The S-Class Mage is a Gyaru!?-Chapter 48: Rising Star, Part Two

Chapter 48: Rising Star, Part Two
My phone’s notification light is having a straight-up seizure when I wake up.
[Ugh, what now?]
I roll over on my couch-turned-bed, squinting as the light pours in. Between the convenience store’s "24/7 INSTANT RAMEN" sign and the laundromat’s spinning sock animation, sometimes this shit is like trying to sleep in the middle of a rave.
[Huh?]
My ManaGram’s practically screaming. Twenty notifications, all tagging me in the same post from the Honda Guild. Because of course they couldn’t wait to announce this shit at a reasonable hour.
"You have GOT to be kidding me."
The post is giving everything except what I want to see this early in the morning. Some garbage about "bringing the magical community together" and "celebrating new talent." But buried in all that corporate bullshit is the real tea:
Special guest appearance by S-Class sensation @AkariNakamura.
"Guest appearance my perfect ass," I mutter, throwing off my covers. The springs in my couch-bed screech in protest. "More like forced participation."
I stumble to my tiny kitchenette, desperately seeking coffee, when my phone buzzes again. And again. And fucking again.
Comments are flooding in faster than I can read them. Half of them are thirsting over my profile pic (valid), and the other half are already placing bets on who’s gonna get their ass handed to them first (also valid).
[Wait a damn minute...]
I pause mid-pour, my coffee forgotten as something clicks in my caffeine-deprived brain.
"Holy shit."
The whole magical community. Watching ME. Sure, Zhang and them think this is some kind of punishment, but maybe...
Maybe I can turn this into an opportunity.
I sprint back to my phone, nearly tripping over yesterday’s platforms. My fingers fly across the screen as I pull up my contacts. Haruka’s probably still asleep, lucky bitch, but Reina...
The water stains on my ceiling almost look like they’re dancing as I lay back, mind racing with possibilities.
"If they want a show..." I grin, already planning outfits in my head. "Let’s give them something worth trending over."
After all, I have a brand to build.
I hop up, practically bouncing to my closet. I grab my uniform, along with that *extra* short skirt that makes Professor Chen’s eye twitch.
My phone’s still blowing up, but now? Now I’m actually excited to read those notifications. Because yeah, maybe this is some bullshit punishment for that little ManaGram incident. Maybe they think they’re putting me in my place, the Chancellor and the professors.
But...
[I can turn this thing into one big spotlight. Just need to know what exactly we’ll be doing. That’s all.]
I grab my favorite platforms and start getting ready. If the university wants to use me as bait to wring students’ bank accounts dry? That’s fine. If the Honda Guild think they can take me down, or they want to use me to promote them too, that’s also fine.
But fuck yeah, I’m gonna make this event work for me too.
And... I have a bit of an idea to make that happen.
---
"You know what’s crazy?" Haruka asks as she hands another flier to a blushing first-year guy. "We could literally get expelled for this."
I glance down at the stack in my hands.
The photos came out perfect. Me, with my tongue out and a peace sign up, raising my skirt as I look back at the camera. Not quite porn, like the little video I dropped, but juuuust enough to make Professor Chen have an aneurysm.
The text reads:
WATCH ME SLAY AT THE HONDA EXHIBITION!
"Please," I scoff, posing for a quick selfie with some random Class 3 girls. "They need me for views now. I’m basically untouchable... Provided I don’t actually pull my dick out on cam again, I guess."
[Even then, they’d have to seriously consider it.]
"True." Haruka grins, watching the growing crowd around us. "But like, these pics are S-P-I-C-Y! You sure you wanna give this shit out for free, babe?"
"I’m sure I could make a fortune out of this, but, for now, it’s probably better to give people some unpriced love, ya know? Besides, have you SEEN my ManaGram? Ain’t like this is much different."
"Fair."
The courtyard’s buzzing. Students are passing our fliers around like they’re contraband. I swear, one guy’s putting it under his shirt, another one’s showing it to his buddy all hushed voices and "are you seeing this?"
Feels a bit ridiculous, but hey, that’s marketing, baby.
[Funny enough these are waaay tamer than what I had in mind.]
"Oh shit," Haruka whispers, suddenly very interested in reorganizing her stack of fliers. "Incoming at two o’clock."
I turn around just in time to see them. The student council, marching across the courtyard like some kind of budget evil magical girl squad. Miyuki’s in front, obviously, with Lily right behind her trying to look important. The other nameless goons strut along with matching glares.
