Chapter 86: Rin: Ah, thank you, you are so nice!
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"No, I haven't tried it. I saw that you ordered this set meal, so I thought it must be delicious," Karuizawa replied.
"I saw Kei order this set meal and figured it would be good too, so I ordered it," said Chiaki, who was sitting across from them.
"Same here," added Shinohara who was sitting beside Chiaki.
"Me too," echoed another voice.
"I saw everyone else ordering this set meal and thought it would be a safe choice, so I went for it too."
"I wanted to order it, but it's already sold out."
"…"
The atmosphere at lunch was pleasant, and Rin found himself sitting between two lovely girls—Karuizawa Kei and Kushida Kikyo. With such charming company, even the food tasted better.
Kushida, despite being described as "two-faced" by others, was especially good at keeping the conversation lively. With her around, there was never any worry about dull moments.
The most surprising thing was how bold Kushida was. She picked up a piece of fried shrimp with her chopsticks from her own tray and offered it to Rin.
"Matsuoka-san, I can't eat so many fried shrimps. Can you help me finish some?" Kikyo said with a shy blush.
"Okay, thank you, you're so nice!" Rin responded automatically, without thinking.
Then his mouth twitched as he realized he shouldn't have said that.
Due to his habit of being pampered during his junior high years, Rin instinctively accepted the food from Kikyo without hesitation and even thanked her reflexively...
Kushida seemed pleased. "You're welcome, Matsuoka-san. You're a boy, after all, and you eat more than us girls, so feel free to eat more."
If Rin hadn't been so aware of the subtle dissonance between Kikyo's outward demeanor and her inner self, he might have been convinced that she had a crush on him.
To others, like Hirata and Shinohara, it certainly appeared as though Kushida Kikyo had romantic feelings for Rin. After all, no girl would be so bold as to offer food unless she had feelings for him.
But Karuizawa Kei, who had been quietly eating with her chopsticks in her mouth, was completely stunned!
She was shocked by Kushida Kikyo's actions.
Karuizawa had never tried to win over a boy's favor before, and at that moment, she had no idea how to compete. She had simply focused on eating her lunch up until now...
"Kushida Kikyo is really bold... No, I can't let her get ahead! I can't let her take Matsuoka-san away from me!" Karuizawa thought, biting her lip in determination.
On impulse, she picked up a piece of fried shrimp and placed it on Rin's tray.
One piece wasn't enough. She needed two!
She had to outdo Kushida Kikyo's offering!
"Matsuoka-san, you can have some of my fried shrimp too!" Karuizawa said, her voice determined but tinged with embarrassment.
"Ah, thank you, you're so nice!" Rin Matsuoka reflexively said again, feeling a little numb at how naturally the words came out. Was this just a conditioned response at this point?
As he looked at Karuizawa, he noticed how her beautiful honey-blonde hair seemed to glow. Her cheeks were flushed, and her shy, watery eyes darted around nervously. She looked incredibly bashful.
This time, Rin didn't feel any sense of dissonance from Karuizawa's actions.
She genuinely wanted Rin to eat her fried shrimp. Looking at her sincerity, Rin thought gratefully, "Thank you, Karuizawa-san."
"You're welcome..." Karuizawa Kei replied in a soft voice, her heart racing with shyness.
Kushida Kikyo subtly narrowed her eyes. This girl, Karuizawa, was quite something. She certainly knew how to captivate a boy's heart.
"If I were a boy being treated like this by her, I'd probably be completely smitten."
Then again, is it possible that Karuizawa has no clue about how to win over a boy and did all of this purely by accident?
People who are always calculating often believe everything is an act, after all...
Rin Matsuoka wasn't completely won over by Karuizawa, but his impression of her had certainly improved.
After all, the fried shrimp tamagoyaki set only came with four pieces of shrimp. A girl willing to give him two of them had to be a good person!
"…"
Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune, who was passing by the student cafeteria after a stop at the convenience store, exuded an air of cold detachment. She took a bite of the sandwich she had bought, her face expressionless.
Horikita chewed the sandwich with vigor, as if she were grinding away at some long-standing grudge, treating the sandwich like her childhood nemesis!
Back in the student cafeteria, Rin, happily enjoying his meal, suddenly shivered. Distracted by the food, he looked around in confusion.
"What's wrong, Matsuoka-san?" Kushida Kikyo asked curiously.
"Nothing, really. I just felt like someone was glaring at me with murderous intent," Rin replied, his tone thoughtful.
"Ahahaha, that must be your imagination! Who would look at you that way?" Kikyo laughed, brushing it off.
Rin wasn't entirely convinced. It wasn't that no one ever looked at him like that. Just look—over by the entrance to the cafeteria, a certain blond senior was glaring at him with absolute hatred.
That blond senior was none other than Nagumo.
Nagumo looked quite pitiful now. His arm was in a cast, and he wore a medical sling around his neck.
Clearly, Rin's strong grip from the previous day had indeed fractured Nagumo's arm.
"Damn it, he's having lunch here too?" Nagumo's resentful muttering drew the attention of those around him.
Mizowaki, noticing Nagumo's intense gaze, followed it to Rin, who was surrounded by girls. Mizowaki quickly lowered his voice, "Boss, calm down. It's only the second day of the new students' enrollment. It hasn't even been a full month yet."
"The freshmen are protected by school rules during their first month. We can't make trouble for him. Besides, this is the student cafeteria—there are too many people around."
"I know. You don't need to remind me!" Nagumo snapped, irritation clear in his voice. His face darkened as he turned and left the cafeteria, having lost his appetite.
Noticing Nagumo and his group retreating, Rin raised his eyebrows and whispered to himself, "He just left like that? Guess he doesn't dare to stir up trouble with so many people around."
Then Rin frowned slightly, pondering aloud, "But this guy, Nagumo—his arm's in a cast. Why hasn't Asahina-senpai given me any trouble? Isn't he her childhood friend?"
Rin was puzzled by this turn of events.
This confusion stemmed from the fact that Nagumo had never informed Asahina Nazuna about his conflict with Rin Matsuoka.
Ever since Nagumo had become vice president of the student council and taken control of the entire second-year class, he had grown increasingly concerned with maintaining his reputation.
If Asahina Nazuna found out that her childhood friend had been beaten by a freshman, blackmailed for a million personal points, and had his arm broken in the process, where would Nagumo's dignity as a man be!?
Such matters were tied to Nagumo's pride!