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

After Ryuen finished speaking, Ibuki's face turned ashen; she knew that once this guy returned to the classroom, he would absolutely not let things rest.

"It's alright, Ibuki-san. If Ryuen-kun truly wants to help the class, I don't think there's any harm in letting him try."

Shiina Hiyori's expression remained calm. She knew that the only classmates Ryuen could currently control were the two lackeys who had been suspended alongside him; it wouldn't be so easy for the others to defect.

However, if he could actually produce results, that wouldn't be a bad thing either—it was all for the sake of the class, after all.

"Hmph, what else can this guy do besides fight? I don't believe he's capable of concocting any complex schemes."

Walking out of the classroom, Ryuen looked at the two people behind him and said slowly, "We're taking action this afternoon. Do you remember my previous instructions?"

"Don't worry, Ryuen-kun. This is your first plan since your comeback; it has to be executed perfectly." Ishizaki Daichi looked very confident.

"Yes, we won't let you down, Ryuen-kun." Komiya Yogo's expression was very serious.

"Good. I heard that bastard Hashiba Hikaru's class rose to Class A. What a stroke of bad luck."

A flicker of hatred flashed in Ryuen's eyes. It was that guy who caused him to be suspended for a month, making him miss the window to consolidate his class, which resulted in him only being able to control these two now, forcing him to join in personally to execute the plan.

"Just you wait, Hashiba Hikaru. This trick is one you taught me yourself; I will definitely drag you down into the abyss!"

Chapter 76: Ichinose Who Wants to Help

It had been a few days since their promotion to Class A, and the students were gradually getting used to their new standing. Furthermore, thanks to Ichinose Honami's efforts, the study atmosphere in the class remained strong; everyone avoided complacency and maintained a united, forward-looking attitude.

Witnessing this scene, Hashiba Hikaru felt quite satisfied. He believed that being able to fully integrate the class before the special exam began was a perfect decision. No matter what the future competition looked like, he was now confident that he could hold the entire class together, ensuring no one would refuse to cooperate or cause trouble.

Although they had achieved the class promotion in their first month, they hadn't opened up a significant gap in Class Evaluation Points compared to the Class B where Sakayanagi and Katsuragi were, so they couldn't slack off and had to remain vigilant at all times.

Just as Hashiba Hikaru was pondering some matters regarding the other classes, a familiar, fragrant breeze wafted toward him.

"Hashiba-kun, something happened!"

"?"

The boy looked up at the pink-haired girl who had rushed to his side in a flurry and asked, "What happened? Does it have to do with the students in our class?"

"No, it's about Class C, where Kushida-san is. It seems someone in their class has been accused of committing an extremely violent act, and the other party is even demanding their expulsion."

Ichinose Honami's pretty face was filled with anxiety as she explained to Hashiba Hikaru, "Kushida-san just sent me a message. Their class is in chaos right now."

Violent act?

Upon hearing these words, the boy asked, "Which class's student is accusing their classmate?"

"Kushida-san said it was Ishizaki Daichi and Komiya Yogo from Class D. They suffered serious injuries in this violent incident and still have bandages on their hands."

"Is it that serious?"

Hashiba Hikaru couldn't help but frown. Upon hearing those two names, he instantly associated them with one man: Ryuen Kakeru.

Back when he executed that secret filming plan, it seemed those were the same two names that Ryuen had ambushed on the other side, preparing to attack Ibuki together.

The boy rubbed his chin. Calculating the time, Ryuen's suspension penalty should have expired by now. He was likely back in class, and since these two accusers were his lackeys, how could such a coincidence exist?

Therefore, this matter definitely had something to do with him.

"But, why is Ichinose-san so concerned?" The boy glanced at the pink-haired girl beside him and said gently, "It's not like someone from our class is being accused."

Hearing Hashiba Hikaru's question, Ichinose Honami immediately handed her phone screen to the boy, which displayed a message sent by Kushida Kikyo.

Kushida Kikyo: Ichinose-san, we are planning to look for witnesses related to this violent incident. Can you mobilize your classmates to help? I don't want Sudo-kun to be expelled.

"So that's how it is."

Seeing this plea for help, Hashiba Hikaru understood immediately. He looked at Ichinose Honami's face; the girl indeed had a helpful nature, so this reaction was not surprising.

If they could really find witnesses, it would be very useful in a case involving accusations of violence.

Of course, the effect of eyewitness testimony was far inferior to physical evidence, as people could lie and might not necessarily convince those who held the power of judgment.

The incident that got Ryuen suspended last time had fully demonstrated this. But was this violent incident really serious enough to require bandages?

No wonder they were making a demand for the other party's expulsion.

"Are we going to help?"

After Ichinose showed the message to Hashiba Hikaru, she looked at the boy's face with expectant eyes. Although she knew her class and Class C were competitors, she and Kushida Kikyo were on good terms, and she had always been quite sensitive to the terrifying word "expulsion."

