You Will Regret This Ichinose! [158]

Lying still on the floor, the two remained in silence.

Uesugi tightened his arms around Horikita Suzune, pulling her firmly into his embrace. He inhaled the enticing fragrance emanating from her slender frame, the sensation of her silky black hair brushing against him causing a faint ticklish itch.

“L-Let go of me…”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Nope.”

Not only did Uesugi refuse, but he also hooked his leg around hers, locking her in even tighter, his grip unyielding.

“You think I don’t know your stubborn nature? If I let you go now, convincing you will be a nightmare.”

Horikita Suzune wasn’t like most people. She was used to solving everything on her own, accustomed to an isolated, independent life. If he released her now, it wouldn’t take long before she reverted to her usual self-reliant stubbornness.

“I’ve listened to your explanation. Now let go.”

Her voice was cold, laced with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

Feeling Uesugi’s warm breath against the nape of her neck, Horikita Suzune’s entire body tinged pink. Strangely, she felt weak all over, unable to summon the strength to resist. She could only remain helplessly trapped in his hold.

“Not a chance. I finally caught you—why would I let go so easily?”

As he spoke, Uesugi closed his eyes and gently nuzzled his cheek against the back of her head. “I’ll let go after I explain everything.”

“You shameless scoundrel.”

Horikita Suzune sighed in resignation.

“You’ve known me this long, and you’re only realizing that now?” he said with a chuckle, inhaling the faint scent of her hair.

“Back on the deserted island, I was the first to inform your brother when you fell sick. And I made sure to charge him 500,000 personal points for it.”

“You’re despicable!”

“Don’t rush. There’s more. Your class started with negative 100 points—that was my doing too. I met Kikyo early on and found out she hated you, so I gave her some advice, leading her to manipulate your classmates into breaking the rules. Otherwise, at worst, your class would have only dropped to zero.”

“Remember that night you met with your brother? Do you know why his attitude suddenly changed? It’s because I got my hands on something to use against him. I threatened him with you, forcing him to accept my conditions.”

Uesugi continued his unfiltered confession, recounting what could only be described as Horikita Suzune’s personal persecution history since enrolling at Advanced Nurturing High School.

Horikita Suzune clenched her fists tightly. The more she listened, the harder her fists trembled.

“And the reason I set up the yacht duel was partly because Kikyo wanted to defeat you at least once, so I—”

“Uesugi.”

“Hmm?”

“This… is your explanation?”

The air turned ice-cold.

“Yeah. Pretty much covered everything.”

“Then you can—”

“Go—”

“DIE!!!”

With a swift motion, Horikita Suzune twisted free from his grip and straddled him in an instant. There was no grace, no mercy. She raised her fist.

BAM!

A solid punch landed squarely on Uesugi’s face. But she wasn’t done.

BAM!

Another punch followed.

BAM!

And another.

She lost count of how many times she struck him. Eventually, her strength drained, and her fists fell limp. Her head lowered, and glistening tears welled up in her eyes.

“…Why?”

With a trembling voice, she raised her hand again, pressing her palm against his chest.

“Why…”

“Why—”

“Did you torment me like this…?”

Lying there, Uesugi calmly raised a hand and gently caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

“…Because I never expected to fall for a foolishly stubborn girl like you.”

He reached out his other hand, brushing aside the stray locks of hair scattered across his face.

“That’s why I don’t want to lie to you anymore.”

A small smile tugged at his lips.

“And honestly, Horikita-san, the way you always get back up after failing is just too cute. I can’t help but want to see it a few more times.”

“You bastard…”

Horikita Suzune weakly thumped his chest.

“I am a bastard. So… do you want revenge? I’ll always welcome it. Don’t forget, you and I have a promise—you need to defeat me. Now’s your chance.”

Uesugi cupped her small face in his hands, gazing into her misty eyes with a serious expression.

“To defeat me, you’ll have to spend the next three years getting to know me inside and out.”

“And now, I have nothing left to hide. You know everything I’ve done. We’re back on equal footing.”

“So…”

He pulled her back into his embrace, whispering softly.

“Give it your best shot, my stubborn girl.”

…

No one knew how much time had passed.

Eventually, Uesugi couldn’t hold back anymore and murmured:

“…Suzune, are you still mad?”

“…Yes.”

Horikita Suzune, who had wiped away her tears, leaned against him and answered coldly.

“Then… can you do me a favor?”

“What kind of favor?”

Her voice carried a hint of suspicion.

“Help me apply some medicine. I’m in so much pain right now…”

Uesugi whimpered pitifully. “You really didn’t hold back at all. What if you ruined my face? Are you going to take responsibility and support me for life?”

Horikita Suzune let out a short laugh. “You deserved it.”

…

“Hiss—”

As the cool sensation of alcohol evaporating touched his skin, Uesugi sucked in a breath. The sting contributed its fair share to global warming.

Horikita Suzune held a cotton swab in one hand and cupped his chin with the other, carefully examining his face.

“…Strange. I punched you really hard, so why isn’t there a single mark?”

She frowned.

To be safe, she had even taken out bandages, yet there wasn’t a single scratch, bruise, or drop of blood.

“…Ahem.”

Uesugi awkwardly turned his head. “Maybe, deep down, you couldn’t bear to actually hurt me. So, even though it looked like you were hitting hard, you subconsciously held back.”

Horikita Suzune glanced at her own hand, then at Uesugi’s completely unscathed face.

She fell into deep thought.

Wait… could it be that I really… couldn’t bring myself to hurt him?

But—

“Well, since you’re perfectly fine, get out.”

Horikita Suzune promptly issued an eviction notice.

She had been emotionally wrecked by this guy too many times today. She needed some time to collect herself.

“…Can’t I stay a little longer?”

“No. Leave. Now.”

She pointed firmly at the door.

“…Fine.”

Under her stern gaze, Uesugi unwillingly shuffled toward the exit.

A few seconds later.

“…Hm? Why are you back?”

“Uh, Horikita-san… I can’t reattach the doorknob.”

“….”

“So… can I crash here for the night?”

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

—

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!