Sakurako: Can I Shower in Hikaru's Dorm?

"Hmm... I've already told you part of this before. Horikita-senpai gave me resources and asked me to help you."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged. "As for the rest, it's the same; it needs to be kept secret for now."

"Furthermore, based on the current situation, the Sudoku Plan can be put on hold for now. The Sports Festival is just around the corner, so please focus your attention on that, Horikita. Collecting points is not something that can be done overnight."

"I see."

Seeing that the other party had no intention of revealing any information, Horikita Suzune chose to accept this fact.

She picked up her phone and transferred half of the points she had earned to Hashiba Hikaru, then picked up her bag and prepared to leave.

[Drop.]

[2,356,122 points have been credited to your personal account.]

After seeing the payment confirmation, Hashiba Hikaru smiled and called out to her, "I have a few more things to say, so please wait a moment Horikita- san."

"What's up?"

"Even though Horikita and I aren't buddies yet, we're partners who President relationship, so I believe we can be each other's support."

What are you trying to say?

Upon hearing the boy's words, the black-haired girl's expression wavered slightly.

"What I mean is... if Horikita really encounters a problem he can't solve, he can always come to me for help."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and said softly, "After all, our connection was witnessed by Horikita-senpai, and I hope you understand what I mean."

"I don't need anyone's help!"

The girl's voice sounded somewhat impatient; she was afraid she would develop a dependence on the other person, and today's events proved that.

"I mean, if you don't need to rush."

Hashiba Hikaru walked to the girl's side and said softly, "Then I'll be going now. Goodbye, Horikita."

"Um..."

Watching the boy's retreating figure, Horikita Suzune clenched her small fists tightly.

She pursed her lips tightly. Although she was reluctant to admit it, she did feel a sense of relief when she overheard Hashiba Hikaru and her brother's conversation.

"I... don't need help..."

The girl slapped her face, using the pain to wake herself up; her eyes gleamed with an unwavering determination to never give in.

--

After ending his chat with Horikita Suzune, Hashiba Hikaru headed towards her dormitory. The last sentence he added was intentional, because to boost the popularity of this aloof girl, it was important to first establish a relationship of trust and to show that he would always support her.

"Oh, it's already working?"

After seeing the new notification pop up in the System Bar, Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and opened the [Stock Interface].

[Your attitude once again stirred strange feelings in Horikita Suzune. Although she was very reluctant to admit it, Horikita Suzune had accepted you as her partner. Horikita Suzune Stock price rose 10 points, currently at 50.]

"The task is arduous and the road ahead is long, but the problems are not significant."

The boy walked into the dormitory elevator with a smile. In any case, as long as it went up, it was a good thing.

Upon returning to the dormitory, Hashiba Hikaru immediately saw her girlfriend lying on her bed. She seemed to have fallen asleep because she had been waiting for too long. The food was covered with plastic wrap and placed on the table.

After tiptoeing over, Hashiba Hikaru reached out and tugged at the blanket, preparing to cover Ichinose Honami with it.

But just then, the girl suddenly opened her eyes, and her bright blue eyes immediately came into his view.

"Hikari, you're back."

"Um."

"How did I fall asleep... Honestly, I was thinking of waiting for you to come back for dinner together."

The girl propped herself up on her arms and sat up, and Hashiba Hikaru quickly reached out and hugged her.

"Sorry, I've been so busy, I'm only just getting back."

"It's alright, didn't I say before? The most important thing is to focus on the important matters."

Ichinose Honami rested her head on the other's shoulder and said softly, "As long as you can come back."

"Then I'll heat up the food, and we can have dinner together?"

"Ugh, I'm so tired from being dragged around shopping with Ando and the others today. You'll have to give me a massage later."

The girl made her request with a grin, her gaze lingering on Hashiba Hikaru, "Consider this Hikari's punishment for coming home late tonight."

"It's not so much that I'm happy to help, but rather that this is a reward for me."

"You bad guy..."

"Then how about we just forget about it?"

"No, you have to press it, and you can't stop until I'm satisfied!"

"Okay, okay."

261

Chapter 261 Sakura: Can I take a shower in Hikaru's dorm?

After her first collaboration with Horikita Suzune ended, with the Sports Festival less than two weeks away, Hashiba Hikaru focused all her energy on class training.

In addition to deciding the order of everyone's participation in the Sports Festival Special Task Force, Class A's special task force also needs to determine the candidates for the four recommended competitions. Currently, everyone is discussing the various information they have collected, and they expect to have a result before the last day of this week.

If you were to participate in a recommended competition, which one would you prefer?

Ichinose Honami leaned against Hashiba Hikaru and voiced her doubts. Sitting opposite her were the remaining members of the group. They had all gathered in the boys' dormitory, since this was important information and couldn't be discussed in class.

"Me?"

Hashiba Hikaru stared down at the rules of the four competitions written in her notebook. Logically speaking, the most important event should be the last one, the All-Grade Joint Relay Race, which would pit her against the second and third-year students, but the score for winning would be the highest.

The remaining events—the relay Borrowing Race, the Four-Way Tug-of-War, and the Mixed Gender Three-Legged Race —are all grade-level competitions. If he really had to choose, the boy's first consideration would naturally be the grade-wide Relay Race.

"I prefer Relay Race, since this event doesn't just involve one person; the selection of each runner is crucial."

"That's right. Relay Race not only test physical strength, but also hand-eye coordination. After all, if you accidentally drop the baton during the exchange, it can waste a lot of time."

