"Iino?!"
"...Hi, Ishigami."
The 2 of them stood still for a few moments before Ishigami started to make his way into the gym and closer to Iino. He began to look around the gym, trying to find something to talk about.
"So, where's Fujiwara?"
"She left when you started coming over here…"
"She wants me to train her and she just leaves as soon as I agree? Seriously…"
"That's not- I mean…"
Ishigami looked over at Iino, confused at her outburst.
"Hah?"
"What I meant to say was, uh…"
Iino shrunk back, averting her gaze as her tone faded from defiant to subdued.
"Fujiwara-senpai wouldn't do something like that…"
Ishigami was not impressed.
"Annnnd we're back to square one. I thought you got over your idol phase a while ago-"
"That's not what I'm saying! It's just…"
Iino took a deep breath before walking up to Ishigami, looking at the ground the whole time.
"I'm the one you're training today."
Ishigami took a step back, his face frozen in surprise before cupping his face in his hand.
"Typical Fujiwara… Wonder why she tried to make it sound like she was the one asking for help, though?"
Iino said nothing.
"In any case, why'd you want to start working out? I know Fujiwara was always talking about her own fitness, so I thought that she was just getting serious about it for once, but I never got the impression that you were that concerned with that sort of thing."
"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, it's just that-"
Ishigami stopped himself mid-sentence, realization bursting across his mind!
Wait, I can't just say that she's beautiful just the way she is!
Compliments! Though they are ordinarily considered to be universally positive, in the minds of teenagers, these types of remarks can be a difference of life and death!
On one hand, Iino really likes praise, so if I said that, I'd probably be getting her one step closer to extracting a confession. On the other hand, though…
Ishigami's imagination ran wild, dreaming up all sorts of possibilities!
"What? I didn't know you had such an interest in my body, Ishigami. Honestly, you really are quite creepy."
Ishigami took 9000 points of mental damage!
She could totally say something like that!
Ishigami smirked to himself, beginning to nod in self-assurance.
Yep! It's way too big a risk to say something like that. I'll just continue on with what we were talking about before-
"Ishigami? You were saying something?"
Ishigami snapped back to reality, taking one look at Iino before horror began to flash into his mind.
What's with that expression?!
Indeed, Iino now looked as though all of the energy had been sucked straight out of her soul!
But why does she look like that?!
"N-no, I don't think I was…"
Allow me to explain! As a person who is extremely susceptible to praise, Iino is also greatly affected by the words of the people around her! Thoughts like "Am I really that much of a glutton?" and "Does he think that I look unfit?" were a miniscule percentage of the ideas that began to circle in her mind! However, she wasn't the only one to notice the connotations behind Ishigami's statements!
Now that I think about it, could I have been calling her fat just now?
A catch-22! On one hand, Ishigami could commit to his thoughts and state his opinions on Iino's appearance, but doing so runs the risk of being called a creep!
On the other hand, if I say nothing, then that's the same thing as calling her fat!
On the other hand, Iino's facing a similar predicament! While she could press further, she can't exactly ask Ishigami if she looks to be overweight!
He'd just deny it no matter what he thinks!
They've worked themselves right into yet another deadlock. Their minds kick into overdrive, struggling to find a solution to the problem!
There's no way I can just straight-up compliment Iino. If she called me creepy, then I…
That's when Ishigami paused, a contemplative look growing on his face.
Would she actually call me creepy?
Memories flooded into Ishigami's mind as he called upon all of the information he had at his disposal!
If I'm remembering correctly, last time I was complimenting her, she actually reacted really well. If I want to be rational about this, then there's no harm in a simple compliment, right? So when I was worrying about being called creepy…
Ishigami lowered his gaze to the floor, the realization finally dawning on him.
I was just making excuses.
He grit his teeth and clenched his fists as he raised his head, directing his gaze straight at Iino.
"By the way…"
Iino looked up, immediately taken aback by the determined look on Ishigami's face as he spoke.
"What I was saying before? About you and not looking like you cared about that sort of stuff? It's just… I didn't mean anything negative by it."
Iino was speechless, simply staring at Ishigami as he took a deep breath in and out before continuing.
"I meant… You're always going against what's popular and doing what you want regardless of what people think, so I figured that that was the reason for it. Also, um… I also thought that…"
Ishigami took a moment to steady himself, adrenaline beginning to pump through his veins, though his voice began to become shakier and unsteady. Nevertheless, he powered through, saying:
"I just thought that you were already really pretty as is. Honestly, from your smile to your hair, I think that you're really pretty."
