Market Manipulation
10:47 a.m. The computer room, third floor of Tōto Commerce Academy.
“I can’t believe it… you really mean to mount a short?”
The speaker was Takamura Yuki—an information-gathering specialist of Rank C. Short black hair, large eyes, a small frame, but always with the latest tablet in her hands. Known for collecting and analyzing every kind of information within the academy, she was one of the few collaborators Tenga had quietly approached.
“It isn’t a short,” Tenga corrected, his eyes on the data across the multiple displays. “This is ‘emotional arbitrage.’ A perfectly rational investment strategy that exploits market inefficiency.”
On the computer room’s giant screen, LVT fluctuation graphs for every student in the academy were displayed. The scene resembled the dealing room of a securities exchange.
When Yuki operated her tablet, the data of one particular couple zoomed into view.
【Target Analysis: Satō Masato & Tanaka Misaki pair】
Satō Masato: Rank B, LVT balance 4,127 (day-on-day -1.2%)
Tanaka Misaki: Rank B, LVT balance 3,891 (day-on-day -8.9%)
Relationship length: 6 months
Love Correlation Index (R²L): 0.72
Projected duration: 2.3 months
Risk assessment: HIGH
“Why them?” Yuki asked.
“Isn’t it obvious from the data?” Tenga indicated a particular part of the graph. “Misaki’s plunge is inducing Masato’s decline. A correlation coefficient of 0.72 looks stable at a glance, but…”
He opened another screen, displaying a more detailed analysis.
【Detailed Risk Analysis】
Cause of Misaki’s plunge: rumor of reconciliation with her ex (credibility 87%)
Masato’s response pattern: excessive possessiveness (stalker index 0.8)
Breakup probability (within 1 week): 73.2%
Breakup probability (within 2 weeks): 91.4%
Projected LVT drop on breakup: Masato -40%, Misaki -60%
“In other words, they are already on the verge of collapse,” Tenga’s golden eyes glinted coldly. “The market simply hasn’t noticed yet. All I’ll be doing is restoring the ‘symmetry of information.’”
Yuki’s face clouded with unease. “But that… that means destroying someone’s relationship, doesn’t it?”
“Only what ought to break, breaks,” Tenga’s voice was devoid of feeling. “A relationship built on false information has no value in continuing. If anything, by an early ‘stop-loss,’ I’m minimizing their damage.”
Tenga stood and looked down from the computer-room window into the courtyard. There, the very couple under analysis—Satō Masato and Tanaka Misaki—could be seen sitting on a bench, talking.
Misaki’s expression was plainly overcast, and Masato was desperately trying to take her hand, but she avoided it without thinking. It was clear that an irreparable crack had already formed between them.
“Phase 1—commence,” Tenga murmured.
11:15 a.m. Tenga headed alone for the Rank B cafeteria.
For a Rank E student to set foot in a higher-ranked area was strictly forbidden. But Tenga ignored the rule. To be precise, he exploited a loophole.
“Guidance of a lower-year student by an upper-year student in case of emergency”—the exception clause set out in Article 47 of the academy regulations. Tenga had submitted an application to the student council in advance and obtained temporary permission to enter under the pretext of “an interview with an upperclassman for research into romance theory.”
The Rank B cafeteria was luxurious beyond any comparison with Rank E’s spartan dining hall. Marble floors, chandeliers, a live piano. A space like the lounge of a high-class hotel.
Without hesitation Tenga made for the table where Satō Masato sat alone. Masato was staring down at his smartphone, his expression plainly gloomy.
“You’re Satō Masato, aren’t you?”
Masato looked up. Seeing Tenga standing before him, he wore a look of bewilderment.
“Uh, you’re… the one from Rank E, right…?”
“I’m Kurose Tenga.” Tenga sat. The motion was as natural as a businessman settling in for an important negotiation. “I’ve come with a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?” Masato’s wariness showed plainly. “About what?”
Tenga quietly produced his tablet and showed Masato the screen. On it was the detailed romance analysis of Masato and Misaki.
“Your couple has, statistically, a 91.4 percent probability of breaking up within two weeks.”
Masato’s face went pale. “Wh-what are you…”
“You know, don’t you, that Misaki’s reconciliation with her ex, Fujita, is already under way?”
Masato’s hand trembled. Seeing his reaction, Tenga was certain. Masato had, after all, dimly known.
“There are two things you can do now,” Tenga continued. “One is to maintain the status quo and suffer a catastrophic loss in two weeks. The other…”
Tenga switched the tablet screen. The new screen displayed complex formulae and a forecast graph.
【Impact Analysis of a Stop-Loss Strategy】
Breakup now: Masato’s LVT drop -15%, Misaki’s LVT drop -20%
Natural breakup in two weeks: Masato’s LVT drop -40%, Misaki’s LVT drop -60%
Differential gain: Masato +25%, Misaki +40%
“A ‘stop-loss,’” Tenga’s voice was as composed and assured as a doctor explaining the necessity of surgery. “By settling the relationship early, you minimize the losses to you both.”
