In Classroom of the Elite, I Only Want to Go All-in on My Love Stock Market Chapter 44

The boy shook his head. The other students in the class group were discussing the information, but none of them had any leads.

"What about you guys?"

"We searched outside the Special Building for a long time, but we didn't find any clues either."

"What are we going to do? If we don't find any leads on the first day, it's only going to get harder as time goes on." A look of worry appeared on Kushida's pretty face.

"Why don't we continue searching after we eat?" Hirata looked very serious, indicating that he absolutely could not accept a classmate being expelled.

"Yeah, I want to keep trying too." The short-haired girl immediately expressed her willingness to persist.

"Hahaha, since Kushida-chan said so, we naturally can't give up," Yamauchi Haruki immediately chimed in, "I'm willing to keep looking with Kushida-chan."

"Me too, me too."

"Thank you, everyone." A grateful smile immediately appeared on Kushida's face.

Standing nearby, Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Ichinose Honami. The pink-haired girl seemed to want to continue helping as well, so he leaned over and whispered, "Are you planning to keep working with everyone, Ichinose?"

"Yes, I feel that if you're going to help, you should see it through to the end. I really want to know the outcome of this incident." Ichinose Honami's expression was determined.

Hearing this, Hashiba Hikaru fell silent for a moment. If it were earlier, he wouldn't mind helping out, but it was already nearly seven o'clock, and he had more important things to do.

After all, he had bought the Exercise Booster, so his one hour of daily swimming training naturally could not be delayed.

"I still have to go swimming. Please explain it to them for me, Ichinose." Hashiba Hikaru looked at the girl beside him. She knew about his current exercise routine, so she nodded quickly.

"See you tomorrow, Hashiba."

"Yeah, I look forward to your good news."

The boy didn't hesitate any longer, turned around, and headed toward the dormitory.

If he wanted to go swimming, he definitely had to change out of his school uniform first, and he hadn't grabbed his key yet. He also needed to do warm-up exercises before getting into the water, so he didn't want to waste any more time.

After Hashiba Hikaru left, Ichinose Honami explained the situation to the group, and their second round of patrolling began, lasting for over an hour before it ended.

On the other side, after a refreshing swimming workout, Hashiba Hikaru changed his clothes and walked out of the Gymnasium.

Blowing in the night breeze, Hashiba Hikaru touched his hair, which wasn't completely dry yet, and observed the night scenery while walking.

After walking for a while, a dull thud suddenly reached his ears, sounding like something hitting a railing.

"Clang! Clang!"

What was that noise?

The boy scanned his surroundings and finally locked onto a blurry figure ahead.

"Who's there?"

Curiosity piqued, he stepped forward to get a closer look.

Chapter 78: Press, Press a Fingerprint?!

In the quiet night, Hashiba Hikaru approached the source of the sound. After about ten steps, the blurry figure finally became clear, and he saw the person's profile.

A delicate face, refined short hair, and a curvaceous, proud figure.

It was the class angel of Class C, Kushida Kikyo. She was standing in front of the railing on the perimeter of the Artificial Island.

However, her demeanor was completely unlike the gentle, polite, and dignified persona she usually displayed in front of everyone. It had been replaced by a cold, aggressive aura.

Her actions were even more outrageous; she was kicking the railing in front of her violently, one kick after another, each one producing the clanging sound he had heard earlier.

"That bitch Horikita! Damn it!"

"Just because you're a little cute and have good grades, you walk around with your nose in the air all day. Do you think everyone likes you?"

"It makes me so mad!"

She spoke very quickly, kicking the railing hard with every sentence, as if she were about to burst.

"..."

Witnessing this scene, Hashiba Hikaru immediately associated it with the result from the Stock Analyzer. Could this be the hidden side of Kushida Kikyo?

Realizing this, the boy didn't hesitate at all and immediately crouched down by the nearby lawn. He intended to see what this person's true face was really like.

"A bunch of idiots. Staying in that class makes me feel like I'm getting contaminated by your stupidity. You guys want to graduate from Class A? Keep dreaming!"

This was incredible. She usually acted like a little angel, but now she was revealing her true thoughts?

Hashiba Hikaru sighed, then realized that if he could record this scene, it might become a very important piece of evidence.

The boy took his phone out of his pocket. Just as he aimed the camera at the scene in front of him, the notification sound of a message popping up suddenly rang out.

"Beep."

Damn it!

Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed. Of all the times for a message to come through, it had to be now. How unlucky.

In the quiet night, the sound was extremely abrupt and obvious. Kushida Kikyo, standing in front, whipped her head around, and a cold gaze shot toward him immediately.

"Who's there!?"

"..."

The boy put his phone back into his pocket. Since he had already been discovered, there was no need to keep hiding, so he stepped out from beside the bushes.

Upon seeing him appear, a sharp, feminine cry rang out.

"Hashiba Hikaru!"

The short-haired girl quickly strode toward him. Even though she was just walking, her speed was remarkable, and within a few breaths, she had arrived right in front of the boy.

"You... you just saw it, didn't you?"

Kushida Kikyo stood still before Hashiba Hikaru. Because she wasn't tall enough, she had to tilt her head back to stare at the boy's face. From this angle, the girl's face caught the moonlight, reflecting a cold and ruthless expression.

Her beautiful little face was covered in frost, and her eyes were filled with hostility.

"If I said I didn't see anything, I doubt Kushida-san would believe me now anyway."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, his expression showing no significant change.

"Is that so? You're quite honest, aren't you."

Kushida Kikyo's tone was icy. Even though her voice hadn't changed in the slightest, it made Hashiba Hikaru feel something entirely different.

"Of course. Aren't we friends? One should always be honest with friends."

Hashiba Hikaru's tone was gentle, as if what he had just witnessed was no big deal.

