After finishing lunch with Kushida, she excused herself, saying she had other matters to attend to. Ichinose also had plans for the afternoon, so the group dispersed, and Hikaru returned to his dorm.
Meeting with Kushida alongside Ichinose had proven to be fruitful. Aside from confirming Hirata Yosuke as Class D's representative, Hikaru had also gained insight into his general standing—his role in the class, his popularity, and the fact that he had a girlfriend.
This was valuable information for Hikaru's upcoming rule-selling negotiation. If he could convince Hirata—as well as Kushida, who was widely trusted in Class D—the process of gathering Private Points would be much smoother.
After all, time was not on their side. The more he delayed, the less likely Class D students would have any points left to collect. His lowest target was one million points, and although the situation from yesterday's class meeting seemed less than optimistic, as long as he could successfully push Class D's representative to coordinate the class, there was still hope.
However, this wasn't the only matter on his mind.
"The real priority is the stock market."
Sitting at his desk, Hikaru opened his notebook and wrote down two names:
[Horikita Suzune]
[Kushida Kikyo]
These two had something in common—they both had stocks listed in the system.
Suzune's stock had a starting price of 100 points.
Kushida's stock had a starting price of 10 points, the same as Ichinose's initial stock value.
The difference lay in how their values could be increased or decreased.
After using the Stock Analyzer on Kushida, Hikaru had learned that her stock price would increase under the following conditions:
1. Building a trusting relationship with her.
2. Helping her hide her past.
3. Forcing Horikita Suzune to drop out.
On the other hand, her stock price would decrease if he:
1. Interacted frequently with Horikita.
2. Became Horikita's ally or friend.
"This doesn't sound easy at all."
Hikaru sighed, deep in thought.
Recalling his interactions with Kushida, he noted that she possessed excellent social skills, keen observational abilities, and the ability to quickly form bonds with strangers. Given her interpersonal talents, she was undoubtedly an elite-level talent.
And yet, despite all of that, she had been placed in Class D.
This could only mean one thing—the school already knew about her past.
Despite her high social aptitude, her past was severe enough to warrant her placement in the lowest-ranked class.
"That must mean her past isn't just some minor issue. It must have been significant enough for the school to make this decision."
Hikaru clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had expected this new stock to be as easy to farm as Ichinose's, but it turned out to be far more complicated.
A hidden side?
A desire to expel another student?
Why was someone this young carrying so much baggage?
"Well, whatever. I'll figure it out when I meet Class D."
Glancing at Kushida's stock page, Hikaru knew that even a small increase in value would yield significant profit. If, during his continued interactions, he found her too troublesome, he could simply sell off his shares and cut ties.
As he pondered his next steps, a new idea struck him.
Up until now, Hikaru had been careful with stock investments. He had avoided damaging Ichinose's stock value because they were allies and because he genuinely respected her.
However, Kushida was different.
She was someone he could afford to experiment on.
If her stock price increased when he built trust with her, but decreased when he got close to Suzune…
"What if I pump up her stock value first, then interact with Suzune just to tank it again?"
Leaning back in his chair, Hikaru rubbed his chin, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
If his theory was correct, Kushida could effectively function as an unlimited source of funds—a stock market loophole waiting to be exploited.
"I really hope you don't disappoint me, Kushida. See you on Monday."
Grinning to himself, Hikaru finalized his plan.
---
Monday: The Second Week Begins
The weekend passed in a leisurely haze. Hikaru spent most of his time inside his dorm, only using his phone to chat with classmates or check on relevant school affairs. He rarely went out, preferring to conserve his energy for the upcoming week.
After his morning workout, he arrived in Class B, immediately spotting Ichinose.
As usual, she greeted him with an energetic smile—one so bright that it could improve anyone's mood.
"Good morning, Hikaru-kun!"
"Morning, Ichinose."
Sliding into his seat, Hikaru turned to her.
"Let's stop by Hoshinomiya-sensei's office later to print out the contracts. Then, before the end of the day, we'll visit Class D to sell the rules."
"Got it! I've already rewritten everything for this sale!"
Ichinose proudly retrieved a brown notebook from her bag—her handwritten version of the new rule agreement.
Since Hikaru had drafted the first version for Class A, she had insisted on writing this one herself.
"Before we visit Class D, should we text Kushida-san first?" Ichinose asked, holding up her phone. "We should let her know to keep her classmates in the classroom after school. That way, we won't waste time gathering everyone."
"You contacted her yesterday too?"
"Yeah! I want to build a good relationship with Kushida-san."
Ichinose's voice carried a hint of confidence, her tone casual yet filled with a sense of purpose.
"After all, she's Hirata-kun's assistant. If we want Class D to cooperate, getting her on our side is essential."
Hikaru smiled.
It was gratifying to see how much Ichinose had grown.
She had even started making moves independently, without consulting him first.
He felt an odd sense of pride at how proactive she had become.
"Oh? And did you learn anything interesting from Kushida yesterday?"
"Of course! I got some extra intel." Ichinose's eyes twinkled with excitement.
"We talked about academics, and Kushida-san mentioned something really surprising."
Hikaru raised an eyebrow.
"Apparently, there's someone in Class D who's really, really smart."
"What do you mean? Are they ranked high in total scores?"
"Not just that." Ichinose leaned in. "Whenever the teacher asks difficult questions, this person can answer them almost instantly. Kushida-san was super impressed."
"Who?"
A knowing smirk crept onto Hikaru's lips.
"Kushida-san said her name is Horikita Suzune. She's a really beautiful girl."
"..."
As expected.
Pressing his fingers against his temple, Hikaru let out a small sigh.
Now he was even more intrigued.
If Kushida wanted Suzune gone, why was she casually praising her intelligence to other people?
Did she hate Suzune?
Or was she secretly impressed by her?
Which one was it?
"Hikaru-kun, do you know Horikita-san?"
Ichinose eyed him curiously, noticing his oddly satisfied reaction.
"Nope, never met her."
Hikaru quickly denied it, though it wasn't a lie.
He had only seen her once—they had never spoken.
"I see… I thought you might be hiding something from me."
"Haha… of course not."
Hikaru laughed awkwardly, but deep down, his excitement only grew.
Today, everything was finally coming together.
~~~
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