Poverty Limits My Imagination

After settling the matter with Sakura Airi, Uesugi Hara exited the chat box and checked the time; it was just past eight-thirty.

"Still early." He stretched, feeling a bit parched. "I'll go out for some fresh air and grab a bottle of water while I'm at it."

Downstairs at the dormitory, Uesugi Hara had just stepped out of the convenience store with a bottle of mineral water when he caught sight of a familiar figure standing in front of the vending machine—it was Ayanokoji.

He was about to raise his hand to greet him, but his gaze followed Ayanokoji's line of sight instead.

"Is that... Horikita Suzune?" Uesugi Hara looked over.

Then he saw Ayanokoji following behind her, the two of them turning into the depths of a small alley one after the other, their figures quickly disappearing into the shadows.

"?" Uesugi Hara nearly dropped the mineral water in his hand. "What's going on here? Ayanokoji is stalking a beautiful girl?"

That was a crime!

As Ayanokoji's best friend (self-proclaimed), Uesugi Hara felt it was necessary to stop him.

So, Uesugi Hara lightened his footsteps and quietly followed them.

"Is that Student Council President Horikita Manabu? What are they talking about?" Uesugi Hara was a bit too far away to hear clearly, only seeing Horikita Manabu and Horikita Suzune speaking to each other.

He snuck up behind Ayanokoji and poked his arm. "Ayanokoji, what are they chatting about? The atmosphere looks off."

Ayanokoji was startled by the person who suddenly popped up, but his face remained calm as he said faintly, "A sibling matter."

"Siblings?" Uesugi Hara's eyes widened. "They have that kind of relationship? I couldn't tell."

"Yeah," Ayanokoji replied, his gaze still locked ahead.

"But they don't seem to have a great relationship; Horikita Suzune looks pretty upset." Uesugi Hara crossed his arms, acting like a professional spectator, chatting with Ayanokoji while watching.

Just as he said that, Horikita Manabu suddenly stepped forward and pressed Horikita Suzune against the wall, his movements carrying a clear sense of oppression. Uesugi Hara whispered into Ayanokoji's ear, "Whoa, this looks bad. The brother is about to 'bully' his sister. Ayanokoji, aren't you going to step in? If you don't act now, Horikita Suzune is going to get tossed out."

Ayanokoji didn't speak, but his fingertips twitched slightly. Just as Horikita Manabu's hand was about to touch Horikita Suzune's shoulder, he suddenly moved—a flash of motion, precisely gripping Horikita Manabu's wrist and forcibly stopping his movement.

"Eh~" Uesugi Hara chuckled from behind. "Looks like our classmate Ayanokoji doesn't really want to be an escapist after all. That hero-saving-the-damsel timing was pretty spot on."

But the next second, he heard Horikita Suzune's strained voice: "Ayanokoji-kun, stop..."

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow. "Yo, she's not appreciative. In novels, the heroine would be falling for him by now. Reality is definitely different."

Ayanokoji frowned and reluctantly let go. Unexpectedly, Horikita Manabu suddenly attacked, a backfist strike aimed straight at Ayanokoji's face with astonishing speed.

"Damn, a sneak attack!" Uesugi Hara whispered to himself. "It's on, it's on!"

Watching Ayanokoji dodge the fist by a hair's breadth while only defending and not counterattacking, Uesugi Hara clicked his tongue. "Tsk, Ayanokoji, why aren't you fighting back? Holding back in a fight, you're going to get beaten up!"

The scuffle didn't last long; it stopped in less than a minute. Uesugi Hara leaned behind the wall, listening to their conversation, and found it increasingly boring.

It wasn't until he heard Ayanokoji slowly say "I'm useless" that Uesugi Hara nearly burst out laughing.

Following that, when Horikita Suzune said "We are not friends," Uesugi Hara covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking in secret—so it was a one-sided effort from Ayanokoji, and she didn't even consider him a friend!

"Tsk tsk, so it's unrequited after all." He chuckled to himself; this was much more interesting than the fight earlier.

If you can't find the book title, try searching for the author; maybe it just changed its name!

Once Horikita Manabu left, Uesugi Hara saw there was no more entertainment to be had and turned off the recording on his terminal.

The scene just now—the Student Council President "bullying" a junior in an unmonitored dark alley and then attacking a classmate after being caught—it would be a shame not to have filmed it.

He tucked his terminal away and quickly chased after the direction Horikita Manabu had left.

"The Student Council President must be quite wealthy, right?" He calculated in his mind and soon caught up to him.

"President Horikita."

Horikita Manabu paused and turned to look at the suddenly appearing Uesugi Hara, his eyes filled with scrutiny. "May I ask who you are?"

"Let me introduce myself: first-year, Class A, Uesugi Hara." He said with a grin. "I have a video in my possession that I'm sure the President would be very interested in."

Horikita Manabu frowned slightly, but before he could respond, Uesugi Hara added, "Of course, if you aren't interested, that's fine too. I'm just worried that some unpleasant rumors might spread around campus later, affecting your image."

"There are quite a few interesting people in this year's first-year class." Horikita Manabu's tone was flat, but the previous coldness was gone.

"Hehe, keep it low-key, don't praise me like that, I'll get shy." Uesugi Hara laughed it off. Seeing the other party didn't take the bait, he turned serious and opened the video on his terminal—the beginning showed Horikita Manabu pressing Horikita Suzune against the wall.

Horikita Manabu's pupils constricted; he hadn't expected someone to be in the shadows. This first-year student was truly devious. He suppressed his emotions and said calmly, "Tell me, what do you want?"

"I wonder how many points the President thinks this video is worth?"

Horikita Manabu was silent.

Uesugi Hara rubbed his fingers, testing the waters with a quote. "1 million points?"

"Fine." Horikita Manabu didn't hesitate.

Uesugi Hara's heart sank—damn it! He'd quoted too low! Poverty really was a disadvantage!

He immediately changed his tune, his face still grinning. "Haha, just kidding! How could a video like this only be worth 1 million!"

Horikita Manabu didn't speak, just looked at him calmly. One second, two seconds... they stared at each other for a full two and a half minutes. Uesugi Hara couldn't hold out anymore and said helplessly, "You got off cheap." As he said this, he pulled up the transfer interface. "Transfer it."

"Fine."

The transfer went through without any issues, and Uesugi Hara was very straightforward, deleting the video right in front of him.

He still felt a bit disappointed; he had hoped Horikita Manabu would attack him like he did Ayanokoji. That way, he could have had some fun, and maybe even extorted a few more points.

Horikita Manabu, having escaped a close call, saw the look of regret on Uesugi Hara's face and simply assumed he was frustrated about his low bid, so he didn't think much of it.

Uesugi Hara quickly adjusted his mindset, reached out a hand, and said, "Looking forward to our next collaboration."

Horikita Manabu glanced at him, his tone blunt and unreserved: "I am not looking forward to it at all."

Uesugi Hara wandered back to the path from earlier, but Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune had long since left, leaving only the streetlights to cast distorted shadows of the trees.

He rubbed his chin, recalling the conversation between Horikita Manabu and the other two: "Class D wants to rise to Class A? Does that mean I might have to go up against Ayanokoji in the future?" As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

But after only a few seconds of distraction, he shook his head and tossed the concern to the back of his mind: "Tsk, why think so much? Future problems can be dealt with in the future; the me of that time will handle it anyway. The current me is only responsible for living freely."

Finished with his thought, he whistled an off-key tune and strolled leisurely toward the dormitory.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching for the author; perhaps the name has simply been changed!