There were a few moments of silence, the 2 of them staring at each other without a word before Iino gave a sigh and started to walk to the exit.
"That was nice of you, Ishigami. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go fill up my bathroom."
And as the door closed behind her, the reality of Ishigami's words finally hit him.
What was I thinking?!
Ishigami sank to his knees and cursed himself for his foolishness!
I already had a flawless plan from the start! I didn't even have to call her beautiful or even comment on her appearance! Did I seriously say "from your smile to your hair"? That's more cringey than most fanfictions! She was so creeped out that she just left the room! I bet she's laughing to herself on the other side of that door…
Meanwhile, on the other side of that door…
Ishigami's being so nice today!
Iino was in a state of utter bliss!
I thought that he was going to chastise me for being overly concerned about my appearance, but instead he just says that stuff? Am I in heaven?
A goofy grin had sprouted on Iino's face accompanied by a hot blush that covered her whole face. However, at that moment, doubt began to seep into her mind as she replayed the previous minute in her mind.
Wait, how can I be losing myself like this? He's just Ishigami! How can I make him confess to me when I can't even handle a single compliment? Am I an idiot?
Iino cursed herself for her foolishness!
And when I exited the gym, what did I say?
Iino didn't even need to try in order to recall that.
What in the world was I thinking?! Did I seriously try to say "I'm going to the washroom" and "I'm gonna fill up my water bottle" at the same time? Gaaaaaahh, I am an idiot!
Result: Mutual defeat.
###
After a while, Iino returned to the gym, both her and Ishigami having recomposed themselves.
It looks like he/she's fine, so I should probably get focused as well.
Miscommunication doesn't always have to be awful.
"So anyways, why'd you want to start training your body? You never did answer me before."
"Oh, that? The sports festival's coming up, and since I'm the president, I figured I'd try my best this year."
"Fair enough. We've got support from last year's bonfire, but it's good to make sure that our image stays intact. In any case, why don't you do a pushup for me?"
"Already?"
"Mhm. I've gotta get an idea of what level you're at."
Iino lowered herself onto her stomach, then lifted herself up with her arms.
"H-how's this?"
Ishigami eyed Iino from top to bottom, a thought instantly springing forward.
Her butt's way too high!
Indeed, while Iino had made great strides of progress in the past week, she was still making the rookie mistake of placing your arms too far in front of you when doing a pushup!
But I can't just point that out and ask to adjust her! It would be like saying that I want to touch her body which would be just like a confession!
His mind raced for a solution and what he eventually settled on was:
"Uh, Iino? Your position's a little off."
Great form! By pointing out the presence of a mistake, Ishigami leaves Iino to simply connect the dots on her own, thus avoiding any negative consequences for his actions.
"Oh? Really? Alright then…"
…
What exactly does he mean?
Of course, that plan would only work if she knew what he was talking about.
I could ask him to adjust me, but that would be like saying that I want him to touch my body which would be tantamount to confessing!
It's a romantic and athletic stalemate! Neither one of them dares to make the first move out of fear of a loss, and so, nothing happens until:
*thump*
Ishigami checked his watch, then back down at Iino who mumbled with her face still in the ground.
"How long did I stay up for?"
Ishigami was hesitant but figured that there was no way out of this.
"That would be 16 seconds."
Iino rolled over and tried to do a sit up, only to simply begin to shake vigorously without going up by more than an inch. After that, she pushed herself off the ground and curled into a ball, hiding her mouth behind her knees.
"Pretty pathetic, right? I couldn't even plank for 16 seconds with improper form."
"Nah, that's actually pretty normal."
Iino met Ishigami's gaze with a slightly surprised expression.
"What do you mean?"
Ishigami seemed to hesitate for a moment before giving a sigh and looking down at Iino.
"What I mean is that you're not doing awfully. Like, when I first started, I could only plank for about 20 seconds and I'm a guy who was pretty buff to begin with. Now, if you, for example, I don't know, took more than 20 seconds to do a 50 meter sprint, now that would be pathetic."
Iino took several points of mental damage and glued her gaze back to the floor: something that did not go unnoticed by Ishigami.
"Hey, you ok? You should make sure to stay hydrated."
What Iino saw when she looked up was almost like a scene straight out of a shoujo manga. The gym lights shone in directly from behind Ishigami, shrouding his body in an air of elegance as he handed her the water bottle.
