Ichinose Launches a Romantic Offensive

"So, how about everyone nominates themselves?" Hashiba Hikaru smiled gently, her gaze sweeping across everyone's faces. "The second candidate will be chosen from among you."

"Well..." Shibata had some ideas, but he preferred to hear other people's opinions.

"Actually, we're all pretty much the same. I think both Kanzaki and Ando are quite good," Himeno said, her gaze sweeping over everyone.

She has a keen eye for observation, so if you were to select students in the second tier of the class besides Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami, then Kanzaki Ryuji and Ando Sayo, who are both sociable and academically excellent, would be very suitable candidates.

"Does Himeno think I'm a good match?" Ando blinked her beautiful eyes. She was actually quite pretty; even if she couldn't compare to Ichinose, she was still a very attractive girl.

What do you think Ichinose?

Hashiba Hikaru listened to everyone's discussion, she looked at the pink-haired girl sitting beside her. After deciding to go to the Student Council, the girl had been wearing a gentle smile and quietly listening to her classmates' discussion.

"I think everyone is pretty good. If I had to choose, I probably couldn't say who's good and who's bad."

Ichinose did not answer the question directly. Apart from Hashiba Hikaru, she felt the same way about everyone in Class A. They were all important classmates, so she could not show any preference for any one of them.

"Then how do we choose? How about we vote?" Kanzaki Ryuji offered his suggestion, but he still hesitated.

In this situation, no one wanted to make things awkward, and since the classmates all had a good relationship, they couldn't make a decision immediately.

Hashiba Hikaru, who had taken in everyone's expressions, sighed inwardly. This was a problem he had noticed a long time ago.

Although the students in Class A are very united and trust each other, they have a very good relationship.

However, when a situation arises where a winner needs to be determined within the class or a unique award needs to be chosen, everyone automatically falls into a mode of not daring to think proactively, for fear of disrupting the current friendly atmosphere.

Just as everyone was hesitating about how to vote, Hashiba Hikaru decisively spoke up, "How about this, I'll nominate one. After all, I got these two spots, and it'll be easier for me to communicate with Horikita-senpai."

"Okay, then let Classmate Hashiba decide. We don't know how to vote either."

"Yes, Classmate Hashiba, just tell us directly. We'll accept whoever it is."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Hashiba Hikaru's statement.

It's best to let him decide this kind of thing.

"Who does Classmate Hashiba want to choose?" Ichinose Honami, her shoulder pressed against Hashiba Hikaru's, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Hmm... how about we choose Ando- kun?"

After thinking for a moment, the boy decided it would be better to choose a girl.

Because girls are more relaxed when they get along, they can talk about some things without reservation.

Furthermore, Hashiba Hikaru also thought of another point: Tachibana Akane, the Student Council secretary who was inseparable from Horikita Manabu. As the Student Council President's capable assistant, it might be easier to get closer to her if she were a girl.

If we actually succeed, we might even be able to extract some information from her. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

"So, Ando- san, would you like to join the Student Council with Ichinose?" Hashiba Hikaru asked, looking at the girl who had organized a dinner party on the first day of school.

The other person immediately looked flattered and said somewhat shyly, "Can I really do that?"

"Of course, everyone has witnessed Ando's abilities, so if you and Ichinose work together, you will definitely be able to act as our Class A's eyes and ears in the Student Council and gather more information for our classmates."

"What do you think, Ichinose?" Hashiba Hikaru asked softly, inquiring about her thoughts.

"I think it's great. Ando and I are already very close, and if we can go to the Student Council together in the future, we might become even closer." The pink-haired girl had no objection to the decision and smiled as she looked at Ando Sayo sitting in front of her.

"Ichinose, please don't say that. If we're talking about 'goodness'..."

Upon hearing Ichinose Honami's statement, Ando wore a teasing expression and looked at Hashiba Hikaru with a smile, saying, "Isn't it Classmate Hashiba's closer to you?"

Upon hearing this, the pink-haired girl blushed deeply, her beautiful face flushed with shyness, and she didn't know how to respond.

After all, she truly believed that Hashiba Hikaru the most important person to her, so she couldn't deny it without thinking.

The other classmates, seeing the girl's expression, all smiled knowingly; they were all well aware of Ichinose's thoughts.

After spending this time together, the classmates who were close to Hashiba Hikaru and Ichinose Honami all understood one thing: if the relationship between the two were to undergo a substantial change, the key would depend on Hashiba Hikaru's attitude.

If he just nods in agreement, the two of them might immediately become a couple, since everyone can clearly see that Ichinose Honami is taking the initiative.

