This was English text translated from Japanese, rewrite this to be more coherent:   "The Wangan Car Race is getting a lot of attention in the media.

　Maybe that's why motorsport-related comics are now popular, so today I'd like to talk about one of those comics."



　With that, Professor Kobe hands us a copy of a panel from a comic.

　The line written was, "I may break the rules, but I won't break manners."

　This is the kind of line you'd want to chime in to a motoring comic about a car speeding at 300km/h on a public road, but Professor Kobe just looks at us with amusement and begins his lecture.



"'Aren't the rules and manners the same?' That's what everyone is saying, but this is definitely not the case.

　In this comic, rules are defined as "agreements with others" and manners as "agreements with yourself," but since everyone here belongs to the upper class of this country, I hope you will understand the meaning of these two terms a little more deeply.

　Look, if you, as the upper class, are up to the task, the rules can be changed."



　We listen quietly to Professor Kobe's words.

　It's true that it's important to follow the rules. But when I hear that they can be changed, I don't really get it... Ah.

　Professor Kobe smiled happily as he saw that I had noticed something.

　Then, as if he could see through my thoughts, he continued speaking slowly.



"Let me give you an example.

　There's been a lot of noise about smoking bans lately.

　Well, in the Showa era, smoking was considered OK. So people back then had to think about how to get people to quit smoking.

　That's why the Health Promotion Act came into being, banning passive smoking."



　Ah, so that's it.

　It is true that quitting smoking would help people follow the rules, but that then raises the issue of the rights of smokers.

　Therefore, passive smoking is prohibited to prevent harm to those around.

　

"Rules are influenced by the environment.

　And its regulations and changes are made by consensus of the society.

　So what about manners?

　Going back to the no-smoking issue earlier, this would mean not smoking in front of people who don't like cigarettes.

　Of course you can smoke, but you must be prepared for the other person to dislike you in that case."



　I began to understand what Professor Kobe was trying to say.

　After that talk, Professor Kobe returns to the topic of the comics that were distributed.



"What's brilliant about this comic is that it breaks down rules into 'promises with others' and manners into 'promises with oneself.'

　As a matter of course, if you drive at 300 km/h on a public road, you will be immediately banned and your license will be suspended.

　But the people in this comic know that, and if they get caught, it's their own fault.

　However, if that were all, it would still be an outlaw comic, but by adding manners, it becomes an "outlaw who is considerate of those around him."

　Whether or not people can put this into practice is a different matter, but I think that the inclusion of this etiquette is what has made this comic so popular."



　When he said that, I was convinced.

　Even if you do break the rules, you should never forget to be considerate of those around you.

　If you get caught for breaking the rules, it's your own fault, but if you get into an accident, not only you will die, but potentially the people you dragged into it too.

　There should be no such thing as doing something just for your own enjoyment. That is why manners that show respect for others are so important.



"There's an excellent line from this comic that explains this part, so I'll just quote it.

　…If it weren’t for that last sentence, you’d probably think it was a famous quote, but if you can come to think that it’s a famous quote including that last sentence, then you’ve become adults.”



　After reading the lines from the comic, Professor Kobe's face looked a little lonely.

　Maybe that face is proof that he's an adult.



"Then let's continue with the lecture.

　As I said earlier, breaking the rules refers to any act that goes against the rules of society.

　Naturally, there will be some kind of penalty attached to it, but why are we fascinated by these people who break the rules?

　As we can see from the previous example, people who break the rules have their reasons for doing so.

　And those of you who move to the upper echelons of society have to take that into account."



　Professor Kobe also hands us a copy of a panel from another comic.

　If the previous one was about modern cars, this one is about knights or robots from another world?



“Considering what we just discussed about rules and manners, this has a lot of depth to it, doesn’t it?

　"The best choice." It is a fate that those who lead something cannot escape, but at the same time, no one will follow a lawless person.

　This balance. In particular, I want you to never take the rules too seriously and always maintain good manners that others will accept.

　That is what I want to say in today's lecture."



　We understood what Professor Kobe was saying.

　People who break the rules have their own reasons for not following the rules.

　And we at the top need to understand that.

　That's certainly an important thing.

　However, Professor Kobe's kindness was apparent in the fact that he did not say that whether the general public could understand it was a separate issue.

　I just think so.

　A few years later, I think this is where my conflict with Takanashi Mizuho began.



"Now that I think about it, I was thinking, according to the rules, isn't that photographer teacher out of the running?"



　Since we still had filming of the Bay Area car race to do after this, Yulia Molotova, who was with me, let something slip, and Kanagawa Itsuki, who was also filming with me, interjected.



"Ishikawa Sensei, you say 'take it off' but you don't say 'take it off'.

　Maybe those are his "rules" and "manners."

"Hmph...!"



　Kanagawa Itsuki's words made me nearly burst out laughing.

　Artists are tricky because even if they're social misfits, there's an aspect to them that means they're tolerated as long as their work is recognized.