Although Shibata is in the Soccer club, he is quite good at various sports and has already volunteered for all the recommended matches. The final decision will depend on the outcome of the subsequent discussions.

Where is Honami?

"I prefer three-legged races; the idea of working together to achieve final victory sounds so youthful!"

The pink-haired girl smiled and gave her answer, her blue eyes filled with longing. However, as soon as she spoke, the men and women opposite her immediately showed teasing expressions.

"Yes, that's right. If a couple is playing together, they can definitely have perfect teamwork."

Ando smiled and asked, always the most enthusiastic one at times like this, "Hey, Kanzaki, who do you think are the two people in our class best suited for this project?"

"I think this is a consensus, the answer is obvious."

Kanzaki also wore a teasing expression, looking chuckled as he gazed at the couple sitting opposite him, leaning against each other.

"That's right, that's right. If Hashiba and Ichinose up, wouldn't they win the three-legged race in no time?"

Shibata raised his voice very loudly, as if he wanted to make a decision right now.

"..."

"Hey everyone, stop making fun of us! Be serious, we're in a meeting right now."

Ichinose Honami put her small hand to her mouth and coughed twice, her face already flushed, but she still forced herself to act as if she didn't care.

"If that's the case, I think it's great, as long as we can win."

Hashiba Hikaru remained calm. He felt that as long as he could contribute to the class, it didn't matter what competition he participated in; the important thing was to pursue a better ranking.

"Hehehe, then I'll write down your names for now. If a better combination isn't chosen by this Sunday, then you're the ones I've decided on."

Ando smiled as she wrote down the names of Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami. Her words weren't meant as a joke; she genuinely thought that if they needed a suitable boy and girl from Class A to participate in Mixed Gender Three-Legged Race, a couple would be the best solution.

These two have maintained a close working relationship since the start of the semester, and they are sure to achieve the best possible synergy.

"Besides the recommended matches, how have you all decided on the order in which everyone will participate in the competitions?"

Hashiba Hikaru held the intelligence that everyone had gathered over the past few days in her hand, her expression somewhat serious.

"Regarding this, the order of most of the matches has already been decided."

Kanzaki Ryuji, acting as the spokesperson, replied, "However, there was a slight deviation in the order of one more project."

"What project?"

"It's Cavalry Battle event. Because this competition requires four people per group, and only same-sex teams can compete, there have been some disagreements among the students in the class about this."

Kanzaki slowly began to explain, "The main concern is the selection of the main attacker, because a poor individual performance will directly affect the entire group's results, so it's still under discussion."

"I see."

After hearing these words, Ichinose Honami immediately understood her classmates' considerations.

After all, Cavalry Battle is one of the most important competitions at the Sports Festival. Three people will act as the "legs" supporting the horse from below, while the last person will act as the "main attacker" on top to snatch the opponent's headband.

This competition format dictates that the individual must take responsibility; a loss means a shared failure for all four members of the team.

"Leave this matter to me; I will choose the most suitable person."

After a moment's thought, the pink-haired girl decided to take charge of the matter herself. She wanted to coordinate everyone's ideas, since every project should be taken seriously.

"That would be perfect. If it's Ichinose, she should be able to help everyone make a decision."

"That's right, that's what I think too."

"In that case, let's leave it to Honami. We'll have the final round of discussion on who should handle it before Friday's class meeting."

After summarizing everyone's thoughts, Hashiba Hikaru set the tone for today's group discussion. "We need to decide on all the participants by then, and next week will be the intensive training period."

"Understood."

"We will decide on all the candidates."

After the discussion ended, the members got up and left the boys' dormitory.

As for Ichinose Honami, his girlfriend, although she didn't want to leave, she felt that if she stayed there, she wouldn't be able to get anything done. In order to complete the task she had just taken on, she resolutely chose to return to her dormitory.

Hashiba Hikaru hugged the girl, kissed her on the cheek, and then closed the door.

See you tomorrow, Honami.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

Because he has been nominated for several competitions, the boy's training intensity has been high these past few days. In addition to his daily morning runs, he also takes time in the evenings to jog around the campus. After all, many of the competitions at the Sports Festival are related to running, so it's always good to be prepared.

However, just as he was halfway through his run, he spotted a familiar figure by the roadside. The person seemed to be running as well, but was moving very slowly, and he could hear their disordered breathing.

"Sakura?"

"Huh!?"

Upon hearing this, the figure immediately turned around and looked over. After recognizing the person she had been longing for, the girl's steps became somewhat flustered.

"Careful!"

Hashiba Hikaru took two steps in one and immediately rushed over to support the other person's shoulder.

Are you alright?

"I... I'm fine."

Feeling that familiar warmth, Sakura Airi's face immediately lit up with a delightful smile. "Hikaru... good afternoon."

"Hmm, are you exercising?"

After releasing the other person, Hashiba Hikaru observed him for a while and was able to roughly determine what the other person was doing.

"Yes."

Sakura Airi wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Although she was tired, she still explained earnestly, "Didn't I tell Hikaru on the Cruise Ship before? If we want to change ourselves, exercise is essential, right?"

"This is a good thing, why didn't Airi tell me?"

"Because I want to give you a surprise. If I perform well at the Sports Festival, Hikaru will definitely be very surprised."

Sakura Airi let out a long breath. She had actually started physical training a long time ago, and although it was tough, the girl had persevered.