Just as everyone was trying to observe Hashiba Hikaru's expression, they discovered that the boy simply took out his phone calmly and slowly pushed it in front of them.

"Alright everyone, let me get down to business first. This is some information about the Student Council."

"Now that we've decided on two students to join the Student Council, I need to explain some related matters to you. Others can also listen in; this is very important for our Class A."

Hashiba Hikaru looked very serious, after all, what he was about to do was to create a hypothetical enemy to motivate the two students who were about to join the Student Council to be more enthusiastic about gathering intelligence.

"Okay, please let Classmate Hashiba explain. We'll take it all in." Ichinose Honami and Ando Sayo immediately sat up straight, their faces showing seriousness.

"First, there's a list of some important Student Council officers that I know of. The first one is naturally the current Student Council President, Horikita-senpai. He holds the highest authority within the entire Student Council and has extremely powerful intelligence channels."

"Next up is his assistant, Tachibana-senpai."

The boy's phone screen was displaying the school's Campus Forum, which contained various announcements posted by the Student Council, and these people's names were among them.

"Her current position is the secretary of the Student Council, and she usually works as Horikita-senpai's assistant. So after you join the Student Council, you can take the initiative to get closer to her. Do you all understand what I mean?"

Hashiba Hikaru's gaze fell on the two girls, who immediately understood each other's thoughts and nodded seriously.

"As for the next person, that's the key figure I'm going to talk about today."

The boy paused, pointed to the name on the screen, and said in a serious tone, "Miyabi Nagumo, the current Vice President of the Student Council, is also the class leader of Class 2-A."

Seeing the sudden change in the boy's expression, everyone felt a surge of curiosity about this senior Miyabi Nagumo.

"What's wrong with him? Classmate Hashiba's expression is kind of scary..."

"Is this person difficult to approach? Or is there some other reason?" As the person closest to Hashiba Hikaru, Ichinose Honami could sense the boy's emotions, but she didn't quite understand why.

"Because after Horikita-senpai graduates, this Nagumo- senpai will most likely become the next Student Council President."

Hashiba Hikaru's expression was somewhat grave as she explained to the group of people looking at her, "His approach differs from Horikita-senpai's; he intends to implement true meritocracy!"

"True power politics?"

"Is this going to change the way classes compete? What impact will that have on our class?"

After hearing the boy's words, no one quite understood what they meant.

"Ha, true meritocracy is actually quite simple to explain. Has everyone forgotten why our class collects Private Points?"

"What does Classmate Hashiba mean?"

"He wants someone to drop out of school!?"

After pondering for a while, Shibata's expression suddenly changed drastically, because he had figured out what this true meritocracy meant.

As former members of Class B, the classmates attending the reunion today were all quite intelligent. Upon hearing Shibata's words, they immediately understood the meaning behind Hashiba Hikaru's implication.

"How does Senior Nagumo plan to expel everyone? Is it through exam scores?"

After hearing Shibata's analysis, Ichinose Honami's expression became particularly serious.

After two months, the girl has grown a lot. Although she still reacts to the words "drop out of school," she immediately begins to think about the meaning behind them.

"I'm not entirely sure about that yet, but I heard about it from Horikita-senpai, so it should be fairly reliable."

Hashiba Hikaru's gaze swept over everyone's expressions, and she knew in her heart that the hypothetical enemy plan was already more than half successful. All that was left was to add fuel to the fire and it would be completely completed.

After he completely controls Class A, he needs to create an enemy for the students as a target to motivate them to move forward.

Chapter 125 Ichinose's Love Charge

Although Hashiba Hikaru only heard some general information from Horikita Manabu, and it's still unclear what Miyabi Nagumo will actually do, bringing it up now will give everyone some advance warning.

This statement could also make Ichinose Honami and Ando Sayo, who are about to join the Student Council, wary of this guy. Regardless of his attitude, this statement is enough to make the two girls dislike him.

Only by generating resentment can we ignite their motivation to resist.

Hashiba Hikaru's idea was simple: to have them actively observe or monitor Miyabi Nagumo's activities in the Student Council. This was also part of the intelligence gathering process, allowing the boys to acquire more information.

"Horikita-senpai told me that this Nagumo- senpai has completed the integration of the entire Second Year," Hashiba Hikaru continued, observing the shock on everyone's faces, "And his experiment is complete."

"Is this an experiment to get people expelled from school?"

Ichinose Honami's lips trembled slightly, but she still stared intently at the boy's face and asked.

