Who's Setting the Trap? / Karuizawa Kei's Stock Goes Live

"Hehe, I wonder what your class's attitude is?"

Hashiba Hikaru held up her phone, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said, "Want to bet? Bet I'm just bluffing?"

Chapter 192 Who exactly is setting this trap?

The atmosphere instantly turned icy after Hashiba Hikaru uttered those threatening words.

Although he still had a smile on his face, Karuizawa, who was standing a few steps behind her, suddenly felt a very obvious hostility. The expressions of those Class D students were extremely solemn, and each of them looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

What are they going to do? Are they going to start a fight?

Karui Myazawa was inevitably a little nervous. She had come to resolve the issues she was being entangled in and had no intention of getting involved in a more troublesome violent conflict.

But for some reason, gazing at Hashiba Hikaru's calm and collected profile, the girl felt a strange sense of security, as if standing behind him would make any problem disappear.

That's strange.

"Why are you all making that face? Are you planning to gang up on me?" Seeing the silent Class D students, Hashiba Hikaru spoke first, "I've finished stating my position. Now it's your turn to answer."

"Are you really planning to report this to the teacher?" Ibuki Mio asked through gritted teeth, staring at that hateful face.

"You can't say that. I think it's better to resolve this privately, since we're still in the midst of exams and it's best not to bother the teachers. But if you don't agree, then I'll have to do it this way."

Hashiba Hikaru pointed to the girl behind her and said with a smile, "It's just that I can't stand seeing anyone being bullied, there's nothing I can do about it."

"You're really shameless, Hashiba." Ryuen Kakeru didn't hold back at all and started cursing directly.

"Hey, this isn't shameless, it's mutual help between classmates. And I advise you not to swear, there might be student behavior monitoring on the Cruise Ship, so be careful not to get points deducted."

"..."

After hearing his words, Ryuen Kakeru, who was about to speak again, suddenly fell silent. After all, he had been trying to improve his approval rating recently, and if he lost points because of his own actions, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?

"Is your request really that simple? An apology and compensation in Private Points are enough?" Ibuki Mio knew just how difficult the man opposite her was; if he gained the upper hand, she might suffer significant losses.

On the Uninhabited Island, she was accidentally spotted by the other party; otherwise, the short-haired girl believed that Class D' s operation plan would never have failed.

"Of course, but please don't misunderstand, it's an apology to Karuizawa, not to me."

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Ibuki Mio's delicate face and chuckled, "So you don't need to glare at me like that, Ibuki."

"Snort!"

After letting out a cold snort, Ibuki Mio turned to look at the three girls beside her, intending to ask them what had happened.

"Actually, Karuizawa bumped into Rika before, Manabe was a bit upset, so she wanted to ask her what happened," Yamashita Saki explained to Ibuki, "We just want her to apologize to Rika."

"And then this guy took the picture?"

"He clearly agreed to delete the photos just before we left; I never imagined he was lying."

Manabe's tone was furious. Because of Hashiba Hikaru's extremely handsome face, she had previously had a good impression of the boy, but she never expected him to have such a dark heart.

"He's always been like this; if you haven't checked it yourself, it's easy to be fooled."

Ibuki Mio couldn't help but sigh. Having interacted with Hashiba Hikaru so many times, she knew that he was an ultimate opportunist. Once he seized an opportunity to exploit, he would never let it go.

While accusations based on a single photo are certainly insufficient evidence, it wouldn't be good if they actually attracted the teacher's attention, especially since everyone is currently taking Special Exam. Regardless of whether the accusation is accepted, it will have a negative impact on the class.

Class D, already in last place, was naturally unwilling to take such a risk, so the best solution was simply to comply with the other party's wishes, apologize, and pay up.

"What should we do then?" Manabe asked Ibuki for advice, after all, the short-haired girl was still the class leader, and the girls in Class D trusted her quite a bit.

"We have no choice but to do as he says. If we tell the teacher, your exam results might be affected," Ibuki Mio said with a grim expression. "We all need to work hard for the class to get more points this time, so there's nothing we can do about it."

"Hateful!"

"Looks like this is the only way. Really."

The trio all wore expressions of annoyance, but they still chose to accept the decision. Upon seeing this, Ryuen Kakeru smirked and added, "I'm sorry."

