The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 115

Chapter 115

I walk hand in hand with Misa along the night road lit by streetlights as the clouds hide the moon.

The situation I once longed for had come true, yet my heart wasn’t as excited as I had thought it would be.

Misa, walking beside me, asks without looking away from the path ahead.

“Hey, Rento-kun. Did you meet with Haru tonight because she invited you?”

“…What was it again?”

“I see, so it was her invitation. I don’t know how she managed to lure you out, but I guess you sensed her feelings and acted accordingly, Rento-kun.”

I’m surprised that she understands so much, but then again, it’s Misa, so I feel a strange sense of ‘it makes sense’.

“It’s the same with the Enoshima incident. You tried to stop her from attaching the lock, but in the end, you gave in to her feelings. However, judging it to be dangerous to leave it as it was, you quickly prepared a lock with both our names, attached it similarly, and captured it in a photo… You did that for her, didn’t you? Actually, it was useful.”

Yes. The photo of that lock turned out to be useful.

The day after the excursion, I was cornered by Moriya in the classroom.

“Seko! I found a love lock with your and Hinata’s names on it! Explain this to me!”

He said that while thrusting a photo of a padlock with mine and Haru’s names written on it in my face.

So, I operated my smartphone and showed him the photo in question.

“It’s just a wish for the bonds between the three of us to last forever. That’s why there’s one for me and Misa, one for me and Hinata, and one for Misa and Hinata. There’s one for every combination.”

When I countered with that, Moriya left with a frustrated look.

It’s annoying how he found it despite me placing it on the highest spot to avoid attention.

As I finished reminiscing, Misa squeezed my hand tightly.

“Thanks to your quick thinking, Haru was saved. But, stopping her from attaching the lock in the first place would have been the safest thing.”

“Well, maybe.”

“Yet, you didn’t do that. I knew it, but you really are too sweet to Haru.”

“I don’t mean to be.”

“Being unconsciously so makes it worse. Sigh. I’m jealous.”

Misa said that and gripped my hand tighter than before. It’s a little bit painful.

Then she looks at me intently and says──

“What would you do if, at some point, you had to push her away because it was for her own good?”

“If it’s for Haru’s sake, then yes, I’ll do it.”

“Really? Even if she comes to you with tears in her eyes begging for help?”

I try to imagine Haru with a face about to cry, pleading… It’s hard.

“Look. You have a soft spot for her.”

Was it that obvious, or did she just sense it?

──Misa turned away with a pout. Then, like before, she expressed her dissatisfaction with her hands.

***

Today is Sunday, a day off.

But we’re at school because there’s a mock exam.

As someone not in a club, it’s rare for me to come to school on a holiday.

The morning feels strange, not encountering the usual salarymen on my way.

Reaching the classroom, I’m greeted by an unusual scene.

Instead of the usual noisy chatter, my classmates are quietly reading notes and textbooks.

Perhaps because the crucial moment of choosing a career path is upon us, not only Haru but also the other students seemed to be putting extra effort into this mock exam.

“Seko, how prepared are you for today’s battle?”

I returned a wry smile when Oda asked me.

“I’m feeling pretty lenient about it. By the way, Oda, you’re planning to go into humanities, right?”

“Indeed. Hence, I have long since abandoned the science subjects.”

“That’s nothing to brag about, you know~”

I laugh at Oda’s half-serious joke, and then someone approaches us.

It’s Misa.

“Good morning, Rento-kun. How are you feeling about today?”

“Good morning. Well, I’ll do what I can.”

“I see. Personally, I’m hoping you’ll at least get a C grade.”

“Don’t say it like it’s that easy… By the way, where’s Hinata?”

“…If you’re looking for her, she’s over there. She’s desperately reviewing.”

Misa pointed towards Haru’s seat.

Haru was sitting in her own seat, locked in a stare-down with her reference book, just like the other classmates.

No, her seriousness might be unmatched by anyone.

I can only hope she achieves a result that satisfies Misa.

That’s all I’m praying for.

***

After finishing the exams for all subjects, a collective sigh of relief echoes throughout the classroom.

I stretch my body too, trying to refresh my body. Sitting at a desk all day is tough.

I sneak a glance at Haru.

I can’t see her expression from behind, but she doesn’t seem to be particularly downcast.

Maybe she felt she did well.

As I received the answer sheets that were passed down from the front, Matsui-sensei addressed the entire class.

“Okay. Thank you all for your hard work on a holiday. I’m also tired. I think everyone has received the answer sheets by now, so you can go home after you’ve graded yourselves.”

Hearing this, my classmates immediately began to grade their own work.

From their behavior, it was clear that they were eager to leave as soon as possible.

I also wanted to get home and rest, so I opened the answer sheet and compared it to the answers I had noted down in the workbook.

…It’s just so-so.

Neither particularly good nor bad. That was my result today. Well, it was a descriptive test, so maybe I can hope for partial credit.

