One of the most important events of the year at Shuchi'in academy is the Sports festival. Because of this, the last student council meeting before said event is one of the most important meetings for the Student council of the whole year, of course, barring graduation and the culture festival. As such, one would think that Iino would have shown up to the meeting right on time if not getting out of class early to show up 5 minutes before it even started.
But one would be dead wrong! When Mitama rounded a corner, she found the halls rife with students who had just gotten out of class along with a Miko Iino who looked slightly worse for wear.
I wonder if she's getting enough sleep? I'd bet she's been up all night making preparations for the sports festival! We're very fortunate to have a president who cares about us that much…
Meanwhile, in Iino's mind:
Crap, I spent way too long trying to get Gomanosuke! Now I'm gonna be late…
Mitama looked around and noticed that a fair number of students were staring straight at Iino, some of them quietly whispering amongst themselves as she walked by.
"Looks like the president's coming this way."
"She's really working hard for all of us, isn't she?"
"I'm still in awe over her speech last year."
"Quick, hide your phones…"
Shuchi'in Academy has raised generations of nobles and royalty for over a hundred years and is where many wealthy families send their children to study.
Hey, you can't start narrating! That's my job!
Mitama ignored the narrator, continuing her internal monologue.
Shuchi'in teaches students all the way from pre-school to university, so nearly everyone here has known everyone else since they were children, whether that be for better, or for worse.
Her gaze shifted from the students in the hall to focusing directly on Iino.
Take President Iino for example. About a year ago, she was nearly universally hated, since everyone thought that she was a self-righteous tyrant who sole goal was to stamp out any and all fun on campus.
A smile began to form on Mitama's face as she continued walking down the hall, thinking to herself as students continued to gawk at them.
But a lot of people started opening up to her ideals last election cycle and with the bonfire last year combined with her role on the intensely popular 68th student council, her popularity skyrocketed so much that she won with over 90% of the vote this time around.
Right then, Mitama heard a yelp along with yelling coming up from ahead.
"How many times do I have to say this?! As the president of the Shuchi'in academy student council and a member of the public morals committee, I cannot allow you to defile these sacred academy grounds by bringing such items here!"
Iino was yelling, practically screaming at these two poor first years who apologized and scurried off.
"Honestly, some people…"
Iino gave a sigh, continuing to walk down the hall as the whispers around her intensified.
"She's really serious, huh?"
"Remind me never to bring in any contraband while she's here."
"Isn't she way too strict?"
Mitama looked between the spectators and Iino, continuing her musings.
Some people still don't like her that much, but her incredibly strong will and aura of confidence stop any and all complaints right in their tracks. Her belief in herself is truly something to admire.
Meanwhile, in Iino's mind:
Did I come across too harshly? I shouldn't have overreacted like that to a stupid magazine… What if people hate me? Will they force me to resign? No one's going to listen to me again! But if I stop, then my parents wouldn't have any reason to be proud of me…
Iino has a touch of social anxiety.
"Wait, why are you…"
Iino raised an eyebrow as she turned the corner, nearly bumping into Ishigami as she did. Ishigami merely gestured behind him, his voice in it's usual monotone register.
"I was looking for you. The meeting was about to start and I couldn't find you anywhere."
Iino gave a huff, her voice taking on a slightly annoyed tone.
"Well, you found me, so what are you waiting for? Let's go."
Meanwhile, Mitama looked on with a simple smile along with the rest of the large group of starry-eyed students that had congregated outside of the student council door.
And here's the other member of the student council, vice president Yu Ishigami-sama. He scored 21st in the last mock exams and he's basically ran all of the school's finances for the past year and a half. For the longest time, he was almost like the boogeyman of the school. Like, it was so bad, that he could make girls cry just by looking at them for long enough. His natural observational skills combined with his lack of a filter supposedly made him incredibly creepy to talk to. No wonder people believed all the rumours circulating around him.
But recently, he seems to have changed a lot and people are starting to think that he might not be so bad after all. Having the will and the brains to jump from the bottom all the way to the top 30 in just a year makes him a genius in his own right.
Huh. Maybe her narration isn't so bad after all.
