You Will Regret This Ichinose! [12]
It was the kind of problem that had troubled countless brilliant minds throughout history, one that neither wealth nor intelligence could solve—
What should he eat for dinner?
Inside the supermarket, Uesugi wandered aimlessly in front of the shelves, already pacing for over ten minutes.
After much deliberation, he finally made his choice and reached out to grab—
Instant noodles.
The ultimate lazy person's food. Famous for its convenience: pour in the seasoning, add boiling water, and three minutes later, you had a bowl of noodles that wasn't half-bad.
That's it. You're the one.
Hm?
Just as he picked up the noodles, something caught the edge of his vision.
A girl with long purple hair tied into a half-ponytail, her figure and face both exceptionally striking, turned around casually. At the same time, she slipped something into the pocket of her skirt as naturally as if she were brushing a strand of hair away.
She was stunning. Tall and slender, her polished leather shoes gleamed under the store's lights, while her long legs, toned to perfection, accentuated her elegance. But there was something about the sight of such a refined beauty stealing that added an unexpected contrast.
Judging from her smooth movements and calm demeanor, this wasn't her first time.
It's only been a few weeks since school started—surely she isn't stealing out of financial desperation?
Is it for the thrill?
If she gets caught, she'll be in big trouble.
Uesugi rubbed his chin, his lips curling into a mischievous grin.
The item she took was small, about the size of a palm, likely something like a hair accessory.
And she hadn't left after taking it. Instead, she was still browsing the shelves.
This could only mean one thing: she was planning to steal again.
While contemplating this, Uesugi reached his free hand into his pocket.
The other hand, still holding the noodles, suddenly "slipped" and dropped the cup onto the floor.
Thud!
As the sound echoed, Uesugi simultaneously activated his phone's recording feature.
In Japan, phone cameras played a sound effect when recording started or stopped.
He needed to mask it somehow.
Picking up the fallen noodles with one hand, he pretended to fiddle with his phone with the other, looking down like he was simply browsing.
If someone saw him now, he'd be ruined socially.
Breaking news! Handsome high schooler exposed as creepy stalker! Or worse: pervert caught filming beautiful girl in broad daylight!
If he got caught, Mars might be the only place he could flee to.
On high alert, Uesugi kept a sharp eye on his surroundings. He noted the sparse crowd, counted the security cameras, mapped out the blind spots in their coverage, and tracked the people coming and going from the store.
Here it comes.
The phantom thief beauty, after her first successful theft, showed no signs of stopping.
She headed toward a quieter section—the aisle for bath products.
She picked up two bottles of skincare products, appearing to carefully compare them.
But in reality, she already had a third, smaller bottle hidden in her palm.
After a moment, she seemed dissatisfied with her selection and reached up to return one bottle to the shelf.
And at that precise moment—
As she placed the larger bottle back, the smaller one in her hand slipped down, landing neatly inside the sleeve of her coat.
Nice.
Satisfied, Uesugi tucked his phone back into his pocket and left the supermarket, grinning to himself.
As for the recording?
He had plans for that.
---
It didn't take long to figure out her name. After all, there were only 160 students in the entire grade.
Class 1-A's Kamuro Masumi.
Or, as Uesugi now thought of her: Phantom Thief Masumi.
Class A, huh?
Theft like this should have a major impact on class placement.
Had she simply never been caught before? Or did the school overlook this during its background checks?
Or maybe…
Did the school deliberately assign someone like her to Class A to balance the strength between classes?
Pulling out his phone, Uesugi quickly created a new account.
Friend request—sent.
Request accepted—check.
Video—sent.
Everything was done in one seamless motion.
With that, Uesugi put his phone aside and started a game.
About ten minutes later, Uesugi checked LINE.
The message had been read but not replied to.
Interesting. What's her move going to be?
Twenty more minutes passed.
Finally, the first message arrived.
Kamuro: "Go ahead and report me. I'm not going to let you threaten me. Even if the school finds out, the worst I'll get is a disciplinary warning."
???
Uesugi blinked at the screen.
Wait, what? Girl, are you serious? I haven't even said anything yet, and you're already going nuclear on me?
Threats didn't work on people who had nothing to lose.
If someone wasn't afraid of consequences, what leverage did you even have?
This isn't going according to plan.
If she stayed this stubborn, the recording he'd worked so hard to get would end up completely useless.
Uesugi: "Calm down. There's no need to be so hasty. You haven't even heard my conditions yet. Relax, I won't make things difficult for you."
Kamuro: "There's no point. If you want to report me, just do it. I won't listen to anything you say."
…
So this is what makes Class A so exceptional, Uesugi thought.
Her response was, in a way, the optimal choice.
Realizing he needed to adjust his approach, Uesugi decided to lower the stakes.
Uesugi: "Alright, how about this—you set the terms. All I want is something simple: just tell me about Class A's daily happenings. You can share anything you want. Think of it as making a new friend."
Once again, the message was read but left unanswered.
After another ten minutes, she finally replied.
Kamuro: "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Huh. She's sharp.
Most people would have agreed immediately to such a mild condition, but her response was filled with suspicion.
Uesugi: "It's simple. Since threats won't work, let's be friends instead. Better to gain an ally than make an enemy, don't you think?"
Kamuro: "Hah. You really think I'd believe that?"
Uesugi: "Come on, your personality is actually kind of likable. Since you didn't outright reject me, I'll take that as a yes. As a friend, all I ask is that you think it over."
---
In her dorm room, Kamuro Masumi stared at her phone, her expression shifting between confusion and frustration.
She couldn't figure out what his true intentions were.
From the very beginning, he had controlled the flow of their conversation, leaving her completely on the defensive.
If he managed to fully understand her, she might never regain the upper hand.
After a long moment of hesitation, Kamuro clenched her teeth, tossed her phone into her skirt pocket, slipped on her shoes, and stepped out of the dorm.
"You think you're smart, huh? Well, I happen to know someone who also thinks they're a genius. Let's see which one of you is really the smartest."
---
T/N: PHANTOM THIEF?