I find it...intriguing that Gunji doesn't even feel offended that an intern is asking him, a professor candidate running against Akira, to be 2nd assistant. Maybe that's just not as big a deal as I thought. Or maybe it's because the intern in question is Noboru, who happens to be his favorite.
Kihara does have a point tho. But then again, this is for the sake of character development. Who knows, maybe this won't hurt his standing in his faction when it's said and done if he can spin the story right. Huh, if so isn't this the second time he betrays Kihara?