COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

As the school bell rang, Hikaru and Ichinose stood up together. This was the final step of the Private Points retrieval plan, and everyone in Class B understood how crucial today's mission was. Their faces reflected their serious determination.

"Hikaru-kun, this is the last step—good luck!"

"Yeah." Hikaru surveyed his classmates and spoke in a firm voice, "No matter what, today marks the final stop. As long as we successfully retrieve this last batch of Private Points, we'll be another step closer to our 20 million point goal."

"Ichinose and I will do our best. Please trust us."

"Of course! Once you guys get back, we're throwing a celebration—and it's going to be huge!" Shibata grinned enthusiastically. Though they were all minors and couldn't drink, he was already plotting ways to mess with Hikaru during the gathering.

"That's right! Ichinose-san and Hikaru-kun are our class's most important members." Ando flashed a bright smile. "We'll make sure to pick the best venue for the celebration. We'll be waiting for your victorious return!"

"You can do it, Hikaru-kun! Ichinose-san!"

With the whole class sending them off, Hikaru and Ichinose stepped out of the classroom. Once they successfully retrieved the last one million Private Points, the pressure weighing on Class B would finally be lifted.

Outside the classroom, Hikaru and Ichinose quickly arrived at Class C's door.

Ichinose had already contacted Ibuki earlier. From the way she spoke, she seemed completely confident and told them to come straight over.

But it wasn't until they stepped into Class C's room that Hikaru understood why.

Ibuki was standing at the podium.

Aside from the three vacant seats left by the suspended students, the entire class was present—and all eyes were on her.

Standing beside Ibuki was a towering, muscular student with dark skin and a buzz cut. His massive frame made Ibuki look like a small animal in comparison. His expression was stoic, and his solid build and intimidating presence made him hard to ignore.

Hikaru was stunned.

Wait… this guy… isn't he the one Ryuuen couldn't even beat?

No way—how is this guy even a high schooler?!

"You're here. Come over."

Seeing Hikaru and Ichinose enter, Ibuki waved them forward. The moment she received Ichinose's message, she immediately realized that this had to be the important matter Hikaru had mentioned before.

After all, before they framed Ryuen, this topic was what had drawn her into the plan.

"Good afternoon, Ibuki-san."

Ichinose greeted her with a warm smile, while Hikaru's attention shifted to the massive student behind her.

"This must be Yamada-kun, right? Ibuki-san, mind explaining what's going on here?"

"Hah. You're supposed to be smart—why don't you take a guess?"

Crossing her arms, Ibuki looked at him with amusement. The last time they interacted, Hikaru had left a deep impression on her—his cunning tactics were still fresh in her mind.

"Hmm…"

Hikaru glanced at Ibuki's expression, then scanned the Class C students around them.

Suddenly, a thought clicked in his mind.

"Ibuki-san… don't tell me you're Class C's representative now?"

"..."

Ibuki's lips twitched. She hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly.

"Tch. You're as sharp as ever." She sighed. "Yeah, I'm Class C's representative now. And I have two assistants."

She first pointed at the towering student beside her.

"One of them is Yamada Albert."

Then, she gestured toward a girl seated at one of the desks.

"And the other is Shiina-san."

Hikaru followed her gaze and saw a calm-looking girl with short gray hair. Her soft expression made her look gentle and composed, and she had been watching the conversation silently.

Just then, Hikaru's system interface made a familiar notification sound.

[Ding! Hiyori Shiina Stock is now available!]

[Current Stock Price: 30]

[Number of Shares Issued: ?]

"?"

Hikaru's expression subtly shifted as he instinctively looked at Shiina again.

She gives off such a soft vibe… But since she's Ibuki's assistant, she must have considerable influence in Class C.

"What are you staring at? Aren't we supposed to be discussing something?"

Ibuki's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He refocused—now wasn't the time to analyze Shiina.

"Looks like you've been busy since Ryuen's suspension."

Originally, Hikaru had invited Ibuki to participate in the hidden camera scheme to get Ryuen suspended, making it easier to sell the hidden rules to Class C. The time gap also ensured that Ryuen's influence would weaken.

And now, with Ryuen gone, even though he had once ruled the class through force, that power was now useless. The anti-Ryuen faction had successfully taken over.

By the time Ryuen returned, reclaiming control over Class C wouldn't be easy.

"After that guy got suspended, Yamada-kun approached me and asked if I'd take over as Class C's representative."

Ibuki sounded a bit exasperated—it wasn't like she had wanted the position.

"Shiina-san also said that since I stopped Ryuen's violent rule, it made sense for me to become the new leader. So… I just went with it."

"That's a good thing! I think Ibuki-san is amazing—you'll definitely protect Class C from further violence."

Ichinose beamed with excitement, but Ibuki wasn't used to receiving compliments and quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem. Anyway, what exactly are you two here for? Just tell us already."

"Alright. Since Class C has already stabilized under your leadership, that saves me the trouble of convincing everyone separately."

Hikaru's gaze flickered toward Yamada, who was standing like a silent guardian behind Ibuki.

It made sense now—if even Ryuen couldn't beat him, just his presence alone would be enough to unite Class C.

"Alright, everyone, please listen up." Hikaru smiled.

"I'm Hashima Hikaru from Class B, and this is Ichinose Honami."

"Nice to meet you all." Ichinose greeted with a cheerful smile.

"We're here today to negotiate a trade with Class C. Specifically, it's a transaction concerning the school's hidden rules."

Since Class C was the last class in the deal, Hikaru no longer needed to enforce the resale prohibition clause. As long as they paid up, what happened next wasn't his problem.

"Hidden rules?"

Ibuki's expression shifted—she immediately pressed for more details.

"What exactly do you know?"

"Take a look at this first."

This time, Hikaru didn't hand over the non-resale contract. Instead, he produced a freshly printed transaction certificate.

It was an official record from Hoshinomiya-sensei, detailing how Class B spent two million Private Points to purchase the hidden rules—complete with the school's stamp to verify its legitimacy.

"Our class spent two million Private Points to obtain this information. Now, we're offering it to you for one million—half price."

Locking eyes with Ibuki, Hikaru spoke calmly.

"This document bears the school's official seal, proving its authenticity. The hidden rules are extensive, and Class C won't be at a disadvantage."

"I'll give you time to discuss."

"..."

Ibuki studied the document carefully.

The stamp matched the one on their acceptance letters, and the transaction records were real.

That meant one thing—the hidden rules truly existed, and they were worth two million points.

"...We'll discuss it and give you an answer soon."

"Take your time."

~~~

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