You Will Regret This Ichinose! [15]
Ichinose Honami sat in front of Uesugi Gen, her face unusually serious.
"There's really nothing to talk about…"
For the first time, Uesugi felt a distinct lack of confidence when facing Ichinose.
Her commanding presence reminded him uncomfortably of his mother back home.
As this was happening, Shibata Sō stared at Uesugi's gaming PC, its RGB lights glowing through the case, and asked curiously, "This computer looks expensive."
"Based on this model, probably around 80,000 points," Kanzaki Ryūji replied, casually rubbing his chin as he made the estimate.
What are you two doing?! Get over here and help me!
Uesugi screamed internally at his two onlookers, who stood by watching the show.
Sensing his plea, the two exchanged glances and, without hesitation, gave Uesugi a thumbs-up.
"Good luck!"
Those bastards…
"Uesugi-kun, please look at me. It's rude to look away when you're speaking to someone."
Ichinose placed her hands neatly on her knees, her expression strict.
"Y-yes, I understand."
Uesugi straightened up, startled, and quickly turned back to her.
"Recently, I've noticed that you're always dozing off in class. You've never taken it seriously, have you? That's unacceptable. Can you explain why?"
"Well, it's just… I already understand everything in the textbooks. It's a little… boring."
"That's no excuse. Regardless of whether you know the material, when a teacher is lecturing, it's only polite to listen attentively. That's the minimum level of respect we owe them."
"So, Uesugi-kun, you can't keep doing this. You need to attend class. Starting tomorrow, I'll come by to wake you up."
Despite her stern tone, Ichinose showed a rare moment of compromise, letting him off the hook from returning to class immediately.
"Yes… I understand."
Faced with Ichinose's relentless persistence, Uesugi had no choice but to surrender.
---
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
Early in the morning, the doorbell rang incessantly.
Uesugi opened his tired, bloodshot eyes, then grabbed the bedsheet and wrapped it around his head like a cocoon. He shut his eyes again and turned onto his side, attempting to return to sleep.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The persistent ringing continued.
Uesugi shifted to a more comfortable position and tried to ignore it.
"Uesugi-kun, if you don't come out, I'll just stay here all day!"
Ichinose's sweet, lively voice called out from behind the door. To Uesugi, however, it sounded like the voice of a demon from hell.
For a while, silence fell.
Then, Uesugi's bloodshot eyes snapped open. He tossed the blanket aside and sat up in frustration, raking his hands through his messy hair.
Why are you like this? Don't you have anything better to do?!
Despair gripped him as a wild thought crossed his mind. Maybe I should just tell her about the special exam and give up the 30 million points.
But no. Uesugi shook his head.
It wasn't about the points—it was the realization that even if he told her everything, Ichinose would still show up to pester him.
This girl… she really has no ulterior motives at all, does she?
Accepting his fate, Uesugi dragged himself to the bathroom, got dressed, and finally opened the door.
Standing there, smiling as brightly as ever, was Ichinose Honami.
Staring at her cheerful face, Uesugi could only muster one defeated line:
"You are my hell…"
Without waiting for a response, he trudged off toward the classroom.
"Uesugi-kun, let's grab breakfast together!" Ichinose called out, still full of energy.
"Go eat by yourself," Uesugi replied without looking back, continuing to walk ahead.
I'm done for. She's completely found my weakness.
Uesugi's face was etched with despair as he walked.
"Good morning, Ichinose! Oh, and Uesugi-kun, you're here too! Are you feeling better?"
"Morning."
"…Good morning," Uesugi mumbled.
As they walked, Uesugi endured an onslaught of greetings from Ichinose's many admirers.
---
By the time they reached the classroom, Uesugi looked like a shadow of his former self, his dark circles prominent and his hair unkempt.
The students in Class 1-B stared in stunned silence.
Where's the usual handsome, easygoing Uesugi Gen?!
The girls in the class tried to greet him as usual.
"Good morning, Uesugi-kun!"
"Yo… morning," he replied listlessly.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah… thanks for asking."
Exhausted, Uesugi collapsed into his seat, grabbed a random book, and plopped it over his face.
Before long, the sound of soft breathing could be heard.
"Seriously… what time does he even sleep?" Himeno Yuki asked, resting her chin on her hand as she observed Uesugi's slumped figure.
"No idea. But it's probably not before 3 AM," Kanzaki replied, glancing at a game website showing Uesugi's login times.
"This is for Uesugi-kun," Ichinose said, handing Himeno a sandwich and a carton of milk.
She had disappeared for a moment on the way to class, having stopped to buy breakfast.
"I'll give it to him when he wakes up. But, Ichinose, isn't this exhausting for you? Waking up so early every day…"
"Not at all! I've always woken up early at home, so it's no big deal!"
Ichinose smiled brightly, her hands clasped behind her back.
Looking at the sleeping Uesugi, it was clear she wasn't annoyed. If anything, she seemed to enjoy it.
The others exchanged knowing glances.
She's actually having fun…
---
"During the twenty-first year of the Tenshō Era, Uesugi Kenshin launched a campaign in Kantō…"
The bald history teacher droned on passionately about the textbook material.
Uesugi… Kenshin… What Kenshin?
Kenshin who? The only Uesugi here is me!
Uesugi Gen stared blankly at the blackboard, his mind already unraveling.
If this keeps up, I'm not going to make it until the end of class. I need an escape…
Where could he sneak away to for a nap without raising suspicion?
Ideas flashed through Uesugi's mind at lightning speed.
Raising his hand, he signaled to the teacher.
"Slaying Takeda Nobushige… Hmm? The student with their hand up—what is it?"
"Sensei, I'm not feeling well. May I go to the nurse's office?"
Summoning every ounce of his acting ability, Uesugi put on a convincingly sick expression.
The teacher frowned slightly but waved him off. "Alright, if you're not feeling well, you should go. Don't push yourself."
Victory!
Uesugi's heart leapt with joy.
As expected, most teachers, unwilling to take responsibility, would quickly send students to the nurse's office at the first sign of discomfort.
The nurse's office—Hoshinomiya-sensei's domain. I'll deal with her when I get there.
On his way out, Uesugi passed Kanzaki and Shibata, discreetly giving them a thumbs-up behind his back.
They exchanged a look.
This guy is unbelievable.
As he walked past Ichinose's desk, Uesugi deliberately locked eyes with her, a playful smirk on his face.
What are you going to do, Ichinose? Stand up and call me out in front of everyone? I don't think so. You wouldn't risk embarrassing me like that.
So, this round is my win.
His smirk widened as he thought, See you later, Ichinose. This is Uesugi Gen's escape route, perfected! Hahaha!
Ichinose's smile faltered ever so slightly. She raised a hand to her forehead, looking utterly defeated.
---
T/N: MUAHUAHUHA that should be 1:1 wait he got the council thing 2:1 but she did try to get her the position... 2:2?