The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 100

Part 13: Each of the Three

Chapter 100

Enoshima was more fun than I had expected.

After ringing the bell, we had seasonal raw Shirasu-don (Whitebait fish bowl) to fill our stomachs and then continued further while snacking.

The narrow path suddenly opened up, leading us to a rocky area.

I still remember the excitement of seeing Mount Fuji in the distance across the sea.

There was a discussion about whether to head back the way we came and although Haru was eager to continue, Misa seemed to be struggling, so we took it easy and used a sightseeing boat to return to the entrance of Enoshima.

***

Several weeks have passed since that fun field trip, and June was already drawing to a close.

I don’t like the dreary climate of the rainy season, so I find myself wishing for summer to come quickly.

Well, summer has the problem of being too hot and unpleasant in its own way.

Amidst all this, our relationship continued as usual.

Misa, who has made our relationship public, often clings to me like glue at school.

Occasionally, I receive jealous glares, but I honestly don’t care much about that.

It feels like Misa is by my side almost all the time, except during classes.

I feel like this has not changed from before, but still, the sense of distance is different.

“Rento-kun, I made this. I want you to eat it… ‘Ahhn’.”

While we’re eating lunch in the classroom with classmates around, Misa brazenly does things like this.

Well, it’s not something someone who has been making public confessions until now should be commenting, but——

Due to the recent rainy season, sudden downpours were common.

I dislike having my hands full, so I only carry a small folding umbrella if it’s not raining in the morning.

However, there was a day when I forgot to bring my umbrella because I had used it the day before and left it out to dry.

That evening, it began to rain.

Misa and Haru had both remembered to bring their umbrellas, so when it came time to share, I ended up under Misa’s.

“Come on, Rento-kun. Get closer to me… Maybe we can be more snug if we link arms.”

Saying that she actually passed her arm through mine. Then she rested her head on my shoulder.

Honestly, it’s difficult to walk, but it’s hard to refuse.

It felt like doing things that only couples would do.

Under the same umbrella, I find my heart fluttering at times when Misa looks up at me with a shy expression.

On the other hand, Haru clings to me on holidays.

When we go out, we tend to visit places a bit far from home like Yokohama or Tokyo, or we end up in enclosed spaces like karaoke rooms.

There, we don’t need to worry about the eyes of those around us, and Haru and I can be lovers.

In fact, we can’t really do that anywhere else.

“Hey Ren. It’s okay to hold hands, right? Today is my day after all. I’m your girlfriend too, so it’s okay, right?”

Saying that, Haru hesitantly reaches out to touch my hand.

The moment our hands touched, she quickly intertwined her fingers with mine, linking our hands together.

Haru squeezes my hand over and over as if savoring the sensation of holding hands.

Misa is walking beside me on the opposite side, but at this moment——I delude myself into thinking that Haru is my only girlfriend.

When we entered the karaoke, the seating arrangement, which used to be Haru and Misa on one side and me on the other, now often had Haru and me sitting together.

At first, she sits next to me, but gradually she gets closer, and eventually, she ends up sitting on my lap.

“Ren. Wrap your arm around my stomach. Hold me tight so I won’t get away…”

I did as Haru wished. I wrapped my arm around her from the front and hugged her tightly.

A soft ‘hnng’ escapes her lips, and when I try to loosen my grip, she tells me, ‘stay like this’, so I continue to hold her as if restraining her.

She was able to sing in that state, so it probably wasn’t that uncomfortable for her.

Also, I have to raise my voice right next to Haru’s ear when it’s my turn to sing, so I leave the singing to Haru and Misa.

As someone who’s not good at singing, it’s just right for me to move my body along with their live performance.

Just by moving my body to the rhythm of the music, sweet sounds and breaths would escape from Haru’s mouth as she rode on top of me, so most of the time, I ended up spending my days essentially becoming Haru’s chair.

So, this is how it goes: on weekdays when there’s school, Misa gets to be close to me, and on weekends when there’s no school, Haru gets her turn.

As for me, I had no say in this arrangement. After all, it was already in place before I even realized it.

But well, I had nothing to complain about if the two of them were content with the way things were.

***

Lunch break.

As usual, Misa and Haru gather at my desk.

Misa shares the same desk with me, while Haru has pulled the desk next to mine over to use it.

Up to this point, everything is the same as usual, but I noticed that Haru’s lunchbox is one more than usual.

Haru has a tendency to be a bit of a glutton, so I wondered if she had prepared something extra or if she had brought another container just for dessert, but then Haru started glancing over at me with that lunchbox in her hand.

As I was trying to figure out Haru’s intention, Misa called my name.

“Rento-kun, today I tried making the thick omelet teriyaki style.”

“Oh, what’s that? It looks like it’ll really go well with rice.”

“Fufu. I looked it up on the internet and tried making it. Rento-kun, you like both omelets and chicken teriyaki, so I thought you’d definitely like it.”

“This has got to be delicious even before tasting it…”

As I was careful not to drool at the sight of the thick, shiny omelet, I caught a glimpse of Haru bowing her head and putting away the container from earlier.

Realizing what it was, I called out to Haru.

“Do you cook too, Hinata?”

“Ah? Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“Well, I know Misa is good at cooking because she always makes things like this, but I was wondering about you, Hinata.”

“Uh, umm… I don’t really cook much. I just help my mom with dinner sometimes.”

“I see. So that means all your bentos are made by your mom?”

“Yeah… b-but, this is something I made!”

Thanks to some coaxing, Haru placed the container she had put away earlier back on the desk.

Then, with a lack of confidence, she opened the lid to show me what was inside.

It’s a bite-sized hamburger steak.

“I’ve been practicing recently. But this one got burnt…”

“Ohh, it looks delicious though.”

“…Really? Then, do you want to try it?”

“Can I? Well then, itadakimasu——”

I used my own chopsticks to pick up a hamburger steak handmade by Haru and brought it to my mouth.

Just as she said, there was indeed a burnt flavor spreading in my mouth, but the seasoning was done well, so the sweetness of the meat juices mixed nicely with the tanginess of the ketchup sauce──

“Mmm, it’s delicious.”

“Really? You’re not just being nice?”

“Not at all. It’s a great dish that goes well with rice.”

“…Ehehe, I’m glad.”

Seeing Haru’s smile made me feel even more satisfied.

“Rento-kun. Would you try mine too?”

“Ah, sure. Itadakimasu─”

“Here, ‘ahh'”

“…Ahh”

I ate the thick omelet that Misa held up with her chopsticks in front of me.

Yes, Misa’s cooking is indeed excellent. Living a life where such meals are served every day would be a luxury.

“Is it delicious?”

“Yeah, it’s really delicious. I like the slight spiciness too.”

“Fufu. That, I tried adding a small amount of doubanjiang to my arrangement. I’m glad it suited your taste.”

“You’ve already made it your own recipe? That’s awesome.”

I’m pretty much hopeless when it comes to cooking, so even following a recipe seems like it would be a struggle.

And so, today as well, I was indulging in the role of a dedicated eater, fortunate to have delicious food.