In This World That Favors Men, I... ~Starting a Sweet School Life in a World With a 1:8 Gender Ratio~ - 65

Chapter 65: The Ski Trip Plan Part 3

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“Hirano-kun, over here, over here!”

“I’m coming!”

Hirano caught up with me, Yuuki, and the Moemado duo, who had gone ahead.

“Where’s Waki?”

“He said he’s coming slowly with An-san. He told us to go ahead to the rest area.”

“I see. Well, if you’re good to go, Hirano-kun, we can head out now.”

“I’m good! This time, I’ll do my best not to fall behind!”

Today was a full day of snowboarding with everyone. When we talked about it over breakfast…

“What should I do? I’m not very good at snowboarding. I wonder if I can keep up with everyone?”

The one that said that was Rin-san.

“It’s been ages for me too. I wonder if I can still snowboard properly?”

The one that said that was An-san.

“You two haven’t been on a ski trip in a while, right? So, what should we do?”

“I’m just a little better than a beginner at snowboarding, so Rin-san, would you like to ride together?”

Oh! Katagiri made a bold move here.

“Are you sure? I might slow you down.”

“It’s fine! We’ll both just take it easy, so don’t worry!”

He was really pushing forward. Katagiri had an intense determination to pursue forward this early in the morning. Katagiri was a passionate fan of the idol group Valkyrie Flower Cutie. Among the five girls, who looked great in martial arts uniforms, his favorite was the center, Sakura.

Rin-san was older than her, but she was exactly the same type as Sakura. Rin-san had long, silky black hair, a graceful and elegant presence. Katagiri usually spoke in a straightforward manner, but I didn’t expect him to be this direct when it came to romance too.

“An-san, don’t worry. I haven’t snowboarded in a while either, so why don’t we take it slow and remember how to do it together?”

“Really? Then I guess I’ll go too!”

Was Wakisaka just tagging along? No… Since Katagiri had targeted Rin-san, maybe he was just balancing things out. Wakisaka was surprisingly perceptive about these kinds of things.

“Alright then, let’s all go at our own pace and have fun without pushing ourselves.”

And Hirano wrapped it up neatly. These three of them were really in sync. They must get along well on a regular basis.

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Yesterday, we spent the entire day snowboarding and sledding together. Then, by the evening of the following day, the working adults who were our Elder Partners finally arrived at the lodge. It was time to meet them.

“I’m Yoriko Rokkaku. I work in new product planning and public relations for EXA Group, which operates a nationwide convenience store chain. I imagine many of you have used EXA before?”

I knew it. The EXA convenience stores were everywhere. I even went there sometimes to buy snacks.

“I’m Jun Tsuitsui. I work for a company called Youshun Promotions. We sign contracts with talented individuals and act as agents, connecting them with businesses… Basically, a talent agency.”

Huh, a talent agency. I still didn’t fully understand how the entertainment industry worked in this world. Whenever I turned on the TV, it was mostly women, so I couldn’t even tell the actresses apart.

“Actually, we’re supposed to have one more participant, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she had to cancel at the last minute.”

“Hmm? That person was so eager to come. I wonder what happened?”

“You mean Oogimachi-sama? I heard she received a marriage proposal from a young boy. It seems both of them are going to proceed with the proposals.”

“Oh my, that’s wonderful news! Well then, I guess we can enjoy ourselves without worrying too much.”

It seemed like three people were originally supposed to come, but now there were only two.

“Now, everyone, don’t be so nervous. We’re not here to eat you or anything. We may already be working, but just a few years ago, we were students too. We came to have fun and relive our student days, so we’d love it if you’d join us in the fun!”

“This is technically a mixer party, but for me, skiing is the main focus, so let’s just relax and enjoy it regardless of age differences!”

With that, the two women finished introducing themselves, and from then on, it was time to chat freely. Tonight’s welcome party was buffet-style.

“May I ask for your names?”

The two newcomers immediately started a conversation with us.

“I’m Yuusei Takeda.”

“I’m Ren Yuuki.”

“Yuusei-kun and Ren-kun, huh? I heard all the boys here go to the same high school. Are high school guys nowadays all this good-looking?”

“Yoriko-san, no way! These two are just exceptionally good-looking, right?”

Uh… What am I even supposed to say to that?

“I thought so. I haven’t seen high school boys in a while, so I was surprised, thinking maybe the beauty standards had evolved in the younger generations!”

“Are there not many male employees at your company?”

“Not many… Actually, none at all. It’s a really interesting job, but for some reason, men just aren’t interested in this field.”

“What kind of product planning do you do for the convenience store?”

“Oh? Are you curious?”

“I go to EXA pretty often.”

“That makes me happy. By the way, what kind of products do you usually buy?”

“I have a sweet tooth, so mostly desserts and carbonated drinks.”

The moment I said that, Yoriko-san’s demeanor suddenly changed. It was like a switch had been flipped.

“A sweets-loving guy… Perfect. Absolutely perfect. A handsome young man enjoying sweets…. It’s the ideal image for a product campaign!”

“Hey, hey! Yoriko-san, we’re supposed to be on a break from work here! No talking about work!”

“Oh, right… I came here to relax, didn’t I? Ugh, my corporate slave instincts kicked in again.”

Whew. She snapped out of it. Still, I didn’t expect the term corporate slave to exist in this world too.

“But, even though I said that, I still ended up handing out my business card. Here, take this. Say, are you guys interested in the entertainment industry?”

Jun-san smoothly pulled out a sleek business card and handed it over while making her pitch.

“I’m not interested at all.”

Yuuki didn’t even take the card.

“An instant rejection from Ren-kun. What a shame. How about you, Yuusei-kun?”

Maybe because of that, Jun-san turned her attention toward me, since I had accepted the card out of reflex. 

“Uh, I’m not particularly interested. To be honest, I don’t really get the entertainment industry in general.”

“What a waste. You’d be so photogenic! If you’re not totally against it, why not just give it a try?”

Yeah… No way. The entertainment industry isn’t for me.

“I don’t know… I’d have to ask my parents about it first.”

“Hey, Jun, you’re being unfair! I have a perfect image of sweets-loving guys forming in my mind right now!”

“Then how about Yuusei’s first job being for Yoriko’s project?”

“Wait, hold on a second—”

Don’t just decide things on your own!

“That would be great! Yuusei-kun, would you consider it? Do you know about EXA’s Sweets Paradise series?”

“Uh… Yeah, I eat them pretty often.”

“That series has been a big hit, so we’re launching a new luxury edition to take the taste to the next level. Right now, we’re searching for the perfect image model for it. What do you think?”

What do I think? Even if you ask me that…

“Umm… This is all a bit sudden…”

“A poster of an ultimate sweets-loving guy enjoying luxurious desserts. Who is he? What is that irresistible treat making him melt with pleasure?”

Oh no, she flipped her corporate slave switch again.

“…I’m sorry? I don’t think I understand…”

“You don’t know? It’s EXA’s luxurious sweets line, the hot new topic nowadays. Just imagine it! The handsome young man’s favorite ♡ ‘Ultimate Hexagon Pudding’! Yeah… That’s right… It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect! If it were me, I’d buy it in an instant!”

This is bad. She’s not listening at all.

《Ping!》

《Quest Alert: Promote the Ultimate Hexagon Pudding! Would you like to participate?》

…Huh?

Pudding Quest? What’s with this? It’s too sudden! And I’m in the middle of a panic crisis here.  Hey, Diary. Hey, Diary, you’re not trying to take advantage of this situation… Right?

《…You should definitely participate. Highly recommended. You can earn a lot of points, you know.》

I knew it! You totally are!

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