Vol. 2 Chapter 3 – Publicity Act♥

“Haa……”

It was morning. Kaga Ryousuke sat up and let out a sigh after checking himself. The depletion of life energy he’d had sucked out of him yesterday still seemed severe. The breathless Kyuru-sama was completely quiet. Every morning, she used to greet him so energetically, but now, she showed no reaction at all.

“How empty.”

Dragging himself slowly out of bed, he began his morning routine. Unlike usual, there was no need to wait for his self-assertive son to calm down, nor did he have the energy to do anything extra. Plus, since he had woken up early to begin with, he ended up finishing everything nearly thirty minutes ahead of schedule.

“What feels even more empty is not the emptiness itself, but the fact that I’m fine with feeling empty… That’s even more pathetic.”

Having finished changing, he headed to the washroom.

He washed his face and brushed his teeth.

That was all.

Behind him, Kyuru walked around clumsily, struggling to put on her unfamiliar uniform—unable to fasten the hook on her skirt. Her butt peeked out from the slightly slipped-down skirt in the mirror, but Ryousuke felt nothing in particular.

“Wh-why is Ryousuke-san already awake!?”

Blushing, Kyuru stumbled and nearly fell as she dashed away. Following behind her was Caesar, walking calmly with a composed expression. Ryousuke scratched his head.

“Guess I should eat breakfast… But first, the toilet.”

Running a comb through his messy hair, he headed for the bathroom. While his son had abandoned its primary functions, that particular function was, fortunately, still working.

“Kyuru! You mistook my skirt for yours again, didn’t you!”

Lisara came stomping up the stairs. Despite being called a house, it was by no means a mansion. Lisara and Kyuru shared a room on the first floor in a Japanese-style room.

“Once again, looking sloppy.”

Ryousuke voiced his thoughts without any particular emotion.

“Ugh!?”

Lisara let out a surprised noise and froze. She was wearing just her school blazer, with only her panties on her lower half.

“Wh-why are you already awake!?”

“Because I feel empty?”

“How should I know!”

Despite being the main cause of it all, she said something cruel. Then Lisara spun around, turned her backside to Ryousuke, and dashed down the stairs—

“Kyaaahhh!?”

—only to trip.

‘I think this sometimes, but Lisara’s kind of clumsy—or maybe just restless.’

Ryousuke muttered his thoughts calmly and stepped forward. He reached out to catch Lisara, who was just about to plunge headfirst down the stairs. That said, even in his calmest, clearest state of mind, Ryousuke’s physical specs and reflexes were still just average. So he just grabbed whatever he could.

Besha.

That’s the sound he thought he heard. In reality, it should have been a dull gosun kind of thud…

“Owwww…”

Lisara sniffled softly, bracing herself against the stairs with both arms. Maybe it was the height of her nose that got in the way—she’d hit it.

“Phew, at least I prevented her from falling all the way.”

Still holding on with his right hand, Ryousuke wiped his sweat with his left. Taking a closer look, he found Lisara in front of him—legs braced against the hallway floor, hands planted a few steps below, her unbalanced pose maintained only because Ryousuke had grabbed onto the hem of her panties.

“…………”

Two white mounds were there. Slightly pink, and half-covered by white fabric. Tight and firm, yet looking somehow soft.

Above all else, they seemed to tremble as if inviting—no, begging—to be touched.

“Uhh… this is… half-cheeked, huh…”

Even Ryousuke’s empty soul seemed to be crying out. If you want to experience a fulfilling youth, if you want to understand what life is about, then touch it. And if you have the courage to take a step further—then pull down that wicked cloth.

“Gulp……”

“E…ehh, what?”

Lisara looked back just as Ryousuke swallowed hard.

“……………”

A moment of silence—one second.

“IYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

A shriek erupted. Legs kicked against the hallway floor. Her body sprang upward. Ryousuke’s right hand was shaken off.

Lisara had thrown herself up the stairs.

“H-Hey—whoa!”

His cry of concern for Lisara quickly turned into a gasp of awe. Twisting midair like a cat, Lisara skillfully landed halfway down the staircase. Her supple muscles danced with motion—it was a sight purely beautiful.

Suton. (soft drop)

But then, her loosened panties slipped off.

