COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 161: Rin: Who are you?

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"Alright," Rin chuckled as he patted Karuizawa's soft, honey-colored hair. She beamed with joy, her eyes curving happily.

At that moment, a rather vulgar and obscene voice echoed nearby.

"Kikyo-chan, Kikyo-chan, Kikyo-chan! Hoo hoo, hoo hoo, so high!"

Karuizawa, who was enjoying Rin's head pats, glanced over and saw Ike and his group staring at Kushida. Their eyes were wide open, their nostrils flared, and the sight was utterly revolting.

"These guys are disgusting," Karuizawa muttered disdainfully, her evaluation of Ike's group clear.

The boys in Class D, except for Rin and Hirata, were all ogling the girls on the diving platform with similarly unpleasant expressions.

Arata, holding a timer in one hand and a whistle in the other, shouted, "When the whistle blows, the game will begin. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready!"

"Then get ready... beep!"

With a sharp blow of the whistle, the eight girls standing on the diving platform dove into the swimming pool one after another. The girl with the most precise form upon entering the water was Onodera, followed closely by Horikita.

In the 50-meter swimming pool, Onodera proved to be the fastest swimmer, with Horikita trailing closely behind.

These two were leagues ahead of the others, quickly creating a significant gap between themselves and the rest of the girls.

Onodera and Horikita completed the 50 meters gracefully, securing first and second place, respectively.

After all the girls finished and reached the pool's edge, Arata, now holding a calculator, pointed to Onodera and announced loudly, "First place: 26.7 seconds."

He then pointed at Horikita, whose face remained cold and composed, and said, "Second place: 28.3 seconds."

"Third place: 30.9 seconds."

"Fourth place: 31.6 seconds."

As soon as Arata announced the fourth-place result, the boys erupted into cheers and applause.

The reason? Fourth place belonged to Kushida.

"Fifth place: 32.4 seconds."

From her seat in the audience, Chabashira nodded slightly. The first three girls showed impressive physical fitness, particularly Onodera and Horikita, who seemed brimming with energy.

Arata waved to the boys and called out loudly, "Now it's the boys' turn. There are sixteen boys, so we'll divide you into two groups of eight."

"Teacher, I can't swim," Yukimura reiterated firmly.

"If you can't swim, just watch from the side," Arata replied without hesitation.

Rin gently patted Karuizawa's hand, which was holding his tightly. "Kei, it's my turn."

Karuizawa reluctantly let go of his hand but quickly grabbed it again, holding his soft, fair hand tightly as she encouraged him.

"Good luck!"

"Mm," Rin responded with a nod.

Yamauchi, noticing Rin heading toward Arata, nudged Ike, who was still distracted by the girls.

"What's up, Yamauchi?"

"Matsuoka seems to be joining the competition. Let's go too and beat him! That'll show the girls we're better than that guy!"

"Good idea!"

Yamauchi's suggestion immediately lit a fire in Ike, and the two strode confidently toward Arata.

Meanwhile, Ayanokoji observed the boys heading toward the teacher with his usual calm demeanor. After a brief moment of thought, he too stepped forward.

Ayanokoji preferred to avoid the spotlight, choosing instead to operate from the shadows.

Now, the most eye-catching boy, Rin, was about to compete in the first group, and Ayanokoji decided to join as well. He figured that Rin would draw all the attention, leaving him in the shadows where he preferred to be.

The boys in the first group were Rin, Ayanokoji, Ike, Yamauchi, Sudo, and other randoms.

Karuizawa placed her hands around her mouth like a trumpet and cheered loudly for Rin.

"Come on, Rin!"

Not to be outdone, Kushida joined in, her energetic voice ringing out, "Come on, Matsuoka-san~!"

The other girls followed suit, cheering for Rin with equal enthusiasm.

Unlike the louder girls, Sakura and Horikita cheered silently for Rin in their hearts. Meanwhile, Chabashira straightened her graceful posture in the audience and fixed her sharp gaze on Rin.

The enthusiastic and scattered cheers for Rin made all the other boys, except Rin and Ayanokoji, turn pale.

- Isn't there a single girl cheering for us?

- Can you really get away with anything just because you're handsome?

Their thoughts spiraled into despair as they cursed this world where only appearance seemed to matter.

Yamauchi, overcome with envy and jealousy, clenched his fists in anger. He even considered spitting into the pool to express his disgust toward the "shallow" girls. However, knowing he'd have to swim in that very pool, he reluctantly dropped the idea.

"Matsuoka, huh? I'll do my best to defeat you. Just wait!" Yamauchi declared, his voice trembling with frustration.

Rin turned his head to look at Sudo, who was glaring at him with fiery eyes. Tilting his head slightly, Rin asked, "Who are you?"

Of course, Rin remembered Sudo's name. He was only teasing him.

"I'm Sudo Ken!"

"Oh."

"What's with that tone, you jerk?!" Sudo shouted in anger.

At the other end of the pool, Koenji from Koenji Corporate stood with his arms crossed, wearing only briefs. His focus was entirely on Rin.

"This boy's muscles are incredible…" Koenji muttered to himself.

"Interesting!"

"On your marks, get ready…"

The boys standing on the diving platform bent down in preparation.

"Beep!"

Arata blew the whistle, and the boys dived into the water. Since most of them lacked proper training, their dives created chaotic splashes.

Among them, the biggest splashes came from Ike and Yamauchi, who seemed to have hit the water flat on their stomachs. Whether it hurt them or not was anyone's guess.

Rin, however, stood out immediately with his elegant swimming technique. He effortlessly opened up a significant lead over the other boys.

The girls watching from the sidelines erupted into excitement.

"Ooooooh!"

"Matsuoka-san is so fast!"

"Yes, yes, yes! And his swimming posture is so elegant!"

"Come on, come on!"

Rin did not disappoint. Amid the cheers of the girls, he claimed first place with ease.

As Rin climbed out of the pool using the handrail, the clear water slid down his perfectly streamlined muscles. This mesmerizing sight made the girls' eyes shine with admiration. Some swallowed hard, wishing they could replace the water trickling down his body.

- Oh, how embarrassing!

"Heh." Chabashira, who had been watching intently, let out a low chuckle. After observing Rin's swimming speed and physical condition firsthand, she now had a complete understanding of his abilities.