After the lively reward party ended, Hashima Hikaru clutched his uncomfortable stomach as he opened his dormitory door.
He had just been ambushed by his Class B classmates at the banquet. Besides those he was already familiar with like Shibata and others, classmates he barely spoke to before also approached him for conversation.
Additionally, there was the classic toast ritual at group dinners.
Seeing his increasingly excited classmates, Hashima naturally couldn't refuse their enthusiasm and had to respond to each one, resulting in his stomach suffering greatly.
Although everyone was underage and couldn't drink alcohol, consuming too many beverages still caused discomfort. Shibata and Kanzaki Ryuji beside him seemed to have anticipated this, and instead of helping, they continuously refilled his cup and even encouraged the girls to come toast with him.
If Ichinose hadn't stopped them, Hashima might have collapsed at that restaurant today.
"Those bastards definitely planned to get me drunk!"
Hashima grumbled as he sat down in his chair. Although physically uncomfortable, the festive atmosphere that had infected him still hadn't subsided.
It had been a long time since he had let loose like this. In the first fifteen years of his life, he had always been studying hard to fulfill his dream of advancing academically. Although he had some friends he could talk to at school, they weren't many, and naturally, those connections had long been severed.
Now, in this fully enclosed campus, as he became increasingly familiar with his classmates, Hashima felt a strange sense of belonging in his heart.
Humans truly are social animals; this point wasn't wrong.
"Forget these useless thoughts. I should focus on the matters at hand."
Hashima rubbed his stomach and checked his system panel.
Currently, he had only purchased "Ichinose Honami stock" and "Kushida Kikyō stock," with 118,000 funds remaining.
The boy recalled the stock analysis of "Kushida Kikyō stock," which was an important sample. Apart from its low initial price, more importantly, her methods of lowering stock prices were almost all related to Horikita Suzune.
Currently, Hashima had agreed to Horikita Manabu's request to help Horikita Suzune grow, so he would definitely have multiple interactions with her.
But exactly how far these interactions would need to go before lowering Kushida's stock price couldn't be confirmed yet. Only after completing this experiment could he accumulate experience for obtaining more funds in the future.
However, before that, he needed to raise her stock price first; otherwise, everything would be mere talk.
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The next day in Class B's classroom, the afterglow of yesterday's celebration hadn't yet dissipated. Though physically tired, everyone still wore smiles on their faces.
"Good morning, Hashima!"
"Good morning."
After exchanging greetings, when Hashima returned to his seat, he found that his desk neighbor Ichinose hadn't arrived yet. He couldn't help but wonder if she had slept too late last night.
A few minutes later, as the boy was flipping through his book, a familiar fragrance approached, and the girl's gentle voice reached his ears.
"Good morning, Hashima."
"Morning, Ichinose. You seem to be running a bit late today."
"Hehe, I actually already started executing the plan yesterday." Ichinose looked at Hashima with a smile full of pride.
"Is that so? Then I'm all ears. How did Ichinose's mission go?"
"I contacted that Class A girl who Ando knows and learned that Sakayanagi often moves around with a girl named Kamuro Masumi."
"I got Kamuro's contact information and sent her a message asking her to convey my thoughts to Sakayanagi," Ichinose took out her phone to show Hashima. "Sakayanagi didn't refuse, you know. She agreed to meet privately."
"That wasn't easy, going through so many channels."
Hashima glanced at the message history on the chat page, which contained the exchanges between Kamuro and Ichinose.
Then he spotted a crucial piece of information and his expression suddenly changed.
The meeting between Ichinose and Sakayanagi was scheduled for today?
Hashima quickly asked, "Ichinose, where are you two planning to meet today?"
"At the coffee shop in the Keyaki Shopping Center. Sakayanagi chose the location."
"...I see, I understand." The boy nodded, feeling relieved.
If it wasn't at the same place, there shouldn't be any issues.
Although Ichinose knew about Kushida's invitation to dinner, judging from her behavior that day, if the girl saw him meeting with Kushida, there was no telling what might happen.
Hashima cared deeply about Ichinose's feelings, and the best scenario was for them not to cross paths.
"I also learned a lot about Class A from that classmate," Ichinose continued, unaware of the boy's change in expression. "The division in Class A is really serious. Katsuragi's faction and Sakayanagi's faction are classmates, yet they never move together, not even for meals."
Ichinose Honami found this situation puzzling and murmured softly, "We're all part of the same collective, why must they act this way..."
"Heh, I guess that's just the nature of Class A."
Hashima found it normal and explained to Ichinose Honami, "Students in Class A already had different self-inclinations to begin with, and even more so after learning the hidden rules."
"They all understand that they're considered the most excellent students in this year by the school, so naturally they have their own pride. Katsuragi and Sakayanagi have each gained recognition from a portion of students through their abilities, establishing their respective factions."
"Without an obvious reason, defecting would appear to others as if you'd initially misjudged, which would lower your own standing. So they all aim to absorb the opposing faction to prove that their choice was the most perfect."
"Before the special exams begin, I expect these people will continue to maintain this state."
"Why can't everyone just unite..." Ichinose nodded slightly, but still seemed troubled.
"Enough of this useless talk. What time did Ichinose arrange to meet Sakayanagi?" Hashima changed the subject, asking about the specific meeting time.
"Four-thirty, at the coffee shop in the Keyaki Shopping Center." The girl read out the information from her phone.
"Okay, then I look forward to Ichinose successfully obtaining the information."
Hashima smiled. Knowing the time made things easier, and since the coffee shop and family restaurant were on different streets, they wouldn't run into each other no matter what.
This time, the advantage is mine!