COTE: Bag And Love System

It's already past eight in the evening, so sending a message to Horikita Suzune shouldn't be considered harassment.

　　 Mobile chat interface.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Horikita-san, are you busy right now?

　　 After sending this message, it took about three minutes for the reply to arrive.

　　 Horikita Suzune: Hashima-san, what can I do for you?

　　 Hashima Hikaru: There's one thing I need to ask you Horikita-san.

　　 Horikita Suzune: What's wrong?

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Tomorrow, Kushida-san from your class will probably invite you to the study session she's organizing. Can you join in?

　　 At this time, Horikita Suzune, who was in her dorm, had just finished taking a shower. Her long black hair was hanging loosely behind her head. She was holding her cell phone and seemed to not understand what Hashima-san was talking about.

　　 Horikita Suzune: Why?

　　 Hashima Hikaru: It's a bit complicated to explain, but in short, it will definitely help you if you do it well.

　　 Horikita Suzune: Can I disagree? I can study on my own, I don't need help from others.

　　 Hmm, this isn't up to you, if you refuse I'll tell Horikita Manabu!

　　 Hashima Hikaru smiled softly, turned her phone to Horikita Manabu's contact page, and took a screenshot of the image she was typing.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: The image has been sent.

　　When Horikita Suzune saw the photo sent by the other party, her heart immediately tightened, because if she didn't agree, this boy would send a message to Horikita Manabu saying that he was resisting the last agreement.

　　 The girl, who didn't want to disappoint her brother, certainly wouldn't allow this to happen.

　　 "Hateful..."

　　Since they met that night, Horikita Suzune had a feeling that this gentle-looking Hashima-san was definitely not a good person.

　　 Although his aura is comparable to his brother's, their behavioral styles are very different. It's really bad that he would do something like that blatantly to threaten girls.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: How about it, Horikita-san? Have you figured it out yet? Have you changed your decision?

　　 Suzune Horikita: ...

　　Horikita Suzune: I promise you, is there anything else you want to talk about?

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Don't worry. Since I promised Horikita-senpai that I would help you, I will definitely not break my promise. Your entry into the Student Council is a good start.

　　 Horikita Suzune: What do you mean?

　　 Hikaru Hashima: After joining the study group, you can take the opportunity to meet other students in your class and expand your influence.

　　 Horikita Suzune: I'm not interested. If that's your purpose, I'll agree tomorrow. Let's stop here for now. I'm going to rest.

　　 "Really? I'm not done yet."

　　 Hashima Hikaru couldn't help but shake his head. No wonder Horikita Manabu kept emphasizing last time that Horikita Suzune would never be able to ascend to Class A with her skills alone. If she were to become a lone ranger, it would be very troublesome in this school.

　　 Unless you truly have the strength to surpass someone else and crush all opponents in all aspects, then it doesn't matter if you don't have a partner, there will definitely be someone who will follow you.

Otherwise, it's really impossible to ascend to Class A with one's own strength, even if you take the 20 million route, it will be very difficult.

　　 After all, getting private points is not an easy task. Even if private points are awarded in future special exams, it will be difficult to complete any plan without partners.

　　 "Forget it, since she agreed, let's leave it at that for now."

　　 Hashima Hikaru had no intention of continuing to worry about it. She thought she would understand after this guy hit a wall.

　　 She then took out her phone and sent a message to her next target.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Kushida-san, are you busy now?

　　 This time the response speed was much faster than Suzune Horikita's and the response came in less than ten seconds. It seems like this incredibly popular little angel is really lazy. Has she been playing with her cell phone all the time?

　　 Kushida Kikyo: Is something wrong, Hashima-san? I'm free now.

　　 At this time, the short-haired girl had already changed into her pajamas and was lying on the bed, staring at the screen boredly. There were many group chats on her phone, most of which were small groups between girls, as well as the D class group, etc.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Oh, I wanted to ask if you've already figured out how to tell Horikita-san tomorrow. About the study session.

