MHA: GAMER PATH

Chapter 131: UA School Festival Arc (4)

~Ren Y. POV~

[8:45 AM, UA Highschool, Gym Gamma, Japan]

Having everything ready, helping my classmates get their dresses ready, with everyone fidgeting slightly as Momo mutters nervously, "Be as serene as the water's surface… be calm as the sea…"

Getting prepared in my dress, I overhear Jiro speaking curiously at the self-made uniforms as Ochaco checks out Mina's dress, "We had these T-shirts made special, Bakugo, so you gotta wear yours."

Everyone wearing their specially made uniforms, Shinso commented, checking the uniform in an impressed tone, "They were pretty much ready-made, though we just added some flair. Not bad at all."

I smiled as Mina yelled out to Todoroki with Jiro and Momo by my side in an excited tone, "Todoroki! Let's go over the sequence one last time!"

Having been at ease with the excitement, I checked my phone and saw that Nighteye and Mirio were taking Eri around being chaperoned by Aizawa-Sensei. It was when Momo came up to me asking nervously, "Ren, are you feeling nervous as well for the main event about to happen…?"

Turning my head around to her, I smiled lightly as I explained in a confident tone, "A bit, yeah… but we gotta make sure to plus ultra the event. Not only that, have fun at the same time."

Nodding her head in agreement with Jiro, looking a bit nervous. I placed my hand over her shoulder, giving her a thumbs up, confidently saying, "Don't get cold feet on us now, lead singer. For now, everyone is counting on you as you are counting on us to do our part."

Exhaling a breath of relief, she slapped her face together, regaining some confidence and exclaiming, "Right! Let's give this our all!"

"Right!"

Everyone exclaimed as they were pumped up about the concert. Hopefully, Eri would love it, and if the criminal duo does something despite my efforts convincing them…

Well… at least I left a clone to watch over them. Just to be on the safe side.

With that out of the way, I wonder how Kendo is doing with being selected as our beauty pageant choice. Hopefully, my clone would be helpful in the makeup department with me practicing this art with the girls.

But even then, I didn't feel it was enough. So I asked for some help from my fellow gamers, and one of them was… rainbowy…

/////

~Third POV~

[9:00 AM, UA Highschool, Dressing Room, Japan]

"I wonder what they're on?"

Looking somewhat bored, Itsuka Kendo sat on a folding chair in the dressing room and glanced up at the wall clock; based on the time, class A's concert would be about an hour away. A gentle breeze blew through the open window, ruffling the curtains.

It was a beautiful October day, just warm enough to make one forget it was autumn. Kendo's pageant attendant, Ren Yuki clone, sat nearby, holding onto bags with makeup and accessories.

He noticed Kendo's gaze and spoke calmly, locking their eyes together, "I hope the concert's going well."

Kendo kindly smiled back as she replied in a casual tone, "Me too."

The two of them had watched the dress rehearsal the day before and found themselves moved by their classmates' efforts, so it was sure to be an amazing production, assuming nothing went wrong. A strained smile forced itself onto Kendo's face, half out of concern and half in faith that all would be well.

If she'd felt like normal, she might've responded to Ren with, "I bet they're killing it out there."

Ren could guess what was going through Kendo's head as he asked, "Nervous?"

Kendo repaid her friend's concern with a broad smile before standing as she thought, 'Yeah, this isn't like me at all.'

Shaking her head, Kendo instead tried to help Ren get over her funk, "I'm great! We'd better get moving, though. Lemme carry that?"

However, Ren also stood and made for the door before Kendo could insist on helping, he said calmly, "Not a chance. It's almost time for the main event, Itsuka."

Kendo felt awkward about her friend doting on her, and it showed on her face. On her way to the dress rehearsal, she'd worn a dress several levels fancier than anything she was used to, covered up by only a thin events team windbreaker.

As Kendo walked down the hall, her new look earned stares and whispers from passing students making poor attempts to hide their obvious interests. The extra attention felt like needles pricking her all over as she thought nervously, 'How do other girls wear stuff that's so free and flowy…?'

Ren Yuki and the rest of Kendo's classmates had heaped on the praise, and she'd known it wasn't empty flattery; they'd meant every word. Still, she felt like she'd never get used to wearing the dress as she couldn't help but think, 'I bet it comes as easy as breathing to someone like Yaoyorozu.'

Kendo suddenly remembered her teammate during their internship, Momo Yaoyorozu. If anyone could slip into a fancy dress like she was born to do it, it would be little Miss Princess herself.

