Upon receiving the short-haired girl's message, Hikaru shook his head slightly.
Ever since their deal was finalized, she had completely dropped the act. Her attitude and goals were now blatantly clear, without any unnecessary pretense—she was direct and honest about what she wanted.
Hikaru didn't mind this side of her.
In fact, the more she revealed her desires, the easier it was to manipulate and control her. If she had been more calculating, keeping her mask on at all times, she would have been a much greater problem.
Returning to the third floor of the dormitory, Hikaru soon spotted her waiting near the hallway.
The short-haired girl stood there, a soft smile on her face. The moment the elevator doors opened, their eyes met.
"Good afternoon, Hikaru-kun."
"Good afternoon, Kushida-san. You really couldn't wait, huh?"
Hikaru approached her with an amused tone, teasing, "If I had taken longer to return, would you have stood here waiting the whole time?"
"Maybe. If you had dragged it out until evening, I might've waited right in front of your door the entire time."
Her smile remained unchanged, but there was a sharp glint in her eyes.
"Haha, that's not going to happen. Since I promised to return immediately, I wouldn't break my word."
Taking out his keycard, Hikaru led Kushida to his Room 301.
The moment they stepped inside, her soft smile vanished, replaced by her usual cold and emotionless expression.
You switch faces way too fast, don't you?
Hikaru mentally complained but said nothing, instead walking over to his refrigerator to grab a drink.
Since their June Private Points had just been distributed, he had restocked his cold drinks—a necessity for the hot summer days.
"What do you want to drink, Kushida-san?" he asked casually, not turning around. "Or do you not want anything?"
"I do."
Without hesitation, Kushida sat down on his bed, her tone completely unapologetic.
"I'll have whatever you're having."
"Got it."
Hikaru had long since gotten used to her unpredictable attitude. It didn't matter—as long as it helped raise her stock price, he didn't mind indulging her.
He grabbed two bottles of peach soda, then walked over and handed her one.
"Here. Same as last time—this is my favorite flavor."
"Oh?"
Taking a sip of the ice-cold soda, Kushida felt a refreshing chill spread through her body, instantly relaxing her.
She rarely drank carbonated beverages since she maintained her figure meticulously, but whenever she was around Hikaru, she forgot about those habits.
It was strange.
Whenever she was with him, her emotions seemed to follow his lead.
---
Setting the bottle aside, her gaze locked onto Hikaru.
"So? What did you find out?"
"The truth is, Horikita-san didn't do anything you were worried about."
Hikaru leaned back in his chair and explained in a calm voice.
"She agreed to join the girls' study group, but she only tutored them in math. Once the session ended, she left immediately—no extra conversations, no hanging out, and no meals afterward."
He shrugged.
"That's the real answer. You can relax now, Kushida-san."
"Is that so?"
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Are you sure she wasn't lying?"
"Horikita-san's personality is pretty straightforward, don't you think? There's no reason for her to lie to me about something so trivial."
"Hmph."
Kushida snorted softly, but she didn't refute him.
Her real concern wasn't whether Suzune had joined the study group—it was whether her relationships with other girls had changed because of it.
Despite her usual arrogant, detached attitude, Suzune had unintentionally formed a unique connection with Hikaru.
That meant there was always a possibility that she could change her stance on making friends.
And if she grew close to certain people…
It would jeopardize the security of a certain secret.
That was why Kushida had been so eager to get Hikaru to investigate.
Now that she had a general idea of Suzune's actions from yesterday, she felt somewhat reassured.
After all, the girls who had invited Suzune weren't from her own circle.
If she had directly asked them, it might have raised suspicions.
Since Suzune's stance was still unclear, having Hikaru gather information was the safest approach.
After all, he wasn't in Class C, so no one would question him.
---
After a brief silence, Kushida asked a different question.
"What excuse did you use to meet her?"
"Oh, nothing special—I just invited her to dinner," Hikaru replied smoothly. "We've already met privately before, so it wasn't a big deal."
He grinned.
"Well, I've completed today's objective. Does this cancel out the intel you gave me last time, Kushida-san?"
"..."
Kushida was quiet for a moment before replying in a flat tone.
"…I suppose so. This type of collaboration will continue in the future."
"Of course. But don't forget—you owe me information too. That's the foundation of our mutually beneficial relationship."
Hikaru took another sip of his soda, relaxing comfortably.
Kushida, however, suddenly stood up and approached him.
"Let me remind you of something, Hikaru-kun."
She spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Do you remember what I told you last time?"
"Now that our deal is in place—don't betray me."
Hikaru's lips curled into a knowing smile.
"I remember. But why do you keep repeating that, Kushida-san?"
"…That's none of your business."
Her tone was cold, but the moment Hikaru questioned her, a flicker of frustration crossed her heart.
She didn't understand why, but knowing that he and Suzune had eaten together in private—that Hikaru had been the one to invite her—immediately made her think of the word 'date.'
Of course, they weren't like that.
But for some reason, the thought still bothered her.
That annoyance manifested in her warning tone, as if she was both issuing a reminder and giving herself a justifiable reason to react.
"Yeah, yeah. I got it."
Hikaru sighed and nodded lightly.
At that moment, the system interface popped up with a new notification.
---
[You successfully gathered intel on Horikita Suzune, greatly satisfying Kushida Kikyo. She is now more interested in you. Kushida Kikyo stock price has increased by 20.]
[Current Stock Price: 40.]
Hikaru smirked.
"Looks like today's mission was a success."
~~~
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