　　 After seeing the message sent by the boy, Kushida Kikyo immediately jumped out of bed. She was a little wary of Hashima's doting attitude.

　　 Kushida Kikyo: I'm worried about what to do if Horikita-san doesn't agree.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Don't worry, I think Kushida-san can accomplish it with her skills. After all, this is a great thing that will benefit the class.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: Have the other places for the study session been decided?

　　 Kikyo Kushida: Yes, I've already chosen them. They're all students who aren't doing very well in academics. I discussed it with Hirata-san and he agreed with my idea.

　　 Hashima Hikaru: I see.

　　 Kushida Kikyo: Yes, I'll try my best.

　　 After seeing the other party's response, Hashima Hikaru put down her phone.

　　 The short-haired girl on the opposite side waited for a long time, but she didn't receive Hashima's next message and a look of confusion appeared on her pretty face.

　　 What is this guy's purpose? Why is there suddenly no movement?

　　 If you really want something from me, you should be able to tell me now. Is there any information I don't know?

　　 Kushida Kikyo recalled all the circumstances from the moment she met Hashima Hikaru to the moment they met for dinner today. Except for the moment she saw him lying, the other party had been very kind most of the time.

　　 Could it be that he was helping me just to be my friend?

When this thought appeared in her mind, Kushida extinguished it the next moment.

　　 The girl always believed in one thing, that is, other than relatives, no one would be kind to another person for no reason, and this classmate, Yujima, had just met her.

　　 After learning the detailed rules of the school, Kikyo Kushida understood the importance of competition between classes. She invited Hikaru Hashima to dinner just to see if the boy was a tool she could use to help her gain information about Class B.

　　But after today's dinner, Kushida felt as if he was leading her on.

　　 Not only that, but he takes his ideas so seriously that it's hard not to wonder what he's trying to do.

　　 Is he trying to find information about Class D?

　　 But it doesn't seem that way, because the focus of Hashima Hikaru's words is entirely on himself.

　　 Unable to figure it out, Kikyo Kushida fell back onto the bed. The short-haired girl picked up her mobile phone and saw the image reflected on the screen. It was her own face, with delicate and charming eyebrows and eyes. Every frown and smile of hers could arouse a man's endless reverie.

　　 Could it be...?

　　 Kikyo Kushida carefully recalled the other person's behavior when he was with her. If that was the case, it would make sense. After all, many boys had confessed to her since the beginning of the school year. But could the reason really be that simple?

　　 She still felt unsure, but she couldn't think of any other possibilities at the moment.

　　 ----------

　　When the next morning came, Kikyo Kushida, looking haggard, sat up from the bed.

　　 She thought of two things yesterday, but she still couldn't understand why that boy wanted to help her, even though they weren't in the same class as her. Later she was so sleepy that she fell asleep.

　　 After getting up, the girl washed up and changed her clothes according to her usual pace. Standing in front of the mirror, Kikyo Kushida looked at the dark circles under her eyes and couldn't help but curse Hashima Hikaru in her heart. It was all his fault that she didn't sleep well yesterday.

　　 But no matter what, today she is going to invite that woman, Horikita Suzune, to attend her study session. This is what Kikyo Kushida cares about the most right now, and she must take it very seriously.

　　 After entering the classroom of Class D, Kushida Kikyo, who was greeted by everyone, immediately heard many people greeting her.

　　 "Good morning, Kushida-san."

　　 "Good morning, Kushida-chan!!"

　　 There were both men and women greeting her. After responding to everyone with a smile on her face, Kushida Kikyo saw her target, the lone girl who sat in her seat as if she was in a different world from everyone else, Horikita Suzune.

"Never mind, let's try it first."

　　 Kushida Kikyo took a deep breath. She knew that the other party had a very bad attitude towards her. She had failed several times to strike up a conversation with him, so she couldn't help but feel a little nervous now.

　　 "Um, good morning, Horikita-san."

　　 "?"

　　 Horikita Suzune put down the book in her hand. She immediately remembered the message sent by Hashima Hikaru yesterday, so she calmly nodded to the short-haired girl as a statement.

