Sleep, Then Meet a Literary Beauty

The vote passed unanimously, 3–0.

Hearing the unbelievable news, Uesugi Gen hurriedly turned around and glared furiously at his buddies.

"You two actually chose Ichinose instead of me!"

Shibata Hayate spread his hands helplessly.

"Can't be helped. If we left it to Uesugi, you'd use it to pull some weird stunt and line your own pockets. You'd probably spend it all on games in the end."

Uesugi Gen tried to defend himself.

"That's just making reasonable use of the rules."

"Anyway, it's settled."

Ichinose had the final say and put the matter to rest.

That afternoon, after classes were over, the students stayed behind to hear Ichinose's proposal.

"I see. Then I support it."

"Half the points? That works for me. I couldn't use that many anyway."

"That's a wise decision."

### 30. Sleep, Then Meet a Literary Beauty

It had been nearly a week since the truth about the exam was revealed, and Class B had once again organized a large group activity.

This time, the venue was the library.

Class B planned to hold a group study session there to prepare for the upcoming midterms.

"I feel like this place's atmosphere and I just don't get along."

Watching his Class B classmates studying diligently nearby, Uesugi Gen lay sprawled across the table and complained.

The library at Kōiku High School constantly exuded the terrifying aura of people who studied far too hard, enough to make Uesugi Gen shudder.

Faced with the dreadful scene, Uesugi Gen took two steps back, grabbed his backpack, and prepared to leave.

"I'd better go back and cultivate diligently."

"Nope. You're so unmotivated because you never study with us, Uesugi-kun. Studying with your classmates is what gives you the motivation."

Ichinose grabbed Uesugi Gen's hand, stopping him from leaving.

"Anyway, you're staying here until the study session is over, Uesugi. It'll help strengthen our class's unity, won't it?"

Kanzaki urged him in a perfectly serious tone.

No, no, I think our class is already plenty united. If we get any more united, we'll crystallize.

At this point,

with so many people watching, there was no way Uesugi Gen could get away. He had no choice but to stay.

But the aura of studiousness in this place was too powerful. He needed to find somewhere to unleash his full power of sloth and fight back.

Put simply, Uesugi Gen needed to find a quiet, empty corner to sleep in.

He had a feeling that he'd sleep wonderfully in this kind of studious atmosphere.

After wandering around for a while, Uesugi Gen found the perfect spot.

It was quiet and mostly deserted, right by a window where the warm sunlight slanted in. At a glance, it was an ideal place to sleep.

Uesugi Gen casually grabbed a book, laid it over his head, settled into a comfortable position, and soon drifted off with his eyes closed.

Who knew how much time had passed?

Stare~

Stare~~

Stare~~~

Not far from Uesugi Gen, a cute silver-haired girl with violet eyes and gray knee-high socks was staring intently at him.

More precisely, she was staring at the book covering his head.

The Peculiar Case of Spring-Heeled Jack

It was a classic mystery novel by the Japanese mystery writer Soji Shimada.

It was also the mystery novel Shiina Hiyori had come to the library specifically to read today.

She had searched all over the library without finding it and assumed someone had borrowed it. She hadn't expected it to be covering that boy's head.

Thinking of the book she'd been looking forward to reading, casually draped over that boy's head, Shiina Hiyori's cheeks puffed up slightly into an adorable pout.

Should she wait and borrow it another time?

Faced with the situation, Shiina Hiyori, who wasn't good at interacting with people, began to have second thoughts.

But... he's sleeping so soundly. If I quietly take the book and replace it with another one, there shouldn't be a problem, right?

The girl hesitated for a moment.

After thinking it over, she decided to make her move.

The girl quietly went over to the bookshelf,

slowly pulled out a similar-looking book, then crept over to the sleeping boy.

You can do it, Shiina Hiyori. You've got this.

The girl silently encouraged herself.

She approached the boy, placed the book she'd taken from the shelf on the table, then slowly reached out with both hands and pinched the sides of the other book.

"Three..."

The girl softly counted aloud to calm her nerves.

"Two..."

