Sakura Airi's Debut Song Is a Hit, and Her Fanbase Soars / Kushida Kikyo: "What About Me?"
Ibuki Mio's Student Council seat was right across from Kushida Kikyo's. While Kikyo was chatting with Hashiba Hikaru Hikari, she took advantage of the opportunity to check her computer screen and happened to see her group chat messages.
"What intelligence?"
"Class D plans to target our class."
Ibuki Mio told them about it.
"I see. But things won't go their way. After all, if someone is named twice, we'll have to draw lots again. Our goal this time is Class B, and I don't want to keep struggling with the last-place student!"
Ryuen Kakeru smiled coldly. He already had a definite execution plan in mind, and now he was just waiting for the day the results would be announced.
~~~~~
348
Chapter 348 Sakura Airi's debut song is a huge hit, and her fan base is skyrocketing.
After returning to the dormitory, Hashiba Hikaru sent a message in her small group chat, and soon the core members of Class A arrived, including Kanzaki Ryuji, Shibata, and Ando, among others.
After everyone arrived, Ichinose Honami poured everyone a glass of orange juice like a hostess, then obediently sat down next to Hashiba Hikaru and listened to everyone's discussion.
"So, the purpose of today's small meeting is to decide which class we will target for the Final Exam. Please feel free to speak your mind."
Hashiba Hikaru, who was hosting the meeting, gave the opening remarks. He placed a notebook in the middle of the table and looked at everyone present with expectant eyes.
"Then let me go first."
Kanzaki Ryuji took the lead and immediately began to express his thoughts. It was clear that he had done a lot of preparation, as his speech flowed smoothly.
"First of all, I think we need to clarify one thing before choosing the class to attack, which is the issue of two-way selection mentioned in the rules."
"For example, if Class A chooses to attack Class B, then Class B has two options: one is to choose to defend against Class A and then choose a new attacking class; the other is to defend against Class A while simultaneously attacking Class A. However, because this information is confidential, everything is still unknown."
"Do we need to consider the choices of the classes we're selecting to attack?"
Shibata understood the key to this way of thinking: because of his participation in the sports club, he had people he could talk to in several other classes.
"Yes."
Kanzaki Ryuji looked at Hashiba Hikaru and asked earnestly, "What do you think, Classmate Hashiba? Should we attack the class first or gather intelligence first?"
"This is indeed a very important issue, but I already have some information, so we can set a general direction."
"For example?"
Ichinose Honami's eyes immediately locked onto her boyfriend's face.
"Judging from the current Class Evaluation Points, I think the stratification between the upper and lower tiers is already quite obvious."
Hashiba Hikaru presented the score rankings from the beginning of the month.
Class A of the First Year: 1890.
Class B of the First Year: 970.
Class C of the First Year: 163.
Class D of the First Year: 89.
"This Final Exam can only produce a maximum score difference of 100 points. Therefore, the two classes at the top and the two classes at the bottom will likely have their own preferences. For example, the chances of Class D, which is at the bottom, challenging us are very small, since it would be a very hasty approach."
"Indeed, the score gap is too large now. If we were to rank students by academic ability, the class with the closest score would definitely have a better chance of winning."
"That's right. If we only look at exam scores, the best should be Class B, right?"
Kanzaki Ryuji nodded. He knew that if it was simply a matter of scores, Class B was indeed the toughest opponent.
"It is precisely because the rules include this pattern of creating its own questions that more possibilities arise."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly and said calmly, "So I think our most suitable target is still Class B. I have two considerations regarding this idea."
"Please explain, Classmate Hashiba."
"The first point is about Class Evaluation Points, because right now Class B is the closest to us, and they are our most important rivals. If we can beat them, we can further widen the score gap."
"And if we lose, it's not a big deal. There's still plenty of room for improvement in the score gap. This is at least more efficient than attacking the lower-ranked class. Otherwise, we would just be wasting this opportunity."
"The second point concerns the Student Council."
"Student Council?"
"Do the Student Council have any questions?"
Shibata looked at his friend and asked with some concern.
"After completing a new round of recruitment, I now have several Student Council members on my side. Everyone should understand my thinking: if I want to protect everyone, I need to gain more say."
"Only by winning over more people during this Final Exam period can we better implement our plan."
"How does this relate to choosing Class B as the attacking class?"
"Apart from Class B, both Classes C and D have new members joining the Student Council. I can take this opportunity to get to know them better. If I can successfully recruit them, I can obtain more intelligence sources."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently. This was actually out of his own self-interest. After Kiryuin's surprise attack last time, the boy understood that in order to increase the stock price, he would only have more opportunities to interact with other girls.
Wouldn't it be perfect to have such a suitable excuse to nip this problem in the bud?
"I see. Classmate Hashiba has indeed considered things more thoroughly."
"Is Hashiba very busy with her work in the Student Council?"
Shibata was not only curious.
"Of course I'm very busy!"
The one who answered the question was Kanzaki Ryuji. He glanced at Shibata and slowly explained, "As the Vice President, Classmate Hashiba has a lot of things to deal with every day, all in order to achieve that big goal."
"You've really worked hard, Classmate Hashiba."
"It's just a few minor issues. Let's get back to my previous suggestion: what are your opinions on attacking Class B?"
