"lie..."
(W-What?! Ishigami is in first place?!)
As people gradually disappeared from in front of the bulletin board, one female student stood motionless, completely still.
"W-why..."
(The same score as me, 490 points!? That's impossible!)
Iino Miko! Always number one in test scores! The absolute champion who had been consistently ranking first in tests since her first year of middle school... no, even before that, was shaken!
(If I get even one question wrong, I'll be second and Ishigami will be first!? W-why did Ishigami suddenly become like that... what if I lost!?)
"..."
This was more than just being upset. This woman was suffering from such severe emotional damage that she was on the verge of hyperventilating. This was because her ability to take a firm stance against violators as a member of the disciplinary committee was solely due to her weapon of being the top student. If she were to fall from first place, wouldn't no one listen to what she had to say? Iino Miko was constantly burdened by this anxiety. And then, someone appeared who threatened her position... This man was someone whose name had never even appeared on the bulletin board until just a few months ago.
"...!" *squeeze*
It wasn't that Iino Miko looked down on Ishigami. She understood that ultimately, it was a battle against herself, regardless of what others thought. But! She had completely lost her composure when a dark horse suddenly appeared.
"I'm not very good at studying, so Ishigami... could you teach me sometime?"
"Oh, if I can help, I'll teach you."
"Okay, I'll contact you next time."
"Huh!?"
What's more! I was on the verge of fainting when I found out that my best friend had become close to Ishigami without my knowledge!
"Ugh..." *squeeze*
(Ishigami, I'll expose your true nature!)
There's no question of her true nature...the test results are based entirely on merit (although Ishigami does have the advantage of being able to reverse the timeline), and cheating at Shuchiin Academy results in immediate expulsion, so that possibility is nonexistent. Iino Miko's runaway thoughts are a result of a mixture of distress over the test results and a childish sense of crisis that her best friend might be taken away by Ishigami. In other words, if we were to write out Iino Miko's feelings in a concise manner...
I'm number one!
Don't take Koba-chan!
That is the case.
"...Miko-chan!"
"Huh... Eh, Koba-chan!?"
"What's wrong? You're spacing out."
"N-nothing..."
"Iino, are you feeling unwell?"
"..."
"...Iino?"
"Just you wait, Ishigami! I'm going to expose your true colors!!"
After saying what she needed to say, Iino turned on her heel and left.
"What does that mean...?"
"Miko-chan has a tendency to jump to conclusions..."
...…
"...!" Stare
(That's just not right! How can she be the same as me, after studying so hard?! There must be some secret...)
"..."
(Iino is staring at me like crazy... This is troublesome, the Great Buddha is the Great Buddha...)
Well, Miko's just acting strangely because she's taken aback... I think she'll stop eventually.
"Haa..."
(Or so they say... wait, what?)
Looking around, I noticed that Iino, who had been hiding (though it was obvious) and watching me just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.
"...So you gave up and went home."
Having finished getting ready to leave, I walked down the corridor, rotating my strangely stiff shoulders.
"Oh, Ishigami. Have you seen Miko-chan?"
"They were hiding and watching us until just now..."
"Huh? The disciplinary committee is supposed to be on patrol today... I wonder where they went?"
"Isn't it possible that someone else started earlier?"
"No, the disciplinary committee patrols are generally conducted in pairs. If there's only one person, they might try to get away with it or get angry and resort to violence..."
"That's... more dangerous than I thought."
"Well, you don't often find someone like that..."
"...!"
"...!"
At that moment, their thoughts aligned. Iino Miko certainly follows the rules... but if there was a rule-breaker in front of her, wouldn't she prioritize that over the rule of working in pairs?
"...Ishigami."
"Yeah, let's go find Iino."
I took the Great Buddha with me and started looking for Iino.
(Ishigami, hurry up and stick your tail out... What's that?!)
While keeping watch over Ishigami, I witnessed three male students entering the courtyard, chatting and laughing.
"And then at that time..." *throws it away*
"!"
(Littering!)
The moment I saw that, Ishigami vanished from my mind, and I immediately chased after the boys.
"After that, he..."
"Hey you! You just threw that away! Tell me your class and your name!!"
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Gah... This is Iino from the Disciplinary Committee!"
