Testing Karuizawa Kei's Psychological Defenses / Then Let's Work Together

"Well, let's leave it to Classmate Hashiba to decide."

Karuizawa Kei just wants this matter to end as soon as possible, so she has left all the decision-making power to Hashiba Hikaru.

"..."

After hearing the other party's statement, Ryuen fell silent again.

If the consequences of this matter were to ultimately affect him, then all his previous efforts would likely be in vain, something he absolutely could not accept.

"Fine, you win."

After a moment of contemplation, Ryuen Kakeru ultimately chose to compromise. He couldn't afford to take any risks right now; he would wait until he became the class leader before making any decisions. Once that happened, he would get his revenge.

"You can tell me your conditions now."

"Then let's sign the contract. It will ensure that we can both be certain of each other's commitment." Hashiba Hikaru smiled. A win-win situation is always quite pleasing.

After all the contracts were signed, the trio could only reluctantly bow and apologize to Karuizawa Kei. Afterwards, Class D paid the girl 100,000 Private Points, and the matter was finally settled.

After they left, Hashiba Hikaru turned to look at Karuizawa Kei beside her. The matter should be considered over. Next was the boy's most crucial objective—to probe for information about the VIP.

"So, did I successfully fulfill my promise?"

"Yes, this matter can be resolved smoothly thanks to Classmate Hashiba's help." Karuizawa Kei put the contract that the trio had just signed back into her pocket. With this, they would never bother her again, otherwise it would be a breach of contract.

"Then, Karuizawa, remember to find out about the Rabbit Group's VIP during our second discussion later, okay? It's our promise."

Hashiba Hikaru's tone remained gentle. Helping her resolve the bullying issue was a minor matter; the more important thing was to confirm the VIP pattern for this exam.

"Yes, I understand what you mean." Karuizawa Kei nodded, looking at the other person's gentle expression, and couldn't help but recall the sense of security she had just felt.

It was as if as long as Hashiba was by her side, even in the face of a very troublesome situation, she could muster the courage to express her true thoughts. If it were her former self, she would never have been able to do that.

Why is this happening?

Why did he give me warmth and courage?

Karuizawa Kei's gaze involuntarily drifted to Hashiba Hikaru's face. For some reason, the girl's heart suddenly started racing, a discovery that surprised her greatly.

Meanwhile, Hashiba Hikaru simply stared calmly at him, but a new message suddenly popped up on the System Bar, which the boy immediately clicked on.

[Beep! Karuizawa Kei Stock is now available!]

[Current stock price: 20]

[Number of shares issued: 4000]

"???"

Wait, if I remember correctly, doesn't this girl have a boyfriend?

What does this mean?

Chapter 194 Testing Karuizawa Kei's Psychological Defenses

Hashiba Hikaru was quite surprised when the new system notification popped up.

Logically speaking, the operation mode of the Love Stock Market System is similar to that of winning over girls, increasing stock prices by getting closer to them. Therefore, all the stock market figures he has contacted so far are single, which reduces the probability of trouble.

But the newly listed Karuizawa Kei Stock, is quite peculiar. Hashiba Hikaru remembers hearing from Kushida that this girl started dating Hirata Yosuke shortly after the start of the school year. But given that, how can it still be listed as a stock?

Moreover, the quantity is quite substantial; 4,000 shares is actually a very good stock, and the initial price is not high, making it a very good choice to buy.

But if the other person actually has a partner, wouldn't this be considered stealing their partner?

The boy hesitated for a moment, then looked at Karuizawa Kei's face and decided it would be better to test the waters first. After all, having just dealt with the other party's troubles, the important thing now was to gather information on the VIP.

"Um, Karuizawa, would you like to go somewhere with me?" Hashiba Hikaru planned to change locations first, since what they were about to say might be somewhat private. "After all, it's best if our conversation isn't overheard."

"Yes, I understand."

Karuizawa nodded. Ever since meeting him, she had felt strange. Even though they had only started talking today, she felt incredibly relaxed around him, and the boy had even come to her rescue.

