Back at School, I Receive Two Date Invitations / Sakura's Life Album
"Alright then, come find me again when you're ready to talk. I'll listen if I have time."
Although this guy's behavior was a bit strange today, Hashiba Hikaru didn't intend to pry. He nodded to the girl and then walked out of the room without hesitation.
After closing the door, alone, Kushida Kikyo silently reflected on her actions.
She wanted to understand why she was behaving this strangely, so she couldn't explain her thoughts to Hashiba Hikaru.
Could it be...?
Chapter 214 Returning to School, Received Two Date Invitations
When Hashiba Hikaru knocked on Ichinose Honami's door, the girl came out to greet her with delight. It was clear that she was in a very good mood after officially becoming his girlfriend.
Ichinose Honami looked at the boy's face and said with a smile, "Hikaru, you've come."
"Yes, they'll come when things are resolved. It's almost noon now, let's go have lunch together."
"Uh-huh."
The pink-haired girl generously took Hashiba Hikaru's hand, and the two walked to the entrance of a bustling restaurant on the Cruise Ship, maintaining an extremely intimate posture. Because Ichinose Honami had posted an official announcement, they attracted a lot of attention when they appeared.
"They're such a perfect match, Ichinose and Classmate Hashiba."
"Yes, they are not only core members of our class, but they are also a perfect match in terms of looks and height. They are truly a perfect couple."
"I envy Ichinose."
"Haha, if Ninomiya likes Classmate Hashiba, I actually support you competing with Ichinose."
"... I was just joking."
Besides their classmates in Class A who are familiar with them and are paying attention to their movements, students from other classes are also very curious.
After all, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami were already quite famous among their first-year students. It would be strange if these two high-profile figures didn't attract attention when they became a couple.
"It seems like a lot of people are watching us, Hikaru."
The girl was holding Hashiba Hikaru's arm, her pretty face flushed slightly, perhaps from shyness.
"This is the impact of the official announcement. But right now, everyone is just a little curious. As time goes on, the students will get used to it."
Hashiba Hikaru patted Ichinose's hand and chuckled, "Besides, Honami has led so many class meetings, this amount of attention shouldn't be a big problem for you, right?"
"That's true."
A sweet smile appeared on the pink-haired girl's face. Being able to openly act as a couple with Hashiba Hikaru had always been her wish, so she was in a very good mood.
"Just don't pay too much attention to other people. After all, dating is a matter between two people and has nothing to do with other people."
"Okay, I understand."
The next two days flew by. Apart from going swimming with Shibata and the others once, Hashiba Hikaru spent most of her time with Ichinose Honami.
After becoming a couple, figuring out how to change the way they interact requires a process of exploration. Fortunately, the two had already been together for a long time and had a lot of intimate contact, so now that they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, many things just fell into place naturally.
When August 16th arrived, the Cruise Ship finally returned to Advanced Nurturing High School. The first-year students, organized by their teachers, began to assemble on the deck and then lined up to embark on their journey back to their dormitories.
Since there are still more than ten days left in summer vacation, everyone's relaxed mood has not been greatly affected. Even if they cannot leave the campus, this long period of time is enough to enjoy a leisurely holiday.
After the students dispersed, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami parted ways at the dormitory elevator. After all, they weren't on the same floor, and since they had been away for almost two weeks, she probably needed to clean her room.
After a period of busy work, the young man began to organize his gains over the past few days, and he opened the System Panel.
[Stock Interface]
[Ichinose Honami Stock]
[Current Price: 260, Number of Quantities Held: 2000.]
[Sakura Airi Stock]
[Current Price: 240, Number of Quantities Held: 1000.]
[Shiina Hiyori Stock]
[Current Price: 80, Number of Quantities Held: 3000.]
[Kushida Kikyo Stock]
[Current Price: 110, Number of Quantities Held: 5000.]
The four stocks he has acquired have all seen some price increases. Although the number of shares has decreased, the amount of money he can exchange for them is still substantial.
"In any case, before the second semester begins, besides seeking information from upperclassmen, we can't stop exploring stock prices. There are still many stocks we haven't bought yet, and we can make use of them."
Hashiba Hikaru touched her chin, pondering the next steps in her mind.
The boy didn't exchange for many skills in the first semester because he had no idea what the future exams would be like, so he had to make decisions on the fly.
However, if we can obtain some crucial information about what to do next, we might be able to exchange for useful skills in advance. This would not only give us a head start but also allow us to lead the class to victory more easily in the future.
However, before that, stock trading should also be more efficient, and it's best to continue developing new high-quality stocks to make the acquisition of funds more abundant.
Just as the boy was lost in his own thoughts, there was a knock on his dormitory door.
"Hikari, I'm all ready, open the door!"
Upon hearing Ichinose Honami's voice, Hashiba Hikaru closed her notebook and got up to open the door for the girl. When the familiar Matoba came into view, a nostalgic expression appeared on the pink-haired girl's face.
"I used to cook for you as your deskmate, but now that you're Hikaru's girlfriend, it feels completely different."
Ichinose Honami's gaze slowly swept over the furnishings in Hashiba Hikaru's dormitory. During the first semester, she spent a lot of time here, being the person who, besides Hashiba Hikaru herself, spent the most time here.
"What's different? The furnishings here haven't changed at all."
"Hehehe, maybe this is the different feeling brought about by a change in mindset."
After finishing her reflections, Ichinose Honami extended her delicate, white hand to Hashiba Hikaru.
"What's wrong?"
"Give me the Key Card. I need to go to the administrator to get it copied later, since I'll be coming here more often in the future."
"... really."