[Here we fucking go.]
"Nakamura," Miyuki’s voice could freeze hell over. "What exactly do you think you’re doing?"
"Promoting!" I give her my sweetest smile, the one that says ’try me bitch.’ "You know, since I’m gonna be representing the school and all that. May as well make sure ~everyone~ hears about the stuff I’m gonna be doing and all, right?"
"By distributing... these?" She snatches a flier from a nearby student, her face going through about twelve different shades of red.
"Cute, right?" I wink. "Got them printed at this place downtown. The glossy finish was totally worth the extra yen."
Lily peers over Miyuki’s shoulder, her eyes widening.
"Miyuki, look!"
Miyuki, who apparently had only given the flier a cursory glance, looks at the image more closely.
"Is that... are you not wearing anything under the-"
I swear, I SWEAR, I see something twitch under Miyuki’s skirt. But, she quickly tears her eyes off the flier.
"Maybe," I shrug. "Nothing everyone hasn’t seen already though, so it doesn’t matter, right?"
The rest of the student council’s gathered around now, looking exactly like the group of try-hards they are. But Miyuki? The way she’s gripping that flier?
[She might actually end up choking me to death... lol.]
"Do you have any idea," Miyuki steps forward, getting all up in my personal space, "what this does to our school’s reputation?"
[Damn, her perfume must be expensive.]
She’s close enough that I can count her eyelashes. Close enough that I can see the way her throat bobs when she swallows.
Close enough that if I wanted to, I could just... I dunno. Lean forward a little and...
I shake my head.
"Pretty sure it helps it," I say, not backing down an inch. "I mean, your boring ass promotional materials weren’t exactly breaking any viewer records, were they?"
Behind Miyuki, I catch Haruka trying not to laugh.
"This is- this is OBSCENE!" Miyuki waves the flier like it personally insulted her ancestors. "You can’t just... just..."
"Show the goods?" I offer helpfully.
"YES!"
"Babe, I’m not showing anything. Just... heavily implying."
"That’s not better!"
Her face is so red it’s basically glowing. And speaking of glowing, that definitely ain’t a phone in her pocket, if you catch my drift.
[Oh? What’s this?]
"Besides," I lean in closer, dropping my voice to a whisper. "Not everyone’s as... excited about it as you seem to be."
The way her eyes widen? Priceless.
"I- that’s not- I would never-"
"You sure?" I glance down meaningfully. "Because something’s definitely twitching under that skirt, Prez."
For a moment, I think she might actually combust. Her jaw’s clenched so tight I can practically hear her teeth grinding.
"This is your final warning, Nakamura," she manages through gritted teeth. "Stop distributing these... these..."
"Masterpieces?"
"IMMEDIATELY!"
"Or what?" I tilt my head, giving her my best innocent look. "You gonna punish me? Go ahead, that sounds pretty fun."
Someone in the crowd straight-up chokes. Lily’s eyes are the size of dinner plates. And Miyuki?
[Oh honey, you might want to loosen that grip before you tear the flier.]
"The DIGNITY of this institution," Miyuki starts, somehow getting even closer, "is not something for you to just-"
[Is she... trembling? She’s THAT mad?]
"-and furthermore, the VERY IDEA that you would distribute such-"
Her forehead’s practically touching mine now. The crowd around us has gone dead silent, watching this play out like it’s prime-time drama.
"-completely UNACCEPTABLE behavior from someone who-"
I’m barely listening, of course. Too many words. Brain too small to process it all. But, as she keeps going, my eyes go lower.
I think about it. I think about it long and hard, until...
[Fuck it.]
Mid-sentence, I grab her tie and pull her in.
"MMMH!?!?"
Our lips crash together and Miyuki makes this absolutely precious little squeak of surprise. For a split second, she freezes, her lips on mine. The crowd gasps. My eyes are closed, but I can imagine Miyuki’s goons staring in awe behind her.
[That shut you up, huh?]
It’s quick. I don’t intend to stick my tongue down her throat after all, I just want to surprise her a bit. So, it’s barely more than a firm peck. But when I pull back, the look on her face? Priceless.
The courtyard erupts in whispers and I can hear the phrase "holy shit" ring out like ten times.
Miyuki just stands there, face redder than my lipstick.
"Anyway," I stretch, making sure to give her a good view. "Thanks for the feedback, but I’ve got places to be. Coming, Haru?"
"Right behind you, babe!"
And, with no further ado, we strut away.