Class A hadn't put forward a contestant for the beauty pageant, however, what many didn't expect would be Kendo by Ren's suggestion, much to the class's shock at the time. This would be Kendo's first pageant, of course.

She understood the excitement surrounding a bunch of young women competing to be the most beautiful, and as a woman herself, she could even respect that pursuit. But Kendo had never cared much about traditional notions of feminine beauty; her thing was more about being attractive and cool in ways that people typically associated with boys.

Not that she wanted to be a boy. It was just about style for her. The women competing in the beauty pageant, though, would naturally be judged based on their feminine beauty.

Kendo had never dreamed of entering of her own accord. When class A's homeroom teacher, Eraser Head, had told the class that the School Festival would feature a beauty pageant, the thought hadn't even crossed Kendo's mind.

Rather, it had been Yuki's forceful recommendation that put things in motion, recalling what he said in a confident tone, 'If anyone's entering the beauty pageant, it would have to be Kendo.'

The rest of the class had been convinced the moment Yuki uttered Kendo's name, practically ruling out any other candidate instantly as she replied at the time, 'Hang on—that's way outta my wheelhouse.'

But she understood that Yuki was out to make class A shine, and the rest of her classmates were just as excited. Kendo never would've entered for her own sake, but she didn't want to let the class down, so she'd reluctantly relented.

Now that she was competing, of course, she was aiming for the crown (or tiara, as it were), but she still couldn't shake that nagging feeling that she didn't belong. She hadn't felt like herself since the day her name had been submitted for consideration.

As they reached the main green room behind the pageant stage, Kendo slapped her cheeks with both hands to shake off the dark thoughts, 'Snap out of it!'

*Slap*

At the sound of the slapping, Ren spun around in shock as if she'd seen a ghost asking in a concerned tone, "What on earth are you doing?"

Looking at the concerned expression of Ren, she replied cheerfully, "Just revving myself up."

Ren put the bags down and placed his own hands-on Kendo's cheeks, causing her to blush red as he said in a scolding tone, "You're going to make your face all red!"

The boy's hands were soft, and Kendo gave a slight shudder as they pressed against her warm face her heart beat a bit faster till they heard a new voice, "What's going on, huh? Huh? Trying to chase the pain away? Oh hi, Ren!"

Recognizing the voice, Ren turned to see Nejire with a grin, replying happily, "Oh, hello, Nejire."

Third-year Nejire Hado was staring at the two class-A students with a puzzled look. But Kendo hurriedly replied, which earned a wide smile from Nejire, "Nah, that's just how I rev myself up."

Nejire eyed Kendo as she began clenching her fists and striking a power pose in an upbeat tone, "Revving up, huh! Lemme try it! Hmph!"

Her attendant, Yuyu Haya, smiled and raised an eyebrow, addressing her friend calmly, "Careful, Nejire. Rev too hard, and your Quirk might activate."

Pouting slightly, she innocently replied, "Pfft, I know that."

Haya merely shrugged off her words, checking her friend, asking curiously, "How's your throat doing? Want some jasmine tea?"

Handing Nejire jasmine tea Nejire grabbed it with a thankful tone replying, "Yup, yup, I could use some. Thanks."

*Gulp*

As Nejire gulped down the tea, Haya examined her earrings and headdress looking intense as she commented, "I'm not too sure this is the right look for you …"

The sight of Nejire, one of U.A.'s [Big Three], acting surprisingly down to earth made Kendo and the other nervous pageant contestants smile and relax a little despite themselves. For all her charisma and skills, Nejire came off as perfectly charming and relatable.

At that moment, another charismatic contestant entered the room in an overly confident voice, greeting them, "Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! How do you do, ladies? And boy."

It was Bibimi Kenranzaki. A third-year in U.A.'s Support Course, she'd been the beauty pageant winner for two years running, was the personification of beauty itself, and pursued splendiferousness in every facet of her life.

People joked that her long, gorgeous eyelashes could serve as earthquake seismographs, lightning rods, or even landing beacons for UFOs, and her reputation for fabulosity had made her something of a living legend at U.A. High.

Kendo and the others found themselves momentarily blinded by Kenranzaki's splendor as if they had stared at the sun. It was when Bibimi said in a flamboyant tone, "Today, we compete. I hope we all fight with no regrets left on the table!"

"S-sure!"

"Y-yeah!"

