Chapter 33: Targeting Ninth Seat
A few days after the Momijigari-kai, where we had met the Elite Ten, a faintly excited atmosphere began to fill the academy.
It was only natural. The final event of autumn—the school festival—was drawing near.
"…The Moon Banquet Festival, huh? Competing through sales at food stalls. Yeah, that's the perfect stage for ranking people. …So? You ended up guiding Soma to the Chinese Cuisine Research Society after school? —Miyoko."
"Nngh!! Naaah! …Nnn!!"
I was fucking a classmate in her gym uniform inside the PE storage shed. The scene before my eyes was straight out of an eroge.
I had been put in charge of cleaning up after basketball class and decided to seize the opportunity, but the unreal feeling of the situation made it surprisingly enjoyable. Thanks to Totsuki's standards, the shed was spotless, so there wasn't a speck of dust—another big plus. Since there was still another class after this, I couldn't take too long. I pounded her hard from behind, slamming into her cervix with every thrust.
"Soma's challenging Kuga Terunori, so you're guiding him to the Chinese Research Society's headquarters… You're so kind to other men. Don't you think you're lacking awareness that you're my woman?"
"Nnn! Ahn! St-stop! My voice… nghmu!!"
"Your pussy just got tighter, didn't it? It's only been a little over a month since I last fucked you and you're already like this. You really are a handful! Here, I'm gonna cum!"
"—Nnnnn!! I'm cumming!!!"
I decided to creampie her without asking. I pressed my glans hard against her deepest point and unloaded mercilessly.
"Fuuu, that felt good. …Better plug you up so it doesn't leak."
"…Haa, haa, haa. …Wh-what are you—?!?!"
I took the vibrator I had kept in my pocket, removed it from its bag, and pushed it into her pussy to keep my cum from spilling out. Since it was the same thickness as my cock, it would do a perfect job as a plug.
"Guide Soma like that. I'll overlook it this time."
"There's no way I can walk around like this…!"
"You're not going to say you can't, are you, Miyoko?"
"…Nngh. …Fine. I'll do it."
She looked unhappy but obeyed. The corners of my mouth curled up. Even though I had completely broken her spirit, Miyoko still hadn't let go of her defiance toward me. Or rather, she was convincing herself she hadn't. She refused to accept that she had lost and kept telling herself she wasn't fully broken yet.
The proof was that she couldn't refuse an absurd order like guiding a guy with my cum and a vibrator stuffed inside her. What an adorable, adorable loser she was.
"Good girl, Miyoko. Here, take your pill. —And come to my room tonight. I'll torment your ass too."
"—…! …I-I'm leaving!"
Miyoko's face burned red as she snatched the pill and hurried out of the storage shed.
With the school festival starting soon, this was the perfect chance to give the women I had claimed some well-deserved candy.
…Right. I should check in on the other girls too.
If I remembered correctly, in the original story she had helped with Soma's stall. I'd lend a hand to get closer to her romantically.
For the sake of Tadokoro Megumi—the girl who had ended up as a tragic heroine in the end.
"So yeah, this is definitely your chance, Tadokoro-san!"
"R-really…?"
The next day I went to Polar Star Dorm and was giving Tadokoro a pep talk. We were in the kitchen because Soma was doing test runs for the dish he planned to serve at his stall. He was challenging Kuga Terunori, a specialist in Chinese cuisine, with… Chinese cuisine of his own. Fighting on the opponent's home turf was something I liked too, but this guy really took it to the extreme.
While Soma was out shopping, I used the brief time alone with Tadokoro to bombard her with romance advice.
"Soma's ridiculously dense. Actually, it's less that he's dense and more that he has zero awareness of romance. So the difficulty of making him fall for you is pretty high."
"U-um! Santo-kun! You keep talking like I… like Soma-kun, but that's not… I mean, it's not like that at all—"
"No, it's fine. We can skip that part."
"Auu…"
I cut her off sharply because I didn't want to waste time. If I gave her any breathing room, she would start thinking up excuses. By answering immediately, I forced her to come up with the next one, and by shooting those down too… her excuses would eventually run out.
"I-I'm… plain…"
"Calling yourself plain isn't good. You're not plain, Tadokoro-san—you're calm and composed. Your way of speaking and choice of words are gentle. To a guy, you're like an angel."