"Hmm... can you give me some time, Ichinose-san? I need to weigh the risks and benefits of getting involved in this."

"Mm, then I'll wait for your answer."

Although Ichinose Honami wanted to go help immediately, she wanted the boy's support even more. If he didn't agree, the students of Class A might not necessarily approve of the decision.

After the girl shifted her attention away, Hashiba Hikaru began to seriously consider the various possibilities of this situation.

Regardless, there was a high probability that this was orchestrated by Ryuen. Immediately after his suspension ended, he targeted Class C, which was ranked above them. This might be the first move in his attempt to regain control of his class.

If he truly succeeded in getting a student from another class expelled, even if the other Class D students didn't defect immediately, they would likely develop new thoughts about him.

After all, his actions were indeed for the sake of the class. Even if his methods were a bit dirty, as long as he could get someone from Class C expelled—and since the gap in Class Evaluation Points between their class and Class C wasn't that large—they might just regain their ranking next month.

Is this putting pressure on Ibuki?

Compared to Ryuen, Hashiba Hikaru still felt that Ibuki was better as the leader of Class D. After all, he had already cooperated with her twice, and although the girl's attitude toward him was a bit harsh, at least he didn't have to worry about her doing anything particularly extreme.

Ryuen, however, was completely different. From the last time he secretly ambushed students to attack Ibuki Mio, it was clear that he was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

I cannot let this guy climb back up; it is best to keep suppressing any signs of his recovery.

After reviewing the situation in his mind, Hashiba Hikaru determined the benefits of this matter.

He looked at Ichinose Honami, nodded, and said, "I think we can help. Ichinose-san, you can reply to Kushida-san directly. Tell her that Class 1-A will help look for witnesses, and ask her to send over the location of the incident and the details of that day. I'll talk to everyone about it in a moment."

"Mm-hmm."

Ichinose Honami nodded and immediately took out her phone to start messaging Kushida Kikyo, who was sitting in the classroom.

That short-haired little angel was currently sitting at her desk, carefully observing the atmosphere in the classroom.

Ever since this matter was exposed by their homeroom teacher, Chabashira, the students of Class C had immediately split into two camps. One was the "help" faction led by Hirata, who felt they had to find a way to resolve this malicious accusation and could not let Sudo actually be expelled.

The other group held the opposite opinion; they believed that Sudo was a violent individual who not only had a terrible temper but also never participated in the study groups organized by everyone. If he had caused another violent incident this time, his expulsion might even eliminate a hidden danger to the class.

Even that arrogant Koenji had clearly stated his opinion, feeling that it would be better to let Sudo be expelled.

Chabashira's supplementary explanation was that the Student Council would preside over the deliberation process for this accusation in a week. If the accusation was upheld, not only would Class Evaluation Points be deducted, but disciplinary action against Sudo would also be issued.

The accuser's demand was for his expulsion, and if that were truly passed, he would have no choice but to leave.

The plan to search for witnesses had been proposed by Kushida Kikyo. After all, since it was a physical altercation, if they could find a witness, there might be a brand-new turning point for the situation.

While the students in the class were discussing, the short-haired girl thought of another person she could utilize: Ichinose Honami. She was the class leader of Class 1-A and was very helpful.

If she could be persuaded to help, they might be able to find witnesses much faster.

So, upon seeing the confirmation text Ichinose sent, Kushida's little face lit up with joy. She immediately stood up and said to everyone, "Everyone, I just told Ichinose-san from Class 1-A about the search for witnesses, and she agreed to mobilize her classmates to help us."

"Really?"

Hirata, standing to the side, looked very happy. If they could mobilize more people, it would definitely increase the chances of finding someone. After all, the wider the scope of information gathering, the greater the probability of obtaining intelligence.

"That Hashiba-kun will also come to help us. Let's go take action together in a bit."

Kushida Kikyo's gaze swept over the few people who had just spoken in favor of the plan, including Hirata Yosuke, as well as Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, who had joined in after she proposed the plan, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who was sitting at his desk.

He had been invited by Yamauchi, as those few seemed to hang out together regularly.

The students who disliked Sudo simply didn't want to get involved, so they remained silent.

"If we can mobilize students from other classes to search together, our chances of winning will increase," Hirata said with a serious expression, appealing to everyone. "But we still need to act quickly; after all, we only have one week."

"If we can't find a witness in time, the deliberation will become very troublesome."

"That's right, this matter is very important. I don't want any of our classmates to actually be expelled," Kushida stood up and said righteously to everyone. "After Hashiba-kun from Class 1-A arrives, we will start splitting up to take action. We must find a witness or clues related to a witness as soon as possible."

"Yeah, let's start acting after school!"

After school, these proactive Class C students stayed in the classroom. After waiting for about a few minutes, they finally saw the two figures who had previously come to sell the rules appear at the door.

Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami.

