After Hashiba Hikaru stopped, Ichinose Honami followed his gaze and looked ahead, spotting the two people in the distance as well.
"It's Kushida."
By the time Ichinose Honami noticed them, Kushida Kikyo had already approached with a smile. The red-haired girl behind her didn't seem to want to come over, so she stayed where she was.
"Good afternoon! I never expected to run into you here."
"Yeah, what a coincidence." Ichinose Honami put a vegetable she had just picked into the shopping cart and asked, "Are you here to buy something, Kushida?"
"No, I came with Sakura to get her camera repaired."
Kushida Kikyo looked at Hashiba Hikaru, who was pushing the cart, and Ichinose Honami, who had just placed something in the shopping basket. The two of them looked like newlyweds out shopping for groceries, and the distance between them was rather intimate.
Seeing this, the short-haired girl suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, though even she couldn't explain why.
"Sakura?" Hearing this, Ichinose Honami looked up at the red-haired girl who was still standing there and asked quietly, "Is that the witness Horikita suspected?"
"Yeah, but I still haven't gotten a definite answer from her."
Kushida glanced at Ichinose Honami, who seemed interested, then at Hashiba Hikaru standing beside her, and asked, "Would you like to come to the electronics store with us, Ichinose?"
"Is that okay?"
Ichinose was indeed tempted. She was still curious whether Sakura was the witness, so she turned to Hashiba Hikaru and asked, "What do you think, Hashiba?"
"Hmm... I don't mind. I can carry the bags later." Hashiba Hikaru nodded. He was fine with it.
"Then let's go pay first."
After the two of them paid for the groceries and household supplies they had picked out, Hashiba Hikaru followed behind, carrying a transparent plastic bag. Ichinose Honami walked back to the red-haired girl with Kushida Kikyo.
"Sakura, this is Ichinose. She's here to help, too." Kushida introduced Ichinose Honami to Sakura Airi, then pointed toward the boy standing some distance away. "That's Hashiba. He'll be coming with us as well."
"Eh..."
But when Sakura Airi heard the name Hashiba, she suddenly looked up, her gaze falling on the boy behind them.
Sakura Airi had a very particular impression of Hashiba Hikaru. On the day he came to announce the rules, she heard that they would be collecting Private Points. The girl glanced up, a little concerned, and happened to meet his eyes.
Strangely, although Sakura had always hated making eye contact with people, looking into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes that day hadn't made her uncomfortable.
On the contrary, his gaze was clear. He hadn't stared at her on purpose, and he had soon looked away, as if he'd seen an ordinary passerby.
That had stayed with her.
Because of her figure, Sakura Airi had noticed strange looks from other people ever since she entered puberty. Gradually, she had even begun to sense what certain people thought of her.
All those thoughts added up, making her increasingly afraid of socializing. They had continually changed her state of mind, until she gradually shut herself away.
Since entering this school, Sakura Airi had kept to the role of a nobody. She could still sense the strange thoughts some of the boys in her class had about her, so she tried hard to avoid interacting with them.
But Hashiba was the first person who had made her feel this way. Sakura Airi could sense that he was calm inside, and that he didn't have the repulsive thoughts those other boys did.
So she remembered his name.
"Good afternoon, Sakura! I'm Ichinose Honami." Seeing the girl look up, Ichinose Honami immediately greeted her.
"H-hello."
"Hashiba, come over here."
"Coming."
When Hashiba Hikaru came over, Sakura Airi looked nervously at his face, and their eyes met.
Hashiba Hikaru glanced at the red-haired girl. She wore pink glasses, had long hair that seemed to cover her whole forehead, and didn't look like she paid much attention to her appearance. She was rather unremarkable.
The boy smiled faintly and said gently, "Hello, Sakura. I'm Hashiba Hikaru."
"Hello, I'm... Sakura Airi."
Sakura summoned all her strength to introduce herself. During the brief eye contact just now, she had once again felt that distinctive gaze.
Just then, Hashiba Hikaru heard a new system notification.
[Beep! Sakura Airi Stock is now online!] [Current stock price: 30] [Number of shares issued: 5000]
"?"
Another 5000 shares?
After confirming the information, the boy was a little surprised.
This was the third stock to come online with 5000 shares. All three girls happened to be here today. Did they have something in common?
Ichinose Honami, Kushida Kikyo, and Sakura Airi.
He rubbed his chin, then seemed to think of something. His expression turned strange on the spot.
Time to Become a Master Trader
Looking at the three girls in front of him, Hashiba Hikaru decided to put aside the unseemly thought that had just occurred to him and urged them to get going.
"Weren't we going to get the camera repaired? Let's go."
"Right. Sakura, let's go." Kushida called to Sakura Airi, who was still a little timid. The three girls walked ahead, with Hashiba Hikaru following behind.
Looking at Sakura Airi ahead of him, Hashiba Hikaru thought for a moment, then spent 1,000 funds to buy the Stock Detector and used it on her.
[Sakura Airi Stock] [Stock information: A girl who wears glasses, has long hair, and doesn't like dressing up. She is timid and dislikes showing herself in front of others, and hates doing anything that draws attention. She lacks motivation, but has another, energetic side. She works online as a Blog Idol and a fashion model, and always carries a camera.] [Advice for raising the stock price: Become a friend she can talk to about anything, help her solve problems in her daily life, and take pictures with her.] [Risk of lowering the stock price: Stalk her, force her to do things she doesn't want to do, or thrust her into the spotlight.]
