COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

After leaving the classroom, the four members of Class B made their way toward the location Ibuki had provided—the second-floor corridor of the Special Building.

It was a secluded area, rarely visited by students unless they had classes in the special-purpose rooms. Given that no lessons were scheduled at this time, it was the perfect place to set up an ambush.

Arriving a little earlier than the agreed-upon time, the group needed to prepare. Hikaru had secured the key to a science classroom near the staircase on the left side of the corridor. Unlocking the door, he motioned for the others to hurry inside.

Once inside, Hikaru experimented with several angles before finding the best position for his phone camera, placing it so that it could record the scene while keeping their presence hidden. The door was left slightly ajar, and he held his phone firmly, waiting for Ibuki and Ryuen to arrive.

"They should be here soon. Ibuki set the meeting time for 4:30—six minutes left."

Checking her phone, Ichinose informed the group. The weight of anticipation settled over them, making their nerves tighten. None of them had ever been involved in something like this before.

Then, the sound of footsteps echoed from the staircase.

The group focused on Hikaru's phone screen, where a slender figure appeared—Ibuki, her confident steps leading the way.

Behind her followed a tall young man with a sharp, almost predatory gaze. His long hair hung loosely around his face, and his uniform was unbuttoned, exuding an air of absolute arrogance. A faint smirk played at his lips, as if he viewed everything in the world with contempt.

"Ryuen, this is the place I chose for us to settle things." Ibuki's voice was firm as she stopped in the middle of the corridor, turning to face him. "You want to be Class C's representative, right? If you can defeat me here, you can have it."

"Hah. I don't know what you're scheming, but since you've issued a challenge, I'll humor you."

Ryuen rolled up his sleeves slowly, his smirk widening, his eyes brimming with violent intent.

"I already told you—I don't go easy on women. If you surrender now, I'll let you serve under me instead."

"Dream on. Don't forget, last time you lost to me." A smirk tugged at Ibuki's lips as she taunted him. "You say you won't hold back against a woman, but weren't you the one who lost last time?"

"Tch… You little—!"

Ryuen's expression twisted with anger. Without hesitation, he lunged at Ibuki with alarming speed, his hands reaching out to grab her.

The two instantly engaged, but Ibuki didn't meet his attack head-on. She remembered Hikaru's instructions from the night before—she focused on dodging rather than countering aggressively, using her quick reflexes to evade his attacks while subtly using her leg techniques to disrupt his movements.

Right before they had parted ways the previous night, Hikaru had given her one final piece of advice:

"Ibuki, while we need your help for this plan, remember—if at any point you feel genuinely threatened, fight back. We're not asking you to take unnecessary damage for the sake of success. This isn't an order; it's a collaboration."

At that, Ibuki had scoffed, boasting that her legwork was top-notch. If Ryuen really tried to hurt her, she would take him down with a single kick.

That sparked an idea in Hikaru's mind—if Ibuki used only her legs, they could angle the footage to focus on Ryuen's upper body, capturing only his violent actions while ensuring it would be usable evidence against him.

From the science classroom, the Class B group watched anxiously, glued to the screen.

Ryuen's fighting style was ruthless, his movements aggressive, and his intent undeniably dangerous. However, the real shock came from Ibuki's exceptional agility.

It had been twenty seconds, and Ryuuen had yet to land a single hit on her.

"You wanted a fight, didn't you? So why do you keep dodging?!"

Ryuen growled, his breathing growing heavy with frustration.

Ibuki smirked, feigning both anger and fear as she taunted him further.

"And you wanted to beat me, right? If you can't even touch me, how are you supposed to win?"

She played her role perfectly, giving the illusion that she was afraid, avoiding direct contact out of desperation rather than strategy.

Ryuen suddenly halted his assault, his narrowed eyes flashing with suspicion.

"Hah. I knew something was off about this." His smirk returned, but this time, it was dangerous. "If you really had a problem with me, you would've fought me the second you saw me. Why go through the trouble of bringing me here?"

Ibuki stiffened, her instincts warning her that something was wrong.

"I don't know what game you're playing… but since I'm already here, I'll make sure you don't leave until you've been thoroughly beaten."

"What do you mean by that?"

Ibuki's expression darkened.

"Komiya, Ishizaki—come out."

Ryuen called out, his mocking grin widening, and suddenly, two Class C boys stepped out from the shadows behind Ibuki.

Their smirking expressions made it clear—this was a trap.

"What?!"

Ibuki's eyes flashed with rage and shock. She had expected a one-on-one fight, but now she was facing three opponents. Against Ryuen alone, she stood a chance—but against three?

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Just as Komiya and Ishizaki advanced toward Ibuki, the door to the science classroom burst open.

"Stop right there!"

Hikaru's group had no choice but to intervene. The moment Ryuen revealed his backup, they knew they couldn't wait any longer.

"Ichinose, stay here and keep filming," Hikaru ordered quickly, handing her the phone. "We'll handle this!"

Without hesitation, Hikaru, Kanzaki, and Shibata rushed out of the room.

Hikaru hadn't expected Ryuen to prepare an ambush. His cunning nature had taken them by surprise—but that didn't mean they would let him get away with it.

Ryuen turned at the sound of approaching footsteps, his eyes narrowing as he spotted three new figures stepping into the corridor.

"Who the hell are you?"

"We should be asking you the same thing," Shibata snapped, fury blazing in his eyes. "Three guys ganging up on one girl? Are you not embarrassed?"

"We're from Class B. Our teacher sent us here to retrieve some equipment for tomorrow's lessons, and we just happened to witness… whatever this is." Kanzaki's tone was equally firm. "Now, mind explaining why you're harassing your classmate?"

"This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of it."

Ishizaki, standing at Ryuen's side, snapped back, unfazed by the sudden interference. Having been molded into Ryuen's obedient lackey, he was used to confrontations.

Hikaru's lips curled into a subtle smirk. While stepping out of the classroom, he had discreetly exchanged a glance with Ibuki, signaling that they had successfully recorded the footage they needed.

The operation was complete.

"If we refuse to leave, what are you gonna do? Fight us too?"

Ishizaki clenched his fists, but before he could step forward, Ibuki intervened.

"That's enough. No need for pointless fights." She shot Ryuen a glare before turning away. "I'll admit it—I underestimated you."

"Hmph. Good that you finally see reason."

Ryuen didn't even acknowledge Hikaru and the others. As though they were mere background noise, he turned and walked off, Ishizaki and Komiya following closely behind.

Once they disappeared down the stairwell, Hikaru turned to Ibuki.

"Thanks, Ibuki. That went well."

"So? What's next?"

"Simple. Take this footage to the student council and submit a formal complaint." Hikaru brought up the video on his phone, the clear recording playing smoothly. "Ryuen won't be able to weasel his way out of a suspension after this."

Watching the footage, a satisfied smirk formed on his lips.