The Curse of Pot King

Uesugi Gen, the vice class representative of Class B, was suspicious enough on his own.

As Class B's vice class representative and the Student Council's vice president, Uesugi Gen was someone Kamuro Masumi had never once seen around Class B. It was hard not to suspect he was deliberately avoiding her.

More importantly, from the tone of that damned guy who'd spoken to her, Kamuro Masumi could tell he was male. After all, normal girls weren't interested in other girls' measurements.

Just thinking about it made Kamuro Masumi grit her teeth with anger. She could almost see Kuro grinning at her smugly.

So, starting at six in the morning, Kamuro Masumi went downstairs and staked out the area near Uesugi Gen's dorm, waiting for her target to appear.

In a secluded corner,

Kamuro Masumi stared intently at Uesugi Gen's door.

Come on, show yourself. Let's see if you're really him.

And then...

Seven... eight... nine...

The door to Uesugi Gen's dorm room remained firmly shut, showing no sign of opening.

Kamuro Masumi's heart sank.

Is that guy planning to stay inside all day?

If Uesugi Gen really was the one threatening her, what kind of luck would it take for someone who never left his room to catch her stealing?

By then, Kamuro Masumi no longer thought Uesugi Gen was suspicious. The reason she'd never seen him was probably that he never went out at all.

The thought left Kamuro Masumi nearly frantic.

Time ticked by, and before she knew it, it was past eleven.

The hope in Kamuro Masumi's heart was fading fast.

Suddenly, Uesugi Gen's door swung open without warning.

A handsome young man with dark circles under his eyes emerged from the room, yawning.

What time does this guy even go to bed?

Thinking about how she'd come out so early to stake him out, Kamuro Masumi suddenly felt exhausted.

She quickly forced herself to perk up and focused on Uesugi Gen.

It's fine. At least my target showed up.

She had to admit, the moment she saw Uesugi Gen, he and Kuro became one and the same in her mind.

He was handsome, and she'd heard he was even number one on some ranking list, but for some reason, Kamuro Masumi felt like kicking him.

At last, Uesugi Gen left the dorm.

He wandered down the street, swaying from side to side without any particular destination.

Kamuro Masumi instantly grew alert. Could he have noticed me and be leading me in circles?

But Kamuro Masumi quickly dismissed that theory.

Uesugi Gen's eyes suddenly lit up as he walked along, and he went into a café.

He walked straight over to a table where two people were sitting, took a menu, and ordered himself something.

Seeing this, Kamuro Masumi hurried inside and ordered something for herself, too. After waiting so long, she was getting hungry.

Uesugi Gen ate noodles while gesturing at the people across from him, his expression suggesting that he was complaining about someone's abuse.

The two people opposite him could only smile helplessly.

If Kamuro Masumi remembered correctly, they were both Class B students.

After eating his fill, Uesugi Gen waved goodbye to the two of them.

What? It was just a normal meal with friends.

Kamuro Masumi felt relieved.

Wait...

If I remember right, he didn't pay for his meal...

Did those two Class B students pay for him?

Kamuro Masumi's heart suddenly leaped into her throat.

Was it a dine-and-dash?

Or was he bullying them?

No, no. Maybe his friends were simply treating him.

Kamuro Masumi shook her head, trying to dispel the idea. She decided to keep watching before drawing any conclusions.

After spending a while longer at the café, Uesugi Gen headed to an arcade in Keyaki Mall and started playing games.

"..."

To be honest, she didn't play games much, but it would look strange to go into an arcade alone and not play anything.

With no other choice, Kamuro Masumi reluctantly started up a machine and played, too.

An hour later...

Kamuro Masumi looked up at Uesugi Gen, who still showed no sign of leaving.

Is he planning to stay here all day?

But soon, Kamuro Masumi witnessed a scene that made her feel the darkness of society.

The manager of Dianwan Store bent over, rubbing his hands together with an ingratiating smile as he personally unboxed several of the latest games for Uesugi Gen to try.

He even paid out of his own pocket to get him drinks and snacks.

Was it just because he's the Student Council's vice president?

She suddenly felt how hard it was to be a working adult.

A few hours later, Uesugi Gen left the mall, beaming as he carried the game the manager had given him.

After wandering around some more, it was time for dinner.