"Wow, another girl with a different side?"
After committing the information to memory, Hashiba Hikaru felt at a loss. What was with the people at this school? Did every one of them have a double life?
"But..."
He thought for a while. Although Sakura had another side, raising her stock price seemed much simpler than raising Kushida Kikyo's. He just needed to get along with her. There weren't any complicated entanglements with other people.
"To go all in, I'll need 150,000 points."
Hashiba Hikaru hesitated. The next stock he had thought of buying yesterday was Shiina Hiyori from Class D. Her stock price could also be raised without involving the class competition; he could simply build a relationship with her.
But now a new stock had appeared, and it had a huge 5000 shares available.
"What should I do? Take a gamble?"
He also really wanted the skill Combat Technique (Master), which cost 250,000. If he went all in on both stocks, his remaining funds would be almost completely drained.
On the other hand, Hashiba Hikaru felt he had been too cautious about accumulating funds. He was always worrying about one thing or another. After liquidating stocks several times, he thought it was time to work toward becoming a master trader.
After the four of them entered the electronics store, the boy finally made up his mind.
Hashiba Hikaru decided to go big. He planned to buy both stocks, then work on getting closer to each girl at different times. Once their prices rose enough to cash out, he would sell. He could think about lowering their prices afterward.
[Purchase Sakura Airi Stock?] [Number of shares purchased: 5000] [Sakura Airi Stock liquidated. Current funds: 356000]
After buying the stock, Hashiba Hikaru put on a gentle expression and spoke to Sakura Airi. "Sakura, have you been to that shop before?"
"Um... I went once, but I didn't buy anything." Sakura Airi's voice was soft, but she still answered earnestly. "I know they do repairs there, though."
"I see. Then let's hurry over."
Following Sakura's directions, the group arrived at a counter. Behind it stood shelves full of merchandise, along with various red banners advertising discounts and special offers.
"Welcome."
A bearded shop assistant smiled at the group.
"Hello. I wanted to ask if you can repair cameras here." Sakura Airi worked up the courage to speak to him.
"Of course. Did you bring the camera?"
"I did."
After Sakura handed over her camera, the shop assistant spent a few minutes inspecting it. He stared directly at her and said, "The power supply is broken. Do you have the warranty card?"
"Oh, I brought it today."
Sakura Airi took the warranty card from her pocket, stepped forward, and placed it on the counter.
"Hmm... let me take a look."
After the shop assistant picked up the small card, a strange smile appeared on his face. His voice grew increasingly obsequious. "It's still under warranty, so we can replace the power supply for you."
"But first, you'll need to fill out this form. All the important information needs to be completed."
Hashiba Hikaru had been watching the scene. For some reason, he felt the shop assistant's attitude was strange. He seemed especially interested in Sakura's every move.
"Your name, address..." The shop assistant grinned, took a form from the counter, and held out a pen to Sakura Airi. "And your phone number..."
"..."
The shop assistant's brazen, appraising gaze made Sakura Airi feel inexplicably afraid. Her body wouldn't move, and she couldn't bring herself to step forward and fill in her information.
Was she really that afraid?
Hashiba Hikaru noticed the girl's delicate body trembling slightly. Without hesitation, he stepped in front of her, then called to the people behind him.
"Kushida, could you come over here?"
At his words, Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo, who had been waiting behind them, both looked over.
"What's wrong, Hashiba?" Kushida Kikyo cooperatively stepped in front of the two of them and asked, "Did something happen?"
"Could you help Sakura fill out the form?"
"Eh?"
The short-haired girl looked surprised, while Sakura Airi beside her immediately looked up at Hashiba Hikaru's face.
"You're classmates, after all. It shouldn't matter if someone else fills it out. Just think of it as doing her a favor."
Hashiba Hikaru smiled at Sakura Airi. After meeting her eyes briefly, he looked away and nudged Kushida toward the form.
"I don't mind. Is it okay with you, Sakura?"
"Mm... yes."
After feeling the boy's reassuring gaze just now, Sakura Airi had calmed down a little. She nodded.
"Why?" The shop assistant raised his voice after seeing Hashiba Hikaru thwart his plan. "The camera isn't even hers."
"You've already checked it, haven't you?"
Hashiba Hikaru didn't back down. "The warranty card is valid, so that means the power supply can be replaced. It doesn't matter who fills in the form."
"If you're just contacting them to pick up the camera, they're all classmates. That shouldn't violate any rules."
"Th-that..." The shop assistant looked hesitant.
"What, you don't want to provide service? The warranty's still valid." Hashiba Hikaru looked him directly in the eyes.
"Fine. We can repair it."
After hearing the man agree, Hashiba Hikaru continued, "How long will it take?"
"Uh, about two or three days."
"Can't you do it faster?" Hashiba Hikaru looked around the place. It seemed like a fairly professional electronics store, so he wondered if they offered expedited service.
"Uh, as for expedited service... it might be a bit difficult."
Of course, expedited service was available. The shop assistant simply didn't want the opportunity to end so quickly.
Seeing the man's expression, Hashiba Hikaru didn't waste any more words. He turned to Sakura Airi and asked gently, "This camera must be very important to you, right?"
"Yes... it means a lot to me." The girl's voice was soft, but her meaning was clear.
"Then let's get expedited service. Does it cost extra?"
Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo realized that replacing the battery was free with a warranty card, but expedited service might come with an additional charge.
Before you continue