Everyone besides Nejire and Ren was suddenly nervous, half out of delight from being graced with Kenranzaki's gorgeous presence and half out of despair over the sudden realization that they had no chance in hell of winning the pageant. If Nejire was a charming angel with a soothing aura, Bibimi was a terrible goddess whose beauty filled the air with a nameless tension.

These two were on opposite ends of that aesthetic spectrum. Bibimi approached Nejire. The others held their breath at this meeting of last year's pageant queen and its runner-up as she said confidentially, "May the best woman win, Nejire."

Listening, Nejire smiled as she replied in an excited tone, being sportsman-like, "Mm-hmm, I'm counting on it cuz I'm the best, and I've got no intention of losing."

At Nejire's undaunted throwing of the gauntlet, Bibimi's long lashes twitched. Everyone glanced around, half expecting an earthquake, a lightning bolt, or a UFO landing till Bibimi said confidently, "Ah, I'm so very sorry to inform you that victory will be mine once again this year. And shouldn't you think about changing into your dress soon?"

Nejire just tilted her head as she innocently said answering Bibimi's question, "Uh, I'm already wearing it?"

Noticing her dress, Bibimi mocked her attire lightly, trying to get a reaction out of Nejire, bluntly saying, "Apologies! I mistook that plain old thing for your everyday garb! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!"

This caused Nejire to pout lightly, responding, seemingly offended, "That's just mean! I think my dress is cute, okay?"

Ren is overseeing the catfight going on as he and Kendo both thought, imagining sparks flying across them, 'Ooh … I can see the sparks flying already!'

Most of Kendo's friends were as lighthearted and easygoing as she was, so she wasn't used to witnessing catty showdowns like this as she thought, 'Just like a scene outta some manga or a soap opera.'

She was almost curious, watching what seemed like a scripted scene play out, whereas the rest of the young women present froze up, unsure how best to dodge the flying sparks as Ren thought helplessly, 'It's not like they're gonna start throwing punches, but maybe I should step in?'

Seeing Nejire getting bullied lightly, his instincts flared, he made the first move before Yuya could intervene as he politely said, "Scuse me, Kenranzaki, but could I ask you to back off of Nejire?"

Nejire looked at Ren and said, shocked, "Ren-kun?"

Ren had rushed in like a loyal hunting dog ready to defend its master from a looming bear, and his tone showed that she was ready to sink her teeth into the threatening foe if need be from his polite tone. However, Kendo, someone from Class 1-A, knew that tone very well as she gazed at the drama happening, 'Uh oh… I know that tone when someone messes with the Class Rep. It's either going to end nicely… or someone asking for a bad time…'

Kendo remained standing to see how the Class Rep resolved this as she felt a light chill running down her spine. Bibimi and Nejire had known exactly what sort of electricity they were sending into the air a second ago, but Ren's icy smile brought a new chill over the room.

Not that it was enough to fluster Kenranzaki's beautiful composure. But Bibimi, seeing who she was talking to, then asked bluntly, "My dear Yuki-kun, as Nejire's friend, shouldn't you be the one reining her in? Instead of … getting so bent out of shape yourself?"

The comeback left him at a loss for words, but he was saved by someone from the pageant planning committee, who entered the room and began explaining the dress rehearsal procedure. During the explanation, the girls heard the cawing of a crow coming from the extravagant outdoor stage.

*Caw*

*Caw*

Ren raised an eyebrow as he thought about a rumor with crows in a suspicious tone, 'Not exactly a good omen.'

In the meantime, Kendo stole a glance at Haya. Standing beside a flustered Nejire, Haya wore a scowl with eyes cast down as she thought confused, 'I wonder what's up with Yuyu…?'

They'd only met briefly at the pageant orientation, but Kendo had noted Haya's remarkable self-possession befitting a third-year, which was somewhat at odds with her short, bleach-blond hair, multiple piercings, and generally eye-catching appearance. Being paired up with the free-spirited Nejire only served to amplify Haya's levelheaded nature.

When Kendo had introduced herself, Haya had smiled and offered to answer any questions Kendo might've had about the pageant, which had made her barefaced hostility just a moment ago more shocking as she thought, 'Is this what became of women thrown into battle against one another?'

Kendo found herself thinking more than ever that if that was the case, then she didn't belong there. But she turned to see Nejire talking to Ren, pouting lightly before she froze in place as she thought, 'Wait… I did not get jealous seeing this…'