Eventually, Iino snapped out of her trance and Ishigami was able to explain running for her.

"So, basically, maintain your posture and swing your arms forward and backwards, ok?"

"Gotcha."

Iino got into her stance

"Ready, set, go!"

And then she ran. It wasn't anything special. He'd seen better form at the sports festival and even from his fellow council members, but there was something special about this moment.

It's like watching a bird finally take flight…

"So, what's my time?"

With a smile, Ishigami turned the stopwatch around revealing the time:

"11 seconds."

A wave of accomplishment washed over Iino and she had to physically restrain herself from jumping into the air out of pure joy, instead just smiling to herself.

"Alright then. So what's next?"

Ishigami scratched his head a little before opening his laptop.

"I've got a little HIIT workout for you to try. Do one exercise for 30 seconds as hard as you can, then rest for 15 seconds, then repeat for the next one. Once you've done each of the exercises twice, you're done."

"'Kay!"

Ishigami watched Iino prance over to the centre of the gym. He stared at her for a bit before his mind began to wander.

Hm… She's been working really hard today, so maybe I should reward her? But I don't know about many things that she likes. I could ask Fujiwara, but…

A chill ran down Ishigami's spine.

No way. Anyone but her. I'm not close enough to any of Iino's friends to ask them, but…

He tapped at his phone, navigating to the discord app and starting a call which was instantly picked up.

"Look, I already understand, Fujiwara-san. You don't have to-"

"Uh, Prez? It's me."

The phone was silent for a moment.

"Ah. Ishigami. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Mhm. I'm guessing that you've been super busy over the past little while and any free time you do have, you're spending it with Kaguya-senpai?"

Ishigami smirked as he heard a sigh on the other end.

"Look, I'm busy, so can you make this quick?"

"Ah, right. So, I'm helping Iino with exercise and…"

Ishigami watched Iino chugging water for 15 seconds before diving into pushup position.

"...She's really pushing herself. I'd like to reward her somehow, but I've got no idea what I should get her. Do you have any idea of what she likes? I'd take her to a restaurant, but that seems kind of counter-intuitive."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"So, what do you think that she'd like?"

"Hm… let's see…"

Shirogane decided that Iino could tell Ishigami about her various hobbies herself.

Besides that, all I know is that Iino likes physical affection, but Ishigami probably wouldn't be comfortable with that-

Suddenly, a realization flashed through Shirogane's mind!

Wait… If Ishigami were to do that sort of thing, it could lead to the 2 of them being more comfortable around each other which could eventually lead to a confession!

Shirogane made the decision to support Iino long ago and he wasn't about to back down on his word now!

"I know one, but I'm not sure if you're up for it."

"Well, let me know. I won't be able to make the call if I don't see my options."

There was a pause on the other side before Shirogane began to speak with a dramatic flair.

"If you want to know what she likes, then I'd say that the main thing is hugs."

Shirogane didn't hear a response from the other side for a moment until a noise akin to screeching slammed straight into his ears!

"And you expect me to give her one?!"

Oh, my mistake. It was just Ishigami.

I can't just walk up and give her a hug! That would be beyond creepy!

Frustration began to show on Shirogane's face as he grit his teeth.

Dammit, I thought he might not like the idea that much… What do I do now?

"How do you even know that she likes that kind of thing?!"

"She told me herself."

The gears in Ishigami's brain began to turn as a plan began to form at a breakneck speed!

"You really think that it'll work, prez?"

Shirogane

"Of course, I do! When have I ever failed in romance?"

He's right!

Ishigami was filled with courage at Shirogane's reassuring words!

"Alright! I'm gonna do it!"

Good luck, Ishigami!

Ishigami hung up, putting his phone back in his pocket as he walked over to Iino.

"Yo, Iino! How are you- woah, what happened?!"

Iino was now lying flat on her back, practically gasping for air.

"I… may have pushed myself… a little much…"

Concern began to make its way into Ishigami's expression.

"Look, if this is too hard, then I can lower the intensity-"

"No!"

Iino sprung to her feet and began to do jumping jacks at a breakneck pace!

"I'm gonna get better at this even if it kills me!"

Ishigami watched in awe as Iino went non-stop, a breeze kicking up around him as he marveled at this sight.

She's amazing… Seriously, I-

*CRASH!*

-should probably stop her.

Today's result: Iino loses by collapsing from exhaustion.

###

"Seriously, no more exercise today. You pushed yourself way too hard, Iino."

