Judze Prize

“W-what are you saying?” Ravel’s eye pupils dilate as he struggles to comprehend what he’s just heard.

“Babe, why??” Eleona’s brows knit together in a perplexed furrow, and the corners of her mouth gently droop.

Ares has swiftly risen from his chair, which causes Seko and Yutaka, seated directly in front of him, startle and look at him in surprise. Ares, realizing his impulsive action, takes a deep breath and quietly settles back into his seat.

“Yes! Go away you ugly bitch, ahahah!” Diantha slams her hands on the desk and laughs hysterically before Silveria shoots her a piercing gaze, making her sit down obediently.

Silveria stands up and questions Fantasia’s decision.

“Would you elaborate why you want to withdraw right before the voting, Fantasia?”

“I already had fun with all of you! For a short time, I was able to reconnect with my older self that I had lost. I don’t care about any rankings. Even if I had any chance, I don’t want to win. I don’t want to lose and make Ravel sad either. Aaand~… I already have a clear favorite here,” Fantasia winks at the contestants, not giving away who she meant. She averts her gaze at speechless Ravel, talking to him in almost a threatening tone: “And you! Don’t you dare step down from the contest, too. You are going to see this through till the end, you got that?!”

After the built up tension, both Fantasia and Ravel burst in laughter, understanding very well Fantasia was being just playful.

You cause me so much trouble, Fantasia. Has all my effort been in vain? No… you had a great time. And that’s all that matters.

Fantasia returns the microphone to Liko and walks away from the stage, seating herself among the other contestant seats.

“We respect your decision, Fantasia,” Silveria sits down again, “Liko, will you have the honor?”

“I want to say something as well,” Eleona steps forward.

“Damn it, what is it again?” Liko hands Eleona the microphone, since she already allowed somebody else to speak up.

“Fantasia says she doesn’t care about winning… and here I am, doing everything in my power to win. Degrading my opponents,“ she looks at Zinia briefly, “or concealing my real appearance, creating a fake image of my beauty. I don’t think I’ve been playing fair… so let me show you this.”

Eleona tears off the sleeves on her dress. Under the sleeves, she reveals patches of hyperpigmentation on her skin—irregularly darkened areas amidst the surrounding skin.

“These skin marks… I have had them since birth, they spread from the arms through my chest and belly. Doctors couldn’t identify their cause or find a treatment. My parents had an agreement with school that I could wear my pink dress with long sleeves instead of the short-sleeve school uniform, as I was too shy and self-conscious about my skin condition…”

The whole vestibule listens to her vulnerability in silence.

“Bullshit, that’s nothing to be ashamed of…” Zhang mutters under his breath, which Silveria registers and makes a smug face.

“So, if you want to vote for me, please do so while knowing about my real self! And Zinia? I’m very sorry about my loose mouth. Sometimes, I say hurtful things and I don’t mean them. I don’t think your ears are big. Please forgive me for calling you ‘Big Ears’! I want us to be friends again!” She bows deeply in front of astonished Zinia.

“E-Eleona…?” Zinia struggles to find a response, “W-what’s this all of a sudden?”

Eleona recalls what Ravel has whispered to her while Fantasia was on stage. He said that just like Silveria, she too should try to embrace her past and make things right with Zinia, who still cares about her a lot. Someone needs to do the first step.

“I have been wrong. I didn’t mean any harm but I understand that when we were best friends, I often degraded you unintentionally because of your family circumstances, saying stuff like ‘don’t buy that, I’ll buy it for you, save your money’. I understand now… You didn’t want to say it but I pushed you to your breaking point, where you lashed out and called me a burnt mummy. It hurt me, but I understand that I was the catalyst of that.”

“N-no, Eleona. I was wrong to make fun of your condition! Deep down I knew that you just wanted to protect me, since my family has always been so poor. And my ears… I wanted to undergo plastic surgery but it was too expensive, which is why I wanted to be rich… Well, no more!”

Zinia takes a hair band from her pocket and restyles her hair into a ponytail, unveiling her ears.

“If you want to show these people the real you, so will I! These ears are a part of me and one day, I will be proud! Because… because there’s somebody who said they make my face more beautiful…” Her gaze slowly moves to smiling Fantasia.

“So… does it mean…?” Eleona asks timidly.

