The Promise

Uesugi Hara realized something was wrong the moment he stepped into the classroom.

Why was it so quiet, and why was everyone looking at him?

Something was off.

It wasn't until he sat back in his seat that Morishita Ai interrupted his confusion: "Uesugi Hara, did you fall into the toilet pit?"

Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow and spoke nonsense with a straight face: "No, I just had the runs."

Had he been gone too long? The thought had barely crossed his mind when it was interrupted by a voice from the podium.

"Ahem." Katsuragi Kohei cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally landing on Uesugi Hara. "Regarding the speculation about the exam, I believe the 'Conduct Points' theory proposed by Classmate Uesugi is the most logical—this exam is very likely testing students' daily behavioral standards and classroom performance."

Uesugi Hara was stunned.

I said that?

This silly girl actually managed to react?

He cast an incredulous look toward the person beside him.

But Kamuro Masumi had already turned her face toward the window, her earlobes slightly red, refusing to even give him a glance from the corner of her eye.

Kamuro Masumi felt a bit guilty now; was it bad to sell Uesugi Hara out like this?

But then she thought, was it any better for Uesugi Hara to take the 'blame' for her?

She secretly glanced at the person beside her from the corner of her eye. Seeing Uesugi Hara looking at her with a half-smile, she immediately turned back like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, muttering to herself: What are you looking at!

Watching her act like someone trying to hide a treasure by burying it in the yard, Uesugi Hara suddenly chuckled.

That's fine too; after this, he would be able to have a say in the class from now on.

Listening to Katsuragi Kohei finalize the plan for the first month—standardizing daily behavior.

Everyone agreed with this plan.

Afterward, Katsuragi organized the whole class to head toward the Gymnasium.

Uesugi Hara trailed slowly at the end of the line, swaying forward to the rhythm of everyone else's footsteps.

"How did Classmate Uesugi think of the possibility that the exam might be related to student behavior?" A soft voice sounded from his side. Sakayanagi Arisu was leaning on her cane, walking calmly beside him, her light-colored eyes filled with a hint of inquiry.

Uesugi Hara turned his head and raised an eyebrow: "Just a guess. As for Classmate Sakayanagi, you haven't been surprised at all since just now, as if you knew it all along—could it be that the Chairman leaked the bottom line to you in advance?"

"Classmate Uesugi, please don't talk nonsense." Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled, her tone innocent. "I'm just an ordinary student who just enrolled; how could I possibly know the school's rules?"

"Is that so?" Uesugi Hara clearly didn't believe her, deliberately drawing out his tone to tease. "It seems the Chairman really doesn't show favoritism, not even willing to give his own daughter a little extra care."

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile remained unchanged: "Classmate Uesugi seems very interested in me?"

"After all, you said 'long time no see' the moment you arrived, making me wonder if something was wrong with my memory." Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, his tone filled with genuine confusion. "By the way, where have we met? Could it be we had some connection in the past?"

Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Sakayanagi Arisu's face darkened imperceptibly—was she the kind of small character who could be easily forgotten?

She gripped her cane, a hint of coldness added to her voice: "It seems Classmate Uesugi really doesn't remember. Shall I help you recall?"

"White Room, chess, little girl."

As the three words fell, Uesugi Hara was stunned for a moment, then stared at Sakayanagi Arisu, scrutinizing her for a while, his brows furrowed as he searched his childhood memories.

He was certain this person wasn't in the White Room, so she must have been an outsider—an outsider who was a little girl and had played chess with him.

A moment later, as if he had finally dragged something out from the corners of his memory, his eyes lit up:

"Ah! You're that little girl from back then who kept shouting 'I'm going to defeat you fake geniuses,' only to get shut out by me!"

He clapped his hands in sudden realization, his tone filled with mockery: "No wonder I didn't recognize you; it turns out you haven't grown an inch all these years."

As soon as these words were out, the smile on Sakayanagi Arisu's face froze completely, and the fingers gripping the handle of her cane turned slightly white. The surrounding air seemed to grow colder, and even the students in front noticed the anomaly, unable to resist turning back to look twice.

She took a deep breath, struggling to maintain her outward calm, but her voice sounded like it had been quenched in ice: "Classmate Uesugi's memory is truly... 'special'."

Watching the flash of anger in her eyes, Uesugi Hara chuckled: "Can't help it, I don't remember much about my childhood. But you were much fiercer back then than you are now; you'd cry whenever you lost a game and threaten to have your dad throw me into the sea to feed the fish."

"..." Sakayanagi Arisu's face grew even darker. She simply turned her head away and quickened her pace, clearly not wanting to talk about this topic anymore.

Uesugi Hara looked at Sakayanagi Arisu's back as she almost snapped her cane, and he chuckled while rubbing his chin.

He hadn't expected such a connection; judging by this attitude, the other party had been holding onto that grudge ever since.

"Hey, hey, Classmate Sakayanagi," he hurried to catch up and stopped her, "want to play another game of chess?"

Sakayanagi Arisu turned around, looking at him suspiciously, her eyes filled with inquiry, signaling him to continue.

"Look," Uesugi Hara said in a relaxed tone, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary, "you were so young back then, it's normal that your chess skills were a bit lacking, right?"

Seeing Sakayanagi Arisu's brows furrow slightly, looking like she was about to snap, he quickly changed the subject:

"But so many years have passed, Classmate Sakayanagi's chess skills must have improved by leaps and bounds. The current you must be able to easily crush your younger self, am I right?"

Hearing this, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression softened slightly, and after a moment of thought, she nodded: "That is the logic. So, what does Classmate Uesugi want to say?"

"It's just that I see you're still dwelling on the past," Uesugi Hara smiled like a cat that had stolen a fish, "let's schedule a match when we have time and have a proper contest. It's just that..."

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

"It's just that I might not have that much free time." Uesugi Hara said, feigning difficulty.

"Heh," Sakayanagi Arisu let out a soft scoff, her tone carrying a sense of realization, "Uesugi Hara, why don't you just say it? What is it that you want?"

"As expected of Classmate Sakayanagi, you're so sharp!" Uesugi Hara rubbed his hands together, his smile blunt and direct, "I'm spending my time playing chess with you, so you have to pay something in return, right?"

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

"How about 50,000 Points per game?"

Sakayanagi Arisu raised her eyes to stare at him. Her purple irises betrayed no emotion, yet her gaze was sharp enough to see right through a person. Uesugi Hara felt a bit uneasy under her scrutiny and instinctively rubbed his nose.

A moment later, she slowly uttered two words: "Very well."

Uesugi Hara was stunned, not expecting her to agree so readily, but he immediately laughed, "Straightforward! Then I'll be waiting for Classmate Sakayanagi's invitation."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't respond further; she merely gave him one deep look before turning around to continue walking.

Uesugi Hara chuckled to himself: 50,000 Points a game—I need to make good use of this and try to earn as much as I can.

Realizing he had fallen a bit behind the group, he hurried to catch up.

If you enjoy this book, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose track of it next time.