In Classroom of the Elite, My Love Stock Market Only Wants a Full Position

"..."

The smile on the short-haired girl's face froze instantly. She had assumed that both Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami were the harmless, innocent type, but that didn't seem to be the case at all based on what she had just heard.

Kushida, who possessed a wide social circle, recalled that Shibata Sou should also be a student in Class B. So why would Hashiba Hikaru say something like that?

Was there some kind of conflict between them?

The short-haired girl fell into deep thought. Various ideas began to converge in her mind, making her feel like she couldn't quite grasp the other party's personality.

After a few seconds, Kushida patted her own cheeks and called out behind Hashiba Hikaru.

"Hashiba-kun, I'm here."

"Hm?"

Having sent off the upperclassman, Hashiba Hikaru turned around and immediately saw Kushida Kikyo in her casual clothes. She even seemed to be wearing makeup, looking incredibly cute.

"Good afternoon, Kushida-san. That outfit really suits you today."

"Thank you for the compliment, Hashiba-kun. You look very handsome today, too."

Kushida praised the boy across from her with poise, though in her heart, she kept replaying the words Hashiba Hikaru had just spoken. She felt it was necessary to re-evaluate this guy entirely.

"Where did you book our table, Kushida-san?"

"Please follow me, Hashiba-kun. I picked a really nice spot."

Kushida gestured for the boy to head inside with her. She was already very familiar with this family restaurant, so she knew exactly which tables were the most popular.

"I'll leave it to you. After all, I'm the one getting a free meal today."

"Hehehe, I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but glance at the street outside. The cafe was located on the other side of the building. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease, wondering what Ichinose Honami and Arisu were talking about right now.

Meanwhile, at the cafe on the next street, Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi Arisu had already taken their seats. A tall girl with purple hair stood beside the latter, acting as her attendant.

"Good afternoon, Ichinose-san. I wonder what you wanted to discuss with me today?" Sakayanagi asked politely, her demeanor elegant.

"Sakayanagi-san, you really get straight to the point. I thought we would exchange some pleasantries first."

Ichinose Honami smiled faintly. The girl's social skills were not lacking; the only reason she had remained quiet during the execution of the point-recovery plan earlier was because Hashiba Hikaru was present, and she hadn't wanted to interrupt his train of thought.

"I have a rough guess regarding your intentions, Ichinose-san. Please, speak plainly so I can confirm if I'm correct."

"Sakayanagi-san is truly impressive. No wonder Hashiba..."

Ichinose Honami realized she had mentioned the boy's name without thinking, so she paused to reorganize her thoughts. "Actually, I have a question I'd like to ask you, Sakayanagi-san."

"What question?"

"What is your stance on forming an alliance? For instance, if our two classes were to ally, we could both gain more Class Evaluation Points."

"Heh, my answer to that question will always be the same."

A captivating smile appeared on Sakayanagi's doll-like face. Her tone was calm, but her words were incredibly domineering.

"I have no need for allies. One either becomes a subordinate or an enemy; there is no third possibility."

"...Is that so?"

Ichinose Honami felt a jolt of shock, but she pressed on: "But I heard that Katsuragi-kun from your class is currently looking for allies. Have you not reached a consensus?"

"That is merely a child's game. It is quite typical of Katsuragi-kun's behavior—he always insists on forming a group before taking action."

Sakayanagi didn't care in the slightest that she was speaking to a student from another class, critiquing her classmate without any hesitation.

"You don't need to hide anything from me, Ichinose-san. I am aware that Katsuragi-kun approached your Class B with a request for an alliance."

"..."

"If you were trying to probe my attitude, I have already given you my answer."

Sakayanagi watched the silent pink-haired girl, the corners of her mouth curling up as she changed the subject. "I actually have a question for you as well, Ichinose-san. I wonder if you could answer it."

"What is it?"

"Does Hashiba-kun know that you invited me to meet today?"

Chapter 60: Kushida's Favorability

"Does Hashiba-kun know that you invited me to meet today?"

When Sakayanagi asked this, Ichinose's expression changed instantly. She immediately recalled Hashiba Hikaru's earlier warning, so she replied, "I don't see how that is relevant to our meeting today, is it?"

