Suzune Horikita's Stock Is Rising. / Kikyou Kushida's Sweet Invitation.
"I promise to implement the best reform plans during my term. I welcome talented students to climb higher, while those without talent will fall to the bottom. This is true meritocracy. Please give me your guidance."
These were Miyabi Nagumo's last words. After he thanked everyone, the Second Year burst into joyful cheers, while the first and third-year students simply applauded.
[That was a truly powerful speech! Thank you, President Nagumo, for your reform declaration. Please look forward to your future campus life. The handover ceremony between the old and new Student Council is now concluded. Please leave in an orderly manner, without crowding, and maintain your formation.]
As the host led everyone away, Hashiba Hikaru and the Student Council members returned to the Student Council classroom, while Horikita Manabu returned to the formation of Class A of the Third Year.
After all, this event marked the final dividing line. After stepping down, Horikita Manabu would no longer be the Student Council President of the Advanced Nurturing High School, nor even a Student Council member. He would have to return to his class and become an ordinary upperclassman.
But at that moment, Hashiba Hikaru's phone received a new message.
Chat interface.
Horikita Suzune: Classmate Hashiba, what are your thoughts on what I asked you yesterday?
Hashiba Hikaru: Of course I support Horikita's idea, but before that, I hope you'll come with me to meet someone.
Horikita Suzune stared at the new message from the other party, her expression slightly surprised. She had contacted the other party after the election campaign ended, intending to join the Student Council as a new member.
Horikita Suzune: Who are you meeting?
Hashiba Hikaru: A very important person. In any case, she won't let Horikita- kun down, okay?
Horikita Suzune:... Alright then, I can go.
Hashiba Hikaru: I've already reserved a table at Cafe No. 3 in the Keyaki Mall at 5 PM.
Horikita Suzune: Then I'll wait for you at the door.
Hashiba Hikaru: Understood, see you this afternoon.
After closing his phone, a smile appeared on the boy's lips. The person he was meeting was Horikita Manabu, and something interesting might happen later.
--
After school, Hashiba Hikaru quickly finished dealing with her Student Council matters.
After becoming the Vice President of the Student Council, he still handled the affairs of the Activities Department, but compared to before, he had several more assistants. He only needed to do the final summary and review, and he didn't have to be busy until six o'clock as before.
After checking the time on her phone, Hashiba Hikaru shut down her computer, packed her things, and prepared to leave.
As the Vice President of the Student Council, his original seat was moved from opposite Sakayanagi to a separate office area, which was furnished with new equipment and desks and chairs, as the task of recruiting new members also fell to him.
"I'll be going now. You can contact me by phone if you need anything."
Hashiba Hikaru greeted his colleagues, but apart from his supporters nodding to the boy, the others acted as if they hadn't seen him at all.
"It seems there's still a long way to go; Miyabi Nagumo certainly has more supporters than I do."
After leaving the Student Council's Activity Classroom, Hashiba Hikaru touched her chin. Because Miyabi Nagumo's reform strategy was to expand the Student Council, of the current ten Student Council officers, about three belonged to him, and the rest were pawns in the blond man's hands.
"Take it one step at a time, we'll find an opportunity eventually."
Hashiba Hikaru quickly arrived at the place she had arranged to meet Horikita Suzune. The black-haired girl was very punctual; although they had agreed to meet at five o'clock, she arrived at the cafe entrance early at four-thirty.
"Hey, Horikita, you're here early."
The boy greeted him.
Good afternoon, Classmate Hashiba.
Although Horikita Suzune was still wearing her burgundy school uniform, her proportions were excellent, and even though everyone else wore the same uniform, she still exuded a unique charm.
The girl's delicate face was expressionless. Looking at Hashiba Hikaru, whom she already knew well, she felt inexplicably relieved, because she was currently the only person she could discuss things with.
"Who is the other person that Classmate Hashiba mentioned?"
Horikita Suzune inquired about this matter.
"He should be here soon. He just messaged me back and is on his way."
Hashiba Hikaru glanced at her phone, then stood next to Horikita Suzune and smiled, "Horikita will probably be very happy to have this person at today's exchange meeting."
"Yeah?"
The girl didn't think much of it.
But the next second, a male voice that she recognized rang out behind them.
"I shouldn't be late, right, Hashiba- kun?"
"!"
Horikita Suzune shuddered and turned her head stiffly to look at the last person to arrive.
"Suzune, you're here."
Horikita Manabu adjusted his glasses, looking quite calm, as if today's sibling reunion was nothing special.
~~~~~
322
Chapter 322 Horikita Suzune's stock price rises.
"Horikita-senpai... Good afternoon!"
Because she was warned not to reveal her relationship with him at school, Horikita Suzune could only refer to her brother as Horikita-senpai.
"Good afternoon. Everyone's here today. Can you take us in now, Hashiba?"
"Of course, thank you both for coming."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and led the two into the coffee shop. His reserved seats were in the second row by the window, offering a wide view and a gentle breeze blowing in from outside.
"Horikita-senpai, please order first."
The boy handed the menu to Horikita Manabu across from him, his tone somewhat eager.
After all, today's gathering of three was essentially because Horikita Suzune wanted to join the Student Council, and Hashiba Hikaru felt it was a great opportunity for her to communicate directly with her brother.
If you want to boost Horikita Suzune's stock price, focusing your efforts in this direction is definitely the right thing to do.
After the three of them had ordered their coffee and snacks, the boy spoke first, intending to let Horikita Suzune express her opinion.
"Horikita- kun, please tell Horikita-senpai what you're thinking."
"Huh? Now?"
