Ichinose's Plan / Is Kushida Kikyo an Angel?

After he finished speaking, the students responsible for gathering information on Class D began standing up one by one. Each of them held a different tool for taking notes, whether a notebook or a planner, while some had simply used their phones. Either way, the results were the same.

As they began reading out what they had found, everyone in Class B immediately realized the situation was far from optimistic.

Not everyone, but at least half of Class D's students were extremely careless with their points. Besides students like Yamauchi Haruki, who had spent thirty thousand points on a new handheld console in the first week, some of the girls had spent points on cosmetics and casual clothes. After all, girls liked to look their best, and once class was over, it was more comfortable to wear casual clothes around school.

"That's everything I found."

As the last student assigned to Class D returned to their seat, Hashiba Hikaru finished writing on the blackboard.

"..."

The boy looked at the notes in his hand. He hadn't expected the information to look so disastrous once it was all laid out. It was far worse than he'd predicted.

"I'm sure everyone has heard from the students who were gathering information on Class D. Their situation is very bad."

Hashiba Hikaru turned around and wrote his recorded figures on the blackboard. "We originally planned to approach Class D and negotiate a deal for one million points, but it looks like a lot of their students are spending recklessly."

"It hasn't even been a week, and from the data we've gathered, Class D's total points have already been dwindling fast."

"So I don't think we can wait any longer. I'm planning to go to Class D next Monday to negotiate the rules," Hashiba Hikaru said emphatically, his voice growing animated. "If we keep waiting, we might not even be able to recover one million points."

"What do you think?"

Chapter 37: Ichinose's Plan

After Hashiba Hikaru presented his plan to his classmates in Class B, they responded enthusiastically.

After all, they weren't fools. Knowing that Class D had no intention of saving points, if they kept waiting, they might really fail to recover any.

"I agree with Hashiba's idea. I can't believe those guys in Class D are spending so carelessly," Shibata said loudly, still stunned by the information they had just heard. "They spent that much in just one week? Unbelievable."

"Why else do you think they were assigned to Class D? It's the worst class, after all."

"I think so too. They must have already lost a lot of Class Evaluation Points over the past few days. Hashiba should go collect the points next Monday."

"I agree."

Seeing how much everyone supported his decision, Hashiba Hikaru was about to wrap things up, but then he remembered the promise he'd made to Ichinose the previous day and quickly changed tack.

"All right. Since everyone agrees, let's vote," the boy said, looking at everyone in the class as he carefully explained, "I think from now on, we should vote on every plan we make in Class B. We'll only put a plan into action if it gets more votes in favor than against."

"That way, we can get a better sense of what everyone thinks and pool our efforts, making sure our plans have everyone's support."

"That works."

"Then let's vote."

The others were a little puzzled about why he didn't simply put the plan into action, but no one was going to oppose Hashiba Hikaru now. Since he'd brought it up, they might as well go along with it.

"Ichinose, will you count the votes?" Hashiba Hikaru said with a smile, looking at Ichinose beside him.

She knew exactly why he'd said that. A warm feeling flowed through her, and Ichinose Honami promptly nodded before starting the vote.

"If you support Hashiba's proposal, please raise your hand."

Ichinose took on the air of a class leader and announced the first item on the agenda.

The next moment, everyone in Class B raised their hands. No one would raise an objection now; this was just a formality.

"Thirty-eight votes in favor."

The girl announced in a light voice, "Then we'll follow Hashiba's plan on Monday. Thank you for your support."

"All right."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded beside her and moved on to reviewing the next part of their plan.

Now that they had finished gathering information on Class D, it was Class C's turn.

Although they had recently taken advantage of Ryuen in Class C, they still needed to track the points spent by the rest of his class. That was the only way to make sure their plan stayed on track.

"Now, could the students responsible for Class C start reporting their findings in turn?" the boy instructed the class.

When they began tallying how many points the students in Class C had spent, everyone could tell things were much better than in Class D. A few students were still spending rather freely, but overall, that wasn't very common.

When the last student to report their findings returned to their seat, Hashiba Hikaru put down his pen.

It had to be said: despite being only one class apart in the rankings, the students in Class C were far more restrained with their points than those in Class D.

"I'm sure everyone heard the reports from our classmates," Hashiba Hikaru said, a smile appearing on his face. "Class C's students haven't been spending very much."

"Hashiba, are you planning to wait a little longer?"

