"So there were such twists and turns? That's quite something..."
In Sakura's dorm room, Hikaru sat across from the red-haired girl, absentmindedly tracing the rim of his drink cup as he spoke with mild surprise.
"Yes, I still find it hard to believe. If Horikita-san hadn't presented that last piece of evidence, Sudo-kun would definitely have been expelled."
While recounting the events of the hearing, Sakura's voice still carried traces of tension. The roller-coaster nature of the proceedings had kept her on edge the entire time, fearing it might all fall apart at the last moment.
"Well, what matters is that the verdict was in your favor. It was a perfect counterattack. You did great, Sakura-san."
Hikaru's voice was gentle as he smiled and asked, "It must've been tough being in the spotlight like that, huh?"
"Mm... I just tried my best. Most of the credit really belongs to Horikita-san." Sakura's cheeks flushed slightly.
After the hearing concluded, Class C had naturally been overjoyed. Kushida had even approached Sakura directly to invite her to a celebratory gathering, suggesting she join as the team's "key witness."
But Sakura turned down the offer without hesitation. While she'd taken a step forward by speaking in public, socializing with classmates still felt overwhelming.
It's fine. As long as I have Hikaru-kun, that's enough.
She'd used that rationale to reassure herself. So when she received his message suggesting they meet, she'd returned to her dorm and waited with growing anticipation.
Hikaru, for his part, was pleased with how things had gone. Raising Sakura's stock price to 100 was just the first step. Maintaining that upward trajectory required consistent engagement, especially since she showed no interest in the broader class competition. That made spending time with her a perfect "cooldown" from his other activities.
Plus, this defeat would keep Ryuen in check for a while. His scheme had not only failed spectacularly but also resulted in the suspension of two of his classmates, costing Class D precious Class Points.
With Ryuen momentarily out of the picture, I can focus elsewhere.
And the next major challenge was already on the horizon.
The midterm exams.
Hikaru had already discovered the hidden rule when he purchased the secret information during the first week. If a student failed to achieve the minimum passing score—half the class average in any subject—they would be expelled immediately.
At first glance, the rule hadn't caused much concern in Class A. After all, the required score would be modest, perhaps around 35 points if the class average hovered near 70. And given Class A's solid academic abilities, failing seemed unlikely.
Hikaru and Ichinose had even discussed the possibility of manipulating individual scores to artificially lower the average baseline, thereby giving weaker classmates an easier target.
But other classes, especially the newly promoted Class C, wouldn't find things so simple.
After all, they had initially started as Class D, the bottom tier of the school.
Sipping his drink, Hikaru shifted his gaze toward the girl across from him. "Sakura-san, how are your grades?"
"Eh?" Sakura blinked, caught off guard. Her face turned redder as she answered hesitantly, "Um... not that great."
"But the midterms are coming up soon, right? Don't forget the hidden rule. It's important."
"If it's just passing the baseline, I should be fine... probably," Sakura murmured. Yet her voice lacked confidence.
Hikaru tapped his chin. If the midterms followed the standard schedule, they would take place at the end of May, with final exams scheduled for late July before the summer break.
While no Special Exams had occurred yet, the midterms likely carried hidden significance. The school's design favored academic performance as a metric for class standings.
Currently, only 30 Class Points separated Class A and Class B. Since Class B's top-tier academics posed a serious threat, his class couldn't afford to get complacent.
"Are you worried about something, Hikaru-kun?" Sakura asked softly, sensing his distraction.
"A little," Hikaru admitted with a shrug. "Midterms can be tricky. I'd hate to see anyone fail."
As he spoke, his mind wandered to Sakura's character information.
[Stock Price Increase Suggestions: Become her confidant. Solve her problems. Take photos with her.]
Would helping with her studies count as solving a problem?
Given her aversion to social interaction, she was unlikely to join the class's group study sessions. If she struggled alone and failed, Hikaru would lose a lucrative 5,000-share stock investment.
That'd be such a waste.
Besides, Sakura was pleasant company. No class politics, no mind games—just genuine conversation.
Decision made, Hikaru's smile brightened as he asked, "Hey, I've got an idea. Would you be interested?"
"What idea?" Sakura's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Since we're friends, how about we start a study group? Just the two of us," he proposed. "We can help each other prep for the exams."
"!"
Sakura's eyes widened. For a second, she stared blankly, as though unsure she'd heard correctly.
In truth, she'd been considering the same thing moments earlier but had been too shy to bring it up. The thought of studying together felt like the perfect excuse to spend more time with him.
Maybe they'd study at his dorm.
Or hers.
Wait, what am I thinking?!
As heat rushed to her face, she struggled to contain her excitement.
"Yes!" she blurted out, clutching her hands into fists. "I'd love to! I'll do my best not to drag you down, Hikaru-kun!"
Hikaru grinned. "Perfect. Let's set up a schedule over text later. We can alternate between my room and yours, depending on our schedules."
"Mm!" Sakura nodded eagerly.
Hikaru, meanwhile, was already mentally juggling his commitments: exercise routines, study sessions with Ichinose, strategic meetings with Suzune, occasional manipulation of Kushida's stock price...
And now, tutoring Sakura.
Time management would be crucial.
[Your study group proposal made Sakura Airi extremely happy. She believes it was a perfect coincidence. Sakura Airi's stock price has increased by 10 points. Current stock price: 110.]
Perfect coincidence?
Hikaru glanced at the notification with a puzzled frown.
Then he looked at Sakura's glowing expression and shrugged it off.
More stock points, more success.
Time to hit the books—hard.
~~~
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