Horikita Suzune's expression stiffened. She was actually quite relaxed when she was alone with Hashiba Hikaru in private, but whenever her brother was around, the black-haired girl would become inexplicably nervous. Even though she wanted to gain his approval, she couldn't bring herself to look Horikita Manabu in the eye.
"Don't be too nervous. Since Horikita wants to gain Horikita-senpai's approval, saying it now will be more helpful for you. After all, this is something you've always wanted to do, isn't it?"
Hashiba Hikaru gently encouraged her.
"Oh well..."
Seeing the boy's encouraging look, Horikita Suzune took a deep breath and began to express her thoughts to Horikita Manabu.
"I... plan to join the Student Council!"
"Why? What do you plan to do if you join the Student Council? Do you want to join a specific department?"
Horikita Manabu gently stirred the coffee in his cup with a spoon and asked several questions in one breath.
After he finished asking his questions, Horikita Suzune felt even more courageous. She paused for a moment, then began to explain herself clearly and logically.
"Since I want to follow in Horikita-senpai's footsteps, joining the Student Council is the best way. I can learn about things I've never encountered before, and perhaps then I'll discover exactly where my shortcomings lie."
"After joining the Student Council, I plan to explore ways to make people better. As for which department to join, Classmate Hashiba recommended that I join the Club Management Department."
Faced with her brother's scrutiny, the black-haired girl expressed all her thoughts, while Horikita Manabu, sitting opposite her, looked both surprised and relieved.
"I see."
The man nodded and said calmly, "I won't interfere with any decisions you make. Since you're going to join the Student Council, you should try your best in everything and not cause any trouble for Hashiba- kun."
"I won't..."
Horikita Suzune was about to argue, but was interrupted by Horikita Manabu.
"I'm not referring to the possibility that you'll make mistakes, but rather that Hashiba- kun currently has a lot on his plate and can't always be attentive to your feelings."
Horikita Manabu glanced at Hashiba Hikaru, who was intently listening to the siblings' gossip, and suddenly steered the conversation towards him, "Hashiba- kun will tell you about these things later; I'm just giving you a brief reminder."
"I see."
Horikita Suzune nodded.
"Besides bringing Suzune here, there must be something else you wanted to ask me out, right Hashiba- kun?"
After receiving a nod from his sister, Horikita Manabu looked at the boy's face again.
"It's just a few minor issues. Horikita-senpai has already left the Student Council, so I'll have to face everything alone from now on."
"What's up?"
"Can you be 100% certain of the loyalty of those people on the list that Horikita-senpai gave me earlier?"
Hashiba Hikaru was referring to the group of Second Year students who had voted for him before. Although they were planted by Horikita Manabu, after hearing Miyabi Nagumo mention the reform plan today, they needed to pay more attention to this situation.
"I can't give you the most accurate answer to this question right now."
Horikita Manabu's answer was simple, after all, he had only met these people in his Second Year, and although they had maintained contact since then, it wasn't very close. "But since you've brought this up, Hashiba- kun should have thought of a solution, right?"
"Of course, since Nagumo uses a system of mutual benefit, I can do the same."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. If it came to comparing Private Points, he wasn't worried at all. After all, in addition to the millions of points he had, the points in the class treasury, which were steadily increasing, could also serve as an alternative.
"You can decide these things yourself. I won't interfere. If you fail in the end, it has nothing to do with me."
Horikita Manabu took a sip of coffee, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I hope Hashiba- kun can make a more interesting choice; I'll be watching."
"That's natural."
The gathering did not last long, and Horikita Manabu soon left.
After he left, Hashiba Hikaru turned her gaze to the girl beside her. "How are you feeling, Horikita- san? Now that you've conveyed your thoughts to Horikita-senpai, you need to work hard from now on."
"I won't let him down..."
Just as Horikita Suzune was about to repeat her statement, she was interrupted by Hashiba Hikaru.
"I think you've got it wrong."
The boy gazed intently into her eyes and said, word by word, "Whether it's me or Horikita-senpai, everything we say is just other people's opinions. Horikita joining the Student Council is all for your own sake."
Your efforts are for yourself, and your progress is also for yourself.
"Horikita-senpai wants to see is your growth, not for you to get caught up in the vicious cycle of working hard for someone else. Do you understand what I mean?"
Feeling the intense gaze of Hashiba Hikaru, Horikita Suzune found her heart skipping a beat.
"I... I understand what you mean, I will think about this carefully."
"That's good. No matter what, I will stand by Horikita's side and support you on your way forward."
"Um..."
After the girl finished speaking, Hashiba Hikaru saw a new notification pop up in the System Bar.
[Your support makes Horikita Suzune very happy. Although she hasn't shown it, Horikita Suzune's gradually accepting you as her companion. Horikita Suzune Stock has risen by 30 points, currently at 80.]
"That's really good."
333
Chapter 333 Kushida Kikyo's Sweet Invitation.
After ending her conversation with Horikita Suzune, Hashiba Hikaru returned to her dormitory with considerable satisfaction.
He had been busy dealing with Student Council issues, and now that things were settled, the boy decided to spend some time with his girlfriend before discussing the Student Council's recruitment of new members with the students in Class A.
After all, in order to better seize power from Miyabi Nagumo, it's naturally more trustworthy to rely on one's own classmates.
Pushing open the door, Ichinose Honami was busy at the stove. Having texted her beforehand, she was preparing dinner.
"Honami, I'm back."
"Okay, Guang can wait a moment, the food will be ready soon."
The girl's eyes narrowed into cute crescent moons, and her tone was gentle.