Chapter 44 Nioh (Bonus Chapter with Landmine) Plan Complete √
Three days after the exhibition match, the highly anticipated final of the image ambassador selection took place.
The stands were already packed, with not only students from the school but also many people from outside the school who had come specifically to see the school.
Editors from several well-known fashion magazines were talking in hushed tones, while talent scouts stood ready with cameras in hand. Several representatives from talent agencies wearing sunglasses could even be seen sitting in special seats.
In the backstage dressing room, Lisa was fixing her makeup in front of the mirror.
"Matsuno-kun, your turn is two seats after that. Please get ready," a staff member said, peeking out to remind him.
"Okay, thank you." Risa took a deep breath and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
Just then, the phone on the table vibrated.
She swiped open the screen; it was a message from Qianxia:
[Hey senior, I'm having a little trouble. Could I come to the library storage room for a bit?]
Risa frowned. The library wasn't far from the auditorium, but her appearance was less than ten minutes away.
As she hesitated, a second message popped up:
[Chika: A third-year student asked me to help organize the books, but it seems the door is locked from the outside. It's so dark inside ┭﹏┭]
The crying emoticon at the end of the text made Risa's heart tighten. She remembered that Chinatsu had mentioned that she had mild claustrophobia.
Her fingers paused briefly on the keyboard before she quickly replied:
I'm coming right away, don't be afraid.
Risa looked around; the staff were busy guiding other contestants. She quietly slipped out backstage.
The June breeze carried a slight warmth as Risa walked through the tree-lined paths of the campus to the library. At this time, most students were watching the game in the auditorium, making the library unusually quiet.
She walked confidently to the second floor. The lights suddenly dimmed, and at the end of the corridor was an iron door, presumably the warehouse that Qianxia had mentioned.
She removed the bolt, pushed open the door, and found it pitch black inside.
"Chinatsu?"
There was no response.
"Chika, are you in there?" She stood at the door, fumbling for the light switch on the wall.
At that very moment, she heard soft footsteps behind her. Before Risa could turn around, a strong force pushed her, and she stumbled and fell into the darkness.
"Bang!"
The door slammed shut behind her, followed by the clear click of the latch.
Risa: ? ? ?
So, she fell for a diversionary tactic?
She took out her phone, the flashlight beam illuminating the piles of books and clutter around her. There was no cell phone signal.
I'm doomed (╥_╥)
-
Backstage at the auditorium, Niou Masaharu leaned against the window, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"Senior, is my phone working properly?" Qianxia ran over and asked.
"Okay, almost done." Niou Masaharu deleted the chat history and then handed the phone back to Chika. "Thank you, you've been a great help."
A staff member ran over, "Matsuno-kun, so you're here! We've been looking for you. It's your turn to go on stage."
"Sorry, sorry, I had an upset stomach and went to the restroom," Niou said softly in Risa's voice, even perfectly mimicking her micro-expressions.
The staff breathed a sigh of relief: "Great! The judges have been waiting for a while, please come on stage quickly."
Risa: "By the way... I'd like to change the performance for the finals at the last minute."
Staff: "Huh? Changing the program now?"
Risa: "Please, I'll definitely surprise everyone."
She winked at the staff member and handed them a USB drive, saying, "This is the background music for the show, thank you."
"Next up, please welcome our special guest performer, Risa Matsuno from Class 2-A!"
As soon as the announcer finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium.
The stage lights dimmed and then suddenly brightened again.
As the prelude to "Renai Circulation" played, a woman named "Matsuno Risa" dressed in a dark Lolita dress hopped and skipped onto the center of the stage.
The wig, makeup, and even the way the person walks are all perfectly replicated.
"Huh? Doesn't the program say 'Tarot Cards and the Otherworldly Witch'?" A questioning voice came from the audience.
"Oh my god, Matsuno-kun can dance such a cute dance."
"Could it be that Senior Niou is behind this?"
"Even Niou-senpai wouldn't be this bold, would he? That's Matsuno-kun..."
