Not everyone likes a speech (Junko)

Yumi;s expression definitely dipped. Junko had given off the first impression in lesson thanks to alex’s misbehaviour and the other antics of the class that she was the kind to hell at everyone and break out a freaking riding crop, but talking to her after class Yumi had rapidly realized she was just a frustrated soul trying to follow the rules. On one hand Yumi could recognize what she did wasn’t fair to this woman but…at the same time it still felt like the best thing to do? She hadn’t lied to anyone, she’d been honest about everything, and she didn’t share any school secrets. Everyone knew about the drugs, semper fi, the issue at the hospital. Heck a lot of the parents and even the heroes probably felt the pain that incident had left behind but…

She clenched her fist and rubbed her forehead with the base of her palm. Junko was still disappointed and frustrated. She herself had went up there with the best of intentions, probably given her hope 1C would get strong representation…and it just didn’t come out well. “I…I’m sorry. I know what you were expecting Miss Junko, but when I got up on stage it just…didn’t’ feel right. Burning up the script and admitting we have the reputation of being the delinquent class probably wasn’t the best idea but I just…went with the flow, trying to do what would empower my class to do their best…a-and if that means we end up making the extra effort and showing them what we got at the sports festival than…good right?”

Of course, Yumi was still the ‘lesser’ in this situation and let out a long sigh as she rubbed the back of her neck. No matter what she said, Junko was the superior, and thus Junko was in the right. “I…I get how you see it…I do but…I don’t…I don’t care what some random person watching us behind a screen and judging us on a first impression thinks or feels…I care about how my classmates feel, and I can tell they enjoyed that and felt that way more than a normal speech woulda hit them…does that make sense?”

She certainly hoped it did make sense, she was basically pulling it from her ass a little…but like her speech it felt right? She got judged a lot on first impressions, and even though heroes relied on a public image, first impressions shouldn’t be all that mattered…just because someone had a Mohawk and dark clothes didn’t mean they were a villain. They could be a badass hero too.

Yumi lowered her head. She had to admit even with her own views in the mix, Junko had a strong point. As much as she wanted to say she didn’t care about the people who’d hire her on a first impression…she should. It was how the world worked as much as she was annoyed by it…plus she made a point Yumi couldn’t argue in the slightest. A kid trying to copy her behaviour could burn their house down, especially when quirks seemed to get more and more powerful with each passing generation…

She went to rest her hands in her pockets, but they just awkwardly caught the air as she recalled her hero suit didn’t have any…an issue for another time but she’d really have to talk to her costume designer about that. Even for herself she needed a way to carry important items on the job.

Back to the present though, Junko was right. Heck even if Yumi could still say she didn’t care, a part of her did, and even more she knew her classmates may have cared. A lot of them wanted to strike it out on their own as pros, but even then, a lot of them may have to work as side kicks before that can happen. She lowered her brow and her expression dipped in defeat as she folded her arms and looked off to the side. She wasn’t fully back to her semper Fi depression, but this was certainly a small blow to her confidence.

“I’m…sorry. I understand the mistake. In the heat of the moment I made the wrong decision, and I really do apologize…I…I don’t fully regret it to be fully honest with you miss, but I do genuinely understand the importance of setting a good example, and a good impression.”

She did try and take it to heart, but she knew herself and she’d slip up again in the future. The most she could do is lift her head straight and look miss Junko in the eye as she continued to speak. “I just…I wanna try and balance my duties to my class as president, both in making sure they’re okay and, of course, being a good representative for them….and it’s hard for me to take in the idea that my actions reach beyond the people I see infront of me. I need to work on that…and I am, really, sorry.”

Yumi’s bottom lip curled inward a little as she wrapped her arms around herself. The pat on the head was nice in a way, and she knew from previous experiences that Junko really did want the best for her and her classmates, even if she could come off a fraction too harsh at times with the yelling. When it came to one on one like this she always managed to find a way to calm down though and connect which Yumi certainly appreciated.

“Yeah I…I know.” She rubbed the back of her neck. She clearly wasn’t brushing this off or anything, just…adjusting to it, for sure. “I can get a bit…not paranoid but I think I over think a lot? I was doing a lot of that with the original speech and seeing my class out there tipped me over the edge, but I know the rules can be important really. I know rescue procedure to the letter-“ At least for the level she was supposed to learn to at this stage of her studies. “I know the laws surrounding combat and all that and…I really do see why it’s all important, and I’m sorry if it ever seemed like I didn’t.”

