After Hoshinomiya annouhe school's reward, Css 1-B erupted into celebratory chatter.

  Everyone uood that intense css petition was iable—

  But thanks to Hikaru's efforts, their css points had already increased by 100 on the very first day.

  A perfect start.

  "Alright, let's begin the lesson."

  "Please open ylish textbooks."

  Ohe excitemeled, Hoshinomiya resumed her role as a teacher, returning the css to its usual rhythm.

  The first day's lessons weren't particurly difficult, and the students of Css 1-B took them very seriously.

  Everyone was keenly aware of Hikaru's repeated warnings—

  Avoiding rule viotions was essential to proteg css points.

  Thus, the atmosphere remained highly focused, with every student putting in the effort.

  Finally, as the afternoon lessons cluded, the teacher dismissed the css.

  Students were free to attend club activities or return to their dorms for the rest of the day.

  But…

  Even after Hoshinomiya left, not a siudent moved.

  They were all waiting.

  For one person—

  To take the podium and announce his pn.

  "Let's go, Iose."

  Hikaru called out softly to the girl sitting beside him.

  During break time, they had already discussed and refihe details of their strategy.

  Now, it was time to present it to the css.

  "Alright, Hikaru-kun."

  Iose nodded.

  The two of them walked toward the podium together.

  At that moment—

  The fell silent.

  All eyes were locked oheir attention fully focused.

  This was Css 1-B's first official strategy meeting.

  A crucial step toward their future.

  "Alright the's begin."

  Hikaru g Iose, and she smiled in encement.

  The two had already divided their responsibilities:

  Hikaru would devise and assess css strategies.

  Iose would manage and collect private points.

  Phase 1: Strategic Point Colle

  Hikaru began writing on the bckboard, ying out the details of his pn as the css listened ily.

  "Css 1-A's transa is plete."

  "Everyone sighe tract, so I believe they won't risk expulsion by vioting it."

  ", our targets are Css 1-d Css 1-D."

  "I propose that in one week, we begiiations with Css 1-C."

  "But before that, we need intel."

  Hikaru turoward the css and asked:

  "Does anyone know any students from Css 1-C?"

  A moment of silence—

  Then, a male student raised his hand.

  "I do."

  The student was Beppu Ryota, an ordinary-looking boy.

  Hikaru nodded.

  "Beppu-kun, how do you know a Css 1-C student?"

  Beppu scratched his head, looking a bit shy under everyone's gaze.

  "I wao join the volleyball club, so I went to check out the recruitment board yesterday."

  "There, I met a fellow first-year—Oda Takumi from Css 1-C."

  "So, you both joihe volleyball club together?"

  Hikaru's eyes gleamed with approval.

  "That's great. I'll leave this task to you, Beppu-kun."

  "Try to gather information through casual versation."

  "Focus on their css dynamid who their leader is—but don't rush it."

  Hearing his name assigo an important task, Beppu's expression grew serious.

  "Uood. Leave it to me, Hikaru-kun."

  "Of course, we won't rely on just one person."

  "If anyone else has es with Css 1-C, use them."

  "The more sources we have, the more accurate our intel."

  The odded in agreement.

  Many students even began thinking about whether they had crossed paths with Css 1-C students.

  Phase 2: Point Spending

  Ohe first phase was assigned, Hikaru moved on to the .

  " is monit how Css 1-d Css 1-D are spending their private points."

  "We don't know how they'll use their initial 100,000 points."

  "If they spend too much, they might not have enough when we offer our deal."

  "This goes for both Css 1-d Css 1-D."

  "So, we'll assign observation teams."

  A student raised their hand.

  "How exactly do we do that?"

  "It's simple."

  Hikaru picked up a piece of chalk and wrote down five key locations on the bckboard:

  Family Restaurant

  Cafés

  Karaoke

  Clothing Stores

  Eleics Shops

  "Yesterday, when we had our css gathering—"

  "I observed that these five pces had the highest student traffic."

  "Your task is to observe who from Css 1-d Css 1-D is spending money."

  "But today is only the sed day… We don't even know who they are."

  "How we tell which students belong to which css?"

  "That's already been taken care of."

  Hikaru smirked and pulled out a stack of dots from the podium.

  These were student rosters—

  Each taining photos, names, and css assigs.

  "I bought this from Hoshinomiya-sensei."

  "Every first-year student's profile is here."

  "Now, there's no excuse for nnizing them."

  "Wow! This is super useful!"

  "Wait… you spent points on this, didn't you?"

  Hikaru chuckled, nodding toward Shibata So.

  "Don't worry, I just got a fresh batch of private points."

  "Here's how we'll proceed."

  "Form small groups and divide the locations."

  "You don't o stalk anyone."

  "Just note what they buy and their spending habits."

  "We'll gather this intel over a week—"

  "And present our findings during Friday's homeroom."

  As he ed up, Hikaru's tone grew colder.

  He sed the room—

  His voice steady and firm.

  "This is Css 1-B's first major operation."

  "If we succeed, we gain an enormous advantage over the other csses."

  "If we fail, we lose an opportunity we may never get again."

  "So, let me ask you all—"

  "Are you ready?"

  A moment of silence.

  Then—

  "YES!!!"

  The erupted ihusiasm.

  Every student's determination was clear.

  Hikaru looked toward Iose, who met his gaze with a bright smile.

  From this moment forward—

  Css 1-B would act as one.