Risa on stage sang, danced, and rapped with boundless energy, even more so than in the original music video.
Akaya Kirihara covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably: "Although she danced very cutely... is this really something Risa-nee would do?"
Yukimura Seiichi's face was grim, his purple eyes slightly narrowed. Just then, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
He looked away, took out his phone, and his pupils immediately contracted.
[Risa: The warehouse at the far end of the second floor of the library. Come save me quick! [doge emoji with tongue sticking out]]
Yukimura glanced at the stage, his phone clutched tightly in his palm. He stood up and walked towards the side door.
"Yukimura-senpai?" Kirihara blinked in confusion as he watched Yukimura's departing figure.
Back on the stage, he couldn't help but laugh out loud again, frantically pulling out his phone to take a picture.
The moment the screen lit up, an unread LINE message caught my eye.
"Risa-nee!"
Kirihara suddenly stood up and chased after him.
Meanwhile, inside the library's storage room.
Risa stood on an old box, barely reaching the ventilation window high up, and sent the message.
Through the dusty glass, she could vaguely see lights coming from the direction of the auditorium.
"The competition should have already started..." She bit her lip, then suddenly realized something, her pupils contracting. "Wait, if I'm not there... then who's on stage right now...?"
The image of Niou Masaharu's cunning face flashed through Risa's mind, and she was so angry that she slammed her fist against the wall.
That sly fox, she actually got tricked.
Clanging and clattering—
The sound of metal clashing came from outside the iron gate.
The moment the door opened, the hallway light shone brightly.
Risa subconsciously raised her hand to shield her eyes, but saw a blue-haired boy standing against the light, with seaweed beside him.
"Matsuno, are you alright?"
Yukimura stepped forward and pulled her out.
"Finally saved." Risa breathed a sigh of relief.
She patted the dust off her dress, and the silver chain on the Lolita dress waistband jingled.
“Risa-nee, your outfit and that one on stage…” Kirihara’s eyes widened.
"Exactly the same as that imposter?" Risa sneered, unconsciously clenching her fist. "That bastard, Niou Masaharu, not only locked me in the warehouse, but also dared to use my appearance on stage..."
Yukimura: "That's not all."
Risa's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean?"
When they rushed back to the auditorium, the performance was just coming to an end.
On stage, "Risa" ended her performance with a perfect pose, and under the spotlight, the silver chain on the waistband of her black dress reflected a dazzling light.
As the last note faded, Risa bowed in respect, receiving thunderous applause.
On the judges' panel, Professor Takahashi, one of the chief judges, gave a speech on behalf of the panel:
"Risa, this performance... is completely different from your performances in the preliminary and semi-final rounds; it's a complete transformation. This groundbreaking change is very bold and passionate. Excellent!"
“Thank you for your kind words.” Risa bowed gracefully, her voice incredibly sweet. “I just wanted to try… a different version of myself.”
Hiroshi Yagyu in the audience had his glasses reflecting the light, and his lips twitched as he turned his face away.
"Risa-nee, aren't we going to expose him?" Kirihara was so anxious he was jumping up and down.
Risa stared at "herself" taking her final bow on stage, her face terribly grim, yet a smile played on her lips: "Instead of exposing me... I have a better idea."
She turned to the seaweed, "Akaya, can I borrow your uniform jacket?"
Before Kirihara could answer, she turned to Yukimura: "By the way, could you please ask Yanagi-kun...?" A cold glint flashed in her eyes, "Did he bring 'that' today?"
After saying that, she sent another message to Liu Sheng: 【Urgent help needed, could you lend me some props?】
Ten minutes later, Risa returned to the backstage dressing room humming a little tune. When she opened the door, she saw Yukimura sitting in front of the makeup mirror.
minister?
Niou stood frozen in place.
However, the thought that he was now in Risa's appearance made him feel relieved.
"Matsuno's performance was fantastic!"
Yukimura stood up, squinted slightly, and handed over a bottle of juice: "Akaya said you must be tired after singing and dancing for so long, so he bought this for you specially."
