After seeing Kushida Kikyo off, the expression on Uesugi Hara's face finally relaxed. He turned and flopped onto the bed behind him, resting an arm across his forehead. The calm scrutiny he'd maintained in front of Kushida ebbed away like a tide, revealing a rare hint of weariness.
"What a difficult cat to tame." He chuckled softly, tracing a finger over the bedsheet. Saying he was "concerned about Sakura" had partly been a way to gauge Kushida's reaction. He hadn't expected her to accept the task so obediently despite the resistance in her eyes. It seemed that Horikita mattered far more to her than her pride.
"I hope Kushida doesn't screw this up." He got up and went to the desk, opening his chat with Sakura. Their last conversation had been three days ago. He'd asked, "Did you take any pictures of the cherry blossoms?" and she'd replied with a bashful emoji, saying, "I did! But I haven't edited them yet."
He typed, "The weather's nice today. Perfect for taking pictures." After sending it, he thought it sounded too deliberate and considered taking it back, but she had already replied—with a cat holding a camera emoji, followed by, "Yeah! I just bought breakfast with a classmate, and I'm about to go take pictures!"
Uesugi Hara stared at the word "classmate," his finger pausing over the screen. Then he suddenly smiled. He didn't reply, just set his Terminal on the corner of the desk and drew back the curtains, letting the sunlight pour in.
The Sunday breeze carried the scent of plants, gently turning the pages of his mystery novel. Leaning back in his chair and listening to the occasional birdsong outside, he suddenly felt that perhaps he could take this game at school a little more slowly.
Uesugi Hara raised a hand and rubbed his brow. The moment of ease he'd felt earlier ebbed away like a tide. "Relaxing is just a chance for the brain to catch its breath," he murmured, tapping his fingers on the desk. "It's time to deal with the class's internal affairs."
He took out his Terminal, found the contact saved as "Katsuragi," and sent a message: "Two o'clock this afternoon, Palette Café. Let's talk about internal class matters. Just the two of us."
The notification that the message had been delivered had barely appeared when a reply popped up. It consisted of just four concise characters: "Okay, see you this afternoon." Not even a hint of punctuation—classic Katsuragi.
At one thirty in the afternoon, half an hour before their meeting, two people had already arrived early at Palette Café.
Uesugi Hara sat in a corner by the window, an untouched iced coffee in front of him. Katsuragi liked punctuality, but hated being kept waiting even more. Arriving early was an unspoken rule the two of them had established during their previous encounters.
At the sound of the door opening, he looked up. Katsuragi, neatly dressed in his uniform, walked over with steady steps and took a seat across from him.
"You're five minutes earlier than I expected," Katsuragi said first. His voice was even as his gaze swept over the coffee in front of Uesugi Hara. "I take it what you have to say is more urgent than I thought."
Uesugi Hara tapped the side of his cup with a finger. Condensation slid down the glass as the ice melted. "I wouldn't call it urgent, but we do need to 'talk in private.'" He looked up at Katsuragi. "After all, if we discuss this in the classroom, the wrong people might overhear."
"Oh?" Katsuragi leaned back. "Then what's so important that you chose a café on a Sunday afternoon?" He lifted his hot chocolate, its steam blurring his face.
Uesugi Hara didn't answer right away. He tapped a finger against the side of his cup. "Before we get down to business, I have a question. After observing her these past few days, what do you think of Sakayanagi Arisu? I want the truth."
Katsuragi's brow furrowed, and his expression grew more complicated. After a couple of seconds of silence, he set down his cup. "She's extremely dangerous and forceful. She'll stop at nothing to achieve her goals, and she's good at exploiting rules and people's emotions..." He paused. "I'm highly wary of her, and I have nothing but hostility toward her."
Uesugi Hara met his eyes, his voice as calm as if he were stating a mathematical formula. "Then do you think you can beat her?"
The question struck Katsuragi's silence like a sharp blade. He lowered his eyes to the wood grain of the table. His Adam's apple bobbed several times, but in the end, he said nothing.
Uesugi Hara leaned forward slightly and stirred the coffee spoon once against the bottom of his cup. It rang softly. "Katsuragi, I want you to give up your bid to become the class leader."
