Still groggy from sleep, Uesugi silently picked up his phone from the nightstand.
6:24 AM.
“…Let’s talk about this later. Suzune, let me sleep a little longer.”
With that, he attempted to climb back into bed, limbs sluggishly dragging him upward.
Smack!
A soft, fair foot planted itself firmly on Uesugi’s face.
“Get up.” Horikita Suzune’s cold voice rang out. “We went to bed at eleven last night. You’ve slept long enough.”
“……”
Uesugi didn’t respond with words. Instead, he acted.
Chu~
“…Not much taste to it.”
He critiqued casually.
A sudden warmth surged from her foot straight up to the crown of Horikita Suzune’s head. Her brain short-circuited for three full seconds before her entire face exploded in a shade of deep crimson.
“PERVERT!!!”
Her toned legs flexed for a second time, and with a swift kick, she sent Uesugi flying several meters across the room.
“You better wake up this instant.”
Still panting from her outburst, Horikita Suzune gritted her teeth.
…Huh?
She suddenly felt something wrap around her waist.
Looking down, she saw that Uesugi—who had just been sent flying—had somehow already crawled back onto the bed, once again clinging to her.
“Suzune, it’s the weekend. We should relax and take it easy.”
Uesugi murmured dreamily, eyes half-lidded.
“…It’s precisely because it’s the weekend that we should use this time to improve ourselves.”
Horikita Suzune grabbed his ear and gave it a sharp tug.
Uesugi fell into a contemplative silence.
“Suzune, let me ask you something.”
He opened his eyes, looking at the determined girl beside him.
“How do you usually spend your weekends?”
“Reading, studying, reviewing coursework, eating, and sleeping.” Horikita Suzune answered without hesitation. “And you?”
“Gaming, eating, gaming, eating, and sleeping.”
Horikita Suzune: “……”
Uesugi: “……”
The two stared at each other before speaking in unison—
“You trying to become a next-level scholar?”
“You trying to become a full-fledged societal dropout? (At the same time)”
Horikita Suzune rubbed her forehead, a wave of despair washing over her.
How is it possible that I’ve never beaten this guy even once? What is wrong with this world?!
“Enough!”
She shot Uesugi a glare before dragging him off the bed.
“You’re getting up right now.”
“…For what? I don’t have anything to do.”
“You’re going to watch me cook.”
Horikita Suzune’s voice was filled with resentment.
“…Hah?”
Uesugi blinked, confused.
“Stop talking. Just watch.”
…
Yawn~
Uesugi stifled a long yawn behind his hand, swaying on his feet as he lazily observed Horikita Suzune preparing food.
“Are you paying attention?”
Horikita Suzune cast him a glance, her voice cold as ever.
“This isn’t difficult. As long as you control the heat and measure the ingredients properly, it won’t taste bad. Besides, there are tons of simple tutorials online. Just follow the steps.”
If only you actually believed that yourself!
The nightmare from last night flashed through her mind, and Horikita Suzune felt a migraine coming on.
Wait—
That was just a dream! Why am I making such a big deal out of it?!
As Horikita Suzune battled her thoughts, Uesugi, who had been swaying on his feet, finally lost his balance.
He stumbled forward, instinctively wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. His breathing evened out, as if he were seconds away from falling asleep.
Perhaps it was because she had gotten used to his presence, but Horikita Suzune didn’t immediately push him away. Instead, she furrowed her brows slightly and muttered—
“Let go. You’re in the way.”
“…As long as it’s edible, who cares about perfection?”
Uesugi’s drowsy voice hummed next to her ear.
This guy…
Horikita Suzune sighed. “You’re unbelievably lazy.”
Wait.
A thought suddenly struck her, and she tested the waters—
“Uesugi. Hypothetically speaking—if I hadn’t cooked for you last night, what would you have done?”
“…Gone out to eat.”
Uesugi answered without hesitation, eyes still closed.
Horikita Suzune let out a breath of relief. He’s still somewhat redeemable.
“…But Honami was coming back in the evening anyway, so missing one meal wouldn’t have been a big deal.”
He casually added.
“#！”
Horikita Suzune stiffened. Her entire body began trembling in fury.
“…Hopeless. Completely hopeless…”
“Huh? Suzune, what are you—”
“I SAID WAKE UP!!!”
Whack!
Horikita Suzune smacked him over the head with a rice spatula.
“Right now! Immediately! You’re getting up and learning to cook! I’m watching you do it, so get moving!”
The ever-composed Horikita Suzune had once again lost her cool thanks to this infuriating man.
All she wanted was to correct this disaster of a human being.
…
Two people.
One meal.
One very noticeable red spatula mark on a certain someone’s face.
Why does this feel so familiar…?
Horikita Suzune sat upright, calmly picking up a piece of omelet. As she took a bite, the golden yolk oozed out, coating her tongue with a rich, smooth texture.
She paused.
Then, her gaze shifted toward the grinning idiot across from her.
…It’s actually good.
Turns out, this guy wasn’t completely useless. He was just lazy.
For some reason, she felt a huge weight lift off her chest.
As Horikita Suzune finished her meal, Uesugi set down his chopsticks and asked cautiously—
“Suzune… are you confident about your bet with Kikyo?”
“Hmm?”
Horikita Suzune took a sip of miso soup before responding calmly.
“When it comes to math, I’m confident I won’t lose to her.”
“…What if she already has the answers?”
Uesugi’s voice sounded incredibly guilty.
Horikita Suzune’s eyes slowly opened.
Her tone was glacial.
“…Did you do something?”
Uesugi forced a smile—one that looked even worse than crying.
“…How do you want me to die?”
For a split second, Uesugi could swear he saw a ghostly reaper holding a scythe looming behind Horikita Suzune.
“I WAS WRONG!!!”
In a panic, he latched onto her leg, wailing—
“I won’t do it again! I swear!”
“Talk.”
Horikita Suzune grabbed his ear, her voice icy.
“What’s the condition she set?”
“…It’s, uh… probably… maybe… potentially related to me.”
Her expression darkened.
“…Of course it’s you.”
She released his ear, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
“Actually, this might be a good opportunity to hand you over to her.”
“…So you forgive me?”
Uesugi’s eyes lit up with hope.
“In your next life, maybe.”
“…Damn.”
Uesugi let out a defeated sigh.
“Now—go practice cooking. Immediately.”
“Huh? Oh! Alright, alright.”
Uesugi quickly agreed.
…
The door lock had finally been repaired.
“Suzune, want me to stay over again?”
Uesugi teased.
Horikita Suzune narrowed her eyes. “Go mind your own business.”
“Fine, fine…”
With a slightly regretful sigh, Uesugi finally left.
Watching his figure disappear down the hallway, Horikita Suzune shut her door and walked toward her desk.
Her gaze landed on the unfinished copy of The Idiot lying there.
She clicked her tongue.
“…That idiot.”
With that, she shoved the book aside and pulled out a math worksheet instead.
—
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!
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