After Ichinose Honami finished organizing the refrigerator in the boys' dormitory, she also washed her face at the sink, then walked over quietly.
"Let's start studying now," she said.
"Yeah," Hashima nodded.
Although he had observed the girl's actions just now, Hashima Hikaru didn't know what to say.
Over the past few days, Ichinose Honami's stock price had remained stable at 150 points, but her behavior had changed significantly compared to before. She was becoming more proactive in getting closer to Hashima, and this study session at the dormitory was undoubtedly her idea.
Of course, he didn't dislike Ichinose. Having a beautiful girl around was at least pleasing to the eyes, wasn't it?
But right now, Habashima's most important target was Kushida Kikyo, whose stock he had just acquired. Having finally dispelled her doubts, he naturally wanted to strengthen their relationship to earn more funds, so he couldn't afford to fully respond to Ichinose's enthusiasm.
Well, let's leave things as they are for now.
The young man made up his mind silently, then sat down at the table with Ichinose Honami. Once all five people had their books ready, the pink-haired girl took the initiative to assign the study plan.
"White Wave has weaker math skills, so I'll tutor her first," Ichinose had naturally gathered information before establishing the group, so she issued instructions smoothly. "Shibata's science is a bit weak, so Himeno will tutor him, and Hashima is good at history, so he can help White Wave and me later."
"No problem."
"Let's go with that for now."
No one had any objections. Compared to Class A students, Class B students were certainly somewhat weaker academically, but overall they weren't bad—at least their average scores consistently exceeded the passing mark.
Plus, everyone had pleasant personalities, so although studying was somewhat tedious, it didn't feel torturous. In fact, time seemed to pass quickly.
After all, when you become fully absorbed in something, you tend to forget the passage of time.
About two hours later, it was 6:30 PM—time for dinner.
When everyone put down their pens, Ichinose Honami decided where they would eat. Hashima was now free from responsibilities, and by leaving the decision-making to the girl, he could take it easy.
He could even chat with Kushida Kikyo on his phone at the same time, as it was important to maintain regular contact.
After last night's battle of romantic wits, the short-haired girl's messaging frequency hadn't changed much. They mostly discussed matters concerning Class D's study sessions, as Kushida's focus remained on Horikita Suzune.
Kushida Kikyo: I held another study session today with different classmates than last time.
Hashima Hikaru: Was it successful?
Kushida Kikyo: Yes, it went more smoothly this time. The other students were easier to get along with, so Horikita had a better attitude and we completed the tutoring successfully.
Hashima Hikaru: That's good. You're really working hard for your class, Kushida.
Kushida Kikyo: Not at all! Seeing everyone progress together makes me happy too.
Hashima Hikaru: Hmm, I see.
Just as he sent this message, the young man heard Ichinose Honami's slightly puzzled voice.
" Hashima, are you chatting with someone?"
"Uh, just checking the news," Hashima casually scrolled his screen and looked up. "Have you decided where to eat?"
"Yes, we're going to the family restaurant again."
Although she had caught him using his phone, Ichinose didn't say anything about it. What concerned her wasn't this, but whether he could stay by her side.
"Let's go! Food, food!" Shibata rotated his shoulders, making cracking sounds. "After studying for so long, I need to satisfy my stomach."
"Weren't you studying during class too?" Hashima asked with a puzzled and surprised expression. "Don't tell me you were slacking off in class?"
"Of course not! I just felt the study session just now was more productive. Don't misunderstand—I love studying."
"Yet Shibata kept saying he wanted to play soccer in class, and now he claims to love studying," the beautiful Himeno Yuki mercilessly exposed his true nature. "Do you think we'd believe that?"
"Hey, Himeno, that's slander!"
As they talked, Shibata's face turned red. He quickly started making excuses about how playing soccer was important, loving sports was a good habit, and the school required them to develop in all aspects including morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. Soon, Habashima's dormitory was filled with a lively atmosphere.
When the mood calmed down, everyone prepared to leave.
"Is everyone ready?" Hashima asked, carrying a garbage bag while looking at his classmates. During the study session, he had taken out snacks that Ichinose had put in the refrigerator to serve everyone, so some trash had accumulated on the floor, but it had already been cleaned up.
"Yes, let's go have dinner. I'll treat everyone today."
The young man smiled slightly. He wasn't short on points at the moment, and since everyone had visited him and brought things, he naturally wanted to reciprocate.
When the group went downstairs, the sun in the distance was gradually sinking toward the horizon, and the stuffy heat in the air had been largely dispersed by the cool breeze.
Hashima suddenly felt that such peaceful times weren't bad. Apart from the high-intensity operations of the first few days, most tasks had already been completed, and he could probably relax for a while before the next special exam began.
Previously, he and Ichinose Honami had discussed maintaining class discipline, and now they had added regular study sessions. Summarizing Class B's current situation in four words: things were looking up!
"Today I'm going to eat you out of house and home, Hashima. Are you prepared?" Shibata said menacingly beside him.
"Yes, yes, if you manage to eat me broke today, we'll stay and wash dishes together."
"Haha, I agree!" The girls laughed.
"If it's Hashima, he should work as a waiter and serve us," Ichinose Honami said with a smile, her eyes seemingly filled with genuine anticipation.
"Then so be it." The young man nodded, his expression calm.
On the street bathed in the evening glow, the Class B group walked side by side toward their destination. No matter what might happen in the future, this friendship would not disappear.
In the days that followed, Hashima Hikaru's life remained quite peaceful. The current Class B study plan and basic class behavior management were being handled by Ichinose Honami. He participated in his own group's study sessions while keeping in touch with Kushida Kikyo via phone.
Additionally, he occasionally communicated briefly with Horikita Suzune to learn about Kushida Kikyo's activities, allowing him to maintain control of the situation.
In these peaceful days, the only variable was that Ichinose Honami spent increasingly more time in Hashima Hikaru's dormitory. It started with the pretext of study sessions, but later evolved into testing new recipes.
It began when Hashima Hikaru mentioned that he had some cooking experience. Whether in his previous life or now, when his parents were too busy working, he would cook for himself, so he had some culinary skills.
The result was that when Ichinose Honami heard this, she immediately expressed her interest in cooking and wanted to discuss culinary arts with Hashima Hikaru.
The young man thought she was just making casual conversation, but later that day after school, Ichinose showed up at his door carrying various seasonings and ingredients.
"Hehehe, Hashima, I've come to discuss cooking with you!"
Seeing the girl's serious expression and the determined gleam in her eyes that suggested she wouldn't leave until she achieved her goal, Hashima could only agree to her proposal.
Subsequently, his dormitory directly became a laboratory for new dishes.
More importantly, during this process, Hashima discovered that Ichinose's cooking skills were actually very good. Though they called it discussing culinary arts, most of the time she did the cooking while he sampled the delicious food.
"Something doesn't seem right here. How did I end up being the kept man..."
Hashima pondered with a bowl in hand, recalling the recent changes in his life.
He couldn't help but look up at the pink-haired girl standing at the stove in his dormitory. She was wearing a blue checkered apron, bending down to tend to the tempura frying in the pan.
"Well, this food does smell good. I'll eat it first."