As night deepened, only a few scattered footsteps echoed through the dormitory corridors.
Uesugi Hara leaned by the window, looking at his terminal. He had planned to wait until it got later before heading to the spot where tonight's plot was supposed to unfold. Maybe he could take the opportunity to snag some unexpected benefits.
Before he could work out when to leave, deliberately hushed footsteps came from outside his door, their anger impossible to conceal.
The door opened softly. Kushida Kikyo stood in the doorway, her trademark sweet smile nowhere to be seen. A smoldering fury burned in her eyes.
Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow at her, his tone lightly teasing. "Well, if it isn't Kushida. Did this afternoon's little performance get under your skin again?"
"That damned bitch Horikita!" Kushida Kikyo gritted her teeth, her voice low but vicious. "She actually dared to undermine me in front of so many people and humiliate me!"
"Heh." Uesugi Hara chuckled, tapping his fingertips against the windowsill. "You wanted to see Horikita make a fool of herself, but ended up putting yourself in the hot seat instead. Quite the interesting turnabout."
Kushida Kikyo's face flushed and paled at his words, but she didn't immediately put on the wounded act she'd used earlier. She simply clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Quit standing there making snide remarks. Uesugi, you promised you'd help me deal with Horikita Suzune."
"All right, I know." Uesugi Hara waved a hand, making no effort to hide his lack of interest. "Go back for now. I'll call you when I need something. I've got things to take care of."
The anger that had just flared in Kushida Kikyo surged to her head. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her clothes, and she nearly blurted out a sharp retort. But just as the words reached her lips, she remembered that Uesugi Hara had her darkest secrets in his hands. Her anger deflated like a punctured balloon, hissing away.
She bit her lower lip and forced the words back down. Then she managed to put on a somewhat composed expression. "Then... I'll wait in the dorm for you to get in touch, Uesugi." Only after saying that did she turn to leave, her footsteps still carrying a trace of lingering frustration.
Uesugi Hara watched her disappear around the corridor corner and casually shut the door. Compared to dealing with Kushida's grudge, staking out the plot was clearly more interesting.
Before long, Uesugi Hara saw Horikita Suzune heading downstairs from the window.
It was starting.
As soon as Uesugi Hara reached the dormitory entrance, he caught sight of someone. Horikita Manabu was heading toward a nearby corner, his stride steady and carrying its usual oppressive air.
Uesugi Hara stopped for a moment, then quietly circled around to the other side and slipped into the shadows. Sheltered by the wall and shrubs, he crouched in a spot with a clear view of the corner where he was unlikely to be noticed.
He felt around in his pocket and took out his terminal, opening the recording app. He shielded the glow of the screen with his palm. Then he pulled the pinhole camera from his other pocket, adjusted the angle, and aimed it toward the corner. Horikita Suzune had already appeared there, standing in front of Horikita Manabu.
Once everything was ready, he quieted his breathing and waited like a shadow blending into the darkness. On the screen, the two siblings appeared in crisp detail.
Before long, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka appeared in the frame. He stopped close to the corner of the wall, turning partly sideways and revealing only a sliver of his profile. He was clearly eavesdropping.
Uesugi Hara stared at the screen as Horikita Manabu reprimanded his younger sister in his usual severe tone, every word betraying his impatience with "incompetence." Then Ayanokoji stepped out of the shadows at just the right moment and calmly interrupted their conversation. He seemed unruffled, but there was an unmistakable presence about him. The two soon clashed, moving cleanly and efficiently, without a single unnecessary flourish. Every block and punch carried force.
Only after the fight ended and Ayanokoji and Horikita Suzune had both left did Uesugi Hara turn off the terminal screen and put the pinhole camera back in his pocket.
He didn't leave right away. After waiting a few seconds to make sure nobody was paying attention, he quietly followed Horikita Manabu as he walked away. His footsteps were light, like a shadow gliding along the ground.
"President Horikita, could I borrow a few minutes of your time for a chat?" Uesugi Hara called from behind him, his casual tone giving little away.
Horikita Manabu stopped and slowly turned around.
He raised a hand to adjust his glasses. His gaze, sharp as a blade behind the lenses, lingered on Uesugi Hara before he spoke. "Uesugi Hara, a first-year student in Class 1-A. At the start of the school year, you won over two million points in a bet with upperclassmen. That's certainly a noteworthy accomplishment." He paused, his tone even but appraising. "However, I don't recall us having any dealings with each other."
The implication was clear: people didn't visit without a reason. He wanted Uesugi Hara to get to the point.
"For instance, what just happened." Uesugi Hara tapped the screen of his terminal, then held it up for him to see. The footage was playing. Horikita Manabu's voice as he scolded his sister came through clearly; even the cold glint reflected in his glasses when he frowned had been captured in perfect detail.
