"Alright, I'll walk you to the elevator."
When acting, one must go all the way. Although Hashima Hikaru still didn't have any feelings for Kushida Kikyo, he needed to pay attention to small details and not let her see through his facade.
"Goodbye, Hashima."
After seeing Kushida Kikyo off, Hashima Hikaru returned to his dorm.
He looked at his system panel and noticed that even after helping her come up with a plan to get closer to Horikita for the second time, the stock price of "Kushida Kikyo" hadn't changed. Even if she had dispelled any doubts about him, she still wasn't falling for empty promises.
"I'll have to wait and see when a breakthrough can be achieved."
Hashima Hikaru stared silently at this stock. The few interactions with Kushida Kikyo had been truly exhausting. Despite having the same initial stock price as Ichinose's, this person was obviously much more troublesome.
"After I raise the stock price to a satisfactory level, I must cash out hard, and then go eat with Horikita Suzune right in front of you to see if your stock can hit the limit down!"
After tidying up his room, the young man began the critical dual-line operation, opening Horikita Suzune's chat page.
Hashima Hikaru: Horikita, are you busy right now?
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune, who was in her own room, saw this message and her pretty face was covered with a layer of frost. Since agreeing to this guy's request last time, she had been enduring the study sessions and occasionally dealing with Kushida Kikyo's attempts at conversation, which was really exhausting.
So initially, Horikita Suzune didn't want to reply to his message.
But a minute later, that familiar screenshot was sent over. To avoid disappointing her brother, Horikita Suzune had to suppress her irritation and begin typing a reply to Hashima Hikaru.
Horikita Suzune: What is it this time, Hashima?
Hashima Hikaru: Have you gained anything from organizing the study sessions, Horikita?
Horikita Suzune: What exactly do you want to say? I'm not interested in small talk with you.
Hashima Hikaru: Haha, alright. Tomorrow, Kushida will invite you to collect information about your classmates' academic abilities, such as which subjects they're good at and which they struggle with. I hope you can agree to her request.
Horikita Suzune: Why?
Hashima Hikaru: Because I'm fulfilling my agreement with your brother. Since I promised to help you, I naturally can't do nothing. This is a good opportunity.
Hashima Hikaru: Didn't you say your goal was Class A? Knowing the subject preferences of everyone in your class will help you better understand the class's overall strength in the future, so you can lead them better.
Horikita Suzune: What benefit does this have for you? Shouldn't we be competitors?
For the young man who had already advanced to Class A, Horikita Suzune was certain he was someone she must defeat in the future.
Hashima Hikaru: Yes, but I believe that before you correct your personality weaknesses, you won't be able to compete with me on the same stage. This isn't looking down on you, it's just my honest opinion.
"..."
After seeing these words, the girl's expression suddenly changed, and the finger pressing the screen unconsciously began to apply force. This guy actually dared to look down on her like this!
Hashima Hikaru: Only the weak engage in verbal disputes. If you want to prove your abilities to your brother, then work hard and move forward.
Due to anger, Horikita Suzune's chest was heaving violently. After about fifteen seconds, she finally typed a reply.
Horikita Suzune: I understand. I will collect this information, but don't expect to get any intel from me.
Hashima Hikaru: Don't worry, I'm not interested in information about your class. If you can accomplish this, all the gains will be yours.
-------
The next morning, as soon as Kushida Kikyo entered the classroom, she hurriedly walked to Horikita Suzune's desk.
"Horikita, I have something to tell you."
Looking at the eager Kushida, Horikita Suzune naturally understood what was happening, so she nodded slightly.
"Go ahead, what is it?"
"The midterm exams are next month. I hope you can work with me to collect information about our classmates' academic abilities, understand their true performance, and then organize study activities to help everyone improve their grades."
Horikita Suzune looked at the short-haired girl, whose face was filled with expectation, and wondered what kind of relationship she had with Hashima Hikaru and why he always had her contact her.
"...Alright, I agree. Just come find me when you're ready to start."
The black-haired girl nodded. Since she was going to execute this plan, she would definitely do it perfectly.
Upon hearing her agreement, Kushida Kikyo's face instantly lit up with joy.
Just as Hashima had said, after the first time, there would be a second time. What a seamless development!
Meanwhile, in the Class A classroom, Hashima Hikaru was sitting at his desk pretending to read a book, but his gaze was fixed on his system panel.
After a few minutes, the familiar system notification sounded in his ear.
[Horikita Suzune has agreed to Kushida Kikyo's request. She thinks you're very useful. Kushida Kikyo stock price increases by 10 points, current price 40.]
"Each time I have to go around in circles to raise the stock price, it's really troublesome. But as long as it increases successfully, that's fine."
Hashima Hikaru looked at the "Kushida Kikyo stock" which had now risen to 40. He had gone all-in on this stock, currently holding 5,000 shares. After raising it a bit more, he could directly cash out everything.