Meanwhile, in Ishigami's mind…
Why did I even come out here! I should've known that Iino of all people never would've missed a council meeting without letting anyone know! How dumb can I get?
He's got a little bit of anxiety.
Mitama gave a slightly tired sigh as the 2 of them walked into the student council room, the door closing with a loud *thud* behind them.
When the 2 of them walk down the hall together, you can feel it in the air. Like they're giving off an aura that says you can't even come close to reaching their level. I, for one, think that they're absolutely perfect for each other, but they don't seem to be in that sort of relationship yet. Honestly, with how they can practically talk with just their eyes, I'm shocked that they aren't together yet. Watching the 2 of them interacting is like watching a romcom in real life.
This girl should read 'Ishigami-sama wants to be confessed to'.
Several students came up to Mitama with enthusiastic grins, smothering her with questions.
"You're in the student council, right? So you must know what's going on between the 2!"
"Are they dating? They've gotta be dating."
Mitama shook them off, heading towards the student council room's doors with a shrug.
"I don't think that they're in that kind of relationship yet."
With how much work they put in for the school, and with how much time they spend together behind these doors, it's no wonder people think that there's something more going on between these two.
Meanwhile, Mitama had been watching as Iino did nothing but create pointless busywork for Ishigami for nearly the past two months.
Too bad they don't even seem to notice what everyone thinks of them! I mean, can someone be so confident as to not care about what others think of you at all?
Subjectivity! The way one views oneself and the way others view them are often radically different. For example, the statement that Ishigami and Iino don't care about what others think of them could not be further from the truth!
Mitama simply took a seat across from Ishigami who was typing away at his laptop. She sat, twiddling her thumbs for a moment before speaking up.
"Y'know, it's a wonder how much work you put into the school, President. You keep on enforcing the rules even when it seems like a bunch of the students just don't care."
Takeno put his fingers to his chin as he stared at the ceiling with a contemplative look.
"Hm. I wonder why the students seem to disregard the rules so much around here. Like, from what I'm hearing, students are respecting the rules way less than when Miyuki was still around."
Kogane raised an eyebrow at this.
But that's true at all! In fact, item confiscations are actually lower than average and have been ever since Iino was elected into office! I wonder why Ishigami-sama seems to think that they're higher?
Due to the fact that Miyuki Shirogane wasn't exactly a stickler for the rules, at least when it came to clothing and items brought in, and because Iino didn't exactly advertise all the items she confiscated to the student council for fear of being ostracized, these instances merely went unreported. Thus, when Iino became president, she doubled down on her efforts to reform Shuchi'in which resulted in both a lower rate of students bringing in contraband, higher standards of dress, and a sharp increase in the amount of complaining that Ishigami had to endure at her hands.
"What do you think is the cause of this, President?"
Iino didn't even look Kogane in the eye when she responded to her question, merely mumbling out:
"It's my height…"
Ishigami raised an eyebrow in confusion but said nothing, allowing Iino to continue.
"Because of my history on the disciplinary committee, I think that the students just want to break the rules to annoy me. Combine that with how short I am, and they don't respect me at all…"
Mitama stared at Iino, beginning to scratch her chin in thought.
I've only realized this recently, but the President is surprisingly concerned about her appearance.
Iino continued to cover her face, her voice devoid of life.
"I can't take this anymore… Should I get height extension surgery?"
"No, you can't!"
Everyone in the room turned to look at Ishigami who had spun around, facing Iino with a determined expression. Immediately, Kogane's mind went to work, spinning up all sorts of thoughts in a split second.
Kyaa! I'd bet Ishigami-sama totally thinks that the president's height is one of the cute things about her and the idea of her changing it is physically painful to him!
Ishigami walked up to Iino, his voice taking on a more powerful tone than usual.
"There's nothing wrong with being short. With the right posture and demeanor, anyone can give off an air of confidence with the right steps. Besides, I think that short people look plenty…"
Ishigami's face began to redden as his voice shrunk back down, nearly cracking as his tone became shaky. The other council members merely watched: Mitama looked slightly amused while Kogane was utterly transfixed.
