The Love Mind Games of Lying Men and Women

After leaving the dormitory in his school uniform, Hashima Hikaru headed toward the meeting place. After exploring the school for some time, he was now familiar with all the landmarks.

"So, should I really do this?"

Walking along, the boy engaged in a final internal debate. His plan was quite simple: express to Kushida Kikyō that he liked her. Not necessarily a confession, just letting her sense his feelings for her.

They were all high school students in their teens, the time when feelings start to blossom. Plus, Kushida Kikyō was an extremely beautiful girl with an excellent figure—her curvaceous body would turn heads whenever she walked down the street.

So this approach made sense, but Hashima Hikaru also recalled the information presented by the "Stock Analyzer" about her. This attractive girl had an unknown other side to her.

What kind of other side? He didn't know yet. Without establishing sufficient trust, he probably had no chance of glimpsing it.

Her attitude, and how she normally treated those who expressed affection for her—these were all unknowns to the boy, so he would have to improvise.

Though troublesome, Hashima Hikaru couldn't pass this up. After all, he had already purchased the stock, and with such a low initial price, it would be too wasteful to let go.

"Whatever, let's just try."

The boy gave himself a pep talk. After adjusting the muscles in his face, he put on a gentle smile and walked toward his destination.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was situated on a large artificial island, so the outermost areas of the school were enclosed by iron railings, both to ensure the campus was fully enclosed and to prevent students from falling into the water.

After reaching the edge of the artificial island, Hashima Hikaru immediately spotted the short-haired girl standing by the railing, gazing at the sea under the night sky. Her expression was serene.

"Kushida, you arrived so quickly. I rushed over as soon as I got your message."

Hashima Hikaru greeted her, while also expressing his regard for this meeting.

"Good evening, Hashima ."

The short-haired girl carefully examined the boy who appeared before her. Under the streetlight, Hashima Hikaru's handsome face indeed had a layer of light sweat, as if he had really rushed over.

"I'm so sorry for calling you out so late. You could have taken your time—I'm being a bit selfish."

"Not at all," Hashima Hikaru smiled and shook his head, saying softly, "Actually, Kushida could have just said whatever she wanted over the phone. I would have seen it."

"For important matters, it's always better to speak in person. Otherwise, wouldn't that be disrespectful?"

Kushida Kikyō's pretty face showed a serious expression. She was rapidly thinking about how to probe this guy's true intentions, carefully choosing her words.

"Yes, that's true. Kushida is really conscientious."

Hashima Hikaru nodded, his gaze fixed on the girl. His mind also began operating at full speed, waiting for Kushida's move.

"Um... actually, I called Hashima here because I have a question to ask you," Kushida made the first move.

"What question?"

"Well... does Hashima currently... have someone he likes?" A blush spread across the girl's face, as if she was too embarrassed to look Hashima Hikaru in the eye. If it were anyone else, they would probably be lost in fantasies by now.

But seeing her expression, Hashima Hikaru's heart jolted as he immediately understood.

She's thinking along the same lines as me? Testing me?

Despite showing signs of wariness, she displays this kind of expression—truly a formidable woman.

But this makes things easier. If you dare to set up the trap, I'll just walk right into it for you to see.

In the midst of his rapid thoughts, Hashima Hikaru figured out how to respond.

He immediately said to the girl: "Why is Kushida asking this question? Is there a reason?"

"Just satisfy my curiosity, okay?" The short-haired girl blinked her beautiful large eyes, earnestly staring at the boy's expression, trying to discern his true attitude.

"Yes, I do."

Hashima Hikaru nodded, giving an affirmative answer. Then, instead of continuing to look at Kushida, he turned around and directed his gaze to the distant horizon.

"But the situation is complicated. If I were to express my feelings to her, it would probably cause a lot of trouble," the boy's tone carried a hint of melancholy.

"Why? If you like someone, why not just say it clearly?"

Kushida quickly followed up. She stared at Hashima Hikaru's profile, as if sensing something, her tone becoming somewhat urgent.

"Because this is not an ordinary school," Hashima Hikaru placed his hands on the railing, speaking slowly. "If this were a regular high school, I would have confessed to her long ago, and maybe even experienced what it's like to have a girlfriend."

"But it's not possible here. I already told Kushida about this school's hidden rules last time. Don't you understand what that means?"