“No more—no mooooreeeeee!! I can’t take this anymoreeeeeeeeee!!”

She screamed again, tumbling and rolling halfway down the stairs with a thunderous zudododododo, vanishing below—while giving Ryousuke a full view of her pale butt, the base of her thighs and even a glimpse of a red patch of hair…

“Hmm… am I…am I supposed to be really disappointed right now? Is something wrong with me that I’m not moved at all by this sight?”

He couldn’t quite explain it—but somehow, tears welled up in his eyes.

※　※　※

“Uuu… What a horrible morning…”

In the schoolyard, Lisara looked up to the sky. When they got to class in the morning, a notice about a joint school-wide assembly for both middle and high school departments had been posted on the blackboard. The details weren’t written, but clearly something important was going to be announced.

As a result, despite the heat, Ryousuke and the others were now standing lined up outside. Since the lineup was by attendance number, Kaga Ryousuke was right behind Kaga Lisara.

“Let me just say—no matter how you look at it, that was entirely your own fault.”

“I mean, normally you wake up way later than that.”

Lisara turned around.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m not around. You walking around dressed like that… isn’t that kinda pushing it?”

“It’s not like I do it all the time, okay? Kyuru wore my skirt, so I had no choice…”

“You could’ve just worn Kyuru’s as a backup.”

“I couldn’t help it—it kept slipping down.”

She poked her index fingers together, lips pouting.

“It was falling? Kyuru’s skirt?”

“What’s your point? My waist’s thinner than hers, you know.”

“Well… if the difference in bust size is that big…”

Ryousuke muttered with a strangely convinced look—but swallowed his words under Lisara’s sharp gaze. And then, honestly said:

“I’m sorry.”

“Hmph.”

She turned away. Just then, the high school principal finally stepped up onto the platform.

“Ahem… Today, I have the pleasure of announcing a wonderful transfer student to our school!”

He had an oddly fidgety and pleased look on his face.

“None other than the currently ultra-popular gravure idol, Iria-san, has suddenly decided to transfer into our school!”

With that announcement, Iria stepped onto the platform. There was no mistaking it—it was that Iria. And she was even wearing the Momozono Academy uniform.

The schoolyard instantly erupted into a frenzy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it mass panic.

“Did she seriously transfer schools just to enter a swimsuit contest or something?”

“She’s always been bold and never picky about her methods, but to actually come in person…”

Ignoring the rising noise around them, Lisara stood with her arms crossed, calmly staring at Iria.

“Still, though… There are other ways to crash the event.”

“She’s probably combining it with her Singular One search too. Iria’s a first-class Shinigami, you know?”

“So she wants to find one herself and form a contract before anyone else.”

“Exactly. She’s cold and calculating, that one.”

“Hey, Lisara.”

“What?”

“You really hate Iria-chan, huh.”

“『Hate』doesn’t even begin to cover it.『Despise』isn’t strong enough either. Let me be clear—if you get fooled by that face, you’ll seriously regret it. Her personality? Absolutely the worst.”

She declared it firmly and with complete confidence. Her sheer force of presence made Ryousuke nod, but when he looked up at Iria smiling and waving from the stage in her gravure idol charm, he couldn’t help but wonder—despite everything—if maybe her insides were just as cute.

As he wrestled with that thought, Iria stepped down from the stage, and for some reason, Tamano suddenly appeared to take her place.

“Silence, silence, if you would. I, who was chosen just yesterday after school to be the Chairman of the Pool Opening Executive Committee—I have a fabulous and excellent announcement for you all. So listen quietly, please.”

However, a schoolyard that had just been whipped into a frenzy wasn’t about to settle down so easily.

“Good grief, guess I have no choice.”

With an exaggerated gesture, Tamano shook his head.

“You’ll get to see Iria in a swimsuit—live.”

He muttered it just loud enough to be heard.

The effect was instantaneous. That tiny phrase seeped into the brains of the noisy students (mostly boys), flooding their minds. Within seconds, a hush fell over the entire schoolyard.

“Alright, good, you catch on fast. Now then, would you all like to hear my report?”

“「「「「Yes!!」」」」”

All the boys in the yard responded in unison like they’d been trained.