"Wait, if it's an apology, why not have our protagonist step forward?" He looked at the figure standing some distance behind the boy, his expression somewhat amused.

"Of course, but you should all leave now, right? Do you want to just watch this kind of thing?" Hashiba Hikaru stroked his chin, recalling Karuizawa's unusual behavior just now, and his mind suddenly started racing.

Perhaps this is an opportunity?

"That won't do. To show our sincerity in apologizing, we all need to be witnesses." Ryuen Kakeru's gaze fell on Karuizawa, who was standing at the back. He could tell that this girl was a very cowardly person. Even though she was being bullied, she kept shrinking back.

If we directly pressure her, bypassing Hashiba Hikaru, a new turning point might emerge. 50,000 points may not seem like much, but it would be good to annoy this man a bit.

"You guys go over there and find out what Karuizawa means. Remember to be respectful."

Ryuen wore a cold smile, while the three girls from Class D, seeing his expression, seemed to understand something, and their eyes immediately lit up.

"We understand!"

After a while, Karuizawa looked at the trio who had suddenly surrounded her, and her body trembled. She swallowed hard, and for some reason, that familiar sense of fear surged into her heart again.

"Hey, Karuizawa, we're here to apologize to you." Yamashita Saki had a smile on her face, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

"Yes, there was indeed some misunderstanding just now, right?" Manabe put her hand on the girl's shoulder, secretly squeezing it, while a smile appeared on her lips. "Now we should get closer."

"Yes, yes, I wonder what your attitude is Karuizawa? If you're not satisfied, we can keep apologizing to you."

The three girls were all problem children. When they first picked a fight with Karuizawa Kei, they realized that he was a pushover, which is why the idea of violence arose in their minds.

"Please... don't touch me!"

Karuizawa Kei looked at the three people very close to her. Among them, Manabe Shiho's hand was secretly pressing down on her shoulder, making her feel a little pain. But at this moment, the girl couldn't say anything strong, and could only twist her body to show her dissatisfaction.

"Don't be so shy. After we apologize, we'd like to be friends with Karuizawa, what do you say?"

Manabe gripped the girl's shoulders, his eyes flashing with cold light. He had just grasped Ryuen's meaning: as long as she pretended to be friendly on the surface, it would be fine to do some small things in secret.

This woman actually sent people to cause trouble for Matoba Class D; of course, we can't let her get away with it!

"Hey, how are you feeling now, you bitch!" Yabu Nanami whispered in Karuizawa Kei's ear, then pinched her waist hard.

"Ouch... it hurts..."

"Hehe, we're not going to end here, just you wait!"

"I..."

Karuizawa raised her eyes to look at the boy standing in front of her, but she found that Hashiba Hikaru's expression remained calm, as if she hadn't noticed what was happening on her side at all.

Come quick... help me!

The girl's heart sank further. She had come here specifically to solve this problem, but now it seemed the situation was about to become even more complicated.

"What's wrong? Isn't this the result you expected?"

Ryuen Kakeru looked at the expressionless Hashiba Hikaru, wondering if he had noticed the subtle movements between the girls.

"That's exactly what I wanted."

Seeing that the time was almost ripe, Hashiba Hikaru finished organizing the information she had gathered in her mind and suddenly walked towards Karuizawa Kei.

"Smack!"

Without saying a word, the boy grabbed Manabe's wrist and pulled her forward, causing the short-haired girl to jerk violently, almost falling over in an instant.

"Honestly, you guys actually listen to Ryuen? That's incredibly stupid."

His words and actions were synchronized. He then grabbed the arms of two other girls and forcefully pulled them aside.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Yeah, Classmate Hashiba, that's hitting someone!" Manabe roared at the boy with a ferocious expression on his small face.

"Look at all of you, you still don't learn anything."

Hashiba Hikaru carefully shielded Karuizawa beside him. He glanced at the girl's face, then reached directly into the pocket of her school uniform and took out a Voice Recorder.

"What's this?"

"Classmate Hashiba, what's this...?"

Karuizawa Kei looked at the object that had been taken out of her pocket, and the warm feeling of being protected instantly turned into confusion.

"I secretly put them in there, right when Karuizawa was signing the contract," Hashiba Hikaru said gently, "Because I guessed they might talk to you up close, or maybe do something sneaky or something."