Holding the terminal casually in one hand, Uesugi Hara left his thumb poised near the pause button. "You look a lot more 'lively' scolding your sister than you do at Student Council meetings."
Horikita Manabu's gaze fell on the screen. His fingers tightened slightly where they rested on his glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses turned colder. Yet his tone remained steady. "What do you intend to do with that? Blackmail me?"
"Blackmail you, President? I'm not that bold." Uesugi Hara lowered the terminal, rubbing his fingertip along its edge. "I just thought it was interesting. After all, it's a rare chance to see the Student Council president being 'less than composed.'" He looked up at Horikita Manabu, his tone probing slightly. "By the way, don't you think you're being a little too strict with Horikita?"
Horikita Manabu stared at him for two seconds, as if trying to judge his real intentions. "My expectations for Suzune are based on her potential. As for you..." He paused, his tone turning slightly warning. "You'd better delete that video. Getting involved in irrelevant matters isn't a wise choice for a first-year student."
"I can delete it." Uesugi Hara smiled. "But I'd rather make a deal with you."
"Five million points to delete the video. How does that sound?" Uesugi Hara asked lightly, as if discussing the weather.
Horikita Manabu's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his gaze behind the lenses darkened. "Two million. No more."
"Deal." Uesugi Hara agreed without the slightest hesitation. His quick answer left the air still for half a second.
At that "deal," Horikita Manabu was taken aback. He'd prepared further arguments to drive the price down and even expected the other party to bargain, but he hadn't imagined Uesugi Hara would agree so readily. A pang of regret swept through him. Clearly, he'd offered too much.
But he'd already said it. Given his position, he couldn't very well go back on his word now. He suppressed his faint discomfort and said coldly, "I can transfer the points to you now. I expect you to keep your end of the deal."
"Don't worry. I have no interest in useless videos." Uesugi Hara waved his terminal, then turned away, the corner of his mouth curling up when Horikita Manabu couldn't see. Two million points had come much sooner than the "benefits" he'd expected.
"President Horikita, how about another deal?" Uesugi Hara suddenly turned around, sounding casually suggestive. "Give me five million points, and I'll help you get your sister expelled. What do you say?"
Horikita Manabu's gaze instantly turned cold. His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. "Suzune has her own path to follow. When she truly can't go on, she'll choose to drop out herself. There's no need for an outsider to interfere."
"Oh?" Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow. "I just don't think Horikita would be the type to admit defeat on her own. Come to think of it, maybe you don't understand your own sister as well as you think." He changed tack, offering a new condition. "How about this: one million points, and I guarantee I won't deliberately target her from now on."
Horikita Manabu fell silent for a moment, his fingers curling slightly at his side. He knew how people like Uesugi Hara operated. Not picking a fight now didn't mean he wouldn't become an obstacle at a crucial moment. Better to settle things than leave a potential problem hanging. At last, he said just one word: "Fine."
Uesugi Hara curled his lips, amusement spreading through his eyes.
Then he spoke again, casually testing the waters. "I hear the second-year vice president, Nagumo, doesn't get along with you. Do you need any help?"
Horikita Manabu stopped and turned sideways to look at him, his gaze sharp as an eagle's. "Are you trying to join the Student Council?"
"No, not at all." Uesugi Hara waved a hand, spinning his terminal in his pocket. "I'm simply proposing a partnership." He shifted the subject, a faint insinuation in his tone. "I've heard Senior Nagumo pays particular attention to pretty girls. Horikita is already quite striking, and she's your sister. Who knows? Vice President Nagumo might take a 'special interest' in her. What do you think, President Horikita?"
The remark was like a fine needle, striking directly at Horikita Manabu's concern for his sister and his wariness of Miyabi Nagumo. Uesugi Hara saw the fingers resting on Horikita Manabu's glasses tighten almost imperceptibly.
"What do you want?" Horikita Manabu's voice was low. His gaze behind the lenses was as cold as a thin sheet of ice, but he didn't reject the offer outright.
Uesugi Hara had been waiting for that question. He shrugged. "Two million points. I won't go any lower. Given Senior Nagumo's way of doing things, if he found out he could make an issue of this, he'd probably be willing to pay even more."
What he said was half true and half false. He'd played up the "threat" posed by Nagumo while making his own asking price sound reasonable.
Horikita Manabu fell silent for two seconds, his fingers curling at his side. At last, he said just one word: "Fine."
He didn't bargain further or even ask what this "help" would involve. Apparently, compared with the trouble Nagumo might cause, two million points and Uesugi Hara as an uncertain "ally" seemed the safer choice for now.
The smile in Uesugi Hara's eyes deepened. This trip had certainly been worth it. He'd not only pocketed some cash, but also laid the groundwork for a long-term partnership.