Chapter 120

「Akira!」

「Amelia . 」

Even when there were close to three hundred women backstage, I quickly found Amelia .

Even though she was only turning around, she seemed to be the only one who was shining .

Next to her was Latisneil, and it seems the two people were happily chatting .

The two girls from the hero’s party were nearby as well .

「Oniisan, what do you think of my face? You, were curious about what was under the hood, weren’t you? Well?」

With a friendly smile, Latisneil ran up to me and asked this .

It was as if Latisneil had a dog tail and she was wagging it left and right .

…was it my imagination?

「Aah, it was surprising . Maa, you lost to Amelia though . 」

I was patting Amelia on the head as I said this .

It was as if Amelia was purring, as she narrowed her eyes in pleasure .

If Latisneil was a dog, then she would be a cat .

I was a cat person, hands down .

Latisneil placed her hand on her slender waist and puffed her cheeks out .

「That’s because Amelia is a cheat! There’s no one else who has a more gorgeous face than Amelia! But, even though I’m the one saying this, I’m popular with guys!」

「Rusty would be cute as long as she didn’t say anything . 」

「Eh, does that mean that I’m the so-called ‘unfortunate beauty’!?」

When did they become so close, the two people were calling each other by name .

But I was in complete agreement with Latisneil’s use of the term “unfortunate beauty” .

「Come to think of it, I don’t know oniisan’s name, so I’m still calling you oniisan . 」

Just as I suddenly recalled it, Latisnei mentioned this .

Come to think of it, I hadn’t properly greeted her yet .

I knew her name because I had looked at her information with『Eye of the World』and Yoru had told me about her, but I don’t recall telling her my name .

「I should’ve done this earlier, but my name is Oda Akira . Over here, would it be more correct to say Akira Oda? …maa, in any case, nice to meet you . 」

「Nn! So you’re Akira! I remembered it, oniisan!」

「Even when I told you my name, you didn’t change the way you address me, huh . 」

I couldn’t help but give a wry smile at her unrestrained personality .

There was still some time before the results were announced .

It should be fine to continue chatting .

「Your real name is Latisneil, right? Is Rusty your nickname?」

「That’s right! The name Latisneil is long, so I came up with it! It’s fine even if I continue to be called Latis, but there’s some charm to the name Rusty and it’s cute too, right?」

Maa, certainly, just Latis didn’t suit Latisneil’s personality, and it gave off a stuffy feeling .

「I like Rusty better . Akira, it’s interesting talking with Rusty . 」

The look on Amelia’s face softened .

Latisneil’s lazy way of speaking and personality gave off a relaxing feeling .

It seems that Latisneil had charisma that drew people in .

『The votes have been tallied up! Now then, I’d like to move on to the highly anticipated results!!』

I was taken aback by the voice of the host that seemingly came from thin air .

I was unexpectedly engaged in the conversation with Latisneil, and forgot that we were in the middle of a pageant .

Amelia and Latisneil looked at each other and smiled .

「…no matter who wins, there’s nothing to say . 」

「Un! Of course!」

The top five winners would be announced, and they would be able to go back onto the stage .

Almost everyone backstage had put their hands together, praying, while Amelia and Latisneil obviously stood out as they simply awaited the results .

Compared to the others, who wished to be placed in the top five, these two people aimed only for first place .

Maa, what Amelia wanted was the prize that came with first place .

『Now then, I’ll announce the results! Fifth place!! …entry number 108, Natalia!!』

A girl wearing an orange dress gave a loud cry, and walked towards the stage .

Perhaps she was ecstatic, as she was saying that she couldn’t believe it .

『Continuing on, fourth place!! …entry number 25, Aldira!!』

This time, a crow beastman wearing a blue dress snorted and then walked onto the stage .

She looked extremely discontented, and glared hatefully at Amelia and Latisneil .

Maa, if these two people weren’t here, she might’ve had a chance to win .

Leaving aside the fact that she seemed to have a lot of pride, her face was good .

Only her face .

『Third place!! …entry number 1! Sonora!』

A girl in a white dress timidly walked out .

Was it good that she had the clumsy girl attribute .

At this point, the number of girls who hung their heads, having already given up, had increased .

The rival girls probably also understood that the top two would be Amelia and Latisneil .

『Now then, I will announce the first place winner!!!』

「「Eh???」」

「…aah, I see . 」

While doubtful voices were raised in regards to why the second place had been omitted, I figured out what was going on and looked at the two people .

Perhaps the two people also understood, as they were looking at each other .

『The first place winners!!! …entry numbers 291, 292, Princess Amelia, Rusty!!!!』

It seems that victory and defeat had not been decided .

『This is the first time we’ve had two winners!!』

While the somewhat agitated host was screaming, Amelia and Latisneil held hands and they walked towards the stage .