You Thought It Was Hayate Shibata, but It Was Me, Uesugi Gen!

"Ah!!!" w(?Д?)w

The members of the Uesugi-gumi instantly fell into chaos.

Hamaguchi Tetsuya's mouth hung open as his handheld console slipped from his hands.

Shibata Hayate toppled over, chair and all.

Kanzaki Ryuji sprang up from the sofa. Even his usually expressionless face looked on the verge of crumbling.

Himeno Yuki and the others, who'd been playing a board game at the table, flipped the whole thing over. Cards scattered across the floor with a clatter.

Kanzaki Ryuji was the first to react. He looked at Uesugi Gen with suspicion.

"This... really wasn't your doing?"

"What do you mean, my doing? Do I look like the kind of person who'd pull something like this?"

Uesugi Gen narrowed his eyes and shot back irritably.

"Uesugi-kun, is it true? Did someone really confess to Ichinose?"

Ando Sayo asked urgently from nearby.

Uesugi Gen immediately launched into a dramatic performance, speaking coldly.

"There's no doubt about it. She put it away pretty quickly, but I still saw it. I'm one hundred percent sure that piece of paper was a love letter."

"And she's planning to meet the person who wrote it. It's happening after school today."

At that, Kanzaki Ryuji, still unwilling to believe it, raised an objection.

"Uesugi, I can understand how you saw Ichinose accept a love letter, but how did you figure out she was planning to meet the person who wrote it—and calculate the exact time so accurately?"

The moment Kanzaki Ryuji said that, the members of the Uesugi-gumi grew suspicious.

He had a point. If Uesugi hadn't planned this, how had he reached such a precise conclusion?

"Hey, hey, why are you all looking at me?"

Uesugi Gen once again felt the malice of another timeline.

"I really didn't do it this time!"

Uesugi Gen said, sounding a little exasperated.

"She just usually asks me to eat with her every day, and today she suddenly didn't."

The members of the Uesugi-gumi looked at Uesugi Gen even more strangely...

"Anyway, we have to keep a close eye on Ichinose this time and find out who exactly confessed to her."

Uesugi Gen paused, then continued.

"My gut tells me that whoever confessed to Ichinose this time is no ordinary person. It might even be a scheme by another class."

That was true.

Kanzaki Ryuji rubbed his chin.

Anyone in Class B could see how Ichinose felt about Uesugi. With this guy around, the boys in Class B had never even entertained the idea of pursuing her.

If Uesugi really hadn't done it, then it was very likely someone from another class.

Whether for Ichinose's sake or Class B's, they needed to find out who the other person was.

After sorting out his thoughts, Kanzaki Ryuji raised his hand without hesitation.

"I'm in favor of this operation."

With someone taking the lead, the rest of the Uesugi-gumi members no longer hesitated and joined in one after another.

"I'm in too."

"Me too!"

"Just tell us what to do, Uesugi-kun."

"Since that's settled, I'll lay out the plan."

Uesugi Gen got straight to the point.

"Overwhelm her with numbers."

"Overwhelm her with numbers?"

The members of the Uesugi-gumi asked in unison.

Uesugi Gen explained.

"Exactly. The main reason you lost track of Ichinose last time was that I didn't send enough people to watch her from every direction. That's how she got away. This time, everyone except me is going. I refuse to believe she can slip away again."

Shibata asked curiously.

"Then why aren't you going yourself, Uesugi?"

Uesugi Gen adjusted his nonexistent glasses and explained.

"Last time, she noticed that I might be behind the scheme, so she hurried off."

"And she often checks my location on her phone. If she sees that I'm nearby—or if I turn off location sharing—she'll definitely get suspicious."

"So this time, I'll keep her distracted by chatting with her on my phone and direct your operation at the same time. All you have to do is stay close to her and find out who wrote the love letter."

I see. It was a straightforward and effective plan. Kanzaki Ryuji nodded to himself.

"Understood. Leave the rest to us."

Everyone in the Uesugi-gumi nodded.