Someone asked from below. After all, if Class C wasn't spending much, waiting a few more days might cause them to lose even more Class Evaluation Points.

"But didn't Hashiba just get three students in Class C suspended?" a particularly observant student said, sharing their analysis. "That should cost them a lot of Class Evaluation Points, right?"

"That's right."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. If they had followed the original version of the plan, he'd intended to go to Class C in a week and sell them the rules. But then Ryuen's violent behavior had disrupted their schedule.

Now that three of their students had been suspended, they were bound to lose Class Evaluation Points. Even though they'd found out that Class C hadn't spent much, there was no harm in going early. It would help them avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Then let's change our approach. After we recover Class D's points next week, we'll move on to Class C," the boy said, adjusting the plan. It didn't make much difference either way. "We'll recover all the points from both classes within a week, to avoid anything unexpected."

"I agree."

"I support Hashiba's plan. Once we finish recovering the points from both classes next week, everyone will be able to relax a little."

"All right, Ichinose, let's vote."

"Okay."

After organizing the previous vote, Ichinose Honami had gained some experience. She faced the class and held the second vote. The result was unchanged: thirty-eight votes in favor.

"Then that settles next week's plan," Hashiba Hikaru said as he summarized. "When we go to Class C and Class D next week to sell them the rules, Ichinose and I will handle it again. Does anyone object?"

"No objection. I trust you!"

"That's right. Hashiba and Ichinose are our representatives in Class B. I'm sure you'll recover the points without a hitch."

After joining the two-million-point Expulsion Insurance plan, everyone understood that the more points their class had in reserve, the better. It would give everyone more security.

That was why they supported the plan to sell the rules, and trusted Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami's abilities.

"Ichinose, will you wrap up today's class meeting?"

The boy winked at Ichinose beside him, signaling that this was her chance to take the lead.

"Got it." A gentle smile appeared on the pink-haired girl's face as she switched places with Hashiba Hikaru and took the podium.

"Everyone, tomorrow and the day after are our first weekend since we started school. You've all worked hard these past few days." Ichinose Honami's gaze swept across the classroom as she spoke softly. "Hashiba has already made next week's plan, so there's no need to keep gathering information. Please get some good rest this weekend."

"Let's balance work and rest, then do our best again next week!"

"Got it!!!"

"If you or Ichinose need anything, just message me. I'll come running whenever you call."

"Me too. I'm free all weekend."

The class meeting came to an end amid everyone's enthusiastic responses. Tomorrow was a day off, and the students in Class B were all happy. After all, who didn't like a holiday?

Just then, Ichinose leaned close to Hashiba Hikaru's ear and said,

"Um, Hashiba, I'm planning to meet Kushida tomorrow. Would you like to come along?"

"?" The boy glanced at her.

"Since we're about to go to Class D to collect points, wouldn't it be better to do some research beforehand? Kushida knows everyone in Class D really well."

"I see. Please take me with you."

This was just what he needed. Hashiba Hikaru had been worrying about how to get in touch with Kushida Kikyo. A new, promising stock had just come onto the market, and this time, he had to make sure he secured it!

Chapter 38: Is Kushida Kikyo an Angel?

When Saturday arrived, Hashiba Hikaru didn't slack off on the exercise routine he'd kept up for the past few days. Since he didn't have classes, after running for an hour, he went straight back to his dorm to shower, then sat in his chair and waited for Ichinose to contact him.

The two had made plans the day before. Today, the girl was going to meet Kushida Kikyo from Class D. Although Kushida had only spoken with Ichinose a few times, they were both social butterflies, so they had quickly become friends.

After Hashiba had "talked her through it," Ichinose had become especially proactive about carrying out the class's plans. She wanted to have a chat with Kushida and learn more about the current situation in Class D, so she'd invited Hashiba along to prepare for their visit to collect points next Monday.

"Beep."

As Hashiba Hikaru was listlessly flipping through the books on his desk, his phone chimed to notify him of a new message.

"Hashiba, I've met up with Kushida. We're at the café in Keyaki Mall. You can come over now."

"That was quick."

The boy checked the time on his phone. It was only nine o'clock.

He could understand why Ichinose Honami was in such a hurry, but why was Kushida Kikyo cooperating so much too? It was the first weekend since school started. Didn't she want to sleep in?

He really didn't get it.

