April Arrives: A New Item, a Unique Talent!
Horikita Manabu questioned, "If you're dating multiple girls at the same time, can you guarantee you can be responsible for their futures?"
"I can."
This time, the answer was more resolute than before. Having come this far, Hashiba Hikaru naturally had no more doubts and was even more certain than before that this was what he wanted.
"Although I don't know who else is involved, you need to think this through: bigamy is illegal."
Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses. "You don't mean to expect them to be your mistresses without any official status?"
"There's no need for Horikita-senpai to worry about that. I'd like to give it a try."
"Oh..."
Horikita Manabu was about to sneer, but then seemed to remember something, so he composed himself and asked again.
"You already have a solution to the problem?"
"I only have a rough outline of a plan. I won't let anyone down. Now that I've made this choice, I'll make sure I can do my best."
Hashiba Hikaru spoke each word clearly and forcefully.
"..."
Gazing at the boy before him, Horikita Manabu's thoughts drifted into a daze.
Although his choice was too unconventional, the man knew that the other person was not someone who liked to make decisions rashly. If he really wanted to go on this thorny path, he must have a certain degree of confidence.
After a long period of contemplation, Horikita Manabu finally spoke.
"If that's the case, then let me see just how far you can go."
The man's gaze passed over the boy and landed on his sister standing not far away. The girl had been staring at him the whole time, and it seemed she was completely inseparable from him.
Seriously.
"Thank you for your recognition, Horikita-senpai."
Hashiba Hikaru immediately followed up, saying, "I believe I can forge a new path."
"This is not approval. I will not approve of your absurd plan, especially if you ever hurt Suzune..."
Horikita Manabu's voice suddenly turned cold and sharp, "I will come to find you!"
"I see."
"Then I'll be going now. Go tell Suzune that she doesn't need to see me off."
After giving this final instruction, the tall, dark-haired man glanced at his sister standing there one last time, then turned away decisively.
Their departing steps were without the slightest hesitation.
Looking back, Horikita Manabu left a significant mark on this school, not only as the most outstanding Student Council President in history, but also because his abilities were evident to all.
He single-handedly led Class A of the Third Year for three years, not only surviving against other classes but also fulfilling his promise by minimizing the dropout rate in the third grade.
This is a remarkable achievement.
Even though Hashiba Hikaru has accomplished more than him, without Horikita Manabu's help in establishing an early advantage, everything would still be uncertain.
"Horikita-senpai, have a safe journey!"
Hashiba Hikaru Hashima bowed solemnly to the man's retreating figure, her expression grave.
This should be the last time I see him in the next two years. Thinking back to our first meeting on the playground, a year has flown by. Along the way, I have really received a lot of help from him.
Just as the boy's thoughts were racing, he heard Horikita Suzune's footsteps approaching.
"Light!"
"What's wrong?"
Turning his head, Hashiba Hikaru's gaze swept over the girl's pretty face, her eyes filled with complex emotions, suggesting she had been pondering this matter.
What did your brother say to you?
This must be what she cares about most.
"Don't worry, I just came clean with Horikita-senpai."
Hashiba Hikaru shrugged, her tone calm. "I told him I was juggling multiple relationships."
"Ah?"
The girl's expression changed. It was fine for them to talk about this in private, but if Horikita Manabu found out, he probably wouldn't accept it so easily.
"Don't worry."
The boy patted her head gently, his tone soft, "Horikita-senpai isn't some old fogey. He didn't stop me from continuing to spend time with Suzune; he just wanted me to figure out which path to take."
"All right."
Hearing this, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief. She placed her small hands on her chest and asked again, somewhat concerned.
"So what was Guang's answer?"
"My answer is simple: since I've chosen this path, I will keep going, and I will never give up on anyone."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently, "I've already given you all this answer. Let's face whatever the future holds together."
"Uh-huh."
A faint smile appeared on the black-haired girl's face. She took Hashiba Hikaru's hand and stood beside her, gazing at the gate in the distance.
The students on the four buses finally arrived. With the roar of the engines, the third-year students officially set off, heading towards the distant tomorrow.
A gentle breeze stirred up the petals on the ground, swirling them up and down in the air.
April is coming.
As the early cherry blossoms begin to bloom, they will lead everyone to welcome a new beginning.
Chapter 702 April Arrives, New Items, Exclusive Talent!
On the evening of the last day of spring break, Hashiba Hikaru had dinner with Kiryuuin Fuuka and Sakayanagi Arisu.
Although the two silver-haired girls habitually exchanged a few words during the conversation, the boy's gentle reassurance eventually brought it to a successful end. After escorting them back to their room, he returned to his dormitory alone.
Today is the last day of March, which means the System Store will refresh again at midnight tonight.
In the spare time while waiting for midnight, the boy sat on the edge of the bed and carefully checked his current System Panel.
