COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 183: Shiina Hiyori is waiting

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Rin flipped through the four thick classic novels Shiina had brought. He noticed that, except for Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity, the other three were all mystery novels.

"[Whose Body?] is also a mystery novel. Shiina really seems to have a strong preference for mystery novels," Rin thought to himself.

At that moment, Shiina returned from her room with a stool in hand. She placed it next to Rin's stool and then glanced at the book he was holding.

"Rin, the book you're holding is The End of Eternity. Do you prefer science fiction novels over mystery novels?" she asked curiously.

"No, not really," Rin replied. "It's just that all the other books are mystery novels, but this one isn't, so I'm a little curious about it."

"Even though The End of Eternity isn't a mystery novel, it's an amazing science fiction story about time travel," Shiina explained with enthusiasm. "Some of the plots are so intricate and bizarre that they're even more exciting than mystery novels!"

Shiina clasped her hands together, her eyes lighting up. "That's why I brought it with me. If you enjoy this masterpiece too, Rin, we'll have even more to talk about!"

"But I haven't even finished reading [Whose Body?] yet," Rin admitted, smiling slightly.

"It's okay~" Shiina replied, her cheerful tone unwavering. "Take your time, Rin. I bought these books with my personal points anyway."

Shiina, who had received 100,000 personal points, hadn't spent them on expensive cosmetics or fashionable clothes. Instead, she had used them to buy a collection of classic novels she loved.

You're truly a literary girl, Rin thought, somewhat impressed by her dedication.

The two of them sat down on the stools in front of Rin's desk. Rin began flipping through his half-finished copy of Whose Body?, while Shiina started reading The Mystery of the Egyptian Cross.

On the surface, it appeared that they were deeply engrossed in their respective books.

In reality, neither of them was fully focused on the novels in front of them.

Because their stools were so close together, Rin and Shiina were sitting just inches apart. They could easily sense each other's presence and even catch the faint scents emanating from one another.

Shiina's soft, sweet fragrance, reminiscent of cotton candy, made it difficult for Rin to concentrate on Whose Body?.

Similarly, Shiina couldn't help but feel a little flustered. The faint, refreshing scent that Rin carried—a natural and clean aroma—made her slightly restless. She gently adjusted her posture, closing her snow-white legs wrapped in gray stockings.

As she glanced at the novel in front of her, she found her gaze drifting toward Rin's book, Whose Body?, as if she couldn't wait for him to finish the chapter he was on.

She was waiting—waiting for Rin to finish reading so she could discuss the chapter with him right away.

Just then, a voice from the narration system sounded in Rin's mind.

[Host, a new mission has been issued.]

[Read ten famous novels of over 100 pages in their entirety. Upon completion, you will gain advanced mental arithmetic skills.]

[Time limit: None.]

"Advanced mental arithmetic skills? That's an incredibly generous reward," Rin thought to himself, intrigued by the mission.

Mental arithmetic, as the name suggested, referred to the ability to perform complex calculations entirely in one's mind.

This skill had a variety of practical applications, one of which was chess.

In chess, there was a concept called "chess mental arithmetic," which referred to using mental calculations and strategic analysis to predict and evaluate the game's development during a match.

Without actually making any moves in a chess game, someone with strong mental arithmetic skills can predict and analyze future moves and changes, allowing them to develop more reasonable and effective strategies.

It's like watching a chess game that's only halfway through, yet being able to predict the outcome with precision.

Rin placed great importance on acquiring advanced mental arithmetic skills. To that end, he resolved to dedicate his free time to reading famous novels.

This wasn't a bad thing, as Shiina's enthusiastic recommendations had sparked Rin's interest in classic literature.

In a way, the task issued by the narration system created a mutually beneficial scenario. The system encouraged Rin to acquire new abilities, while Shiina's influence nurtured his growing love for novels.

With this in mind, Rin forced himself to ignore the soft and delicate presence of the literary girl sitting next to him and focused all his attention on Whose Body?.

---

Time flew by.

Before they realized it, it was 5:30 in the evening, and the sky outside had started to darken. Rin turned his head to look at Shiina, who was still sitting quietly beside him, absorbed in her book.

"Shiina, it's already dinner time. Let's head to the student cafeteria and grab something to eat," Rin suggested.

"Yeah," Shiina nodded gently, though her fair face was tinged with regret. How could time pass so quickly?

The slight hunger in her abdomen reminded Shiina that it was indeed time for dinner. Otherwise, her stomach might soon protest.

As evening arrived, their leisurely time of reading together had to come to an end. Shiina tilted her head slightly and looked at Rin, her beautiful purple eyes full of anticipation.

"Rin, can we continue reading after dinner?"

"Sure," Rin replied with a smile.

"Yeah!" Shiina beamed, her smile softer and sweeter than marshmallows.

The two of them carefully placed bookmarks in their respective books before closing them. Then, they left the dormitory together and headed to the student cafeteria.

---

When they arrived, the cafeteria was packed with students during the evening rush. There were no available seats together, and Shiina Hiyori didn't want to sit separately from Rin.

Luckily, the cafeteria offered a take-out service, which required an extra payment equivalent to an order for ten people. Without hesitation, Shiina Hiyori coquettishly suggested to Rin that they pack their food and take it back to the dormitory to eat.

Rin had no objections and agreed to Shiina Hiyori's proposal.

The cafeteria staff packed their food into plastic lunch boxes for them, and as they left, Rin turned to Shiina Hiyori.

"Shiina, can you help me carry the food back to the dormitory? I'll stop by the convenience store to buy a low table and a carpet so we won't have to eat at the desk," Rin explained.

"Okay," Shiina agreed obediently, taking the lunch boxes and the key to Rin's dormitory that he handed her.

After Shiina's visit, Rin realized the need for a low table. Without one, they had nowhere comfortable to sit and eat. A low table would solve that problem, and when not in use, it could easily be stored by leaning it against the wall or tucking it under the bed.

At the entrance to the cafeteria, Rin and Shiina parted ways. He headed to the convenience store to look for a suitable low table and carpet, while Shiina returned to the dormitory building, carrying the two plastic lunch boxes.

Upon reaching the dormitory building, Shiina arrived at the elevator, ready to head up to Rin's room.