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

Katsuragi Kohei glanced at Sakayanagi, who was standing opposite him. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded, "I agree with this classmate Hashiba's suggestion."

"What is your opinion, Sakayanagi?"

"Then I shall agree as well. I wonder what it is you wish to discuss with us?" Sakayanagi Arisu shifted her gaze toward Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami.

"Please take a look at this first." Hashiba Hikaru signaled for Ichinose Honami to separate two copies from the stack of contracts in her hand, handing one to Katsuragi Kohei and the other to Sakayanagi Arisu.

Once they finished reading the terms on the contract, Katsuragi Kohei's expression changed drastically, while Sakayanagi Arisu, on the other hand, revealed a faint smile; the two displayed completely different reactions.

"The discussion you mentioned is to sell us in Class A the school's hidden rules and prohibit any secondary resale?"

"That is correct, Classmate Katsuragi," Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Katsuragi Kohei before turning to face the students of Class A. "Although today is the first day of school, the information leaked by the school authorities is already quite substantial. Have you not noticed the anomalies in this school?"

"What does that mean?"

Although Katsuragi Kohei was a steady individual, he could not help but sound impatient upon hearing this news.

"Classmate Hashiba means that someone in their class has already solved the school's riddle and obtained the answer," Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly stepped forward toward Hashiba Hikaru, speaking as she walked. "And the person who solved the riddle first wants to inform those who haven't of what the answer is, in exchange for compensation."

"Am I correct, Classmate Hashiba?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stopped, now very close to Hashiba Hikaru; the young man could even smell a faint fragrance emanating from her.

"That's right," Hashiba Hikaru stared into the purple eyes of the silver-haired girl before him and said slowly, "Of course, the answer was obtained by paying Private Points, and we are now willing to sell this information to you."

"This contract is the certification we obtained."

Ichinose Honami followed up at the right moment, adding, "Presenting this contract is to prove to Classmate Sakayanagi and Classmate Katsuragi that the fact that we in Class B obtained the hidden rules is recognized by the school."

"I see."

Katsuragi Kohei nodded. The contract bore the school's official seal, just like the Acceptance Letter, so it was unlikely to be a forgery.

"Some of the things that happened today did indeed make me feel that this school was a bit strange, but I hadn't imagined that this was actually a riddle set by the school."

Katsuragi, who had a steady temperament, was not one to care about saving face, so he quickly admitted his lack of insight and asked Hashiba Hikaru, "Then what is the price for the rules you are selling?"

"One million Private Points, non-negotiable." Hashiba Hikaru held up a finger, his tone firm.

This was the result he and Ichinose Honami had discussed on the way while carrying the textbooks; after all, if they had set the price at two million, the chance of being rejected would have been very high.

Once rejected, the students of Class A might have gone to their homeroom teacher to confirm the possibility of the school's hidden rules, which would have been equivalent to giving away intelligence for free.

Therefore, when proposing the price, he had to strike true and keep the initiative firmly in his own hands.

"..."

"Isn't this a bit too expensive?"

By now, the students of Class A had naturally heard the entire conversation, and that hot-tempered classmate, Totsuka, immediately stood up from his seat and shouted, "Are you trying to scam us?"

"I advise you to watch your words. The rules we obtained were acquired through a teacher's channel, and Class B paid a total cost of three million Private Points."

Hashiba Hikaru swept a cold glance at Totsuka Yahiko before turning back to Sakayanagi and Katsuragi Kohei. "This is the reason why you must sign the contract prohibiting the resale of the rules, because we intend to sell the rules to the remaining three classes as well, just enough to recoup the Private Points we spent."

"In this way, Class A only needs to spend one-third of the points to buy the hidden rules. What do you think?"

"I understand," Katsuragi Kohei quickly grasped his plan. "After the transaction is completed, your Class B can have the cost of purchasing the rules shared among the three classes, but your own class won't have to spend any money, right?"

"Since we were able to guess the answer first, why shouldn't we collect compensation?"

Hashiba Hikaru looked the other person straight in the eyes, his attitude remaining tough.

He was gambling.

Gambling that the other party would believe his lie.

Chapter 9: The First Transaction Completed

Just as Hashiba Hikaru and Katsuragi were engaged in a verbal standoff, Ichinose Honami, standing to the side, felt as if her heart were about to jump out of her throat.

When she heard Hashiba Hikaru lie about having purchased the rules for three million, the girl panicked, as this was something very easy to verify.

But soon, Ichinose realized that even though Hashiba Hikaru was lying to people, there was not the slightest flaw in his demeanor; instead, he put on an air of righteous indignation, as if he were truly in the right.