"Iino? Oh, the one who's number one in the grade... Looks like I've been found by a troublesome one."
"Hurry up and tell me your class and your name!"
"...Huh? Now that I think about it, this guy... came in first place... with a stone..." (muttering)
The man who had been littering gave me a malicious smile after his friend whispered something to him.
"Hmm, I see. Well, I should have listened to what Ishigami had to say!"
"picture...?"
"Yeah, that's right! If they're both ranked first in their grade, the guy's opinion carries more weight, doesn't it?"
Those words...gave me a feeling like my heart was being squeezed tightly.
"I-It's not my business! I'm a member of the disciplinary committee! I have the right to warn offenders..."
I took out an armband embroidered with "Disciplinary Committee Member" and placed it on my arm...
"Yes, I got it!"
"What?! Give it back!"
"Hey, pers!"
"Nice pass!"
"You! Give it back!"
No matter how hard I jump and stretch my hand, my small body can't even come close.
"Come on, try and get it back."
"A, a reply..."
"Alright, Perth."
"...!"
(Why doesn't everyone understand? I just...)
"Come on, you can't get it back like that, you know?"
"Give it back..."
"That's why! I'm telling you I'll listen to whatever Ishigami has to say, right?" *smirks*
My body began to tremble with fear as the three of them looked down at me, grinning...
"Uh..."
(All I want is for everyone to... behave properly...)
"Hey, give Iino's armband back."
"...Huh? Who are you?"
"...Ishigami?"
(...why?)
"You'll listen to what I have to say, right?"
"So you're Ishigami..."
"Give me back my armband right now."
"Tch, trying to act cool... Don't you find it annoying? A disciplinary committee member who nitpicks and complains about the smallest things?!"
"Well... I've been caught playing games secretly more than once or twice, and I've been warned or had my game console confiscated..."
"Then!"
"...But it pisses me off."
"a?"
"It's unfair that people who are working hard get laughed at."
"!"
(I-Ishigami...)
"You've got some nerve, there are three of us here..."
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"
Everyone turned their gaze towards the source of the sound and saw a teacher leaning out of a third-floor window, shouting.
"Oh no! It's the student guidance teacher!"
"Tch... Let's get away before they get here!"
"Oh, oh!"
The three men threw down the armbands they were holding and ran away.
"Don't throw it. Honestly... Look, Iino."
Ishigami lightly brushed the dust off his armband with his hand and handed it to me.
"Um... well... um..."
"Haa haa... Thank you, Ishigami! Are you okay, Miko-chan?!" *grabs*
Kobachan, who had run all the way here out of breath, let out a sigh of relief when she saw that there were no particular problems.
"Haa... Miko-chan, your face is red, are you okay?"
"Huh!?"
When Koba-chan pointed it out, I instinctively touched my cheek to check...it was hot. Just a moment ago, when those three were looking down at me, I felt anxious, scared, and a chill so cold that my body felt like it was freezing...
"Iino, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. Yes, I'm fine..."
The moment Ishigami arrived and saved me...the chills I had felt until then vanished, and my body was enveloped in a warm, comforting feeling.
"Iino... Shall we go to the infirmary?"
"Huh... the infirmary!?"
(Me?!?)
"If you're not feeling well, you can lie down in bed..."
"bed!?"
(W-What?! All of a sudden?!)
"If you're worried, the Great Buddha will come along too..."
"S-three... Mmmph!?"
"Stop, Miko-chan, you'll seriously regret it if you say anything more, so you'd better not."
"...Are you really okay?"
"Um, well..." (fidgets)
"Ah, I'll take Miko-chan with me. Thanks for today, Ishigami... Here, Miko-chan too."
"Oh, yeah. Um... Ishigami, thank you."
"Don't worry about it, I'm going home now."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"Well, see you tomorrow..."
"See you later."
As Ishigami's back grew smaller and smaller as he walked away...
"Okay Miko, tell me everything that happened, okay? Mostly... what happened after Ishigami arrived."
"Eh, ehhhhhh..."
Miko Iino's misfortunes never end.
This has gotten long. ・゜・(ノД`)・゜・.
Following the Great Buddha, Ishigami is once again acting like the main character in Iino...
Well, I guess for Ishigami, who has the mental age of 17, a cocky 15-year-old wouldn't be scary...