　　 "Horikita-san, I have a request and I hope you can agree to it."

　　 "I'm planning to organize a study session. Horikita-san has very good grades. Would you like to join me? Together we can help our classmates improve their grades."

　　 "..."

　　Seeing that the other person's expression was still indifferent, Kushida Kikyo's heart was already in her throat.

　　 "Okay, I promise. Call me when you have a study session."

　　 "Is it really possible?"

　　 After hearing the other party's agreement, the short-haired girl instantly showed an extremely happy smile on her face and said in surprise, "I know, I'll come call you when the time comes."

　　 At that moment, in class Hashima Hikaru was taking out a textbook from her drawer when she suddenly heard a notification sound from the system.

　　 [Horikita Suzune has joined Kushida Kikyo's study session. Although Kushida Kikyo is afraid of you, she wants to continue using your abilities. Kushida Kikyo's stock price has risen by 10 points and is currently at 20. ]

　　"Are you distrusting me?"

　　 After seeing the system text, Hashima Hikaru was stunned.

　　 Could it be because my enthusiastic attitude aroused his suspicions?

　　 What a troublesome guy!

　　 This is the butterfly effect caused by being in different classes. After all, the two of them have only known each other for a short time and it is impossible for Hashima Hikaru to gain Kushida Kikyo's trust right away, but if he wants to increase the stock price, he has to take the initiative to contact the girl.

　　 After thinking about it for a while, the boy touched his chin and said slowly, "Anyway, this is a good start. It has now been proven that there is no problem in going in Horikita Suzune's direction."

　　 "But how can we make Kushida Kikyo calm down? We must first find a reasonable reason."

　　 In the 1st grade-B classroom, Hikaru Hashima was thinking about how to solve this problem.

　　 "I need Kushida to accept the reasons for my actions. I haven't considered it in depth before."

　　 Hashima Hikaru gently knocked on the table, as his thoughts raced.

　　 "What better excuse…"

　　After a few minutes, he thought of a very simple reason, which not only fits the boys and girls' current thoughts, but can also easily explain why he took the initiative to help her.

　　But will she really believe it?

　　 "Good morning, Hashima-san!"

　　 A familiar greeting came from the side, and Hashima Hikaru looked at Ichinose Honami who was approaching and said with a smile.

　　 "Good morning, Ichinose-san."

　　 "Yes, yes."

　　 After yesterday's telephone therapy, the girl no longer had the gloomy look from yesterday. Her expression became gentle and she exuded an aura that made people trust her.

"Then, let's start going over yesterday's information." Hashima Hikaru took out his notebook. After all, he had already told the lie, so he had to play it safe.

　　 "Okay, let me start first."

　　 Ichinose Honami's expression became much more serious. She looked at the boy in front of her and began to speak, "First of all, regarding Sakayanagi's attitude, she doesn't agree with forming an alliance, or rather, she looks down on the act of forming an alliance."

　　 "Looking down on me?" Hikaru Hashima was a little confused.

　　 "Yes, she said that Katsuragi-san's attempt to form an alliance with us was just playing house, and she's very self-confident," Ichinose Honami recalled the conversation with Sakayanagi yesterday and said slowly, "She seems to think that whether it's the class competition or the fight with Katsuragi-san, she'll definitely be the winner in the end."

　　 "That's how I feel."

　　 "I see."

　　 Hashima Hikaru nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "It seems that this Sakayanagi-san will definitely be a tough opponent for us in the future. After all, she has obvious physical defects, which means she's dropped out of all physical education courses and exams."

　　 "But despite that, they assigned him to class A. That says a lot."

　　 Ichinose Honami's expression was a little solemn. She had already deeply realized the other party's strength yesterday. After a conversation, although they exchanged a lot of information, the girl still felt that she couldn't see through it.

　　 "What do you think of the decision about the alliance, Hashima-san?" the girl asked.

　　 "Let's put it aside for now. Since we know Sakayanagi's attitude and Katsuragi-san can't completely control Class A, it would be risky to cooperate under such circumstances."