Once again, Uesugi Gen randomly picked out a lucky Class B student on the street to pay for his meal.

At that moment, Kamuro Masumi was plunged into deep confusion.

Could this person really be that bastard?

If he really is, was he actually being too merciful to me back then?

Dine-and-dashing, bullying classmates, extorting them for food and favors.

Just where did this vice class representative of Class B come from? What kind of school bully is he?

Finally, Kamuro Masumi gritted her teeth and took out her phone.

There was no choice. At this point, she could only use the last trick Sakayanagi had taught her.

She'd contact the guy directly. Based on his usual habits, he'd always reply within twenty minutes.

During those twenty minutes, all she had to do was keep a close eye on whether he made any other moves.

If he made a move to send a message, the chances that it was him would go way up.

Or if he didn't read her message for over twenty minutes, that could mean it was him, too.

If he replied but didn't make any moves, the chances that he was that bastard would drop significantly.

Kamuro: [Hey, what are you doing?]

As she watched her phone, Kamuro Masumi kept a close eye on everything Uesugi Gen did.

Uesugi Gen was standing in front of an electronics store, looking at a pair of headphones.

A minute passed. Kamuro Masumi looked at the read receipt on her phone, then at Uesugi Gen, who was practically glued to the glass, and fell into deep thought.

Could it really not be him?

No, that infuriating way he has of getting under your skin without even trying is just too much like him.

And what's with that bastard leaving me on read? Is he getting back at me for not replying to him last time?

There!

Uesugi: [What? I'm chatting with a cute girl.]

Kamuro: [That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking where you are right now.]

Uesugi: [In your mind. You've been thinking about me this whole time, haven't you?]

Kamuro: [Drop dead!!!]

Kamuro Masumi's eyes blazed with anger as she immediately closed the chat on her phone.

She looked up.

Huh... Where'd Uesugi Gen go?

Only then did Kamuro Masumi realize that Uesugi Gen had vanished while she was chatting with that bastard.

Forget it. I'm tired. I'll check again next time.

Physically and emotionally exhausted, Kamuro Masumi headed back to her dorm, ready to put an end to this torturous day.

At that moment, Uesugi Gen watched Kamuro Masumi's retreating figure from a corner, then put away his phone with a satisfied smile.

Writing a script that automatically replied with a specific message whenever one came in wasn't difficult for Uesugi Gen.

You've been out here all day. Thanks for your effort, Thief Lady.

If I hadn't noticed on Ichinose's phone that your location had stayed nearby the whole time, I might really have spent all day playing games in my dorm.

Next time you come by, I'll take you around to see some other things.

Chapter 34: The Curse of Pot King

"Everyone did great on this exam! Every single one of you passed, and you scored over sixty in every subject. Those are some amazing results!"

Hoshinomiya-sensei stood at the lectern with her hands on her hips and laughed heartily.

"It's all thanks to everyone's hard work."

Ichinose happily responded to Hoshinomiya-sensei from her seat.

Uesugi Gen sat at his desk, grumbling to himself.

I'd be surprised if anyone failed. The school had already lowered the difficulty of the midterms by a lot after temporarily replacing the old exam questions. If someone still failed, I'd say they were just doomed.

"To reward everyone for all your hard work lately, I've decided to take the whole class on a vacation to a tropical island during summer break in July. How does that sound? Excited?"

Hoshinomiya-sensei promptly announced the big news.

"Really?"

"A tropical island vacation!"

"Won't that be too expensive for you, Hoshinomiya-sensei?"

The students of Class B were so overwhelmed by the sudden surprise that they excitedly discussed it from their seats.

Hey, Hoshinomiya-sensei, is this really okay? You're giving away the school's Special Exam as a reward.

Also, I think you'd all better not get your hopes up too much about this island vacation.

Uesugi Gen, who knew what this so-called island vacation was really about, thought to himself.

After class, a student suddenly flung open the classroom door with a bang.

"Have you heard? Three students in Class D failed, and the school is expelling them. Their guardians are supposed to come take them away after school."

At that, every student in Class B turned toward a certain part of the classroom in unison. The members of the Uesugi-gumi in particular looked at him with complicated expressions.

You look all respectable, but you were supposed to shoulder the darkness of Class B with us. And yet you went and had three Class D students expelled without saying a word!