Chapter 10: The Freshman Social Gathering

As Hikaru and Ichinose returned to Class 1-B, the classroom immediately erupted with excitement.

"It's Hikaru and Ichinose!"

"You're back!"

"How did it go? Was the deal a success?"

The moment they stepped inside, their classmates surrounded them, eager to hear about the outcome of their first transaction.

"Of course, it was a complete success!" Ichinose grinned, pulling out her phone and displaying her student ID balance.

"We sold the hidden rules to Class 1-A and earned one million Private Points!"

"That's amazing! I knew trusting Hikaru and Ichinose was the right choice!"

"Yeah, this is great news!"

"But wait—why only one million? Didn't we spend two million to get the rules?"

Someone voiced their confusion, but they were quickly silenced by a classmate.

"We're not just selling it once! There's still Class 1-C and Class 1-D! I'm sure Hikaru has a plan."

Seeing that some students were puzzled by the price, Hikaru calmly explained.

"Setting the price at one million wasn't just a random decision—it was meant to make Class 1-A believe in our sincerity."

"I told them that Class 1-B spent three million to buy the rules."

"By selling the rules to each class once, we'll recover that three million. That way, they'll believe we're only doing this to break even, not to profit from them."

"Think about it. Class 1-A students are sharp—if they asked why we were selling the rules, how else was I supposed to justify it?"

Hikaru shrugged with a helpless expression.

"Hahaha, I see now!"

"Hikaru, your brain is on another level!"

Hearing his explanation, the Class 1-B students burst into laughter, and the classroom filled with cheerful energy.

"Um… should I distribute the points to everyone now?" Ichinose glanced at her student ID balance.

She was holding onto a massive sum of Private Points, and it made her feel uneasy.

"Since the two million points used to buy the rules came from everyone, it should be divided evenly, right?"

"No need to rush, Ichinose."

So Shibata stepped forward and calmly interjected.

"Based on Hikaru's plan, we haven't sold the rules to Class 1-C and Class 1-D yet."

"Let's wait until everything is finalized before splitting the points."

"Yeah, Shibata is right. For now, let Ichinose keep the points. We still have 50,000 each, after all."

"Exactly! Without Hikaru and Ichinose, we wouldn't have gotten this one million points in the first place."

The students of Class 1-B were surprisingly united.

To them, class solidarity was the top priority—so they quickly reached a consensus.

Seeing everyone's trust in her, Ichinose felt deeply moved.

With a firm expression, she clenched her fists and declared,

"Thank you, everyone, for trusting me! I won't let you down—I'll do everything I can to lead Class 1-B forward!"

---

Hikaru watched Ichinose's determined expression and silently nodded.

His decision to nominate her as class representative had definitely been the right one.

With her natural charisma, she could unite the class and even serve as the perfect financial manager.

She truly was a valuable asset.

With that thought, Hikaru glanced at his system panel—and sure enough, a new notification had appeared.

[Ding!]

[Class 1-B has earned 1,000,000 Private Points.]

[Ichinose Honami's trust in you has increased.]

[Ichinose Honami's stock price has risen by 10 points.]

[Current Stock Price: 70]

"Nice! I'm getting close to the 100 mark. Once I hit it, I can cash out and buy some items from the Trading Shop!"

Hikaru was already planning ahead.

His first purchase would definitely be a stamina booster.

After that… what else should he buy?

Just as he was lost in thought, Ichinose suddenly leaned in and whispered.

"Hikaru, are you free later tonight?"

"Hmm? Why?"

"Shiranami and the others are organizing a freshman social gathering, and they wanted me to invite you."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Is everyone in Class 1-B going?"

"No, it's just a small gathering."

Ichinose explained, noticing Hikaru's curiosity.

"It's mostly a few girls organizing it, and there'll be about seven or eight people—both boys and girls."

"Oh, so it's not a class-wide event?"

At first, Hikaru had assumed it was something major, but now that he knew it was just a small group, he was about to decline.

But then—

He paused and asked,

"Are you going too, Ichinose?"

"Yep! I was invited as well."

Ichinose's bright blue eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Through everything that happened today, she had gained confidence in Hikaru.

She now saw him as someone who genuinely cared about the class—and she wanted to get to know him better.

More than anything, she hoped to become friends with him.

And… she still had a lot of questions she wanted to ask him.

Seeing her expression, Hikaru sighed internally and gave in.

"Alright, I'll go. What time is it, and where?"

"5:30 PM, at the Keyaki Mall's family restaurant. Andō already reserved a spot for us."

Ichinose beamed when Hikaru agreed.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, today's only the first day of school. How did she manage to reserve a spot so fast?"

"She called ahead! The school's information pamphlet has the contact details for all the stores."

"It's probably to help students save time while adjusting to the new environment."

"Ah, I see. Makes sense."

"Alright, I'll be there."

"Great!"

After another 30 minutes, Class 1-B finally dispersed.

Most students headed to the convenience store near the school building to buy daily necessities.

After picking up their room keycards, they would move into their single dorms—officially beginning their new life on this artificial island.

Hikaru also left the school building and followed the crowd to the school's supermarket.

Although he only had 50,000 Private Points left, it was more than enough for daily necessities.

What really mattered to him was his stock prices and system funds.

Food, clothing, and daily essentials? They were the least of his concerns.

While browsing the aisles, his eyes suddenly landed on a particular shelf.

A sign caught his attention—

"FREE ITEMS AVAILABLE"

Curious, Hikaru walked over.

The shelf was stocked with basic shampoo, body wash, and tissue packs—all plainly packaged but completely free.

"So the school even provides emergency supplies?"

He quickly understood the reasoning.

This must be a safety net for students who burned through their Private Points—ensuring that even the most careless spenders wouldn't be left with nothing.

"So basically… once you run out of points, you're stuck using these?"

Hikaru muttered.

"This just proves how brutal class competition will be. Winners take all. Losers are left with scraps."

Just then, a long-haired girl walked past him.

She carried a small shopping basket, her expression cold and indifferent.

[Ding!]

[New Stock Available: Horikita Suzune]

[Current Stock Price: 100]

"…Huh?"

A starting price of 100?!

Who the hell was this girl?!

Hikaru immediately turned to look—his gaze locking onto the girl browsing the shampoo section.

~~~

Vote PS!