The book lifted slightly, and the sunlight fell on the handsome face of the boy beneath it.

Shiina Hiyori's heart was pounding faster and faster.

"One..."

"O-One...?"

"Ichinose, you'll regret this!!!"

The sleeping boy suddenly shot up from his chair, slapped both hands on the table, and shouted those words.

"Eek!"

Startled by his sudden movement, the silver-haired girl lost her balance in her panic and toppled straight into the boy's arms.

Staring at the girl in his arms, Uesugi Gen had just woken up and was too dazed to tell whether he was dreaming or awake.

Looking at the pretty girl in his arms, her face flushed pink, Uesugi Gen raised a hand and touched her.

Warm...

Uesugi Gen immediately let go of the girl.

So this wasn't a dream!!

Uesugi Gen's mind raced.

Was this a honey trap? A scheme set up by another class?

No, there was no one else around, and this area was covered by security cameras.

Then how had she ended up in my arms? Was this a gift from the gods?

At that moment, even Uesugi Gen's far-above-average intellect hit a complete snag.

Watching the strange boy's expression shift between alarm and confusion,

Shiina Hiyori, having just calmed herself down, gathered her courage and asked,

"Um, could I have that book?"

The book had been left in Uesugi Gen's arms in the confusion.

Though Uesugi Gen didn't understand what had happened, he could clearly see what the girl wanted.

It didn't matter if he couldn't figure out the problem. If he dealt with the person causing it, the result would be the same.

"Sure, sure. Soji Shimada's The Peculiar Case of Spring-Heeled Jack, right? It's an excellent mystery novel. The rich background and distinctive storytelling make it truly unforgettable."

With his eyes closed, Uesugi Gen launched into an enthusiastic rave about the novel. His acting was so convincing that even the author himself would've called him a die-hard fan!

"Oh, you like this novel too...?"

The girl, who had been a little embarrassed just moments ago, suddenly brightened up. She excitedly began discussing the story with Uesugi Gen.

"..."

Shit.

Uesugi Gen looked at the happy girl in front of him with a headache.

He had a feeling... that if he told her now that he didn't actually like the novel that much, she'd be really disappointed.

There was nothing for it. Uesugi Gen forced himself to keep going and pretended to enjoy discussing the story with her.

A little while later,

Uesugi Gen waved goodbye to the girl with a smile, two mystery novels she'd recommended in hand.

Looking down at the two mystery novels, Uesugi Gen sighed wistfully.

Shiina Hiyori from Class C, huh?

Another pretty girl who'd be hard to handle.

Well, never mind. She'd kindly recommended these mystery novels to him, so he'd take them back and give them a look.

Then Uesugi Gen picked up the two novels and started back toward Class B's seats.

"You bastard...!"

He hadn't gone far when he saw a redhead clutching a long-haired brunette by the collar.

The redhead was Ken Sudō, the guy Nice Senior had introduced him to during the school's opening ceremony.

The long-haired brunette was Horikita Suzune, whom he'd overheard talking in the hallway a few days ago and whom Kushida considered her greatest threat.

Meanwhile, the gloomy Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and his accomplice lady were also trying to break things up.

Seeing this, Uesugi Gen chimed in with interest.

"Wow, you guys really haven't learned your lesson, have you? Your Class Points are still at minus 100, and you're already trying to start a fight in the library."

"What's it to you? Say one more word and I'll beat you up too!"

Sudo shot back loudly without a second thought, his voice ringing through the whole library.

In an instant,

with a clatter, all thirty-some Class B students nearby stood up from their seats and stared at Sudo without a word.

Every boy in Class B left his seat and came over, standing behind Uesugi Gen.

They didn't say anything, trusting Uesugi Gen to handle the situation. They'd only come over to give him the support he needed.

Seeing this, Sudo's voice immediately dropped a few notches.

"What are you guys trying to do...? I'm not afraid of you ganging up on me."

"Don't flatter yourself. Fighting is for muscle-brained gorillas like you. I'm a respectable person; I wouldn't do that."

Uesugi Gen replied with a cheerful smile, then changed his tone and said mockingly,