Chapter 18: Class 1-B’s Collective Action

After Hoshinomiya announced the school's reward, Class 1-B erupted into celebratory chatter.

Everyone understood that intense class competition was inevitable—

But thanks to Hikaru's efforts, their class points had already increased by 100 on the very first day.

A perfect start.

"Alright, let's begin the lesson."

"Please open your English textbooks."

Once the excitement settled, Hoshinomiya resumed her role as a teacher, returning the class to its usual rhythm.

The first day's lessons weren't particularly difficult, and the students of Class 1-B took them very seriously.

Everyone was keenly aware of Hikaru's repeated warnings—

Avoiding rule violations was essential to protecting class points.

Thus, the classroom atmosphere remained highly focused, with every student putting in the effort.

Finally, as the afternoon lessons concluded, the teacher dismissed the class.

Students were free to attend club activities or return to their dorms for the rest of the day.

But…

Even after Hoshinomiya left, not a single student moved.

They were all waiting.

For one person—

To take the podium and announce his plan.

"Let's go, Ichinose."

Hikaru called out softly to the girl sitting beside him.

During break time, they had already discussed and refined the details of their strategy.

Now, it was time to present it to the class.

"Alright, Hikaru-kun."

Ichinose nodded.

The two of them walked toward the podium together.

At that moment—

The classroom fell silent.

All eyes were locked on them, their attention fully focused.

This was Class 1-B's first official strategy meeting.

A crucial step toward their future.

"Alright then, let's begin."

Hikaru glanced at Ichinose, and she smiled in encouragement.

The two had already divided their responsibilities:

Hikaru would devise and assess class strategies.

Ichinose would manage and collect private points.

Phase 1: Strategic Point Collection

Hikaru began writing on the blackboard, laying out the details of his plan as the class listened intently.

"Class 1-A's transaction is complete."

"Everyone signed the contract, so I believe they won't risk expulsion by violating it."

"Next, our targets are Class 1-C and Class 1-D."

"I propose that in one week, we begin negotiations with Class 1-C."

"But before that, we need intel."

Hikaru turned toward the class and asked:

"Does anyone know any students from Class 1-C?"

A moment of silence—

Then, a male student raised his hand.

"I do."

The student was Beppu Ryota, an ordinary-looking boy.

Hikaru nodded.

"Beppu-kun, how do you know a Class 1-C student?"

Beppu scratched his head, looking a bit shy under everyone's gaze.

"I wanted to join the volleyball club, so I went to check out the recruitment board yesterday."

"There, I met a fellow first-year—Oda Takumi from Class 1-C."

"So, you both joined the volleyball club together?"

Hikaru's eyes gleamed with approval.

"That's great. I'll leave this task to you, Beppu-kun."

"Try to gather information through casual conversation."

"Focus on their class dynamics and who their leader is—but don't rush it."

Hearing his name assigned to an important task, Beppu's expression grew serious.

"Understood. Leave it to me, Hikaru-kun."

"Of course, we won't rely on just one person."

"If anyone else has connections with Class 1-C, use them."

"The more sources we have, the more accurate our intel."

The class nodded in agreement.

Many students even began thinking about whether they had crossed paths with Class 1-C students.

Phase 2: Observing Point Spending

Once the first phase was assigned, Hikaru moved on to the next.

"Next is monitoring how Class 1-C and Class 1-D are spending their private points."

"We don't know how they'll use their initial 100,000 points."

"If they spend too much, they might not have enough when we offer our deal."

"This goes for both Class 1-C and Class 1-D."

"So, we'll assign observation teams."

A student raised their hand.

"How exactly do we do that?"

"It's simple."

Hikaru picked up a piece of chalk and wrote down five key locations on the blackboard:

Family Restaurant

Cafés

Karaoke

Clothing Stores

Electronics Shops

"Yesterday, when we had our class gathering—"

"I observed that these five places had the highest student traffic."

"Your task is to observe who from Class 1-C and Class 1-D is spending money."

"But today is only the second day… We don't even know who they are."

"How can we tell which students belong to which class?"

"That's already been taken care of."

Hikaru smirked and pulled out a stack of documents from the podium.

These were student rosters—

Each containing photos, names, and class assignments.

"I bought this from Hoshinomiya-sensei."

"Every first-year student's profile is here."

"Now, there's no excuse for not recognizing them."

"Wow! This is super useful!"

"Wait… you spent points on this, didn't you?"

Hikaru chuckled, nodding toward Shibata So.

"Don't worry, I just got a fresh batch of private points."

"Here's how we'll proceed."

"Form small groups and divide the locations."

"You don't need to stalk anyone."

"Just note what they buy and their spending habits."

"We'll gather this intel over a week—"

"And present our findings during Friday's homeroom."

As he wrapped up, Hikaru's tone grew colder.

He scanned the room—

His voice steady and firm.

"This is Class 1-B's first major operation."

"If we succeed, we gain an enormous advantage over the other classes."

"If we fail, we lose an opportunity we may never get again."

"So, let me ask you all—"

"Are you ready?"

A moment of silence.

Then—

"YES!!!"

The classroom erupted in enthusiasm.

Every student's determination was clear.

Hikaru looked toward Ichinose, who met his gaze with a bright smile.

From this moment forward—

Class 1-B would act as one.