“Very well. I accept your fiery passion. And now—I hereby declare the opening of a grand event! That’s right—the Momozono Academy Pool Opening Memorial Swimsuit Contest!”

Tamano declared boldly.

“The rules are simple. On Friday at noon, a preliminary vote will be held. You may choose any girl from the middle or high school divisions. The top four will qualify to compete in the swimsuit contest on pool opening day. My adorable ladies, do you understand? Today is Thursday, so you have two days—a self-promotion period. Only the Venus who rises above the rest during this period shall earn the right to capture the gazes of summer! So, boys—sound like fun!?”

“「「「「Uooooooooh!!」」」」”

A chorus of wild roars erupted.

“Now, now, settle down. I should also explain the scoring method. The girl with the most votes gets 3 points, second place gets 2 points, third place gets 1 point, and fourth place gets 0 points. Then on the day of the pool opening, three judges—no, arbiters of beauty—will each cast one vote worth 1 point. That makes a total of 9 points in play.”

At that moment, Tamano turned and for some reason, flashed a smile full of white teeth at Ryousuke.

“Now then, about the highly anticipated arbiters… as the Chairman of the Pool Opening Executive Committee, I—Tamano Hikaru, beloved by all Venuses—have taken it upon myself to choose them. I’ve selected only those who can confidently recognize the beauty of the jewel called woman!”

“First, myself—Tamano Hikaru! And next, from Class 2-B… Kaga Erosuke—oops, I mean Kaga Ryousuke!”

“Eh, me?”

Ryousuke blinked rapidly in surprise.

But the reactions around him were a little different—

“Well, he is pretty pervy.”

“He seems to have a good eye, though.”

“Not like he’ll ever get to use it, but still.”

“Being a pervert is basically like being a sommelier of girls, right?”

Surprisingly, the consensus leaned more toward the positive.

“And the third judge…To ensure neutrality in the contest, I’ve selected someone from outside the student body. Someone who rivals me in this town—Asagaya-cho—when it comes to looks and popularity. However! To avoid spoilers or any cheating, I’ll reveal his name on the day of the event. Look forward to it♡”

With a final wink and a blown kiss, Tamano stepped down from the platform.

The school assembly ended just like that, and Ryousuke and Lisara walked side-by-side back to their classroom. They needed to discuss their strategy moving forward.

“Lisara, looks like if we want to fight Iria-chan, we have to first win over the student vote. That’s gonna be pretty tough, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I know. Even though we both just transferred here, Iria is already famous as a gravure idol, right? Compared to that, I’ve still got pretty low recognition.”

“Well… people do know you as the girl who screamed at Tamano-senpai, but that’s kinda the opposite of cute.”

“Anyway, Ryousuke, you’re going to be my strategist! No matter what, I’m making it to the top spot and wiping that smug look off Iria’s face!”

Lisara’s eyes burned with fiery determination. Fueled by that energy, she threw the classroom door open with a gara! and stormed in with intense pressure.

“Whoa, hold up! You’re just racking up negative points like crazy!”

Imagining the boys scattering like spiders, Ryousuke grabbed Lisara by the arm.

“Hey, Lisara, you forgot to play nice. I get that you’re mad about Iria-chan, but cool your head a bit.”

“Eh… A-Ahahaha, whoops, that was close. Ahem.”

Lisara lightly slapped her own cheeks and forced a soft smile before walking into the classroom again more slowly.

Unfortunately, it seemed that effort was in vain.

The classroom was already abuzz with talk about Iria. The boys, obviously, but even the girls were excited about having a celebrity on campus.

“Well… I guess this is normal.”

Ryousuke gave a wry smile as he sat in his seat.

“…You’re not interested, Ryousuke?”

“No, I’m a huge fan. I’ve even got her commercial videos saved on my phone. But I don’t know… Maybe it’s because you’ve been draining my libido or maybe because I saw what happened yesterday, but I just can’t get excited.”

“Hmph, that is rare coming from you.”

Lisara murmured this while looking off to Ryousuke’s other side. Following her gaze, Ryousuke saw Mina—looking uncharacteristically flustered—hurrying into the classroom.

“Ryousuke-kun! Lisara! S-Something big just happened!”

“What’s up, Mina?”