"Yeah, I know…"

Ishigami handed Iino her water bottle which he had refilled for her before he got right to scheming.

Alright. There's no way I can directly ask Iino for a hug, but maybe I can get her to ask for one? Yeah, then I can touch her and get closer to a confession!

A flawless plan! However, this scheming has not gone unnoticed by Iino!

Do you seriously think that I didn't hear your little chat with Senpai?

She rapidly began to devise a plan, her mind working overtime to discern what Ishigami had been talking about! After all, information is key to victory.

Honestly, it's painfully obvious what you're trying to do here, Ishigami. Well, no matter. I'll just go ahead and make the first move.

In war, the side that initiates is often the side with the advantage. This is a fact that Iino has absorbed into her very soul.

"Say, Ishigami."

"Yeah?"

Iino constructed her face into a bashful look, making a point of not looking directly into Ishigami's eyes.

"Don't you think that I deserve some kind of reward for working so hard today?"

"Eh?"

Ishigami's face immediately took on a pink tinge, his inherent weakness to women combined with having his line of attack barely provoking a blush from him.

"I suppose that you're right about that…"

His voice trailed off, suspicion creeping into his mind.

That's weird. What's she planning this time?

Ishigami stood back while smugness began to well in Iino's mind.

Hah! He can't even look at me! Ishigami might have a plan, but he can't use it if I take the offensive! Now, I just need to brace for impact. All I have to do is not fall to pieces if he says that I worked really hard, or that I'm doing amazingly, or, uh…

Iino began to lose sight of her goals.

Or if he says that I'm improving a lot, or that I'm… beautiful…

"No!"

Ishigami recoiled in shock as he saw Iino jump to her feet with a determined expression. She even went as far as to chomping down on her tongue to maintain composure!

That was close! But I'm still standing. So, what do you do now, Ishigami?

Meanwhile, in Ishigami's mind:

Scary!

Still, he steeled his nerves, gritting his teeth as he began to work up the courage within himself.

Even if I'm nervous, I can't be concerned about this. If I can't do something as simple as casually hugging her, then how can I get a confession from her?

And that's when it hit him.

Wait, why the heck am I trying to hug her?! That's not a normal reward at all!

Ishigami's confidence was ripped away from him as he cursed himself for being so naive!

Yes! He's right where I want him!

Iino watched Ishigami's determination wither away as he began to visibly deflate and slouch.

Wait, what now?

The 2 of them stood still with nothing happening until…

I'm such an idiot! What was I even thinking? What does this accomplish? What do I do now…

Iino cursed herself for being so naive!

"Uh, Ishigami?"

Ishigami slowly tilted his gaze up to meet Iino's before a blush began to appear on his face.

"I'm ready for my reward…"

What he saw was Iino standing in front of him with her arms outstretched and a blush even brighter than his spread across her face.

"I-I see…"

Ishigami slowly approached Iino, beginning to lift his arms up from beside him. They both broke eye contact as he got closer, making an expression as if bracing for impact until…

Ah… x2

Slowly, Ishigami's mind began to fill with fluff as he felt Iino's touch envelop him.

She's really going for it, huh? Looks like the president wasn't lying after all…

Meanwhile, Iino was having similar thoughts, suddenly forgetting what exactly it was she was so worried about moments prior.

He's being so gentle… I can barely feel his arms on me. Is he really that scared of me? All I can say is…

And that's when a pout began to form on her face.

He's being way too gentle! I mean, what do I do here? Say something like "If you squeeze me harder, I'll exercise more" or something?

Meanwhile, in Ishigami's brain:

Would Iino start to hate me if I went too far? After all, this is just a reward, so she should be the one enjoying it, right?

If there was a PHD for miscommunication, these two would have several by now.

I mean, I wouldn't want to jeopardize our relationship over a hug- gak!

Ishigami's face went bright red as Iino began to squeeze him as if using a vice grip.

I guess that that's my cue to go for it, huh?

He too tightened his grip on Iino and the 2 of them began to lose themselves in this new sensation.

Ah… I'm in heaven…

I think I finally get why Iino likes this kind of thing so much…

At that point, whether it was tests, or student council work, or even their mission to make the other confess, nothing seemed to matter anymore in this new environment. Everything else just melted away, leaving behind nothing but comfort and a slight sense of excitement.

*BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBE-*

That is, until Ishigami's alarm went off, causing the 2 of them to spring apart, their blushes returning in full force accompanied by a single shard thought:

What was I thinking?! X2

I just went and lost complete control over myself! Never again…

I mean, I practically threw myself at him! What am I, some kind of deviant who turns this way whenever she gets an ounce of physical affection?

However, when Iino saw Ishigami's face burning bright red, an idea began to form in her mind as she walked up to him.

"Hey, by the way, Ishigami…"

*pat*

"Thanks for training me."

She only gave him a brief pat on the head, but it felt much longer than that to Ishigami. Even a few moments after she had removed her hand, he could still detect the remnants of her touch on his hair.

"What the-"

Ishigami's bewildered expression met Iino's cheeky grin as he looked up only to find himself face to face with her.

"I trust that you're going to say that my rewards are only going to get better from here? Or are you too busy staring at me to say that?"

Ishigami managed to come back down to earth just enough to give a brief nod, eliciting a smile of pure joy from Iino.

"Alright then! In that case, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ah, wait. It's dark outside."

Anticipation immediately shot into Iino's brain as a plan began to brew in her mind.

Eh? He's walking me home? That could lead to any number of possibilities!

And then he walked her home normally.

Going into her house/inviting him over would be as good as a confession at this point, judging by what happened last time.

###

So for the next few days, Ishigami and Iino trained with Iino gradually getting stronger with each passing day. Of course, at the end of every session, Ishigami would give her a head pat as a reward which she would eagerly accept.

"Looks like the sport's festival is next week, huh Iino?"

Ishigami smiled as he watched Iino walking back up to the line he'd set up at the beginning of all this.

Honestly, there's not much left that I can teach her. Her form's perfect down to the T, so all she really needs is more practice.

"You ready to show me how much you've grown, Iino?"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, however, Iino was feeling a little more bittersweet than usual.

After this, Ishigami and I won't be able to really hang out like this, huh? Maybe I could ask him to keep doing this with me?

Iino began to think up a mental simulation.

###

"I want to keep working out together, Ishigami!"

"Hah? You're that desperate to keep me around?"

###

Yeah, no way. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

Iino got into a running position as she watched Ishigami turn the stopwatch over, his finger hovering over the button.

"Ready… set… go!"

And then she ran. She'd run the 50 meters so many times that all the attempts had started to blend together, but this time was different. As she crossed the finish line, Iino felt an air of finality as she ran over to Ishigami, already sweating.

"So, what's my time?"

She watched for any hint of emotion in Ishigami's face but got nothing until he turned around the stopwatch and couldn't restrain himself anymore.

"8.7 seconds. Congratulations, Iino."

Shock. That's what Iino felt at that moment. That was followed by an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and before she knew it, she was grinning like a maniac and jumping up and down like one too.

"Yes! I did it! I really did it!"

Ishigami couldn't help but become infected by this sense of childish wonder.

"Ahaha! You really did, didn't you?"

When she landed this time, he ruffled her hair with a smile on his face before both of them realized what he was doing and turned away with red faces.

"Ah… sorry about that, Iino…"

"No problem."

Silence fell upon the gym as an air of awkwardness overtook them. However, as this silence dragged on, Iino's mind began to wander.

Maybe there's some way to keep meeting up like this? Judging by how he lost control like that today, our continued meetings would probably get me one step closer to a confession! Yes, that's perfect! A completely logical explanation that has nothing to do with me wanting to spend time with him! Now to get him to ask…

However, a sense of genuine nerves began to distract Iino from her goal, causing her to hesitate.

Then again, what if he doesn't want to? I've already been asking so much of him this week, and for him to continue to train me would be a bit…

She continued to think, her mind thinking of different justifications and ruling them out until…

Still, he's been training me all week, and I bet that he wants to do this more than I do, so there's no harm in asking! Yeah, that's what I'll do!

"So, do you have time next week, Ishigami?"

Ishigami immediately snapped to his senses.

"Oh, as long as I don't get a sudden influx of work, I can probably make some time."

Iino closed her eyes, tilting her chin in the air as she turned away.

"Well, I wanted to do something for you since you helped me out, so…"

Ishigami instantly picked up what she was putting down. He averted his gaze, putting his hand to the back of his neck as he said:

"In that case, then why don't you take me out somewhere next week?"

Another wide smile appeared on Iino's face which she tempered before turning back to face Ishigami.

"Perfect! I'll be looking forward to it!"

Result for today: Iino wins.

And as they packed up and left the gym, they shared one singular thought between the two of them:

I will make you confess to me.

Today's result: Iino's victory