COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 141 - 135: Holiday Accident

........

I stepped out of the dorm. The sky was clear for now, but the forecast predicted rain in the afternoon.

The meeting spot was close to the dorm, so I spotted Horikita right away—she'd arrived before me. She noticed me too.

"Morning."

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"Yes. Thank you for coming today."

"Honestly, thanks for inviting me. Otherwise, it'd just be another lazy Sunday."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She gave a small smile. Taking a proper look at her, I realized her outfit matched exactly what I'd suggested in our messages this morning. A white blouse, a navy-blue skirt that reached just above her knees, and black stockings.

"Did you dress based on what I said this morning?"

"Th—... sigh... Yes."

For some reason, she took a deep breath before answering.

"Does it look weird?"

"Nah, it suits you... really well."

Then, it suddenly hit me. I froze. Horikita tilted her head, but my eyes were locked onto—

The stockings.

To put it bluntly... they were amazing.

Ever since realizing I had a thing for thighs, I'd done some research, but stockings were still uncharted territory. Horikita already had great proportions, and her legs were long. The black skirt and stockings were a deadly combo. The fact that her thighs were just hidden made them even more alluring. Bare legs had their charm too, but—

"What's wrong? You keep staring at my legs."

"Ah, uh, n-no, it's nothing."

"...This is the first time I've ever seen you flustered."

Am I a pervert? Staring at a girl's legs like this right before we're about to hang out? Thankfully, Horikita just seemed suspicious rather than outright disgusted.

"Anyway, what's the plan? We didn't decide anything yet, right?"

"No, we didn't."

"Anywhere you wanna go?"

"...I was too focused on picking an outfit, so I didn't think about anything else. What about you?"

"Nothing in particular..."

So we were both going in blind.

"How about we walk around Keyaki Mall and decide as we go?"

"Sounds good."

No objections there. As we walked side by side, I realized how natural it felt now—no awkwardness at all.

"Wanna check out places we haven't been to before?"

"That might be nice. Then—"

"Eh? Horikita-san?"

Just as we entered Keyaki Mall, a voice called out to Horikita from the upper right. I'd been through this before.

"Kushida-san... sigh."

Horikita let out a tired sigh, probably expecting Kushida to either interrupt us or tease her for being with me.

But this time, no such remarks came.

"! What's wrong? You're sweating..."

Kushida looked off—nervous, even. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead as she hesitated, staring straight at me instead of Horikita.

"Hey, you okay?"

"...!"

I couldn't just ignore her, so I spoke up—only for Kushida to flinch, jump back, and run away without a word.

"「Eh...?」"

The suddenness left us both stunned. What was that? It was like she was running from me...

"What was that about?"

"I was about to ask you..."

We exchanged glances but had no answers, so we just shrugged it off.

........

After discussing, we decided to head to the training room on Keyaki Mall's second floor.

"I've been interested in this place for a while. But I didn't feel like going alone, so thanks for coming with me."

"Same here. Glad we came together."

I'd been to most of Keyaki Mall's facilities, but this gym had more of a group atmosphere, making it awkward to go solo.

"All you need is your student ID to use the equipment."

"You know a lot about this."

"Like I said, I looked into it beforehand."

That explained why she chose this as our first stop. Having done her research made things smoother.

At the reception, we showed our IDs and were quickly given free trial access, along with rental training clothes. From there, staff would guide us separately.

"See you later. Let's meet up after changing."

"Yeah."

We parted with a wave. After getting a rundown on lockers and shower rooms, I changed into the rental gear.

As I headed to the training area, a male student entered the changing room.

"Ayanokouji?"

The familiar face belonged to Ayanokouji, slightly sweaty, likely from a workout. He seemed just as surprised to see me.

"Hikigaya? What are you doing here?"

"Here with someone for the free trial. You here with Ichinose, like you said yesterday?"

"Yeah. Didn't expect to run into you, though."

Out of all the places in Keyaki Mall, this was an unlikely coincidence. Fate was scary.

"Well, I'm heading out. Hope you get some info out of Ichinose."

"Wait, Hikigaya."

Just as I was about to leave, he stopped me.

"What?"

"I just finished training, and my physical ability has dropped a lot. You've noticed it too, right?"

"Yeah."

With barely any exercise over the past two years, our abilities had declined significantly compared to our first year. Ayanokouji must've realized that.

"I'm not expecting to get back to how I was, but I should at least improve my baseline. So I've got a proposal."

"A proposal?"

"To regain my reflexes, I want Yagami and Amano's help. Those two can handle us going all out."

In short, he wanted them as sparring partners. They would be good practice.

"Fine by me, but why not ask them directly?"

"...You think they'd listen to me? Or anyone but you?"

"...I'll talk to Amano and Yagami."

No way they'd take this seriously if it came from Ayanokouji. It was better coming from me.

