Chapter 46 - In Both Looks and Personality, the Losing Heroine Did Not Even Come Close
The server came by and cleared away the hamburger steak dishes. I glanced at the bill, saw a number that was almost exactly the amount of money I had in my wallet, and quickly flipped it facedown.
I was totally fine with paying for Mogami-san's pancakes. I mean, she always looked so adorable when she was eating sweets that, if I thought of it as a viewing fee, it was practically a bargain.
However, I wasn't exactly thrilled about treating this cheeky little girl, Wannai-san. Still, things looked different after hearing her side, so now, I felt like actually treating her too.
She’s selfish and spoiled, sure. But she’s by no means a bad person. If anything, it was the opposite. She could be a little airhead, sure, but she was also purer than anyone and had the kindness to genuinely cheer for someone else's happiness.
“Ten times.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“The number of times Fuko returned lost-and-found items. She’s done it ten times in just the past three days, right?”
“Is that true, Mogami-san?”
“Y-yeah. I mean, you know that lost-and-found box in front of the student council room? I just put things there, so it’s really not a big deal.”
“I’ve done it zero times. I just pretend I didn’t see them.”
“You didn’t have to say that so proudly…”
For the record, I’d done it once. I found someone’s pencil case and turned it in, but setting that aside, while it’s true that I wasn’t the type to ignore lost items like Wannai-san, I’d only return something if I happened to notice it. So, in that sense, Mogami-san was on a completely different level.
“You change the water in the flower vases every morning too, don’t you?”
“…I just like flowers.”
“And you always tidy up the books in the library.”
“It just feels better when they’re lined up neatly.”
“You even pick up trash during your morning walks.”
“Y-You've been watching me that closely?!”
“I told you, I was stalking you.”
Wannai-san just kept listing off Mogami-san's good points in a flat, matter-of-fact voice. Even I was hearing things I hadn’t known before. Seriously, Mogami-san really was a good person.
If it were me, I'd probably think of all that as volunteer work or something. But for Mogami Fuko, it was different. She was the kind of girl who just did these things... unconsciously, out of pure, simple goodwill. She was so used to no one ever noticing, and she had never once done any of it expecting to be praised. That's exactly why her kindness was so selfless. And that, I figured, was probably what made Wannai-san feel so utterly defeated.
“If it were any other girl, I’d have confidence I wouldn’t lose. But with you, it's basically impossible... I can never become someone better than you, Fuko. I realized right away that you are the real deal.”
She was already at a disadvantage from the start. But even so, she'd been desperately hanging on, just trying not to be left behind by the other heroines. But then, Mogami Fuko appeared out of nowhere... and just shattered her resolve completely.
Perhaps, the words Wannai-san said just now were her declaration of defeat.
“You’ve got such beautiful black hair. I’m jealous… because of my genes, I wasn’t born with black hair. Blonde is my hair’s natural color, you know…?”
Wannai-san sighed, twirling her blonde twin-tails around her fingers. Honestly, I thought that was an attractive trait in itself.
“I… really admire your blonde hair, though, Wannai-san."
“Uuu… thanks for the compliment. That makes me really happy…”
Hmm. I wasn't sensing any hostility from Wannai-san at all. If anything, she seemed extremely fond of Mogami-san. She must have been genuinely happy about the compliment. Her little ahoge was even bouncing up and down.
"And also, that chest! It's incredible! It's like a national treasure!"
"Yep, that's right. She's a treasure of all mankind."
“Y-you two are exaggerating too much!”
Unfortunately for her, it was the truth. No, wait. It's not unfortunate. Mogami-san's existence is nothing but a blessing.
“You’ve got this super innocent, pure vibe, yet you have such an unbelievably sexy figure… and on top of that, your personality is amazing, too! You have everything I don't. There's just no way I can ever win against you, Fuko."
Wannai-san had basically evaluated every part of Mogami-san. Her looks, her personality, all of it, and accepted total defeat. That was why she’d stepped off the stage herself…
And instead, she was now trying to lift Mogami-san up in her stead.
