Uesugi Hara walked along the lamplit path, carrying his things and feeling like he hadn't eaten enough.
Night had already fallen. That tiramisu from earlier might have been just right for a little girl like Sakayanagi Arisu, but for him, it had only been enough to whet his appetite.
He figured he'd stop by the convenience store downstairs on his way back and see if he could get lucky and find any leftover bento.
Suddenly, a dull thud came from the alley beside him—the sound of bodies colliding, mixed with some heavy breathing.
Uesugi Hara stopped in his tracks, shocked. Were students these days really so open?
But when he crept over full of anticipation, he found Ryuen Kakeru getting pummeled. This isn't what I came to see. Did I forget to pay?
Only when he recognized the person throwing the punches did he realize Ryuen Kakeru still hadn't managed to win over Yamada Albert.
His mouth twitched. It wasn't the scene he'd been hoping for, nor was it the sight of Shoko getting manhandled that he'd wanted to see. After all that, this was what he got?
Remembering how the original story said Ryuen Kakeru had won him over with "charm," Uesugi Hara could only think that the plot was a little absurd.
He watched Ryuen Kakeru get beaten so badly he couldn't fight back and wondered how many more beatings the guy would have to take before he could win over this Black giant.
As he watched, an idea came to him. If he took a video and some pictures of Ryuen getting beaten up, added the caption "Let me see," and sent them to the guy later...
Without hesitation, Uesugi Hara quietly pulled out his Terminal.
On the way back, Uesugi Hara looked at the pictures on his Terminal. The Black giant had one hand pinning Shoko to the ground, while the other reached for Shoko's waistband (because of the camera angle). With Shoko struggling fiercely, and the caption "Be good! Let me see!", he couldn't help laughing.
Forgive me, forgive me.
He hoped Shoko wouldn't lose it when he saw them.
Sunday was shot to hell, so today was Monday.
Uesugi Hara sat at his desk, listening to everyone else chat while yawning out of boredom.
"Hey! Did you hear? We've got swimming class with Class D this afternoon."
"Doesn't that mean we'll get to see a lot of girls in swimsuits? I remember Class D's Kushida... heh... hehehe..."
"Hey, hey, stop fantasizing," the boy beside him said, elbowing him. "You should be thinking about that dog paddle of yours. Don't go embarrassing our class in front of Class D." He looked thoroughly disgusted.
"Hey, Uesugi, what do you think about swimming class?" Hashimoto asked from the front, his voice flippant.
"I'll be looking at it with my eyes, of course. The pool will be full of girls in swimsuits. What's wrong with enjoying the sight of them having fun?" Uesugi Hara replied blandly.
"Tsk—" A distinct click of the tongue came from beside him.
Uesugi Hara immediately turned around. "Hey, you just clicked your tongue, didn't you?"
Kamuro Masumi turned her face away and said nothing, but her ears were quietly turning red. Uesugi Hara suddenly leaned closer and whispered in a coaxing voice, "Don't you want to see Sakayanagi in a school swimsuit?"
"Sakayanagi... in a school swimsuit..." Kamuro Masumi murmured, her gaze suddenly going vacant as her eyelashes trembled. She'd clearly been drawn into a fantasy.
Looking at her, Uesugi Hara laughed to himself. Could this little girl still be holding on to her ambitions of overthrowing her superior?
While Uesugi Hara was still thinking, the girl right in front of him suddenly stood up and walked straight over to Sakayanagi Arisu in the other corner of the classroom. Her voice carried a hint of curiosity. "Sakayanagi Arisu, Uesugi Hara said he wants to see you in a school swimsuit." She seemed curious about what Sakayanagi Arisu would look like in one.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a still lake. The classroom, which had been buzzing with conversation, instantly fell silent. Even the birdsong outside the window seemed clear.
Everyone's eyes turned toward them in an instant. It felt as if you could hear a pin drop.
Sakayanagi Arisu had been propping her chin on one hand as she looked through a book. At the words, her fingers paused on the page.
She slowly looked up. Her ice-blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight, and when her gaze passed over the crowd and settled on Uesugi Hara, her lips still held their usual faint smile.
"Uesugi's tastes are just as distinctive as the rumors suggest," she said, her voice clear and cool, like jade steeped in ice water. "Unfortunately, because of my health, I don't plan to attend swimming class."
Uesugi Hara was just about to smooth things over when Kamuro Masumi jolted out of her fantasy, her cheeks turning red enough to smoke. Her fingers gripped her pen so tightly her knuckles turned white. She glared furiously at Uesugi Hara, as if to say, "This is all your fault."
"So you're into school swimsuits, Uesugi?" Hashimoto whistled, deliberately drawing out his words. "You should've said so earlier. I could lend you a few magazines."
"Shut up." Uesugi Hara shot him an exasperated glare, then noticed the girl who'd passed on his words tilting her head at him, as if studying some rare species.
Haky Blue, you always look so harmless, but who knew you were this kind of person? I can't believe this.
"But Sakayanagi would definitely look good in a school swimsuit," someone in the back whispered. The person beside him immediately clapped a hand over his mouth. Kid, don't you want to live?
Sakayanagi Arisu gently closed her book and tapped her fingertip against its cover. "If Uesugi really wants to see, perhaps I can consider it next time." Her words sounded like a joke, but also like she might mean them; a hint of amusement lingered in her voice.
Uesugi Hara knew the little girl was joking, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Haha, I was only joking. Don't take it so seriously." Uesugi Hara gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. His eyes quickly darted away from Sakayanagi Arisu as he deliberately raised his voice to cover the awkwardness. "Anyway, I wonder what the water temperature will be like this afternoon. I hope it isn't so cold that we can't get in."
His words were like a pebble tossed onto a frozen lake. They didn't quite break the silence, but at least they loosened the stillness in the air.
Yet his obviously forced change of subject only made the curious looks around him more intense.
Kamuro Masumi's face turned even redder, heat reaching the tips of her ears. Seeing her like that, Uesugi Hara was certain that little girl's confidence in overthrowing her superior had probably taken quite a hit.
He was about to tease her a little more when the bell suddenly rang. The teacher walked in with a stack of lesson plans, then paused while looking around the class. "Why is everyone so quiet? What were you talking about just now?"
The whole class shook their heads in unison. Hashimoto was trying to hold back his laughter, his shoulders shaking like he was having a fit. Morishita Ran still seemed to be thinking about Sakayanagi Arisu in a school swimsuit. Kamuro Masumi's cheeks were still flushed; she hadn't recovered yet.
Uesugi Hara leaned back in his chair and looked at the teacher at the front of the classroom, wondering if swimming class that afternoon was going to make things difficult for him.