COTE: Bag And Love System

"..."

　　The smile on the short-haired girl's face froze on the spot. She originally thought that Hashima Hikaru and Ichinose Honami should be harmless characters, but now it seems that's not the case at all.

　　 Kushida, who has a wide social circle, thought about it and remembered that Shibata should also be a student of class B. So why did Hashima Hikaru say that?

　　 Is there some conflict with him?

　　 The short-haired girl fell into deep thought and different thoughts began to converge in her mind, making it difficult for her to understand the other person's character.

　　 After several seconds, Kushida reached out and patted her face, then called out to Hashima Hikaru.

　　 "Hashima-san, I'm here."

　　 "Huh?"

　　 After bidding farewell to the eldest, Hikaru Hashima turned around and saw Kushima Kikyo, who had changed into street clothes. She seemed to have put on makeup and looked very cute.

　　 "Good afternoon, Kushida-san. Your outfit suits you very well today."

　　 "Thank you for the compliment, Hashima-san. You look very handsome today too."

　　 Kushida generously praised the boy in front of her, but in her heart she was still thinking about what Hashima Hikaru had just said. She felt that it was necessary to make a new judgment about this boy.

　　 "Where is the seat that Kushida-san has reserved?"

　　 "Follow me, Hashima-san. The seat I chose is quite good."

　　 Kushida invited the boy in together. She knew that family restaurant very well, so she knew which seats were the most popular.

　　 "I'll follow your instructions. After all, I'm here to eat for free today."

　　 "Hehehe, I've been waiting for this for a long time."

　　 Hashima Hikaru couldn't help but look out at the street. The cafe was on the other side of the building. For some reason, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He wondered what Ichinose Honami and Sakayanagi were talking about.

　　 --

　　At this moment, in the cafe on the next street, Ichinose Honami had already sat down with Sakayanagi Arisu in front of her. Next to them was a tall girl with purple hair. She was standing behind Sakayanagi, looking like a follower.

　　 "Good afternoon, Ichinose-san." I wonder what you want to talk to me about today," Sakayanagi greeted politely and with an elegant demeanor.

　　 "Sakayanagi-san is very direct. I thought we were going to exchange some polite words."

　　 Ichinose Honami smiled lightly. The girl's social skills were not weak. She had remained silent when executing the point recovery plan earlier because Hashima Hikaru was there, so she did not want to interrupt the boy's thoughts.

　　 "I have a rough idea of what Ichinose-san is thinking. Please tell me directly so I can confirm if my guess is correct."

　　 "Sakayanagi-san is really excellent. No wonder Hashima..."

　　Ichinose Honami realized that she was about to mention the boy's name unconsciously, so she paused, rearranged her words, and said, "Actually, I have a question for Sakayanagi-san."

　　 "What's the matter?"

　　 "I wonder what Sakayanagi-san thinks about alliances. For example, our two classes can form an alliance and get more class evaluation points together."

　　 "Oh, my answer to this question is always only one."

　　 A charming smile appeared on Sakayanagi's delicate doll-like face. She spoke in a calm tone, but her words were very domineering.

　　 "I don't need allies. I either become a subordinate or an enemy. There is no third possibility."

　　"…Is that so?"

　　 Ichinose Honami was startled, but continued to ask, "But I heard that Katsuragi from your class is looking for an ally. Don't you have a consensus?"

　　 "It's child's play. It's consistent with Katsuragi-san's usual behavior. He always forms a team before acting."

　　 Sakayanagi didn't care at all whether she was talking to students from another class or not, and she didn't hesitate to comment on her classmates.

　　 "Ichinose-san, don't hide anything from me. I know that Katsuragi-san has asked your B class to form an alliance."

　　 "..."

　　"If you want to know my attitude, I've already given you the answer."

　　 Sakayanagi looked at the pink-haired girl who had fallen silent, curled her lips and changed the subject: "Actually, I have something I want to ask Ichinose-san, I wonder if you can answer me."

"What is it?"

　　 "Does Hashima-san know that you invited me to meet you?"

　　 "Does Hashima-san know that you invited me to meet you?"

　　 When Sakayanagi asked that question, Ichinose's expression instantly changed. She immediately thought of what Hashima Hikaru had said earlier, so she replied, "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with our meeting today, right?"

