After returning from the isnd retreat, Uesugi Gen went back to his untraceable, hidden NPC status—one that required a special summoning method to find.

  He pulled the curtains shut, blocking out the gring sunlight outside.He set the air conditioner to silent mode, letting the cool air quietly fill the room.Snacks and drinks? All prepped—enough to st him the whole day.

  Finally, Uesugi double-checked his phone’s location settings, ensuring that tracking was completely turned off. Satisfied, he nodded to himself.

  During the holiday break, barely any students would come to the school building, especially since they had to put on their uniforms just to enter.

  With the new semester just around the corner, most students who had earned a ton of private points from the exams were out having the time of their lives. Studying? No way in hell.

  Which meant—

  Even if the heavens themselves descended, there was no way anyone could find me, Uesugi Gen.

  With that comforting thought, Uesugi took a sip of his co, ready to put on his headphones and dive into his own personal world.

  Knock… knock…

  "……"

  That must’ve been the heat messing with my head. Hold on, let me set the temperature to 16 degrees and clear my mind.

  Without hesitation, he grabbed the air conditioner remote and rapidly pressed the button to lower the temperature.

  Beep… beep… beep…

  Tossing the remote aside, Uesugi wiped his forehead and exhaled deeply.

  Alright, my brain is working fine now. Time to get back to my game.

  Knock… knock…

  Wait… it wasn’t my imagination?!

  His expression grew serious as he turned toward the door. Removing his headphones, he silently pced them on the desk.

  Moving with soundless steps, Uesugi fshed over to the cssroom door, pressing his ear against it.

  An empty school building… a sudden, unexpined knocking…A lone, helpless high school student…

  This could only mean one thing.

  One of the Seven Mysteries of the Campus.

  —The Knocking Ghost.

  Like hell it is!

  It’s probably just a school staff member checking the cssroom’s electricity usage.

  Straightening his clothes with confidence, Uesugi grabbed the doorknob, prepared to demonstrate the authority of the Student Council Vice President.

  "Good afternoon, Uesugi—"

  "How dare you! I am the exalted—" (simultaneously)

  SLAM!!

  Uesugi immediately smmed the door shut, pressing his back against it. His brain went into overdrive, analyzing the current situation.

  Wasn’t she supposed to be at the movies with Amikura?

  What the hell is going on? Did she decide to go straight for my hideout instead?

  Kanzaki should’ve only told her that I had a secret activity room, but not the actual location.

  So… who the hell betrayed me and leaked my hideout to her?!

  Within just a few seconds, Uesugi had already come up with a hundred different ways to deal with the traitor.

  "If you don’t open the door, I’m gonna get mad."

  Ichinose Honami’s sweet voice snapped Uesugi back to reality.

  Killing the thought of escaping through the window, Uesugi took one st longing look at his sanctuary.

  Farewell, my carefree days of freedom.

  Accepting his fate, he opened the door with a defeated tone.

  "Come in."

  "Excuse the intrusion."

  Ichinose politely said the customary words but wasted no time stepping inside.

  As soon as she entered, the chilly air conditioning washed over her, making her frown slightly.

  "Even if it's hot, you shouldn’t set the AC this low—you’ll catch a cold."

  "I was hallucinating just now."

  Uesugi responded expressionlessly.

  Already used to his personality, Ichinose automatically filtered out his nonsense and instead curiously scanned the room.

  "No wonder you’d rather leave your dorm to stay here. This pce perfectly meets all your needs."

  Of course it does. I built it myself.

  Uesugi internally grumbled.

  "Anyway, how did you even know I was here? No one should’ve known where I went today."

  Shifting the conversation, Uesugi was determined to dig out the rat who had betrayed him.

  "Oh, that~"

  Ichinose tapped her cheek with her finger, tilting her head slightly before fshing a bright smile.

  "A cssmate saw you leave the dorm in uniform, so I figured you must’ve come to the secret cssroom Kanzaki mentioned. And when I checked, I found you right away."

  "……"

  Ichinose, you’ve changed.

  You never used to lie to me.

  Uesugi’s mind churned.

  First of all, I was careful when I left my dorm. I made sure there weren’t any of our cssmates around.

  Second, with your personality, you’d usually announce yourself before knocking, rather than staying silent. And judging by the rhythm of your knocking, you knew it was me inside.

  So, the only logical conclusion is—You noticed my location disappeared from your phone’s tracking, went to my dorm and found it empty, then connected the dots based on what Kanzaki told you about my secret base.

  Finally, you either contacted someone from my Uesugi Group… or you had already extracted the location from someone long ago.

  Not that it matters.

  Right now, I’m at a complete disadvantage. I should just be grateful I can still fend off Ichinose’s incoming attack.

  "But still…"

  Ichinose puffed up her cheeks.

  "You never pnned to tell me about this pce at all. I was so shocked when Kanzaki told me about it."

  "Ah, well, you’ve been super busy, Ichinose. I meant to tell you, but then the special exams happened, and I… kind of forgot."

  Uesugi replied without a change in expression.

  "In that case…"

  Ichinose slowly closed the distance between them, her hands csped together, her breath soft against him.

  "Let me join… your Uesugi Group."

  I knew it!

  The moment I suspected a traitor within my ranks, you didn’t even bother hiding it anymore, huh?

  Under normal circumstances, there’s no way you should even know about the Uesugi Group.

  Leaking its existence is a forbidden act within my organization. Not even that fool Shibata would have the guts to spill it.

  Which means—there’s definitely a rat.

  But more importantly—

  What is the purpose of the Uesugi Group?

  Officially: A faction using aggressive methods to suppress other csses, ensuring that B-Css students graduate as A-Css while shouldering the "dark side" of B-Css.

  In reality: A secret group formed to overthrow Ichinose’s dictatorship, paving the way for Uesugi Gen to take over—To ignite the will of fire (crossed out)—No, to become the B-Css leader.

  Now here’s the problem.

  If Ichinose joins the Uesugi Group…

  Who the hell are we supposed to overthrow?!

  Oh, I see what you’re doing, Ichinose.

  I created the Uesugi Group to sideline you as css leader.

  And now you’re turning it around to sideline me as the group’s leader?!