"I-I don't have any confidence and I'm a coward…"
"A guy like Soma wants to take the lead with the girl he likes, so the parts you see as weaknesses are actually strengths. Remember? Has the atmosphere between you and Soma ever gotten awkward?"
"M-my cooking skills… are nowhere near good enough…"
"If the people who made it to the main bracket of the Autumn Elections don't have skill, then what does that make the students who didn't even qualify? Pebbles?"
"…Aah."
The trick to countering objections is to reply instantly without pause. Any hesitation gives the other person time to think. If you answer right away, they're forced to come up with the next excuse. Keep shooting those down and… eventually the ammunition runs out.
"I-I…"
"Tadokoro-san, listen carefully. You might not have confidence in yourself, but you're a much more wonderful girl than you think."
I spoke clearly, without hesitation.
The important thing was to stay serious—no embarrassment, just a sincere expression and tone. Girls this age are surprisingly weak to straightforward words. And Tadokoro was a pure-hearted girl who read shoujo manga. The effect should be more than enough.
"You're in the Local Cuisine Research Society, right? You're supposed to have your own stall, so why are you helping Soma?"
"Th-that's… because Soma-kun's stall needed more hands…"
"In other words, you're the kind of person who steps up when someone needs help. There's no way a girl that kind doesn't have charm."
"…! …N-no one's ever… said that about me before…!"
Her accent was slipping out from how flustered she was. I pressed the attack since I sensed I could draw out her true feelings.
"Tadokoro-san. I think you and Soma would make a great couple. And I'm sure anyone else looking at you would agree."
"Th-that's not… I-is that… really true?"
"It absolutely is! I guarantee it! So why don't you try being just a little braver? Be a little more proactive and approach Soma."
"…Approach him."
"You don't have to do anything bold. Just make a conscious effort to smile when you talk to him, or try light physical contact. That's plenty. I'll help too, so have some confidence!"
About fifteen minutes. Thanks to my persuasion, Tadokoro's mindset had begun to shift, even if only slightly. I made her realize that acknowledging her feelings and trying to make the person she liked notice her wasn't anything to be ashamed of. I reshaped her values regarding romance.
"…S-Santo-kun. …I'll… try my best. O-of course, helping with the cooking comes first!"
"Yeah, go for it! I'm cheering for you from the bottom of my heart! Really!"
"Th-thank you…?"
"—Shaa! I'm back with the stuff! Let's keep testing!"
Right as we finished, Soma returned.
I didn't want to eat anything spicier than necessary, so I made a quick exit.
"Huh? You leaving already, Shogo?"
"Yeah, sorry. Leave the tasting to Tadokoro-san. Make sure you let her help you, Soma."
"You got it! She's super reliable! Right, Tadokoro!"
Tadokoro nodded shyly, radiating girlish cuteness. I was rooting for her to succeed.
"By the way, Shogo. You planning to run a stall for the festival? Let's both aim for the Elite Ten!"
As I was about to leave the kitchen, Soma asked me that. Since there was no harm in answering, I replied honestly.
"—Yeah, I'm joining in. Same as you—I'm aiming for the Elite Ten too."
"Whoa! For real?! Who are you challenging? Don't tell me it's the same guy as me, Kuga-senpai?"
"Don't worry. I'm going after someone else. Their seat's lower than Kuga-senpai's too. …Oh, and of course it's not Nakiri-san."
That should have been enough for him to figure out who I was targeting. Soma grinned, while Tadokoro started panicking.
"See you. Let's both do our best, Soma."
"Heh, you know it! Yeah! I'm not losing to you, Shogo!"
There were quite a few Elite Ten members whose removal wouldn't cause problems in the original story. Out of those, the one who met all the conditions—didn't overlap with Soma's opponent, was easy to drag into a match, and wouldn't cause too much of a stir even if defeated—was this guy.
Ninth Seat, Eizan Etsuya.
I'd use that intellectual yakuza as my stepping stone.
All of it, for the sake of my ambitions.
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A/n: Don't forget to support the story by giving power stones. I'll release a bonus chapter as soon as we reach the goal.
300 power stones = +1 bonus chapter!!
For early access to 10 chapters ahead: p@tre~~.com/Demonic_Fiction (Link is in the synopsis and my profile).