"Hashiba-kun, Ichinose-san, you're here." Kushida Kikyo immediately went up to greet them.

"Good afternoon, everyone in Class C."

Ichinose Honami waved to the students remaining in the classroom, while Hashiba Hikaru scanned the room and noticed quite a few empty seats. It seemed many had simply left, unwilling to participate in the search for witnesses.

Honestly, even in a situation like this, they still couldn't unite?

"Hashiba-kun, Ichinose-san, thank you for lending us a hand," Hirata immediately fulfilled his duty as a class leader, stepping forward to ask, "Have you already spoken to your classmates about this? Have you found any clues?"

"The information has been compiled."

Hashiba Hikaru nodded. After exchanging a glance with the smiling Ichinose Honami beside him, he slowly explained to Hirata.

"I just tallied the movements of everyone in our class yesterday. Three students went to the Special Building, but they didn't enter the second floor, so they are unaware of the violent incident that occurred up there."

"Another student bought a drink from the vending machine near the Special Building, but they didn't linger, so they didn't find anything."

"That is all the information Class 1-A can provide."

After he finished speaking, the Class C students remaining in their seats fell into a collective silence.

Hirata couldn't help but be stunned. He stared at the boy's calm expression and the look on the face of the pink-haired girl standing beside him, and a fact became increasingly clear in his heart.

That was that this Hashiba Hikaru had an extremely strong grip on his class. The fact that he could collect intelligence on what everyone did yesterday so quickly—and looking at him, it seemed he hadn't encountered the slightest resistance—was telling.

Thinking back to how whenever he proposed something, his own classmates would always drag their feet or make excuses, Hirata Yosuke, as a class leader, felt a sudden, intense sense of frustration.

Seriously, how is this even a fair comparison...

Chapter 77: Searching for Witnesses

Just as Hirata was observing Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo's gaze also landed on the boy's face.

After hearing that explanation just now, an strange feeling arose in the girl's heart for some reason.

This Hashiba-kun was an important figure who controlled the entirety of Class 1-A, and he had maintained a calm, indifferent expression from the time he sold the rules to the moment he provided this information.

Yet, he had previously shown an attitude of admiration toward her, willing to cooperate with her ideas and devise strategies.

This contrast made the emotions in Kushida Kikyo's heart somewhat complex. Being liked by someone was not a rare occurrence for her, but if the person who liked her not only possessed excellent ability but also held immense influence...

And yet, he showed a different attitude toward her alone; it was hard not to have other thoughts. No one didn't want to be special.

So, for a moment, Kushida didn't know what to say and could only silently feel the sound of her own heartbeat.

"In any case, since we're here to help, let's get moving," Hashiba Hikaru said, his gaze sweeping over the remaining students in the Class C classroom. "After all, you don't have that much time."

"That's right, everyone, let's get to work."

Following Hirata's call to action, the remaining students, along with Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami, walked out of the classroom, preparing to start gathering information from witnesses around the campus.

The site of the violent incident was on the second floor of the Special Building. Aside from students in the same grade, they could also question upperclassmen; the wider the scope, the better.

Hashiba Hikaru, Ichinose Honami, and Kushida formed a group and headed to the busier areas of Keyaki Mall, questioning and screening the students they encountered. Although it was a bit abrupt, it was the best approach.

Meanwhile, the group consisting of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Hirata collected clues in the buildings and walkways near the Special Building, looking for passersby to see if they could gather any information.

After searching for a while, Ichinose Honami picked up her phone and said to Hashiba Hikaru.

"Hashiba-kun, it seems Kanzaki-kun even posted on the online forum. Look."

"Is that so? He's quick on his feet. This will certainly expand the scope of the investigation."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the phone screen before looking away. Although he suspected that this matter was related to Ryuen, there was no way to confront him directly right now. When the Student Council held its deliberation, everything would have to be based on evidence.

What made the boy somewhat suspicious was that if Ryuen had truly orchestrated this operation after being outmaneuvered by him last time, he might have executed a plan to secretly film the scene in order to completely crush Sudo.

However, the information obtained from Kushida was that Ishizaki and Komiya had only made accusations and had not submitted any evidence, which was why the Student Council deliberation was scheduled for a week later; otherwise, they would have announced the disciplinary action directly.

Is it his oversight? That seems unlikely.

Hashiba Hikaru touched his hair, feeling uncertain about Ryuen's intentions. He decided to set that thought aside for the moment and continued to collect information about witnesses alongside the two girls.

The group spent several hours searching around Keyaki Mall, but they didn't obtain any information about anyone having gone to the Special Building. After all, it was a rather secluded building, so very few people lingered there.

By the time it was past six o'clock and the sky had begun to darken, the group gathered back at their starting point.

"How about it, Hashiba-kun? Did you manage to gather any information?" Hirata wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked toward the small team led by Hashiba Hikaru.

"Not yet. Everyone said they didn't go to the Special Building yesterday."