Upon opening the system, rows of text appeared before my eyes.
He first selected [Character Information].
[Name: Hashiba Hikaru]
[Age: 16]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Charm:8]
[Stamina: 8]
[Stocks held: Ichinose Honami Stock, Sakura Airi Stock, Kushida Kikyo Stock, Shiina Hiyori Stock, Sakayanagi Arisu Stock, Horikita Suzune Stock, Kiryuuin Fuuka Stock.]
[Skills Mastered: Combat Techniques (Proficient), Wilderness Survival (Master), Potential Burst (Proficient), Songwriting (Master), Mastery of All Chess), Investment and Wealth Management (Master), Foresight Moment (Once a Month)]
[Items in hand: Lucky Amulet, Life Album, Stock Locator, Item Discount Coupon (40% off)]
[Funds: 229,600]
[Physical Enhancement Serum in effect: Current level Lv.9, 1005/4000]
After a year, his portfolio is now much more comprehensive than when he first started school. He has not only acquired seven stocks, but the price of each of them has also increased significantly.
They have mastered various skills and can use some special items.
Immediately afterwards, Hashiba Hikaru opened the current [Stock Interface].
[Stock Interface]
[Ichinose Honami Stock]
[Current Price: 380, Number of Quantities Held: 2000.]
[Sakura Airi Stock]
[Current Price: 330, Number of Quantities Held: 1000.]
[Shiina Hiyori Stock]
[Current Price: 150, Number of Quantities Held: 2000.]
[Kushida Kikyo Stock]
[Current Price: 300, Number of Quantities Held: 2000.]
[Horikita Suzune Stock]
[Current Price: 250, Number of Quantities Held: 2000.]
[Sakayanagi Arisu Stock]
[Current Price: 200, Issue Quantity: 3000.]
[Kiryuuin Fuuka Stock]
[Current Price: 180, Issue Quantity: 4000.]
Horikita Suzune broke through the final step, causing her stock price to rise from 200 to 250. This is a good breakthrough, because 200 is a threshold for stock price to rise, and significant progress must be made in terms of distance to achieve growth.
Once the stock price rises above 300, it will not change unless something particularly significant happens.
Hashiba Hikaru has given away two [Ring of Vows] so far, to Ichinose Honami and Sakura Airi, meaning their stock prices won't fall. If there are any items that increase the number of shares later, it will be an absolute windfall.
I still have an [Item Discount Coupon (60% off)] on hand. If there are any worthwhile items among the new items that refresh later, it might come in handy.
Staring at the System Panel, Hashiba Hikaru's thoughts drifted into a daze.
After he decided to take the path of "I Want It All," as time went by, the boy developed a clearer plan for the future.
For example, during winter break, he chose to purchase the [Investment and Wealth Management (Master)] skill simply to improve his girlfriend's family's financial situation. He didn't have any desire to accumulate more wealth, since he figured he could still do it after graduation.
However, after realizing the current state of the [White Room] and the complex forces behind it, Hashiba Hikaru felt that she had to act quickly in this regard.
After all, using money to pave the way is always the fastest way. If you want to deal with forces outside the school, a lot of wealth is definitely a deadly weapon.
There are still many possibilities in this direction. One is the promise from the zaibatsu (financial conglomerate) in Koenji, and the other is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka from the [White Room].
In addition, when it comes to dealing with girls' emotional issues, from the initial crazy time management to Ichinose Honami gradually accepting the status quo, many things are slowly falling into place, which is good, and there is no need to worry about causing a fierce emotional backlash.
Hashiba Hikaru's core pursuit is to avoid hurting anyone.
He is confident that he can accomplish this task and allow everyone to embrace a happy future together.
"Dude, I'm a time traveler, of course I want to achieve the most perfect result!"
Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the alarm clock beside him. There were still a few minutes until midnight, and he couldn't help but feel excited, wondering what new items the Trading Shop would refresh before he entered his Second Year.
Time ticked by, and when the clock finally struck twelve, a new notification popped up on the system screen in front of Hashiba Hikaru right on time.
[A new month has begun; the items in the Trading Shop have been refreshed. Please check your inventory.]
[Stock Analyzer: 1000]
[Vintage Vinyl Record: 2000]
[Item Lock Coupon: 50000]
[Look Down Upon All Living Things (Exclusive Talent): 500,000]
[Guitar playing (proficient): 15,0000]
[Charm:500000]
As the items in the [Trading Shop] slowly unfolded before her eyes, Hashiba Hikaru habitually and carefully examined the description of each item. Having used the system for so long, she had figured out many of its patterns.
What first caught the boy's attention was a new item called [Item Lock Coupon], which was a completely new item.
Clicking on the instructions, a line of text slowly appears.
[Item Lock Coupon]