"Really? Akaya is quite considerate."
To fit the "brother-obsessed" persona, Niou, without suspicion, took the drink and tilted his head back to drink it down.
"Pfft—! Cough cough cough...!"
The moment the liquid entered his throat, Niou suddenly arched his back and coughed violently, clutching his throat.
"This is...t"
He knelt on one knee, his fingertips trembling as he gripped the bottle. The moment he tore open the wrapping, a strange green light seeped out from the rim of the cup.
"Is it good? This is Renji's special 'Honesty Potion'~" Yukimura's gentle voice came from above.
"Click".
The lock on the lounge door clicked shut.
In the shadows, Kirihara Akaya leaned against the wall, one hand in his pocket, the other casually twirling a tennis ball. His head was down, the shadow cast by his curly hair obscuring his eyes, only the corners of his eyes revealing a dangerous dark red.
"Senior Renou." The boy's voice was deep, and the tennis ball stopped at his fingertips.
"You're really brave, aren't you? You dared to lock Risa-nee in such a dark place."
Niou tried to stand up, supporting himself on his knees, but the side effects of the willow juice were too strong, and he staggered.
He forced a mocking smile: "...What are you saying, little seaweed? I'm your Risa-nee."
"Bang!"
The tennis ball slammed onto the floor at Niou's feet, bouncing back with a sharp whooshing sound.
Kirihara approached, kneeling down on one knee, the veins bulging on the back of his hand gripping Niou's collar. Removing his disguise, he revealed the pale face of the silver-haired boy.
"Pfft... We've been discovered."
"I once said I wouldn't let anyone who hurt Risa-nee get away with it." The boy suddenly choked up, his hand gripping his collar slowly loosening, then clenching into a fist and hanging at his side. "Even if it's Niou-senpai... this kind of thing..."
He abruptly turned his face away and wiped his eyes.
Yukimura walked over, patted his junior on the shoulder, and said gently, "Akaya, a real man doesn't cry~"
Kirihara Akaya quickly raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye and gave a soft "hmm".
Yukimura's gaze then turned to Niou, his smile deepening: "Niou."
Niou's back tensed instantly, and cold sweat slid down his forehead.
He chuckled dryly twice: "Pfft... Minister, I think this is a misunderstanding..."
"Is that so?" Yukimura tilted his head slightly, his smile unchanged, and pointed to the strange green liquid remaining in Niou's hand. "Then why don't we finish it and then have a proper talk?"
Nioh: "..."
He stared at the willow juice that exuded an ominous aura, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty. But under Yukimura's gentle yet absolutely oppressive gaze, he could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, and drink it all in one gulp.
"vomit--!"
The next second, Niou lunged at the trash can in the corner, his face pale as he hugged it and began to retch, curling up pitifully in a ball.
Looking at him, Kirihara Akaya felt a pang of sympathy: "Niou-senpai..."
"We've captured some great footage."
Asuka, who had been hiding in the corner, spoke softly. She held up her camera, and in the lens, Niou was weakly lying on the trash can.
It is said that a popular video appeared in the Rikkai University campus super topic that night:
The video, titled "Shocking! Niou Masaharu of the Tennis Club Performs a Hot Dance in Women's Clothing (Including Post-Match Interview)," features a classic scene at the end where the silver-haired boy cries while hugging a trash can.
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Author's note: There should be one more chapter before this plot is finished. Next, we'll start the romance map.
Since Risa's soul is that of an adult, she lacks support and career advancement. She values career and financial freedom more than love. Furthermore, Yukimura is a high school student, so even if he's attracted to her, he's unlikely to act on it. In conclusion, Yukimura's pursuit of Risa will be a little difficult, but it won't be a struggle, and their romance will be sweet, guaranteed!
Thank you all for your continued support, my darlings! This is an extra chapter. I'm not a full-time writer, so 3,000 words a day is truly my limit [laughing and crying emoji]. I want to present you with better content; rushing things can easily compromise quality. Please bear with me [grateful emoji][heart emoji]
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