Chapter 87: Destained to be Alone
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Some matters were tied to Nagumo's pride!
For this reason, Nagumo not only chose to conceal the truth but also warned others not to reveal a single word, threatening to kill them if they did.
Under Nagumo's grim warning, his group naturally kept quiet. They even spread the story that Nagumo had broken his arm due to an accidental fall.
In this way, all the trouble that Nagumo had caused for Rin Matsuoka was strictly kept under wraps.
In fact, it wouldn't be good for Rin if this situation escalated. Once the school learned the full details, the more than one million personal points that Rin had extorted might be confiscated.
Therefore, both Rin Matsuoka and Nagumo silently agreed to cover up what had happened the day before.
Ever since Rin accepted the fried shrimp offered by Kushida and Karuizawa, the atmosphere between the three of them had grown a bit awkward.
The other girls quietly observed them, occasionally letting out giggles like amused aunts.
Rin, however, was too absorbed in his food to notice the stares and giggles. But Karuizawa and Kushida weren't as oblivious. The looks they were getting from the other girls made them feel a little uncomfortable.
'I brought this upon myself,' Kushida thought miserably as she glanced at Rin's almost perfect profile.
Suddenly, she felt as if maybe—just maybe—it wouldn't be impossible to have a relationship with him.
'No, you can't fall in love,' Kikyo reminded herself sternly. 'If you want to stay at the top of the popularity rankings, you absolutely can't fall in love!'
Kushida forced herself to suppress the thoughts creeping into her mind and gave herself a firm warning.
She knew very well that falling in love could lead to a drastic drop in popularity. Take celebrities, for example. As soon as they announce they're in a relationship, fans start unfollowing them, and some extreme fans even turn into haters.
Closer to home, Kikyo had a personal example. She remembered a girl from her junior high school days—popular, adored by boys.
After that girl started dating, her popularity plummeted. The other girls felt she had snatched up the best boy, while the boys felt she was off the market.
In just a month, the girl went from being the center of attention to being ignored, all because she had confirmed her relationship with the boy.
Kikyo understood very well that if she wanted to maintain her popularity in this school, she absolutely couldn't fall in love!
Even if... even if she couldn't resist falling in love, no one could ever find out!
"I'm full. Everyone, enjoy the rest of your meal." After finishing his food, Rin stood up, picked up his tray, and prepared to return it to the cafeteria.
Seeing this, Karuizawa quickly swallowed the food she was still chewing and hurriedly grabbed her own tray, which still had quite a bit of rice and tamagoyaki left on it.
"Matsuoka-san, wait for me. I'm full too," she said, standing up.
"But you still have so much left to eat," Rin pointed out.
"I'm full! My appetite is much smaller than Kushida-san's," Karuizawa said, brushing it off.
"..." Kushida, still eating her lunch, curled her lips and muttered, 'It's because you have such a small appetite that you're so malnourished, and that's why your chest is so small!'
Rin Matsuoka returned the tray alongside Karuizawa Kei. She clenched her palms tightly and asked in a soft, nervous voice, "Matsuoka-San, where are you going next? If you have nothing to do, how about taking a walk outside with me?"
"I have something to do," Rin replied.
"Ah..." After being rejected, Karuizawa Kei showed a discouraged expression.
[Host, destined to be alone.]
[The meaning of 'The One Born In Solitude' is that one is destined to live alone.]
"I get it, you don't need to explain it!" Rin grumbled to the narration system in his head.
He explained to the dejected Karuizawa Kei, "I really do have something to take care of. I need to head back to the dorm."
After lunch, Rin planned to return to his dorm room. He had even boldly asked Chabashira Sae for leave and decided not to attend class that afternoon!
Wasn't it bold?
He had requested leave on only the second day of school—the first day of classes!
Quite bold indeed.
Rin was skipping class for something important, though. He intended to spend the afternoon in his dormitory writing hacking software that could infiltrate phones and copy permissions.
Rin knew Chabashira Sae was anxious to test his academic abilities, so he needed to finish the software before she prepared the test.
If he didn't complete the program before she called him for the second test, he would lose the chance to get hold of Chabashira Sae's phone.
"You need to go back to the dormitory..." Karuizawa Kei bit her lower lip gently and murmured, "I'll come with you. There's something I need to ask you, and I'll tell you on the way."
Rin looked at her in surprise but nodded. "Sure, that's fine."
"Great! Let's go then."
The two left the student cafeteria and walked towards the dormitory building. Horikita Suzune, who was sitting in a nearby pavilion along the path, was quietly eating a sandwich.
Perhaps Horikita Suzune had some sort of unknown radar. Even with her head down, she suddenly looked up and noticed Rin Matsuoka and Karuizawa Kei walking together.
"...They're not heading toward the classroom building, so where could they be going?"
Horikita Suzune stood up subconsciously, muttering to herself. After a moment of hesitation, she started following them, her slender legs carrying her quickly behind.
Karuizawa Kei walked closely behind Rin, mentally preparing herself. She needed to gather enough courage to ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend.
Rin stepped into the cool shade of a tree and turned to look at Karuizawa Kei, who seemed distracted.
"Karuizawa-san, if you have something to say, just tell me here. We'll reach the dormitory building if we walk a little further."
"Uh..." Karuizawa nodded slightly after entering the shade of the trees. She glanced at Rin and then quickly looked away, her face tinged with hesitation.
At the same time, Horikita Suzune, who had been following them, hid behind a nearby tree when she saw they had stopped. Leaning against the trunk, her expression grew complicated.
"Is that girl planning to confess to Matsuoka?"
Horikita Suzune, hidden behind the tree, felt an odd sense of sadness and discomfort.
After several seconds of silence, Karuizawa Kei finally gathered her courage. She bent her slender frame slightly toward Rin.
"Matsuoka-san, can you please pretend to be my boyfriend?"
Both Rin Matsuoka and Horikita Suzune were left stunned by Karuizawa's unexpected request.