Chapter 83: Host, they have bad intentions
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Regardless of whether Yamauchi Haruki was actually smart or not, his mentality was quite impressive. Even though he was disliked by the girls, he didn't give up on himself and instead thought of ways to still be around them.
His idea wasn't bad either. If Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji really managed to become friends with Rin Matsuoka, then the girls might not look down on them as much for Rin's sake.
It was almost like a case of a dog relying on its master's power...
Rin Matsuoka raised an eyebrow as he noticed Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji suddenly move to his right side. "What do you two want?"
"Hehehe, Matsuoka-kun, what do you think of our smiles?"
Rin observed their smiles in silence. How could he describe them? Awkward? Forced?
Noticing Rin's silence, Ike Kanji spoke up, "Matsuoka-kun, why aren't you saying anything?"
"I'm just thinking about how I should answer," Rin replied calmly.
"Just be honest with us! What's our relationship?" Yamauchi Haruki asked in an exaggeratedly friendly manner.
Rin glanced at him. What was their relationship? Strangers? Classmates?
Neither were particularly close bonds.
"To be honest, your smile is a bit gross," Rin answered bluntly, and Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji's faces darkened.
Clearly, their smiles had backfired—Rin found them repulsive.
If it wasn't for the fact we wanted to hang out with the girls, we wouldn't even be talking to this guy, Yamauchi thought.
Coincidentally, Rin wasn't too eager to talk to people he thought of as "trouble."
Yamauchi Haruki rubbed his face, which had stiffened from his forced smile. "Forget the smile! The important thing is, we want to be your good friends! You know, to share both the good times and the bad times with you!"
"Share the bad times?" Rin asked, raising an eyebrow. "You just mean the good times, right?"
[Host, they have bad intentions.]
The narration system's prompt made Rin roll his eyes.
"I know. Even a blind person could see they're up to no good," Rin muttered.
"What do you say, Matsuoka? We really want to be your friends!" Ike Kanji said, his enthusiasm not faltering.
"I don't feel great about it... Actually, I'm suddenly thirsty. I think I want a Coke," Rin said nonchalantly.
"Let's go get it right now!" Ike exclaimed.
"Right, we'll grab it for you!" Yamauchi added.
Rin gave them a strange look. "Really? Fine then, I'll transfer the personal points for the Coke to you."
"No need! It's just a couple hundred points; we'll treat you!" Yamauchi Haruki said, waving off the offer.
Yesterday, after receiving 100,000 personal points, Yamauchi had gone to the mall and splurged on a new gaming console and several games. Even after all that, he still had about 34,000 personal points left.
So, buying a Coke for Rin was no big deal.
Watching Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji rush off to buy the drink, Rin murmured to himself, "These two would rather run errands for me than risk upsetting me. What are they really after?"
Did they truly want to be friends?
No, Rin didn't sense any sincerity from them. Instead, it seemed like they had some ulterior motives.
But what could they be scheming?
[Host, don't overthink it. No matter how much you try, you won't figure it out.]
'Then what do you think they're after?' Rin asked the narration system in his mind.
[They want to become friends with the host, and then, when the girls invite the host again, they can join as your friends.]
"..." Rin Matsuoka fell silent. He hadn't expected that Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji were trying to get close to him for such a reason.
[It makes sense that you couldn't imagine it, host,] the narration system continued. [After all, you've always been popular with the opposite sex, so you don't have the same struggles as they do. It's like a well-fed man not understanding the hunger of a starving one.]
"Well, you've got a point," Rin muttered.
After learning the true motive behind Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji's actions, Rin turned toward Sakura Airi, who was hanging her head low.
"Sakura, do you want to have lunch with us in the student cafeteria later?"
"N-no, no, no, too many people... that would be too overwhelming!" Sakura Airi stammered in a panic, her vibrant red hair swaying as she shook her head from side to side.
... Overwhelming?
"Oh, okay then."
Even though Rin was standing right in front of Sakura Airi, she was still communicating with him through Line on her phone.
Rin had come to understand Sakura Airi's shy personality more clearly over time, so he didn't push her after she hurriedly refused his offer.
Noticing that Rin didn't continue pressing her to join them for lunch, Sakura Airi's body, tense from nervousness, gradually relaxed. She felt a wave of relief but also a sense of frustration at her own timidity.
Matsuoka-san had invited her to have lunch with everyone, so why couldn't she muster up the courage to accept?
I'm so useless...
With her head still lowered, Sakura Airi raised her eyes slightly and saw Rin's back through her glasses. Her soft lips curled into a shy, immature smile.
Even if she felt useless, the boy in front of her always made an effort to take care of her.
While Sakura Airi was still shy, she wasn't as afraid of Rin as she used to be. Now, she could talk to him when no one else was around.
Unfortunately, there were too many people in the student cafeteria for her to feel comfortable having lunch with Rin. Large crowds were exactly what Sakura Airi feared most...
It wasn't that she didn't want to have lunch with Rin; she simply didn't want to do it with so many others around.
Her thoughts were strikingly similar to those of Horikita Suzune, who also preferred to have lunch with Rin alone, without anyone else present.
In the laid-back and less-than-ideal academic atmosphere, lunchtime finally arrived, and it was time for students to take care of their own meals.
The students of Class D headed to the cafeteria in groups, sharing their meals with those they were close to. Meanwhile, Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo led a group of over a dozen girls to find Rin.
"Let's go, Matsuoka-san~" Kushida said.
"Let's head to the student cafeteria!"
"Yeah." Rin stood up and glanced to his left, his gaze briefly passing by the cold-faced Horikita Suzune before landing on Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"I'm thinking of bringing Ayanokouji along. Is that okay?"
"Of course! The more, the merrier!" Karuizawa chimed in.
"Yes," Kushida agreed.
Rin turned to Ayanokouji. "What do you think? Want to join us?"
"Sure," Ayanokouji replied, his expression as unreadable as ever as he stood up.
Kushida clasped her hands together, her face lighting up with a sweet smile. "Since Matsuoka-san invited Ayanokouji-san, how about we invite Hirata-san too?"
"I agree!" Rin immediately replied. He had already thought about inviting Hirata Yosuke along so that he could help share the attention from the girls.