What was up with this guy now? Before, his stock price had been so hard to raise.
But now that it had reached 100, he could cash out right away. Without hesitation, he quickly opened the system's stock-selling page.
[Sell Kushida Kikyo Stock?] [Quantity: 5000] [Current Stock Price: 100] [Sale successful. Funds received: 500000] [Kushida Kikyo Stock has been completely sold off.]
Looking at the sudden abundance of funds in the system, Hashiba Hikaru felt quite pleased.
Kushida Kikyo really was a hidden gem of a stock.
Chapter 79: Our Shared Secret
After selling off all his shares, Hashiba Hikaru gazed at Kushida Kikyo across from him and said slowly, "Now you and I share a secret, Kushida. Don't worry, I won't let it slip. After all, you still have something on me."
"Hmph!"
The blush faded from the short-haired girl's face. She collected herself, patted her cheeks, and turned her gaze toward the distant sea.
"Hashiba, now that you've seen this side of me, what do you think?"
"Hmm, I think everyone has some darkness inside them," Hashiba Hikaru said calmly, standing beside her. "There's nothing wrong with letting it out."
"But I must have seemed terrifying just now, right?" The girl turned her head toward Hashiba Hikaru's profile.
"To me, it just means I understand you a little better, Kushida. It's no big deal. You didn't actually hurt anyone."
"Well, maybe the railing," Hashiba Hikaru added with a smile, changing the subject to ease the tension between them.
After completely selling off [Kushida Kikyo Stock], Hashiba Hikaru's next plan was to lower its price by showing Kushida Kikyo how friendly he was with Horikita Suzune right in front of her.
So he couldn't fall out with Kushida just yet. He might need to buy her stock again someday, and it was best to stay in touch with this 5,000-share hidden gem.
"Honestly, Hashiba, you're always saying nice things."
After they chatted for a while, Kushida Kikyo's expression had returned to the one she wore in public. She no longer seemed cold, and her presence had softened, as though nothing had happened.
Women really were natural actresses.
Hashiba Hikaru watched her face and sighed inwardly.
He asked about what had been on his mind. "How's the search for witnesses going?"
"We have a lead," Kushida Kikyo replied, turning back to him. "Horikita said that after observing our class, she found a classmate who might have witnessed the incident."
"Someone in your class..." Hashiba Hikaru quickly asked, "Who is it? Are you close with her, Kushida?"
"It's Sakura Airi," the girl said, recalling their interactions. They had barely spoken. "She seems really shy, so she doesn't have many friends in class."
"If that's the case, how could Horikita be sure that she might be the witness?"
Just thinking about it made Kushida feel annoyed again. Back in Ayanokoji's dorm room, Horikita had explained that when Kushida asked the class if anyone had witnessed the incident, everyone had looked up, but Sakura had kept her head down and looked a little unusual.
After finishing that analysis, Horikita had stopped there. She said a few cryptic things and left, while everyone else acted as if they agreed with her, praising the black-haired girl for being impressive.
That had immediately ignited the girl's anger, which was why she had come here to vent alone.
"Horikita said that when I asked everyone in class to help find a witness, Sakura was the only one who kept her head down. She also looked a little off, so she might be connected to the incident."
"Is that so?"
Hashiba Hikaru nodded. Whether or not the analysis was right, they would likely learn something if they talked to her.
Besides, he and Class C had the same goal right now. Class C wanted to keep Sudo from being expelled, while Hashiba wanted to stop Ryuen's plan from succeeding and prevent him from expanding his influence in class.
"So how are you planning to approach Sakura?"
"Hmm... Everyone decided to leave it to me. She's so shy, so she might find it easier to talk to another girl."
"Ichinose is really concerned about how things are going for you, isn't she?"
"Honami said to let me talk to Sakura first. If she wasn't the witness, then we'd have to keep looking."
"That makes sense. Everyone's still just guessing, after all. Until we have solid evidence, everything's uncertain."
Hashiba Hikaru rubbed his chin. He'd actually wanted to find a chance to oversee the search for the witness. It would also give him an opportunity to help with the upcoming Student Council hearing.
But according to Kushida, Sakura was a girl without many friends, and she didn't seem easy to approach.
He'd let Kushida Kikyo give it a try first.
"Then please talk to her tomorrow, Kushida. Maybe you'll make a breakthrough. I'll keep an eye on how things develop."
Hashiba Hikaru nodded to show he would continue helping.
After chatting for a little while longer, they finally parted ways and returned to their respective dorms.
As soon as he entered his room, Hashiba Hikaru opened his system panel.
[Character Information] [Name: Hashiba Hikaru] [Age: 15] [Intelligence: 7] [Charm: 8] [Stamina: 4] [Stocks Held: Ichinose Honami Stock ×3000] [Funds: 507000]
"I suddenly have so much money. Who should I pick for my next stock?"
Hashiba Hikaru felt he was suffering from the happy problem of having too many choices. He started checking the stocks that had gone live in the [Stock Interface] but that he hadn't bought yet. There were three in all.
[Horikita Suzune Stock] [Initial Stock Price: 100, Shares Issued: 3000] [Chabashira Sae Stock] [Initial Stock Price: 50, Shares Issued: 4000] [Shiina Hiyori Stock] [Initial Stock Price: 30, Shares Issued: 3000]
"Horikita Suzune's initial stock price is really high—100 points. If I went all in, it'd cost 300,000. That's a hefty investment. Besides, I haven't used the [Stock Analyzer] on her yet, so I don't know how to raise her stock price."
