The moment those words were spoken—

  Not just Css D, even the students of Css B were visibly startled.

  "Ichinose actually made such a decision...?"

  Indeed, when she heard that Css D was in her cssroom, Ichinose had already roughly guessed Uesugi’s intentions.

  And the reason she rushed back in such a hurry was mainly out of concern that Uesugi might suddenly have a wild idea—like forcing Css D to choose only two out of the three people to save.

  After all, her vice css leader had a talent for making people pick between difficult options.

  Facing the students of Css D, Ichinose put her hands together apologetically and said,

  "Sorry about that. In our css, when things like this happen, he’s usually the one making the decisions."

  Hearing this, Horikita Suzune felt a wave of powerlessness rise within her.

  Even with differing ideologies, they could reach an agreement so quickly... Their unity had reached such a level.

  With this, the initiative returned to Uesugi’s hands.

  He jumped down from the podium in one swift motion, looking at the students of Css D with a mocking smile.

  "Did you really think that just calling Ichinose back would make her agree to your conditions? You’re being way too naive."

  "Everyone in Advanced Nurturing High School knows this woman is a hopeless do-gooder. Did you think I’d just let such an obvious weakness be exploited?"

  "She handles the internal affairs of our css, but anything outside of that—well, that’s my job. As long as I say no, she absolutely won’t be lending you any points."

  Ichinose tilted her head in confusion.

  Uesugi-kun… Did we ever talk about this?

  But Uesugi, thick-skinned as ever, thought to himself,

  Well, there’s no way you’d embarrass me by refuting this in front of the css. I might as well seize the chance to cement it as fact.

  Once the matter was settled, even if Ichinose wanted to oppose him, it would be too te.

  However, at this moment, Ichinose wasn't too concerned about that. Instead, she was fixated on a particur word Uesugi had just used.

  "Heh heh!"

  Ichinose scratched her head awkwardly.

  "I wasn’t complimenting you, come on. Seriously, can’t you reflect a little? Stop wasting your kindness on just anyone."

  "If you’re so eager to help others, then how about helping me? The student council president’s been hounding me about processing school paperwork. Since you have so much free time, why don’t you handle it for me?"

  Hearing this, Horikita Suzune looked at Uesugi with pure jealousy.

  This man… actually stole my brother’s attention away from me.

  "So, that’s that. No matter what tricks you pull, in Css B, if I don’t approve it, you’ll never get a single point from us. Now, please leave, Css D."

  "Oh, and you—goodbye, Redhead. Hope you behave yourself in whatever normal school you end up in. Try not to cause too much trouble."

  "Shibata, Kanzaki—see them out."

  With those words, Uesugi delivered his final ultimatum.

  "Wait!"

  Horikita Suzune clenched her teeth, deciding to py her st card.

  "You Css B students want to move up to Css A, right? You’re just one step away. We can support you in the next special exam. Having another css’s help certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing."

  "Absolutely not."

  Uesugi rejected Horikita Suzune’s offer without a second thought.

  "Whether it’s you, Css A, or even Css C—hell, all of you together—it doesn’t matter. Our css will never lose. No, in fact, I’d prefer if you all came at us at once."

  His words carried an unshakable confidence.

  Ichinose watched as Uesugi’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, letting out an internal sigh.

  If only he truly believed that. When the time comes, knowing his zy and conflict-averse nature, he’d probably just manipute the three csses into fighting each other while he sits back and profits from the chaos.

  Negotiation was all about making a high initial demand before settling for something reasonable. Since they had come to negotiate, he might as well test their actual bargaining power—though he personally had no pressing needs.

  At that moment, Horikita Suzune gnced at her phone, suddenly realizing something.

  "State your conditions. You must want something from our css."

  "Oh? Not bad."

  Uesugi raised an eyebrow in interest, his gaze shifting toward the inconspicuous figure in the crowd.

  You again? The mastermind of Css D.

  "You sent Ichinose away earlier, didn’t you? If you truly had no ulterior motives, then according to your own logic, that move would’ve been completely unnecessary."

  Cp! Cp! Cp!

  Uesugi appuded dramatically.

  "Not bad at all. As expected of Horikita Manabu’s sister—you’ve inherited at least a fraction of his judgment skills."

  "Of course. And I won’t lose to you, Uesugi Gen."

  Horikita Suzune stared at him with unwavering determination.

  "Earlier, I asked Hirata Yōsuke why he wanted to save them. Now I’ll ask you the same question. You should despise them—so why are you trying to save them?"

  Horikita Suzune folded her arms and answered bluntly.

  "Yes, I dislike them. But I’m saving them because I can’t determine whether they’ll be useful in future css battles. In this school, where even the exam formats are unpredictable, losing a single cssmate could mean falling behind the competition."

  "I see..."

  Uesugi stroked his chin thoughtfully.

  "You must really want to reach Css A. A loner like you—resorting to this for that goal?"

  "Yes. I will definitely make it to Css A. And I will definitely defeat you."

  The fire in Horikita Suzune’s eyes burned brighter.

  "I see..."

  Uesugi gave a harmless smile.

  At that moment, the students of Css B all felt their stomachs drop.

  Ichinose pressed a hand to her forehead, already dreading what was coming.

  Here he goes again!

  "Alright, Horikita Suzune. Here’s my condition. And you alone must answer. Your response will determine the fate of your three cssmates."

  "Bring it on." Horikita Suzune responded confidently.

  "I want Css D to agree to a condition in the next special exam. But—I won’t state what that condition is now. I’ll only reveal it during the exam. The condition could be as simple as buying me a bottle of water… or as extreme as making Css D withdraw from the exam entirely."

  The fire in Horikita Suzune’s eyes was instantly extinguished.

  "So? You have to choose: Do you save your three cssmates, hoping they’ll contribute to your css’s success? Or do you risk losing the next special exam, setting you even further back from Css A?"

  "Make your choice."

  A two-way gamble.

  Horikita Suzune lowered her head, her expression unreadable.

  Surrounded by her Css D peers, all looking at her with hope, her mind involuntarily conjured an image of her brother.

  Brother…

  At that moment, she recalled what he had told her the st time they spoke.

  "Suzune, Uesugi is different from you. He is truly solitary, yet for his friends, he’s willing to set aside that solitude. You should learn from him."

  …

  Horikita Suzune’s eyes snapped open.

  "I accept your condition. I will save my cssmates."

  "Deal, Miss Horikita."

  …

  After transferring the points, Uesugi seemed to recall something and casually added,

  "Oh, right. Here’s a bit of information for you—your brother’s Css 3-A has never had a single student expelled. So, this time, he should be pleased with your decision."

  "You...!"

  Horikita Suzune stared at Uesugi in shock.

  "Well then, pleasure doing business with you. Feel free to visit Css B anytime."