A Choice Between Two / Uesugi Gen Gets Serious

Horikita Suzune stepped forward and faced Uesugi Gen.

"So that's how it is."

Uesugi Gen rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Daga, kotowaru."

Uesugi Gen spread his hands.

"Our class doesn't seem to need anything right now, so I'm sorry, Hirata—and you too, Horikita."

"N-no, it can't be like this! Anything is fine... We'll agree to anything... We'll do whatever it takes!"

Hirata Yosuke shouted in a panic, on the verge of breaking down.

"No. Please go back, Hirata. Having those three expelled would benefit your class too, wouldn't it?"

Uesugi Gen refused with a cruel smile.

"Um, I think you should reconsider. Your class leader seems to be back."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had been sitting silently in a corner the whole time, suddenly spoke up.

I see.

Uesugi Gen understood. From the start, the target hadn't been him but Ichinose. No wonder they'd sent Hirata to negotiate instead of Horikita. They'd been buying time.

"Wait, Uesugi..."

Ichinose hurried back, panting, her hands braced on her knees.

"Sorry, Gen-chan. I was having a nice chat with Ichinose, but as soon as she heard your name, she ran straight back without even looking back."

Hoshinomiya-sensei said apologetically, followed closely by the members of the Uesugi-gumi.

Uesugi Gen wasn't fazed.

"So, Ichinose, are you going to oppose me like you did last time?"

Uesugi Gen smiled at Ichinose as he asked.

If you could figure out what I was thinking last time, there's no way you can't figure out what I'm planning this time...

"No. I choose to support you."

Chapter 36: A Choice Between Two

At those words,

not only the students from Class D but even those from Class B were startled.

"Ichinose actually made a decision like that..."

Yes. As soon as Ichinose heard that the students from Class D were in her classroom, she had more or less guessed why Uesugi Gen had done this.

The main reason she had hurried back was that she was worried Uesugi Gen might suddenly come up with some scheme and make Class D choose which two of the three to save.

After all, her vice class leader was very good at putting people on the spot with choices.

Ichinose then turned to the students from Class D, clasped her hands together, and said apologetically,

"Um, sorry about this. Whenever something like this happens in our class, he's usually the one who makes the decision."

Faced with this, Horikita Suzune felt a wave of helplessness.

Even when their beliefs differed, they could reach an agreement so quickly... They were united to an incredible degree.

And just like that, control returned to Uesugi Gen.

Uesugi Gen hopped down from the platform and spoke mockingly to the students from Class D.

"Did you think that just because you called Ichinose back, she'd agree to your terms? You really were dreaming, weren't you?"

"Everyone at Kōiku knows this woman is a bleeding heart. Do you think I'd ignore such an obvious weakness?"

"She handles class matters, and I take care of things outside the class. As long as I don't agree, there's no way she'll lend you any points."

Ichinose tilted her head in confusion.

Uesugi-kun... had he ever said anything like that to me?

Uesugi Gen shamelessly reasoned that,

There's no way you'd contradict me in front of everyone and make me lose face, so I might as well use this chance to make the whole class believe it's true.

Once it's a done deal, there'll be no point in objecting.

But Ichinose wasn't concerned about that. Instead, she fixated on a certain word Uesugi Gen had just used.

"Hehe!"

Ichinose scratched her head bashfully.

"I wasn't complimenting you, for heaven's sake. Could you please reflect on yourself and stop handing out your kindness so freely?"

"If you really want to help people that much, then help me. The Student Council President keeps pestering me to approve school documents. Since you have so much free time, you can take care of those for me."

Listening to Uesugi Gen, Horikita Suzune looked at him with pure jealousy.

This man... He's stolen my older brother's attention from me.

"So that's how things stand. No matter what tricks you try, as long as I don't agree, there's absolutely no way you'll borrow points from Class B. Please leave, everyone from Class D."

"And you, too—see you around, redhead. I hope you behave yourself at your ordinary school and stop causing people trouble."

"Shibata, Kanzaki, show them out!"

Uesugi Gen delivered his final ultimatum.

"Wait!"

Horikita Suzune clenched her teeth and decided to use her last resort. Reluctantly, she said,

"You want to rise to Class A, don't you? You're only one step away. We can help your class in the next Special Exam. Surely having another class lend you a hand can only be a good thing."

"Absolutely not."

