Another Like Me - Part I (CoTE x OC) ?

Chapter 32 - Double-Edged Sword

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"Excuse me?"

"Around 108.6kg or so."

"You're joking. I don't believe you."

"Wanna go to the gym and confirm?"

Horikita looked at me with wide eyes, perhaps trying to digest the number that I had just casually thrown into the air. She looked at me, but here eyes were glazed, and staring hard into me.

"I see," she finally said. "You probably did the right thing holding back, then."

"Don't worry. I'll use my full strength during the tug-of-war. It's not like anyone is gonna be measuring the force I exert."

"Yeah, let's keep it at that." With that, Horikita melted back into the class practice.

***

(Room 412; Takeyama, Keisuke POV):

Knock! Knock!

I swiftly woke up from my bed, having almost fallen asleep. I went ahead and opened the door.

"You're early."

"You asked me to come early." And without permission, Horikita strutted into my room as if it were hers, and plopped herself down on my bed.

"Why did you call me? Surely it isn't about the Sports Festival?" she threw a barrage of questions at me.

"It's something else. There'll be another person coming."

"Who is it?"

"Ayanokoji."

"Ayanokoji?" she wondered aloud. "A rather exemplary gathering."

"You were supposed to come at 4:30pm. It's 4."

"I don't see why it makes you so uncomfortable," she snapped. "I'll head back to my room if it bothers you so much."

"Please don't. Tea? Coffee? Hot chocolate?"

"Coffee. So you would be fine with allowing Ayanokoji in early, but not me? Such discrimination."

"It was necessary. I haven't had anyone over in my room before. It's a first. I wouldn't have called you if it weren't important."

"If it's related to the class, shouldn't you have invited Hirata-kun over as well? He's necessary to the class's development as well," said Horikita.

"Can you stop asking questions and actually listen to me? It's really unsettling."

"Fine. You can continue."

"Wait, you aren't gonna scream and shout at me?" I asked with genuine surprise.

"Do I come across as that dominating?"

"That was very bad choice of words."

"Pervert."

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"The coffee is surprisingly good," she said, after taking a sip.

"It's normal convenience store instant brew," I shrugged. "There's nothing else that I added."

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

"It's about Kushida."

"About Kushida? What's wrong with Kushida?" she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You were in the same middle school as her, were you not?"

Horikita almost choked on her coffee. "Where did you get that information from? Did Kushida tell you?"