The Vicious Dog Has Been Collared

Izuki Academy dismisses students shortly after three in the afternoon.

After school, students either head to their club activities, go home, or wander around town.

Akimoto Yoichi and his group, having signed up for the student council election, were still busy with their campaign.

Beyond handing out flyers to various literature clubs, they also made several rounds around the sports fields.

By doing this, while one couldn't definitively say these students had been secured as a solid voting bloc, it had at least managed to shift the general opinion and impression of Akimoto Yoichi.

After distributing several hundred flyers today, they had also been asked for many photos.

Sitting in the shade of a large tree on campus, the group, exhausted from a long day of work, was finally able to take a break.

"So hot." Akimoto took off his mascot head and sat on the grass.

With his head drenched in sweat, he handed out the drinks he had picked up along the way to the girls.

"After these few days of mascot activities, I think we have a better chance at the student council election. Everyone is starting to see Akimoto-kun's hard work and kindness," Ayano said encouragingly.

The biggest obstacle to the student council election was that Akimoto Yoichi's appearance was too intimidating, and no one trusted him.

Now that Akimoto Yoichi was wearing a mascot suit, he no longer looked scary.

Ayano believed that everyone would soon accept him as well.

Nishida Yuki squinted her eyes and curled her lips into a smile, saying, "That's right. If only Akimoto-kun could stay like this all the time, no one would be afraid of you anymore."

"All the time? Then why don't you wear it yourself? If you wore these mascot suits, I'm sure you'd be quite popular too."

Before Akimoto could even speak, Ayano shot a retort directly at Nishida Yuki.

Throughout the campaign these past few days, Nishida Yuki hadn't done a single thing.

Although she was the one who provided the mascot suit Akimoto wore, she had refused to hand out flyers; the noble young lady didn't do manual labor.

"Oh my? No matter where I go, I'm always popular," Nishida Yuki said confidently.

Ayano gritted her teeth in frustration, but she couldn't find any fault in her words.

Nishida Yuki was indeed a flower on a high peak, looking dignified and elegant—the very image of a young lady in everyone's eyes.

In fact, their campaign had relied on Nishida Yuki's face; people saw a beautiful young lady standing next to a mascot, which was why more people took an interest.

Beauty and the beast is a recipe for traffic.

"Hmm? Akimoto-kun, everyone is sharing your photos, and some people have even posted them online."

Kuroo Maya, who had been looking down at her phone, looked up and spoke.

She handed her phone to the three of them, and when Akimoto and the others leaned in, they saw it was indeed his photo.

Recalling that quite a few people had taken pictures with Akimoto Yoichi earlier, they naturally hadn't refused at the time, but it seemed the photos had spread quite extensively now.

"That's wonderful, Akimoto-kun! More people will definitely know about you! Everyone's impression of you is going to change!"

Ayano was very happy; this was the goal they had wanted to achieve.

As long as the photos spread further, she believed that the fear, dread, and worry people felt toward Akimoto Yoichi would gradually diminish.

However, Akimoto Yoichi didn't say anything and didn't seem as happy as she expected. Ayano noticed this.

"What's wrong, Akimoto-kun? Don't you feel happy? More and more people know what you look like in the mascot suit, and they won't be afraid of you anymore."

"Or do you feel embarrassed? It is a bit shameful to wear a mascot suit that shows your face."

"Should we stop taking photos from now on?"

She assumed Akimoto Yoichi was silent because he felt ashamed that his photos were being circulated.

"Ah? No, that's not it." Akimoto shook his head and said, "I'm worried that this might cause some trouble, though perhaps I'm just overthinking it."

"Trouble?" Maya was puzzled, her imagination running wild. "Are you worried that someone will see them and come looking for a fight? Akimoto-kun, you have an unspeakable past, like a retired samurai or something, right? Hmm!"

"Don't talk nonsense, Maya-chan." Ayano pinched Maya's cheek.

Nishida Yuki, on the other hand, was just watching the show, covering her mouth with a smile as she said, "If that's the case, it might indeed be a bit troublesome. Should I have the school increase patrols?"

"I'm not worried about anything from the past; I'm worried that people will start nitpicking. Once something spreads too widely, it always invites unnecessary trouble," Akimoto Yoichi shook his head.

Aside from the few delinquents from other schools he met on the first day of class, he hadn't provoked anyone else.

But people fear fame just as pigs fear being fat; once you appear on the internet, you are bound to attract all sorts of monsters and demons.

There will be praise, but there will also be insults. The end of traffic is either live-streaming to sell goods or jumping off a rooftop.

He didn't intend to seriously fulfill the duties of a delinquent; he just wanted to study quietly without being disturbed.

Otherwise, with two heroines right in front of him, he could be dragged into trouble at any moment.

"That's true. Although many people won't be afraid of Akimoto-kun anymore, there will definitely be many who say nasty things or try to find faults," the excitement and joy faded, and Ayano realized this problem now.

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Maya hadn't thought that far; the girl just knew that someone she knew had become famous.

"Anyway, these photos are only circulating in a very small circle. There are plenty of people on the internet weirder than Akimoto-kun."

"I'm sure the hype will die down after a while. Right now, everyone just thinks it's a novelty."

"If Akimoto-kun actually becomes the vice president, that would be even bigger news, hahahaha... ouch."

Kuroo Maya was tapped on the head by Suzuran Ayano and stopped laughing.

This girl was perfect in every way, except for her honey-tongued mouth.

"Akimoto-kun, you really are interesting. Your thoughts and ideas always manage to surprise me. To think that someone like you, a blond-haired delinquent, actually doesn't want to be famous? How amusing." Nishida Yuki watched the clear-headed Akimoto Yoichi, resting her chin in her hand with a smile.

"Then consider it my bad luck." Akimoto shrugged his shoulders.

The more Akimoto showed his disdain and rejection, the happier Nishida Yuki became.

"However, Akimoto-kun is certainly right; guests have already come looking for you." Lifting the warm red bean soup in front of her, Nishida Yuki cast her gaze toward a group of girls walking over aggressively in the distance.

At this moment, Akimoto Yoichi, Suzuran Ayano, and Kuroo Maya also noticed the other party.

There was something very conspicuous on these girls: the "Public Morals" armbands they wore.

When she saw the girl leading them clearly, Ayano became somewhat nervous and whispered a warning to Akimoto.

"That senior leading them is the chairwoman of our Public Morals Committee, Ise Yuri from the third year. Why would she come here!"

Ayano was a member of the Public Morals Committee herself, and seeing her colleagues appear here gave her an immediate sense of foreboding.

Of course, neither Akimoto Yoichi nor Nishida Yuki answered Ayano's words.

Even Maya had more or less guessed the other party's intentions by now, and the group could only brace themselves as the army of Public Morals Committee members walked up to them.

"You're Akimoto Yoichi, right? Hmph, nothing special. I thought you were supposed to be so terrifying, but you just look like a little puppy."

Ise Yuri opened with a direct provocation the moment they met.