A Little Warmth in Karuizawa Kei's Heart

Hearing the other party's serious analysis, Karuizawa was slightly taken aback, but she still subconsciously replied, "This shouldn't be part of our contract, right? I don't need to follow your arrangements."

"That's true. I'm not the kind of person who would forcibly interfere with someone's thoughts under the guise of doing what's best for them," Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and continued, "Karuizawa, you can understand me as a very pragmatic person who does these things for my own purposes."

He turned around and looked again at Karuizawa Kei's slightly pale face. From the moment they arrived until now, the girl's emotions had been like a rollercoaster, but this was the first step in getting her to open up, so it was very important.

"This test will be over in a few days, but I believe our cooperation can continue for a long time."

Hashiba Hikaru curled her lips into a smile, "And helping Karuizawa overcome your fear will be beneficial for our future cooperation."

"Cooperate?"

Upon hearing this word, a strange feeling flashed through Karuizawa Kei's mind. If that was the case, it meant that the other party wanted to ask her for a favor.

"Yes, although I've only just met Karuizawa, I think you have many excellent qualities and can do some things for me, so I decided to help you."

"But what you just said about helping me solve my problem, is that a bargaining chip you offered?" Karuizawa asked unconsciously, following the other's lead after sensing his gaze.

"Of course not. My desire to help Karuizawa is just a bonus; it's hardly a bargaining chip for our cooperation. Otherwise, wouldn't you be at a disadvantage?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and continued, "Besides the exams, my goal is to ask Karuizawa to look after someone for me—a classmate from your Class C."

Actually, it's Sakura Airi. After their relationship changed, the boy remembered her previous proposal to change herself. If it could be successfully implemented, it would naturally benefit her.

However, given the red-haired girl's timid nature, taking the first step would be difficult. In this case, it would be helpful to have someone who is naturally outgoing watch over her and offer some assistance, which could make Sakura's path to change herself smoother.

Karuizawa Kei was clearly a suitable target. Although Class C also had Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune, who had already established connections with the boy, their personalities were too troublesome, so Hashiba Hikaru immediately gave up on them.

Since the girl in front of me has a complicated past, and based on her stock analysis results, I can understand what kind of person she is.

If simply providing protection is enough to put her at ease, then that's surprisingly "naive."

"Taking care of someone?"

Karuizawa looked somewhat puzzled. She hadn't expected the other party to propose such a condition, and judging from his expression, it seemed that he had made the decision after careful consideration.

"Yes, her personality is a bit off, so she needs a suitable person to help her." Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. This was a win-win situation, since it was a way to establish contact if he wanted to buy Karuizawa Kei's stock in the future.

"And what I gave up was..."

He pulled out his phone and said confidently, "If you ever encounter a problem like this one that you can't solve on your own, Karuizawa Kei Karuizawa, feel free to contact me. I'll take the initiative to help you sort it out."

"This isn't boasting, it's a promise I made. So, Karuizawa, are you willing to accept it?"

"..."

Upon hearing the boy's words, Karuizawa Kei naturally recalled the scene that had just occurred to her.

Hashiba Hikaru single-handedly suppressed all the students in Class D, not only making them sign contracts but also paying them 100,000 of her Private Points.

With such abilities, it's certainly plausible that he could say such a thing. Furthermore, he is the true controller of Class A, and his influence far surpasses that of any other student in any other class.

All of this reminded Karuizawa Kei of the thought that had just crossed her mind: if he were a student in her class, she would definitely choose him first when selecting a host.

Since meeting her today, Hashiba Hikaru has given the girl a very good impression, and he speaks tactfully without making her feel awkward.

The boy, noticing Karuizawa Kei's somewhat tempted expression, continued to add more weight to his bet.

"Helping Karuizawa overcome your fears is a bonus condition, since you'll be better able to achieve my goals once you've undergone a transformation."

"I..."

Karuizawa Kei admitted that she was somewhat attracted to him.

The girl was always reassured by his attitude, and the ability and skill he displayed far surpassed those of Hirata Yosuke, her fake boyfriend. At least he didn't try to smooth things over but directly helped her solve the problem.

If I encounter a similar bullying problem again in the future, it should be easy to resolve if he takes action.

"After I agree, if I encounter any problems and send a message to Classmate Hashiba, will you come immediately?"