"Yes, do you remember the information I looked up when we had our first dinner together?"

"Several Second Year have already been expelled. Although it may not be entirely Nagumo's doing, he is definitely involved." Hashiba Hikaru scrolled through the forums on her phone, and her active presence could be seen in almost every piece of information about the Second Year.

"How is he able to control the entire grade?"

Shibata was very surprised by this statement. After all, in an environment where four classes of the same grade compete with each other, it must be a terrifying ability for someone to actually control all four classes.

"Yes, do you really think everyone will willingly bow their heads and admit defeat, accepting that his class will ultimately be the winner?" Kanzaki Ryuji was also somewhat concerned. To be able to handle an entire grade, wouldn't that come at a price?

"What a... terrifying senior!" The girls exclaimed, their faces turning pale.

"In short, we still don't know the truth about how he controlled the entire Second Year, so it's more important to prepare in advance."

Observing the atmosphere inside the private room, the young man felt that the atmosphere had been sufficiently built up, and it was time to wrap things up and summarize.

"First, regarding the tasks for Ichinose and Ando," Hashiba Hikaru said slowly, her gaze falling on Ichinose Honami and Ando Sayo, "I will take you with me to submit your Student Council applications. Once you're in the Student Council, you can start working."

"Besides getting familiar with the Student Council's daily affairs, you should also pay a little attention to things concerning this senior, Nagumo. Do you understand?"

"Please don't worry, Classmate Hashiba, we know what to do!"

Ando responded quickly; after Hashiba Hikaru emphasized the deeds of Miyabi Nagumo, she understood the responsibility on her shoulders.

"I will also work hard and will not let Classmate Hashiba down."

A resolute look appeared on Ichinose Honami's small face. Since this was her mission, she had to do her best.

"Yes, we all believe you can do a good job."

Hashiba Hikaru then shifted her gaze to the other students and said in a deep voice, "As for the other students in our class, we must continue to adhere to the principle of unity."

"Today's gathering is crucial to our final victory. No matter what happens in the future, we cannot allow anyone to be expelled. Therefore, all students must give their part, whether it's collecting points or preparing for various exams."

Do you all understand what I mean?

"Please rest assured, Classmate Hashiba, we will continue to work hard and will definitely not let any of our classmates be expelled."

Seeing the serious expression on the boy's face, the people in the private room all responded in kind.

"Yes, everyone will cooperate as long as Classmate Hashiba gives the order."

"That's right, I'm increasingly feeling how wonderful it is that Classmate Hashiba is in our class. We must graduate together, not one of us can be missing!"

The enthusiastic participation of everyone brought the atmosphere of the gathering to its peak. Hashiba Hikaru looked at the pink-haired girl beside her, who seemed to have emerged from the heavy atmosphere just now and was actively cooperating with everyone's actions.

But the boy could see clearly that there was a thoughtful look between her brows, indicating that she had something on her mind.

Looks like I'll have to do talk therapy again?

Hashiba Hikaru smiled inwardly. Besides preparing to formally extend his reach into the Student Council, part of his ulterior motive for proposing this plan today was to boost Ichinose Honami's stock price.

The fact that the stock price of the girl hadn't moved for so long was still a concern to him.

About two hours later, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the group prepared to disperse.

After leaving the Yakiniku Restaurant, Hashiba Hikaru explained the next steps to Ando Sayo and Ichinose Honami.

Today, the two of them need to prepare the application materials to be submitted to the Student Council. Anyway, the relevant formats and specific requirements are all available on the school forum. After all that is done, we can officially take them to join the Student Council tomorrow.

No matter what happens in the future, it's always good to improve your access to information.

After giving their instructions, everyone dispersed, while Hashiba Hikaru took Ichinose Honami back to her dormitory.

After all, for effective talk therapy, being alone is the best approach.

Just as he closed the door and turned around, he saw the girl next to him suddenly pounce on him.

"?"

When that soft, fragrant body suddenly nestled into Hashiba Hikaru's arms, he was immediately taken aback and became flustered.

No, what's going on?

"Classmate Hashiba... can I hug you?" Ichinose buried her head tightly in the boy's chest, and only then did the boy notice that her body was trembling slightly.

"... good."

Hashiba Hikaru, then gently reached out and put her arm around the girl's waist, trying to help her Matsushita.

"Is it because of what I just said? That's just a prediction; we don't know what will actually happen, Ichinose, there's no need to worry too much."

That's not the reason.

The pink-haired girl's voice was a little muffled. After feeling Hashiba Hikaru embrace her, her heart was immediately filled with intense love and joy.