Looks like he realized how embarrassing it would be to finish that sentence. What's he going to do now? - Mitama
Oh my god! By complimenting short people in general, he avoids being direct and has room for subtlety while still comforting the president! This type of subtle flirting is utterly magnificent! - Kogane
Ishigami continued to stumble over his words, getting quieter and quieter as he spoke.
"Um… Er… What I meant was that I think that short people are…"
He hesitated for a moment before:
"...plenty cute."
Wow! x3
Even Takeno who had been looking at some sort of poster had his attention grabbed by this development. Meanwhile, Mitama's brain was still working at lightspeeds.
He outright said it! Now, the President's got to be…
She raised an eyebrow as she saw Iino begin to grind her teeth, her muscles beginning to twitch uncontrollably.
Eh?! After Ishigami-sama worked up the courage to compliment her like that… It's almost like she's physically terrified of compliments!
Meanwhile, in Iino's mind:
"You really are quite cute…"
"How… How could you understand, Ishigami?"
Ishigami was taken aback as he watched this entire reaction unfold with Iino standing out of her seat, getting as close to him as possible before saying:
"How could someone as princely and handsome as you ever understand?!"
HUUUUH?! x4
When people are under pressure, they often lose sight of themselves and begin to say outrageous things without even realizing it, and it looks like Iino's just reached her limit! Now, how will Ishigami respond?
"Huh? Wha- Prince? I… You…"
However, the small part of Ishigami's brain that hadn't completely short circuited felt a surge of emotion as he thought:
How can you put yourself down like that?
"Well, you're plenty good looking just the way you are!"
Looks like Ishigami's also reached his limit! That's 2 down!
Ah… I'm in heaven…
Kogane has also reached her limit! That's 3 down!
It looks like they're arguing, but they're clearly flirting! What a clever way to disguise their true intentions from the rest of the council!
Mitama has also reached her limit! That's 4! Also, her narration isn't half bad, now that I think about it.
"Uh, guys? Are you ok? What just happened?"
Takeno looked at Iino and Ishigami who had both gone red from the realization of what they'd just said, then at Mitama and Kogane who seemed to have collapsed from pleasure.
"I-if I may, I thought that you had something you wanted to show the president and VP, Kogane-san?"
"Oh, right!
Kogane sprung to her feet, bouncing up to Takeno and slapping the poster down on Iino's desk with a smile.
"I was working on a promotional poster for the sports festival and wanted to get your opinion on it. Would this be ok?"
Ishigami and Iino looked down at it, eyeing the poster for a few moments before Iino was the first to speak.
"The content's fine, but-"
"-the outline's a little stiff."
After Ishigami stopped talking, he and Iino looked at one another with slightly annoyed expressions before Iino continued talking and Ishigami began typing at his laptop.
"Maybe we should add a frame to it?"
"I'm searching up some public domain templates we can use for frames-"
They both stopped and stared at one another again, this time, slightly confused. Meanwhile, Kogane was having the time of her life.
They're so in sync, it's unreal! They're even finishing each others' sentences~
Meanwhile, in Ishigami and Iino's minds:
Why's he/she stealing my ideas?
Miscommunication comes naturally to these two.
Mitama walked over, looking around Ishigami before pointing at the screen.
"I think I like this design."
Takeno walked over, taking a look at where she was pointing.
"Oh, the one with the cat and the one with the dog? Yeah, I like that too. Which one do you guys think is better?"
Takeno gestured towards Ishigami and Iino as he asked this and the 2 of them responded without a second beat.
"The cat/dog." - Iino/Ishigami
Mitama raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
That's weird. The President always struck me as resembling a chihuahua or a bloodhound while Ishigami-sama seems more like a more solitary black cat.
Iino gave a sigh, spinning in her chair to face Ishigami.
"How don't you get it? The cat is obviously the superior choice."
Ishigami scoffed at her, walking around to the other side of the desk as Iino spun to follow him with her gaze.
"You're the one who doesn't get it. Cats are fun enough to play with and have around, but actually having one is a nightmare. They constantly jump on your keyboard, react badly to affection 90% of the time, and demand a bunch of your time and energy without even giving anything in return."
