Liar's Lips Fall Apart in Love - Volume 1 Chapter 3.6

The Autumn When Love Begins 6

I spotted Sacchan in the front row of the plaza, cheering loudly. Next to her was Houjo-kun. Upon closer look, it seemed like some of the kids from the same seminar, as well as Tsugumi-chan and Nami-chan, had also come. Once again, the pressure made my heart feel like it was going to be crushed.

Unconsciously, I found myself looking for Sagara-kun. And there, at the edge of the front row of the stage, I spotted a panda mascot costume. Knowing he was unexpectedly close calmed my nerves a bit.

“Now, let’s have each contestant introduce themselves and make their appeal! Starting with entry number one, please go ahead in order!”

“Ryoka Kiyohara, a junior in the Literature Department! People often tell me I have a name like a top star from Takarazuka, but actually, my special talent is ballet, which I’ve been doing since kindergarten.”

Her clear voice rang out confidently, and she struck a beautiful arabesque pose on stage, eliciting loud applause from the audience.

What should I do, I can’t do anything like that… My special talent is “being able to name all the Emperors in history”

…Ugh, it’s too plain.

The second woman showcased her talent for impersonating famous celebrities with her husky Kansai accent. The third woman declared, “My appeal point is this sunny, shining smile!” and successfully elicited laughter with her confident demeanor.

One by one, the beautiful contestants made their self-introductions. Each one was beautiful, unique, and radiated confidence from within.

And finally, it was my turn.

“Now, our last contestant! Nanase-san, please go ahead!”

My name was called, and my body stiffened in shock. Somehow mustering my courage, I faced forward with my chin up and began to speak.

“…I’m, Haruko Nanase, a freshman in the Economics Department! …Um, my special talent is…”

Knowing the crowd in front of me was watching, my head started to spin. Never in my plain life had I been the focus of attention from so many people.

My mind went blank, and not a single name of the Emperors came to mind. My blood ran cold, and all I could do was let out trembling breaths.

“Is something wrong?”

Seeing me freeze, the host looked puzzled. I need to speak properly.

I took a deep breath and was about to start over when──

──Splash!

Suddenly, a large amount of water poured down from above. Reflexively, I covered my face with both hands and looked down.

…Huh, what!? What just happened?

The sudden mishap caused a commotion in the venue. “W-what!? What’s going on!?” the host exclaimed in panic. Then, from the side of the stage, I heard the staff’s voice.

“Hey! Wasn’t the quiz show set supposed to be cleared away?!”

“Sorry! That’s strange…”

That’s when I finally understood the situation. The water from a penalty game for a quiz show must have fallen on me.

Whether it was because of the water temperature or the weather, it didn’t feel as cold as I expected. Water was dripping down my body. My hair and clothes were completely soaked, clinging to my body. Ah, my eyelashes came off. My eyeliner and eye tape must have come off too.

My heart pounded loudly, almost painfully. If I raise my face now, my real face──my plain, unimpressive true face will be seen.

…If they know the real me, will everyone drift away from me?

“Nanase-san! Are you okay?”

The host, sounding worried, grabbed my shoulder.

Please, just leave me alone, it’s okay.

Unable to lift my face, I just shook my head from side to side. Ah, it’s all over now──

“Nanase!!”

At that moment, someone called my name.

◆◆◆

The stage in the grassy plaza, the venue for the beauty pageant, was crowded with people.

It was a much bigger event than I had thought, slightly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm around me.

Feeling conspicuously out of place, I realized I had forgotten to take off the panda mascot costume.

Feeling awkward, I knew there was no time to go back to the lab to change.

“Sagara, over here!”

Led by Kinami’s gesture, I made my way through the crowd, somehow ending up in the very front row of the stage. It felt embarrassingly enthusiastic. I decided to stay at the very edge at least.

“Hey, you don’t need to come this far forward…”

“You want to see up close, right? Make sure to properly support Nanase too!”

“I-I didn’t come here to cheer or anything…”

Just then, I felt something hit me in the back as if something had crashed into me. Turning around, I saw two familiar-looking women standing there.

“Ah, sorry about that.”

After a cursory apology, the women scurried off towards the backstage. Could they be staff for the beauty pageant? I wondered vaguely as dazzling spotlights lit up the stage.

“Well then, it’s started! Who is the most radiant Miss Campus of the year? Welcome to the Miss Risseikan Beauty Pageant!”

The contest host, likely a student from our university, spoke with a professional smoothness.

Amidst roaring cheers, the five finalists made their entrance onto the stage. Nanase, trailing at the end, had her lips tightly pursed as she faced forward.

Nanase, looking uncomfortable, scanned the audience as if searching for something. When her eyes met mine in the front row, I thought I saw her cheeks relax ever so slightly.

…Do your best.

I found myself silently cheering her on.

Next to me, Kinami, who had been heckling, let out a sigh of admiration.

“Man, the finalists are all so beautiful. That one, I saw her on a TV show the other evening!”

So, there are students who are like budding celebrities among them. Indeed, as Kinami said, they all looked quite polished.

But to my eyes, only Nanase, standing straight with her back, was visible. A serious, hardworking woman who covered her plain face with makeup.

When it was finally Nanase’s turn to introduce herself, she stepped up to the microphone as prompted.

“…I’m Haruko Nanase, a freshman in the Economics Department! …Um, my special talent is…”

Her face, lit by the spotlight, was tense, turning pale. Remembering her usual soft smile, I wanted to tell her that the real Nanase isn’t like this.

In front of me, the Nanase I know is much more──

Splash!

Suddenly, water fall down on Nanase from above.

In an instant, the venue was thrown into chaos. “Is this part of the act?” someone wondered aloud. Both the contestants and the host on stage seemed flustered, and the side of the stage became hurriedly busy.

Nanase, drenched from head to toe, was covering her face with her hands and looking down.

“Whoa, that’s bad. What’s happened to Nanase?”

Kinami next to me voiced his concern. The host, clearly flustered, grabbed Nanase’s shoulder.

“Nanase-san! Are you okay?”

Nanase kept her face covered, shaking her head. Probably, I was the only one in the venue who understood why Nanase couldn’t lift her face.

──I’m scared of showing the real me and having everyone leave.

Before I knew it, I was running towards the stage.

“Nanase!”

At my voice, Nanase lifted her face in surprise. Before her face could be seen by those around, I took off the panda head and placed it over her.

Then, I saw the two women from earlier standing at the side of the stage. The moment our eyes met, they visibly panicked and hastily ran off.