"You might not point it out on the spot, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen."

The boy held the Voice Recorder in his hand and looked up coldly at the trio of girls from Class D.

"Looks like we've added another piece of evidence. Now, you decide how to handle it."

Ryuen Kakeru and Ibuki Mio, who were behind, also noticed this situation. The short-haired girl first glared at Ryuen Kakeru, the meaning of which was very clear: It was your bad idea again!

"..."

Upon witnessing Hashiba Hikaru take out Voice Recorder, Ryuen Kakeru's heart sank.

Have I been tricked again?

Chapter 193 Karuizawa Kei Stock Go Online

After Ryuen Kakeru and Ibuki Mio walked over, they looked at the Voice Recorder in Hashiba Hikaru's hand and Karuizawa Kei huddled next to him, and both of their expressions became very ugly.

"What's going on?" Ibuki decided to speak first and take control of the situation.

"It seems the girls in your class really have terrible personalities. They're apologizing, but they still want to bully people." Hashiba Hikaru looked at Ryuen Kakeru next to Ibuki and sneered, "Is this the atmosphere in your class? It's truly eye-opening."

What did you just do?

Ibuki turned to look at the somewhat guilty trio. After getting close to Karuizawa Kei, they had said several swear words that only she could hear, and if nothing unexpected happened, they must have been recorded.

"Us..."

"Stop with the nonsense. Karuizawa has been bullied again, and right in front of me. You need to give him a proper explanation."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Karuizawa Kei and said gently, "Karuizawa, could you tell me what they just did? We have a recording as evidence, so we're not afraid of them denying it."

"I'm here for you. I promise no one can bully you!"

"Um..."

Feeling the boy's warm aura and gentle gaze, Karuizawa Kei, who had been feeling uneasy, suddenly felt much more relaxed. She didn't press him about the Voice Recorder, but instead took a deep breath and slowly said, "After they came close, they loudly said they wanted to apologize to me, but they were secretly abusing me."

At this point, the girl mustered her courage and rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arms with some red marks, which were from being pinched by Manabe.

"..."

Ibuki Mio pressed her temples, somewhat speechless. Now that things had come to this point, there was absolutely no way to let it end peacefully.

"What do you plan to do?" She looked at Hashiba Hikaru, trying to gauge her reaction.

"I'm not involved, so everything depends on Karuizawa's opinion," Hashiba Hikaru said gently, looking at the girl beside her. "Karuizawa, what do you plan to do with them?"

"I..."

As for how to deal with the other party, the girl was actually a little unsure. Having suffered countless bullying incidents in junior high school Karuizawa Kei had never thought about how to deal with the people who bullied her. At that time, she only hoped that those people could let her go.

"How about this? Besides making them kneel down and apologize, we should also make them sign a contract stating that they will avoid you from now on, how about that?"

The boy wore a relaxed smile, but his words were quite forceful.

"Finally, we need to compensate with some Private Points, otherwise we'll tell the teacher, using the same reason as before."

Hashiba Hikaru's last words were addressed to the trio, and the threat in her tone was quite strong.

"Since they have Voice Recorder and photos, dropping out of school seems inevitable."

"You..."

Upon hearing the word "expulsion, "Ibuki's tone became somewhat hurried. After all, this was a major issue concerning the class's evaluation. As the class at the bottom of the rankings, if they suffered such a blow, it would be truly difficult for them to recover.

"As for you, Ryuen, I just overheard you giving instructions,"

Hashiba Hikaru looked at Ryuen Kakeru expression was gloomy. "I heard you're trying to increase your influence, to make your classmates believe you can lead the class, right?"

"I was just saying it offhand, what they do has nothing to do with me," Ryuen naturally wouldn't admit it.

"You're unwilling to cooperate? That's not a good thing."

Hashiba Hikaru recalled his collaboration with Kushida Kikyo. He hadn't expected that her weakness would come knocking on his door so quickly; it was truly an effortless stroke of luck.

What exactly are you trying to say?

"I need you to agree to one condition. If you don't, I'll make sure Karuizawa refuses to settle and goes to the teacher to report it."

After saying that, the boy looked down at Karuizawa and asked gently, "Karuizawa, could you do me a favor?"