Uesugi Gen rejected Horikita Suzune's offer with unexpected decisiveness.

"Whether it's you, Class A, Class C, or all of you together, our class will never lose. No—in fact, having you all come at us together is exactly what I want."

His words brimmed with confidence.

Ichinose watched Uesugi Gen, full of spirit, and couldn't help sighing to herself.

If only he really meant that. When the time comes, with his lazy nature and his hatred of trouble, he'll probably find some way to set all three classes against each other, then sit back and reap the benefits.

Negotiation was about asking for the sky and then bargaining down. Since they'd come to negotiate, she might as well test how capable they really were—even if there was nothing she actually wanted.

Just then, Horikita Suzune glanced at her phone and suddenly realized something unexpected.

"Tell me your conditions. You must want something from our class."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Uesugi Gen asked curiously, his gaze shifting toward the inconspicuous figure in the crowd.

Is it you again, the mastermind behind Class D?

"Because you sent Ichinose away earlier. If you had no ulterior motive, then by your own logic, sending Ichinose away would have been completely pointless."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Uesugi Gen clapped along.

"Not bad. I guess it's only natural, since you're Horikita Manabu's little sister. You've inherited at least some of his judgment."

"Of course. And I won't lose to you, Uesugi Gen."

Horikita Suzune looked at Uesugi Gen with a frustrated gaze.

"Earlier, I asked Hirata Yosuke why he wanted to save them. The same question for you, Horikita: you must hate them. Why do you want to save them?"

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and answered frankly.

"Yes, I hate them. I'm saving them because I can't be sure whether they'll prove useful in the class competition later. At a school where even the exam content is unknown, losing a single student could put a class behind its rivals."

"I see..."

Uesugi Gen rubbed his chin.

"You must really want to make it to Class A too. You're such a loner, yet you're saving your classmates for that goal."

"Yes. I will make it to Class A, and I will defeat you."

A fierce fire blazed in Horikita Suzune's eyes.

"I see..."

Uesugi Gen slowly gave her an innocent smile.

The students from Class B felt their hearts skip a beat at his smile.

Ichinose pressed a hand to her smooth forehead, her head aching.

He's at it again!

"Okay, Horikita Suzune. I'm formally stating my conditions. You have to be the one to answer, and whether you agree will decide whether those three students from your class live or die."

"Bring it on," Horikita Suzune said confidently.

"I want you to agree to one condition for your next Special Exam. But I won't tell you what it is now; I'll only bring it up when the Special Exam comes around. It could be something like asking you to buy me a bottle of water, or it could be telling your Class D to withdraw from that Special Exam entirely."

As soon as Uesugi Gen said this, the fire in Horikita Suzune's eyes went out.

"So, what will you choose? Will you save those three students from your class and hope they can help your class earn points in the future, or will you choose to fail the next Special Exam outright, setting your progress toward Class A back by a huge step?"

"The choice is yours."

A choice between two...

Horikita Suzune lowered her head, her expression troubled.

As she looked at her Class D classmates, who watched her with hopeful eyes, her older brother's image surfaced in her mind.

Brother...

Just then, she suddenly remembered what her brother had said when he came to see her after that incident.

"Suzune, Uesugi is different from you. He's a truly solitary person, but for his friends, he can set that solitude aside. You should learn from him."

Horikita Suzune suddenly opened her eyes.

"I choose to accept your condition and save my classmates from Class D."

"Deal, Miss Horikita."

After transferring the points to Horikita Suzune, Uesugi Gen seemed to remember something and casually said,

"Oh, right. Here's a little piece of information: your brother's Class 3-A hasn't had a single student expelled so far. So I'm sure he'll be happy with the choice you made."

"You..."

Horikita Suzune stared blankly at Uesugi Gen.

"Well, it's been a pleasure working with you. You're welcome to visit Class B again."

Chapter 37: Uesugi Gen Gets Serious

First-Year Teachers' Office,

Uesugi Gen was sitting at Hoshinomiya-sensei's desk, carefully examining Ichinose's enrollment file.

The school had conducted detailed background checks on students about to enroll at Kōiku. In theory, the records should have included information about Ichinose's circumstances.

"Long absences and other disruptive factors..."

Uesugi Gen stared at the "other" in the school's assessment for a long while, then scratched his head in frustration.

"I can't believe I didn't notice such an obvious hint before... I really let my guard down."