A Pact

Uesugi Hara had barely stepped into the classroom when he sensed something was off.

Why was it so quiet? Why was everyone looking at him?

Something was definitely wrong.

He had just sat back down when Morishita Ai interrupted his thoughts. "Uesugi Hara, did you fall into the toilet or something?"

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow and said with a straight face, "No, I just had diarrhea."

Had he been gone too long? The thought had just crossed his mind when a voice from the front of the classroom interrupted him.

"Ahem." Katsuragi Kohei cleared his throat and swept his gaze over the class before finally looking at Uesugi Hara. "As for the exam, I think Uesugi's theory about Conduct Points makes the most sense. This exam is probably testing students' everyday conduct and classroom behavior."

Uesugi Hara froze.

I said that?

That girl actually figured it out?

He turned to look at the person beside him, incredulous.

But Kamuro Masumi had already turned toward the window, the tips of her ears faintly red. She wouldn't even spare him a glance.

Kamuro Masumi still felt a little guilty. Had it been wrong to give Uesugi Hara away like that?

But then again, had it been any better for Uesugi Hara to pin the blame on her?

She stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye and saw him watching her with an almost amused smile. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she whipped her head around, muttering to herself, What are you looking at?

Watching her act as if she had nothing to hide when she clearly did, Uesugi Hara let out a quiet laugh.

Well, this wasn't so bad. After this, he'd be able to speak up in class, too.

Katsuragi Kohei wrapped things up by setting the plan for their first month: improving their everyday conduct.

The others agreed with the plan.

Then Katsuragi led the class toward the Gymnasium.

Uesugi Hara ambled along at the back of the group, moving to the rhythm of everyone else's footsteps.

"How did you think the exam might have something to do with student conduct, Uesugi?" a gentle voice asked beside him. Classmate Sakayanagi walked alongside him with a cane, her pale eyes holding a hint of curiosity.

Uesugi Hara turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "I just guessed. But you haven't looked surprised at all since earlier, Classmate Sakayanagi. You seem like you already knew. Did the Chairman give you a heads-up?"

"Don't make wild assumptions, Uesugi." Sakayanagi Arisu gave a soft laugh, sounding perfectly innocent. "I'm just an ordinary student who's only just enrolled. How could I know the school's rules?"

"Is that so?" Uesugi Hara drawled, clearly unconvinced. "Looks like the Chairman really doesn't play favorites—not even for his own daughter."

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile didn't falter. "Uesugi seems quite interested in me?"

"After all, you greeted me with 'long time no see' right off the bat. I started wondering if my memory was failing me." Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, his confusion genuine. "Where exactly have we met? Did we know each other somehow?"

Seeing that he didn't seem to be pretending, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression darkened almost imperceptibly. Was she really so forgettable?

She tightened her grip on her cane, her voice turning cool. "So you really don't remember, Uesugi. Shall I help you recall?"

"White Room, chess, a little girl."

Uesugi Hara first looked stunned. Then he studied Sakayanagi Arisu closely, brow furrowed as he rummaged through his childhood memories.

He was certain she hadn't been in the White Room. So she must have been an outsider. Among the outsiders, there had been a little girl who'd played chess with him.

A moment later, it seemed he had finally dragged something out of the dusty corners of his memory. His eyes lit up.

"Ah! You're that little brat who kept shouting, 'I'll beat you fake geniuses!' Then I shaved your head bald!"

He clapped his hands as if he'd just had a revelation, his voice tinged with teasing. "No wonder I didn't recognize you. Turns out you haven't grown at all."

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu's smile stiffened completely. Her fingers tightened around the handle of her cane until they went pale. The air seemed to turn colder, and even the students ahead noticed something was wrong and glanced back.

She took a deep breath, doing her best to keep her expression composed, but her voice was like ice. "Uesugi certainly has a... 'special' memory."

Uesugi Hara saw the flash of anger in her eyes and chuckled. "I can't help it. My childhood memories are a bit hazy. But you were a lot fiercer back then. You'd cry whenever you lost at chess, and you even threatened to have your dad throw me into the sea to feed the fish."

"..." Sakayanagi Arisu's expression darkened further. She turned away and quickened her pace, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Watching Sakayanagi Arisu's retreating figure, her hand almost crushing her cane, Uesugi Hara rubbed his chin and chuckled.

He hadn't expected them to have that kind of history. Judging by her reaction, she'd held on to what happened back then all this time.

"Hey, Classmate Sakayanagi," he called, hurrying after her. "Want to play another game of chess?"

Sakayanagi Arisu turned around and eyed him suspiciously, silently prompting him to continue.

"Look," Uesugi Hara said casually, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary. "You were so young back then. It's normal that you weren't very good at chess, right?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's brow furrowed slightly. Seeing that she was about to lose her temper, he quickly changed tack.

"But a lot of time has passed since then. Your chess skills must have improved by leaps and bounds. You could easily beat your younger self now, couldn't you?"

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression softened. She thought it over briefly, then nodded. "That's true. So what are you getting at, Uesugi?"

"I can tell you still haven't let go of what happened back then," Uesugi Hara said with the grin of a cat that had stolen a treat. "Let's arrange a game sometime and have a proper match. It's just that..."

"Just what?" Sakayanagi Arisu raised an eyebrow, clearly seeing through him.

"I might not have that much free time," Uesugi Hara said, feigning reluctance.

"Heh." Sakayanagi Arisu gave a knowing scoff. "Why not just say what you want?"

"As expected of you, Classmate Sakayanagi. You're sharp!" Uesugi Hara rubbed his hands together, grinning openly. "If I'm taking the time to play chess with you, you'll have to offer me something in return, right?"

"How many Points do you want?" Sakayanagi Arisu got straight to the point.

"How about 50,000 Points for one game?"

Sakayanagi Arisu looked up at him, her purple eyes unreadable, her gaze sharp enough to see right through him. Uesugi Hara felt a little uncomfortable under her scrutiny and instinctively rubbed his nose.

A moment later, she slowly uttered two words. "All right."

Uesugi Hara was taken aback. He hadn't expected her to agree. Then he smiled. "Deal! I'll be waiting for your invitation, Classmate Sakayanagi."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't reply. She only gave him a long look before turning and continuing on.

Meanwhile, Uesugi Hara was quietly pleased with himself. Fifty thousand Points per game. I'll have to make good use of this and see if I can earn a little more.

Seeing that he'd fallen behind the group, he hurried to catch up.