COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

After a day of celebrating the class's successful promotion, on May 2nd, Hikaru woke up even earlier than usual. Today marked the 30th day since he started using the [Athletic Booster], meaning his stamina would finally see a change.

"Huuh!"

Following the routine he had developed over the past month, he completed his morning workout. Standing in the corner of the school field, he checked his system interface while sweat trickled down his jawline, soaking a large portion of his short-sleeved shirt.

> [Current Exercise Time: 60 minutes]

[Daily Exercise Goal Achieved, Data Compilation Complete]

[Athelic Booster in Effect: 30/30 Days Completed]

[Physical Ability: 3 → 4]

[Athelic Booster (30 days) has expired]

Seeing the system notification pop up, Hikaru wiped his face with his hand before stretching out both arms. He swung them forcefully a few times but didn't feel any drastic difference.

Although he could tell that his physical fitness had significantly improved over the past month, the actual sensation of leveling up his stamina stat wasn't as dramatic as he had anticipated.

"Let's try running another lap."

He refocused on his body and set off again. This time, an entirely different feeling enveloped him. The previous sense of weakness and fatigue had completely vanished. In its place was a steady, seemingly endless supply of energy flowing from within him.

"So, this is what it feels like to level up my Physical Ability."

After quickly finishing another lap, a smile appeared on his face. Waking up early every day for the past month hadn't been in vain. If his stamina continued to increase, the changes in his physical condition would be even more dramatic.

Hikaru reopened his system interface. Yesterday's [Trading Shop] refresh had provided some excellent items—[Athletic Booster] had appeared for a second consecutive month.

However, as he looked at the details of the supplement, he noticed a new update in the description.

> [Athletic Booster (30 Days)]

[Enhances physical ability through continuous exercise. Upon second purchase, the training intensity doubles. Training modes include running and swimming. Each requires one hour of exercise per day.]

"Swimming?"

He ruffled his hair, surprised that the booster's training regimen had evolved. Running had already become second nature to him—waking up early to jog was no problem. But now, adding swimming into the mix would require a separate time commitment.

The Advanced Nurturing High School did have swimming pools, but they weren't accessible to students at all times.

"Looks like I need to check with a teacher. Regardless, I can't stop my stamina training. It has to continue."

Hikaru wiped his face and headed back to his dorm.

---

After showering and changing into his uniform, he arrived at the first-year classrooms. As soon as he entered the hallway, he spotted a crowd gathered around the classroom door, all fixated on the newly updated class sign.

Since the class had been promoted, the metal plaque outside the door had been changed to display "Class 1-A." The gathered students, both boys and girls, peered at it with excitement, their faces filled with pride.

"Hikaru-kun, good morning!"

Someone noticed him approaching and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Morning, everyone." He smiled and nodded at the group clustered around the sign.

"Hikaru-kun, come take a look! Our class sign officially says A-Class! Isn't it amazing?" Shibata grabbed his arm, dragging him forward.

"How does it feel? A sense of honor, right? This is all thanks to you earning that 100-Class Points!"

"It does feel great. But let's not get complacent—we need to maintain this position."

After stepping into the classroom, Hikaru immediately spotted Ichinose sitting at her desk. As always, she was surrounded by a group of girls chatting cheerfully.

"Good morning, Hikaru-kun." The pink-haired girl greeted him with a bright smile.

"Morning, Ichinose-san."

Yesterday, around midday, Ichinose had successfully completed the Private Point Fund collection. Each student had contributed half of their newly received Private Points, totaling 50,000+ points per person.

That meant she now had over 5 million Private Points in her possession—a staggering amount, already a quarter of their 20 million goal.

"Do you have any plans this afternoon, Hikaru-kun? I found a new recipe yesterday. It's for some kind of Chinese cuisine, and I remember you really like that, right?" Ichinose's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she looked at him.

"Oh? But I actually have something I need to take care of today, so I might not be able to head straight back to the dorm."

"What is it? Meeting another friend?" she asked playfully, emphasizing the word "friend."

Hikaru chuckled. "Nothing like that. It's just something for myself."

"I've recently taken an interest in swimming, so I wanted to ask Hoshinomiya-sensei if there are any available pools at school. If I can get permission to use one, that'd be great."

"Swimming?" Ichinose's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you planning to join the swimming club? I remember someone from our class is in it. Want me to ask for you?"

"Nah, I just want to swim. If I join a club, I'd have to attend scheduled activities, and that's too much hassle."

Joining a club would only be a burden. With all the class competitions and internal struggles, he had no time for that.

"In that case... Can I come with you?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Hmm, I guess. But won't it be a hassle for you?"

"Not at all! I don't have any plans today, so I can go with you."

"Alright then."

---

After school, Hikaru and Ichinose left the classroom together. During lunch, he had already spoken with Hoshinomiya-sensei. Currently, there were two swimming pools in the school's gymnasium—one was reserved for the swimming club and was off-limits to regular students. The other was used during P.E. lessons but was closed to students once the gym shut down for the day.

However, this was Advanced Nurturing High School, and the S-System overruled all school regulations.

Using his Private Points, Hikaru directly negotiated with the administration through Hoshinomiya-sensei and purchased exclusive access to the second pool from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM for 100,000 points.

Now, all he needed to do was retrieve the key from the facility manager.

After a short walk, the two of them arrived at the faculty office inside the gym. Inside, a young female teacher sat at her desk. She had already received confirmation of the transaction from the school and had the key prepared.

"Excuse me, are you Sonoda-sensei? I'm Hashima Hikaru from 1st Year A-Class." He greeted politely. Ichinose followed suit.

"I'm Ichinose Honami from the same class."

Sonoda Rina, the young teacher, stood up and glanced between the two students before tilting her head slightly in curiosity. "Why are there two of you? The access permission was only granted to one person."

"The permission is mine. Ichinose-san is just accompanying me." Hikaru smiled.

"Oh, I see. You two must be pretty close."

Sonoda-sensei let out a soft chuckle, giving Hikaru another once-over. He was tall, well-built, and had a composed demeanor—an obvious magnet for attention. No wonder he had a girl following him just to pick up a key.

"Here, this is your spare key."

She handed him a numbered key, then gave a stern reminder.

"Even though you purchased access, there are a few rules you must follow."

1. You must leave the facility by 10:00 PM sharp. The entrance is monitored, and any violation will result in revoked access.

2. The access is for you alone. Bringing others is strictly prohibited.

3. Other students may also have access during your time slot. Ignore them and carry on with your training.

"I understand. I won't break the rules, Sonoda-sensei."

After receiving the key, Hikaru and Ichinose left the office.

As they walked away, Sonoda muttered to herself, "He's only the second person to apply for after-hours pool access... after Hoshinomiya-sensei's favorite student. If they meet, things might get interesting."

~~~

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