"Could it be that Hashima likes a girl from another class?"

Kushida looked at the expression on the boy's face. She somewhat believed him, but wasn't 100% certain.

"Yes, I like a girl from another class. But in this school, her class is destined to be an opponent of my Class B," Hashima Hikaru suddenly turned around, looking directly at Kushida Kikyō, his black eyes flashing with an extremely sincere expression.

"If we were actually together, if she asked me about my class's strategies or important information, what should I do?"

"This..."

Kushida Kikyō was momentarily speechless. She certainly understood the trouble with such situations, which is why she avoided dating and instead cultivated an image of a little angel who could maintain good relationships with everyone. This allowed her to gather class information and explore various secrets.

"But it's okay. Even if I can't be with her, just being able to keep in touch with her is enough."

Hashima Hikaru looked tenderly at Kushida Kikyō before him, beginning to perform his "sincerity."

"But won't that make Hashima feel terrible? Liking someone but not being able to say it—why does it have to be this way?" Kushida Kikyō displayed a concerned expression as she looked at the boy's face.

"Hahaha, this is where Kushida doesn't understand."

Hashima Hikaru observed the girl's expression, not knowing if she believed his nonsense, but continued anyway.

"Liking someone doesn't necessarily mean possessing them. As long as I can maintain a friendly relationship with her, making her trust me, I can support her from behind. That's enough."

"Perhaps someday I'll change my mind and express myself boldly to her," the boy grinned, "Or maybe I'll never tell her!"

"Hmm... I think I understand now. Hashima is really a gentle person."

Kushida Kikyō nodded. As someone who had received many confessions, she had seen the kind of gaze Hashima Hikaru was giving before.

But unlike those boys who stared at her with the desire to possess her, this guy seemed different.

Kushida saw something else in his eyes.

Gentleness? A desire to stand by her side? Or long-term companionship?

Does this guy really...?

This was the last time Kushida Kikyō questioned herself, and then she asked Hashima Hikaru one final question.

"If someday that person expresses her feelings to Hashima , will you accept?"

"Of course."

Although he was playing the part of being deeply emotional, Hashima Hikaru's heart was actually very nervous. After all, he had never done this kind of thing before. But when he thought about how Kushida was a treasure stock that could yield a ton of system funds, his resolve immediately strengthened.

His initially feigned adoring gaze gradually transformed into a more genuine desire during this process, though it appeared no different.

"If she could really like me, I would agree," the boy gazed into Kushida Kikyō's eyes, saying softly, "Is this what Kushida wanted to ask me?"

"Yes, the reason I asked Hashima this question is because a girl in our class approached me."

After confirming her suspicions, Kushida immediately relaxed, and the smile at the corners of her mouth became much more cheerful.

"Approached you? What for?"

"She seems to like Hashima but is too afraid to talk to you directly, so she asked me to find out if you already have someone you like."

This was certainly a lie, but Kushida made it sound completely true.

"What? Is that really the case?" Hashima Hikaru immediately displayed a shocked expression and anxiously said, "Then please tell her quickly that I already have someone I like."

"Mm-hmm, I will. Thank you so much for indulging my little selfishness today, Hashima ." The girl's face lit up with an extremely charming smile.

"It's nothing. If Kushida has any questions in the future, you can always ask me. I'll always be here."

"Mm-hmm, goodbye then, Hashima . I'm heading back now."

"Good night."

After the short-haired girl's slender figure completely disappeared, Hashima Hikaru looked at the system notification that popped up and finally revealed a satisfied smile.

[Kushida Kikyō has confirmed her suspicions and accepted your intentions. Her doubts have dissipated, and she has become more determined to use you. Kushida Kikyō's stock price has increased by 10 points, current price: 30.]

"Success!"

Seeing this system notification, Hashima Hikaru felt today's efforts weren't wasted. Feigning affection was quite difficult, and this girl was so cunning. If he had directly confessed, it might not have dispelled her doubts.

A roundabout approach combined with some nonsense ultimately worked. What a hassle.

"From now on, I can smoothly build a closer relationship with her, though it's probably better to approach through Horikita."

After figuring out how to deal with these two people, Hashima Hikaru headed back to his dormitory. Having solved this major problem, things should be easier going forward.

I'm really impressive.

And as a bonus, he got to practice his acting skills, which would surely come in handy in the future—killing two birds with one stone.