You Will Regret This Ichinose! [171]

The time rewinds to noon—lunchtime.

“Click.”

The doorknob of the second-floor dormitory was gently turned. Just as Uesugi Gen was eagerly preparing to continue his online vendetta, he turned his head in confusion.

Shiina?

Besides himself, the only person with a keycard to this room was her. But why was she here at this time?

A cute girl with silver hair, violet eyes, and gray thigh-high stockings came into view.

“Good afternoon, Miss Shiina.”

Though he had no idea why she was here now, Uesugi Gen still welcomed her presence.

Upon seeing him in the room, Shiina Hiyori’s purple eyes lit up with joy. She pressed her hands together as if relieved and said:

“As I thought, Uesugi-kun is here.”

“Hmm?”

Uesugi Gen raised an eyebrow. “So, you expected me to be here?”

“I knocked on the door of your old room earlier, but there was no response.”

Shiina Hiyori explained while bending down to slip off her small leather shoes. She then stepped into the room in her socks.

She knocked on my old room’s door…

Uesugi Gen observed the slight worry that flashed across her delicate features.

Anyone who knew him well enough would understand that the message he sent was completely staged. The former Class B students hadn’t reacted because he had secretly informed a select few of the truth and asked them to maintain the class’s stability.

So that’s why she thought I might be here?

“Um…”

Shiina Hiyori hesitated before softly asking, “Uesugi-kun, are you… really okay?”

“I’m fine, really. No problem at all.”

Uesugi Gen waved a hand dismissively, already thinking about how to reveal the truth to this girl who had come all this way out of concern for him.

“Is it alright for you to be here at this time, Miss Shiina? Isn’t class starting soon?”

Seeing that he seemed unharmed, Shiina Hiyori walked past him and headed for the cupboard. She took out a tea set and began rinsing it in the sink.

“It’s fine. I requested leave from the teacher, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

Uesugi Gen’s mind stalled for a moment. If I’d known she would go this far, I would’ve just told her the truth sooner…

The tea set was soon cleaned, and the water in the electric kettle began bubbling and steaming.

“Um…”

After some thought, Uesugi Gen slowly spoke. “Miss Shiina, now that you know I’m fine, you can go about your own matters. No need to stay for my sake.”

Shiina Hiyori nodded, placed a teacup in front of him, and sat down in a seiza position.

“In that case, I choose to stay with Uesugi-kun.”

This girl…

Uesugi Gen gave a wry smile.

“Miss Shiina, actually—”

He picked up the teacup, blew on it lightly, and continued, “I knew this whole rumor situation was coming. I already prepared countermeasures. You could even say that this whole thing was orchestrated by me. So really, there’s no need for you to worry.”

“I know.”

“Huh?”

Uesugi Gen turned to look at her, surprised.

“Because Ryūen-kun’s behavior was far too suspicious.”

She elaborated calmly.

Ryūen, you useless mutt. Your lousy acting couldn’t even fool a girl. You better give me my damn million points back!

“Then why—”

“That doesn’t mean it has no effect on you. Just because you anticipated the rumors and prepared for them doesn’t mean they wouldn’t still hurt.”

Shiina Hiyori’s expression turned solemn.

“Sometimes, the most dangerous criminals don’t kill with their hands but with their words.”

Malice that leads to irreversible destruction is born from the hearts of people…

She really took time off just to check on me?

Uesugi Gen let out a silent sigh as he gazed at the book-loving girl before him.

“Miss Shiina, you really are kind.”

“Eh—!”

Shiina Hiyori flustered, her face turning a light shade of red. She waved her hands quickly.

“N-not at all! I just… borrowed those words from a novel I read.”

“Also… aren’t you going to ask me why I did all this?”

Uesugi Gen pressed further.

Shiina Hiyori tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.

“Uesugi-kun, aren’t we friends? Supporting a friend doesn’t require a reason.”

“And besides, you never asked me about Class C’s internal matters either, did you? I trust that you’ve already planned everything. All I need to do is support you.”

Uesugi Gen’s heart skipped a beat.

That’s unfair, Miss Shiina. That was a direct critical hit…

He grabbed his tea and took a large sip, as if surrendering. Then, he walked over to his computer and shut it down.

Pulling open a drawer, he took out a book before returning to his seat.

“Uesugi-kun, what are you doing?”

Shiina Hiyori asked curiously.

“I surrender. I’ll read with you.”

Uesugi Gen answered bluntly.

“Since you chose to sacrifice your class time just to stay with me, I can’t very well ignore you, can I?”

At that moment, Shiina Hiyori’s violet eyes shone brighter than ever.

“Really? Are you sure? I won’t be bothering you?”

Three consecutive questions—this girl really did love books, didn’t she?

“Yeah.”

Uesugi Gen nodded, waving the book in his hand.

“I originally meant to give this to you as a gift, but I suppose I’ll have to hand it over early.”

Farewell, My Love—that was the novel’s title.

“You said before that you couldn’t find it in the library, right? Well, I happen to know the owner of the school bookstore. I asked him to check outside the school, and he managed to find a copy.”

Uesugi Gen bent forward slightly, passing the book into Shiina Hiyori’s hands.

She quietly accepted it, gently cradling the book with both hands. Her lips parted slightly.

“Thank you, Uesugi-kun.”

“No… it’s me who should be thanking you, Miss Shiina. It’s an honor to have you as a friend.”

“Then…”

Shiina Hiyori opened the book, shifting slightly to the side as she eagerly invited him:

“Uesugi-kun, let’s read it together.”

Uesugi Gen scooted closer to her and sighed helplessly.

“Just so you know, if I fall asleep, wake me up.”

“You won’t. I believe in you, Uesugi-kun.”

…

“Wait, what? Why isn’t she the culprit? Her actions totally contradict each other!”

“See here? The author left a clue. It suggests there’s another hidden truth.”

—

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!