He could roughly guess what would happen next. After all, the Stock Analyzer made it very clear: since Kushida possessed a side she didn't want others to know about, she would likely demand that he keep her secret.

This was a key condition for raising her stock price, so Hashiba Hikaru had to act out his part and make his stance clear to her.

Watching the boy's consistently gentle demeanor, the short-haired girl's mind raced, trying to figure out her next move.

This guy always maintained a gentle and considerate attitude toward her, and it had never wavered. It was precisely because of this that Kushida Kikyo had been confident that he truly liked her.

But today's incident was far too important. Liking someone was the cheapest emotion in the world; there was no guarantee he wouldn't betray her.

Furthermore, there was already Horikita Suzune in the picture. This feeling of being unable to control the situation had long since made Kushida Kikyo feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat, so she had to do something to firmly grasp the initiative.

The short-haired girl gritted her teeth in secret, steeled her heart, and said, "Hashiba-kun, the truth is, I'm someone who doesn't really trust others."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"Because I feel that no matter who it is, everyone has their own selfish motives. So, when faced with important situations, they might make choices based on what they care about most at that moment."

Kushida Kikyo observed Hashiba Hikaru's expression, her tone seeming to soften slightly. "Something incredible just happened, and it has me feeling very worried."

"Hmm, and what is Kushida-san worried about?"

The boy asked a question he already knew the answer to, wanting to see how this person intended to beg him to keep her secret.

"I feel that if someone learns a secret, their course of action becomes unpredictable, so I must take..."

Kushida Kikyo's tone suddenly slowed, and the last few words she spoke became much quieter.

"What?"

Although they were very close, Hashiba Hikaru hadn't actually heard what she said at the end, so he instinctively wanted to ask again, but he soon felt his right hand being gripped by a pair of cold, small hands.

"?"

In almost an instant, the boy's hand was guided by Kushida's palms and pressed directly onto her ample chest.

Huh?

Hashiba Hikaru's eyes widened immediately. The soft sensation continuously transmitted through his palm caused his brain to crash on the spot.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he had been this intimate with a girl—even more intimate than with Ichinose Honami, with whom he had gradually grown close. She had only ever held his hand; this was going straight to home base.

"Listen to me, Hashiba-kun."

"This is a method I just thought of," Kushida said, a blush appearing on her face, though she still pressed Hashiba Hikaru's palm down firmly.

"This way, your fingerprints are now on my school uniform, and in such a sensitive spot, too."

"If you dare to tell anyone about this, I will report you to the school. The school rules are very clear: if you commit malicious harassment against a female student, it's not just expulsion—they might even call the police to handle it. Your future might be ruined."

After finishing this long string of words, Kushida pulled her hand away and took a step back.

"..."

Hashiba Hikaru's mood was now very complicated. Setting aside whether fingerprints could actually be recovered from that material, would they even last that long on a school uniform?

His attitude had been so good, and it wasn't like he wouldn't have kept her secret if she'd just asked—did she really have to play it this way?

But on second thought, since this person had been deliberately hiding her true self all along, it made sense that she wouldn't trust others.

Kushida Kikyo, seeing the boy across from her suddenly fall into silence, couldn't help but add, "What? Are you planning to throw away a bright future and take a gamble?"

"No."

Hashiba Hikaru reached up to rub his brow, looking seriously into Kushida's eyes. "I agree to Kushida-san's request. I will keep this secret for you."

Upon hearing his affirmative reply, the heart Kushida had been holding in her throat finally relaxed a little, but she still stared at Hashiba Hikaru and said, word for word, "I hope you keep your word. Otherwise, I will never let you off."

Hearing this, the boy glanced at the System Panel. No new notification popped up, which meant she didn't actually believe him.

Consequently, Hashiba Hikaru's tone became even gentler as he said, "I will never tell anyone about what happened today, no matter the circumstances. I hope Kushida-san can believe me on this."

"Hmph, you know what the consequences will be if you talk. I'll be watching you from the shadows!"

"That works too. You're welcome to supervise me, Kushida-san." Hashiba Hikaru smiled faintly, swept his gaze around the area, and said slowly, "I never thought this place would be so fated for us. Both of our private meetings have taken place right here."

"What's the point of saying that now? All I want is for you to keep my secret. I suggest you drop any other ideas you might have!"

Kushida was in a state of total abandon. Having already resorted to threatening him like this, she didn't believe for a second that this guy could still possibly like her.

"Kushida-san, you really are making things difficult for me. Even though I..."

Hashiba Hikaru continued to put on a performance. Since he had found this explosive point, he had to push hard today to drive her stock price up; otherwise, he wouldn't be satisfied.

"Could it be that you can't feel my intentions, Kushida-san?"

Feeling the boy's burning gaze fixed upon her, Kushida couldn't help but fall silent once more.

Could it be that even after witnessing her true self, this guy still held onto those feelings without the slightest change?

Could he really...

"Actually, even if you hadn't done this, I would have kept your secret. You were just a bit too impatient earlier."

"..."

A flush of red uncontrollably appeared on the short-haired girl's cheeks, and she glared fiercely at Hashiba Hikaru.

"I don't care! It's already come to this—if you dare to tell anyone, I'll report you!"

"I know."

As soon as those words fell, Hashiba Hikaru finally saw the system notification he had been hoping for.

[You promised to keep Kushida Kikyo's secret and successfully gained her trust. Kushida Kikyo Stock price increased by 30 points. Current price: 70.]

[After witnessing Kushida Kikyo's true colors, you still expressed your "admiration" for her, causing a strange sense of joy to arise in her heart. Kushida Kikyo Stock price increased by 30. Current price: 100.]

"!"

Hashiba Hikaru was startled. Was it really that effective?