COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 145: Horikita Suzune's heart is beating faster

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With a blushing face, Karuizawa sent the Line message to Rin. She touched her cheek, feeling it grow a little hot.

[I can still see it even if I don't go, since I'll see you wearing a swimsuit during swimming class anyway.]

Rin's rebuttal left Karuizawa speechless. He was right—he didn't need to accompany her to see her swimsuit. He'd see it during swimming class.

[Okay, then I'll go buy it with Shinohara and the others.]

[Um.]

Karuizawa ended her Line conversation with Rin in frustration. She sighed and turned to reply to Shinohara, who had messaged her earlier asking if she wanted to go to Keyaki Shopping Center to buy swimsuits together.

In truth, Karuizawa had ignored Shinohara's invitation and immediately asked Rin to accompany her instead.

If Shinohara and the others knew about this, they would surely tease Kei for prioritizing Rin over her friends.

Eventually, Karuizawa accepted Shinohara's invitation and made plans to meet her, Matsushita, and the others at the entrance of Keyaki Shopping Center. Without wasting time, she hurriedly left her dormitory.

Rin's decision to buy his swimming trunks online turned out to be a wise one.

After receiving the text message from their homeroom teachers, nearly all the first-year high school students flocked to the Keyaki Shopping Center to purchase swimsuits. The swimwear section became especially crowded and chaotic.

At the same time, Sakura was struggling.

She was debating whether or not to invite Rin to go swimsuit shopping with her.

Shy by nature, Sakura rarely interacted with people, let alone considered wearing a swimsuit for class. Her idea of using "shopping for swimsuits together" as an excuse to spend time with Rin seemed impossible to act upon.

"Forget it," Sakura muttered, collapsing onto her bed like a limp noodle. She stared at the Line message she had spent over ten minutes drafting before deleting it entirely. She simply didn't have the courage to invite Rin.

Elsewhere, Ichinose also thought about asking Rin to go swimsuit shopping with her.

However, Ichinose was with the girls from Class B when she received a similar text message from Hoshinomiya Chie.

As soon as they saw the message, the girls eagerly invited Honami to join them for swimsuit shopping.

Being the angelic and accommodating person she was, Ichinose couldn't bring herself to refuse their enthusiastic invitation and agreed to go with them.

Meanwhile, Horikita was in her dormitory, silently staring at the text message on her phone. She opened her Line contact list and hesitated for nearly a minute.

She wanted to find a suitable reason or excuse to ask Rin to accompany her to buy a swimsuit.

But after much deliberation, Horikita gave up. Like Rin, she decided to purchase a swimsuit online using the provided link.

Unaware of the commotion outside, Rin remained in his dormitory, seated at his desk and focused on his laptop.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, night had fallen. Suddenly, the sound of his doorbell interrupted his work.

The ding-dong drew Rin's attention away from the screen. Stretching his arms, he stood up.

"I'm coming," he called out as he walked to the door.

When he opened it, he found Horikita Suzune standing there with a heavy plastic bag in her hand.

Smiling,Rin greeted her, "You're so punctual, Horikita."

Horikita, wearing her usual cold expression, handed him the plastic bag. "This is your share. I still owe you one last meal, but I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow morning. After that, I won't owe you anything."

"Hmm."

Rin nodded as he took the plastic bag handed to him by Horikita. Feeling the heavy weight in his hand, he smacked his lips and asked, "Why is it so heavy? What kind of dishes did you make, Horikita?"

"One serving of sukiyaki, one serving of shrimp tempura, one serving of chicken and radish curry rice, and one serving of kelp and tofu soup. That's all," Horikita replied coldly.

That's all, Horikita said with a casual tone, as if it were no big deal. Seriously? Just like that?

Rin couldn't help drooling at the sound of the menu. His eyes lit up with anticipation as he looked at Horikita Suzune. "Horikita, how about this? I'll pay for the groceries from now on, and you'll be responsible for cooking and washing the dishes. What do you think?"

Horikita's heart began to beat faster.

—Not because I'm flustered, but because I'm angry at his audacity!

"I don't think so!" she snapped, glaring at him.

Horikita's cold eyes locked onto Rin. "You want me to cook for you and leave the job of washing the dishes to me? You've got some nerve."

"Don't you know that the hardest part of cooking is washing the pots and dishes afterward?"

Of course Rin knew. If he didn't, why would he try to push the chore of washing dishes onto Horikita?

"Exactly why," he admitted honestly.

Realizing she wasn't falling for it, Rin sighed dramatically.

Horikita noticed his exaggerated look of regret and, despite herself, her thin lips curled up slightly. Does this guy really like my cooking that much…?

"It's not impossible for me to cook for you," she said coldly, "but you'll have to be responsible for buying groceries and washing the pots and dishes."

"Nope," Rin shook his head without hesitation. "If I have to wash the pots and dishes, I might as well eat at the school cafeteria."

"Hmph." Horikita snorted coldly. "If you don't want to wash the pots and dishes, then don't bother asking me to cook for you."

"If you won't do it, then fine," Rin countered. "I'll just go talk to Horikita-nii."

Horikita's fist clenched tightly.

This guy! Always using my brother to pressure me!

"Go ahead," she said, her voice icy. "I don't believe my brother would support you exploiting me."

Seeing that bringing up Horikita Manabu wasn't working, Rin quickly softened his tone. "You're misunderstanding. I wasn't going to complain. I was going to tell Horikita-nii how great your cooking is. I just wanted to praise you."

Horikita shot him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Of course. So… will you take care of my three meals a day?"

"Oh, you wish."

Tsk… failed again.

Rin secretly clicked his tongue, but Horikita ignored him and pointed toward his dormitory. "Move aside. I need to talk to you."

"Sure."

Rin stepped aside, allowing Horikita to walk in without hesitation.

"Why haven't you bought slippers for guests yet, Rin?" she asked, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Uh… I forgot," he replied awkwardly.

Horikita let out a small sigh and removed her shoes. This time, she wasn't wearing her usual black stockings, revealing a pair of snow-white feet with a faint rosy hue.

Her bare feet, soft and jade-like, looked surprisingly elegant and pleasing to the eye.

As she entered, Horikita scanned the dormitory room. When her gaze landed on the messy quilt on the bed, her expression instantly turned into one of pure disgust.

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