"I support Classmate Hashiba's idea!"
As a staunch supporter of Hashiba Hikaru, Shibata immediately expressed his approval.
"Then I support it too."
"This is indeed a more prudent approach, and it leaves room for many contingencies."
Ichinose Honami thought about it and felt that this idea was indeed not bad. She knew that Hashiba Hikaru was currently focusing on the Student Council, so she understood his way of thinking.
"Let's vote then. Raise your hand if you support attacking Class B."
The next moment, everyone raised their hands in support of the plan, and attacking Class B became the initial consensus.
Everything depends on the results being announced before the quiz.
--
One night, Hashiba Hikaru's phone, which was fast asleep, suddenly received a new text message notification, which startled him awake.
"Hikaru-kun, what's wrong?"
Still half-asleep Kushida Kikyo draped her smooth arm over him and asked in a daze.
"It's nothing, just a text message. You can go back to sleep."
Hashiba Hikaru gently tucked the short-haired girl's arm under the covers, then checked the notifications on her phone.
It was a push notification from a video website. For security reasons, the contact email address for the submission account was the boy's own, which is why the message was sent to him at this time.
"This is..."
You wouldn't believe it until you see it; Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed drastically after reading the email's contents.
The song he wrote for Sakura Airi, "Hikari," has now climbed onto the trending charts, and it's ranked quite high.
The current play count and data growth chart are quite impressive. Sakura Airi's alternate account only has this one post, but this one post has already propelled her to over 100,000 followers, and the song's play count is approaching one million, with numerous likes and comments below.
"Is this the power of [the Songwriting master]?"
349
Chapter 349 Kushida Kikyo: What about me?
In the world of the internet, attracting attention is actually very difficult. No matter what field you belong to, if your goal is to gain followers, it is definitely not an easy task.
As Hashiba Hikaru examined the data analysis on her phone screen, her initial surprise gradually subsided, replaced by deeper contemplation.
The first song written for Sakura Airi has already achieved remarkable results, gaining 100,000 followers with just one song. As the number of plays continues to climb, the account's popularity will only continue to increase. However, due to the closed management of Advanced Nurturing High School, even if someone wants to find out who the real person behind the account is, they will not be able to find out directly here.
In a sense, this school has become a breeding ground for miracles. As long as it continues to build popularity, Sakura Airi's life will surely be even more brilliant after she graduates.
"That's great! We should tell her this good news tomorrow."
Hashiba Hikaru lay on the bed lost in thought, but he didn't notice that the short-haired girl who was sleeping against him suddenly opened her eyes.
"Who should we tell the good news to, Hikaru-kun...?"
Kushida Kikyo's gaze was fixed on the boy in front of her, her beautiful eyes seeming to flash with a cold, eerie light.
"Uh... is Kikyo awake?"
Hashiba Hikaru was startled, but given that Kushida Kikyo was the one who knew the most among the girls, there was no need to hide anything from her.
"Yes, what interesting thing are Hikaru-kun? Can you tell me?"
"It's this video."
Hashiba Hikaru immediately clicked on the only post in Sakura Airi's account. When the clear and melodious singing voice flowed out, Kushida Kikyo was slightly taken aback, but she was quickly immersed in the beautiful music. This was also the first time the boy had seen a bystander's real reaction to the song.
"How do you feel? Is this song good?"
"It sounds pretty good..."
Kushida Kikyo answered instinctively, but she soon noticed something else.
"But this voice sounds so familiar... I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before."
The short-haired girl rubbed her eyes and began to organize her thoughts.
"Hehe, then you can think about it slowly. I'm going to sleep now."
"Etc!"
One of the most important characteristics that made Kushida Kikyo so popular among the students was her exceptional memory. She could remember the name and features of anyone she had met only once or twice, which was key to winning people's hearts.
After a moment's thought, the short-haired girl realized who the voice belonged to.
"Is it Sakura Airi?"
She nudged the boy who had just closed his eyes and was pretending to be asleep.
"You got it right, but there's no reward."
"It really is her!?"
Upon hearing the definite answer, Kushida Kikyo's expression became somewhat strange. She looked at various details of the video, including the release date and the song title.
"Hehe, the song's title is simply 'Light,' so what does this song have to do with you?"
The short-haired girl patted Hashiba Hikaru's arm.
What do you think?
"So there's a connection then. Could it be... that you wrote this song?"
Although Kushida Kikyo's lips still held a smile, it exuded a chilling aura.
"If my answer is yes, what are you going to do?"
Hashiba Hikaru turned around and stared straight at her face.
"If you wrote this song, I'd like to know what prompted you to do it?"
Kushida Kikyo tidied her hair, which had just been rumpled from sleeping, and her tone suddenly became calm.
"The specific reasons are a bit complicated. Do you really want to hear them?"
Hashiba Hikaru rested her head on her arm, handing the choice over to the other person.
"Of course I want to listen. You can explain in more detail. I'm very curious about the reasons why someone as lazy as you would put in so much effort."
Kushida Kikyo stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face. After their relationship had progressed to this point, she knew that the person she liked was not a devoted person, but possessiveness was an emotion that could not be controlled by the body, and the girl had no intention of controlling it at all.