"That is true."

Sakayanagi nodded lightly, then added, "You are quite cunning, Ichinose-san. I answered your question just now, yet you refuse to tell me anything. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

"I..."

Ichinose Honami felt at a loss for words. Just as she was struggling internally over whether to speak, she heard Sakayanagi continue.

"It's fine. I was just slightly curious, so don't worry about it if you'd rather not say."

Sakayanagi took a small sip of the coffee in front of her, her tone softening significantly. "Since you find some things difficult to answer, let's talk about something more relaxed. Let's set aside class competition and treat this as a tea party between girls, so we can get to know each other a little better."

"After all, I am quite interested in you, Ichinose-san. As leaders of our respective classes, I am sure we can find plenty of common ground."

"That's fine by me. I actually don't know what you like yet, Sakayanagi-san?"

Hearing her say this, Ichinose Honami's demeanor brightened considerably. She wanted to regain the initiative; having been led around by the silver-haired girl opposite her for the entire time had been rather embarrassing.

Meanwhile, standing behind Sakayanagi, Kamuro Masumi let out a scoff internally when she heard Sakayanagi say she wanted to chat about girl-to-girl topics with Ichinose.

If this little princess were truly that kind of person, then why would she even be her lackey?

Good grief.

Kamuro looked up at Ichinose Honami across the table. The girl's aura was soft and healing; she looked exactly like the type of angelic character who was popular with everyone. It was a pity that such a person was like a naive child in front of Sakayanagi, making her incredibly easy to manipulate.

"I actually like all kinds of coffee. Do you have a favorite drink, Ichinose-san?"

Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to have truly thrown herself into the tea party with Ichinose. She reached out with her small hand to hold the rim of her cup, her snow-white skin seemingly blending into the white porcelain, making it difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.

"A drink? I like oolong tea. It has a very comforting taste, I feel."

Feeling the sharp, imposing aura from Sakayanagi across the table recede, Ichinose's tense posture relaxed significantly, and she began to chat with her.

"Oolong tea? I don't believe I've ever had that."

Sakayanagi looked toward Kamuro Masumi beside her and asked softly, "Have you ever had it, Kamuro-san?"

"I have. I think it's a bit bitter."

"Is that so?" Sakayanagi Arisu feigned a look of regret and said slowly, "What a pity. I don't really care for bitter things."

"Hehe, Hashiba-kun doesn't like it either. I tried to treat him to some last time, but he turned me down."

Ichinose blurted this out almost instinctively. In her heart, she felt that mentioning the boy's preferences had nothing to do with class competition.

"That's just a little quirk of mine. You don't need to worry about it, Sakayanagi-san."

"Is that so?"

Sakayanagi nodded slightly, a flash of realization instantly crossing her violet eyes.

She had not agreed to meet with Ichinose Honami today to make friends, but to scout for information on Hashiba Hikaru.

Beyond their meeting at the start of the term when he sold the rules, Sakayanagi Arisu had also heard his name mentioned by her father, which was why the girl had been curious about what kind of person this boy really was.

With Class B currently being the closest to Class A, Sakayanagi knew their leader was the pink-haired girl before her. However, even though Hashiba Hikaru was not the class leader, he possessed immense influence.

The last incident was a perfect example; the other party could almost fully represent the will of Class B, with Ichinose merely acting as his assistant on the sidelines.

Despite having such outstanding ability, Hashiba Hikaru was willing to let Ichinose be the class leader. Sakayanagi had been unable to understand this before, but after today's meeting, she had begun to grasp a few things.

First, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose-san had an excellent relationship; one could tell just from her tone that the two were very close.

Second, Ichinose Honami was easy to deal with—or rather, she was unexpectedly naive in certain respects. This was both the strength that allowed her to unite her classmates and her most fatal flaw.

Standing behind her, Kamuro Masumi listened to the two girls' conversation and gained some insight. Although Sakayanagi claimed they were having a friendly tea party, she was constantly, and without leaving a trace, fishing for information about that Hashiba-kun.

And the Ichinose across from her was cooperating quite readily; the process of gathering intelligence was truly simple.