"If it's one million, then each of us in Class A would only need to pay 25,000 Private Points. This price is acceptable," Katsuragi turned to look at Sakayanagi Arisu. "What is your reply, Sakayanagi?"

"I agree with what this classmate Hashiba said. This is a very cost-effective transaction," Sakayanagi Arisu nodded gently. "I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to hesitate between paying three million and paying one million."

"That's good."

Although Katsuragi did not get along with Sakayanagi, as a student of Class A, his observation and analytical skills were equally excellent, so he understood that if the school truly had hidden rules, the sooner they were known, the better.

Therefore, he immediately began to mobilize the supporters he had gathered in Class A today to collect points from his classmates. However, when Hashiba Hikaru looked toward Sakayanagi Arisu, he found that the girl leaning on her cane was not moving, but was instead lost in thought.

Ichinose Honami could not help but ask, "Classmate Sakayanagi? Do you not need to go help collect the points?"

"Such manual labor can be handled by Classmate Katsuragi. The students in the class have already heard our discussion just now; they can reach the best judgment and will not obstruct the process by refusing to hand over the points."

"I see. It seems Classmate Sakayanagi understands everyone in Class A quite well."

Through the events that had just occurred, Hashiba Hikaru could at least conclude one key piece of information: although the students of Class A had high overall quality, the two most popular students in their class were not on good terms, and they had even brought their struggle for control of the class out into the open.

This was undoubtedly good news; at the very least, there was no need to worry about Class A being united and firmly occupying the first-place position, which could bring more opportunities for Class B.

Not long after, Katsuragi had finished collecting the points. After he walked over, Hashiba Hikaru signaled for Ichinose to hand over the contract in her hand.

"Before the transaction, all students in Class A must sign this contract, and then we will proceed to the next step of trading the rules for the points."

The contract that Hashiba Hikaru went to Chie Hoshinomiya's office to print was simple: it stated that once Class B sold the deep rules to Class A for the price of one million Private Points, all students in Class A were prohibited from reselling those rules.

To be safe, Hashiba Hikaru also added a clause prohibiting Class A students from discussing the topic of the deep rules with students from other classes.

For any breach of contract, the school would impose the most severe punishment—expulsion.

Once all the steps were completed, Hashiba Hikaru looked at the stack of signed contracts before him, then took out the notebook containing the recorded rules.

"Payment upon delivery."

Hashiba Hikaru looked at the bald boy in front of him, then patted Ichinose Honami on the shoulder and said, "Classmate Ichinose, go ahead and collect the points. Have Classmate Katsuragi transfer them to your account."

"Okay, I understand."

Ichinose Honami immediately took out her phone and displayed the ID on her Student ID.

Katsuragi operated his phone quickly and then confirmed, "Classmate Ichinose, I have transferred the points to you."

"Let me check."

Ichinose Honami opened her Student ID, and seeing the 1.05 million Private Points displayed on the screen, the heavy stone in the girl's heart finally settled.

"Classmate Hashiba, the points from Class A have been transferred."

"Good."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly, handed the organized School Rules Notebook to Katsuragi, and prepared to return to the classroom with Ichinose Honami.

"Please wait a moment, Classmate Hashiba."

Just then, Sakayanagi Arisu, who had been observing Katsuragi collecting points and distributing contracts in the classroom, finally spoke up. She locked her purple eyes onto the boy and said slowly, "I would like to know who in Class B was the first to realize that the school had hidden rules?"

"Was it you, or Classmate Ichinose beside you?"

Hashiba Hikaru met her gaze directly. After a brief moment of contemplation, he stated the answer plainly: "It was me. Does Classmate Sakayanagi have any advice?"

"I wouldn't dare offer advice; I just think Classmate Hashiba is very special. I imagine we will be dealing with each other again."

A dignified smile appeared on Sakayanagi Arisu's small face.

"I think so too. We shall take our leave now; you two can inform your classmates of the rules."

Hashiba Hikaru did not intend to stay in the Class A classroom any longer. In any case, the gains from this trip were already sufficient—not only the Private Points but also intelligence on Class A.

"Goodbye, everyone."

Ichinose Honami waved to the students of Class A and followed Hashiba Hikaru out of the classroom.

Once their figures had completely disappeared from the hallway, Sakayanagi Arisu and Katsuragi Kohei began to examine the notebook left behind by Hashiba Hikaru.

Subsequently, all the information regarding Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School began to overturn everything the students of Class A had imagined.

The meritocratic nature of the school, the function of Class Evaluation Points and Private Points, and the future where only one class could graduate.

