A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

"Then I'll give you another long sword later. It's also important to practice with a real sword regularly to get a feel for it." Uesugi Genshin thought about which sword in his inventory looked suitable for a girl.

Considering the height, the blade length should also be shorter.

“Okay,” Horikita Suzune replied, pursing her lips.

After giving her a few more pointers, Uesugi Genshin decided to end the training session.

"We have another operation this afternoon, so take a good rest during lunch break."

If you push your body to the point of breaking down, it will backfire.

"Hoo..." Horikita Suzune loosened her grip on the bamboo sword and used her free hand to remove the mask. Instantly, a breath of fresh air rushed in from all directions.

She shook her hair, which had been pressed down for a long time, and suddenly realized that her decision to cut her hair short was surprisingly wise, as it would be much easier to manage.

Of course, it would be more convenient to shave it all off, but that was not in her consideration at all. After all, she was still a young girl, and short hair was already her limit. Besides, cutting her hair short was just to show her determination.

"Is it really better to let it grow a bit longer?"

"Hmm?" Realizing that the other person wasn't talking to themselves, Uesugi Genshin looked at Horikita Suzune, who was playing with her side braid.

"As I said before, short hair looks pretty good too. As for whether to grow it long or not, just let nature take its course."

A girl's hair doesn't grow long in just one or two months.

Just as Horikita Suzune was about to say something, Ichinose's voice came from the entrance of the dojo.

"Um... is it over?"

Honami Ichinose, wearing the uniform of Advanced Nurturing High School, stood at the entrance of the dojo, her small hand gently resting on the door frame.

The school uniform looks especially youthful on a girl like Ichinose.

"Ichinose-san..." Horikita Suzune greeted her, "You're done? What brings you here?"

Logically speaking, Ichinose had no reason to come here, and for a moment she couldn't figure out Ichinose's purpose in coming here, or who she was looking for.

Thinking of this, she turned her gaze to the man beside her.

"There's something I need to do," Honami Ichinose said with a wry smile, scratching her cheek.

"How was work this morning?" Uesugi Genshin asked Ichinose with concern as he put the knife back into his waistband.

The appointment of Ichinose was likely finalized last night, and changes to several departments were posted on the bulletin board this morning.

"It's alright. It's basically the same management regulations as the previous Disciplinary Committee. Hayama-kun did a great job before, so there's no need to make any changes." Ichinose Honami smiled with a slightly relaxed expression.

"Yes, actually, part of the credit goes to Hiratsuka-sensei. Hayama's work in the Executive Department is very demanding, so he can't really focus on the Disciplinary Committee's work. Hiratsuka-sensei is still the Disciplinary Committee's advisor, so you can ask her if you don't understand anything," Uesugi Genshin offered a suggestion.

"I understand," Ichinose Honami nodded.

"So, Ichinose-san, is there anything I can help you with?" After tidying up the protective gear and placing it in the corner, Horikita Suzune also came over.

"Ah, um." Ichinose Honami's cheerful expression changed, and she looked like a troubled girl. "I have something I'd like to ask Uesugi-kun, is that alright?"

“No problem.” Being asked for trouble meant being trusted, and since it was Ichinose’s request, who was like an angel, Uesugi Genshin did not intend to refuse.

Have you ever been confessed to by a girl?

This straightforward question made Uesugi Genshin pause for a moment. "It happened a few times."

Well, the mention of "several times" made both girls present widen their eyes slightly.

Horikita Suzune's bright eyes seemed to say, "You're quite popular," while Ichinose Honami's eyes were mostly filled with surprise.

"Ah, perhaps I phrased it incorrectly. What I meant was, Uesugi-kun, have you ever rejected a girl's confession?"

"Well, I think so too," Uesugi Genshin said after a moment's thought.

"What about it?"

Perhaps genuinely finding it helpful, Ichinose Honami continued to press for answers.

"Just a few weeks ago, my shoe cabinet was stuffed with a bunch of love letters..."

"Mmm." Ichinose Honami nodded repeatedly, listening attentively.

"At that moment, Yumiko, who happened to be passing by, threw it into the trash can."

