"I understand." Akimoto Yoichi wasn't the least bit nervous in front of the Public Morals Committee chair.
After their conversation just now, he'd pretty much figured out what Ise Yuri was like.
She wasn't tsundere like Suzuran Ayano, nor was she as sharp and forceful as Nishida Yuki. But she also wasn't as awkward as Kuroo Maya.
There was always a trace of innocent airheadedness about Ise Yuri.
She looked intimidating, with plenty of presence, but was actually a softie.
A girl like that definitely didn't have a boyfriend, right?
"Good! As long as you study hard, it doesn't matter if you don't get elected Vice President. A person's worth has nothing to do with their status or position."
Ise Yuri was quite pleased with Akimoto Yoichi, too.
Usually, even students who seemed to follow the school rules couldn't help feeling a reflexive urge to resist when they faced the Public Morals Committee.
But Akimoto Yoichi, someone with a terrible reputation around school, seemed more mature and composed than those students. He listened to her advice.
And with the mascot costume he was wearing, he had a bit of an unexpected charm when you looked closely.
Ise Yuri actually loved cute things, and she couldn't help letting her gaze drift toward Akimoto Yoichi.
"Akimoto-kun is already studying really hard. He's aiming for Todai!" Suzuran Ayano chimed in, sounding a little proud.
Ise Yuri looked surprised and turned to Akimoto Yoichi.
"What? You want to get into Todai?"
"Yeah! Akimoto-kun takes notes really seriously in class every day. Who could've imagined that blondie in the front row listening to the lesson with such a serious look? His handwriting is just really ugly, hahahahaha." Kuroo Maya chimed in without a care.
The other members of the Public Morals Committee couldn't help laughing, and the atmosphere turned light and cheerful.
Akimoto Yoichi, the target of their teasing, could only shrug helplessly.
If there weren't so many Public Morals Committee members around, he'd have to tug on Maya's twin tails.
"Ugly handwriting means you didn't used to care much about studying, right?" Ise Yuri said, folding her arms and lifting her chin. "But since you've started working hard, keep at it. And don't mock other people's efforts—especially when this junior's aiming for Todai, just like me."
At that, the Public Morals Committee members stuck out their tongues and stopped laughing.
Maya stuck out her tongue, then pulled some snacks from her pocket and offered them to Akimoto Yoichi.
Ayano breathed a sigh of relief. Nishida Yuki fell into a strange silence, simply staring at Akimoto Yoichi.
"Oh? You're aiming for Todai too, Ise? Are your grades that good?" Akimoto Yoichi emptied the candy from Maya's pocket as he looked at the older girl in front of him.
"Of course." Ise Yuri's eyes shone with pride.
The Public Morals Committee members beside her chimed in one after another.
"That's right! Our chair is amazing. She's been aiming for Todai since elementary school!"
"Exactly! Even the Student Council president's ranking is below our chair's!"
"Our chair isn't just cute and gentle—she's super smart, too!"
"That Student Council president only dares to aim for Waseda. He doesn't dare compete for Todai!"
"That's why we say the Student Council president is nowhere near as good as our chair. If she weren't too good for a higher position, she should've been Student Council president."
"But thanks to our chair, we get to enjoy our school life!"
"Our chair is the very definition of grace, beauty, brilliance, and elegance."
"And she's great at writing Chinese characters, too. She can write even the hardest ones!"
"Our chair can recite every single poem by the great poet Bai Letian—Bai Juyi! So cultured!"
"..."
As the Public Morals Committee members showered her with praise, Akimoto could practically see Ise Yuri's nose growing longer and longer, like Pinocchio's. When she smiled, she had the faintest dimples.
Was this older girl really that easy to handle?
She was especially smart, and she was his senpai. Akimoto Yoichi found himself intrigued by her.
"Then, Senpai, didn't you say you'd keep an eye on me? Why don't we exchange phone emails?"
Akimoto Yoichi stood up from the grass, took off his mascot costume, and walked over to Ise Yuri.
When he'd been sitting on the ground, it hadn't been obvious how tall he was. But once he stood, he towered over the members of the Public Morals Committee.
