The Miss Campus Contest, the highlight of Senkyodo University's annual festival, continues to draw intense public attention despite growing criticism of lookism in beauty pageants. Behind the scenes, the executive committee faces pressure to cancel the event over concerns about objectifying women and promoting narrow beauty standards. Determined to proceed, committee chair Sayama orders his subordinate Masuda to recruit a contestant who is conventionally unattractive as a token participant, hoping to neutralize accusations of superficiality. Masuda spots Kobayashi Mei, a twenty-year-old student known around campus by her nickname Meme, who constantly posts heavily edited selfies on social media and is widely ridiculed for her lack of self-awareness. However, Meme is utterly convinced of her own beauty, charm, and superiority. She interprets Masuda's approach as a genuine recognition of her star quality and eagerly accepts.

Meme enters the selection process with unshakable confidence, believing the grand prize is already hers. To the committee's surprise, Sayama finds her audacity intriguing and decides to include her among the five finalists, alongside the stunning Maria, the ambitious freshman Misato, the ideologically rigid Sakura, and another contestant. The story follows each finalist's personal struggles: Misato, who came from the countryside dreaming of becoming a television announcer, feels lost and mediocre in the competitive urban environment. Sakura, a vocal critic of the contest's objectification of women, struggles to reconcile her principles with her participation. Maria, blessed with exceptional beauty, initially coasts on her looks but begins to question her own motivations. Throughout the preparations—photos shoots, interviews, social media campaigns, and public appearances—Meme's relentless self-affirmation clashes with and ultimately transforms those around her.

In a key early arc, Misato is shaken when Meme bluntly calls her generic, forcing her to confront her lack of genuine ambition. Under Meme's influence, Misato reexamines her reasons for entering the contest and finds new purpose. When online harassment from so-called miso-ojisans (older male fans who send lewd messages) targets the finalists, the other contestants feel intimidated. Meme, however, boldly engages with these trolls during a live stream, defusing the situation with her unflappable logic and even winning over some of them as fans. As the contest progresses, Meme's outrageous behavior—like wearing a revealing cat-eared costume when told to dress modestly—repeatedly forces the committee to rewrite their own rules. She cheerfully insists that individuality matters more than conformity.

The committee's original plan to use Meme as a disposable pawn backfires. She becomes the most talked-about contestant, amassing a genuine following who admire her humor and resilience. More importantly, the other finalists begin to emulate her confidence and self-acceptance, shedding their insecurities and supporting one another. What started as a cynical exercise in public relations evolves into a competition where every participant grows personally.

In the final stage, Maria takes the grand prize—a result many expected from the beginning. Meme does not win, but she declares loudly that the real victory is hers for having dominated the conversation. Her influence is undeniable: the contest becomes more inclusive and dynamic because of her presence. The series closes with Meme unbothered by the official outcome, already planning her next venture, surrounded by a group of finalists who now regard her as a friend and catalyst for change. Through her absurdly high self-esteem, she inadvertently dismantles the pageant's shallow premise and leaves behind a more meaningful legacy for all involved.