COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 133: Strange feeling

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After Ichinose admitted it, it was now Rin's turn to become curious.

With a mischievous smile, Rin leaned forward excitedly and asked, "Who is it? Which girl likes you?"

Ichinose picked up her lemon tea, took a slow sip through the straw, and shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you who she is."

"I promised to keep her secret. I can't let anyone know she likes girls."

"Fair enough. I won't ask anymore."

Rin decided to stop prying. Still, he had a pretty good idea of who the girl might be.

There was a 60% chance it was Shiranami, the girl with the bob haircut.

Back when Rin had been chatting with Ichinose in Class B's classroom and later in the gymnasium, Shiranami had been lurking nearby, glaring at him with unmistakable hostility.

At the time, Rin had found it odd.

It wasn't as if all girls were fond of him, but he had never even spoken to or met Shiranami. So why did she seem to dislike him so much?

'If Shiranami likes Ichinose,' Rin thought, 'then her hostility toward me makes sense.'

To Shiranami, Rin probably looked like someone trying to steal the girl she liked.

Even though Rin was fairly confident in his deduction, he wasn't foolish enough to say it out loud.

Instead, he gave Ichinose a teasing smile. "What can I say? You really are something, Ichinose. You're so charming, even girls can't help but fall for you."

"It's not as dramatic as you make it sound," Ichinose replied, her cheeks tinged pink. Despite her embarrassment, a bright and joyful smile spread across her face, pleased by the compliment. Wanting to steer the conversation away from herself, she quickly changed the topic.

"So, Matsuoka-san, if you found yourself in this situation, what would you do?"

"Well," Rin began thoughtfully, "I'd probably just quietly distance myself. If the other person sees that I'm keeping my distance, they'll hopefully take the hint and back off on their own."

"Hmm, but I don't want to distance myself from her," Ichinose admitted with a distressed look. "We're good friends, and I don't want to lose that."

Rin's suspicions grew stronger. If Ichinose had a good relationship with the girl, it meant the girl wasn't some stranger who had suddenly confessed. It had to be someone close to her—most likely Shiranami.

"Matsuoka-san," Ichinose said after a pause, "do you think there's a way to reject her without hurting her feelings? And at the same time, stay friends with her?"

"Hmm, that's beyond my expertise," Rin replied honestly. "Why not try looking it up online?"

"That's actually a good idea," Ichinose said, nodding slightly.

Seeing that Ichinose was genuinely considering searching for an answer online, Rin chuckled. "If a boy liked you, Ichinose, and you responded like this, he'd definitely think you were a heartbreaker."

"Eh?" Ichinose blinked in surprise, her blue eyes widening. "Matsuoka-san, what do you mean by that?"

"Well," Rin said, stroking his chin, "you don't want to accept someone's confession, but you also don't want to lose them as a friend. That kind of behavior can come across as selfish or even a little cruel."

Ichinose froze at his words, stunned. She had only wanted to reject Shiranami's feelings while maintaining their friendship. But now…

If you think about it carefully, this does seem like the behavior of a scumbag woman!

Ichinose glanced at Rin and hesitated. She wanted to say... if a boy confessed to her, she would reject him directly and seriously. She would not, like Shiranami, be worried about how to maintain a friendship after rejecting them.

However, Ichinose was worried that Rin might misunderstand what she said.

After all, such a statement could also carry another implication—if it were Rin who confessed to her, she would still reject him...

Ichinose wanted to explain but couldn't bring herself to do so. In the end, she had no choice but to change the subject.

"By the way, matsuoka-san, didn't you mention you had something to tell me? What is it?"

There was a hint of anticipation in her bright eyes. She hoped Rin would tell her that he planned to join the student council.

"Like you, I plan to join the student council."

Ichinose's blue eyes lit up as her face broke into a joyful expression. "Really? Matsuoka-san, are you seriously going to join the student council with me?!"

"Yes, the application documents have already been submitted. Now I'm just waiting for the student council to notify me about the interview."

"That's great! If we both pass the interview, we'll get to work together in the student council!" Ichinose said happily.

"That's right," Rin replied.

Ichinose's excitement didn't last long. Her expression quickly turned thoughtful as she seemed to recall something.

"But matsuoka-san, isn't the vice president of the student council, at odds with you? Why are you still planning to join the council?"

"The president of the student council, Horikita Manabu, is my neighbor, and we have a good relationship. A few days ago, he invited me to join the council himself."

"I see. With the president's support, Vice President Nagumo won't be able to target you," Ichinose said with a relieved smile.

"In fact, the student council is very complicated right now. The president, Manabu, and the vice president, Nagumo, have very different ideologies, and this has caused the council to split into two factions."

"There's such a thing?"

Ichinose's curiosity was piqued. "Matsuoka-san, do you know what their philosophies are?"

"I know a little about it. The president told me that his philosophy aligns with the school's core principles. He also mentioned that Nagumo's philosophy is too overbearing. If Nagumo becomes president, it will have a negative impact on all the students at this school."

"Too overbearing?" Ichinose murmured to herself, showing a thoughtful expression.

"When new students join the student council, they inevitably become targets for the president and vice president, who try to win them over. Since I'm already at odds with Nagumo, he won't try to recruit me. Instead, he'll focus his efforts on you," Rin explained.

"Don't worry, Matsuoka-san. I won't let the vice president sway me," Ichinose said seriously.

"There's no need for that," Rin said, shaking his head. "Whether you accept Nagumo's invitation is entirely your decision. You don't need to reject him just because I have a conflict with him."

"Why?" Ichinose asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Rin thought for a moment. He decided to tell Ichinose his reasoning to avoid any misunderstandings.

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