Chapter 11: The Assembled Class B Students
The bustling student supermarket was crowded with students browsing goods, their faces filled with anticipation for future campus life, relaxed and leisurely.
Hikaru stood before a black shelf, pretending to shop while keeping the girl who had just passed him in his peripheral vision.
This was a newly listed character stock—her name was Suzune Horikita.
With delicate features and a slender figure, she was unforgettable at first glance. Her waist-length black hair had a single braid on the left side tied with a white ribbon.
Her purple eyes carried a cold glint, and her expressionless face seemed to radiate a "don't talk to me" aura.
Unlike other girls who shopped in groups, she stood alone before the shelves, seemingly indifferent to product quality as she picked only the cheapest items.
Hikaru paid special attention to her because Suzune Horikita had the highest initial stock price of any girl he'd encountered—even higher than the other two combined.
The system's Stock Interface currently listed three different stocks: [Honami Ichinose Stock], [Sae Chabashira Stock], and the newly listed [Suzune Horikita Stock].
[Honami Ichinose Stock] had already been boosted by Hikaru to 70, while [Sae Chabashira Stock] started at 50. But [Suzune Horikita's Stock] doubled that, starting at 100 outright.
This was simply too expensive.
Hikaru clicked his tongue. After purchasing [Honami Ichinose Stock], he only had 49,000 funds remaining. While he wanted to develop more stocks, he had no intention of approaching the troublesome Chabashira-sensei.
Now that a new stock appeared, it happened to be this aloof black-haired girl—far less approachable than the sociable Honami.
"Forget it, I'll leave her for now and focus on boosting Ichinose's stock price instead."
After carefully observing Suzune Horikita's retreating figure, Hikaru ultimately decided to postpone her. Not only was she from another class, but that initial price alone was daunting.
He could reconsider when he had more funds. After all, this school had a closed-campus system—there would be future opportunities to meet.
Having selected his daily necessities, Hikaru quickly checked out. He still needed to see what his future dormitory looked like.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, Hikaru was not disappointed. Although the room wasn't particularly large, it was more than sufficient for one person.
Hikaru's dorm room was number 301, roughly around twenty square meters—a classic apartment-style layout. Upon entering from the genkan, a row of vertical cabinets lined the wall to the right, with a simple stove, sink, and gas burner placed below.
The essential appliances like the washing machine and refrigerator were positioned close by, along with a separate bathroom unit. Everything one needed was basically there.
Beyond the genkan was the bedroom, where a single bed was placed against the wall, accompanied by a desk and a television. Everything appeared brand new.
"Seriously, a place like this wouldn't come cheap in Tokyo. The school sure is extravagant," Hikaru muttered.
He tossed the items he'd bought onto the floor before flopping onto the bed, savoring the comfort of the soft mattress. The boy's expression grew slightly dazed.
"Three years here, huh? Still doesn't feel real."
Recalling everything he'd seen and heard on this first day, it had been more exhausting than any school opening he'd experienced before.
"Class competition, Private Points, and Special Exams that all classes have to participate in—these things will probably become what students care about most from now on."
"But..."
Hikaru quietly examined the system panel before him, where text flowed across a pale blue screen.
After a long while, he murmured softly, "The future might just get more interesting, don't you think?"
Currently, the only stock he'd acquired was Honami Ichinose Stock. As his desk mate and future companion, as long as he did the right things, boosting the girl's favorability wouldn't be too hard—the system's prompt was proof of that.
[Honami Ichinose Stock]
[Current Price: 70]
[Current Holdings: 5000]
Hikaru had already decided: once the [Honami Ichinose Stock] price rose to 100, he'd cash out some to buy items. After all, improving his physical stamina was urgent—the sooner he boosted it, the more confident he'd be in future class competitions.
"Speaking of which, what time did Ichinose say they were meeting? 4 o'clock? Or 5?"
After playing with his phone in the dorm for a while, Hikaru checked the time and stood up to open the dorm room door. Since it was the first group gathering, it wouldn't do for a guy to be late—better to arrive early.
The student dormitory building was enormous, with separate floors for boys and girls. The only place they could cross paths was at the elevator lobby, where students would gather.
After leaving the dorm, Hikaru quickly found the place Honami had mentioned—the Keyaki Mall's family restaurant—using the school's handout map.
To better accommodate students' dining needs, the school had not only built a large cafeteria but also opened many restaurants in the shopping district. Among them, the family restaurant was the most popular.
Designed for family gatherings, its layout featured many connected seating areas, making it the only place where large groups could sit together comfortably.
When Hikaru arrived at the restaurant, he noticed it was surprisingly crowded. Students stood in small groups, chatting while waiting in line for their turn.
"No wonder this place requires reservations. It's really popular."
But then it occurred to him—even with all three grades combined, this school only had around three to four hundred students, far fewer than the packed school districts he'd frequented in his past life. Those places were truly shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.
Just as Hikaru stood idly by the entrance scrolling through his phone, a familiar voice finally called out from behind.
"Hanashima-kun, you're already here!"
Turning around, he spotted the large group behind him. Aside from Honami, there were three unfamiliar girls and two boys.
Coincidentally, Hikaru recognized both boys—they'd spoken during the morning's point-farming strategy session. The short-haired, sporty-looking one was Shibata Sō, while the purple-haired boy was Kanzaki Ryūji, who also appeared quite capable.
Heh, looks like Class B's star players are all here. What an honor.
Suppressing a chuckle, Hikaru said, "I just got here. There are way more people than I expected."
"That's why Andou-san made reservations in advance. Pretty foresighted, right?"
Honami cheerfully sidled up to Hikaru, gave his shoulder a pat, then strode ahead like a leader rallying troops.
"Let's go! Class B's first official student meetup begins now!"