COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

After Ichinose finished organizing the fridge in Hikaru's dorm, she even took the time to wash her face at the sink before quietly walking over.

"Alright, let's start studying now."

"Yeah."

Although Hikaru had noticed her actions, he wasn't quite sure what to say about them.

For the past few days, Ichinose's stock price had remained steady at 150, showing no fluctuation. However, her behavior had subtly changed—she had become much more proactive in getting closer to him. The fact that today's study group session was being held at his dorm was undoubtedly her idea.

Hikaru didn't dislike Ichinose. If nothing else, having a beautiful girl around was easy on the eyes.

But his main priority at the moment was Kushida. He had just finished dispelling her wariness, and now was the perfect time to rapidly build rapport and profit from it. There was no room for distractions.

For now, I'll just go along with it.

Having made up his mind, Hikaru sat down at the table with Ichinose. Once all five of them had their books out, the pink-haired girl took charge, efficiently organizing the study session.

"Shiranami struggles with math, so I'll be tutoring her first," Ichinose announced smoothly, having already gathered intel on everyone's weak subjects before forming the study groups. "Shibata is weaker in science, so Himeno will be helping him. As for history, Hikaru, since you're the best at it, you'll be tutoring both me and Shiranami later."

"No problem."

"Sounds good."

No one had any objections.

Compared to Class A, Class B was undoubtedly weaker in academics, but overall, their grades weren't too bad. Most students could at least maintain passing scores.

Moreover, their personalities made group studying relatively pleasant. Even if the subject matter was dull, the positive atmosphere made time fly by quickly.

After about two hours, it was already 6:30 PM, time for dinner.

Once they wrapped up their study session, Ichinose naturally took the lead in deciding where to eat. Meanwhile, Hikaru took advantage of this free moment to message Kushida, making sure to keep the connection alive.

After last night's romantic mind game, Kushida's messaging frequency hadn't changed much. Most of their conversations still revolved around her study group activities in Class D, as she remained focused on building a connection with Suzune.

Kushida Kikyo: I held another study group session today with a different set of classmates.

Hashima Hikaru: Did it go well?

Kushida Kikyo: Yeah, this time things were much smoother. The students I invited were easier to get along with, so even Horikita's attitude was relatively good. The session was a success.

Hashima Hikaru: That's great. Kushida-san, you really work hard for your class. Must be tiring, huh?

Kushida Kikyo: Not at all. Seeing everyone improve together makes me happy.

Hashima Hikaru: Mmm, I see.

Just as Hikaru sent his reply, Ichinose's voice rang beside him, tinged with curiosity.

"Hikaru-kun, are you texting someone?"

"Uh, just checking the news," Hikaru replied nonchalantly, swiping his screen before looking up. "Have you guys decided where we're eating?"

"Yeah, we're going with the family restaurant again."

Though she had noticed Hikaru using his phone, Ichinose didn't push further. Her real concern wasn't what he was doing—it was whether he would continue spending time with her.

"Alright, let's head out!" Shibata stretched his shoulders, causing a few satisfying pops. "After studying for so long, I need to properly reward my stomach!"

"Weren't you supposed to be studying during class too?" Hikaru gave him a look of mock astonishment. "Don't tell me you've been slacking off?"

"Of course not! It's just that I was more focused this time, that's all. Don't get the wrong idea—I love studying!"

"But Shibata-kun, weren't you just saying how much you wanted to play soccer in class?" Himeno Yuki casually exposed his lie. "Do you really expect us to believe that?"

"Hey, Himeno! That's slander!"

As Shibata's face turned red, he started rambling about how playing soccer was an important activity, how loving sports was a good habit, and how the school encouraged students to pursue well-rounded development. The dorm instantly filled with a lighthearted and lively atmosphere.

Once the teasing died down, everyone got ready to leave.

"Alright, is everything packed up?"

Hikaru double-checked while holding a bag of trash. During the study session, he had taken out some of the snacks Ichinose had stored in his fridge to share with the group, which had resulted in some leftover garbage.

"Yep, let's go eat. And by the way, dinner's on me tonight."

The others looked at him in surprise.

"I'm not exactly hurting for points right now," Hikaru chuckled. "Besides, you guys brought snacks earlier, so this is just a little gesture from me."

As they walked outside, the setting sun cast an orange glow over the school grounds, the earlier heat dissipating into a pleasant breeze.

Hikaru suddenly felt that this kind of peaceful life wasn't so bad.

The initial few days had been packed with intense maneuvers, but now that most things were in place, he could take it easy for a while—at least until the next Special Exam arrived.

Last time, he and Ichinose had worked on stabilizing the class structure, and now, with the implementation of study group sessions, Class B was making steady progress.

To sum it up in four words: Its On the rise!

"Tonight, I'm gonna eat until I drop, Hikaru. You better be ready," Shibata declared with a wicked grin.

"Sure, sure. If you eat me into bankruptcy, we'll just stay and wash dishes together."

"Haha! I second that!" The girls giggled along.

"If that happens, then Hikaru-kun can be our waiter for the night," Ichinose teased with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Sounds good to me." Hikaru nodded calmly.

As the sun set over the campus, Class B walked side by side, heading toward their destination.

No matter what the future held, this camaraderie wouldn't easily fade in the dust.

---

Days Passed in Tranquility

For the next while, Hikaru's life remained relatively uneventful.

Ichinose continued managing study group sessions and reinforcing Class B's structure, while Hikaru participated in his group's study sessions and maintained contact with Kushida.

Occasionally, he would exchange a few words with Suzune, using the opportunity to gather intel on Kushida and maintain control over the situation.

But among these ordinary days, the only true anomaly was Ichinose.

The amount of time she spent in Hikaru's dorm kept increasing.

At first, it was under the excuse of study sessions. But gradually, that excuse shifted into something else—experimenting with new dishes.

It all started when Hikaru casually mentioned that he had some experience with cooking.

Since both in his past life and his current one, he had occasionally needed to cook for himself, he naturally had some level of culinary skill.

Ichinose, upon hearing this, immediately expressed interest in cooking and wanted to learn from him.

At the time, Hikaru thought she was just being polite.

But then, that very evening, Ichinose knocked on his door—this time, carrying various seasonings and ingredients.

"Hehe, Hikaru-kun, I'm here for our cooking lesson!"

Seeing the serious expression on her face and the determined glint in her eyes, Hikaru realized he had no choice but to go along with it.

And just like that, his dorm became her personal test kitchen.

More importantly—Ichinose was actually a good cook.

Despite claiming she wanted to "learn," she ended up doing most of the cooking, while Hikaru simply enjoyed the food.

"…Something feels off," Hikaru muttered, spoon in hand.

He glanced at the pink-haired girl standing at the stove, clad in a blue checkered apron, carefully frying tempura.

"…Am I mooching off Ichinose now?"

Then, after another bite, he shrugged.

"…Well, the food is really good. Might as well enjoy it."

~~~

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