I Became a Yakuza's Daughter

Chapter 9: Disciplinary Committee (3)  

Before heading to the dormitory, I stopped by home one last time to say goodbye.  

Noa looked at Chise, who had come empty-handed, and asked curiously.  

"Are you not bringing any luggage?"  

"Yeah. I can just buy what I need. But what about you, Noa? Is that all you’re bringing?"  

"Same as you."  

"Be careful not to get caught."  

"I know."  

Noa casually took a gun out of the case and slung it over her shoulder.  

The empty case was placed in the back seat, and she closed the door.  

As she tapped the car lightly, it started moving slowly and then left.  

"...Noa?"  

"What?"  

"Shouldn't you hide that?"  

Chise looked around in a panic. Fortunately, since classes were in session, there was no one around the dormitory.  

"You really don’t know how the world works, Chise."  

Even in this crazy world, carrying a gun around would get you arrested.  

That is, if it were a real gun.  

Noa took something out of her pocket and inserted it into the muzzle of Ea.  

It was an orange cap.  

"This way, everyone will think it's just a toy."  

"...No way?"  

"Do you not believe me?"  

"It's not that, but… no matter how you look at it, Ea is a real gun…"  

"What brings you here at this hour?"  

Just then, a strict-looking woman wearing glasses appeared.  

It was Nakamura, the dorm supervisor.  

Chise froze like a stone.  

Noa, expressionless, pointed to the armband on her left arm.  

"Disciplinary Committee? Ah, you must have missed class due to the organization setup."  

Nakamura adjusted her glasses.  

"But no matter how busy you are with student council duties, shouldn't you still attend class?"  

'Why does she give off the vibe of an incompetent rookie platoon leader?'  

A teacher could say something like that, sure.  

Accepting it vaguely, Noa hid behind Chise.  

It was always best to push troublesome things onto Chise.  

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We're just dropping off our luggage and heading straight to class."  

"Then what is that toy gun?"  

Flinch.

Chise's body trembled. Noa, however, answered nonchalantly.  

"A hobby."  

"Hmm. Not exactly a suitable hobby for a high school girl. I will deduct points."  

"What?! No way!"  

"Saints Academy’s rules. That violates the code of conduct. Do you have a problem with that?"  

"Ah, no… nothing… no problem."  

What shocked Chise wasn't the point deduction.  

'She really thinks it's just a toy gun…!'  

Chise was utterly astonished.  

She hadn’t realized it before.  

Because she had always been with the Minamoto family, she had no idea what 'common sense' was for ordinary people.  

For normal people, if a high school girl walked around carrying a gun, they'd think, 'Is she cosplaying?' 'Oh, it’s just a toy gun.' 'Cute.'  

Especially if it had pink parts and an orange rubber cap on the muzzle.  

For reference, Noa was…  

'100% confirmed. She has the face of an incompetent officer. The type that works needlessly hard but never gets results.'  

She was hiding behind Chise, burning with vigilance.  

**  

Saints Academy was divided into classes A, B, C, and D per grade.  

Students were ranked based on three factors: influence, wealth, and ability.  

Each class had 25 students, except for Class D, which absorbed the remaining students.  

For example, a student ranked 51st would be in Class C.  

Chise was ranked number 1.

Noa was number 12.  

It was a scheme by the Minamoto family, who disliked drawing attention to themselves.  

The number was displayed on the electronic student ID and was updated with each exam.  

Every semester, students were reassigned to classes based on their ranking.  

There was no discrimination. Saints Academy was not such a low-level school.  

However, the quality of lessons and curriculum differed by class. It was a tailored education system.  

Since there was no other form of discrimination, some students who struggled with the coursework deliberately aimed to be demoted.  

As a result, reassignments happened frequently.  

For reference, Noa’s number would never change until graduation.  

If someone else were to take the number 12, innocent students would just end up dying.  

Until Noa became number 12 again.  

The Saints Academy board was aware of this, so they didn’t make any reckless decisions.  

