You Will Regret This Ichinose! [142]

Sakayanagi: 【Good day, Uesugi-kun. You haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you?】

Uesugi: 【I’m not a goldfish, you know. I remember everything I promised.】

Sakayanagi: 【That’s reassuring. If I may ask, what are you up to right now? Your location has been shifting quite a bit—it’s quite unlike you.】

Uesugi: 【Secret.】

Sakayanagi: 【I see. Then I won’t pry.】

Uesugi Gen put his phone away, a smirk playing on his lips.

What am I doing?

I’m stealing your people, obviously.

Your Phantom Thief is so obedient—she complains but still carries out your orders diligently. Meanwhile, my Accomplice does nothing but flame me in chat, and even after I coax her, she only acts cute for a moment before running off to cling to Horikita-san. And then, when she gets pissed off, she comes back just to make me comfort her.

Just thinking about it made Uesugi Gen envious to the point of emotional dissonance. Damn it, this is so unfair.

Sakayanagi-san, Phantom Thief won’t have a bright future with you. I can give her the life she truly desires, so…

Time for you two to break up. I’ll be her new benefactor.

"Alright, so why did you call me here?"

Kamuro Masumi looked at Uesugi Gen as if he were a pile of garbage.

Ever since that ambiguous answer he gave during the deserted island exam, her suspicion of him had shot up to 99%. She was this close to proving that Uesugi Gen was definitely that bastard.

Uesugi Gen casually scooped a spoonful of curry rice into his mouth.

"Wasn’t it Kamuro-san who followed me here?"

Kamuro Masumi pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. She shouldn’t have tailed him earlier. If she had just left him alone, she wouldn’t have been caught and dragged into eating at a restaurant with him.

…Then again, how the hell had he even noticed her?

She had hidden herself perfectly!

Wait—no, the real question was, why the hell did I actually follow him here? I could’ve just walked away!

Uesugi Gen, as if reading her mind, chuckled and said,

"Don’t overthink it, Kamuro-san. Instead of clinging to the past, isn’t it more important to focus on the present? You’ve been following me for a while—you must be getting hungry by now."

Fine!

Since he’s paying, I’ll eat my damn fill. Consider it emotional compensation for the stress he’s caused me!

Kamuro Masumi shot him a glare before grabbing the menu.

"I want this, this, and this!"

"Go for it. Order whatever you like—today, it’s all on me."

Uesugi Gen waved his hand grandly, completely unbothered.

Once Kamuro Masumi had eaten her fill, Uesugi Gen slid a cup of juice toward her and cleared his throat.

"So, Kamuro-san—"

He looked her in the eye.

"—please become my dog."

"Pfft—!"

Kamuro Masumi, mid-sip, choked violently on her drink.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

She hurriedly grabbed a napkin, dabbing at the juice that had splattered from her mouth. Then, she shot Uesugi Gen a glare filled with murderous intent.

"Do you want to die!?"

"I’ve given it some serious thought. Sakayanagi may seem like she has control over your class, but the truth is, she only cares about herself. She completely fails to understand people. Sooner or later, she’ll lose everything."

Uesugi Gen shook his head as if lamenting a tragedy.

This was the classic divide-and-conquer strategy.

Lower the enemy general’s loyalty by spreading doubt.

"And what does that have to do with me?"

"Sooner or later, her team will collapse from within. Given that, why not jump ship early and pledge allegiance to someone else?"

Uesugi Gen sat up straighter, making his pitch.

Kamuro Masumi sneered.

"Yeah, she doesn’t care much about class competition, and sure, I don’t like her personality… but what makes you think I’d like you any better? You’re even worse."

"How am I worse?"

Uesugi Gen’s tone was innocently confused.

"You know exactly what I mean."

Kamuro Masumi’s voice wavered slightly, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

How dare he act innocent!?

Who was the absolute bastard that took secret photos, threatened her, and shamelessly demanded her three sizes!?

"Kamuro-san, I never expected you to be this loyal to Sakayanagi-san…"

Uesugi Gen wiped away a nonexistent tear, then continued,

"I thought you hated—"

Kamuro Masumi clenched her jaw.

"—getting ordered around by her every day—"

Kamuro Masumi’s fists tightened.

"—getting mocked by her constantly—"

Kamuro Masumi’s nails dug into her palms.

"—getting stepped on by her—"

"BANG!"

Kamuro Masumi snapped.

She lashed out with a kick from beneath the table—only for her leg to be instantly caught between Uesugi Gen’s own.

Now immobilized, she could only glare at him.

Uesugi Gen blinked innocently.

"Kamuro-san, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Kamuro Masumi, now trapped in an awkward position, lowered her voice.

"I should be asking you that! Let go of me!"

"I can’t do that. Bad dogs who bite their master need to be disciplined."

With that, Uesugi Gen reached down—

—and slipped off her shoe.

"Hey—!"

"Kamuro-san… why not join me?"

His hand brushed against her foot, fingers skimming the soft fabric of her stockings.

"Eek! Go die!"

"But I really want Kamuro-san."

His fingers kneaded gently, applying just the right amount of pressure—

"Like hell!"

"This is my final offer."

His hand glided down, fingertips grazing the band of her thigh-high sock.

He traced along the line where the fabric ended and lightly pinched her curled-up toes.

"Nngh—stop! No… don’t—!"

Uesugi Gen sighed and finally released her.

Figures.

Kamuro Masumi’s loyalty to Sakayanagi was still absurdly high.

How the hell did Sakayanagi manage that?

Kamuro Masumi immediately pulled her leg back.

Her glossy eyes shot him a glare filled with frustration and embarrassment.

Her legs rubbed together unconsciously as she tried to compose herself.

After taking a few deep sips of her drink to calm down, Kamuro suddenly realized—

Her shoe was still on his side of the table.

"Hey! Pervert! Give me my shoe back!"

A flustered, indignant voice rang in Uesugi Gen’s ears.

"Want me to put it on for you?"

"Screw off!"

Huffing, Kamuro Masumi hastily slipped her shoe back on.

She didn’t even finish her drink before storming out of the restaurant.

"Kamuro-san!"

Uesugi Gen called out to her.

"What now?"

"Are you aware of my upcoming match with Sakayanagi tonight?"

"Why would I care?"

Kamuro Masumi didn’t even turn around.

Uesugi Gen grinned.

"What if— and I mean if—Sakayanagi loses you to me in a bet? Would you come to my side then?"

Kamuro Masumi’s steps visibly hesitated.

"…Let’s talk when you actually win."

And with that, she was gone.

---

T/N: hmm chat does he have something for feet?

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!