Chapter 64: Love-hate relationship with best friends
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Upon seeing Hoshinomiya Chie, Chabashira Sae's delicate eyebrows furrowed immediately. Her cold, pretty face revealed undisguised disdain.
"Chie, why are you here too?"
"Sae-chan, you just got paid today. I came to have a drink with you! I even brought your favorite wine." With a smile, Hoshinomiya Chie raised the dark plastic bag in her hand.
Chabashira Sae sighed deeply. Her best friend wasn't just troublesome but also fond of drinking. The worst part was that she always went overboard and caused chaos once she got drunk.
Every time they drank together, Chabashira Sae had to clean up afterward, battling a headache from both the mess and the alcohol.
"I'll come to your room later to drink. I've got something to deal with now—one of my students," Chabashira Sae replied coldly, glancing at Rin Matsuoka before slightly tilting her head.
"Rin, come inside."
"Well, excuse me," Rin nodded and stepped into Chabashira Sae's dormitory room, his homeroom teacher's personal space.
As soon as Rin entered, Hoshinomiya Chie tried to follow. However, Chabashira Sae was ready. She extended her slender leg and blocked the door, keeping Hoshinomiya Chie outside.
"Sae-chan, let me in!"
Hoshinomiya Chie's cheeks puffed up slightly in frustration. Chabashira Sae, ignoring her, casually said, "Rin, the blue slippers are for you. Put them on if you're coming in."
"Got it," Rin replied and changed into the slippers provided and took a moment to look around the room.
Rin noticed that the dormitory rooms for teachers were about twice the size of the student dorms. The interior was neat, clean, and minimalistic, which aligned perfectly with Chabashira Sae's cold personality.
However, the room was so tidy that it felt somewhat lifeless.
"Let me in!" Hoshinomiya Chie demanded again.
"I already told you, no," Chabashira Sae firmly replied.
The next step for Chabashira Sae was to evaluate Rin's academic abilities, so there was no way she could let Hoshinomiya Chie stay.
Chabashira Sae knew her best friend too well. Hoshinomiya Chie had a black-hearted nature, always keeping tabs on the top students in her class and doing everything she could to sabotage Sae's efforts to bring her own class to Class A.
There was no way she could let Hoshinomiya Chie know the details about Rin Matsuoka.
Though she couldn't keep it a secret from Chie forever, she planned to hold out for as long as possible.
Still puffing out her cheeks in frustration, Hoshinomiya Chie stretched her hand toward Chabashira Sae, but Chabashira, anticipating her move, swiftly grabbed her hand before she could attempt to tickle her.
"Sae-chan, I came to drink with you! How dare you not let me in!"
"I just told you, I'll come to your room later, and we can drink then," Chabashira Sae reiterated, exasperated.
"No! We're drinking here. I don't like cleaning my room."
"Then don't drink until you vomit!" Chabashira Sae replied, already feeling a headache coming on.
Hoshinomiya Chie smirked with pride, "Heh, what's the fun in drinking if you don't drink until you black out?"
At this moment, Chabashira Sae applied some force and pushed Hoshinomiya Chie, causing her to stagger, then quickly shut the dormitory door.
However, Hoshinomiya Chie seemed to anticipate Chabashira Sae's move. She stumbled slightly but immediately stretched out her slender leg, wedging her high heel in the crack of the door.
"..."
"..."
Both Chabashira Sae, who was holding the door, and Hoshinomiya Chie, frozen in the doorway, fell into silence.
A hint of helplessness crossed Chabashira Sae's pretty face. She sighed and said, "Fine, you can come to my place to drink, but Chie, you need to come back in three hours."
"No, now!"
In response to her troublesome and headstrong best friend, Chabashira Sae yanked the door handle harder.
"Ouch! It hurts! Don't pull so hard!" Hoshinomiya Chie cried out in panic. "My shoes and feet are about to break!"
"So, when are you coming over to drink?"
"Three hours later!"
...
Rin Matsuoka, who was already inside Chabashira Sae's dormitory, overheard the conversation and couldn't help but show a subtle expression.
"Their relationship seems close, but also kind of strange... Is this what they call a love-hate relationship?"
Eventually, Hoshinomiya Chie gave in and stopped trying to force her way in. Chabashira Sae also loosened her grip on the door, allowing Hoshinomiya Chie to pull her foot back.
Hoshinomiya Chie looked down at her high heels, which had been pinched by the door and were now somewhat deformed. She complained sadly, "Sae-chan, you're too much. You ruined my shoes."
"I think I was the one who bought those for you."
"So what? Once you gave them to me, they became mine!"
"Yeah, yeah. Now, please leave," Chabashira Sae replied, her tone filled with perfunctory indifference.
"Hmph, what's even worse is that you, Sae-chan, are stealing the boy I like!"
Chabashira Sae immediately shot back, "You think I'm like you?"
"If you're not me, then why'd you drag that boy into your dormitory? Are you trying to take advantage of his naivety and seduce him, Sae-chan?"
Hoshinomiya Chie said this deliberately, raising her voice so much that not only Rin Matsuoka, but likely everyone upstairs and downstairs, could hear her...
Chabashira Sae's expression darkened immediately. She threw open the door, but Hoshinomiya Chie, anticipating her reaction, darted away, plastic bag in hand.
As she ran, Hoshinomiya Chie realized Chabashira Sae wasn't chasing her. She turned around and playfully stuck out her pink tongue.
Seeing her best friend's playful and cute gesture, Chabashira Sae clenched her fists in frustration.
Though it had been a long and complicated process, Chabashira Sae finally managed to drive away her troublesome, clingy best friend.
When she returned to the room, she noticed that Rin Matsuoka's expression was a bit strange. Chabashira Sae fell silent for a moment, fully aware that Rin had overheard Hoshinomiya Chie's earlier comments...
In the delicate atmosphere, Chabashira Sae extended her slender finger, pointing at the desk. "Where are the test papers? Rin, go and finish them all," she ordered coldly.
"Understood."
"And remember, don't just scribble answers. Give it your best effort. You took 100,000 points from me, after all."
"Don't worry, Chabashira-sensei. I'll do my best," Rin replied earnestly.
He sat down at the desk, where three test papers- History Mathematics, and English—were laid out. Judging by the fresh smell of ink, they had just been printed.