COTE: Starting With Love Stock Market System

Following his usual routine, Hikaru arrived at the school gymnasium and used his key to unlock the right-side entrance. Holding his swim trunks in hand, he made his way to the men's locker room.

However, as he opened the doors to the swimming facility, he noticed that the lights inside were already on.

"Huh? Is someone here?"

His swimming schedule had been consistent for some time. Since he had purchased access to the pool from 8:00 to 10:00 PM, he usually arrived at eight, swam until around 9:30, and spent the remaining time cooling down before returning to the dorm. The first ten minutes were always dedicated to warm-up stretches to prevent injuries, while another ten minutes at the end allowed for proper rest—after all, an hour of continuous swimming could be quite taxing, and there was no need to push himself excessively.

He had considered the possibility that someone else might also come to swim at night, but up until now, he had never encountered anyone.

But judging from the current situation, it seemed like he wasn't alone today. It surprised him slightly.

"Well, I'll just follow the teacher's advice. It doesn't matter if someone else is here—I'll just focus on my own routine."

Shrugging off his thoughts, Hikaru entered the men's locker room and changed into his swim trunks. After getting ready, he headed toward the central pool area.

The next moment, his gaze was drawn to a figure standing beneath the diving platform in the distance. The person was wearing a sleek, full-body competitive swimsuit and was making their way up the stairs leading to the diving board.

About ten seconds later, the figure reached the edge of the platform. It was only then that he was able to clearly see the person's physique.

She was a strikingly tall young woman, likely no less than 165 cm. Her long, pure-white hair was eye-catching, and despite her ample curves, her physique was perfectly balanced. It was evident that she exercised frequently—her toned arms and legs exuded an athletic grace, and her flat stomach showed no signs of excess fat.

Standing on the diving board under the bright lights, she raised both arms without hesitation or pause. Then, with a practiced motion, she executed a forward dive, slicing into the water with minimal splash.

Watching this display, Hikaru was momentarily stunned.

This girl had remarkable athletic ability. Given that she had access to the pool at night, she had likely also purchased usage rights—just like him.

But why had he never encountered her before?

Puzzled, he quickly dismissed the thought. Meeting someone here wasn't particularly significant—it didn't interfere with his swimming plans.

Shifting his focus back, he resumed his warm-up stretches. These were exercises he had learned from online videos and found quite effective. Skipping proper stretching before getting into the water could easily lead to muscle cramps, which was something he wanted to avoid.

Just as he was fully engaged in his warm-ups, a tall figure emerged from the water nearby, droplets cascading down her form.

It was the white-haired girl from earlier.

After surfacing, she immediately locked her gaze onto Hikaru, who was still swinging his arms in warm-up exercises.

"Are you... a first-year student?"

Floating in the water, the tall girl fixed her purple eyes on him and spoke.

"Hm?"

Hearing the unexpected voice, Hikaru turned and met her gaze.

From a distance, he had only noticed her towering stature and impressive proportions. But now, at less than two meters apart, he was able to clearly see her face.

She was incredibly beautiful. Beyond her striking white hair, her most captivating feature was her vibrant purple eyes, which gleamed with intelligence even as water droplets rolled down her cheeks.

She exuded a strong sense of confidence and composure—someone who clearly knew her own worth.

"Are you an upperclassman?"

Recalling her initial question, Hikaru paused momentarily before responding.

"I'm a first-year student from Class 1-A, Hashima Hikaru."

"Hashima Hikaru..."

The girl softly repeated his name, and a faint smile curved her lips.

She had heard of this name before.

From none other than the so-called leader of the second-year students—Nagumo Miyabi.

"Does senpai know me?"

Seeing her smile, Hikaru was surprised.

He wasn't sure whether she was a second-year or a third-year, but as a junior, it was only polite to address her respectfully.

"Yes, I've heard of you."

The white-haired girl wiped the water from her face and slowly swam toward the pool's edge. With a graceful leap, she climbed out of the water.

Then, he heard her third sentence.

"I'm Kiryuin Fuka from Class 2-B. Nice to meet you, Hikaru-kun."

As soon as her introduction ended, a system notification popped up in his mind.

[Ding! Kiryuin Fuka's Stock Has Gone Live!]

[Current Stock Price: 20]

[Available Shares: ???]

"A new stock already?"

Hikaru was slightly taken aback.

The system's criteria for determining stock characters seemed more unpredictable than he had expected. It wasn't limited to his year group—even upperclassmen could appear.

But would he really have opportunities to interact with seniors regularly?

After all, they weren't in the same year, and their social circles likely wouldn't overlap much.

"Nice to meet you, Kiryuin-senpai."

Despite his thoughts, Hikaru remained composed as he greeted her politely.

"Mm."

Kiryuin took a sip from the blue water bottle she had left at the poolside and gave him a small nod.

With the introductions over, Hikaru returned to his warm-up exercises. The delay had cost him a few minutes, so he needed to make up for lost time—his two-hour pool access was limited, and there was no room for idling.

As he continued his stretches, Kiryuin sat by the pool and casually observed him.

She had already heard from the faculty that a first-year student had purchased nighttime access to the pool, but since she had been preoccupied with other matters, she had never actually run into him—until now.

This was her first real interaction with him.

And it piqued her curiosity.

Because she had already heard his name before.

Nagumo had mentioned it.

According to him, this first-year had originally been placed in Class 1-B but had quickly climbed the ranks to take the top spot in Class 1-A within a month.

In a way, it mirrored Nagumo's own path—starting in Class 2-B before rising to Class 2-A.

"So Nagumo's goal is to recruit him into the student council, huh? He's probably trying to groom his own influence among the first-years."

Kiryuin wasn't particularly interested in these power struggles.

To her, daily life was already troublesome enough. Getting involved in all these social games just seemed tedious and pointless.

Shaking off those thoughts, she dipped her legs into the water, kicking gently as she sat at the pool's edge.

She had already completed a few laps and was now taking a break, idly watching as the first-year began his swim training.

Hikaru wasn't particularly fast—his strokes were standard and lacked any advanced technique. If they were to race, Kiryuin was confident she could lap him with ease.

But...

"He's persistent."

Despite his limited stamina, he showed no signs of slacking off. Every stroke and every lap was carried out with unwavering focus.

Was he training because he recognized his physical weakness?

Kiryuin quickly deduced the reason behind his efforts.

She watched for a while longer before deciding to dive back in for another round.

But just as she was about to slip into the water, the first-year unexpectedly swam up to her.

"Kiryuin-senpai, I have a request."

He looked up at her with a calm expression.

"What is it?"

"I saw your diving form earlier, and it was incredibly precise. Based on that, I assume you're highly skilled in swimming. Could I ask you to coach me a little? I'd like to improve my speed."

"Oh?"

Kiryuin's violet eyes studied him intently.

After a few seconds, she came to a new conclusion.

This kid was nothing like Nagumo.

Even as a junior, his composure never wavered.

Amused, she smiled and asked,

"Sure, but I might be a strict coach. You think you can handle that?"

"Of course. My time is limited, so let's start right away!"

~~~

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