She smiled warmly, glad Junko was being a little understanding with her. She really did care for the rules to a hefty extent but…specific rules. Dress codes and the like, so long as they didn’t push on health and safety, never registered with her, but she was trying to get a little better. Her uniform hadn’t been perfect since their first talk but Yumi had certainly been wearing it properly more often than not. Before Junko left though she did think to ask. “O-oh! Who’s this in support studies by the way? Their class president?” She tipped her head, not too well versed on students outside their class.

Chise huh? Name sounded familiar and it took Yumi a second to catch on, though she snapped her fingers as the memory finally registered. She'd only picked up a memory technique for recalling names quite recently so Chise's was still a bit foggy in her head, especially since the team opposing her in the capture the flag game had primarily been using their hero names rather than their real names...crap did she call Darren by his name at one point? She hoped she didn't get docked points for that in the end.

Back to the present though she nodded along. "Yeah I know her, didn't even realize she was in support studies though. We just met on the opposing sides of the capture the flag practical lessons. She seems really nice though, it'd be great to have an excuse to know her more." She held a warm smile and a clear nod as she spoke, definitely eager to meet the girl and see what she could learn from her as a class president if Junko felt she'd be a strong example of what she should be.

When she mentioned the other class presidents however, Yumi couldn't help but snicker, forcing a hand over her mouth and trying not to giggle too much about it. She knew Jaz and Rin from class A but geeze where they really that bad. Yumi always had this odd assumption it had the best students in it while B was more the quiet lot, but she supposed she only knew so much about A because of how rowdy they were themselves, leaving Yumi giggling a little and doing her best to be polite. "Sorry sorry sorry I...I definitely shouldn't laugh I just totally didn't expect that from you miss. I'll keep it in mind though. I dunno what I'll learn from Chise but...I'll try to take more to mind about the future, and not just think about doing what's best for us now..."

She put a hand to her chest and bowed her head. "I promise, for the rest of the festival I'll do my best to represent not just my class but the school as a whole, and make sure we all come out of this with a strong reputation among the heroes and the parents watching. You can count on me Miss, at least this time." She chuckled a little at her self tease, but she was indeed mostly serious, her smile warm and strong as she lifted her head back up.

Yumi was a little surprised. She didn’t know how her personal sensation of hype around 1A started. Maybe it was Alex going on about how Rin was the most popular student. Maybe it was Jaz’s general presence feeling like a literal stack of explosive power as a cherry on top of the class, who knows, but apparently Junko was comfortable reassuring her there was really nothing special about the class huh? Well, that was something to take on board and she just quietly absorbed the information, though she tipped her head and asked. “Sutetchi? Are they a new student?” She asked, her memory for names was probably well known by her teacher by now given how much time they spent together in classes and the like, so while Yumi felt it was somewhat embaressing to ask about a classmate she was forgetting, she hoped junko would understand by now it wasn’t rude or purposeful, she genuinely just struggled with names.

Still it was nice to hear that Darren had more friends to get along with if what Junko was saying was true. He tended to have a lot of ‘bros’ in their class but it was always good to hear he was getting more. She held a bright expression for a moment before dipping back to the original topic. “Thank you though Miss Junko, for being so understanding. I know my habits can be a little…out there, and I am working on them. I’m not perfect, but I’m hoping you can notice the efforts here or there I’m making to improve.” She bowed her head a little as a sign of respect, hoping they could end their meeting on a positive note. At the very least Yumi felt it would be a positive note for her given she felt they’d bonded just a little solely in regards to referencing the other classes.

“OH! Yeah okay, I sadly havn’t gotten the chance to meet him yet but I definitely know who you’re talking about. Darren’s been making friends with him? I should really-“ She stopped as she caught the bit about him being an ex villain, a brief pang of worry running through her, but…if Junko brought him in, and the principal thought he had potential as a student…he couldn’t be too bad right? Yumi felt confident in that line of thought, nodding to herself. “Y-yeah I er…I should get to know him.” She smiled and offered as she scratched her cheek. “Plus er…if he’s an ex villain, doesn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes on him does it?” The edges of her lips curled up into a more nervous smile, wanting to be friends with the boy…but recognizing the caution that might need to be taken with someone like that.

Still, the two of them seemed to be wrapping up, and Yumi bowed her head in thanks of the compliments her teacher was giving her, though she chuckled. “Nah I entered the tournament, don’t fancy my odds of winning there…but thank you ma’am. I appreciate the encouragement.”

Lifting her head back up with a relaxed breath, she nodded once again to her words. “Yeah I wouldn’t wanna keep you either, I know you need to keep an eye on things, make sure no one gets too roudy with the festival atmosphere yeah?” She smiled warmly, offering a final bow of her head before running off to join the festival.

She still felt a little proud of her actions in her presentation and speech, but she recognized that it was maybe one step too far for present benefits over future benefits of making a good impression, so she’d rethink her process going forward.