COTE Year 2 Reimagined

Volume 1:Part 9

It was Saturday around 10 in the morning when I heard a knock on my door. Who would visit me at this time of day? I opened the door and was unfortunately met by Amasawa Ichika.

"You didn't forget about me, did you Senpai?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here so I could take you shopping, you need to buy ingredients and kitchenware so you can cook for me, don't you?"

She disappears for almost a whole, then shows up out of nowhere and demands that we go shopping...

"Why didn't you show up where you said you would?"

"I was a little busy, so sorry about that. You didn't miss me, did you?"

She chuckled as soon as she said that.

How did she even know where my room was? Was she watching me, or perhaps she asked someone?

"If you're wondering how I found you Ayanokoji-senpai, that's simple. I just asked a boy in your class!"

A first year girl with Amasawa's attitude asking where my room is would probably start up some ugly rumours... I said this already, but this was really way more troublesome than I thought.

"Let's just go."

Luckily, I was already dressed, I could tell Amasawa wanted to go into my room. If I wasn't dressed, she'd excuse herself in while I was getting ready.

Why would she want to go in, though? Her attitude was suspicious, but it was almost too obvious for me to consider. Regardless, I wasn't about to let my guard down.

I decided to go along with her for now while on the way there. I texted Horikita to let her know what happened, but before I could get a response...

"You're awfully rude, Ayanokoji-senpai. I mean, we're out here together, and you're just spending your time on your phone? If you don't treat me nicely, then I might just cancel this whole thing and find a new partner."

She crossed her arms and looked the other way,she clearly knew what she was doing. I can't clearly say whether Amasawa is the spy or not, but she's definitely someone I need to keep my eye on.

I put my phone away, I could hear a notification,probably Horikita, but I chose to ignore it so I don't get another earful from Amasawa.

We arrived at Keyaki Mall and started shopping. She dragged me along for at least 2 hours she took her sweet time picking everything it seemed like her first time at the mall, or maybe she was purposefully being ignorant to waste my time I honestly couldn't tell.

One thing, however, caught my eye immediately,it was the fruit knife she bought and how quickly she bought it.

I decided not to say anything for now and continued tagging along,I was also forced to pay for everything she bought. Normally, I don't make a fuss about private points, but I might ask Horikita for compensation this time. I was struggling as it is due to my deal with Kushida, so I couldn't exactly afford to go on a spending spree with Amasawa right now.

When we finally finished buying everything, we headed back to the dorms. Unfortunately for me, the time we made it back was the same time everyone decided to leave their room and go out I don't even know how many people saw me take Amasawa into my room while carrying her bags. I got a few looks as I was walking with her some of disgust and some of jealousy. I didn't like either of them.

"I finally get to see your room, Senpai! Wow, there's nothing here! I didn't think you'd be this boring if I'm being honest, but hopefully, your cooking skills make up for that!"

As usual, my room decor,or lack thereof,was insulted by visitors.

"What dish would you like?"

I had a plan with Horikita so she could give me instructions through an earpiece, but since Amasawa's visit was completely unexpected, I had to improvise.

She told me what dish she wanted and laid on my bed like she was in her own room.

Luckily, the dish she asked for was one that I knew, but that didn't mean it would be easy to make it was quite hard, actually.

I started working on it regardless and decided to ask her about the knife while I was working.

"Why did we need a fruit knife? I don't see how it's necessary to make what you want."

"So you can bring me an apple alongside my food, obviously!"

"An apple?"

"Yes, I always eat apples next to my meals. it's why my hair is so red."

I thought my jokes were unfunny, but Amasawa had me beat in that regard.

It didn't take long for me to finish what I was doing,it honestly didn't look too good. I started debating whether it would even be edible, but I decided to give it to her anyway.

She was happy to receive the dish and didn't even complain about how it looked.

"Now bring an apple, Senpai, please!"

I used the fruit knife to peel the apple and placed it on her plate,I stood next to her and waited for her judgement.

"Wow!"

It seemed that despite appearances, my dish tasted fine.

"It's awful! This might just be the worst dish I've had in years!"

I was wrong.

She said all that while her warm smile never left her face she reminded me of Kushida.

"Well, there's no helping it. I guess I fail."

I accepted defeat and started to move on, but then...

"No, you pass! I'll partner up with Sudo-senpai on the test."

Amasawa was as unpredictable as it got none of her actions where rational.

"I see."

"Yep! Next time I expect an improvement goodbye senpai don't miss me too much k?"

She stood up before even finishing her plate and left.

I noticed she didn't even touch her apple.

I decided to try the food out myself, and it turns out her judgement was completely fair. I got rid of the leftovers, ate the apple myself, and then washed the dishes.

After I was done with all that, I decided to call Horikita.

<So, you finally respond? I texted you over 2 hours ago.>

<Amasawa said she wouldn't partner up with Sudo if I was on my phone too much.>

"What a troublesome girl. How did it go?>

<She agreed.>

<And the food?>

<I'd rather not discuss that.>

<You're a disappointment.>

She hung up immediately after that... Why was she acting like I was her lifelong student meant to carry her legacy? She gave me three lessons and spent most of them yelling at me.

I realised I forgot to discuss the private point matter with her. It was probably too late now, and I should forget about any compensation, but I was still disappointed.

However, I did learn a lot today. Amasawa was more than she let on, and her actions were devoid of any logic, making her completely unpredictable. If she truly was the spy or, even worse, a white room student, I might actually be in trouble.

I didn't know much about the other generations in the white room, so I had to assume anyone from there would be at least on my level if not stronger.

One week had officially passed, and I wasn't any closer to finding a partner.