"Of course, I will not make promises I cannot keep; this is my life motto."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded, then took out her phone and exchanged contact information with Karuizawa Kei.

Just as the girl was diligently saving the phone number, the boy casually remarked, "Um, isn't Karuizawa the VIP in the Rabbit Group?"

"!"

Upon hearing this, the girl's phone trembled violently in her hand, and she looked up in horror, her gaze meeting that of Hashiba Hikaru.

"I... I'm not! What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Uh, it was just a joke to lighten the mood, a way to celebrate the successful conclusion of our long-term cooperation."

"Please don't say things that are terrifying."

Although Karuizawa Kei's heart suddenly raced, she subconsciously changed the subject, and Hashiba Hikaru naturally cooperated quite well, as if she had never said that sentence at all.

Seeing the girl's face still flushed, he was completely certain.

The VIP from the Rabbit Group is Karuizawa Kei.

This aligns with the previously identified pattern.

In that case, we can start preparing our answers now.

Chapter 196 A Little Warmth in Karuizawa Kei's Heart

After getting the desired result, Hashiba Hikaru successfully exchanged contact information with Karuizawa Kei. This was the fourth phone number she had obtained from a girl in Class C, following Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune, and Sakura Airi.

Across from her, Karuizawa Kei looked at the contact she had added to her phone and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the girl had only met Hashiba Hikaru today, establishing a long-term working relationship with him would be in line with her survival rules at school.

Although Hirata Yosuke agreed to pretend to be her boyfriend, when faced with some troublesome situations, she preferred to try to smooth things over by not offending anyone.

This is something Karuizawa Kei cannot accept. Just like when she was surrounded and bullied by three girls from Class D, in this situation, the best way is not to reason with them, but to directly use violence to stop them from ever daring to lay a hand on her again. That is the best way to eliminate the potential threat.

Hashiba Hikaru just set a good example, not only forcing the three of them to sign the contract, but also threatening them in front of Ibuki Mio and Ryuen Kakeru, saying that they would not easily break the contract unless they completely disregarded their Class Evaluation Points.

This is the kind of security the girl craves, but the other person is in a different class from hers, otherwise she might be considering confessing her relationship with Hashiba Hikaru to Hirata Yosuke right now.

In order to continue playing her role at school, Karuizawa Kei had no choice.

This is the price I'm willing to pay.

The girl suppressed her turbulent thoughts and, after putting away her phone, looked up at the boy opposite her.

"Who is that person that Classmate Hashiba is talking about? Can you tell me now?"

"Of course you can, but it would be best if Karuizawa didn't contact her before returning to school. I haven't discussed this with her yet."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, and the image of Sakura Airi's fiery yet obedient face involuntarily appeared in her mind.

Seeing the expression on the boy's face, Karuizawa Kei became even more curious. The girl had actually wanted to ask this earlier: since "she" was used, it meant that it was a girl.

Who exactly is it that Classmate Hashiba about so much?

So who is it?

"It's Sakura." Hashiba Hikaru looked into Karuizawa's eyes and replied earnestly, "Does Karuizawa remember her?"

"Sakura... Sakura... Sakura Airi?"

Karuizawa Kei rubbed her forehead, and it took her a while to realize who the other person was referring to.

Although she was among the top students in Class C, she mostly hung out with her own group of girls and didn't talk to anyone like Kushida.

"It's actually Sakura?"

Karuizawa Kei felt she couldn't connect the red-haired girl in her memory who always kept her head down and was taciturn in class with Hashiba Hikaru across from her; the two seemed to be from completely different worlds.

One was like a shy little animal, rejecting anyone's approach and interaction, always shrinking into her own world without saying a word; the other was a sharp and assertive class leader, not only firmly controlling her class, but also extremely confident, with her various deeds widely circulated among the first-year students, and she could often hear the other's name from the girls' mouths.

Could these two people actually have a unique connection in private? It's even to the point that Classmate Hashiba would take the initiative to ask him to keep an eye on her.

Could it be...?

As a quick-thinking high school girl, Karuizawa Kei quickly came up with an answer that was easy to guess. She raised her eyes to look at the handsome boy opposite her and tentatively asked.

"Could it be that Sakura and Classmate Hashiba are... dating?"

Why would you ask that?

