Chapter 105: Kushida’s New Role

Seeing the confusion on Hikaru's face, Kushida began to explain.

"I actually still really want to become friends with Horikita-san, so I plan to keep trying to get closer to her."

Kushida stared into his eyes, speaking slowly: "But since Hikaru-kun is already somewhat familiar with Horikita-san, could I ask you to wait for me a little?"

"Wait for you?"

Hikaru mulled it over in his mind and immediately understood her intention.

Is she asking me to stop interacting with Suzune?

"Yes. My dream is to become friends with everyone, and right now my target is Horikita-san," Kushida said, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance as she leaned against his shoulder. "I don't want to be left out by the two of you, so I want to catch up with

Hikaru-kun."

"Can Hikaru-kun promise me that? Once I've successfully become friends with Horikita-san, I'll help you get closer to her too. That way, we can all become friends."

This was Kushida's way of testing the waters and leveraging a possible trade.

"Heh, so if I don't agree, does that mean Kushida-san won't answer the question I just asked?"

Hikaru's lips curled into a faint smile as he quickly grasped her tactic. She was trying to use her class's information to tempt him into agreeing to stay away from Suzune.

So, to her, Suzune is more important than class competition?

"Hikaru-kun, you're so mean. I didn't say that. I'm just asking for your help."

Realizing that he had seen through her, Kushida playfully slapped his arm, though her eyes remained cold and locked onto his, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Sure, I agree to wait for Kushida-san."

Hikaru nodded, continuing, "Honestly, I haven't interacted with Horikita-san that much. She's always been wary of others approaching her. She'll answer study-related questions, sure, but she won't entertain small talk."

"So if Kushida-san wants to get closer to her, I'll cheer you on from the sidelines."

"Thank you, Hikaru-kun. I'll work hard to become friends with Horikita-san."

Seeing that he had agreed, Kushida gave a determined nod.

Then, just as she was preparing to suggest a contract to solidify his promise, Hikaru spoke up.

"Actually, I have an idea..."

"If it's just a verbal promise, that might not be enough to reassure Kushida-san."

When Hikaru saw the eager glint in her eyes, he immediately guessed that she was planning to impose some kind of binding agreement on him—just like when she'd made him leave a fingerprint as a promise of silence that night.

But he had no intention of letting her control the situation. If he hinted at knowing too much, she'd be forced to accept his terms instead.

"How about we draw up a contract to guarantee that after you share the information with me, I'll stick to my promise and stop approaching Horikita-san?"

"Then, if we really do become friends with Horikita-san in the future, we can even tell her about this interesting little deal."

He spoke as though it were a casual suggestion, while carefully observing Kushida's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

The implication was crystal clear: since Kushida was so fixated on keeping him away from Suzune, there must be a deep, unresolved connection between the two.

She wanted to prevent him from learning anything from Suzune—probably to protect a secret she couldn't afford to have exposed.

If she insisted on a contract now, she'd essentially be confirming her fear of that secret.

Well, Kushida-san, do you dare to bring it up now?

Upon hearing his words, Kushida's heart skipped a beat. She realized she'd miscalculated. If she demanded a contract, how would she justify her sudden caution after supposedly wanting to be friends with Suzune?

If Hikaru began to suspect that there was something deeper between her and Suzune, the entire situation would spiral out of her control.

She couldn't take that risk.

After a brief internal debate, Kushida plastered on a gentle smile and responded, "That won't be necessary. I trust Hikaru-kun's word. I just want you to wait for me, that's all. I'll do my best to become friends with Horikita-san."

"Alright, we'll do it your way, Kushida-san."

Seeing her back down, Hikaru couldn't help but smile inwardly. This was the power of an information advantage. Kushida was so obsessed with controlling the relationship between him and Suzune that she couldn't afford to make a wrong move.

"Now then, can Kushida-san tell me about your class's strategy for the midterm exams? These study group sessions are starting to me out, so if there's a way to make it easier, I'd really appreciate it."

