117 Chapter 117 – Who do you think you are?

Extra chapter.

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"Kushida-san!" Ichinose had the look of someone who had discovered something amazing: "Look, look, Yukio-kun has abs!"

"Eh, really?!" Kushida's acting was so convincing, her eyes sparkling in excitement, perfectly embodying the style of a cheerful high school girl.

Yukio looked over and noticed that Kushida was wearing a two-piece swimsuit that complemented her hair color in bright orange, featuring a skirt-style design on the bottom.

The swimsuit's skirt was thoughtfully designed with an asymmetrical hem, longer on the left and shorter on the right. Although unbalanced, it added a mysterious allure, inviting curiosity.

However, the only regret was that Kushida, who would normally attract a lot of attention, standing next to Ichinose, seemed somewhat overshadowed.

After all, one radiated genuine kindness from within, while the other was merely trying hard to pretend. Moreover, Ichinose's physical attributes were superior to Kushida's. In uniforms, they might seem equally matched, but in swimsuits, the difference was clear.

Fortunately, Ryuen and Ishizaki finally arrived to join them, allowing Yukio to shift his focus and no longer need to silently recite about goodness and water.

When Ichinose's two close friends also arrived, they headed towards the large pool.

It was evident that as the summer vacation neared its end, students were making the most of their playtime, a common behavior as the holiday dwindles.

At the large pool, the most eye-catching scene was a group of older students engaged in an intense game of water volleyball, surrounded by a large audience, creating a lively atmosphere.

The most noticeable among them was a senior with golden short hair, handsome yet his vigorous actions prevented anyone from underestimating him due to his looks.

"Ah, that's the Student Council Vice President, Nagumo Miyabi, a second-year from Class A," Ichinose introduced him to Yukio, who had taken an interest in the senior.

The Student Council Vice President Nagumo Miyabi? Yukio initially just wanted to watch, but upon hearing Ichinose's introduction, he made a mental note of this face.

Thinking about joining the Student Council in September, would he have to contend with this Nagumo? Yukio pondered with interest.

Ryuen, however, focused on something else: "Student Council? Ichinose, you know so much because you know someone involved, or have you joined the Student Council yourself?"

Due to President Horikita's critique that this year's first-year students weren't up to par, most of them knew very little about the Student Council and were unfamiliar with its members.

So, Ryuen immediately caught on to the key point and asked the question.

"I joined in June," Ichinose didn't hide: "Initially, Horikita-senpai rejected my application several times. Later, Nagumo-senpai spoke on my behalf, giving me the opportunity to be assessed, and I eventually succeeded in joining."

Ryuen glanced at Ichinose, somewhat amused. He had thought that all members of the school's Student Council were exceptional, but now it seemed they were not as remarkable as he had imagined.

Despising first-year students for not being outstanding, only recruiting Ichinose? But is Ichinose really the top among first-year students? Not to mention Yukio, Ryuen was confident he could easily outperform Ichinose.

But outwardly, he still offered a casual compliment: "That's quite impressive."

Ishizaki, not as complex in his thoughts as Ryuen, was genuinely impressed upon hearing Ichinose joined the Student Council: "Yeah, Ichinose-san, that's amazing, to be recognized like that!"

"It's nothing really." Ichinose, not arrogant or aloof, felt somewhat embarrassed by the praise and modestly waved her hand.

"Actually, I've heard that Yukio-kun has also joined the Student Council, even serving as the vice president over the summer vacation, personally invited by Horikita-senpai."

"The truly impressive person is Yukio-kun, not me. I still had to go through a thorough assessment, but Yukio-kun was directly invited by the president."

"?" Hearing this, Ryuen turned to look at Yukio, who confirmed it with a nod, making it clear to Ryuen that this was not just a rumor Ichinose had heard.

As for why Yukio hadn't told him, whether it was out of concern or suspicion, Ryuen didn't dwell on it.

Ryuen was well aware of the gap between himself and Yukio and understood that Yukio was the unifier of the class. Whether he shared the information with him or not, Yukio had his reasons, so Ryuen didn't overthink it.

On the other hand, Ishizaki, already admiring Ichinose for joining the Student Council, was now even more excited to hear that their boss had been invited by the president, exclaiming: "That's awesome, Yukio-san!"

Wanting to say more to make Yukio happy, Ishizaki's face lit up with excitement as he opened his mouth to continue, only to confront a regrettable truth.

He wanted to offer eloquent praise to his boss, but alas, he was not well-versed in literature, struggling to find the right words.

In the end, Ishizaki could only laugh sheepishly, repeating "awesome" over and over as if that was the only word he knew. This amused Ichinose, Kushida, Shiranami, and Kobashi, making them laugh out loud, finding the people from Yukio's class to be very interesting.

Ichinose, along with Shiranami and Kobashi, already familiar with Yukio's class from the courage test, started discussing various topics together, laughing and chatting.

In fact, strictly speaking, Yukio and his group attracted even more attention than the senior students like Nagumo who were engaged in the match.

Not to mention the angelic presence of Ichinose and Kushida, just Yukio and Ryuen alone were enough to draw the eyes of many girls.

So, as they talked and laughed by the poolside, they quickly drew a lot of attention. People began wondering which class and grade they belonged to; the sight of handsome boys and pretty girls together was truly enviable.

This naturally caught Nagumo's attention during his match. Seeing Student Council member Ichinose and noticing Yukio talking and laughing beside her.

'Was that Yukio from the first year, the one personally invited by President Horikita? Interesting.'

With that thought, Nagumo decisively raised his hand, signaling for the game to stop. He decided to go and greet him to see what he was made of.

Perhaps due to his high standing among the second-year students, with just a gesture and no words, all the participants immediately stopped, letting the volleyball fall into the water, unattended.

Nagumo then turned and walked towards Yukio. The game's interruption quieted the noise, and Yukio, initially puzzled, stopped chatting with everyone when he noticed Nagumo approaching.

Ichinose and the others also quieted down. With many eyes at the large pool turning their focus, everyone was curious about this meeting. Nagumo, a figure of authority in the second year, what would he say to Yukio, who commanded respect among the first years?

Yukio looked down from his higher position, watching Nagumo approach.

Nagumo's smile was friendly and easily likable: "Hello, I've heard about you from President Horikita. The Student Council is a great place to grow. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I'll teach you."

Given the height difference, with Yukio standing on the edge and Nagumo in the pool, Yukio glanced at the disparity and, feeling a bit impulsive, naturally stepped directly onto Nagumo's head: "Teach me?"

"Who do you think you are?"