I, Ryuen Kakeru, Am Being Bullied

Uesugi Gen firmly rejected Class B's request.

"Uesugi, we're worried about Ichinose too. We can't just sit around and go back to wait for news."

The speaker was one of Ichinose's close friends, Amikura Mako.

"What can you do? We don't know who we're dealing with, or what they're after. And that love letter was clearly aimed at Ichinose. Students from other classes won't be as softhearted as we are. What if he means to hurt her?"

Uesugi Gen paused, looked around the class, and challenged them,

"Can you bring yourselves to lay a hand on him?"

Uesugi Gen's voice struck the hearts of the Class B students like a heavy hammer.

Amikura Mako suddenly looked lost.

That's right... Can we really bring ourselves to lay a hand on him?

But Amikura Mako glanced at her classmates.

Nearly all the boys in Class B were here. That meant the person in question was quite possibly from another class, just as Uesugi had said. Maybe it was a trap set by another class...

If our softheartedness ends up getting Ichinose hurt...

No! We can't let that happen.

Amikura Mako abruptly stood, bowed deeply to Uesugi Gen, and pleaded loudly,

"I don't know, but I'll do my best. So please, Uesugi, take me with you."

Uesugi Gen gazed at Amikura Mako for a long moment before replying slowly,

"You get one chance. If you drag us down, I won't bring you along next time."

"I understand. I'll do my best."

With Amikura Mako leading the way, the other students spoke up one after another,

"Um, Uesugi, could you count me in too? I'm worried about Ichinose as well."

"Me too. Take me with you, please."

"I..."

Before long, almost the entire class had joined in.

Watching the scene unfold, Uesugi Gen couldn't help smiling.

That's right. Uesugi Gen had deliberately leaked the information.

The whole of Class B had the same goal, and the entire class had resolved to do something together.

How could Uesugi Gen let such a rare opportunity go to waste?

His goal was to use their concern for Ichinose to correct the softheartedness of the Class B students. Even if it didn't work this time, he would have planted a seed in their hearts. One day, it would take root and sprout.

So, you thought Shibata had informed the class? Actually, it was me, Uesugi Gen.

Heh heh. That Shibata punk had stabbed me in the back again and again. This time, let's see if I can scare him a little.

After the Class B students had gradually quieted down,

Uesugi Gen cleared his throat.

"Listen up. I'm going to lay out the operation plan."

And so, Class B's first large-scale group operation officially began.

Not quite himself...

Chapter 45: I, Ryuen Kakeru, Am Being Bullied

"Zuoshandiao, this is Yamaneko. The target has left the school building and is heading toward Keyaki Mall."

A low voice came through the earpiece. Uesugi Gen pressed a hand to his headset and spoke in a serious tone,

"Zuoshandiao here. Yukiusagi, Owl, and Sea Otter, head to Keyaki Mall and wait for the target. Everyone else, keep watching the target."

"Copy."

"Copy."

"Um, why did Uesugi pick a code name? Wouldn't it be better to just use our names? Everyone's code names are so hard to remember."

Shibata's somewhat troubled voice came through the earpiece.

"Quiet, Yamaneko. Revealing your identity during a mission is a major taboo. One careless mistake, and the enemy could wipe us all out."

Uesugi Gen reprimanded him sternly.

"And you're supposed to call me Zuoshandiao."

Shibata Hayate jumped at the scolding.

"Y-yes... I understand, Zuoshandiao."

Just then, a voice interrupted their conversation,

"Something's come up. The target has entered Keyaki Mall. She doesn't seem to have a particular destination. What do we do, Zuoshandiao?"

Himeno Yuki's urgent voice came through the earpiece.

In an instant, all the members began to panic.

Indeed, if the target had no particular destination and was simply wandering around, it would greatly disrupt our operation. We wouldn't be able to get ahead of her and lie in wait at her destination.

Owl, Kanzaki Ryuji, narrowed his eyes, quickly realizing the difficulty of the situation.

"Don't panic. I'll figure something out."

Uesugi Gen's voice rang through the earpiece, brimming with confidence.