Hashiba Hikaru's expression remained unchanged; she neither directly denied nor nodded in agreement.

"But what you said could easily lead people to that conclusion, right?"

Karuizawa Kei studied his expression, and for some reason, she suddenly felt much more relaxed. She sensed that Hashiba Hikaru across from her had become more real; this was the kind of feeling that a normal high school boy would have.

"Hmm, how should I explain this? It's actually a bit complicated."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly, her tone relaxed. "Karuizawa, just treat me as Sakura's friend. I'd be very grateful if you could offer her some help."

"Is that how it is?"

The girl naturally didn't believe his explanation. The two students were worlds apart in terms of status in the first year, and it would have been absolutely impossible for them to have any contact unless there were some special reasons.

"I understand. I'll try to chat with Sakura when I get back to school."

"There's no need to rush. We can discuss the specifics when the three of us meet."

Hashiba Hikaru observed the curiosity on the girl's face and said calmly, "On the other hand, because of our current cooperative relationship, I hope to become friends with Karuizawa."

"!"

A strange light flashed in Karuizawa Kei's eyes; it was the first time she had ever seen someone so direct, like the boy.

Are you surprised?

Hashiba Hikaru naturally noticed the other person's reaction, but still smiled and said, "After all, our cooperation certainly won't end in a short time. In the process, there will probably be many opportunities to meet, so wouldn't it be good to take this opportunity to become friends?"

"Or... is there some special reason why Karuizawa can't be friends with boys?"

This was the boy's way of testing him, since he hadn't yet figured out what the other person's relationship with Hirata was.

Of course not.

Karuizawa Kei immediately shook her head. She could tell that the other person wasn't joking, so she quickly replied, "I think it's possible. It would be a really nice thing to become friends with Classmate Hashiba."

Why do you say that?

"Because many girls in our class actually want your contact information, but they don't dare to approach you directly in Class A. They can only envy Kushida and Horikita, who have your numbers."

"Oh, is that so?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked flattered. "Since Karuizawa has agreed, then please take care of me from now on."

"Um."

Karuizawa nodded. She never expected that after being bullied by three girls from Class C today, she would experience a series of events and eventually connect with this Classmate Hashiba, whom she had just met, and even form a private working relationship.

[It really feels unbelievable.]

"I see it's almost time; the second group discussion is about to begin. Karuizawa, remember to find out about the VIP in the Rabbit Group!"

Hashiba Hikaru played her part perfectly, even though she already knew the list of all the groups VIP, she still pretended to know nothing.

"I'll give it a try, and I'll send a message to Classmate Hashiba when the time comes."

Although she knew that the answer the other party wanted was her name, Karuizawa Kei was unwilling to give up her one million Private Points reward.

"Well then, Karuizawa."

Before turning to leave, Hashiba Hikaru gently added to the girl, "Our cooperation is based on the premise that both sides get what they need, so Karuizawa doesn't need to feel too much pressure. Even if I make a wrong judgment in the end, it's okay."

The boy's words were gentle, flowing through Karuizawa Kei's heart like a clear spring.

"Our future collaboration is key. I hope Karuizawa can work hard to overcome her problems. If needed, I'm always available; just send me a message."

"I see."

"Please remember one more thing: whatever you've been through in the past, it's all other people's fault. Karuizawa, you don't need to take it out on yourself. This is the best way to face your inner fears. I look forward to you overcoming your problems and becoming a better person."

"I'll be going now. See you next time, Karuizawa."

After saying these words, Hashiba Hikaru turned and left, leaving only Karuizawa Kei standing there with a complicated expression, watching his retreating figure.

"This warmth... it really wasn't an illusion."

The girl placed her small hand on her chest; ever since she began to get to know Hashiba Hikaru, this feeling had been constantly welling up from the depths of her heart.

After a while, a faint smile appeared on Karuizawa Kei's lips. Although today's experience was like a rollercoaster ride for her, the result was unexpectedly perfect.

[Perhaps with Classmate Hashiba's promise, I can face school life with more peace of mind.]

After returning to the deck, Hashiba Hikaru had already recorded all the information of the VIP in the twelve groups on his phone. He was scrolling through the class list in the group chat, selecting those who would answer the questions ahead of time, but he might need to discuss this with Ichinose.