Miss Inspiration

***

The sun blazes down on a scorching Monday morning as Ravel and Fantasia approach the entrance of Bratislava High School. The students stream in with renewed enthusiasm, as the studying periods had drawn to a close, and their tasks now involve cleaning classrooms, returning textbooks and receiving new ones for the upcoming school year in September.

“So hooot~,” Fantasia waves her hand in front of her face, trying to cool herself down.

“Yeah, but the summer’s just starting, it’s going to be much worse,” Ravel’s holding Fantasia’s hand tightly, not minding the sweat their hands produce.

“I wasn’t talking about weather,” Fantasia’s face takes on a mischievous expression as her eyelids lower just enough to create an alluring gaze. A sly smile tugs at the corners of her lips, hinting at the innuendo she just uttered.

Ravel’s body tenses up slightly as a wave of surprise washes over him, his lips part slightly. His hand instinctively fidgets, nervously adjusting the white shirt on his school uniform.

“D-don’t make me blush, I’m sweating as it is!”

“Look, it’s the special prize winner, Ravel! He’s so handsome~,” a female student passing by whispers in her classmate’s ear loud enough so that Ravel and Fantasia can catch the comment.

“Yeah, I never registered him but he is a cutie, I’m so jealous of Fantasia~,” the other female retorts, giggling and looking back at Ravel.

“He chose to ridicule himself in an all-girls competition just to confess to her in front of the whole school, I’ve never seen anything more romantic~…” the girls remark before they disappear behind the entrance door.

I was ready to be laughed at but I wasn’t ready for this…

“You see? I’m not the only one who thinks that, Mr. Special Prize Winner~,” Fantasia continues with her teasing, making a step forward and giving him a smooch on his lips.

“H-hey, we’re at school!” Ravel’s face flushes with a mix of surprise and embarrassment.

“Nope, we’re still outside, I can kiss you all I want!” Fantasia’s hyena personality emerges from the depths of her soul.

“Hey Fantasia~!” a female voice directs a greeting at Fantasia.

“Good morning!” A boy walking beside the girl bows his head in front of Fantasia.

Both of them wear a big smile, showing their classmate a sign of respect.

“E-excuse me, do you have a sec?” Another boy grips a phone in his hands, timidly approaching Fantasia.

“Sure, what’s up?” She lets go of Ravel’s hand.

Hey, what is this? Is that guy gonna ask her out in front of me?!

A pang of jealousy rises within Ravel, imagining the worst case scenarios in his head. Is this guy going to steal her from him? Are they going to get married and have two beautiful and healthy kids? Ravel gulps and prepares himself to face his unfortunate fate.

“W-we have some issues at home and my dad said we would need some advice and install water-saving fixtures to help conserve water. I s-saw your skills the other day and I’ve heard you’re actually a good plumber. D-do you think you could take a look at it at our home today after school?”

Phew… I’m such a worrywart.

“Oooh, I’m so sorry but today I have been called for another job, so I won’t have time. But I can ask my dad if y-“

“No, no, no, I want you to have a look at it! How about tomorrow? C-can I get your number??”

This little brat!

“Sure, I’m available tomorrow! Here, take my business card!” Fantasia hands him a purple card with her name, her dad’s company name and her mobile phone number.

She actually brings business cards to school, huh?

“T-thank you! See you tomorrow then!” The guy dashes inside.

“Aww, so you’re not free after school? I wanted to go shopping and ask whether you could tag along…” a hint of disappointment can be felt in Ravel’s voice.

“I’m sorry babe, but I’ve been out of work for a long time because of that injury, so it’s time I go back,” she explains before her face fills in with regret for saying those words.

Ravel crouches down, his shoulders hunched and eyes lowered in embarrassment and guilt. His finger traces patterns on the ground as he relives his mistake, conveying a sense of remorse.