“How can you…” Masato’s voice shook. “I love Misaki!”
“Is it love to go on tormenting the one you love?” Tenga’s golden eyes pierced him. “Misaki is plainly suffering in her relationship with you. By dragging it out, you increase her suffering, and in the end it turns into hatred of you.”
Masato was lost for words.
“But if you withdraw of your own accord, Misaki will only be grateful to you—she won’t resent you. In the long run, it’s the best choice for you as well.”
Tenga rose and set a small slip of paper on the table.
“Three o’clock, the rooftop. Propose to Misaki.”
“What?” Masato was bewildered.
“And be turned down.” A faint smile touched the corner of Tenga’s mouth. “Prove that you truly love her, and at the same time grant her her ‘freedom.’ This is the most beautiful way to part.”
Masato took up the slip. On it were written perfectly calculated words of proposal.
“Why… why are you helping me?” Masato asked in a trembling voice.
Tenga turned back, and for just an instant something human dwelt in his eyes.
“Because I understand your pain all too well.”
3:00 p.m. The academy rooftop.
Masato and Misaki stood facing each other. Misaki’s expression mingled confusion and apology; Masato’s, sorrow and resolve.
From one corner of the rooftop, Tenga and Yuki watched the exchange. Yuki monitored the real-time LVT movements on the tablet in her hands.
“Misaki.” Masato’s voice carried on the wind. “Will you… marry me?”
Misaki’s face twisted in astonishment for a moment. Then it changed at once to an expression of deep sorrow.
“Masato… I…”
“I know.” Masato smiled—a complicated expression, resignation and release mingled together. “That you don’t love me, that you’ve been thinking of Fujita—I know all of it.”
Tears welled in Misaki’s eyes.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
“Don’t apologize,” Masato shook his head. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I just loved you, selfishly. So…”
Masato drew a deep breath.
“I want to set you free. I want you to be happy with the person you truly love.”
Misaki began to cry aloud. They were tears of sorrow, and at the same time tears of relief at being freed from a burden long carried.
On Yuki’s tablet, the two LVT balances could be seen shifting in real time.
【LVT Movement Live】
Satō Masato: 4,127 → 4,200 ▲73 (+1.8%)
Tanaka Misaki: 3,891 → 3,950 ▲59 (+1.5%)
“I can’t believe it…” Yuki murmured. “They broke up, and yet they’re both rising…”
Tenga nodded with satisfaction. “Just as predicted. The market prizes a ‘beautiful parting.’ Masato’s stock is re-rated as ‘a sincere man,’ and Misaki’s is reappraised as ‘an attractive woman freed from constraint.’”
Then a new notification appeared on Tenga’s tablet.
【Emotional Market Alert】 Urgent: market shift due to the dissolution of a major couple. Scope of impact: all of Rank B. Estimated impact: 12% of total trading volume. Secondary effect: signs of market-wide instability amid fears of chain-reaction breakups.
3:15 p.m. Everywhere in the academy, students’ smartphones rang out with notification tones all at once.
“Eh, Masato and Misaki broke up?” “No way—they were so close…” “Why would he propose now of all times?” “Wait… does that mean other couples are at risk too?”
The academy was enveloped in a stir. In the love market, the sudden dissolution of a popular couple delivers a shock like the bankruptcy of a major corporation.
And that shock began to rock the market on a scale beyond expectation.
3:30 p.m. The chain reaction began.
【Emergency Market Report】
Yamada-Suzuki pair: left early for an urgent talk
Takahashi-Watanabe pair: unfollowed each other on social media
Itō-Katō pair: canceled today’s date
Nakamura-Kobayashi pair: declared a “cooling-off period” to reconsider their relationship
Multiple Rank B couples, set off by Masato and Misaki’s parting, had begun to reexamine their own relationships. Like falling dominoes, a chain of anxiety spread.
【Love Value Index (LVI) Emergency Bulletin】 3:00 p.m.: 2,847.3 3:15 p.m.: 2,792.1 ▼55.2 (-1.9%) 3:30 p.m.: 2,689.4 ▼157.9 (-5.5%) 3:45 p.m.: 2,534.8 ▼312.5 (-11.0%)
The market had fallen into chaos.
4:00 p.m. The student council emergency meeting room.
“What on earth is happening?” The student council president, Hashimoto Rin, was shouting, her face transformed. “The whole market down 11 percent in an hour—it’s unheard of!”
The vice president, Kamiya Kaito, was coolly analyzing the data. “The trigger was the Satō-Tanaka dissolution, but that alone can’t account for a swing of this size. There must be some other factor…”
At that moment the door opened, and Saionji Reika entered gracefully.
