Sakuramoria

Much later, locked in the presidential suite, Futa looked through the photos of the contest participants—the ones that were supposed to make it into the magazine before the catastrophe occurred.
Leafing through the images, her mind returned to the bright and luminous moments of the celebration: the cheerful music, the applause and smiles of the guests, the kind laughter, the blush on the participants' faces, the upbeat comments from the host...
There were many photographs—more than the designated space in the workbook could hold. It was even strange that a person like E.S. hadn't provided additional space. Then again, a photographic camera in this world was a rarity, available to far from everyone. The method of capturing and transferring a real image onto cardstock felt more like magic than something technological, although recalling Carvia Imas's recent discoveries in these fields, it would be perfectly unsurprising if such a device were a byproduct of her labors, combining both approaches. Who knows, it's not impossible that inside every camera there is an inscribed pentagram that consumes the soul or life force of the person photographed, throwing it into a general cauldron for the king to taste, and if desired, this fact could be hidden with ease.
Casting aside these unnecessary thoughts, Futa thought carefully about who to exclude and who to place in the ten allotted positions, and arrived at a list as follows:

1. Barbarian
2. Iwa
3. Mana
4. Renn
5. Shera
6. Leila
7. Ladia
8. Claudia
9. Nirianna
10. Neomarika

There was no room for She—her national dress would look far too plain against the backdrop of her dressed-up neighbors; for Cassia—for some reason, the few shots allotted to her focused exclusively on her stern; for Buddlea—her photo looked more like an acrobatic circus performance; and for Vita—the abundance of terrifying decorations on her outfit, combined with her stern appearance, certainly had certain unusual facets of attraction, but were still off-putting.
"Well and... what? That's it?.."—the president stared down at the book, scratched her head, and frowned. Yes, perhaps there was nothing left to add or rewrite here.
Just as she was closing the book, flipping to the last page, she saw that additional lines had been squeezed onto it. Right, tasks 4 and 5. They had completely slipped her mind.

"Describe what you like about the girls mentioned above."
Given the author's personality, a very specific meaning could be attributed to this question, with an emphasis on some average Elliot-like schoolboy and the corresponding nature of his answers. Would it be correct for a girl to answer this, applying her own standard, which surely differed from the intended one? Maybe not. Or maybe yes. Either way—rather than beating a dead horse, it was better to just get it over with.

1. Beauty and modesty, a willingness to step out of her comfort zone to please those around her and expand her own horizons.
2. Mysteriousness, the contrast between melancholy and determination, a pale face and the blush upon it.
3. Undergoes a metamorphosis of image according to external data, while mentally still clinging to her old self-identification. An interesting case for academic study.
4. Face, shoulders, and neckline open from clothing and even hair—as a way of declaring her sincere nature.
5. Clothing, appearance, and facial expression simultaneously lure and repel weak-spirited moths. A deceptively expert option.
6. Light, bright summer clothing calms and skillfully offsets impressive and threatening dimensions. The different shades of the irises also play into this dualism.
7. The heaviness of the outfit, combined with powerful forms and a confident smile, gives an aura of strength and untamability, channeled into a dangerous beauty.
8. The formality and pomp of the emerald look contrast sharply with cute, childlike facial features, thereby making her appealing.
9. A calculated, seemingly effortless execution of clothing and hairstyle, combined with a choker and a piercing gaze.
10. A treacherous blush on the face, adding a touch of bashfulness and vulnerability, despite the general pseudo-hermetic nature of the image.

Having written the final period and twirling the pencil in her hands, the president reread the notes with a sour expression—she had never written such pseudo-meaningful nonsense in her life.
It wasn't even clear why she had bothered to finish these tasks; meeting E.S. in real life, it was visible to the naked eye that he was no dark mage, but simply a middle-aged bachelor pervert, and this textbook, accordingly, was not a cursed tome playing with dark emotions, but simply an extremely strange specimen of "self-development" literature written in the confinement of four walls.
Well, at least Elliot won't end up in prison trying to complete it.
"Better if he had stayed in the dust behind the counter"—was the last thought the president gave to this uselessly wasted piece of paper for today.

Returning to the pile of photographs, she caught herself thinking that if the magazine isn't printed, they won't fulfill the terms of the agreement with their partners. But would anyone even buy it now?..
...
...
...
Actually, why not? The situation could work both ways—sales could either drop or jump, against the backdrop of all these fresh News about the royal academy. Perhaps now this publication will be bought even by those who previously wouldn't have thought of spending money on anything like it.
When someone throws a wrench in your works to sabotage your plans, admitting defeat means giving the opponent a full and final victory.
"Well, well, we'll see who wins..."

Added after 6 minutes
for this wasp I'm going to Levi