Uesugi Gen pinched his chin, watching Horikita Suzune's departing figure with interest.
At last,
Uesugi Gen turned to Horikita Manabu.
"Now, let's talk about us."
You Like This Class?
Looking at the room's exterior, which was no different from an ordinary classroom, Shibata asked curiously,
"Is this the activity room you requested from the school, Uesugi?"
"That's right!"
Uesugi Gen folded his arms and said solemnly,
"I begged Chairman Sakayanagi for it, with tears and snot running down my face. From now on, this room will be our base of operations."
"Lastly,"
Uesugi Gen added indignantly, as though he'd just remembered something,
"Don't tell Ichinose about this."
He'd gone to a lot of trouble to get his hands on this secret little hideout. If Ichinose found out after they'd only had a few days to enjoy it, would he even be able to go on living?
After saying that, Uesugi Gen casually opened the classroom door. The whole room came into view.
The classroom could easily accommodate forty people. The curtains had been drawn tightly shut, blocking out every ray of sunlight.
A luxurious L-shaped sofa sat in one corner of the room, with an unmistakably expensive coffee table in front of it. Beside them was a huge screen that covered an entire wall, suitable for gaming and movies. On the other side, computers stood in neat rows, while several handheld gaming consoles lay scattered across the desks.
"These lavish facilities must have cost a lot of points,"
Kanzaki remarked leisurely from the side.
"Uesugi, are you really not the chairman's son or something?"
Uesugi Gen gave a light cough.
"Don't worry about the little details. I begged Chairman Sakayanagi for this, with tears and snot running down my face."
Though he had been a little unhappy at the time.
Uesugi Gen silently added that to himself.
But there were more important things to deal with right now.
"Anyway, find a seat. We need to discuss something serious."
Uesugi Gen turned and beckoned everyone to sit down.
By "everyone," he meant the few people who had initially raised their hands in support when Uesugi Gen proposed implementing the Manjian Qifa plan at the start of the month.
That was also one of the reasons Uesugi Gen had decided to present the plan to the class at the time—to identify the people he wanted.
Although the plan had failed, it hadn't been a complete waste. He had picked out, from among the forty students, those who were less opposed to his methods. They would become the core of his future team.
Hamaguchi Tetsuya, Moriyama Susumu, Ando Sayo...
These people would be his right-hand men when he became Class B's leader in the future.
"Uesugi, is there something you couldn't say in class? Why bring us here?"
One of them asked in a strange tone.
Uesugi Gen glanced over the few newly recruited students,
then sat down on a nearby sofa, clasped his hands together near his chin, and said solemnly,
"I called you here today for a simple reason. We're going to discuss... what direction Class B should take in the future."
At those words, Kanzaki Ryuji and the others immediately guessed what Uesugi Gen was up to. They'd known he wouldn't let the matter rest.
"B-but shouldn't you discuss this with Ichinose? We only need to follow in Ichinose's footsteps."
Moriyama Susumu scratched his head, looking a little awkward as he spoke.
"No. We can't tell Ichinose about this."
Uesugi Gen said coldly,
"You saw what happened last time. Ichinose is too softhearted. She can't truly bring herself to fight against the other classes, and most of our classmates feel the same way."
"I admit she's very capable as an individual, but class competition isn't something you can win just by being capable. The other classes won't follow some rules about fair competition. Since she can't strike ruthlessly or resort to underhanded tactics, she'll put our class at a disadvantage from the very start."
At Uesugi Gen's words, everyone lowered their heads and fell silent.
Based on what they knew of Ichinose, what Uesugi Gen said was an undeniable fact.
"So I need your help. Without Ichinose knowing, we'll use our own methods to rise to Class A in the Special Exam."
"..."
The activity room fell silent all at once. No one tried to break the quiet.
Without... Ichinose knowing?
Seeing their reactions, Uesugi Gen continued calmly,
"This isn't betraying the class, and it isn't betraying Ichinose. It's just adding a safety net of our own to the class competition. Even if Ichinose's side fails, we'll still be there as a fallback."
"But in exchange, my methods definitely won't be as gentle as Ichinose's. Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself. To defeat them, we have to be more ruthless than they are."
Uesugi Gen's words echoed in their ears, sinking deep into their hearts.