The members, who had been panicking, quickly calmed down.

That's right. Zuoshandiao was still here. Everything would be fine.

Sure enough, a little while later, Zuoshandiao's voice came through,

"Everyone, stop following her. Get to the back of the gym as fast as you can. That's her final destination."

The many members let out a sigh of relief.

"As expected of Uesugi. He easily did what we couldn't."

"How did you work out that location? Could you teach me?"

"That's amazing. How did you figure it out?"

Compliments poured from the Class B students as if they were free.

Facing the whole class's questions, Uesugi Gen proudly revealed the answer like a little kid who had just figured out who the culprit was,

"I messaged her and asked."

"..."

An eerie silence fell over the earpiece. Everyone in the class had a complaint stuck in their throat.

"So you could've just asked her from the beginning. Was it fun making the whole class play spy games with you?"

Himeno Yuki's voice came through the earpiece, her anger barely restrained.

"Come on, it's rare for our whole class to act together. Isn't this a good chance to practice working as a team?"

"Besides, didn't things work out well? We got to the destination ahead of time, so we can find out who that person is before Ichinose does."

The Class B students fell silent again.

I guess he had a point. No matter how things had gone, Uesugi Gen had led them to the best possible outcome, hadn't he?

Uesugi Gen swiftly played dead and brushed the matter aside before steering the conversation back to Ichinose.

"That's enough talking. The girls, keep an eye on your surroundings and watch for anyone who shows up here. The boys, gather over here. To prevent things from taking the turn we least want to see, we need a contingency plan in advance."

At Uesugi Gen's command, the Class B students quickly got moving.

The boys gathered behind Uesugi Gen, waiting for his next instruction, while the girls hid out of sight and watched for anything unexpected.

And so, all of Class B quietly watched everything happening behind the gym.

Come on, let's see who you really are.

Every Class B student silently repeated the words in their heart.

Just then, the long-awaited message finally came through,

"Everyone, pay attention. There's a figure in area C1. Judging by the direction they're walking, they're headed straight for the back of the gym."

Here he comes!

The Class B students focused their attention and looked toward one spot.

A Kuro was striding toward them with a swagger, acting outrageously cocky.

As Kuro drew closer, his all-black appearance gradually gave way to his true colors.

A center part, long red hair, and a swagger that made you want to break his legs.

That was right: Ryuen Kakeru, the leader of Class 1-C.

"So... it really was a scheme by another class."

Amikura Mako's angry voice came through the earpiece.

How could Class B not know who Ryuen Kakeru was? Lately, he had been sending students from Class C to harass them from time to time.

"How dare he deceive Ichinose like that? Unforgivable."

Another voice rang out, gritting its teeth.

"That's awful. How can someone like that even exist?"

One angry curse followed another.

Then Uesugi Gen spoke decisively,

"Everyone, it looks like the situation we least wanted to see has come to pass. Follow the original plan. This time, we're going to teach him a lesson he won't forget, so he'll never dare stick his hands into our class again."

Uesugi Gen's words made everyone swallow nervously. Were they really going to do this?

"We've come this far. We don't have any other choice, do we?"

"Are we just going to let him keep doing whatever he wants?"

Kanzaki Ryuji added the final bit of fuel, setting the Class B students' anger ablaze.

That's right. We absolutely can't let things go on like this.

"Come on, let's do this."

"I'll give it my all."

"I'm definitely punching him in the face."

Facing the fired-up Class B members, Uesugi Gen continued, giving them the final instructions,

"Just like I said earlier, I secretly disabled the cameras in this area. Put on your masks and wait for my signal. When I count to three, all the boys in the class rush him together and beat him up."

"I suspect Ryuen will probably fight back—and he'll likely strike first. Girls, start recording. It'd be best if he doesn't notice and we don't leave any evidence. If we get caught and things turn into a dispute, we'll say he attacked first and that we acted in self-defense. Anyway, once we get there, just beat him to a pulp."

Uesugi Gen finished speaking, and the Class B students made their final preparations.

"Last chance to answer. Is everyone ready?"

The students around him all put on their masks and replied in low voices,

"Ready!"