[If Classmate Hashiba were in our class, I probably would have approached him immediately, right?]

After experiencing the whole process, the girl had a deeper understanding of Hashiba Hikaru's personal abilities. If she could have him as her protector, perhaps her school life would be completely different.

After following Hashiba Hikaru for several minutes, the two arrived at a corridor on the second basement floor. This place was similar to the one Sakura Airi had previously met the boy—secluded and quiet.

"Let's choose this place for now."

Hashiba Hikaru stopped in her tracks and then let Karuizawa Kei come over. They kept a relatively close distance so that the boy could talk to her more easily.

To ensure she could maintain control during the conversation, Hashiba Hikaru secretly spent 1000 system funds to purchase a [Stock Detector] on her way here and used it on Karuizawa Kei.

[Karuizawa Kei Stock]

[Stock Information: A positive and outgoing "hot girl" type, she has her own small circle of friends and wields a "queen-like" voice among the girls. Her outward personality appears assertive, but this is actually a way to mask her untold experiences of bullying, using others as a means to find peace of mind.]

[Stock price increase recommendation: Demonstrate strong capabilities to become her support, provide her with a sense of security, and fulfill her romantic desires.]

[Risks to lower stock price: Deceiving her in the relationship, treating her superficially, or having an affair.]

"?"

The results presented by the system not only puzzled Hashiba Hikaru, but also stirred up very unique emotions within the boy.

Is it because of past experiences of being bullied that you seek solace through parasitism?

This is probably the real reason why Karuizawa Kei behaved strangely after being surrounded by Manabe and the others.

Hashiba Hikaru matched her discovery with the information presented by the system. It seemed that Hirata Yosuke was her current host. After all, he was the class leader of Class C. If she dated him, the others would naturally be mindful of Hirata's attitude and wouldn't dare to do anything to her.

However, the problem with this approach is that if the chosen host is a very malicious person, her school life will likely become even more unbearable.

However, after recalling the gentle-natured boy, the boy felt a little like laughing.

Although Hirata is the rightful class leader, his actions are mostly about smoothing things over. It is precisely because of this attitude that he cannot completely control the class, but this personality does not make Karuizawa feel troubled.

So, is their romantic relationship real or fake?

This needs to be questioned.

However, now that she knew so much information, Hashiba Hikaru knew exactly what she had to do.

To break down a person's psychological defenses, the past is the best starting point.

"Let's begin then. Now that I've helped Karuizawa solve the problem, it's time for Karuizawa to fulfill the terms of your contract."

Hashiba Hikaru mentally organized her thoughts and began to speak in an extremely gentle tone.

After all, it's best not to make the other person resistant when it comes to talk therapy, otherwise it can easily lead to the other person being unwilling to communicate.

"Yes, you can ask me any questions you have, Classmate Hashiba." Karuizawa Kei glanced around at her surroundings. The quiet space, with only the two of them present, made her a little nervous.

"Alright, the first question is about Karuizawa himself."

Hashiba Hikaru held up a finger, scrutinized the girl's face, and calmly asked, "Why did you act that way just now?"

"What does it look like?"

Karuizawa Kei's heart skipped a beat. Looking into the other person's eyes, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

"It's the way you looked when you were facing Manabe and the others just now," the boy gazed into her eyes, his voice soft. "I know Karuizawa is a pretty strong girl, so why did you look so scared?"

"This... this is different from what's in our contract, isn't it? Can I... can I not answer?"

After hearing this, the girl's legs trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and gave her answer.

"Don't be nervous, Karuizawa. It's just the two of us here. I'm not trying to bully you; I just want to know some important things. You can speak freely."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled, her tone becoming even gentler.

"I promise that this is something only the two of us know about, and I won't leak it out in the slightest, so it won't affect your evaluation."

"I... I don't know what you're talking about?"

Karuizawa Kei gazed at the boy's face. Although his tone was gentle and his gaze warm, she felt as if she were tied to an execution platform, about to be sentenced.

"Don't say that. Didn't you see what I just did?"