Though they didn’t offer her any special privileges either.  

"I lost my student ID."  

"Geez, Noa, be more careful."  

"I can just get it reissued."  

'So that’s Minamoto Noa.'  

Someone was hiding behind a wall, secretly watching.  

Ichinose Yuria.  

A third-year at Yokohama Asano Middle School.  

She had only one goal today.  

To find a flaw in Minamoto and use it against her, declaring, ‘You are not qualified to hold that position!’ with confidence.  

She had even skipped class just for this.  

'She looks like someone who has never struggled a day in her life.'  

It was their first time meeting, but Yuria’s evaluation of Noa was already rock bottom.  

'I don’t like her.'  

She looked incredibly fragile. Small in stature, too.  

The Saints Academy Disciplinary Committee actually went after real criminals.  

That skinny, pale, love— no, whatever— she was bound to just get in the way.  

'But still, being part of one of Japan’s Four Great Clans must mean something, huh? At least she has some dignity.'  

Even compared to Fujiwara, who practically radiated 'nobility,' Noa wasn’t lacking in presence.  

With those two together, even the air around them seemed different.  

'Cool…'  

No, that wasn’t it!  

Yuria shook her head vigorously.  

She couldn’t keep finding good points.  

She tried desperately to find flaws.  

Right, her face!  

That dumb-looking face…  

Her face…  

Her face was…  

…cute.  

'No, cuteness has nothing to do with the Disciplinary Committee!'  

But Yuria steadied herself.  

Would criminals go easy on someone just because they were cute?  

More than that, the real issue was the Minamoto family itself.  

It was ridiculous for someone with no family power of her own to say such things, but a leader’s strength was directly tied to their subordinates’ strength.  

And the Disciplinary Committee chairman usually held their position for all three years.  

So if she didn’t act now, she wouldn’t get another chance.  

'Finally, they’re moving.'  

Shuffling carefully, Yuria used cover to follow them.  

They were heading somewhere.  

Since it was lunchtime, they were probably going to eat.  

Grrrrrrr.  

'I’m hungry…'  

Yuria hadn’t eaten anything today.  

Not just today— she hadn’t had dinner last night either.  

She was dirt poor and could only eat the free school lunches provided by her middle school.  

Since she had skipped class today, that meant she had to go hungry all day.  

But she told herself she couldn’t let such trivial things interfere with her grand plan and barely suppressed her hunger.  

"Where should we eat today?"  

"Outside."  

"Huh? What about your lunchbox?"  

"Since Mama packed it, there’s no meat."  

"Haha, picky eating isn’t good for you."  

"I’m not a goat."

'Mama? She’s not a kid. And does she really refuse to eat if there’s no meat?'  

Yuria shot Noa a piercing glare.  

On top of that, she was complaining about side dishes despite being full. Typical rich kid behavior.  

Noa’s already abysmal score in Yuria’s mind plummeted even further.  

"Then what should we eat…"  

"Don’t you want cake?"  

"Cake as a meal replacement seems a bit much, don’t you think?"  

"Don’t you want cake?"  

"…You really want cake, huh?"  

"Not really."  

"Ah, well, I just happened to be craving it too. Let’s just go with that today."  

'Cake for lunch…? Ha, must be nice being a rich girl.'  

For Yuria, a dirt-poor commoner, it was an unimaginable luxury.  

On top of that, they were casually dining out even though school hadn’t even ended yet.  

And eating something as extravagant as cake!  

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Yuria quickly followed after them when she realized she was falling behind.  

**  

'What are they doing?'  

They stood idly in front of a traffic light.  

"When is this light going to change?"  

"Maybe it’s broken."  

'It’s not broken!'  

Yuria barely held back a scream.  

Of course, it won’t change if you don’t press the button!  

Could they not see the big red button right there, begging to be pressed?  

"Hmm… maybe we need to press this button?"  

"Don’t press it."  

"Noa, do you know what this is?"  

"It’s a button for disabled people."  