“Yes! I accept your apology! Because if I don’t accept it, there is no redemption for me, either. And I want to apologize, too! To both of you,” Zinia drifts her gaze from Eleona to Fantasia and back to Eleona.

Zinia feels so different now. There’s only one person who could have touched her heart like that. Ravel realizes what Fantasia’s greatest power is.

“Zinia…” Eleona’s eyes well up. “But for now, we’re still beauty rivals! Liko, will you please continue with the contest?” Her face shows a determined smile, offering the microphone to Liko.

Liko smirks and puts her lips closer to the microphone, “No more breaks! Commence the anonymous voting NOW!”

She officially starts the one-minute timer.

As the students cast their votes on their smartphones, the number on the big screen gradually decreases, indicating the remaining students yet to vote.

Each student could vote for only one contestant. The participant with the highest combination of votes and judge points would be crowned the next Beauty Queen.

The number on the big screen has reached zero within mere 30 seconds.

“Whom did you choose, li’l Joe?” Seko glances at the mobile screen of Yutaka.

“Ravel, of course, he’s our one and only Beauty Queen!” He replies with a chuckle. “And you?”

“S-same here! Who else would I choose?” Seko says loudly.

“Then show me,” Yutaka persists.

“N-no!” Seko hastily hides his screen from Yutaka and then quickly shoves his phone to his pocket.

“Ahahah, then it’s clear!”

“Shut up!”

“The highly anticipated moment has finally arrived!” Liko checks her smartphone.

With her special access to the mobile app, Liko sees the final official ranking. Her eyes widened in surprise as she absorbed the results.

“I see,” Silveria closes her eyes and her lips curl into a gentle smile. The Student Council President possesses the same access within the app, as do all the other student council members.

“Nice~!”, Zhang says after what he has just seen on his phone although he wears a poker face.

“Hey, you, show me the results, I don’t have the app installed,” Diantha tries to snatch Zhang’s phone but he skillfully evades her.

“That’s your personal problem,” Zhang retorts.

“Whatever…”

“Now, judges, please consult among yourselves and select the contestant who will receive the special Judge Prize! But don’t forget, it cannot be the new Miss, nor the new Vice-Miss,” Liko says, while the judges have already grouped and started to discuss.

“Done!” They simultaneously exclaim.

“Wow, that was fast! Was it that clear? Well then, let’s find out!” Liko hypes up the atmosphere.

Diantha, being appointed as the judge to reveal the Judge Prize, stands up and takes the microphone.

“The judges have unanimously decided that the special Judge Prize will go to… Ravel of 2.A!”

The students show signs of mixed emotions. Some of them applaud, others boo and the others yell ‘bullshit’.

Well, that’s to be expected, I am quite unpopular among the males throughout this contest.

Fantasia jumps out of her chair, cheering and clapping her hands loudly.

“That’s our boy!” Seko applauds.

“They’re growing up so fast,” Yutaka pretends to wipe off a tear from his eye, evoking the joy a proud parent would feel for their child.

Diantha takes the sash stating “Judge Prize” and drapes it carefully across Ravel’s shoulder.

This is so weird… Wait, did she say unanimously?

Ravel’s face shows signs of a sudden realization that Diantha must have voted for him, too.

“Take it as a farewell gift from me,” she winks at him before reassuming her seat. “I didn’t really care who’d get it anyway.”

Silveria takes the microphone in her hands, “We have decided to award Ravel with this prize because as the only male participating in the Beauty Contest for the whole 25 years, his courage was the x-factor we needed. And he doesn’t look half bad,” Silveria winks at him, too.

Two girls have winked at me within a few minutes! Ravel’s face turns red.

He shakes his head and glances behind him, where Fantasia sits. As soon as their eyes lock, Fantasia winks at him as well. Nooooo, this is gonna kill meeee. Ravel feels the heat rise in his face once more.

“Would you like to say something, Ravel?” Liko hands him the microphone.

“Oh? Uhm, eh… no, I just…” Ravel stutters but then regains his composure and flames appear in his eyes. “I do want to say something, actually. Fantasia!”

He turns his body to face her. Fantasia’s eyes widen with surprise and she leans backward on her seat slightly.

“Fantasia, I love you! Regardless of the coronation, YOU are the most beautiful person in the world for me! Please become officially my girlfriend!”

CHAPTER 27: END