Back in his dorm room, Uesugi Hara leaned against his chair, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the desk as he went over the deal from beginning to end.
There were no loose ends.
Although he had deliberately played the part of a "greedy man" in front of Horikita Manabu, so what?
There was nothing shameful about making money.
Even if he had taken a slight advantage of the other party at certain points, a deal required both sides to be willing. Even if Manabu saw through him, he couldn't point to any obvious wrongdoing.
As for whether he was targeting Horikita Suzune, Uesugi Hara gave a low laugh and flopped onto the bed. That woman was already full of sharp edges, and she was so stubborn she'd get caught up in every little thing. She'd probably narrow her own path soon enough. He hardly needed to go out of his way to do anything.
He picked up his phone and sent Kushida Kikyo a message, asking her to come over. It really was time they sat down and planned how to deal with Horikita Suzune.
"Huh? You're saying you won't help me deal with Horikita Suzune anymore?" Kushida Kikyo's voice rose sharply, and the smile vanished from her eyes. "Why? Was what I paid you not enough, or were you planning to go back on your word all along?"
Uesugi Hara took a sip of water, his tone still calm. "Don't get upset. I'll explain."
He looked up at her. "You know who the student council president is, right?"
"I do." Kushida Kikyo frowned, impatience creeping into her voice. "Who doesn't? Everyone at school respects him. He has a lot of influence. But what does that have to do with me?"
"The student council president's last name is Horikita," Uesugi Hara said, his gaze fixed on her face. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "The same Horikita as Horikita Suzune."
Kushida Kikyo's expression froze. A few seconds later, she managed a cold smile. "So? You're scared?"
"I'm not scared." Uesugi Hara shook his head. "I made a deal with him. One of the conditions was that I stop targeting Horikita Suzune."
"So you're just going to abandon me?" Kushida Kikyo lowered her eyes to the floor, her voice tinged with self-mockery. "I suppose I was always someone you could throw away whenever you felt like it."
"I never said I wouldn't help you." Uesugi Hara cut her off. "I only said I wouldn't help you 'deal with Horikita Suzune' anymore."
"Is there a difference?" She looked up at him, unmistakable doubt in her eyes.
"Of course there is." Uesugi Hara's tone grew more certain. "You want to target her for two reasons, right? First, she knows about your past. Second, you can't stand that she's more popular and more dazzling than you. Am I wrong?"
"..." Kushida Kikyo clenched the hem of her clothes until her fingertips turned white, but she didn't argue.
"Looks like I was right." Uesugi Hara watched her slight reaction, his tone unchanged.
"So what!" She jerked her head up, her voice carrying a hint of barely contained hurt. "In the end, it's still the same! What she knows will always hang over my head like a sword. As long as she's still at this school, everyone's attention will keep turning toward her. Even if you don't help me deal with her, these problems aren't going to disappear on their own!"
"What an interesting expression." Uesugi Hara stood and walked over. He gripped Kushida Kikyo's chin, forcing her to look up at him.
He gazed into the eyes that were usually filled with a gentle smile. Now they were like glass with a crack in its disguise, suddenly revealing a hint of panic.
The shame and anger she'd felt when he exposed her true feelings hadn't yet faded. Now that he had grabbed her chin and forced her to look up, indignation at the intrusion joined them. Her lashes fluttered rapidly, as if trying to hide the flash of discomposure in her eyes. Her lips pressed into a taut line, and a faint blush rose across her cheeks.
"Heh." Uesugi Hara gave a low laugh and released her chin, but didn't step back. Looking down at her, he said, "With Horikita Suzune's personality, that stupid woman doesn't care about your little secrets at all. And your homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae—she's kept some things from you, hasn't she?"
He paused. His voice took on undisguised scorn, as if mocking an especially clumsy attempt at concealment. "She probably told you that only graduating from Class A guarantees a 100% rate of further education and employment, but she never mentioned that 20 million private points could get you transferred to another class, did she?"
Kushida Kikyo touched her chin where he'd gripped it and turned away, ignoring his first remark. "So what if 20 million points can get me transferred? I never cared about graduating from Class A in the first place."
"You shouldn't think that way." Uesugi Hara lowered his voice, making it sound almost like a hook. "You should think about what your so-called 'friends' would do if you had 20 million points. What about 40 million?"
He leaned toward her, his words practically overflowing with temptation. "With 20 million, they'd envy you and look at you with ingratiating smiles. With 40 million, they'd flock to you like ants drawn to sugar, eager to curry favor and become the person closest to you, hoping you'd give them a hand at the end."