“What is it?”

“Another transfer student—there’s another one coming into this class!”

Mina blurted it out, a little fast.

“Another one? But Lisara just transferred in!”

“That’s right. And yet, someone else is coming. I overheard the teachers talking just outside the staff room a moment ago.”

“When you say transfer student…there’s only one person it could be.”

Lisara murmured and clasped her hands in front of her face.

“That Iria… she forced her way in, didn’t she.”

As if summoned by Lisara’s words, Iria and Ranbashi-sensei entered the classroom. Naturally, the room instantly erupted into chaos.

Even the way she walked was different from the average student. Crisp, confident, and meant to showcase her charm. Yes—her proud E-cup chest bounced with every step. The swaying motion seemed almost calculated, like a display of dominance.

“I’m Iria. It’s a pleasure to meet you all!”

She stood at the teacher’s podium, smiling brightly and bowing her head. Her chest bounced again.

In an instant, the classroom exploded into cheers. No—there were even people gathered outside in the hallway. A few teachers were mixed in as well…

“Um, Iria-san, I’d like to know your last name too”

Ranbashi said from beside her, though he was clearly just an afterthought.

“Ehh, but on TV, I only go by Iria.”

“But this is a school, you see.”

“Hmm, well, if Sensei insists, I guess I don’t have a choice. Let’s see… I’m Kaga Iria. Nice to meet you.”

For a moment, the classroom fell completely silent—as if someone had poured water over the crowd. Slowly, all eyes turned toward Ryousuke.

“W-Wait, hold on! I don’t know anything about this! I seriously don’t!”

Ryousuke jumped to his feet and desperately denied it. But the atmosphere remained heavy. Oohira, for one, was grinding his teeth and glaring daggers at him.

“Ahahaha, sorry! I was just kidding~ Iria’s real name is Fukumine Iria! I just made a little joke because I’m kind of acquainted with Ryousuke-kun through Lisara-san!”

“Through Lisara-san?”

Ranbashi blinked in confusion.

“Yes! And, um… I have a small favor to ask, if that’s alright?”

“A favor?”

“Iria is friends with Lisara-san. I even begged the principal to let me transfer into this class because she’s here. So, um, could I please sit near Lisara-san?”

At that moment, Lisara’s eyes gleamed with unmistakable danger.

“I see… In that case…”

Ranbashi began looking around Lisara’s area. Whether because no one wanted to compete or feared getting in Iria’s way, everyone suddenly avoided eye contact and looked away.

Then, Iria gently tapped Ranbashi’s shoulder.

“Um, would it be alright if I sat over there?”

She pointed—oddly enough—to the seat right behind Ryousuke.

“Eh? But if you sit there, you won’t be able to talk with Lisara-san, right?”

“I don’t talk during class and the window seats have such a lovely view of the sky. Besides… just being able to see Lisara-san’s back makes me feel so at ease.”

She tilted her head slightly as she looked at Ranbashi.

“Hmm… if you say so, I guess it can’t be helped.”

Just like that, her seat was decided. Muroi, who had been sitting behind Ryousuke, was kicked to the very back—next to Oohira—and cast a glare filled with murderous intent at Ryousuke on his way out.

And it wasn’t just Muroi. Many of the boys were now staring daggers at him.

Looking to the side, Ryousuke saw Lisara practically bristling like a cat with its fur standing on end, clearly ready for battle as she glared at Iria.

‘Ugh, my stomach feels heavy…’

Ryousuke could feel the stress churning in his gut. And just then, with a cheerful grin—

“Aha~ Ryousuke-kun! Looking forward to being in your care!”

Iria beamed at him.

She was fully aware that this would be throwing oil on the fire.

‘Ugh… Iria is absolutely the worst… She’s got an even nastier personality than Kyuru by thirty percent…’

Ryousuke quietly clutched his stomach.

※　※　※

During break time, Iria deliberately stood at the teacher’s podium. Perhaps because she was used to being the center of attention, she looked completely natural even in such a noticeable position.

“Hey hey, since we’re classmates now, won’t you all tell Iria about yourselves?”

Her words caused the entire classroom to stir.

“Because Iria doesn’t even know everyone’s names yet, and I want us to be friends… Okay?”