When these rules were fully revealed to Class A, the sharp-minded Katsuragi Kohei immediately sensed that something was wrong.

"Since the school operates on a system of class competition, why would Class B be so kind as to sell us the rules? There must be a problem here."

"Does Classmate Katsuragi have any thoughts?"

After reading through the school's deep rules, Sakayanagi Arisu's expression remained calm, still maintaining the appearance of a serene little princess.

"My thought is that if the school truly operates according to these rules, then this transaction is certainly not that simple. They might still be holding something back from us."

"That makes sense, but I think we should deal with another matter now." After running the deep rules through her mind, Sakayanagi Arisu's tone became aggressive again. "Classmate Katsuragi, don't forget that we haven't even elected our class representatives in Class A yet, have we?"

"..."

"Now that we know the school's deep rules, Class A should be led by someone excellent. Only then can we maintain an advantage in future class competitions and ultimately ensure that everyone can graduate from here successfully."

Katsuragi suppressed the anger in his heart and gritted his teeth. "Does Classmate Sakayanagi think that you are that person?"

"Of course. If Classmate Hashiba's evaluation from me just now was an A, then Classmate Katsuragi would only rank as a C."

"Then please wait and see, Classmate Sakayanagi. I will show you who is the most suitable leader for Class A."

"Hehe, I don't think I will lose."

Chapter 10: Freshman Liaison Meeting

When Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami returned to Class B, the classroom suddenly became lively.

"It's Classmate Hashiba and Classmate Ichinose."

"You're back!"

"How did it go? Was the transaction successful?"

Seeing the two walk into the classroom, the students immediately gathered around. They were all very concerned about the outcome of this first transaction.

"Of course, it was a huge success!" Ichinose Honami took out her phone, showed the number on her Student ID to everyone, and smiled with satisfaction. "We sold the rules to Class A and obtained one million Private Points."

"That's great! I knew trusting Classmate Hashiba and Classmate Ichinose wouldn't be wrong."

"Yeah, it's great that it was successful."

"But why is it one million? Didn't we pay two million?"

Someone raised their doubt, but they were quickly scolded and interrupted by a classmate nearby.

"It's not like we're only selling it once; there's still Class C and Class D. I trust that Hashiba-kun must have his reasons."

Seeing that his classmates were puzzled by this asking price, Hashiba Hikaru simply explained with a calm expression, "Setting the price at one million is actually just an excuse to make them believe in the sincerity of Class B. My explanation is that our class spent three million to purchase the rules."

"By selling it to each class once, we recoup that three million. This way, they'll believe we're just trying to break even, rather than purely trying to profit from points."

"After all, the students in Class A are very clever. If they were to ask me why I'm selling the rules, how else would I explain it?" Hashiba Hikaru spread his hands, putting on a helpless look.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is."

"Hashiba-kun's brain is truly amazing!"

After hearing the explanation, the surrounding Class B students all burst into laughter, and the atmosphere in the classroom became quite cheerful.

"Um, how about I distribute the points to everyone now?" Ichinose Honami looked at the Private Points on her phone. This was such a large sum of money that she felt a bit uneasy. "After all, the two million used to buy the rules was pooled together by everyone, so of course, it should be divided equally."

"No need to rush, Ichinose-san," Shibata Sou stopped her, advising, "Looking at Hashiba-kun's plan, aren't there still two classes we haven't sold the rules to yet? Why don't we wait until everything is finished before splitting the points?"

"Shibata-kun is right. Let's just leave the points with Ichinose-san for safekeeping; we still have fifty thousand anyway."

"Yeah, if it weren't for Hashiba-kun and Ichinose-san, we wouldn't have even gotten this million back."

The students of Class B were very easygoing. To them, maintaining unity was the most important thing right now, so they quickly reached a consensus.

Seeing everyone trust her so much, Ichinose Honami felt deeply moved. A look of determination appeared on the young girl's pretty face as she said firmly, "Thank you all for your trust. I will never let you down, and I will work hard to lead Class B forward!"

Hashiba Hikaru gazed at the resolute expression on Ichinose's face, thinking that recommending her as the class leader was indeed the right choice. That aura of trustworthiness she possessed was truly useful.

Whether it was uniting the class or acting as a human piggy bank for points, she could do it all perfectly.

Thinking of this, Hashiba Hikaru looked at his System Panel again, and sure enough, a brand-new notification had popped up.

[Helped the class gain one million Private Points. Ichinose Honami's trust in you has increased. Ichinose Honami Stock Price increased by 10 points. Current Stock Price: 70]

Nice, it looks like I'll be able to break the 100 mark soon. Once that happens, I'll be able to cash out and purchase items from the shop.