"I'll put that icy teacher aside for now. We're not even in the same class, so I can leave her for later."
Hashiba Hikaru's gaze fell on the last option, [Shiina Hiyori Stock].
The last time he went to sell the rules, he had already used the [Stock Analyzer] on Shiina Hiyori. The results were clear: she was a typical bookish girl.
[Stock Price Increase Suggestion: Become her book friend and discuss mystery novels with her to earn her exclusive approval.]
"These things have nothing to do with class competition. Maybe I can avoid some trouble and build a more genuine relationship."
Hashiba Hikaru made up his mind and decided to try talking to her when he had some free time.
If this stock was easy to develop too, all the better.
Chapter 80: Sakura Airi Stock Goes Live
The next day, Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami went over the situation in class.
"When we parted yesterday, Kushida had already taken on the task of talking to Sakura," the pink-haired girl told Hashiba Hikaru. "After hearing Horikita's analysis, I think it's quite possible she's right."
"Well, Kushida is good with people, so she should be able to get some clues from Sakura."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled. He had a lot of faith in Kushida's social skills. Even with a mask on, she could still get along with so many people. That was clearly a talent in its own right.
"Yeah, I believe in Kushida too. I hope she makes some progress today."
Ichinose Honami nodded. She also believed Kushida Kikyo was great at making friends. And since Sakura was in the same class, Kushida might really be able to get something important out of her.
"There's nothing we can do to get involved directly right now. We'll have to wait and see what happens over there."
Hashiba Hikaru took a book out of his desk and reassured her. "There's no point worrying now. We might as well focus on studying."
"Okay."
Just before school let out, Hashiba Hikaru received a message from Kushida Kikyo.
Kushida Kikyo: Hashiba, something unexpected seems to have happened.
Hashiba Hikaru: What happened?
Kushida Kikyo: Sakura's camera broke. I want to go with her to get it repaired after school.
Hashiba Hikaru: What about the witness? Did you get a chance to talk about that?
Kushida Kikyo: The camera broke just as I was trying to bring it up...
The short-haired girl couldn't help glancing toward the back of the classroom. The girl who always kept her head down was the witness Horikita had identified.
So at lunchtime, Kushida Kikyo had gone straight to her, hoping to talk about the incident. When she approached Sakura, she'd put on her friendliest air.
But she'd barely begun speaking when Sakura Airi hurriedly said she had nothing to do with the incident and tried to walk away.
As she was about to hurry off, she suddenly tripped. Sakura's pink camera, which seemed very important to her, hit the ground.
"Why... Why won't it turn on...?"
After seeing that, Sakura suddenly became agitated. She kept trying to press the camera's buttons, while Kushida Kikyo hurried over, apologized, and offered to help.
Kushida offered to go with her after school to get it repaired at an electronics shop in Keyaki Mall. She even offered to pay for the repair.
After hearing her say that, Sakura Airi thought it over and finally agreed. They arranged to go to the electronics shop together after school.
Chat window.
Kushida Kikyo: Anyway, once the camera's fixed, I'll do my best to get along with Sakura. I hope things go smoothly.
Hashiba Hikaru: Good luck.
After putting his phone away, the boy was about to get back to studying when he heard Ichinose Honami's voice.
"Hashiba, do you have any plans this afternoon?"
"No, why?" Hashiba Hikaru turned toward the pink-haired girl. Her pretty eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if she wanted to ask him something.
"Your fridge seems to be empty. Want to go restock it?" Ichinose Honami explained. After she'd cooked at his place last time, she'd noticed that most of the ingredients and household supplies in his fridge had run out.
"Uh, probably."
Hashiba Hikaru felt a little embarrassed. Ever since Ichinose Honami had started cooking in his room, he'd barely paid attention to the fridge. She usually took care of it.
"Then let's go shopping together this afternoon. We can go to the grocery store in Keyaki Mall. The produce there is really fresh. I heard they deliver it every morning."
Looking at the girl's hopeful expression, Hashiba Hikaru nodded, then said, "That sounds good. You've been doing all the work for me, Ichinose. Let me cook dinner tonight."
"Mm-hmm."
Ichinose Honami nodded enthusiastically, her lovely face blossoming into a radiant smile.
After school, they headed together to the grocery store in Keyaki Mall. It was on the first floor of the mall, with shelves packed full of all kinds of vegetables and fruit.
As soon as they went in, Hashiba Hikaru dutifully grabbed a shopping cart. Ichinose Honami stood beside him, picking out ingredients and household supplies. Since the girl was so enthusiastic about it, he might as well leave everything to her.
Although they were both in their uniforms, they made quite a picture walking side by side through the supermarket. The boy pushed the cart while the girl smiled and placed things inside. Their easygoing rapport drew glances from the students passing by.
And with both of them so good-looking, they seemed even more well-matched.
They looked like an old married couple, didn't they?
A little over ten minutes later, as they passed an open shelf, Hashiba Hikaru suddenly felt someone's gaze on him.
He stopped and looked up, spotting two figures not far ahead.
It was Kushida Kikyo and a red-haired girl. The girl had her head lowered and seemed very timid.
"What's wrong, Hashiba?"
Before you continue