Hashiba Hikaru's goal was always to find out if the other party was indeed VIP the Rabbit Group's preferential treatment program, so her original plan was to bring it up unexpectedly and then observe the other party's reaction.

But now that the stock has been listed online, after learning some important information about the other party, he immediately changed his plans.

After all, if we could break through her psychological defenses, we would be more confident in gathering information.

"I helped Karuizawa resolve Manabe and the others' problem. If they dare to bully you again, I'll still lend a hand. Doesn't that prove my stance?"

He leaned close to Karuizawa Kei, his tone calm. "So you don't need to be too wary of me. If you can tell me the answer, I can better help you, understand?"

Facing the young man's close scrutiny, the overwhelming masculine aura emanating from him made her extremely nervous.

Karuizawa Kei felt her heart beating faster and faster, as if it were about to jump out of her chest. Not only that, she also subconsciously reached out and pressed her hand against her lower left abdomen. This small movement naturally did not escape the eyes of Hashiba Hikaru.

"..."

Seeing the girl fall silent, Hashiba Hikaru could only smile and begin to express her thoughts.

"Alright, since Karuizawa isn't willing to say, then I'll make a bold guess."

Is it... bullying?

"!"

Upon hearing this, he clearly saw Karuizawa Kei's body tremble violently, and then her blue eyes instantly filled with fear, as if her whole being became extremely shaken.

"Such a strong reaction! Looks like I guessed right."

Hashiba Hikaru said gently, "But please don't be nervous, Karuizawa. No one will bully you here."

"You... how could you..."

Sensing the other person's still gentle tone, Karuizawa Kei felt like she had something stuck in her throat but couldn't say it, only able to utter a few monosyllabic words.

"Even if you guessed it, I won't do anything to you, so please rest assured, Karuizawa."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, then suddenly took several steps back as if nothing had happened, creating a considerable distance between herself and Karuizawa Kei, allowing her to calm down.

"?"

A look of confusion flickered in the girl's eyes; she didn't understand what he wanted to do.

"Please calm down Karuizawa. Although I guessed this answer, the specifics are probably painful memories for you. If Karuizawa 're unwilling to talk about it, I'll stop here."

The boy gazed at her face and calmly asked, "So what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing the other party's statement, Karuizawa Kei placed her small hand on her chest, feeling her heartbeat gradually calming down; her emotions seemed to begin to recover.

"Classmate Hashiba, what exactly do you want to do?" This was the question the girl was most concerned about.

"I naturally have my own purpose, but before telling Karuizawa, let's get back to the topic I just mentioned."

After keeping everyone in suspense, Hashiba Hikaru Karuizawa Kei, "Karuizawa, do you want to overcome this problem of yours?"

"..."

"Don't look at me like that. I've already said I have my own reasons for helping you. Since it's a mutually beneficial arrangement, Karuizawa can trust me a little more."

"Then why are you telling me all this? Wouldn't it be better to just state your purpose directly?"

"Only by Karuizawa overcome her shortcomings and become even better can I ensure that my goal is achieved smoothly. Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood."

"..."

Chapter 195 Let's Cooperate Then

"Your attitude seems to be softening a bit, so let me say what I'm saying."

Hashiba Hikaru walked over to Karuizawa Kei, but this time he didn't face her directly. Instead, he stood side by side with the girl, looking at the passageway ahead.

"You..."

Looking at Hashiba Hikaru who had suddenly stood beside her, the girl's blue eyes flashed with confusion.

She had just sensed the boy's sincerity. If he continued to press her, she might not be able to withstand it. After all, this was her deepest secret, yet he had guessed it so easily.

"I once read in a book that the experience of being bullied might, over time, transform into an uncontrollable nightmare, repeatedly tormenting the person's mind."

Hashiba Hikaru avoided meeting Karuizawa Kei's gaze, as if she were talking to herself.

"So if you want to solve this problem, you either need to use a stronger stimulus to completely eradicate the memory, or you need to shift your focus and let something more important occupy your mind."

"If it's one of these two methods, I actually prefer the second one. After all, too much stimulation might create new nightmares, which would only make things worse. What do you think, Karuizawa- kun?"