Katsuragi said nothing. He only frowned at Uesugi Hara, waiting for a reasonable explanation.
Uesugi Hara rested his fingers on the rim of his cup, his tone calm but incisive. "Sakayanagi Arisu would never accept being anyone's subordinate. She'll go to any lengths to secure the leadership position. If you confront her head-on, you have almost no chance of winning.
"Let me share some key information with you in advance. Next month, the school will launch a class competition, and classes will be ranked based on Class Points. Only students who graduate from Class A will receive a hundred percent employment guarantee. More importantly, the school has a 'forced expulsion exam.' You can avoid it by paying twenty million points, but who can guarantee Sakayanagi won't use that to strike at you from behind?
"Do you really think you can protect yourself from the knives she hides in the dark?"
Uesugi Hara's words left Katsuragi stunned. His pupils contracted, and his back stiffened involuntarily. Yet faced with Uesugi Hara's unquestionable tone, he couldn't help acknowledging that the information was genuine.
After a few seconds of silence, he gave a strained smile. "But I don't trust her..." The simple words held all his wariness toward Sakayanagi, along with a struggle he couldn't put into words. After all, it wasn't easy to give up a position he'd fought for so long.
"I want you to take a step back and give up competing for the leadership position in exchange for a chance to become her deputy. That way, Sakayanagi will have to get your consent before pushing through any major plans, which will create a balance of power," Uesugi Hara said calmly.
"But would Sakayanagi agree to appoint a deputy?" Katsuragi's brow remained furrowed, his tone full of doubt. With that woman's need for control, how could she possibly let anyone share her power?
Uesugi Hara tapped the bottom of his empty coffee cup, making a soft sound. "She'll agree, definitely." He looked up at Katsuragi, his eyes full of certainty. "Sakayanagi's confidence borders on arrogance. If you willingly take a step back and 'submit,' she'll see it as proof that the contest is over. If you ask to be her deputy, she'll think you're just making a 'dignified last stand after admitting defeat.' Given her personality, she'll probably accept with a smile. After all, keeping her opponent 'in line' right under her nose would be a pleasure for her."
"When the time comes, you can make it clear to the whole class: you're good at steadily protecting the class's foundation, while Sakayanagi excels at taking the initiative and securing outside resources." Uesugi Hara drew an arc on the tabletop with his finger, clearly marking the line between defense and offense. "Once you say that, your classmates will naturally accept those roles. As for Sakayanagi, she won't try to sideline you either. With her calculating nature, she can't fail to understand that 'only by combining offense and defense can you establish a firm footing at this school.' You'll protect the class from within while she expands its influence outside. To her, that's the most effortless arrangement."
Katsuragi's fingers slowly loosened around his coffee cup. The warmth seeped through his palm, but it did nothing to dispel the uncertainty in his eyes. "Why aren't you trying to become the class leader?"
At that, Uesugi Hara smiled and brushed a bit of moisture off the edge of the table with his fingertip. "It's a hassle." He said it as casually as if he were commenting on the weather. "The leader has to deal with too many trivial things: meetings, tracking points, handling the teachers... It's much more interesting to stay in the background and watch how things unfold."
Katsuragi stared at him, clearly not expecting that answer. He'd thought Uesugi Hara would say something like "the time isn't right" or "I have other plans." He hadn't expected such a straightforward reason.
Uesugi Hara glanced at the time on his Terminal and stood up. "That's about all I have to say." He picked up the jacket draped over the back of his chair and slung it over his arm. "The rest is up to you. Starting next month, remember to approach Sakayanagi and talk to her."
Katsuragi looked as if he wanted to say something, but Uesugi Hara had already turned and headed for the door. As he passed the counter, he gestured to the staff, clearly having paid the bill.
The glass door opened and closed, bringing in a gust of wind. From the corner, it carried over Uesugi Hara's parting words: "Remember to talk to Sakayanagi."
Katsuragi stared at the empty seat across from him, the warmth of the coffee cup still lingering on his fingers. He took out his Terminal and opened the class roster, his gaze resting on the name "Sakayanagi Arisu" for a long time. At last, he tapped the screen lightly, as if confirming a decision.