“My, my—quite a commotion.” Reika’s voice kept its usual composure, but a sharp light dwelt in her blue eyes.
“Saionji-san, do you have any idea?” President Hashimoto asked.
Smiling, Reika showed the tablet in her hand.
“I looked into the movements of the new student, Kurose Tenga. A most… interesting result has emerged.”
On the screen was Tenga’s record of movements for the whole day.
09:30–10:30: information-gathering activity in the computer room
11:15–12:00: contact with Satō Masato in the Rank B area
15:00–15:30: “observation activity” on the rooftop
15:30–16:00: “trading activity” in the computer room again
“Surely not…” Vice President Kamiya’s face paled. “You’re saying he engineered this?”
“There’s no proof,” Reika shrugged gracefully. “But statistically, the probability of coincidence is below 0.001 percent.”
President Hashimoto struck the desk. “A Rank E student, manipulating the market? Is such a thing even possible?”
“It’s possible,” Reika’s voice turned cold. “If he is a genuine genius.”
At that moment, on the large screen mounted on the meeting-room wall, an emergency news item appeared.
【Special Bulletin】 Abnormal volatility in the Tōto Commerce Academy love market. The LVI (Love Value Index) records its largest drop on record. Market participants are baffled by “an unprecedented situation.” An emergency investigation committee is to be established to determine the cause.
4:30 p.m. The computer room.
Tenga gazed with satisfaction at the chaotic numbers across the multiple displays. Beside him, Yuki stared at the screen with an expression mingling excitement and fear.
“Amazing… you really did it,” Yuki’s voice trembled. “To move the entire market…”
“This is only the beginning,” Tenga’s golden eyes gleamed coldly. “Today’s ‘demonstration’ proved my theory correct.”
Tenga stood and looked outside. Throughout the building, students could be seen in confusion. Couples who had been walking together stopped suddenly to talk; some stood alone, staring at their phones; friends conferred gravely with one another.
“The greatest weakness of the love market is ‘emotional decision-making,’” Tenga murmured. “The moment people are ruled by fear, they lose all rational judgment. And that fear is easily ‘contagious.’”
Yuki operated her tablet and displayed the latest data.
【Today’s Final Trading Results】
LVI close: 2,489.2 (-358.1, -12.6%)
Couples suspended from trading: 47
New breakups: 12
68% of market participants are considering “reviewing their relationship”
“What do you think tomorrow’s market will be like?” Yuki asked uneasily.
A thin smile touched the corner of Tenga’s mouth.
“A prime opportunity for ‘bottom-fishing.’”
At that moment the computer-room door flew open. In came Mizuno Haruka, out of breath.
“Tenga!” Haruka’s voice mingled excitement and respect. “It’s incredible! The whole academy’s in a panic today… everyone’s talking about you!”
Tenga turned and regarded Haruka coolly.
“What is it you expect?”
“Eh?” Haruka was bewildered.
“What did you expect of me, coming here?” Tenga’s voice was devoid of feeling. “A heroic act? The execution of justice? Or mere rubbernecking?”
Haruka’s expression clouded. But at once it firmed into resolve.
“I… I want to grow strong too,” Haruka’s voice shook, yet brimmed with conviction. “Like you—I want power that won’t lose to the system.”
For several seconds Tenga regarded Haruka. Then, presently, he gave a small nod.
“Then, first thing tomorrow morning, I’ll show you my ‘real battle.’”
Tenga looked at his watch. 5:00 p.m.
“A declaration of war on Saionji Reika.”
＊ ＊ ＊
【Today’s Market Summary】
LVI close: 2,489.2 ▼358.1 (-12.6%)
Year-to-date low: sharply renewed (a drop exceeding the previous low of 2,205.8)
Volume: 47,382,195 LVT (about 8.7× normal)
Decliners: 1,089 (87.4% of the total)
Advancers: 134 (10.7% of the total)
Unchanged: 24 (1.9% of the total)
Limit-down issues: 73 (plunges of LVT -30% or more)
Trading halts: 47 couples temporarily suspended for “relationship review”
Confirmed breakups: 12 (of which 6 chain-reaction, 3 fear-selling, 3 stop-loss)
Sector performance:
Rank A average: -3.2% (decline limited by the “Reika effect”)
Rank B average: -18.7% (the largest declining sector)
Rank C average: -8.1% (wait-and-see mood)
Rank D average: +2.3% (temporary attention amid the turmoil)
Rank E average: +15.7% (broad gains on the “Tenga effect”)
【Stocks to Watch】
Surging: Kurose Tenga (buzz +347%, drawing attention as “the market’s destroyer”)
Watch: Saionji Reika (awaiting her countermeasure; decline limited by defensive buying)
Re-rated: Satō Masato (“sincere parting” highly valued, integrity index +28%)
Caution: Takamura Yuki (contact with Tenga confirmed; attention on her information-gathering ability +12%)