Just like a prince!
"A-ah, yeah, that's a good idea…"
Iino's face lit up and she turned away as she felt a hot blush forming on her face.
That was close! If he saw that, then there's no end to the amount of things he could've done!
Meanwhile, in Ishigami's mind:
Haaaaaaahhhhh?
Oh, he saw, alright.
What the heck?! Am I seeing things, or did she just blush from me just handing her the water bottle? I know I came to help her, but…
Suddenly, a world of possibilities opened up to Ishigami! It was almost as if there was no end to the things he could do!
Should I take advantage of her weakness to try to extract a confession from her?
"Anyways, let's start with running. After all, we've got a lot of that in the culture festival."
"Aye aye!"
When Ishigami saw the look of determination on Iino's face, he gave another sigh as he got ready to start the stopwatch.
I guess I can put the games on the backburner, at least for today.
"Alright then. Ready, set, go!"
Instantly, Ishigami locked his vision onto Iino, trying to spot any flaws in her form.
She's got the basics down pretty well, but there are a few things here and there she can improve on. It's almost like she just learned how to run last week or something…
Stop calling out my story!
"So, how'd I do?"
Ishigami raised an eyebrow as he watched Iino stumble her way towards him
She's that tired after a single sprint? It looks like I don't have much to work with here… I guess that we have to find a way to get results quickly and build her endurance. Yeah, that's right! Then, she'll be more enthusiastic about working out and begin to incorporate it into her life even after the festival! Yep, I've gotta build her confidence and then make slow progress from there!
Ishigami's a little excited to have someone to work out with.
"Well… It's not awful."
Iino read the time on the stopwatch to be 13 seconds. Her expression fell as her eyes went blank.
Eh? Isn't that lower than before?
Allow me to explain! Before this, Iino had already been exercising for half an hour! In addition to this, while she'd been increasing her physical exertion, she had not made a single change to her diet! These factors combined mean that while her form has improved, Iino is in a weaker physical state than what she started off as!
"Hm. Not bad."
Again, time seemed to stand still as Iino raised an eyebrow at Ishigami's impassive expression.
"Hah? But isn't 13 seconds pretty bad for a 50 meter sprint?"
Ishigami shrugged.
"Normally it would be, but if I'm accounting for your stride length and the fact that you haven't exercised much before this, it's pretty normal. Plus, there are some things that I can fix with your form."
"Ah… I see…"
Ishigami started to feel a little nervous at the dejected look on Iino's face.
She doesn't look too motivated… I wonder how I can change that?
An idea began to form in Ishigami's mind as he watched Iino head back to the line.
If I know that Iino likes to be praised, then maybe I could use that to my advantage? Like, I don't know, motivation or something?
"Ready, set, go!"
The moment that Iino started running, Ishigami cupped his hands to his mouth, ignoring the blush that had started to form in his face.
"You're doing great, Iino! You're amazing!"
Iino immediately turned her head to Ishigami, a bewildered expression surfacing on her face before…
*crash!*
…she tripped over her own feet and face planted into the ground.
###
"Seriously, what the heck was that?!"
"I'm sorry…"
Iino was now sitting with an indignant look as Ishigami put the finishing touches on dressing her scraped knee.
"In any case, why don't we end it here? We can retreat and try again tomorrow-"
"No!"
Ishigami raised an eyebrow at the sudden determination in Iino's voice.
"There's only about a week until the sports festival, so I've gotta spend all the time I can on improving myself!"
Ishigami stared in awe of the display he had just witnessed. The gym lights providing light from this low angle, it almost appeared as though she was shrouded in an air of elegance as she got back to her feet, heading to the marker he had set up.
Just like a warrior!
He headed over to Iino, but instead of getting the stopwatch ready, he simply got into a running position next to her.
"What are you doing?"
"Showing you good form."
Ishigami leaned forward, got ready, and…
*WHOOSH!*
It was almost as if he flew across the 50 meters rather than running.
"So, you see, the important part is having good posture, keeping your balance, and swinging your arms for momentum. I typically do the opposite hand as the leg I'm using, but- hey, are you listening?"
Ishigami stared at Iino who seemed to be in a bit of a daze, muttering things like "Wow…" or "so fast…", her head lolling back and forth. Ishigami merely gave a sigh as he let her come back to her senses.
"Looks like you've still got a long way to go…"
Result: Iino's loss.
Next week: What were Fujiwara and Hayasaka up to this week?