However, as she listened, Kamuro Masumi couldn't help but recall the scene on the first day of school when the rules were sold.

She wondered what kind of person that Hashiba-kun really was to have caught Sakayanagi's attention, even prompting her to take the initiative to scout for information.

--

"What would you like to eat, Hashiba-kun? Feel free to order anything," the short-haired girl said, handing the menu to Hashiba Hikaru, who sat across from her, her expression eager.

"Anything is fine. I'm not very picky when it comes to food."

After taking the menu, Hashiba Hikaru moved his finger across it and quickly selected his dishes.

"Let's go with these two."

Hashiba Hikaru chose two relatively modest dishes so that the meal wouldn't be too expensive.

"Is that all? I heard that boys have big appetites. Should we add a little more?"

"No, no. I can't take too much advantage of Kushida-san. After all, didn't you spend 50,000 Private Points to buy the rules last time?" The boy smiled slightly and asked, "How is Class D doing now? Has the class order improved at all?"

"Oh, it's so frustrating whenever that comes up."

After Kushida handed the menu to the waiter, a look of helplessness appeared on her small face.

"Even though everyone already knows the school's Deep Rules, some students still aren't serious during class. They fidget or can't help but fall asleep, even though Hirata-kun is always emphasizing it."

"Kushida-san is always trying to advise everyone. You really are so thoughtful of others."

"Those are just small things. I'll do anything to help the class." The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face was very gentle, and combined with her tone of concern for the class, she looked every bit the admirable little angel.

It was a pity that, having learned of her hidden side, the boy didn't buy into it at all. He had been pondering how to close the distance between them.

As a social butterfly famous throughout the grade, Hashiba Hikaru sometimes heard Kushida's name in Class B. If he were to simply flatter or cater to her, he would likely just become another ordinary tool.

Also known as a simp.

To get closer to Kushida, he had to start from what she cared about. Hashiba Hikaru thought of the information from the Stock Analyzer and decided to test the waters.

"Has that Horikita-san I met before taken any action?" The boy deliberately mentioned the name Horikita Suzune, his tone filled with curiosity. "Since she was willing to pay so many Private Points, she must be the type of person who works hard for the class, just like Kushida-san."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Hashiba Hikaru saw Kushida's expression turn slightly unnatural, though she maintained her smile as she replied.

"It's alright, I suppose... Horikita-san usually prefers to be on her own, so she doesn't really show much of herself."

"Is that so? I actually thought she was quite proactive."

"I've actually been wanting to be friends with Horikita-san, but unfortunately, I've never found a good opportunity," Kushida clasped her hands together, a look of frustration appearing on her pretty face. "If Horikita-san could just be more enthusiastic about serving the class, I'm sure she could make an even greater contribution."

Wanting to be friends with Horikita?

Hashiba Hikaru was stunned for a moment. Wasn't this girl trying to get her expelled? What kind of angle was this "making friends" business?

The boy felt he couldn't quite grasp her intentions, but since she had put it out there, he might as well start from this point.

"Making friends is a good thing. After all, you're classmates; if you can build a friendship, you'll surely be able to help Class D together," Hashiba Hikaru smiled, offering a gentle, comforting tone. "Since you haven't found the right moment, why not create one?"

"Create an opportunity?" Kushida seemed curious, her gaze landing on Hashiba Hikaru's face.

"That's right. Since Kushida-san treated me to a meal today, I feel like I have to do something in return. Since you brought it up, I'll help you become friends with Horikita-san."

"Eh? Is Hashiba-kun actually close with Horikita-san?" The short-haired girl's eyes were still filled with a smile, but it looked completely devoid of warmth.

Hashiba Hikaru shook his head and said, "Of course not. I've only met Horikita-san once, so how could I be close to her? But I have indeed thought of a good method."

"What method?"

"A study session," Hashiba Hikaru said, enunciating each word clearly. "It's a very good format; it will definitely help you and Horikita-san grow closer."

Chapter 61: My Acting Is Above Yours

"A study session, huh?"

Kushida Kikyo chewed on these words, seemingly contemplating how to go about it.