Fantasia quickly moves closer to Ravel, gently placing her hand on his shoulder, “Oh my god, stop it, it’s not your fault! Come on, you’re a big boy, right?” She says with a soft and reassuring tone.

“What did you do to your little puppy?” A female voice from behind makes their heads turn around.

“So I’ve gone from a Zoo Keeper to a little puppy, eh? Stingy as always, Barbie!” Ravel recovers from his sorry state and stands up to greet Eleona who’s wearing a school uniform.

“Eli!” Fantasia usually greets her with a warm hug and this time it was no exception, “You look great!”

Eleona closes her eyes and tilts her head upwards, “Hah! Of course I look great, I’m the Vice Miss of the Bratislava High, remember?”

“I see you’re not wearing your pink dress or long sleeves anymore,” Ravel glances at her arms with the hyperpigmentation completely exposed.

“Well, I have no reason to hide my true self anymore, and a certain idiot stated that my body looks like a piece of art,” Eleona smiles warmly at Fantasia, hinting at who the ‘certain idiot’ is.

“The irregular skin color is simply too beautiful~,” Fantasia’s eyes sparkle while she admires Eleona’s arms, “Can I see your chest, too?” She unbuttons the top button on her shirt with a playful smirk, making Eleona jerk back in surprise.

“H-hey! When did you become such a pervert?!” Eleona hides her chest behind one arm and keeps distance from Fantasia with the second, while her face blushes.

“Yes! Embarrass that bitch more!! Ahhahah!”

Zinia, upon seeing the commotion between them, chimes in with a hysterical laughter. Although she had forgiven Eleona and they made up during the Beauty Contest, she can’t suppress the urge to still call her a bitch. She is who she is, after all.

“Your Highness!” Fantasia, at the sight of the tiara on Zinia’s head, takes a bow with a hand gesture reminiscent of an English gentleman tipping his hat to a lady, “You’re even more gorgeous than ever~.”

“Fantasia! I see you’re not wearing any make-up and you still got rid of those dental braces. I will miss them on you but you look very cute!” Zinia speaks to Fantasia while patting gently Eleona on her back, reassuring her that despite the name-calling, they’re still friends.

“Yeah, now I wear the braces only during night!”

I love how you can freely chat not only with Eleona, but also with Zinia or random students now. It’s as if everybody reflected the shining light that you emit. I’m so proud of you, Ravel thinks to himself.

“Miss Beauty Queen, I really like your new hairstyle,” Ravel compliments with a warm smile, pointing out at Zinia’s hair that is styled in a ponytail, symbolizing her willingness to embrace her true self.

“Heh, a certain idiot said that my ears add to my overall beauty, and as the new Miss Bratislava High, I need to look my best, right?” Zinia’s eyes wander at Fantasia’s face, marking the ‘certain idiot’.

A group of three female students pass by and glance at the four contestants.

“Woah, look, there they are!” The first female student points her finger rudely but with a good intention at them.

“The whole group is here! Special Prize winner, Vice-Miss Bratislava High, the new Beauty Queen and even Miss Inspiration!” The second girl adds.

“I wish I was as awesome as her~! Her responses were so badass and funny!” The third girl expresses her admiration for Fantasia.

Ravel was the only one to overhear their conversation as he smirks under his breath.

“Alright girls, I’ll head to my class, see you later!” He decides to head to his classroom alone since it’s on the opposite way from theirs either way.

After seeing how people treat Fantasia now, I can gladly say that with the help of others, I did manage to change their perspective on her. And now she’s finally being accepted.

Apparently, students have started calling Fantasia Miss Inspiration due to her strong impact she made during the contest. She earned enormous respect from students, especially because of her decision to withdraw.

However, the world is a vast place, so I’m still not done with my goal.

And after such a dramatic chain of events that transpired during the Beauty Contest, I’m excited to take on another challenge!

With the conclusion of the competition, the last week of this school year was still ahead of us.

CHAPTER 30: END