You Will Regret This Ichinose! [134]

Beside the tent.

Uesugi Gen was gazing off toward the girls’ obstacle course race.

It seemed his dear vice class representative had gotten stuck at the very first challenge.

Ichinose was currently balancing on the beam, arms stretched out as she wobbled, trying her best to steady herself. Her small foot hovered midair for quite some time before she finally took a step—only for all her effort to go to waste.

The reason?

She had accidentally glanced in Uesugi’s direction while he was watching her.

That brief lapse in focus was enough to throw off her balance, and she tumbled down, forced to start over.

When Ichinose turned toward him and playfully stuck out her tongue in embarrassment, Uesugi simply shook his head and chuckled helplessly.

Her balance really wasn’t the best.

Even so, Ichinose made up for it with her speed. She managed to recover some lost ground in the latter half and finished in fourth place—not great, but not terrible either.

Just as Uesugi was about to wrap up his cheering duties and retreat to the infirmary for some air conditioning, another figure caught his attention.

That was… Horikita Suzune.

Unlike Ichinose, Horikita had excellent athletic ability. She had already cleared several obstacles with ease. But hot on her heels was another Class C competitor, gradually closing the gap.

Then, it happened.

Both girls, locked in a fierce contest for first place, collided mid-run and crashed to the ground.

Horikita gritted her teeth and quickly got back up, but not everything could be overcome by sheer willpower. The fall had clearly injured her leg.

Though she pressed on toward the finish line, her slowed pace allowed others to overtake her one by one.

In the end, she placed second to last.

Horikita didn’t complain or make excuses. She simply maintained a calm expression and walked off the field alone.

Uesugi sighed before heading toward the infirmary.

In a secluded corner near the field, Horikita Suzune sat on the grass, arms wrapped around her knees. She stared at the ground in silence.

A set of unhurried footsteps approached from behind.

She didn’t need to turn around. She already knew who it was.

“I’m fine. I don’t need your pity.”

Her voice was cold as ever.

“I know.”

The figure sat down beside her.

“Don’t tell my brother.”

A hint of emotion seeped into her voice.

“Alright. If that’s what you want.”

“I’m going to keep competing.”

Stubborn. Resolute.

“No, you’re not.”

“And why should I listen to you?” Horikita snapped, her voice rising as she turned to glare at him, eyes filled with defiance and frustration.

“You’re too damn stubborn,” Uesugi replied, meeting her gaze head-on.

“If no one keeps an eye on you, you’ll push yourself until you break. Your brother can’t stop you. That means it’s up to me—your only friend.”

“Go away. I don’t need you.”

There was a slight tremor in Horikita’s voice as she shoved him away, struggling to stand.

Uesugi, however, grabbed her wrist and pulled her straight into his arms.

“Nope. You do need me. And I’m the only one you need.”

“Let me go, Uesugi Gen! I don’t need your help, and I don’t need your friendship!”

Her voice cracked with emotion as she pounded her fists against his chest, trying to break free.

“Too late.”

Instead of letting go, Uesugi tightened his hold.

“You set a goal—to defeat me. If my rival is weak, that makes me look bad.”

“So until you get strong enough to satisfy me, you’re staying put.”

“That’s completely unreasonable.”

“Life’s full of unreasonable things. This is just one more.”

“I will defeat you! So let me go and let me compete!”

“Then beat me first. But what if you never win? What if you spend your whole life losing to me? That means you’ll be stuck with me forever.”

“…You…”

Horikita lowered her head and pressed her forehead against his chest in frustration.

“Bastard…”

Uesugi held her small frame securely, his voice soft.

“I know, Suzune.”

“I know how much you were looking forward to this. I saw how you marked today’s date in your phone. How you practiced every day just to compete alongside your brother.”

“You knew… and yet you’re still stopping me?”

“If I don’t stop you, then the stubborn girl in my arms will pretend nothing happened, endure the pain, and compete anyway.”

“You’re the stubborn one…”

Uesugi gently lifted Horikita back onto her feet, his fingers running through her silky black hair.

“You can’t race anymore. But… I have a different plan. Want to hear it?”

“What plan?”

Now slightly calmer, Horikita gave him a wary look.

Uesugi pointed his thumb toward himself.

“I’m running the anchor leg in the relay. You cheer me on, and I’ll take down your brother for you!”

“…?”

Horikita blinked, momentarily stunned.

“What kind of logic is that?”

“Who says competitions are limited to the racetrack? The battle off the field is just as important. We form an alliance, take down your brother, and bam—you were part of the victory.”

“#!”

Horikita grabbed his waist and twisted it a full 180 degrees.

“You call that participation?!”

“Owowowow! Suzune, let go!”

Uesugi sucked in a sharp breath, frantically patting at her hands.

“So? Do you accept the plan?”

Horikita fell silent, contemplating.

Then, with a sharp glare, she muttered,

“Fine.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard.”

Uesugi smirked victoriously.

“I should go.”

After staying in his embrace for a little while longer, Horikita’s usual cold demeanor returned. She tried to get up.

“No rush.”

Before she could react, Uesugi swiftly scooped her up in a princess carry.

Then, in one smooth motion, he slipped off her shoes and lifted her sock-clad foot.

“Let’s check that ankle first.”

“Wh—what the hell are you doing?! I can do it myself! It’s dirty, I was just running—it’s all sweaty—ah!”

For the first time, the ever-composed Horikita Suzune let out an unexpectedly cute sound.

—

T/N: cuteeee

This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!