The four of us—me, Ayanokouji, Yagami, and Amano—had never all been together before. Even if the goal was just physical training, it felt like some kind of reunion. Kind of exciting.

"Huh, there's a lot here."

The training room had all sorts of equipment, but having trained in the White Room's advanced facilities, it wasn't too unfamiliar. Plus, it was surprisingly crowded.

"...Sorry for the wait."

Horikita emerged in her training gear, and I couldn't help but stare. She seemed aware of it, crossing her arms defensively. Her face looked slightly red.

Gym clothes prioritized mobility, so it made sense she'd feel self-conscious. But there was nothing to be done about it.

"Let's get started. No point coming here if we don't enjoy it."

"...Right."

Maybe realizing I was trying to be considerate, Horikita let out a small laugh, and we began trying out the equipment together.

........

After that, we spent some time exploring Keyaki Mall. We rested at a café post-workout, browsed stores aimlessly, bought clothes—things I'd never normally do, all with Hikigaya-kun.

I rarely went out on weekends. If I didn't have business outside, I'd spend my time studying, doing whatever it took to reach Class A.

But today—

"———I had fun."

My social circle was small, but it wasn't like I'd never gone out or visited leisure spots before. Yet, spending today with Hikigaya-kun... felt different. I didn't understand why.

By evening, as we left Keyaki Mall, rain had started falling. Not heavy, but steady.

"It's raining. You bring an umbrella, Horikita?"

Hikigaya-kun asked. Of course I had one. Checking the weather was basic, and preparing was natural. And yet—

"...Sorry. I forgot. Mind if I share yours?"

"Eh? Ah, yeah. Sure."

The lie slipped out effortlessly. Hikigaya-kun looked surprised but quickly opened his umbrella, letting me in as we walked.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Though, forgetting an umbrella doesn't seem like you."

"Even I make mistakes sometimes."

"I guess."

Why did I lie? I still didn't know. But being next to him felt nice. Sharing an umbrella, despite the cramped space, was oddly comfortable.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

He turned to face me.

"Lately, I can't stop thinking about you."

"———Huh?"

"I keep wanting to see you... to have you touch me."

"Eh? Wh-what?"

"Today was the same. I was so focused on going out with you that I couldn't think of anything else."

"R-really?"

"I picked my outfit carefully, hoping you'd compliment me."

"Y-you looked good."

"At the gym, my heart raced watching your abs and arm muscles."

"Your heart...?"

"Even the clothes I bought today were all ones you reacted well to."

"Th-that's my bad."

"You reacted the most to hot pants and shorts... Do you like legs?"

"I'm really sorry about that."

He apologized earnestly at the end, but still—

"———Ngh!"

"...Took you long enough to get embarrassed."

He pointed out how red my ears were, and I told him to shut up. It wasn't my fault—I'd gotten carried away in the moment.

"...I'll be honest."

Facing him under the umbrella, I fought back the heat in my cheeks, grateful for the rain masking my voice. I could never say this in a quiet place.

"I like you."

Relief, anxiety over his reaction, and overwhelming embarrassment wrapped around me. I had no idea what my face looked like right now.

"You don't have to answer. It's fine."

"...You sure?"

"If you replied now, I'd be useless for anything else. No—I'd definitely just think about you nonstop."

Getting this frustrating feeling off my chest was a relief. Part of me did want an answer. But I still had things to do—like graduating in Class A. Right now, I needed to focus on that.

"So, can I hear your answer after I graduate in Class A?"

"You're that confident about reaching Class A?"

"Of course."

He chuckled at my boldness, then glanced at me sideways.

"You really surprised me, saying all that out of nowhere."

"I realized I like you way more than I thought, so I had to say it quickly."

Otherwise, I'd lose control. This was the best time to confess.

"Just to confirm—you're not dating anyone, right?"

"Yeah... I'm not."

...He totally looked away just now.

"What was that just now?"

"'I'm not'?"

"...Horikita, we're at the dorm."

Abruptly speeding up, he ushered me inside, then stepped back to close the umbrella. He dodged that... I'll interrogate him later.

........

For a second, I wondered if I should mention Hiyori and the others, but there was no way to bring that up now. Horikita was still suspicious, but I'd steer the conversation away for now.

"...Horikita?"

Once the umbrella was closed, she lightly tugged my arm—just a pinch's worth of force.

"That's it for today, right?"

"Yeah."

"...Can I be a little selfish?"

Her grip tightened slightly as she looked up at me.

"I still want to stay with you."

"Stay...?"

"Just for today. Can't we spend a little more time together?"

Frowning, her eyes pleaded with me. I'd never seen her look so vulnerable.

"..."

Turning her down now would be rude. She'd mustered the courage to confess, and even if she said she didn't need an answer, if this was what she wanted, I'd oblige.

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