COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 126: The Shy Girl

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Sakura knew she had taken many unsatisfactory photos that afternoon.

For instance, Rin's gaze wasn't always directed toward the camera lens.

Or his pose might not have been as striking as she had hoped.

Sakura resolved to delete all the subpar shots, keeping only the flawless, handsome, and beautiful ones.

After handing the camera back to Rin, she carefully wrapped the memory card in tissue paper and placed it solemnly into her bag.

Rin took a sip of honey lemon tea and said, "Sakura, now that the shoot is over, let's head back to the dormitory."

"Yeah." Sakura nodded gently, though her heart was filled with reluctance and regret. She didn't want this particularly pleasant and fulfilling outing to end so soon.

Next time… Who knows when the next time will be.

But it was already past four o'clock, and the day had to come to an end.

Suddenly, Sakura remembered something. She leaned closer to Rin and said softly, "Matsuoka-san, I just remembered I have somewhere else to go, so I won't head back to the dormitory with you."

"Where are you going? Do you need me to come with you?" Rin asked.

Sakura smiled shyly. "That won't be necessary."

"Alright then. If anything comes up, call me. I'll be heading off now."

"Yeah, take care."

Sakura remained in her seat, watching as Rin walked away. She only reluctantly looked away when his figure disappeared from view.

Now that Matsuoka has left, I should go check on that matter.

The "matter" Sakura referred to was the price of the light pink coat.

Earlier that day, Rin had bought her the coat as a gift, claiming it was for her. But Sakura felt that since they were just ordinary friends, she couldn't accept such a gift without reciprocating.

So she decided to find out how many points the coat cost and choose a gift of equal value to give to Rin in return.

It must be said—Sakura's thoughtfulness made her truly a treasure of a girl.

After sitting alone in the drink shop for a little while, Sakura donned a hat and mask. Following her memory, she went to the clothing store where Rin had purchased the coat.

Summoning her courage, Sakura asked a female clerk whether the coat she was wearing was sold there and how many points it cost.

About thirty seconds later, she left the store, her steps a little unsteady and her expression one of disbelief.

"This coat costs 35,000 points… That's so expensive."

"Why did Matsuoka-san give me such an expensive coat without a second thought?"

Learning the price of the coat left Sakura secretly thrilled. At that moment, it felt as if she were immersed in a river of honey, her entire being suffused with sweetness.

Her happiness wasn't because she'd received a coat worth over 35,000 yen.

Her joy stemmed from the fact that Rin had given her such a costly coat without any hesitation.

Shy by nature and with no prior experience interacting with boys—let alone receiving gifts from the.

This was the first time Sakura Airi had received a gift from a boy, and such an expensive one at that.

She couldn't help but wonder why Rin Matsuoka had given her such a costly gift without hesitation. Could it be that… he had feelings for her?

At this thought, a shy, coy smile appeared on Sakura's face. Her sparkling eyes revealed the unique charm of a girl caught up in her emotions.

No, no, don't let your imagination run wild, she told herself. matsuoka-san wouldn't be interested in a gloomy girl like me. Stop it. Don't overthink.

But the more she tried to control her thoughts, the more they spiraled. On her way back to the dormitory, the shy blush on her face never faded.

Once she returned to her dorm room, Sakura Airi took off her coat, carefully hung it up, and collapsed onto her bed with a satisfied moan.

"Ah~ Finally back. I'm so tired."

She had walked so much with Rin that afternoon; her exercise probably surpassed that of the past three or four months combined.

Lying on the bed, Sakura sat up, slightly bent her slender waist, and stretched her delicate white hands to rub the soft calves under her pleated skirt. She massaged her tired legs gently.

After about ten minutes of this, Sakura excitedly pulled the camera memory card from her bag, inserted it into the camera, and began deleting the unsatisfactory photos.

After more than half an hour of careful selection, she had removed all the shots she deemed unworthy.

Looking at the handsome photo displayed on the screen, Sakura couldn't help but laugh softly, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Matsuoka-san is so pretty~"

This particular photo had been taken under the shade of the tree behind the special teaching building. To Sakura Airi, it was the best shot of all.

"I want to make this my phone's screensaver."

But then she let out a small cry of regret. "No, I can't. It'd be awful if someone found out. And if Matsuoka-san saw it… I'd die from embarrassment."

Using someone else's photo as a phone screensaver without their permission was too bold and inappropriate. Even braver girls would hesitate to do such a thing, let alone someone as shy as Sakura.

"Even if I can't use Matsuoka-san's photo as my screensaver, I can still secretly keep it and admire it," she murmured. "But I should ask Matsuoka-san for permission first. I hope he lets me copy it."

Sakura Airi muttered quietly to herself, silently praying that Rin would agree.

If Rin Matsuoka refused, Sakura Airi wouldn't copy the photos no matter how reluctant she felt.

This was a matter of principle.

After mustering up her courage, Sakura Airi began typing a message to Rin's Line account:

[Matsuoka-san, I've sorted through all the photos and deleted the unsatisfactory ones. I'd like to make a copy of your photos as a keepsake. Would that be alright?]

She reread the text several times, her heart pounding. Finally, she gritted her teeth and pressed the send icon.

After sending the message, Sakura Airi collapsed onto her bed, feeling utterly drained, like a limp, boiled noodle.

Five minutes before Sakura Airi sent that Line message, Rin Matsuoka received a call from board member Mirai.

"Rin, we've reached a conclusion regarding your complaint against that employee."