Hashiba Hikaru didn't hesitate for long, and after handing the Key Card to the girl, Ichinose Honami immediately put it in her pocket.
She then expertly inspected the refrigerator's compartments, saying to the boy as she did so, "Hikaru, the refrigerator is practically empty now. Let's go shopping together tomorrow."
"Sure."
"Let's go on a date."
Ichinose Honami's face lit up with anticipation. Before, when they went shopping together, it was just about buying things, but now that she was the boy's girlfriend, she suddenly had so many more things to do.
"Yes, I understand."
Hashiba Hikaru nodded, took out her phone, and started searching for things to do on a date, since she didn't have much experience with this before.
But just then, a chat window suddenly popped up on the screen; it was from Sakura Airi.
Sakura Airi: Classmate Hashiba, can we meet tomorrow? I have something to tell you.
"..."
How could it even crash into that?
The boy's expression immediately turned strange. Could this become a regular part of his life from now on?
Chapter 215: Sakura's Life Album
On her first day back at school, Hashiba Hikaru spent a long time with Ichinose in his dorm room.
While on the Cruise Ship, although we could act intimately together, there were still many other students around, so we kept a bit restrained.
When they were in the dormitory, the quiet space was empty except for each other, so they could do more intimate things without worry. For example, after checking the refrigerator, the two of them kissed for a while in front of the stove.
After the girl, her face flushed, loosened her arms from holding her tightly, Hashiba Hikaru chuckled and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
"Why does it seem like Honami is unusually proactive every time we kiss? It's really something."
"Hmph, you were the one who wouldn't let me stop, and now you're blaming me..."
Ichinose snuggled into Hashiba Hikaru's arms, and said shyly, "I could barely breathe just now."
"In that case, let's shorten the time next time." Hashiba Hikaru nodded readily, indicating that she knew her mistake and was willing to correct it.
To everyone's surprise, the pink-haired girl's expression changed instantly upon hearing this, and she instinctively rejected the suggestion. "No! We can't shorten the time!"
Only after she saw the mocking smile on Hashiba Hikaru's face did she realize she had been tricked. Her pretty face immediately turned even redder, as if it were about to drip water.
"Ugh, are you saying that on purpose?"
Ichinose Honami "angrily" reached out and pinched Hashiba Hikaru's arm. Although she didn't pinch hard, the boy immediately showed a pained expression, which pleased her.
"I won't do it again next time."
"Hmph, it's good that you know."
They stayed together affectionately until after 9 p. m. before Hashiba Hikaru finally took the girl back to her dormitory.
Because they were going out together the next day, Ichinose Honami said she needed to carefully plan their date route, which is why she chose to leave early. Otherwise, the pink-haired girl originally planned to stay there until 11 o'clock.
"Please look forward to tomorrow." Ichinose Honami stood at the door of her dormitory, a sweet smile on her face.
"Yes, I'll be looking forward to it."
"Good night."
"Good night."
After saying goodbye, Hashiba Hikaru entered the elevator and started replying to Sakura Airi's messages. Because he had been stuck with Ichinose Honami the whole time, he couldn't find a suitable time to check his phone.
Chat interface.
Hashiba Hikaru: I might not have time tomorrow, how about the next day?
Meanwhile, Sakura Airi, who had been silently waiting for a reply in her room, saw the text message and her expression suddenly darkened. However, she did not give up and continued typing.
Sakura Airi: Does it take too long to finish just this? Not even at night?
Hashiba Hikaru roughly estimated her schedule for tomorrow. If her date with Ichinose went smoothly, she should have some time in the evening, but probably not much.
Hashiba Hikaru: It might not be good if it's too late, how about we meet again later?
Sakura Airi: I can wait, anyway, I don't have any other friends.
Upon seeing this sentence, the boy paused slightly, then quickly gave his reply.
Hashiba Hikaru: How about tomorrow night at 10 PM? Where should we meet?
Sakura Airi: Just stay in my room.
Hashiba Hikaru: Okay, I'll be on time.
After the boy sent his last message, a slow smile crept onto Sakura Airi's lips.
Although she was a little slow to react, every girl is a natural actress when facing someone she likes.
She had just deliberately mentioned that she had no friends. Although it was true, saying it could change Hashiba Hikaru's mood. After all, based on Sakura Airi's understanding of boys, this was the best way to handle it, and it would definitely make him unable to refuse her.
After putting down her phone, the red-haired girl looked up at her bed, where a very revealing outfit lay—a summer swimsuit she had bought online. Because it was too revealing, she hadn't brought it with her on the Cruise Ship.
After all, when she heard that she would be living with the girls in her class, Sakura Airi didn't want them to see her.
"Guang will be coming tomorrow night, and I'll make him... care about me even more."
Sakura Airi made up her mind that she would never give up on the road to happiness.
-
Meanwhile, Hashiba Hikaru sat at his desk, taking out the [Life Album] he had previously exchanged for through the [Trading Shop].
I only got it in July, so there was only one photo at the time. Now it's late August, so there should be a second photo.
Somewhat nervously, the boy opened the photo album and, sure enough, found a second photo on the back of the first page.
The Matoba in the photo appears to be in a lounge, with long tables and chairs piled with various odds and ends.
On the left side of the room were two rows of clothes hanging on a clothes rack. Each garment had a unique texture, and its bright and fashionable designs suggested that they were different types of performance costumes.
A woman with long red hair was sitting in a chair touching up her makeup in front of a mirror. Because it was her back view, her face was not clearly visible, but some clues could still be made from her slender and graceful figure.
After looking at the front, Hashiba Hikaru flipped the photo over and, sure enough, found the same text on the back as the first photo. Although the text was short, the message it conveyed was quite significant.