COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 172: Rin: If you bargain like this, I will raise the price

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"Really?" Nagumo glared at Rin fiercely.

"I don't lie to fools," Rin replied casually.

"Then I can rest eas—wait, what do you mean by that?!" Nagumo's voice rose in anger.

What does he mean by not lying to fools?

Suppressing his frustration, Nagumo said coldly, "Then, Matsuoka, tell me—why has the school called us to the chairman's office together?"

"Who knows?" Rin responded with a sly smile, one that sent shivers down the spines of Nagumo's followers, who were standing behind him.

They vividly remembered this same creepy smile from the last time Rin had gotten the better of them.

"Maybe it's your lackeys, Nagumo," Rin suggested with a grin. "Perhaps they've grown tired of being exploited by you and decided to spill everything to the school."

"That's nonsense!" Dianhe snapped angrily. "Stop trying to sow discord! None of us would betray Boss!"

"Exactly!"

"Boss has treated us so well. There's no way we'd betray him!"

Nagumo's followers immediately chimed in to declare their loyalty, their words making Nagumo smirk arrogantly.

"Matsuoka, you clearly don't understand the bond between us. Your attempts to sow discord are pointless," Nagumo said, his tone dripping with confidence.

"Tsk." Rin clicked his tongue lightly and replied with an indifferent expression, "I do know why the school called both you and me to the chairman's office."

"For me, it's great news. But for you, it might just be a disaster."

Rin's playful smile only deepened Nagumo's foreboding sense of doom. His smug expression faltered, replaced by a flicker of unease.

A disaster?

Nagumo's had suspected all along that nothing good would come from being summoned alongside Rin.

"Heh, do you think we'll fall for your nonsense?" Mizowaki sneered.

Rin shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no need to deceive you. We'll find out everything soon enough at the chairman's office. There's no reason for me to lie to you."

His relaxed demeanor made Nagumo's unease grow stronger. "So, why did the school call us?" Nagumo demanded in a low voice.

"If you want to know, give me 100,000 personal points, and I'll tell you," Rin replied with a smile.

"You wish!" Dianhe retorted. "We'll find out everything at the chairman's office. Why waste personal points on it?"

"True," Rin admitted, "but knowing the reason in advance gives you time to prepare and figure out how to handle the situation, doesn't it, Nagumo?"

Nagumo remained silent, his expression dark and brooding.

[Host, Nagumo is seriously considering spending 100,000 personal points to buy the information from you,] the narration system informed Rin.

Rin raised an eyebrow in interest.

[However, Nagumo is concerned about his reputation. He doesn't want to make the transaction in front of his subordinates because it would hurt his pride.]

"Ah, so if we were alone, he'd be willing to pay the 100,000 points?" Rin thought.

[Exactly.]

Rin's smile grew even brighter. Turning to Nagumo, he said, "Nagumo, I've changed my mind. I'll tell you the reason. Just ask your group to leave first. I'll explain everything to you privately."

Nagumo looked at Bai Yuan in surprise, puzzled by his sudden change in attitude. Still, a sense of relief washed over him.

"You guys leave for now. I'll talk to him alone," Nagumo ordered, waving his hand.

His subordinates, though reluctant, obeyed. They glared at Rin as they walked away, leaving Nagumo alone with him.

"Alright," Nagumo said, crossing his arms. "Go ahead."

Rin extended his phone to Nagumo with a grin.

"Scan it."

"What do you mean by that?!" Nagumo demanded, his voice sharp with irritation.

"I'm very trustworthy," Rin replied casually. "If I say I won't tell you, then I won't. If I say I'll tell you after receiving 100,000 points, then I'll tell you after receiving 100,000 points."

"…" Nagumo's face darkened. This freshman was still as insufferable as ever.

"One hundred thousand is too much. I'll give you ten thousand!"

"If you're going to haggle, I'll raise the price instead," Rin said with a smirk.

"…"

Nagumo was fuming inside. He had an ominous feeling gnawing at him, and Rin's earlier comment about a "disaster" only fueled his anxiety. Desperate to learn why the school had called them to the chairman's office, he reluctantly took out his phone and transferred 100,000 personal points to Rin.

"Wow, earning personal points is really easy," Rin said with a laugh. "First, I won 80,000 points from Koenji. Now I've just earned 100,000 points from you."

He grinned smugly. "That's 180,000 personal points in one day!"

"I've given you the points. Now tell me everything," Nagumo demanded, his voice cold and seething with anger.

"Sure, let's talk while we walk," Rin said, pocketing his phone as he continued walking toward the chairman's office. Nagumo, unwilling but determined, followed close behind.

The situation irked Nagumo immensely. He was used to leading his group, but now he was following behind a mere freshman. The reversal of roles made him feel deeply uncomfortable and humiliated.

"Here's what happened…" Rin began, recounting the story. He explained how his exceptional performance in swimming class had been noticed, how Arata had submitted the competition video to the school, and how it had caught the administration's attention.

Nagumo frowned as he listened. He was genuinely surprised by Rin's remarkable swimming abilities, but something didn't add up.

"What does any of this have to do with the school calling me to the chairman's office?" Nagumo asked suspiciously.

"Well," Rin said with a sly grin, "I mentioned to Arata-sensei that your rule—'the swimming club doesn't accept boys'—prevented me from joining the club."

Nagumo's face darkened.

"So," Rin continued, "I asked Arata-sensei to inform the school that I wanted to join the swimming club, and now the school is handling the issue. Naturally, they've called in you, the vice president of the student council…"

Rin paused, relishing the moment before delivering the punchline.

"…to kick him out of the student council."

Boom.

Nagumo froze as if he had been struck by lightning.

So that's what this was about.

No wonder the school had summoned him to the chairman's office.

"You bastard! You actually plotted against me!" Nagumo roared, his fury erupting as he swung a punch at Rin.

But Rin, having anticipated the move, sidestepped effortlessly to the left, avoiding the attack.

"If you want your arm in a plaster cast again, go ahead," Rin said, his tone calm but laced with warning.

"…"

Nagumo froze mid-motion. Rin's words were a painful reminder of their previous encounter when Rin had fractured his arm. His injury had only recently begun to heal, and the last thing he wanted was to go through that ordeal again.

Suppressing his rage, Rin said coldly, "You actually set me up."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Rin replied, feigning innocence. "Weren't you the one who, after chatting with Asahina-senpai, planned to break my legs and ruin my face?"