Over the next few days, as soon as afternoon classes ended, Uesugi Hara would search for any lone upperclassman he could sink his claws into.
Whenever he approached, introduced himself, and offered a wager that wasn't too outrageous, the other student would almost always accept.
Shot put, the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash... high jump, long jump.
Singing, dancing, rap, basketball...
From sports to the arts, he challenged people in just about everything, as if he were sweeping up bargains.
Two million five hundred and fifty thousand—that was how many points he had now.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last. Either the dirt he'd dug up about a few upperclassmen on the forum turned out to be wrong, or they simply didn't care about the pride of "losing to a first-year" and reported the wagers straight to the Student Council.
Now he'd made a terrible name for himself among the people he'd fleeced. When they saw him, they either went out of their way to avoid him or pretended not to notice. The short-tempered ones even muttered insults under their breath.
Uesugi Hara stood by the hallway window, watching a few third-years spot him downstairs and immediately turn away. He sighed to himself. Looks like he'd squeezed all the points he could out of those people.
That afternoon, Uesugi Hara didn't rush out the moment school ended like he had over the past few days. Now that his "fleecing" scheme had run dry, he might as well stay in the classroom a little longer.
He was propping his chin on his hand and gazing at the cherry tree outside when Sakayanagi Arisu's voice drifted into his ear, drawing out the last syllable deliberately. "I hear Uesugi-kun's been up to something big lately~"
Uesugi Hara turned around and saw Sakayanagi standing beside his desk, her white cane leaning against it at an angle. Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kamuro Masumi were behind her. Kamuro had just caught him looking and immediately glared back, her eyes clearly asking, "What're you looking at?"
"Nothing that big." Uesugi Hara turned away again, his tone unhurried. "Though I did hear that some little girl challenged the entire Chess Club and didn't lose a single game. I wonder if you've heard about it, Miss Arisu?"
The instant the words "little girl" left his mouth, Kamuro Masumi's impatient expression cracked. Her shoulders gave a couple of furtive shakes as she tried to stifle a laugh. Hashimoto Masayoshi caught the darkening look on Sakayanagi's face and felt his heart skip a beat. This was the perfect chance to put Uesugi in his place and score points with the princess!
He immediately stepped forward half a pace, cleared his throat, and retorted, "Uesugi, what's wrong with you? The princess beat them through sheer skill! Unlike certain people, who rely on dirty tricks to win points and have now been blacklisted by the upperclassmen."
"Hashimoto." Sakayanagi Arisu's voice cut in without warning. She lightly tapped the handle of her cane with a fingertip. "Have you finished your report?"
Hashimoto's words caught in his throat, and he wilted at once. "...N-no, not yet."
"Then why aren't you working on it?" Sakayanagi Arisu glanced at him, her tone unreadable. "Are you waiting for me to write it for you?"
Hashimoto Masayoshi fell silent at once and sheepishly took half a step back, casting Uesugi Hara a resentful look. Kamuro Masumi finally couldn't hold it in and let out a muffled laugh. Sakayanagi lightly tapped her shin with her cane, and she quieted down.
Only then did Sakayanagi raise her chin slightly toward Uesugi Hara. Her ice-blue eyes held a hint of mischief. "The Chess Club really is dull. But unlike certain people who win points through wagers, at least no one on my chessboard holds a grudge after losing."
Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow. "Still better than certain people who win a game and then have to make their club members pretend they 'almost won.' I hear the Chess Club president told everyone you only won by a hair, just to save face?"
Kamuro Masumi didn't dare laugh this time. She only nudged Hashimoto with her elbow. Watching these two trade barbs was far more entertaining than watching Hashimoto suck up to Sakayanagi.
The little girl merely smiled politely and brushed the matter aside with effortless ease. "Uesugi-kun certainly knows how to dig up the most trivial things."
As she spoke, she lightly rested a fingertip on her cane and turned her gaze toward the window, as if she'd already lost interest in their banter.
"Have you found yourself a new toy, Miss Arisu?" Uesugi Hara suddenly asked. His gaze passed over Sakayanagi Arisu and landed on Kamuro Masumi. He hadn't forgotten how she'd glared at him just now. This was the perfect chance to show her what happened when she celebrated too soon.
Kamuro Masumi glanced at Sakayanagi's profile. When she saw that Sakayanagi hadn't turned around, she glared fiercely at Uesugi Hara, quietly tightening her grip on her bag strap.
Sakayanagi Arisu gave a soft laugh and turned from the window. When her gaze fell on Kamuro Masumi, it held a hint of amusement. "Kamuro is certainly interesting. Though rather than a 'toy,' she's more like a cat with its fur standing on end."
"Sakayanagi! You—!" Kamuro Masumi instinctively started to protest, but swallowed the words at the last second. She only managed to turn her face away, though a faint blush crept up to her ears.
Watching her struggle to retort and fail, Uesugi Hara's mouth twitched into the faintest smile. He drawled, "Seems like you haven't quite got your 'kitten' trained yet, Miss Arisu."
At that, Kamuro Masumi whipped around and glared at him, her eyes practically spitting sparks. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Hashimoto Masayoshi frowned too, ready to call Uesugi Hara out for being rude. But then Sakayanagi lightly tapped her cane with a fingertip and turned her ice-blue eyes toward Kamuro. A hint of mischief entered her smile. "Oh? Then why don't you prove that you're not the type who 'needs training,' Kamuro?"
The remark left Kamuro Masumi speechless, her cheeks turning even redder. In the end, she simply lowered her head and refused to look at the two co-conspirators. Watching the chain reaction, Uesugi Hara felt amusement stir in his eyes. Teasing those two seemed even more fun than earning points.
Seeing Kamuro Masumi's ears turn so red they looked ready to drip blood, and even her fingertips tremble, Sakayanagi Arisu knew that if she teased her any further, she might blow her top right there. So she wisely eased off and turned to Uesugi Hara.
She rested her fingertips lightly on her cane and gave a small nod. "Uesugi-kun, I have something to take care of, so I'll be going." Her tone had returned to its usual calm, as though their banter had never happened.
With that, she didn't look at Kamuro again, merely touching her shin lightly with her cane. "Let's go."
Kamuro Masumi looked as if she'd been granted a pardon. She immediately followed, walking so quickly she might as well have been fleeing. Before she left, though, she couldn't resist turning back to shoot Uesugi Hara a vicious glare. She'd remember this!
Uesugi Hara exaggeratedly blinked and held his hands to his chest, miming a shiver. He looked every bit the picture of "I'm so scared."
Hashimoto Masayoshi hurried after Sakayanagi Arisu. As he passed the door, he didn't forget to glance back at Uesugi Hara and give him a thumbs-up, his expression full of admiration: "Man, you've really got guts."
Only after the three disappeared through the classroom door did Uesugi Hara turn away, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Maybe he hadn't gone out to "fleece" anyone, but the afternoon hadn't been boring after all.
Time to head back.
P.S.
By the way, Kamuro Masumi's seat was right next to Uesugi Hara's on the right (though they didn't talk much), and Hashimoto Masayoshi sat two seats in front of him. Guess who sat right in front of Uesugi Hara.