As he spoke, he finally took half a step back, his gaze sweeping over her tense profile. "Even if you don't have that much, look at the state Class D is in. If you had even one or two million points, do you think they'd dare offend you and try to curry favor with Horikita Suzune instead?"
Kushida Kikyo's gaze went vacant for a few seconds. Her lashes drooped as if she were picturing something in her mind—perhaps her friends crowding around to please her, or perhaps herself at the center of their attention.
Her fingers curled unconsciously. It took two and a half minutes before she suddenly came back to herself, her teeth having lightly bitten a red mark into her lip.
"So what?" When she looked up, there was less despondency in her voice than before, but more helpless resignation to reality. "You can make it sound as nice as you want, but with the points I can get right now and Class D dragging everyone down, where am I supposed to get that much? Am I supposed to make it appear out of thin air?"
Though she said that, the fingers clutching her clothes had quietly relaxed, and the spark he'd kindled in her eyes hadn't quite gone out.
Uesugi Hara didn't reply. He merely tapped the screen of his Terminal twice.
He picked up the Terminal and turned the screen toward Kushida Kikyo, slowly waving it in front of her. The balance on his profile page shone clearly. The long string of digits hit her like a punch to the gut, instantly scattering the doubts she'd just managed to suppress.
A full seven million private points!
She unconsciously held her breath, lips parted, forgetting even the pain of the mark on her lip. The eyes that were always filled with a gentle smile now held nothing but undisguised shock, along with a trace of longing stirred up by that enormous sum—a longing she hadn't even noticed in herself.
Seeing Kushida Kikyo's pupils contract and her breathing slow, Uesugi Hara knew he'd done enough. His fingers tightened as he moved to take back the Terminal.
But he'd only pulled it halfway back when two hands clamped around his wrist. Kushida Kikyo had leaned toward him without him noticing. Her knuckles had turned white with the force of her grip, and her shoulders were tense, as if she feared the numbers would vanish at any moment.
Her gaze was still glued to the screen. Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly, but there was a stubborn note in it too. "Wait..."
"You want it?" Uesugi Hara deliberately paused, lightly tapping the edge of the Terminal. The numbers on its screen shifted slightly with the movement.
He watched Kushida Kikyo tighten her grip on his wrist, amusement practically spilling from his tone as if teasing a little beast staring at bait. "If you want it, you'll have to offer something worth trading for it, won't you?"
Kushida Kikyo's fingers stiffened. Her gaze finally left the screen, and when she looked up at him, some of the longing for those numbers still lingered in her eyes.
She bit her lower lip. Her voice was quieter than before, but carried a hint of desperation. "What do you want? As long as it's something I can do..."
She trailed off, then stopped. Judging by how confident Uesugi Hara looked, he'd clearly already decided on his terms.
Uesugi Hara looked at her and gave a low laugh, gently tugging at his wrist. This time, Kushida Kikyo didn't keep her grip tight. Her fingers slid loose, though she didn't quite pull her hands away, as if she were afraid of getting too far from the Terminal.
"Easy." He tucked the Terminal back into his pocket. The moment the screen went dark, Kushida Kikyo's eyes visibly dimmed. "Stop fixating on Horikita Suzune, and stop thinking about using all those roundabout schemes. Just do as I say. First, win over the people in Class D, then keep expanding your network. Once you've built up enough capital, you won't have to worry about getting ahead."
He paused, then added, "As for points...if you do as I say, I might lend you some from time to time."
Kushida Kikyo stared at the pocket where he'd put the Terminal and swallowed. Uesugi Hara's offer to "lend her a little" tickled at her thoughts like a feather. She knew all too well that when he said "a little," he never meant a small sum.
"Win over Class D?" She quickly came around, unconsciously twisting her sleeve around her fingers. "But they all have their own agendas now. Some of them can't even be bothered with class matters..."
"That's your problem." Uesugi Hara cut her off, his tone casual. "Aren't you best at making people like you? Whether you put on an act or mean it, you just have to make them feel that 'there's nothing to lose by following Kushida Kikyo.'" He raised his chin toward her. "You can't let the talents you hide beneath that gentle exterior go to waste on Horikita Suzune alone, can you?"
His words struck a nerve, but they also made Kushida Kikyo's eyes brighten.
She fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile. It was less artificially sweet than usual, and sharper, as if lit by the promise of profit. "All right. I know what to do."
Uesugi Hara watched her, satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He'd known it: compared to the empty promise of "dealing with a rival," real, tangible benefits would make this woman see where her interests lay.