As Hikaru and Iose returo the private room of the yakiniku restaurant, all eyes immediately turoward them.

  "Iose, you're back."

  Chihiro greeted her warmly, her toiceably more enthusiastic than usual. Meanwhile, the two boys sitting beside Hikaru began scrutinizing his expression, trying to pick up on any clues. Notig the faint smile on his face, they quickly lowered their voices.

  "So? Did something good happen?"

  "What good thing?"

  Hikaru sat back down, fused by the suddeion.

  "Iose didn't…"

  Shibata was trying to probe whether what they had all specuted had actually happened. If these two had really gotten together, it would be a cause for celebration.

  "What do you mean?"

  Hikaru couldn't quite grasp what they were implying but still chose to crify, "Iose and I were just discussing our steps for the css."

  "Friday is almost here. Now that we've dealt with the major problem that was Css C, we o determine our course of a as soon as possible."

  "That's right," Iose added seamlessly, her gentle smile unwavering. "Hikaru-kun had some ideas but wasn't sure about them yet, so he wao discuss them with me first."

  "Or… was everyone expeg us to talk about something else?"

  "Oh, so that's what it was!"

  Chihiro's face lit up in realization. Laughing, she said, "Hikaru-kun is really dedicated, thinking about how to help the css even while eating. That's amazing!"

  "I mean, I am Iose's assistant. It's only natural that I stantly think about how to secure an advantage for Css B."

  Hikaru shrugged, then turned his gaze toward Iose.

  Before reentering the private room, Iose had stopped by the restroom to wash her face, making sure there was no trace of her earlier emotions. Now, her usual gentle expression was back, as if nothing had happe all.

  Upon hearing Hikaru's words, she immediately added, "Hikaru-kun and I will tio do our best for Css B, so please trust us."

  "Of course, we all believe in both of you!"

  Hearing that nothing seemed out of the ordinary between them, Ando, who had been burning with curiosity, finally let go of her gossip-fueled specution.

  With that, she urged everyoo start eating—the grilled meat was already served and waiting for them.

  Surrounded by the sizzling aroma of freshly grilled meat, the six of them quickly immersed themselves in their meal, chatting as they ate. Over the past few days, their bond had strengthened signifitly, making casual jokes and teasing feel natural.

  After nearly two hours, Hikaru noticed that everyone was finishing up. Just as he was about to get up to pay, Iose reached out and stopped him.

  "Don't fet, Hikaru-kun, this meal is a celebration for all the work you've put in these past few days. You're not allowed to pay!"

  "That's right! This is our way of thanking you, so just sit tight."

  Ando smirked, linking arms with Iose before pulling Chihiro along. The three girls thehe private room to hahe bill.

  "Alright, alright."

  Seeing how determihey were, Hikaru dropped the idea of paying.

  After all, out of everyone present, he had the most Private Points. Paying for a meal like this wouldn't even put a dent in his bance.

  "Hahaha, we all transferred our shares to Iose beforehand," Shibata said, g Hikaru on the shoulder. "Split five ways, it's not that expensive, so don't think too much about it!"

  "Yeah, and tomorrow's css meeting will be led by you, Hikaru-kun. We'll be ting on you again," Kanzaki added with a calm smile.

  Among the boys, things were simple—Hikaru had proven himself, so they enjoyed spending time with him.

  As the three of them chatted, the door to the private room opened again.

  Hikaru turned his head, expeg the girls to return, but what surprised him was that they weren't alone.

  A new figure had joihem—a short-haired girl with a strikingly beautiful fad a well-proportioned figure. She had taken Ando's pow linking arms with Iose as they approached.

  "Hikaru-ku me introduce you," Iose said with her usual gentle smile. "This is Kushida-san from Css D."

  "o meet you all!"

  The girl named Kushida greeted them naturally, showing no signs of shyness despite meeting them for the first time. Her open and friendly demeanor made it clear that she was skilled in social iions.

  "I'm Kushida Kikyo, a first-year from Css D. My dream is to be friends with everyone. I look forward to getting to know all of you in Css B!"

  "o meet you, Kushida-san."

  The boys responded immediately.

  She was undoubtedly a beauty—standing beside Iose, they were nearly on par in terms of looks, both top-tier among the school's female students.

  Just as Hikaru was about to greet her, his system suddenly dispyed a notification.

  [Ding! Kushida Kikyo Stock has been added!]

  [Current Stock Price: 10]

  [Shares Issued: ???]

  "!"

  Hikaru's mind jolted.

  After waiting for days, he had finally discovered a ock. And to his delight, it was an ideal one.

  Aock starting at 10 points—this was the perfect opportunity to go all in.

  "Hikaru-kun, I heard that you're Iose's assistant. You must be really capable, right?"

  Kushida's voice pulled him back to reality. Unaware of the system's notification, she tinued speaking with ease, clearly skilled at making es.

  "Not at all. I'm just doing some small tasks for the css," Hikaru replied, shaking his head slightly as he observed her.

  Her expressions and mannerisms were fwless, pletely natural—exactly the kind of person who thrived in social settings.

  "You're too modest! Honami- talks about you all the time, you know?"

  It seemed that Kushida and Iose were close, given that she used a familiar niame for her.

  "I-I do not! Kushida-san, stop making things up!"

  Iose's cheeks turned slightly red as she lightly smacked Kushida's arm before quickly turning to Hikaru.

  "Hikaru-kun, we've paid the bill, so we leave now."

  "Alright."

  With that, the group left the restaurant.

  Si was still early, they decided to wander around Keyaki Mall for a while. Hikaru had no objes and simply followed along.

  With Kushida now in the group, their number had increased to seven. However, as someoroduced by Iose, she blended in effortlessly.

  And thanks to her natural ability to read the room, it didn't take long for her to get along with the other Css B students.

  "A social butterfly, huh?"

  That was the first impression Hikaru formed in his mind.

  However, she was a student of Css D—the lowest-ranked css, deemed the weakest by the school's standards.

  Yet, everything about her presence suggested otherwise.

  This girl isn't simple.

  Hikaru tinued the short-haired girl carefully.

  A stock with an initial price of 10 points was tempting, but he o carefully pn his approach before making any moves.

  ~~~

  30 chapters ahead

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