COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 178: You are actually the old man's grand daughter!

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"Uh... Princess, I guess you don't have a sister," Rin muttered.

Arisu Sakayanagi, sipping her coffee, glanced at Hashimoto, whose expression had become subtly awkward. Although she couldn't hear what Rin had whispered to him, she instinctively felt it wasn't something good.

Otherwise, why would Hashimoto's face look so strained?

"Hashimoto, please step out. I'd like to speak with Matsuoka-kun alone," Arisu instructed calmly.

"As you command, Princess," Hashimoto replied, his tone playful and mischievous. He gave Rin a look that clearly said, "Enjoy your time," before leaving the private room.

With the door closed behind him, only Rin and Arisu remained in the private room.

Arisu set down her coffee cup and smiled faintly. Lifting her delicate face, she said, "Please sit, Matsuoka-kun. Let's have a good chat."

"Alright."

Rin sat down on the sofa opposite Arisu. Between them was a table with a chess set neatly arranged on it.

"I wasn't sure what you'd like to drink, Matsuoka-kun, so I ordered a cup of coffee for you," Arisu said, pointing to the untouched cup on the table.

"I'm not a fan of dark drinks like coffee. I prefer sweet drinks," Rin replied.

"That's unfortunate," Arisu said with a slight look of regret before continuing, "I've heard you're quite skilled at chess, Matsuoka-kun. That's why I invited you here—to learn from you."

Rin raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "How did you know that?"

Not many people were aware of his ability to play chess.

"Matsuoka-kun, why don't you guess how I came to know?" Arisu replied with a faint smile, tossing the question back to him.

Rin shook his head. "I'm not a child. I won't waste time guessing. Just tell me the answer."

"Very well. But simply revealing it would be boring. Let me give you a hint: my last name is Sakayanagi, and my full name is Sakayanagi Arisu."

"Sakayanagi?!" Rin exclaimed, startled by the revelation. He looked at the silver-haired girl in front of him with wide eyes. "That's the same last name as the chairman. Are you that old man's…?"

"Yes," Arisu replied, nodding slightly with a faint smile. "I am his…"

"Granddaughter," Rin guessed.

"Daughter," Arisu corrected.

The room fell into an awkward silence.

There was a significant generational difference between a granddaughter and a daughter!

The faint smile Arisu had maintained disappeared as she stared at Rin with an expressionless face. "Why would you assume I'm his granddaughter and not his daughter, Matsuoka-kun?"

"Because Chairman Sakayanagi looks rather old, and you… well, you're so young," Rin replied, trying to phrase it delicately.

The word "young" made Arisu's cheeks twitch slightly. She was well aware of her petite stature and how it made her look more like a junior high school student than a high schooler.

Sakayanagi Narumori's silver hair and slightly aged appearance had led Rin to subconsciously assume that his chess-playing daughter would be closer in age to someone like Chabashira.

Who would have thought that Narumori's daughter would turn out to be such a young-looking loli?

Not wanting to dwell on the topic of her youthful appearance, Arisu quickly shifted the conversation. "Let's move on from irrelevant matters. Matsuoka-kun, how about playing a game of chess with me?"

"Chess again? I just finished playing with your father."

"My father is my father, and I am myself. Matsuoka-kum, you have to treat us separately."

"Fine, I'll play a round with you."

"Good."

Arisu picked the black pieces, leaving Rin with the white pieces.

"You go first." The ever-confident Arisu generously allowed Rin to make the first move. Rin did not refuse and casually moved a pawn.

The game had only progressed five rounds when Arisu noticed something troubling—Rin wasn't taking the game seriously. His moves were careless, and he clearly wasn't giving it his best effort.

This realization made Arisu frown slightly, her delicate silver eyebrows knitting together in dissatisfaction.

"Matsuoka-kun, you're not serious. Why aren't you playing chess properly?"

"I am trying my best," Rin replied nonchalantly.

"I don't believe you." Arisu's voice was firm. "I've reviewed your chess games with my father before. I know your chess level is far from ordinary!"

"I'm telling the truth—I really gave it my all!"

Rin didn't blush or flinch. With a completely serious expression, he raised his hand as though taking an oath. "If I'm lying, then my good brother will never find a girlfriend in his life!"

"For the sake of my good brother not dying single, I would never lie!"

Huff!

Outside the private room, Hashimoto, who was idly sitting nearby, suddenly sneezed violently.

Arisu stared at Rin silently for a moment before saying faintly, "Your good brother has it rough, being associated with you."

"What are you talking about?" Rin asked indignantly. "What's so bad about being my good brother? What's wrong with being single? Long live singlehood!"

"Who is this 'good brother' of yours?"

"Hashimoto."

"When did Hashimoto become your good brother?"

"Just now."

"…Poor Hashimoto."

Well, that's what he gets for introducing a little loli like you to me, Rin thought. He promised to introduce me to a beautiful girl!

Seeing Rin's relaxed demeanor, Arisu realized that unless she resorted to some tactics, he would never take the game seriously.

"I heard from my father that you once approached him, wanting to wager 'personal points' in a chess match, but he refused," Arisu said with a glint in her eye.

"Now, on behalf of my father, I'm accepting that wager. Ten thousand personal points per game. How about it?" she asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.

"I refuse!" Rin replied without a moment's hesitation, catching Arisu completely off guard.

Rin wasn't foolish. The narration system had already warned him that, despite his intermediate chess skills, he would be utterly crushed by Narumori's daughter.

There was no way he was going to gamble his personal points on chess with her!

If he had to gamble, Rin would much rather change the stakes to something more favorable for himself.

His gaze fell on a cane placed next to Arisu. From the polished and smooth handle, it was clear she used the cane frequently, indicating her legs weren't in the best condition.

If the wager was changed from chess to a race, I'd win for sure, Rin thought.

However, even he realized how offensive and inappropriate such a suggestion would be—it would feel like a personal attack on Arisu's physical condition. So he wisely kept the idea to himself.

To dissuade Arisu from pursuing a serious game, Rin said, "Playing chess with all your strength is mentally exhausting. Chess is meant to be a tool for cultivating one's sentiments and adjusting one's mood."

"To play with full force goes against the true spirit of the game."

Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly at his words. What she sought wasn't sentiment or relaxation—she wanted a full-blown battle!

But since Rin refused her wager, there was nothing she could do to force him to take the game seriously.

Feeling increasingly irritated with him, Arisu waved her slender hand dismissively.

"It's no fun playing chess if you won't give it your all. You can leave."