With their "verbal agreement" now in place, Hikaru shifted the conversation back to his original question.

"Of course! It's not complicated, actually. But before I explain, let me ask—has Hashima-kun had any interactions with upperclassmen?"

Kushida was still mentally recovering from her retreat, but she'd decided to be straightforward about this piece of information. After all, she'd already made a trade and might as well get some goodwill out of it.

"Upperclassmen?"

"Why would that be important for the midterm?"

"Because this school's exam papers actually get reused." Kushida's eyes gleamed as she gave a knowing smile. "Our class figured it out and confirmed that the test questions repeat across years."

"Wait, seriously?"

Hikaru was genuinely surprised. He'd assumed that a school like this—with its emphasis on cultivating elite students—would at least make an effort to create new test questions each year.

But on second thought, it made sense. The school had the S-System, which overrode all other rules. Perhaps reusing exam papers was just another way to test whether students had the wit to uncover that fact and exploit it.

A hidden test of information-gathering ability?

As Hashima Hikaru considered this, Kushida tilted her head and asked, "So, can Hikaru-kun guess what we did with that knowledge?"

"You went to buy test papers from the upperclassmen, right?"

He immediately saw the most logical next step. If the questions were recycled, the easiest way to get the answers was to pay a senior student who had already taken the exam.

The S-System made it clear: anything could be bought if you had enough points.

Not just the question formats—possibly even the exact answers.

"Exactly. Hashima-kun really is smart."

Kushida gave a small nod. Considering his position as A-Class's core figure, she wasn't surprised he'd figured it out so quickly.

After mentally filing away this newfound information, Hikaru turned to her with a sincere expression. "That's a huge piece of intel. I really should thank Kushida-san for sharing it with me."

"No need. Just remember to stick to your promise." Kushida gave a demure shake of her head. "After all, friendship is what matters most to me."

Still playing that act, huh?

Hikaru had no intention of truly keeping his promise. He'd only agreed not to initiate contact with Suzune. If she reached out to him first, that wouldn't count as breaking their agreement.

He'd already decided to let things play out naturally. After all, Kushida's stock value had dropped to 40 points. One or two more strategic moves, and it'd likely hit the baseline of 10 points.

If he played his cards right, the next big move might seal the deal.

"I understand. I'll keep my promise," said with a convincing nod.

"Good. I'm glad we had this talk. It's always nice chatting with Hashima-kun."

With that, Kushida stood up, gave him a lingering look, and walked toward the door.

"Likewise."

The liar and the manipulator—once again, their verbal sparring match ended in a draw.

After seeing her off, Hashima Hikaru took a moment to review their interaction. He hadn't revealed anything he shouldn't have, and Kushida remained oblivious to how thoroughly he'd seen through her.

He didn't mind Kushida's personality. She was troublesome, sure, but also surprisingly easy to manipulate once he understood her triggers.

Plus, with this newfound revelation, he'd discovered another way to use her.

She could serve as his source of intel for Class C.

Sure, Sakura was also from Class C, but she was too timid and uninvolved to provide meaningful information. Kushida, on the other hand, was Class C's darling—a central figure with access to all kinds of plans and discussions.

That made her far more valuable.

And besides, the fact that Class C had figured out the exam pattern suggested something much larger. The school's class placements weren't as simplistic as they seemed.

"Buying test papers from seniors, huh? That's... unexpectedly clever."

Hikaru leaned back in his chair and exhaled thoughtfully.

Class B was breathing down their necks, their class points just a few dozen behind. If he could use this information to secure higher test scores, the gap would widen considerably.

"Yeah...this school's rules are fascinating."

He chuckled to himself, then stood up to grab his swimsuit from the wardrobe.

His nightly swim was calling. Maintaining physical fitness was essential, especially when maneuvering through such a cutthroat environment.

~~~

Read 30 Chapters Ahead!

> patreon.com/HudaLin