COTE: Horikita Is My Childhood Sweetheart

Chapter 1: Horikita Suzune, his childhood sweetheart

---

A group of boys and girls with childish and excited faces were waiting under a huge oak tree, eagerly awaiting the bus to take them to their school.

The April sun was strong, and the sunlight shone through the gaps between the dense branches and leaves of the oak trees, casting patterns of broken golden light onto the young boys and girls below.

Among them was a young man, whose burgundy school suit perfectly complemented his slender figure. His features were regular and handsome, and his eyes were clear and bright, a striking contrast of black and white. The light shining through the oak tree's canopy added a touch of brilliance to his inky black hair.

This handsome young man's name was Rin Matsuoka, and at this moment, he was concentrating on reading the school guide.

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School proudly claims that "almost 100% of students are able to continue their studies" and "99.9% of graduates are able to secure the jobs they desire."

The school also boasts various top-notch facilities on campus, and every month, students receive a special currency for use within the campus. Therefore, parents do not need to provide living expenses for students attending this school.

This school guide almost portrays Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing HighSchool as a paradise-like institution.

"Is this school really that good?" Rin Matsuoka muttered under his breath.

Next to Rin stood a young girl, upright and poised. She looked like a carefully carved doll, exceptionally delicate and pretty. Her hip-length shiny black hair draped elegantly behind her, with a braid on the right side tied neatly with a white bow.

Her black hair stood in sharp contrast to her snow-white skin, which gave her an almost radiant glow.

The girl's eyes were thin but not small, with the corners of her eyes smooth and slightly upturned, giving her a somewhat cold and arrogant appearance. Her cold and clear eyes further intensified the sense of aloofness she exuded.

The cold girl stood upright, glancing sideways at the school guide Rin was holding. She asked in her usual cold voice.

"Matsuoka, are you doubting that this school isn't as good as the guidebook suggests?"

Rin turned his head and glanced at the cold girl who had initiated a conversation with him.

Her name was Horikita Suzune, and she was his childhood neighbor.

No, that wasn't quite right.

Rin Matsuoka and Horikita Suzune couldn't exactly be called childhood friends.

Although they had been neighbors since childhood and had attended the same junior high school, they had never gone to and from school together. They also hadn't spent much time together and weren't particularly close.

They couldn't be considered childhood friends, just familiar neighbors at most.

However, two years ago, Horikita Suzune's brother, Horikita Manabu, often invited Rin over to their home.

Rin nodded slightly at the familiar neighbor girl. He shook the school guide in his hand and said, "The school is described too perfectly. It's almost like a paradise."

"If the government wasn't endorsing it, I'd think this place was some kind of pyramid scheme."

"Especially that part in the guidebook where it says 'you're not allowed to contact the outside world during the three years you study here'—that part is really suspicious."

Horikita Suzune slowly nodded. After reading through the school guide herself, she had similar thoughts to Rin.

"My brother probably hasn't contacted home because of this rule," Horikita Suzune thought.

Horikita Suzune's brother, Horikita Manabu, is currently attending this school as a third-year student and will be graduating at the end of the year.

The reason Horikita Suzune applied to Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School was her admiration for her brother, Horikita Manabu, and her desire to follow in his footsteps.

But what she didn't expect was that the boy next door, Rin Matsuoka, would also apply to the same school.

Horikita Suzune glanced at Rin, who was fanning himself with the guidebook. Her eyes briefly took in his slightly immature but undeniably handsome face.

In less than a second, she retracted her gaze and lowered her eyes, returning to her cold and distant demeanor that discouraged others from approaching.

Because Rin Matsuoka was also attending Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School, Horikita Suzune looked forward to the next three years of high school with a certain sense of anticipation.

"We'll probably be assigned to the same class, right?" she thought quietly.

In their junior high school, where both Rin and Horikita Suzune attended, the bulletin board displayed the grade rankings, and they were often neck-and-neck—one of them always ranking first in the grade.

Horikita Suzune remembered that Rin's academic performance was exceptional, so she assumed they would be placed in the same elite class.

Unfortunately—

Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School didn't divide its students into classes based on test scores.

At that moment, a robotic, emotionless voice echoed in Rin Matsuoka's mind.

[The school's special bus will arrive in twenty seconds. There are only sixteen seats on the bus. If the host doesn't want to stand, be prepared to compete with others for a seat.]

The voice made Rin stop fanning himself. He turned his head and saw the bus slowly approaching the corner of the street.

Rin Matsuoka was an ordinary person, but with strange abilities.

This ability was innate, allowing him to foresee the unknown future, read other people's inner thoughts, and relay information into his mind as a voice.

It could also enhance his personal traits.

Physical strength.

Cognitive abilities.

Sensory perception.

…and much more.

However, the condition was that Rin had to complete the tasks or instructions the voice gave him.

Even more astonishing, the voice could directly grant him specific skills.

Intermediate chess skills.

Intermediate hacking skills.

Intermediate electronics programming.

Intermediate bartending skills.

Advanced free-fighting martial arts.

He had obtained all of these abilities a month ago after completing tasks given by this voice.

Rin called this voice in his mind the "Narration System."

Thanks to the Narration System, Rin not only avoided the need for hard training, but also developed abs that could make girls swoon, all while mastering various skills.

"If only the Narration System could help me with money," Rin thought, somewhat helplessly.

But the system was far too positive. It never gave him hints about taking shortcuts!

If the Narration System had provided guidance on money matters, he could have bought a scratch ticket and easily solved his financial problems.

"Buy a scratch ticket?" Rin mused.

"Is that all the ambition you have?! Buy a lottery ticket!"

"If you win the lottery jackpot, you won't have to worry about anything!"