Ichinose Honami gazed at Uesugi Gen with her bright, sky-blue eyes, full of anticipation. It was like a kitten meowing at its owner, begging for a treat.

  Here it comes!

  Ichinose’s signature sparkling-eye assault. Every time, he ended up surrendering under this move, forced to agree to her demands.

  But this time was different.

  This was about his ambition—his long-held goal. It was a matter of principle, and there was absolutely no way he could concede.

  At that moment, Uesugi’s mind raced at full speed, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

  Got it! His eyes lit up.

  “Ichinose!”

  Uesugi suddenly took hold of Ichinose’s soft, fair hand.

  “Eh?”

  Ichinose’s big blue eyes flickered with an almost imperceptible trace of panic.

  Hmph, just as I expected.

  Her reaction didn’t escape Uesugi’s keen observation.

  On the surface, she was always cheerful, outgoing, and straightforward in her interactions with others. But deep down, she still had a maiden’s shyness.

  Normally, she was the one unching attacks, leaving him flustered and at a loss for how to respond.

  In the end, he would always end up at her mercy.

  But today is different. For the sake of securing his position as css leader, he had to take the initiative!

  His bold action was meant to send a clear message to Ichinose.

  If Ichinose can do it, so can I. From now on, the roles are reversed!

  “Since the first day of school, I’ve thought that Ichinose is really beautiful.”

  Uesugi decred his counteroffensive.

  Eh?

  EHH?!

  Ichinose’s face wasn’t just red anymore—it was glowing like a ripe apple. Her dazzling blue eyes swirled in confusion as her brain short-circuited, steam practically rising from her head.

  “Th-That’s not true! I’m not as great as Uesugi-kun says!”

  She waved her hands frantically, her words tumbling out at lightning speed.

  “But Ichinose really is beautiful.”

  Uesugi feigned a puzzled expression as he continued.

  “When you smile, you’re beautiful.”

  “When you bring me breakfast, you’re beautiful.”

  “When you wake me up in the morning, you’re the most beautiful.”

  Three consecutive strikes—critical hit.

  Uesugi had just drained Ichinose’s HP bar in one move.

  “Ah… Ahhh!!!”

  Ichinose covered her burning face with both hands, stumbling toward Uesugi before colpsing bonelessly into his arms.

  “…Am I really that great?”

  She murmured softly, leaning against his chest.

  Mission accomplished!

  Where Ichinose couldn’t see, Uesugi smirked in triumph.

  Now’s my chance!

  Ichinose’s intelligence had plummeted to critical levels. He had to take advantage of this moment to steer the conversation away from the issue of the Uesugi Group.

  “That’s why… because I like Ichinose, and because she already spends so much time handling css affairs…”

  As he spoke, he inhaled the faint fragrance of her hair, absentmindedly running his fingers through her silky pink strands.

  “If Ichinose also joins the Uesugi Group, it’ll be too much for you.”

  “I don’t want you to get overworked, so just leave the Uesugi Group to me.”

  “That… That’s not true. As long as I’m with Uesugi-kun, I’ll always be happy…”

  “…”

  Girl, can you not be this perfect? You’re making me look like the bad guy here.

  Seeing his first pn fail, Uesugi quickly switched tactics.

  He cleared his throat, putting on a serious expression.

  “Actually, Ichinose… you’ve already been part of the Uesugi Group for a long time.”

  “Huh? But you never told me that.”

  Ichinose’s soft, slightly pouting voice came from within his arms.

  “Well, that’s because… Ichinose is the css leader of Css B.”

  At this moment, Uesugi betrayed his own principles, suppressing his inner turmoil as he made a painful decision—Ichinose Honami would become the leader of Css B… for exactly one second.

  “So, from the very beginning, the Uesugi Group has always been under your leadership. It’s just that you’re usually too busy, so I’ve been managing it for you.”

  It’s just a title, anyway. You can still order cssmates around like always. Handing you the nominal leadership of the Uesugi Group isn’t a big deal.

  As long as I remain the true leader, the group stays under my control.

  As long as Kanzaki and the others continue to keep you in the dark when making moves, the Uesugi Group will remain my personal secret unit.

  The only thing he had to watch out for… was that unknown traitor.

  At the thought of this, a cold smirk pyed at the corners of Uesugi’s lips.

  Did you think defecting to Ichinose’s side would protect you? Just wait. I’ve already devised a pn.

  What awaits you… is hell itself.

  “I can come here anytime now, right?”

  Ichinose’s breezy voice snapped Uesugi back to reality.

  “Of course… anytime you want.”

  Inside, Uesugi was bleeding. Right now, all he wanted to do was hold Ichinose and cry his heart out.

  My little base… I only got to enjoy it for a few months, and now it’s slipping away from me…

  “Then… let’s watch a movie together. This pce should be able to py movies, right?”

  Ichinose closed her eyes, resting comfortably against his chest.

  “Earlier, Mako-chan invited me to a movie, but I didn’t go. I kind of regret it now.”

  She pouted slightly before lightly pinching Uesugi’s arm.

  “You’ve never watched a movie with me before. Every time I ask, you always refuse, even though I always look forward to it.”

  Her words reminded Uesugi of something.

  Back on the uninhabited isnd, when they slept together, he had been forced to sign a series of highly unfair agreements.

  Thinking back, not only had he failed to achieve his goal of becoming css leader during the special exam, but he had also essentially sold himself off in the process.

  A complete loss.

  “What do you want to watch?”

  Uesugi sighed. A loss was a loss. He couldn’t let her down now.

  “Whatever Uesugi-kun wants to watch.”

  “That’s kind of cheating, you know.”

  ...

  Identity, a psychological thriller about a man with multiple personalities.

  Not the scariest thing in the world, but Uesugi was drawn to it purely because of the psychology aspect.

  Barely five minutes into the film, he was already dozing off, hugging Ichinose from behind.

  Feeling the drowsiness from behind her, Ichinose frowned and nudged his chin with her head.

  “You were the one who picked this movie. You can’t fall asleep now.”

  “Sorry, sorry… but Ichinose smells so nice. Holding you makes me sleepy.”

  With his eyes closed, Uesugi nuzzled against the back of her head, shifting into a more comfortable position.

  Feeling his movement, Ichinose’s breath quickened.

  She hadn’t noticed it before, since the previous times he’d hugged her, she’d been asleep.

  But now, with every touch, she became increasingly aware of his presence.

  Something inside her… felt like it was about to overflow.

  “…Uesugi-kun.”

  “Hm?”

  “I don’t… want to hold back anymore.”

  “Hold back wha—”

  Before he could finish, Ichinose turned around, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.

  “Mm…!”

  ---

  T/N: WHAAAAAAAAT