You Will Regret This Ichinose! [119]

Horikita Suzune sat on the grass, staring blankly at her phone screen for a long time.

So… this is the difference between me and my brother?

I believed I didn’t need anyone’s help, so I discarded the power that came with interpersonal relationships. Naturally, I also lost the benefits those relationships could provide.

My brother, on the other hand, accepted and utilized that power—combining it with his own abilities—allowing him to become the most outstanding Student Council President in the history of Advanced Nurturing High School.

Hugging her knees, Horikita tapped her phone screen and opened a certain photo.

It was something she had accidentally taken during the cruise ship exam. She had originally intended to delete it, yet, for some reason, she had kept it.

And what about him?

If it were him, how would he handle this situation?

Would he discard interpersonal relationships and refuse anyone’s help?

In the end, a bitter realization formed in Horikita’s mind—

If it were him, even without speaking a word, people would still gather around and match his pace in the three-legged race.

No matter how fast or slow he moved, there would always be someone willing to adjust to him.

Even she would—

Even if Uesugi Gen weren’t as fast as her, she would still slow down to match his steps.

Because he was strong enough. Even if his physical abilities weren’t remarkable, his unparalleled intelligence and judgment made up for that shortcoming.

That was why, back on the cruise, after he had seen through the true nature of the Special Exam, the former Class B students had trusted him unconditionally.

That was why they had thrown away their guaranteed 450 class points and turned it into a personal gamble worth over 80 million private points.

Because they believed that even if they played the game again, they would still win.

The former Class A leader, Sakayanagi Arisu, was the same. She compensated for her weak physical abilities with other strengths, yet she still commanded her entire class effortlessly.

Looking at it that way, the conclusion was obvious—

Horikita Suzune wasn’t strong enough.

Her other abilities were decent, but they weren’t strong enough to cover for her lack of teamwork skills. That was why she had been placed in D-Class, the group of so-called “defective” students.”

So… should she compromise?

A flicker of hesitation flashed in Horikita’s eyes.

Should she abandon her belief in self-reliance, build relationships, and compensate for her lack of teamwork in order to earn her brother’s recognition?

Should she lower her head… accept help… and allow others to see her as nothing more than a weakling in need of assistance?

Unconsciously, Horikita bit her lip.

The moment you bow your head, people see the weakness in your heart.

And Horikita Suzune—refused to let anyone see her weakness.

I… don’t want this. I don’t want to lower my head. I don’t want to accept others’ help. I don’t—

…

Huh?

Just as Horikita closed her eyes, struggling internally, a sudden cool sensation on her face snapped her back to reality.

Someone’s here!

Her instincts kicked in immediately. Having trained in judo, taekwondo, and other martial arts, Horikita reflexively grabbed the intruder’s hand, preparing to throw them to the ground.

"Whoa, whoa—I'm just here to check on you, and you’re already trying to attack me?”

A familiar voice stopped her mid-motion.

“…You?”

Releasing her grip, Horikita narrowed her eyes in mild annoyance.

"I figured there’d be a troubled young girl sitting around here, waiting for my guidance," Uesugi remarked, adjusting his collar with a smug air.

“Here, have a drink. You’ll feel better. You looked like you were about to cry just now.”

Without hesitation, he tossed a cold drink into her hands—the same one he had just pressed against her face.

Horikita caught the bottle and stared at it for a moment.

“…Why is it cola?”

“What, do you have a problem with the most popular beverage in the world?”

Uesugi feigned outrage, as if she had insulted his most beloved drink.

Horikita didn’t respond. She simply cracked open the can, lifted it to her lips, and took a long gulp.

"…It’s drinkable," she admitted flatly.

Uesugi grinned and plopped down beside her on the grass.

The sun was beginning to set, casting golden hues across the sky.

“…Uesugi, do you think I should try getting along with others?”

Horikita’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, watching as the clouds glowed with a soft golden rim.

"That depends entirely on you," Uesugi replied, lying down on the grass without a care.

Horikita fell silent.

“…I don’t want to engage in pointless socializing.”

“Then don’t. It’s not like anyone’s forcing you.”

Uesugi spread his hands in a helpless shrug.

Hearing his words, Horikita lowered her head in thought.

Deep down, she knew she had two choices:

One— Abandon her long-standing belief in solitude, build relationships, and develop teamwork skills to cover her weaknesses.

Two— Continue honing her own abilities, refining them to the point where she could entirely compensate for her lack of teamwork.

For as long as she could remember, Horikita Suzune had always chosen the second path.

But then—

She had followed her brother’s footsteps to Advanced Nurturing High School, a place that valued strength, only to be placed in D-Class.

And now, with her brother in his final year and graduation drawing closer, she had become desperate to earn his recognition—causing her to lose her composure.

Horikita turned her head slightly, glancing at Uesugi, who was still lying in the grass.

If she wanted to rise to A-Class within this single year—
If she wanted to earn her brother’s approval—

And also…

“…Uesugi Gen.”

Horikita kept her gaze on the sky, her voice quiet.

"Hmm? What is it, Miss Horikita?"

“…I don’t want to change. So—”

"Wait for me."

"Wait until I’ve grown strong enough to defeat you."

"Before graduation, I will defeat you and make you acknowledge me as a strong opponent."

“…I don’t mind.” Uesugi smirked. “But you’d better work hard. Sitting around in the dorms reading all day won’t be enough to beat me.”

Hearing this, Horikita silently pushed the half-empty cola back into his hands.

"Take it back. Also… this stuff is terrible."

“…Hey—what the—?! You little—!”

Ignoring Uesugi’s exasperated complaints, Horikita turned away and headed toward the track field.

...

Horikita finally found her assigned three-legged race partner—Nishimura Ryūko.

“Nishimura.”

At the sound of her name, Nishimura stiffened slightly before turning her back toward Horikita.

“…What do you want? I already told Kushida—I requested a new partner. If you need one, go ask someone else.”

“Nishimura, based on our test results, we are the most optimal pairing.”

“So what? I still can’t keep up with your pace.”

“If we practice, we can theoretically match our steps perfectly.”

“Who has time to practice for some race we don’t even know if we can win?”

Horikita narrowed her eyes slightly.

“Nishimura… from what I understand, you’re desperately low on private points, aren’t you?”

“…So?”

“If you cooperate with me, and we place in the top ranks—I’ll give you all the prize points.”

“…”

Nishimura turned around slowly, staring at Horikita in disbelief—

As if she were seeing her for the first time.

---

T/N: hmmm i thought nishimura was in class c...

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!