanted.

“Promote? What do you-“

“1! Next!” Zhang’s patience runs out quickly.

"You should consider yourself honored that your Queen perceives you as somewhat handsome," Silveria awards him 7 points. She notices a bright smile forming on his relieved face. "Blegh! Don't look at me with those lustful eyes!"

“Starting off weak! Ravel of 2.A gets an average score of 3! You did your best, boy! Now, please take your seat!” Liko directs Ravel to the designated seat where the contestants sat during the first two rounds.

“Moving along, we have our finalist ranked at no. 7, Violet of 3.B!”

Violet walks on the red carpet, captivating the audience with her striking features and unique style. Her short purple hair, meticulously styled, frames her smooth face. She opted for a yellow summer dress that flows gracefully around her figure. Its sunny hue radiates warmth and positivity, contrary to her grim expression. After the injustice she felt in the previous rounds, she must have forgotten to smile properly.

“Thanks for making this easier, lol,” Zhang awards her 4 points while saying ‘lol’ instead of actually laughing.

“Nobody wants a clouded sun in their kingdom!” Silveria raises a card with 3 points.

Diantha says nothing, just holds up a perfect 10.

“Diantha has saved you from a disastrous score you could have gotten! But the average in the end amounts to 6 points for this round! Please take your seat!”

Violet, gritting angrily her teeth while her eyes beam with disappointment, assumes the seat behind Ravel.

It was Leanna’s turn next. Her long raven black hair cascades down her back, contrasting beautifully against her fair complexion. Her pink eyes were framed by a pair of stylish glasses. She wears a flowing white dress, reminiscent of a wedding gown. However, upon closer inspection, one can notice the rushed application of make-up, taking away from the charm of her baby-like face.

“Baby, you should take a course on proper make-up application.” Diantha awards Leanna 1 point, ridiculing her with fake nice voice.

Zhang, being a completely illiterate when it comes to make-up, gives Leanna 6 points, while Silveria giving her 7, stating she could have gotten way more if she didn’t mess up the make-up.

Leanna then hurries toward Ravel and Violet, assuming her seat in the first row, leaving one seat vacant between her and Ravel. She has been smiling throughout the proceedings.

“I don’t need any make-up courses, hehe,” Leanna mysteriously says, leaving Ravel confused.

CHAPTER 23: END