COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 7: Sakayanagi Narumori is numb

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"Okay, let's continue."

Sakayanagi Narumori became serious.

And he lost all his pieces again.

Defeated once more.

And then, he lost again.

Stubbornly, Sakayanagi Narumori initiated a third game.

...

After losing five games in a row, Sakayanagi Narumori had become numb to the outcome. He was now deeply aware of two things:

First, the young man in front of him was better at chess than he was, though he couldn't gauge just how much better.

Second, this young man always waited until all his chess pieces were captured before moving in for the checkmate. Clearly, his personality was insufferable!

In a game of chess, it is customary to show respect to one's opponent by not deliberately capturing all of their pieces. To do so would be seen as a humiliation. Of course, a player could choose to resign when the situation seemed hopeless.

But how could someone like Sakayanagi Narumori, described by the narration system as "strong-willed all his life," possibly surrender?

In reality, Rin Matsuoka wasn't intentionally being cruel. He was simply following the prompts given by the narration system, which advised him to capture all of Narumori's pieces before winning.

Blame the narration system.

Sakayanagi Narumori's expression showed slight distress. Even though he was generally calm and generous, he couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at being "bullied" like this.

But I can't beat him at chess… What should I do?

Noticing Rin Matsuoka's high school uniform, Sakayanagi Narumori suddenly had an idea. He decided to reveal his identity to intimidate this troublesome freshman.

He deliberately frowned and put on a serious expression. "Young man, do you know who I am?"

"Hmm?" Rin Matsuoka looked up, confused.

[Host, some elderly individuals may suffer from Alzheimer's disease (senile dementia), leading to memory impairment.]

[Amnesia can cause patients to forget their identities.]

[That's why the old man before you asked if you know who he is.]

The narration's reminder left Rin Matsuoka momentarily stunned. He glanced silently at Sakayanagi Narumori, who was sitting in front of him.

Rin Matsuoka began searching for a tag on Narumori's clothing that might reveal his identity or a family contact number.

Seeing the strange, pity-filled expression in Rin Matsuoka's eyes—an odd mixture of sympathy, curiosity, and concern—Sakayanagi Narumori couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you trying to guess my identity from my appearance?"

"Pretty much," Rin Matsuoka replied hesitantly. "I heard that some elderly people who suffer from Alzheimer's can't remember their names or family members, so their families attach tags with identifying information to them so others can help contact their families."

"Why don't you have a tag, old man? Is it in your pocket?"

"…" Sakayanagi Narumori was stunned, and then his face darkened.

This kid actually thought he had Alzheimer's just because he had asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Sakayanagi Narumori felt anger rising, but he couldn't bring himself to scold Rin Matsuoka, who seemed genuinely concerned.

Still… I'm so frustrated!

Don't get mad, don't get mad… No need to be petty with a kid who doesn't even have facial hair.

Sakayanagi Narumori took a deep breath to calm his emotions and said, enunciating each word, "I am not old or senile!"

"Huh?"

"Also, I know exactly who I am! When I asked if you knew who I am, I meant if you knew my identity!"

"Oh!"

Though Narumori's words were a bit difficult to follow, Rin Matsuoka understood.

Realizing he had misunderstood, Rin Matsuoka pursed his lips and then put on an innocent expression.

It was all the narrator's fault. This guy had completely misled him!

Otherwise, how could Rin Matsuoka have misunderstood what Sakayanagi Narumori just said?

"Ahem," Rin cleared his throat and offered a sheepish smile. "I'm really sorry, um... Old man, you don't mind, right?"

"Ha..." Sakayanagi Narumori let out a long sigh, smiling kindly. "It's fine. I'm broad-minded and generous, so of course, I don't mind."

"That's a relief," Rin replied, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

"By the way, what's your name? We've been playing chess for so long, and I still don't know it," Sakayanagi Narumori asked suddenly.

"Matsuoka, Rin Matsuoka. What should I call you, sir?"

"Sakayanagi, Sakayanagi Narumori."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Sakayanagi," Rin greeted him with a smile, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you too, Matsuoka-kun."

Sakayanagi Narumori grasped Rin's outstretched hand firmly, staring at him with a smile. "Actually, I'm the chairman of this school."

"…"

Rin's smile froze. He tried to pull his hand back, but Sakayanagi Narumori's grip was firm, making it impossible for him to do so...

Seeing Rin's stunned expression, Sakayanagi Narumori felt a subtle sense of satisfaction. *That's what you get for winning all those chess games against me and capturing all my pieces.*

The pavilion was surrounded by beautiful scenery, and the atmosphere was quiet and serene.

"Ahem, sir, I'm a freshman, and the entrance ceremony is about to begin. I should get going!"　

Rin took advantage of Sakayanagi Narumori's brief distraction, quickly pulling his hand back, and darted away like a gust of wind.

Sakayanagi Narumori watched Rin's retreating figure with a smile, muttering to himself, "He already knows who I am, yet he still dares to call me 'old man.' Is he just being casual, or does he not care at all about my position as chairman?"

"Matsuoka Rin, huh? Let's see which class you're in."

Sakayanagi Narumori pulled out his phone from his suit pocket and opened the new student admission files sent by the admissions office.

He first opened the student list for Class A of the first year.

"Matsuoka Rin, Matsuoka Rin... Hmm? There's no such name in Class A. Maybe he's in Class B?"

"No, his name isn't in Class B either?! That can't be right."

"Class C, perhaps? Surely he isn't in Class D..."

"Nothing in Class C either... this kid must really be in Class D!"

Sakayanagi Narumori's previously calm expression shifted to one of surprise and confusion. "This doesn't make sense. He beat me in five consecutive chess games."

Although being good at chess doesn't necessarily prove intelligence, those who excel at it generally possess strong critical thinking, logical reasoning, and mental arithmetic skills.

A person with these three abilities shouldn't be in the lowest class!

"Maybe Matsuoka Rin just isn't good academically? Let's check his detailed profile."

Still puzzled, Sakayanagi Narumori clicked on the name [Matsuoka Rin] and navigated to a webpage with a detailed student introduction.

When Sakayanagi Narumori saw Rin's scores in all subjects, his eyes widened, and his pupils trembled.

"Zero points in every subject? What's going on!"