"Wow! Noa, you’re so smart!"  

Gasp.  

Yuria was hit with cultural shock.  

So, in their eyes, commoners who used crosswalk buttons were no different from disabled people?  

She clenched her fists, trembling with the urge to smack both of them on the head.  

'I have to teach these fools.'  

Without a word, she stepped forward and pressed the crosswalk button.  

Immediately, the traffic light changed.  

"Oh, the light changed as soon as you pressed the button."  

"Must be a coincidence."  

"Right?"  

"Yeah."  

'How is that a coincidence?!'  

Yuria already felt exhausted.  

Noa and Chise entered a dessert shop.  

The place looked extremely expensive from the outside.  

Gulp. Yuria swallowed dryly.  

'Should I just wait outside? No, I need more information… I’ll go in and order the cheapest thing.'  

It would be embarrassing, but she had no choice.  

For Yuria, maintaining a normal life in the Disciplinary Committee was a matter of survival.  

"Welcome."  

"Hmph, no need for formalities."  

"…I’ll guide you to your seats inside."  

"No need. We already have a place in mind."  

Yuria chose a spot where she could overhear their conversation.  

She pretended to skim through the menu while focusing on their voices.  

"By the way, when are you recruiting members?"  

"Too much hassle."  

Noa cut a small piece of cake and popped it into her mouth, chewing slowly.  

For the first time, her usually expressionless face lit up with a bright smile.  

Yuria stared blankly, thinking—  

'Cute…'  

A lethal strike to her heart!  

Even though Noa had been stacking up negative points, that single smile melted everything away.  

Yuria shook her head desperately, trying to shake off the thought.  

Just then, a waiter approached her table.  

"Excuse me, ma’am? May I take your order?"  

"You don’t have to rush me. I was about to order anyway."  

Speaking confidently, Yuria looked at the menu.  

Then, cold sweat ran down her back as she flipped through the pages.  

…No way.  

How could a place this expensive even exist?!  

There was nothing remotely affordable for her.  

Just then, a disdainful voice spoke from beside her.  

"No matter how many times you look, there are no cheap items on our menu."  

Yuria bit her lip.  

'They’ve already identified me as someone who can’t afford to pay.'  

The waiter had definitely seen right through her.  

This was the moment to coolly say, ‘I’ll take everything on the menu.’  

Unfortunately, that was impossible for Yuria.  

The harsh reality of her financial situation loomed over her.  

"…Water."  

"Excuse me?"  

"W-Water, please."  

"Sigh."  

As if he expected this, the waiter pointed at the door.  

"Would you kindly leave?"  

"……."  

Yuria’s face burned with humiliation.  

"Do you want cake?"  

"!"  

'When did she get here?!'  

Noa stood before her, holding a plate.  

She had moved so fast that Yuria hadn’t even noticed.  

The target had approached first!  

Yuria’s heart nearly dropped, but she pretended to stay composed.  

"I-I don’t need it."  

"Really?"  

After chewing on her cake for a while, Noa returned to her seat.  

Chise blinked at Yuria, then whispered something to the waiter.  

"Understood!"  

The waiter immediately returned to Yuria and bowed at a perfect right angle.  

"I sincerely apologize! Please forgive my rudeness!"  

"……."  

"As an apology, all menu items are free for today!"  

Yuria looked down.  

Her tattered skirt and worn-out shoes came into view.  

Cheap sports shoes she had bought because she couldn’t afford proper ones.  

Even those were falling apart.  

So, of course, she was looked down upon.  

Of course, she was pitied.  

But even if she was a poor commoner who couldn’t afford a single piece of cake here—  

She still had her pride.  

"I don’t need it."  

Her voice was as cold as ice as she got up and left the shop.  

"…Did I make a mistake?"  

Chise looked uneasy.  

"You did nothing wrong, Chise. She’s just an idiot who let her unnecessary inferiority complex make her walk away from a free meal."  

Noa kept chewing her cake, staring at the door Yuria had exited through.