As moonlight spilled onto the dormitory balcony, Horikita Suzune sat rigidly at her desk, solving practice problems. Regardless of the approaching midterms, she maintained her disciplined study habits.
Just as she solved a particularly complex math question, her phone buzzed.
"?"
It was almost 10 p.m. The black-haired girl couldn't imagine who would message her at this hour. She had no close friends in class—nor did she need any.
However, there was one person who might exchange messages with her.
Horikita set down her pen, took a deep breath, and picked up her phone.
Hashima: Horikita-san, good evening. Are you free right now?
It's him!
This guy always messaged her late at night, and under the pretext of his agreement with her brother, he often pressured her into doing things she disliked.
Horikita: What is it, Hashima-kun?
Hashima: I'd like to treat you to a meal tomorrow.
"..."
Staring at the message, Horikita fell silent. Even now, she didn't consider herself Hashima's friend and was about to refuse outright.
Hashima: Besides the meal, there's something else I want to tell you—about Horikita-senpai.
"..."
Her delicate face froze. That familiar feeling of being led by the nose resurfaced, but she couldn't help typing a reply.
Horikita: What is it?
Hashima: I'll explain tomorrow over lunch. It's hard to convey over text.
Seated in his dorm room, Hashima smirked triumphantly at her response.
As expected, using Horikita-senpai as bait works every time.
His late-night message wasn't just about dinner—it was about Kushida Kikyō.
Since her stock had last dropped to 60 points, Hashima hadn't chatted much with the two-faced short-haired girl.
To secure more system funds, he needed to manipulate her stock further, ideally driving it back down to the initial 10 points for a second buy-in.
To lower Kushida's stock, he would use Horikita Suzune as a trigger—previous experiments had proven this method effective for multi-layered schemes.
The sequence was simple: Kushida → Horikita → Horikita-senpai.
Seeing Hashima's evasion, Horikita reluctantly conceded. When it came to her brother, she wanted to know everything.
Horikita: What time tomorrow?
Hashima: After school. I'll come to Class C to get you, and we'll go to the reserved restaurant together.
"..."
Come to our class?
Horikita found it odd. Normally, people would just meet at the agreed location.
But she didn't press further. She never cared about others' opinions—only results mattered.
Horikita: Fine.
Hashima: See you tomorrow.
Setting his phone aside, Hashima began formulating tomorrow's plan.
If Kushida sees me actively seeking out Horikita in Class C, she'll definitely react.
But the specifics—how to interact, how far to push—required careful consideration.
He needed to maximize Kushida's belief that he and Horikita had grown closer to drive her stock down further.
After all, my system funds are almost depleted. Sorry, Kushida-san, but you'll have to suffer a bit more.
Opening his [Stock Page], Hashima reviewed his current holdings across three different stocks, with varying quantities and prices.
[Ichinose Honami Stock]
[Current Price: 150, Holdings: 3000]
[Sakura Airi Stock]
[Current Price: 110, Holdings: 5000]
[Shiina Hiyori Stock]
[Current Price: 40, Holdings: 3000]
"Aside from Ichinose, whose stock hasn't moved much, Sakura and Shiina's should rise steadily. Maintaining closeness and spending time with them should suffice—no need for additional schemes."
"But Kushida's 5000 shares are too tempting. If I can push it back to 10 points and buy in fully, it'll be a guaranteed profit."
His mind flashed back to the night of the "handprint incident" and her cold, aggressive demeanor.
Honestly, you're carrying too much baggage!
Aren't you afraid someone will use your past against you?
Hashima stroked his chin, deciding to let things unfold naturally. Her past might be even more deeply buried than her dual personality. Without the right opportunity, uncovering it would be difficult.
Maybe I can probe through Horikita?
No, that's just speculation. Until I confirm everything, it's better not to provoke her. If her stock stops rising, that'd be troublesome.
"For now, focus on the current situation. Push her stock to the bottom first."
With his strategy clear, Hashima set down his pen and headed for the shower.
What will happen tomorrow? I can't wait.
---
The next day, since Hashima had deliberately chosen a day without study sessions, he quickly bid farewell to Ichinose, Shibata, and the others after school and strode out of the classroom with his bag.
Though class rankings had changed, classroom locations hadn't been rearranged, so reaching Class C only required passing one room.
With dismissal approaching, the hallway was crowded. As Hashima walked toward Class C, he might run into some familiar faces—like Class C's leader, Hirata Yōsuke, whom he'd worked with to find witnesses for the Sudō incident.
The handsome boy was exiting the classroom with his friends when he spotted Hashima heading straight for them.
"Eh? Hashima-kun?"
Hirata looked surprised—it was rare to see this key figure from Class A here.
"Good afternoon, Hirata-kun."
Hashima greeted him with a smile. From their previous interactions, Hirata struck him as a people-pleaser. Even when acting for his class, he avoided pressuring others, which explained why, despite being their leader, his authority wasn't absolute. Some even questioned him.
"Are you heading downstairs from here?"
Hirata studied his expression, probing cautiously.
He was quite interested in Hashima. Witnessing the boy's confident command of his classmates during the Sudō incident had left him envious.
"No, I'm here to see someone from your class. If you're not in a hurry, could you call her for me?" Hashima smiled amiably.
"Eh? Hashima-kun is here to see someone from our class? Who?"
"Horikita-san."
"?"
Hirata's expression turned odd. Even after over a month in the same class, he'd barely spoken to the aloof Horikita.
She always kept to herself, never initiating contact. Even during study sessions, she left punctually without lingering.
And yet, this girl was familiar enough with Hashima for him to seek her out personally?
Baffled and curious, Hirata glanced back into the classroom and immediately spotted the black-haired girl rising with her bag.
He called out, "Horikita-san, someone's here to see you!"
The moment the words left his mouth, every Class C student still in the room turned their attention to the scene.
This was the icy Horikita they were talking about—did she actually have friends?
She was always alone.
"I know."
Horikita had already noticed the figure at the back door. Meeting his gaze, she watched as he stepped inside.
"Who's here to see Horikita-san?"
"Not sure. Look at the back door—that's..."
Whispers erupted, but they quickly died down as a tall, striking figure entered from the rear.
With his handsome features and gentle smile, the boy's gaze fixed on Horikita as she approached.
"!"
"What?! It's Hashima-kun!"
"The Hashima-kun from before? Why is he looking for Horikita? What's their relationship?"
The girls reacted more fervently than the boys. A guy seeking out a girl was always a spectacle, especially when both were top-tier topics.
One was Class A's rising core member, rumored to wield immense influence. The other was Class C's untouchable ice queen.
Most strikingly, both were exceptionally good-looking, making their pairing even more eye-catching.
Among the onlookers was a short-haired girl surrounded by several classmates. Hearing Hirata call Horikita's name, she immediately turned.
Then, she watched as the familiar figure entered the classroom, exchanged greetings with Horikita, and walked out with her under everyone's stunned gazes.
"..."
Kushida's grip on her bag strap tightened, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.
[Kushida Kikyō witnessed you seeking out Horikita Suzune in Class C, further speculating about your relationship. Kushida Kikyō's stock drops by 20. Current price: 40.]
Seeing the system notification, Hashima's lips curled into a delighted smile.
You're still so easy to handle.
Admit it—you're Horikita's one and only fan.