"and then?"

"And then I never received another love letter."

"I see." Ichinose Honami lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "So, Uesugi-kun has never rejected a girl's confession to her face?"

"...No, it wasn't that. Last year, when I was still a freshman, a classmate gave me a love letter." Uesugi Genshin spoke of the past in a casual tone.

“Speaking of which, Uesugi-kun is still my senior.” As if suddenly remembering something happy, Ichinose Honami smiled.

"Love letter, and then what?" Horikita Suzune asked with interest, thinking it might be useful as a reference.

"After that, I rejected her to her face, saying that I already had someone I liked."

“I see.” Ichinose Honami said, clasping her hands together as if she had just understood.

"Hey Ichinose-san, you haven't been confessed to, have you?" At this point, Horikita Suzune basically guessed Ichinose's troubles.

"Huh? Ah—yeah, I've been exposed." Tilting her head, Honami Ichinose smiled shyly.

"After all, Ichinose, you're kind-hearted and beautiful." Uesugi Genshin wasn't surprised at all by Ichinose's popularity.

Even now, Soubu High School is filled with students who take action to make friends every day.

"Eh." Hearing this kind of praise for the first time, Ichinose Honami was slightly taken aback, then immediately became shy. "Um, if it's alright, could I take up some of your time after dinner?"

"It's nothing, and I don't have anything in particular to do."

The three of them then decided to have lunch together first.

In the cafeteria, Uesugi Genshin greeted Yui and Yumiko, then sat down opposite Ichinose with his lunch.

"I never expected someone to confess to you on the very first day." At this moment, Horikita Suzune and Ichinose continued their previous conversation.

"It's probably because of the apartment allocation," Ichinose Honami gave an answer that Uesugi Genshin hadn't expected.

"What do you mean?" Uesugi Genshin asked, looking up as he sat down.

Looking across at the other side, Honami Ichinose cutely raised a finger, "Actually, our Class B's apartment hasn't been decided yet."

The reason is that everyone actually wants to live with Ichinose, and coincidentally, these days are also the time when Soubu High School is finalizing the apartment selection.

Last night, the girls from Class B actually slept together in a dormitory, just like a group camp during a school trip.

"Ah—" Uesugi Genshin understood.

Confessing your feelings at this time, is it because you want to take advantage of the situation and live together?

Hmm, if that's the case, then the person confessing must be someone you know well... After all, even if you confess to someone you don't know well, you can't just live together right away.

He vaguely remembered someone.

"What are your thoughts on the apartment accommodation?" Uesugi Genshin asked, taking a bite of the honey-glazed grilled fish with his chopsticks and chewing it a few times.

"As for me..." Honami Ichinose hesitated for a moment, then looked at Suzune Horikita beside her, "I really hope to continue living with Horikita-san."

“I don’t mind.” After swallowing the food in her mouth, Horikita Suzune turned her head and said, “It’s just that I’m living with Kushida now.”

"Kushida-san... it's okay." Honami Ichinose didn't care about the bad reviews about Kushida herself, or rather, she thought that Horikita-san should be the one who cared the most.

After the meal, Uesugi Genshin followed Ichinose alone to the side of the special building.

"..." Looking at his beloved horse in the distance, Uesugi Genshin was a little speechless.

Is it because Ichinose will probably be confessed to here? Is it really okay for the other person to choose this place so hastily?

“Well…” Ichinose Honami adjusted her breathing and quickly turned around, “I think I’m going to get confessed to here.”

really!

"..."

Would she try to brush him off with the old lie, "This is my boyfriend"? Uesugi Genshin looked around uncertainly. There were only him and Ichinose there, plus Aima watching them from a distance.

"This!" After saying this, Honami Ichinose took out a letter to show him.

This is an adorable love letter adorned with cute heart-shaped stickers. It's so cute that it confirms Uesugi Genshin's suspicions.

Since it was said that it was okay to read, Uesugi Genshin read through the contents briefly.

The handwriting in the letter was no different from the style of the envelope; it was quite beautiful, and one could even say that it was full of cute handwriting that a boy wouldn't write.