Even Ise Yuri was 168 centimeters tall, which was quite tall for a girl.
But standing in front of Akimoto Yoichi, she still only came up to his chest.
"Oh? Are you hitting on me, junior?" The cute junior from a moment ago had suddenly become so tall and imposing.
The senpai-like air about Ise Yuri seemed to shrink a little.
She still held her head high, acting like a big sister and pretending to be at ease.
To her surprise, Akimoto Yoichi nodded. "Yeah, you could put it that way. So, can I have your contact information?"
"I'd like to talk with you more, not just at school. I'd want to message you at home, too. Is that a problem?"
As he spoke, Akimoto Yoichi kept moving closer to Ise Yuri.
The distance between them gradually shrank until they were less than a fist apart.
"Th-this..." Sure enough, being direct was always the easiest way.
Ise Yuri's face flushed. Flustered, she darted her eyes around, unable to look at Akimoto Yoichi.
She instinctively took half a step back.
The Public Morals Committee members beside them showed their girlish side and let out squeals.
"Ahh! Is the chair getting confessed to by a junior? He just confessed, right?"
"Is Senpai Ise finally getting to experience youth?! She's always been on the Public Morals Committee, so everyone's been afraid of her. No one's ever dared to confess to her!"
"Someone did try to confess to Senpai Ise before, but she thought he was challenging her to a fight and chopped his hair off with a wooden sword."
"I heard Senpai Ise has been single from kindergarten all the way through high school!"
"Single? Then she must still be... Oh, stop!"
"Whether he succeeds or not, the blondie at least has guts for saying that to Senpai Ise."
"Yeah, I think so too! Is Senpai Ise falling for him?! Will she say yes?"
"..."
Under the gaze of the excited girls watching the drama unfold, Ise Yuri's heartbeat sped up despite herself.
It felt as though a little deer was wildly bouncing around in her chest.
Just as the Public Morals Committee members had said, Ise Yuri had always been serious-minded.
Because her family members were all exceptional, she'd set her sights high, too.
She'd always given off a mature air that set her apart from everyone around her. On top of that, she was genuinely beautiful, and there were some family circumstances as well.
No one dared confess to her. Or they assumed that a beautiful girl like her must already have a boyfriend.
So no boy dared confess to her or show that he wanted to get close.
Ise Yuri hadn't minded much. Instead, she'd simply become a Public Morals Committee member who made everyone even more afraid of her.
During her three years of high school, Ise Yuri had used her wooden sword to punish far too many students trying to make a name for themselves, including delinquents like Akimoto Yoichi.
Over time, everyone had grown even more afraid of her, and she'd developed an intimidating presence.
But this was the first time anyone had asked for her contact information.
He wasn't afraid of her. He'd actually made a move?
Just as Ise Yuri was hesitating, unsure what to do, Akimoto Yoichi's voice came again from above her.
"Actually, there are a lot of things I'd like to ask you about studying. I want to get into Todai, but my grades aren't very good yet. With the Student Council election coming up, I was hoping you could help me study. Your grades are great, right? We're both aiming for Todai, so please look after me, Senpai Ise. If you don't agree, I'll just have to keep following you around."
There was nothing wrong with what he'd said. But when his request for her contact information just now was linked to his request for help with studying, it made Akimoto sound like he was just using studying as an excuse to get her contact details.
The Public Morals Committee members started squealing again, huddling together as if they were the ones being confessed to.
After all, their chair had finally found a man who liked her, for the first time before graduating from high school.
"W-well, I suppose I have no choice. Fine, I'll give you my phone email." Seeing how far things had gone, Ise Yuri still couldn't bring herself to refuse.
She didn't want Akimoto Yoichi following her around asking for her contact details. She just wanted to end the situation as quickly as possible.
Still, she glared at Akimoto and stepped on his shoe, then added, "But I'll only reply to emails about studying. If you talk about anything else, I won't respond! If you understand, say, 'I understand—'"
"Okay, I understand." Akimoto Yoichi beat her to it.
Looking at the new email address saved on his phone, he smiled with satisfaction.
He hadn't expected that a discussion about school rules would land him the contact information of a pretty, brainy Public Morals Committee chair.
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