Iino closed her eyes and pinched her forehead, raising her voice slightly as indignation began to creep in.
"While it may be true that cat's might seem distant and poorly behaved, they constantly get better and better! After being with a cat, they start to warm up to you and you'll start loving them just as much as they like you! Meanwhile, dogs just force themselves into your life, mentally bulldoze you into submission, and demand all the affection in the world to keep happy! Cats are clearly cuter!"
A vein began to pop out of Ishigami's head as he gave an exasperated sigh, the irritation in his voice spiking even higher.
"No, dogs are cuter! They might come on strong and require a lot of attention, but that's what makes them so adorable! You can always tell exactly how they feel, and they can love you as much as you love them!"
Mitama looked between the 2 of them, growing more engaged by the second while Kogane looked as though she'd found her own personal heaven.
Wait… Aren't they just flirting? - Mitama
I can't believe this! The subtle way that they flirt with each other while concealing their language from the rest of the world is utterly impeccable! Sure, using metaphors and similes while flirting is one thing, but using symbolism and allegory while still sounding just as dreamy? These 2 have clearly mastered literary devices! - Kogane
Meanwhile, Ishigami and Iino showed no signs of slowing down.
"Cats are still way better! The way that all of your problems seem to melt away when you hold them is unparalleled!"
"No, you're wrong! The way that a dog's silky fur makes you want to rub it is way better!"
By this point, their voices were resounding through the student council room, causing ripples to form in the teacup that Takeno was drinking from.
"Dogs are strong willed and will do anything for the person they care about!"
"Cats give off a cool yet cute charm that's almost impossible to describe!"
Ishigami crossed his arms and turned away, pointing his nose into the air.
"There's nothing more beautiful than dogs! I refuse to accept anything else!"
"Hahhh…"
Iino lowered her voice, but not a drop of authority was lost from her register even as she lowered her volume.
"Look, I'll only say this once, but…"
She stuck her finger out at Ishigami, declaring with the utmost force:
"I could never feel this way about anything else. I love cats, Ishigami!"
Ishigami pointed down at Iino, his posture and voice giving off an equally dense aura of authority as he declared:
"You can say that as many times as you like and you'll fail to change what I think every time! More than anything in the world, I love dogs, Iino!"
They turned to the rest of the council, asking:
"What about you? What do you think?"
Kogane had long since been knocked out by the pleasure and Takeno was making sure that she wasn't dead. As such Mitama was the only one who responded, simply saying:
"W-well, I think that they're both so cute that it's scary…"
Iino turned away, furiously scratching her head for a few seconds.
"Fine then! I'll just go get Gomanosuke to vote!"
"Do you even hear yourself right now?"
And as Iino turned back around, the 2 of them stared so hard at one another that it was as if they were drilling holes into the other person with their eyes, a single thought flashing through their minds:
How can I get this idiot to see why dogs/cats are way better?
That's when a flash of inspiration hit Iino. Slowly, a cold smile began to form on her face, causing Ishigami to raise his guard.
"By the way, we never did decide where I would take you as repayment for helping me train, right?"
Is her strategy to just bring that up in hopes of distracting me? You're really losing your touch, Iino! Still, I can't let my guard down just yet. I'll play it safe and wait for her to make a mistake.
"No, not yet. I haven't given it that much thought, honestly."
Iino's smile went a little bit wider at this as she merely strode back to her desk and opened her laptop.
"Good. In that case, I'll just send you an address after the meeting, ok? We'll discuss logistics then, ok?"
Ishigami waited for Iino to do anything else before realizing that she had always gotten to work. His suspicions remaining, he took his own laptop back to his seat and began to type away with one thought gnawing at the back of his mind:
What on earth is that girl planning?
###
"Oh… oh no."
Ishigami had awakened quite early that Saturday. He did his hair, took a shower, picked out a relatively nice outfit (it was very similar to the one he wore to Tsubame's Christmas party the previous year), and showed up 15 minutes early.
"Oh, hello there, Ishigami."
He'd done all that to find that Iino was already there, she was waiting for him, she was wearing her uniform, and that she had invited him to…
She got me to come to a damn cat cafe?!
Today's result: Ishigami's loss.
