COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

Inside Room 301, Hikaru was waiting for a response from the short-haired girl.

After about ten seconds, Kushida's delicate face finally showed an expression of approval. She looked at him and said, "I think this plan is great. If I can convince Horikita to cooperate with me, we'll definitely get along better."

"Thank you, Hikaru-kun."

"No need to thank me. If this plan works out and you and Horikita-san can truly become friends, that would be the best outcome."

"Mm, I'll do my best." Kushida nodded earnestly.

"Then I'll be looking forward to your good news." Hikaru gazed at her smiling face, his tone gentle. "I believe you can achieve your goal."

"Mm, I really appreciate your help today, Hikaru-kun, for coming up with this plan for me."

"It's nothing, really."

"It's getting late, so I should head back now. If there's any progress, I'll update you through messages."

After organizing her thoughts, Kushida glanced at the time and stood up to leave.

"Alright, I'll walk you to the elevator."

If he was going to put on an act, he had to see it through. Though Hikaru didn't have any particular feelings for Kushida, it was important to handle these small details properly so she wouldn't sense anything amiss.

"Goodbye, Hikaru-kun."

After seeing Kushida off, Hikaru returned to his room. He glanced at his system interface. Despite coming up with a second plan to help her get closer to Suzune, the Kushida Kikyo Stock remained unchanged. Even though her wariness toward him had dissipated, she clearly wasn't one to be easily swayed by empty promises.

"I'll wait a bit longer and see if I can make a breakthrough."

He stared at the stock information. Dealing with Kushida was mentally exhausting. Despite starting with the same initial stock price as Ichinose, she was proving to be far more troublesome.

"When I finally push the stock price to my target, I'm going to cash out hard and take Suzune out for dinner right in front of you. Let's see if your stock price crashes."

After tidying up his room, Hikaru moved on to his next step—initiating his dual-strategy play. He opened Suzune's chat window.

Hashima Hikaru: Horikita-san, are you busy right now?

Suzune, sitting in her dorm room, saw the message and immediately felt a wave of irritation. Ever since she had agreed to his request, she had been forced to attend study group sessions regularly, enduring Kushida's occasional small talk. It was mentally exhausting.

Her first instinct was to ignore him.

But a minute later, a familiar screenshot arrived.

To avoid disappointing her brother, she could only suppress her irritation and type out a reply.

Horikita Suzune: What do you want this time?

Hashima Hikaru: Have you gained anything from the study sessions lately?

Horikita Suzune: Just get to the point. I'm not interested in idle chatter.

Hashima Hikaru: Heh, alright. Tomorrow, Kushida will ask you to help her gather information on your classmates' academic strengths and weaknesses. I need you to agree.

Horikita Suzune: Why?

Hashima Hikaru: Because I'm fulfilling my promise to Horikita-senpai. Since I agreed to help you, I'm not going to sit back and do nothing. This is a great opportunity.

Hashima Hikaru: Your goal is to reach Class A, right? If you gather this information, you'll have a better grasp of your class's overall academic standing. That way, you'll be able to lead them more effectively in the future.

Horikita Suzune: And how does this benefit you? We're supposed to be competitors, aren't we?

Since Hikaru had already ascended to Class A, Suzune now viewed him as someone she needed to surpass.

Hashima Hikaru: That's true, but if you don't work on fixing your weaknesses, you won't even be able to stand on the same stage as me, let alone compete. I'm not saying this to insult you—it's just a fact.

Suzune's expression darkened as she read that line. Her grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. This guy had the audacity to look down on her?

Hashima Hikaru: Only the weak rely on arguing. If you really want to prove your abilities to Horikita-senpai, then move forward and show him results.

Seething, Suzune's chest rose and fell with anger. After several more seconds, she finally responded.

Horikita Suzune: Fine. I'll collect the information. But don't expect me to share anything with you.

Hashima Hikaru: Relax. I have no interest in your class's information. If you can pull this off, all the benefits are yours.

The next morning, as soon as Kushida entered the classroom, she hurried straight to Suzune's desk.

"Horikita-san, I need to talk to you."

Suzune, already aware of what this was about, calmly nodded.

"Go ahead."

"The midterm exams are coming up next month. I want to gather information on everyone's academic strengths and weaknesses so we can organize study group sessions accordingly. This way, we can improve our class's overall performance. Would you be willing to help me with this?"

Suzune glanced at the expectant short-haired girl. She was still unclear on the exact nature of Kushida's relationship with Hikaru, but she was certain that he had been the one behind every single one of these interactions.

"...Fine, I'll do it. Just let me know when we're starting."

Since she had committed to this plan, she intended to carry it out perfectly.

Hearing her agreement, Kushida's face instantly brightened with joy.

Just as Hikaru said—once she agreed once, convincing her a second time would be much easier. Everything was progressing smoothly.

Meanwhile, over in Class 1-A, Hikaru sat at his desk, pretending to read his textbook while keeping an eye on his system panel.

A few minutes later, a familiar notification popped up.

[Horikita Suzune has agreed to Kushida Kikyo's request. Kushida now sees you as a highly useful asset. Kushida Kikyo Stock +10 points. Current Stock Price: 40.]

"Still this tedious back-and-forth just to raise the stock price? What a hassle… but at least it's working."

Hikaru looked at the now 40-point Kushida Kikyo Stock with a satisfied expression. He had gone all in on this stock, holding 5,000 shares. If he could push it higher, he'd be able to cash out big.

~~~

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