　　 "That's true."

　　 Sakayanagi nodded slightly, but then said, "Ichinose-san is really shrewd. I just answered your question, but you don't want to tell me anything. Isn't this a little unfair?"

　　 "I..."

　　Ichinose Honami was speechless. Just as she was hesitating whether or not to speak, she heard Sakayanagi speak again.

　　"It's okay. I'm just a little worried. If Ichinose-san doesn't want to talk about it, then forget it."

　　 Sakayanagi took a sip of the coffee in front of her and her tone became much softer, "Since Ichinose-san feels that some of the questions are difficult to answer, then let's talk about something more relaxing. It has nothing to do with the class competition. Treat it as a tea party between girls, so we can get to know each other better."

　　"After all, I care about Ichinose-san. We're both leaders of our respective classes, so we'll surely find a lot of common ground."

　　"Of course, I don't know what Sakayanagi-san likes."

　　 Hearing her say that, Ichinose Honami's attitude brightened up a lot. She wanted to take the initiative again. She was a little embarrassed that the silver-haired girl in front of her had led her on.

　　 At that moment, when Kamuro Masumi, who was standing behind Sakayanagi, heard Sakayanagi say that she wanted to chat with Ichinose about some girl topics, he immediately sneered in his heart.

　　 If this little princess is really that person, then why should I become her follower?

　　 Really.

　　 Kamuro looked at Ichinose Honami who was in front of him. The girl's aura was gentle and healing. At first glance, she seemed like an angelic character who was welcomed by everyone. Unfortunately, such a person was like a mere child in front of Sakayanagi and was easy to manipulate.

　　 "I actually like all kinds of coffee flavors. Does Ichinose-san have any favorite drinks?"

　　 It seemed as if Arisu Sakayanagi was really immersed in the tea party with Ichinose. She stretched out her small hand to hold the edge of the cup. Her snow-white skin seemed to blend into the white porcelain coffee cup, making it difficult to see the boundary.

　　 "Drinks? I like oolong tea. It has a soothing taste."

　　 After sensing that Sakayanagi on the other side had put away her stern aura, Ichinose's tense attitude relaxed a lot and she began to chat with the other party.

　　 "Oolong tea? I don't think I've ever tried it."

　　 Sakayanagi looked at Kamuro Masumi next to her and asked softly, "Has Kamuro-san ever drank this?"

　　 "I've drank it, and it tastes a little bitter."

　　 "Really?" —Sakayanagi Arisu pretended to be a little regretful and said slowly, "What a pity. I really don't like drinking bitter things."

　　 "Hehe, Hashima-san doesn't like drinking either. The last time I asked him to drink, he refused."

　　 Ichinose said this almost without thinking. She felt that mentioning the boy's preferences had nothing to do with the class competition.

　　 "It's just a small peculiarity of mine, don't worry, Sakayanagi-san."

　　 "Yes?"

Sakayanagi nodded slightly, and a flash of understanding immediately flashed across her purple eyes.

　　 Of course, she agreed to meet Ichinose Honami today not to make friends, but to gain information about Hashima Hikaru.

　　 In addition to the meeting when she sold the rules at the beginning of the school year, Arisu Sakayanagi had also heard his name from her father, so the girl had always been somewhat worried about what kind of person this boy was.

　　 Class B is the closest to Class A. Sakayanagi knows that their leader is the pink-haired girl in front of him. However, although Hashima Hikaru is not the class leader, she has a great influence.

　　 Last time was a good example. The opponent almost completely represented the opinions of Class B, and Ichinose was only there as support.

　　 Despite having such outstanding abilities, Hashima Hikaru was willing to let Ichinose be the class leader. This was something Sakayanagi couldn't understand before, but after today's meeting, she probably understood something.

　　 First, Hashima Hikaru has a very good relationship with this classmate Ichinose, and you can tell from her tone that they are very close.

　　 Second, Ichinose Honami is very easy to deal with, or in other words, she is surprisingly simple-minded in some aspects. This is her advantage in being able to unite her classmates, but also her most fatal flaw.

