You Will Regret This Ichinose! [212]

As time quietly flowed into January, the two-week winter break vanished in the blink of an eye. Before they knew it, the former B-Class students were stepping into their third semester at Advanced Nurturing High School.

Perhaps to shake off the lingering chill of winter, students clustered in small groups around the classroom, animatedly sharing interesting stories from their holiday.

Among them, the one drawing the most attention was none other than the right-hand man of Advanced Nurturing High’s Dark Side—Kanzaki Ryuji.

“Hey, Kanzaki-kun, did you take little Asako to the movies on Christmas?”

A girl’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she pried for gossip.

“Kanzaki, not bad! You managed to carry out a secret romance right under our noses. If it weren’t for Uesugi, our entire class would still be in the dark.”

Sumida elbowed Kanzaki playfully, his tone teasing.

Another male student shoved Sumida aside, eager to ask his own burning question.

“Did you catch up to that bastard Uesugi that day? He cut off the livestream halfway through his escape! I paid for that stream! That guy has no sense of integrity!”

That damn guy dodged him left and right, slipped into the dorms, and vanished without a trace!

Sitting at his desk, Kanzaki clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he replayed the scene in his mind.

That bastard Uesugi…

He spent all his time holed up in his room gaming, yet the moment he ran, Kanzaki—a Kanzaki family heir who trained regularly—actually lost to him.

How is that even fair?!

Thinking back to the beginning of the school year, he couldn’t believe he had once fallen for Uesugi’s nonsense.

"Kanzaki, I don’t have much stamina. Could you carry my bag for me?"

"Kanzaki, I’m too weak. Help me get two days off from class."

"Kanzaki…"

And worst of all—

"A ruler is plagued by many ailments. You must bear the burden in his stead!"

That grand speech had completely bamboozled him. It had motivated him to strive forward and work hard, taking on the vast majority of class responsibilities. And the worst part?

He had actually enjoyed it.

Damn it, you bastard!

Even my family’s company doesn’t scam its employees this badly! You’re the very definition of an evil capitalist who deserves to be hanged from a lamppost!

Damn it, you scumbag!

BAM!

Speak of the devil…

The classroom door swung open, and Uesugi Gen staggered inside, looking like a soulless husk. His eyes were vacant, his steps unsteady.

He took only a few steps before—

THUNK!

He slammed straight into the corner of a desk.

Lowering his head, he ignored it and continued wobbling toward his seat.

THUNK!

THUNK!

THUNK!

The entire class stared, watching his bizarre, zombie-like movement.

Then, as if by silent agreement, they all turned toward the person who had followed him in—Ichinose Honami.

…Is he okay?

“Daijoubu yo~”

Ichinose, carrying Uesugi’s bag, gave them a reassuring smile.

“It’s just normal withdrawal symptoms. He’ll be fine soon.”

Uesugi Gen collapsed into his seat, burying his head in his arms.

The surface of the desk… so cold… so hard…

Just like this cruel, merciless world.

Clenching his jaw, he fought back the urge to sob.

Since that day, he had been stripped of his freedom and imprisoned in the sixth level of Impel Down—Infinite Hell.

They had confiscated his room keycard, copied it, and distributed it among themselves, granting them unrestricted access to his space.

The joyous, all-night gaming marathons were now nothing but a distant dream.

And worst of all—his gaming time was severely restricted.

A measly two hours a day.

So this… is the price of having a harem?

Uesugi Gen turned his gaze toward the brilliant blue sky outside, his sadness immeasurable.

“…Did his soul get sucked away?”

The girl seated in front of him, Himeno Yuki, shot Ichinose a skeptical look.

“Yes,” Ichinose answered solemnly. “The Uesugi Gen before you is no longer the same Uesugi Gen. His soul has long since crossed the Sanzu River, following the spirits of his departed treasures. All that remains is an empty shell.”

Uesugi slowly lifted his head, his voice low and haunting—like a vengeful spirit lingering in the mortal realm.

“PAH!”

Kanzaki Ryuji smacked him hard on the back of the head, veins subtly bulging on his forehead.

“I still haven’t settled the score with you from last time, and now you’re here playing dead?!”

“Oi, don’t be so cold, Kanzaki! We’re beloved friends! Brothers-in-arms!”

Uesugi instantly snapped back to life, flashing an ingratiating smile.

“…So this is why you were using him to make money through livestreams?”

From behind, Shibata interjected with an unimpressed tone.

“Silence, Shibata!”

Uesugi rebuked with righteous indignation.

“I was merely helping them record precious memories!”

“Besides, didn’t you all pay quite willingly? If it weren’t for your enthusiastic participation, how could my humble stream have ever taken off?”

“……”

The entire class fell into a collective silence—before collectively whistling and looking away.

“YOU SHAMELESS BASTARD!!”

Kanzaki finally snapped, grabbing Uesugi’s hands and engaging him in a wrestling match.

“You dare defy Advanced Nurturing High’s Dark Side? I advise you to reconsider.”

Uesugi showed no signs of backing down, firmly resisting as the two quickly descended into a scuffle.

---

Unlike Uesugi Gen’s overwhelming despair, Ryuen Kakeru—the delinquent leader of 1-C—was in a rather good mood today.

According to their previous deal, he had given Uesugi the answers to their class’s special exam math test. In return, Uesugi had used his student council privileges to create an opportunity for Ryuen—an opportunity to finally catch that masked perverted voyeur.

Of course, that bastard Uesugi had scoffed at the idea and even offered to outright tell him the culprit’s identity.

Naturally, Ryuen had rejected it on the spot.

What’s the fun in that?

A true hunter catches his prey. That’s the thrill of the game.

Unlike Uesugi, this masked pervert felt like someone similar to himself—dark, ruthless, and utterly cold-blooded.

And hunting down someone like him?

That’s the ultimate thrill.

A slow, wicked grin spread across Ryuen’s face.

He couldn’t wait.

As the bell rang, 1-C’s homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, stepped into the room with a strangely awkward expression.

Ryuen propped his leg up on his chair, lazily glancing at the man.

“Sakagami, let me guess—we’ve got a special exam coming up.”

“Oh…?”

Sakagami adjusted his glasses and gave Ryuen a curious look.

“Even I just received the school’s notice a moment ago. Your information network is quite impressive.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the class erupted in noise.

“No way! A special exam on the first day back?!”

“They’re not even giving us a grace period?!”

“Damn it, I haven’t even fixed my sleep schedule yet!”

“Shut it, you morons.”

Ryuen silenced them with a sharp command, gesturing for Sakagami to continue.

“…Well,” Sakagami hesitated.

“It’s not an official special exam. That will take place in two weeks. However…”

“…Before that, the school has mandated a Leadership Swap between classes.”

A deep, ominous feeling crept into Ryuen’s gut.

“…Which class did we get?”

Sakagami exhaled slowly before uttering two words.

“Class D.”

F*ck.

As soon as he thought of those monsters in Class D, Ryuen felt a migraine incoming.

Random allocation, my ass.

THIS HAS TO BE UESUGI GEN’S DOING!!!

---

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!