With her eyes slightly downcast, Iria spoke softly, and in an instant, students gathered around her, forming a crowd. One after another, they eagerly began introducing themselves.

“Hee~ So your name is Oohira-kun. Looking forward to getting along~”

Iria responded to each of them with careful politeness, gripping their hands tightly as she added,

“And if you don’t mind…I hope you’ll cheer for me in the swimsuit contest too ♡”

She delivered that message sweetly.

“Even without doing all that, I think Iria-san would win anyway…”

Mina said this with a complicated expression as she spoke to Ryousuke.

“Well, yeah, she probably would… But she’s aiming to steal Lisara’s votes.”

“Lisara’s votes?”

“Yeah. Classmates’ votes are especially important. If she steals those, Lisara’s share will naturally shrink. Especially since Lisara only just transferred in too—her recognition in the other classes is still pretty low.”

Hearing that analysis, Lisara gripped her desk so tightly that it trembled.

“That damn Iria, always pulling some sneaky tricksss!”

“L-Lisara, are you really acquainted with Iria-san?”

“Acquainted?”

Lisara shot Mina a sharp, piercing glare.

“Hauu…”

“She’s an enemy. A sworn enemy. Someone I must defeat.”

Her tone was flat—but carried a heavy weight of resentment.

“I mean, apparently, they were classmates back in Shinigami School. Iria was top of the class and Lisara was right behind her.”

At Ryousuke’s explanation, Lisara let out a low, ominous chuckle—『Fufufu…』

Scary. Seriously scary.

“L-Lisara, for now just dial down that killing intent, would you?”

“Impossible.”

“Impossible!? Acting like that, you won’t get any student votes.”

“…………”

Lisara fell silent at Ryousuke’s sharp point.

“If you’re radiating that much bloodlust, even people who were gonna vote for you won’t anymore. And Iria’s already winning people over like that.”

“I see… You’re right, Ryousuke.”

Her aura of menace eased up slightly.

“Then I need to come up with a plan of my own…”

Lisara closed her eyes, deep in thought.

“Yeah, but still… She’s an active gravure idol. You’re not going to beat her that easily.”

“Are you saying… I’m inferior to Iria?”

Lisara stared hard at Ryousuke—not in anger, but with a look of quiet insecurity.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m saying you don’t need to worry—I guarantee it.”

Lisara turned her face away from him and murmured,

“Of course you do.”

Seeing that, Mina let out a soft giggle.

“I think Lisara has more than enough of a chance to win, too.”

She said it in a bright, encouraging voice.

“There’s a chance—but half-baked effort won’t cut it. We’ll need a real strategy.”

Despite saying that, Ryousuke couldn’t come up with a single idea. If his pervy instincts were firing on all cylinders, he might’ve thought of some bold way to promote Lisara… but he still hadn’t fully recovered yet.

“Hmm… yeah…”

Mina also went into thinking mode. Though Ryousuke didn’t expect much from her—she wasn’t the pushy type, and didn’t do well in front of others.

‘Lisara’s probably not good with this kind of thing either… Which means it’s up to me as her strategist to come up with something clever…’

Burning with a sense of duty—but still drawing a blank.

And so the three of them groaned and mulled it over, until the break was over in no time at all.

Even during class, Ryousuke kept thinking, but couldn’t come up with anything good.

Then in the next break, Iria’s『self-introduction』—really just a promo campaign—continued. Students from other classes started showing up too, solidifying her support.

Then came lunch break. After finishing his bento, Ryousuke said.

“Sitting around thinking won’t help.”

He stood up. Mina tilted her head in confusion.

“What are you going to do?”

“Act. Action. First, I’ll do what I can do.”

Ryousuke declared and stepped out of the classroom. Watching his back, Lisara and Mina glanced at each other.

“He’s right. We have to act.”

“You’re right, totally agree.”

They both nodded.

In the hallway, Ryousuke checked the contents of his wallet and headed for the school store.

“Swimsuits… Yeah, it’s gotta be swimsuits. You can’t have a swimsuit contest without a swimsuit.”

Neither Lisara nor Kyuru could make their own and Ryousuke had already promised to buy them one.