　　 Behind her, Kamuro Masumi listened to the conversation between the two girls and understood a little. Although Sakayanagi said it was a friendly tea party, she always tried to find out information about Hashima-san without leaving a trace.

　　 On the other hand, Ichinose cooperated very well and told it. The process of obtaining information was really simple.

　　 But as she listened, Masumi Kamuro couldn't help but recall the scene of selling the rules on the first day of school.

　　 I don't know what kind of person Hashima-san is to have attracted Sakayanagi's attention and even made her come to him for information.

　　 --

　　—What do you like to eat, Hashima-san? You can order whatever you want. —The short-haired girl handed the menu to Hashima Hikaru, who was sitting in front of her and looked eager.

　　 "I'm fine with everything. I'm not very picky about food."

　　 After Hashima Hikaru took the menu, she started moving her fingers over it and quickly selected the dishes.

　　 "Then choose these two."

　　 Hashima Hikaru chose two relatively common dishes so that the price of the meal wouldn't be too expensive.

　　 "Is that enough? I heard that the boys have quite a big appetite. Do you want some more?"

　　 "No, no, I can't take advantage of Kushida-san. After all, didn't you pay 50,000 personal points to buy the rules last time?" The boy smiled and asked, "How is your D class now? Is the class order better?"

"Oh, I feel distressed when I talk about this."

　　 After Kushida handed the menu to the waiter, a helpless look appeared on her face.

　　 "Everyone knows the school rules in detail, but some students still don't pay attention in class. They make small movements or can't help but sleep. This is what Hirata has been emphasizing."

　　 "Kushida-san has been scolding everyone. She really cares about others."

　　 "It's just small things. I can do anything to help the class." The smile on Kushida Kikyo's face was very gentle and her tone was full of concern for the class. No matter how you looked at her, she seemed like an admirable little angel.

　　 Unfortunately, after learning that the other party had a hidden side, the boy didn't believe it at all. He kept thinking about how to get close to him.

　　As a famous socialite throughout the grade, Hikaru Hashima sometimes hears Kushida's name in Class B. If she simply tries to please or cater to him, she will most likely become a common, run-of-the-mill tool.

　　 Also called a dog licker.

　　 To get close to Kushida, you have to start from the areas that interest her. Hashima Hikaru thought about the information from the [Stock Analyzer] and planned to try it out first.

　　 "So, did the Horikita-san I met before take any action?" The boy deliberately mentioned Horikita Suzune's name, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "Since she's willing to pay so many personal points, she should be the kind of person who works hard for the class like Kushida-san."

　　 After saying these words, Hashima Hikaru saw that Kushida's expression suddenly became a little unnatural, but she still maintained a smile and replied.

　　 "It's okay... Horikita-san usually likes to be alone, so she didn't show it much."

　　 "Really? I thought she was quite positive."

　　 "In fact, I really want to be friends with Horikita, but unfortunately I've never found a good opportunity." Kushida crossed her arms and looked very frustrated. "If Horikita can serve the class enthusiastically, she'll definitely make a greater contribution."

　　 Are you looking for Horikita as a friend?

　　 Hashima Hikaru was stunned. Did this guy not want her to drop out of school? What's the way to make friends?

　　 The boy felt a little confused about what she was thinking, but since she had already expressed her opinion, he might as well start from there.

　　 "Making friends is a good thing. After all, you are classmates. If you can build friendships, you can definitely help Class D together." Hashima Hikaru smiled and said in a gentle voice, "Since you haven't found the right opportunity, why don't you create one?"

　　 "Create opportunities?" Kushida seemed a little curious, her eyes falling on Hashima Hikaru's face.

　　 "Yes, today Kushida-san invited me to eat and I felt like I had to do something. Since you mentioned it, I'll help you make friends with Horikita-san."

　　 "Hey, do Hashima-san and Horikita-san know each other very well?" There was still a smile in the short-haired girl's eyes, but there didn't seem to be any warmth in them.

　　Hashima Hikaru shook her head and said, "Of course not. I've only met Horikita-san once, so there's no way I know her very well. But I came up with a good idea."

　　 "What's the solution?"

　　 "Study session," Hashima Hikaru said word for word, "This is a very good format. It will definitely help you and Horikita-san get closer."

　　 "Study group?"