Finally, one of them gathered the courage to ask Uesugi Gen,
"Uesugi, can we know why you want to do this?"
Yes, why?
In truth, everyone in Class B knew that graduating from Class A held little appeal for someone as exceptionally talented as Uesugi Gen.
A prestigious university was something he could get into without lifting a finger.
And as for work, there wasn't a single Japanese person who didn't know what the Uesugi Zaibatsu meant.
So why go to such lengths?
Uesugi Gen didn't answer. Instead, he stood up, walked to the window, and slowly drew the curtain back a little.
This room was close to Class B. If they looked closely, they could see their classmates coming and going, bothering one another and playing around.
Uesugi Gen gazed at the peaceful scene and asked them softly,
"Hey, let me ask you something. Do you... like this class?"
The others came up behind Uesugi Gen and peered through the gap, watching the students of Class B coming and going.
Someone said,
"Of course I like it a lot. I can't really explain why. I just feel that if I missed out on a class like this, I might regret it for the rest of my life."
"Is that so? I like it a lot too."
"Rather than scheming against people in another class, I'd rather trust the people I know to watch my back. There's nothing wrong with everyone getting along, is there?"
"They've never asked me to do anything, so I can't very well ask them to steel themselves and get people from other classes expelled."
"So, compared to the other classes, this one really is the best fit for me."
At last, Uesugi Gen declared firmly,
"I'll absolutely lead our class to graduate from Class A, no matter what it takes."
Uesugi Gen turned around and looked at them.
"Will you come with me?"
"I, Uesugi Gen, formally invite you to join this club and shoulder Class B's darkness and future alongside me."
With that, Uesugi Gen held out one hand, inviting them to join.
"..."
Kanzaki Ryuji and Shibata Hayate exchanged glances, then reached out their hands at the same time.
"Can't be helped. You were the first friend I made at this school."
"To be honest, I agree with your ideals more than Ichinose's."
A fair hand reached out. Himeno Yuki turned her head away and said haughtily,
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not supporting you. I'm just trying to stop you from making another reckless decision like last time."
The remaining few were silent for a moment before reaching out their hands one by one.
"To be honest, I don't like Uesugi's aggressive methods either, but I'm willing to give them a try for Class B."
"It can't be helped. We were put in the same class, so we'll just have to work together."
"You've all joined. If I don't, I'll look like a heartless person."
Looking at the many hands intertwined together, Uesugi Gen grinned and announced loudly,
"Then from today on, we're a club."
"Yeah!!!"
Everyone cheered together.
After some time, the excitement in the activity room gradually died down.
Hamaguchi Tetsuya, sitting on the sofa across from them, asked curiously,
"Uesugi, now that we've formed this group, shouldn't it have a name?"
"Hmm~ I suppose it should. Does anyone have any good suggestions?"
Uesugi Gen scratched his head. Since he was terrible at coming up with names, he decided to hear everyone else's ideas.
"Me, me, me!"
Shibata Hayate excitedly raised his hand, then said,
"How about 'Roots'? Roots silently pushing forward in the darkness, quietly nourishing a great tree. Doesn't that sound perfect?"
"No way. Absolutely not."
The moment he heard the name, Uesugi Gen felt as if he'd sensed the will of the vast universe. With a dark expression, he said,
"My instincts tell me that if we use this name, I'll end up having to take the blame for something huge as the leader."
"Huh? Doesn't it sound really cool?"
Shibata Hayate said dejectedly.
After that, they suggested all kinds of names, but every one was rejected for one reason or another.
In the end, they had no choice but to use the simplest naming method for the group.
"And so, the Uesugi-gumi is officially established today."
"Yeah!!!"
Uesugi Gen Observation Diary
Weekend,
Having confirmed his target, Kamuro Masumi took action not long afterward.
It absolutely wasn't because she wanted to catch that damned bastard as soon as possible that she'd come to stake out Uesugi Gen's dorm first thing in the morning.
As for why she wasn't keeping an eye on Ichinose, the class leader, but had instead come to watch Uesugi Gen, Class B's deputy leader, from outside his dorm,
all she could say was that even Kamuro Masumi believed Ichinose was an honorable person. It was hard to imagine her doing something like threatening people.
Before you continue