The content consisted of two things: "I've cared about you since I enrolled in school" and "I've recently realized my feelings for you."

Seeing that the agreed time was one o'clock, Uesugi Genshin glanced at his watch. Hmm, only five minutes left.

"Wouldn't it be better if I wasn't there for this?" Uesugi Genshin asked Ichinose after handing the letter back to her.

“Uesugi-kun… I don’t know much about love, because I’ve never been in a relationship before, and I’ve never been confessed to. I don’t know how to respond without hurting the other person, and I don’t know if we can still be good friends, so I’m hoping you can help me.” Ichinose Honami stared intently at Uesugi Genshin.

Upon hearing this, Uesugi Genshin looked around again, then pointed to himself and said with a wry smile, "Are you sure you want me to help? My reputation seems a bit shaky, so I'm not really suitable. I feel like Ichinose is going to suffer a great loss."

Rumors are already circulating at Soubu High School that the vice president has several girlfriends; it was Yui who told him about this.

Although the students didn't seem to care much about it, he still wanted Ichinose to think it over carefully.

"No, Uesugi-kun is an exceptionally talented person. It would be a loss for someone like me to date you. Besides, since the person I'm confessing to is someone from Class B, I can't ask any boys in my class for help." Ichinose Honami quickly shook her head, her hand resting on her large, round chest.

"I want to keep today's events a secret as much as possible, otherwise it seems like things will get very awkward later, and I trust you a lot, Uesugi-kun. So... could you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"

So that's how it is! Uesugi Genshin instantly thought of Hachiman and Ebina.

“I did a lot of research and found that having a boyfriend is the least hurtful reason to the other person,” Ichinose Honami explained quickly. “Uesugi-kun, you rejected a girl’s confession by saying you had someone you liked before, didn’t you?”

It means it's very effective, so let's use this method again this time.

"What should we do after that? Isn't the relationship just a sham?" Uesugi Genshin asked, raising his hand. Then he remembered the matter of Hachiman and Ebina.

"Just say we're breaking up soon, that'll be like you dumped me."

"...No, no matter how I think about it, there's no way I could dump Ichinose. After all, someone who can have a girlfriend like Ichinose must have saved the world in their past life," Uesugi Genshin sighed.

"Huh?" Honami Ichinose blushed and lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting at the hem of her skirt. "But if I say I dumped you, won't your girlfriends be angry?"

"!!!" Ichinose, how did you know so quickly how many girlfriends I have?

Uesugi Genshin suddenly raised his head, and before he could express his surprise, Ichinose Honami seemed to have noticed something, and then stiffly raised his hand.

It seems the person making the confession arrived at their destination right on time.

"Um, Ichinose-san... who is this person?"

That soft voice reminded Uesugi Genshin of Sakura Airi, and the girl who appeared at the confession site naturally became wary of the unfamiliar boy's back.

"This is Uesugi-kun, Chihiro. You should have met him before."

So Uesugi Genshin turned around and stood side by side with Ichinose, facing the yuri girl.

Young lady, your love fortune is bad today.

Chapter 336: Extremely Poor Reputation

“Like…” Uesugi Genshin was about to open his mouth.

"Could it be that he's Ichinose-san's boyfriend... or something like that?"

But the girl named Chihiro Shiranami was confused by the unexpected situation, her eyes welled up with tears, and she asked first.

"..." This made Uesugi Genshin unable to say what he was about to say.

I was going to say that, as you can see, Ichinose actually likes men, but that would have avoided the most crucial question.

Without directly acknowledging anything, they have resolved the current issue of lesbianism.

“Ah…uh…” Ichinose Honami glanced at him.

Uesugi Genshin thought that Ichinose was probably planning to answer "yes" based on this action.

However, it seemed that they hadn't reached an agreement yet when Chihiro Shiranami appeared, and Ichinose seemed to have pulled those words back into her throat.

"Why... is the vice president of Soubu High School here?"

Is he your boyfriend? If not, why is he here?

At this moment, Chihiro Shirami seemed unable to understand why.

Seeing this situation, Honami Ichinose became even more helpless and panicked, not knowing what to do.