“And if I buy a swimsuit and imagine Lisara wearing it, maybe something will come to me…”

Feeling slightly optimistic, Ryousuke bought two school swimsuits from the school store.

He had both girls’ sizes memorized, so there was no issue with the purchase—aside from the store lady giving him a very strange look…

“Hmm… if I made Lisara wear this and parade around school, she’d absolutely hate it.”

Muttering to himself, Ryousuke returned to the classroom—only to find Lisara and Mina missing.

“Huh?”

At the teacher’s podium, Iria’s self-promotion campaign was still in full swing. Now students from other grades were gathering too; the place was packed.

Leaving the commotion behind, Ryousuke stepped back out of the classroom.

After wandering around the school building, he finally found the two of them in a hallway lined with first-year classrooms.

Lisara was arching her chest forward and walking—awkwardly but intentionally—like a model.

From the side, Mina was watching and calling out:

“Wow, it’s Lisara-san from Class 2-B~! She’s so beautiful, I totally admire her~!”

Her face was beet red as she shouted with all her might.

‘This is so embarrassing just to watch…’

Unable to take it anymore, Ryousuke rushed over and pulled Lisara’s hand.

“What is it, Ryousuke!”

As expected, her face had turned bright red all the way to her ears.

“Please stop. I’m begging you—it’s embarrassing.”

Pulling her all the way to the end of the hallway, Ryousuke bowed his head.

“It’s even more embarrassing for me! But you said I didn’t have enough name recognition, so…”

“I get that, but that’s not helping. It’s actually hurting your image.”

“Hurting it?”

Mina caught up and asked nervously.

“You just seem way too desperate—it’s off-putting.”

Lisara blinked in surprise at Ryousuke’s reply.

“Is that… really how it comes across?”

“That’s exactly how it comes across.”

“Ugh… then what am I supposed to do?”

“I’ll come up with something.”

“That’s fine and all, but voting starts tomorrow. You’re not seriously saying I should just sit and wait, are you?”

Lisara spoke with clear irritation.

“Then how about this—no more of that over-the-top theater. Just walk around the school naturally, like you usually would. That alone should be enough.”

“nd people will recognize me just like that?”

“C’mon, no one else has red hair like yours. You’ll stand out plenty just by existing.”

“It’s a pretty passive strategy… but if you say so…”

Though she didn’t look fully convinced, Lisara nodded.

“What about me, Ryousuke-kun?”

“You go with her, Mina. If she walks around alone, it’ll seem weird. Just chat with her like normal while you stroll.”

“Okay!”

Relieved that she wouldn’t have to do anything embarrassing this time, Mina smiled warmly. Just then, the school chime rang out with a pin pon pan to signal a broadcast.

“What now?”

“Who knows?”

“Maybe Melro is scheming something again…”

As the three of them pondered, Tamano’s voice came through the speakers.

“Ahem. This is Tamano, Chairman of the Pool Opening Executive Committee. There was one thing I forgot to mention during the morning assembly, so I’m making an announcement now. Naturally, bringing your own swimsuit is allowed. Yes, even those crazy high-leg cuts, micro-bikinis, fundoshi or sticker-style swimsuits, or revealing—mmgh, hey, what—alright, alright, I got it! Anyway, as long as it doesn’t disrupt public morals, you may wear whatever swimsuit you like. Students, imagine your favorite person in your favorite swimsuit and vote accordingly. That is all.”

Clunk—the broadcast ended.

“So that means Lisara needs to choose her swimsuit too.”

“Yeah. But since Ryousuke said he’d buy one for me, I think I’m good on that front.”

Smiling sweetly, with not a hint of doubt on her face, Lisara looked at Ryousuke.

“Y-Yeah… that’s right.”

He barely managed to get the words out.

And inside, he screamed:

‘Too lateeeeeee! Give me my money back──────!’

The two school swimsuits about 4,000 yen had just gone to waste…

In the end, Lisara and Mina spent the entire rest of the day walking all over the school until the final bell rang.

“Mina, I’ll definitely pay you back for this, okay?”

“Muu, come on, don’t worry about it.”

Watching Lisara bow her head while massaging her swollen legs and seeing Mina doing her best like it was her own cause, Ryousuke renewed his vow in his heart.

He was going to make sure Lisara won. No matter what.