But now that he'd received the message, Hashiba Hikaru didn't hesitate. He immediately left the dorm. Keyaki Mall was the busiest place on this Artificial Island, and after exploring it over the past few days, he'd gotten quite familiar with the place.

He'd visited most of the stores, from the various shops to the restaurants selling delicious food, and tried a few things along the way. He wasn't the kind of person who needed to complete every achievement, but there was no harm in experiencing more of what the place had to offer.

When he reached the café in Keyaki Mall, Hashiba Hikaru could already see the woman with a curvy figure through the window. Kushida Kikyo sat opposite her, seemingly chatting with Ichinose, a happy expression on her face.

As soon as the boy approached, Ichinose Honami spotted him.

"Good morning, Hashiba."

"Morning, Ichinose." After greeting her, Hashiba Hikaru turned to the short-haired girl across from her. "Good morning, Kushida."

"Mhm, good morning, Hashiba. Honami told me yesterday that you'd be coming too, and I was so surprised." Kushida Kikyo wore a gentle smile on her pretty face, making her seem very approachable.

Hashiba pulled out a chair and sat down beside Ichinose Honami. With a curious look on his face, he asked Kushida Kikyo, "Why? Don't you want me here?"

"Of course I do. I just thought that if Honami were meeting someone on the weekend, she'd prefer to spend time alone with you rather than invite me."

The short-haired girl's lips curved into a smile as her gaze passed over the boy and girl in front of her.

With her extensive network of connections, she'd heard a rumor going around Class B: their two class leaders, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami, might be dating.

Romance between boys and girls was a very popular topic among high school students. Kushida was curious, so she wanted to find out more and use it to bolster her social standing.

"What are you saying, Kushida?"

Hearing Kushida tease her, Ichinose turned bright red. She secretly glanced at the boy beside her, then awkwardly changed the subject. "I asked you to meet today because there's something important I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

Kushida's gaze still held a hint of teasing as her red eyes swept over Hashiba Hikaru, who had remained silent all this time. She seemed to be wondering why he'd come along.

"It's about class matters," Ichinose Honami said. As the one who'd arranged today's meeting, she wanted to steer the conversation. "Didn't you tell me that the class leaders in Class D were you and Hirata? There are a few things I wanted to ask you about."

"You've got it wrong. Hirata's our class leader. I'm just his assistant." Kushida smiled faintly, brushing off her own contribution as insignificant.

"I see. What I really wanted to ask is how you keep things running smoothly among your classmates."

Under Hashiba Hikaru's influence these past few days, Ichinose Honami had picked up a few tricks for making conversation—basically, mixing truth with lies and delivering both sincerely enough to make the other person believe you.

After all, she and Kushida had only just met. Kushida might not be able to tell when she was lying. The main thing was to learn more about Class D.

"Even though everyone in Class B seems united, we sometimes get into serious arguments over things," Ichinose Honami said, a worried look crossing her pretty face. "Sometimes, even when I try to talk to them, they still refuse to make up."

"Didn't you say everyone trusts you? Do you have any tips for getting them to that point?"

"So that's what's been worrying you, Honami." The smile on Kushida's lips grew even brighter. She spoke to Ichinose gently. "I don't really have any tips. Sometimes, when people have a disagreement, I can only get them to make up by speaking gently to them."

"By speaking gently? What kind of situation do you mean? Could you tell me about how you handled a particular incident?"

"All right, I'll tell you about one."

Kushida Kikyo nodded and began recounting a simple example.

"Take Sudo from our class, for instance. He really loves basketball, and he's pretty talented, so he's already been chosen as a reserve player in the Basketball Club. That means he has to train every day."

"Mm-hmm. And then?"

"But he doesn't seem to like studying. Sometimes he doesn't even do his homework. And he can be pretty intimidating, so no one dares to talk to him about it," Kushida Kikyo recalled. "So I stepped in and called over Yamauchi and Ike, since they like hanging out with him."

"I got them to tell Sudo that he should make sure to turn in his assignments every day. It would make it easier for him to take part in club activities."

"I see." Ichinose nodded in understanding, her face showing admiration for the girl. "You got him to accept your suggestion indirectly, right? That's a great approach. He wouldn't resent you for it, either. No wonder you're so impressive, Kushida!"

"Not at all. I just want everyone in our class to get along. We'll be classmates for three years, after all. My wish is for everyone to become friends."

The short-haired girl's face carried a look of longing. Paired with her innocent, flawless features, it was hard not to like her.