5:00 a.m.
Uesugi Hara arrived at the meeting point, still half-asleep.
Because of Kushida Kikyo, he hadn't slept well the night before.
His mental state wasn't great at the moment.
In Class A's group, Uesugi Hara leaned against Katsuragi and dozed.
He was still mumbling, "Katsuragi... surprisingly... reliable. This pillow's just a little... hard."
The people around him had grown used to his incoherent rambling. After all, he was Uesugi Hara.
It was almost time to depart.
"Uesugi! Uesugi!" a voice called from a distance.
When Uesugi Hara didn't react, Kamuro Masumi, standing behind him, pinched his waist and twisted it a full 360 degrees.
Uesugi Hara was wide awake now.
"I'm gonna die! Kamuro, let go! You're going to kill me!"
Kamuro Masumi calmly let go. "Mashima-sensei is looking for you."
"If he's looking for me, just say so! Was that really necessary?" Uesugi Hara grumbled as he rubbed his waist.
Whether Kamuro Masumi had done it on purpose or as revenge, what mattered now was finding out why Mashima-sensei wanted to see him.
He ran over to Mashima Tomoya. "What is it, Mashima-sensei?"
"The chairman wants to see you."
"Me?" Uesugi Hara looked puzzled. What could the chairman want with him?
"Come with me and you'll find out." Mashima Tomoya didn't know what it was about either; he was only passing along the message.
After bringing Uesugi Hara to the chairman, Mashima Tomoya returned to the front of Class A's group.
Since the chairman hadn't asked him to tell Uesugi, he naturally didn't want Mashima to know.
"Chairman."
"Uesugi, I called you here because I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"If the chairman is treating me with such consideration, I assume it's because of Classmate Sakayanagi?"
"You're as perceptive as ever, Uesugi. I do want you