"Then that's the plan for now. Let's head back to class."

At Uesugi Gen's command, the members of the Uesugi-gumi left the clubroom one after another.

Shibata Hayate, who was last to leave, scratched his head and thought about what Uesugi Gen had said. Then, slowly, he pulled out his phone.

Overwhelm her with numbers... The more people, the better, right?

I Thought It Was Shibata Hayate, but It Was Actually Me, Uesugi Gen! — Chapter 44 ### The students of Class B looked strangely at the members of the Uesugi-gumi as they returned to the classroom.

Had something happened?

Why had they left looking perfectly fine, only to come back looking so solemn after just a few hours?

And Ichinose was acting strangely, too. Normally, she would have noticed something was off with her classmates and, given her personality, would have asked them about it. But now she was chatting with them absentmindedly.

Which meant...

The students of Class B couldn't help turning their eyes toward Uesugi Gen, walking behind the others.

It was you, wasn't it!

The students of Class B reached the same conclusion Kanzaki Ryuji had.

They couldn't think of anyone other than Uesugi Gen who could make Ichinose act like this.

But soon, someone's phone rang.

Gradually, one phone after another received a message.

That conclusion was completely overturned...

Time flew by, and before they knew it, classes had ended.

A strange atmosphere hung over the Class B classroom.

On the surface, everything seemed as usual. Everyone was chatting happily about their own things.

But now and then, their wandering gazes drifted toward Ichinose, who was getting ready to leave.

"See you tomorrow, then!"

Ichinose smiled and waved goodbye to her classmates.

"See you tomorrow!"

The whole of Class B answered in unison, as if they were greeting their parents.

"See you tomorrow, Uesugi-kun."

Ichinose smiled and said goodbye to Uesugi Gen again.

Uesugi Gen returned her smile.

"See you tomorrow."

As if!

Uesugi Gen dropped his smile.

Just wait. I'll show you what a surprise looks like.

As Ichinose stepped out of the classroom, Uesugi Gen immediately signaled Ando Sayo to follow her.

Here we go!

The members of the Uesugi-gumi narrowed their eyes, ready to act.

First, Ando Sayo would catch up with Ichinose and pretend she needed her help with something, holding her up for a while.

During that time, all the participating members of the Uesugi-gumi would quickly spread out and keep an eye on Ichinose from every direction.

Once they figured out which way she was headed, those watching the other directions would go ahead and wait at her destination. Then they would repeat the process.

The rest was Uesugi Gen's job: keeping Ichinose distracted.

That was such a childish way to say goodbye.

Thinking back to how Ichinose had just greeted them, Kanzaki Ryuji shook his head helplessly.

Hm?

Kanzaki Ryuji sensed something was off.

Why were there still so many people from Class B here?

Under normal circumstances, by this time, most of them would have left. Why were there still so many in the classroom?

Kanzaki Ryuji glanced around. There were at least thirty.

Just then, as if answering Kanzaki Ryuji's question, a timid voice rang out.

"Um... Uesugi-kun, is someone really going to confess to Ichinose?"

The instant those words were spoken, the members of the Uesugi-gumi realized their plan had changed.

There's a mole!

Kanzaki Ryuji immediately figured it out, then turned to scan the members of the Uesugi-gumi in the classroom.

And then... he saw Shibata shifting restlessly in his seat.

How bold!

Knowing that as soon as the students of Class B found out, they'd realize someone in the Uesugi-gumi had leaked the information, Shibata had still dared to reveal the target. Shibata, you sure weren't short on guts.

If Kanzaki could spot Shibata's slip, there was no way Uesugi Gen hadn't noticed it.

Uesugi Gen slowly turned and looked at Shibata, who wore an awkward expression. After giving him a meaningful smile, he left his seat.

By then, Shibata was sweating buckets.

Uesugi Gen walked up to the podium and calmly addressed the remaining students.

"And you? Did you stay behind because of this, too?"

The remaining students of Class B nodded like chicks pecking at rice.

"Go on and get back to what you were doing. I'll handle this."