After Ichinose finished explaining her plan, her gaze swept across the classroom. It didn't take long for responses to ripple through the room.
"I agree!"
"This plan is solid—there's a clear balance between risk and reward, so we can all focus on contributing to the class."
"Yes, it sounds fair, and everyone can understand the logic behind it."
Once the students grasped the full scope of the reward system, they all reached a consensus. No one wanted to be at a disadvantage, and if they wanted the security of using the accumulated Private Points to prevent expulsion, they had to either contribute their points or prove their worth through effort.
"Great, thank you all for your support."
Ichinose bowed slightly to the class before stepping down and standing beside Hikaru.
"Thank you, Hikaru-kun. With these two plans, I believe no one in Class B will ever have to face expulsion!"
Seeing the relieved smile on her face, Hikaru nodded as well.
"I think so too. You did well, Ichinose."
"These were all your ideas; I just helped execute them." Ichinose's delicate features softened into a hopeful expression, and she murmured, "If only we could always…"
"What?"
Hikaru hadn't caught what she said. Just as he was about to ask, a system notification suddenly popped up, drawing his full attention.
[Your proposed plans have gained full approval from Class B. Ichinose Honami's trust in you has increased. Ichinose Honami stock price +10. Current stock price: 120.]
Meanwhile, Ichinose's heart skipped a beat when she realized she had almost spoken her true thoughts—wanting Hikaru to always stay by her side. She quickly brushed it off and said, "It's nothing important if you didn't hear it."
"Anyway, shouldn't we dismiss everyone now? Our classmates have tasks to get started on, don't they?"
"Yeah, you're right."
Hikaru let the moment pass. Seeing his stock price rise was enough to put him in a good mood. He stepped onto the podium again and addressed the class.
"With that, today's meeting is officially over. Everyone, you're free to start executing the plans."
"Remember—do not let any of this information leak."
"Got it, leave it to us, Hikaru-kun!"
With that, Class B's students began dispersing in groups, forming small teams to discuss their assigned locations. Hikaru didn't bother micromanaging every aspect—his role wasn't to be a babysitter. His classmates weren't helpless; they were all capable individuals who had been admitted into this school based on their skills and potential.
Once most of the students had left, Hikaru glanced at Ichinose, who was still in the classroom, surrounded by a few girls animatedly discussing which shampoo was best.
Having zero interest in that conversation, he simply waved at her in greeting before exiting Class B's classroom.
His knowledge of the school was still too shallow, so he decided to walk around campus and gather more intel.
Before he knew it, the day had come to an end. By the time Hikaru returned to his dorm, exhausted, his phone was still buzzing with notifications.
When he checked, most of them came from the Class B group chat, where everyone was enthusiastically sharing their observations, experiences, and insights from the day.
"This actually isn't bad," Hikaru muttered, feeling somewhat satisfied.
Lying on his bed, he sighed deeply. The mental strain of the past two days had been intense. Would all this thinking cause him to lose hair?
Shaking off that random thought, he accessed the system's [Trade Shop] menu.
[Stock Analyzer]
[Archery]
[Piano Performance (Beginner)]
[Basketball (Advanced)]
[Intellect]
According to the system's rules, the [Trade Shop] refreshed once a month. Except for the [Stock Analyzer], which could be purchased multiple times, all other items were one-time buys.
"The only thing worth buying this month was the Athletic Booster Potion. Everything else can wait. Intelligence is important, but fifty thousand points? That's steep."
After purchasing the enhancement potion yesterday, Hikaru's available funds limited his options. Deciding it wasn't the right time to make another purchase, he closed the system screen.
"No matter what, I need to speed up the process of unlocking new stocks."
Currently, his biggest asset was the [Ichinose Honami Stock], which was steadily rising. As long as Class B continued advancing, its value wouldn't drop.
Solving his physical stamina issue was just step one. In the long run, he planned to use the [Trade Shop] to acquire more skills and stat enhancements, ensuring he had an edge in future class competitions.
"Tomorrow, I'll see if I can find any promising stocks. Maybe I'll get lucky."
With that thought, Hikaru drifted into sleep early, knowing he had another morning run ahead of him.
The next day, after finishing his training, he grabbed his breakfast and headed to Class B's classroom. As soon as he stepped in, he noticed something familiar—everyone's eyes were on him again, just like yesterday.
What now?
"Hikaru-kun, we have a problem!"
The voice came from Beppu, the student Hikaru had assigned to investigate Class C. The urgency in his tone immediately put Hikaru on alert.
"Beppu-kun, what happened?"
"I followed the plan and talked to Oda Takumi from Class C at volleyball practice yesterday. I found out something really important."
"What is it?"
As Hikaru settled into his seat, Beppu took a deep breath and spoke gravely.
"Oda-kun told me that Class C hasn't officially chosen a leader yet, but there's someone dangerous making moves to take control—and he's very close to succeeding."
"Dangerous?"
Hikaru's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
"Oda-kun said there's a student named Ryuen Kakeru in their class. He's using violence to force people into voting for him as the class representative, and he's already secured a lot of votes."
"...?"
Violence?
The moment that word registered, Hikaru's mind kicked into overdrive. He suddenly realized he had made a critical miscalculation.
Up until now, he had been crafting plans based on the assumption that all students at this school would play by the rules. After all, this was a prestigious institution. He had expected competition, strategy, and deception—but outright physical coercion?
If someone was willing to break the rules so brazenly, then his entire approach to dealing with Class C had to be reconsidered immediately.
"I see… this is going to be troublesome."
Hikaru's gaze sharpened. If Class C ended up under the control of a violent leader, then the situation would become highly unpredictable.
"Beppu-kun, no need to panic. This information is crucial. We need to reassess how we handle Class C."
"We'll discuss it when everyone arrives."
"Understood."