After I finished grading all the subjects, Misa came to my desk.

“Good work, Rento-kun. How did it go?”

“Misa, you too, good work. Well, I did as much as I could.”

“Hmm. I was hoping for a more positive response.”

“Sorry. Ah, but I did well in classical literature. Maybe because you taught me the other day, Misa.”

“Fufu, that’s nice to hear. If that’s the case, I’ll give you a thorough lesson in another subject next time.”

“Please go easy on me.”

“What’s that?”

Misa seemed exasperated by my casual attitude, but she let out a small smile the next moment.

Maybe she got my joke, or perhaps she’s happy that my grades have improved thanks to her. Or it could be both.

I quickly tidied up the desk and stood next to Misa.

“Shall we go check Haru’s results?”

“By the way, what score would be okay for her?”

“Well, I’m hoping she got at least 60%.”

“60%? Isn’t that quite difficult…?”

“It’s not like I’m being mean. We haven’t learned all the units yet, so if she’s not scoring reasonably well now, it will be scary later. Plus, she was particularly focused on those two subjects this time.”

“…I guess.”

Misa’s opinion was so reasonable that I found myself unable to argue with her.

Silently following her, we approached Haru.

Sensing our presence, she turned towards us before we could speak.

Her expression couldn’t exactly be described as bright, but it didn’t seem gloomy either.

“Haru, have you finished self-grading?”

“Y-Yes, I’m done.”

“Is that so. Then, could you tell me the results?”

Misa got straight to the point.

I held my breath, focusing on Haru’s response.

“Umm, I scored a little over 60% in math.”

“Ohh! That’s great!

“Ehehe. Ren… it’s thanks to Seko teaching me.”

“It’s all because of Hinata’s hard work.”

It seemed like the math results were quite good, and I let out a sigh of relief.

I’m glad that her efforts hadn’t been in vain due to any lack on my part.

By the way, I wonder how it went with physics, which Misa ended up teaching halfway through.

“And how about physics?”

Misa asks about the physics results, urging for an answer.

Then, Haru bites her lip and slowly opens her mouth.

“…about 50%.”

In an instant, a heavy atmosphere flowed between us.

I quickly raised my voice, trying to dispel the tension.

“No, that’s good enough! Considering it was a subject you were bad at, being able to improve this much means you’ll continue to improve!”

“Seko…”

Tears welled up in Haru’s eyes as she looked at me.

“That’s true. Compared to the beginning, I think you’ve worked really hard.”

“Misa…!”

Haru, thinking Misa had acknowledged her, brightened up her expression all at once.

But Misa wasn’t done yet.

“And how about the other subjects?”

“Uh…”

“You’ve finished self-scoring for the other subjects, right? Tell me, Haru”

“…Okay”

Despite her struggles with math and physics, Haru has been desperately studying to score well in these subjects in order to pursue a science-related field.

Thanks to her efforts, she was able to achieve fairly good scores in both subjects.

However, perhaps as a side effect, while she barely maintained her performance in her stronger subjects, her scores for most other subjects had dropped compared to her previous mock exam results.

“Even if your scores in two subjects have improved, it’s counterproductive if the scores in other subjects drop. After all, entrance exams are about the overall performance.”

“…But it couldn’t be helped. I was completely occupied with math and physics this time. Next time will be okay.”

“But the survey for selecting a course of study has to be submitted by next week. In other words, this might have been your last chance. Remember, you only get one shot at the entrance exams.”

“Well, it’s not like this was the actual exam. It was just a mock exam. I’m sure I still have a chance.”

“…That’s right. Today was just a mock test, so it’s not the only opportunity.”

To my surprise, Haru managed to talk Misa down.

I felt a stronger shock than when I heard the results of the math test earlier.

Haru began to smile, thinking she had won.

But Misa still had a stern expression on her face. She then said,

“Haru. Try solving the biology questions now.”

“…What?”

Why biology? And why now?

Not only me but Haru must have had the same doubt. But looking at Misa’s face, I realized she was serious.

“…Okay.”

Haru still didn’t seem fully convinced, but for now, it appeared she would do as Misa said.

“Don’t cut corners. Depending on the situation, I might show your test answers to the teacher in charge.”

“…Okay.”

For the next several minutes, despite the mock exam being over, Haru was the only one left in the classroom working on problems.

Gradually, the remaining classmates left, leaving only us behind.

When the time limit was up, Misa collected the answers and began scoring.

After a while, the results were out.

“…Around 70%.”

“Wow, that’s amazing…”

I couldn’t help but express my honest surprise at the unexpectedly high score.

However, the person in question had a complicated expression on her face.

“Haru, you’re amazing. To get this score without specific study in biology is something else.”

“…It’s because I was preparing for the final exams.”

“Don’t lie. You were focused on math and physics, weren’t you?”

“…It was just by chance. The questions just happened to be on the topics I knew.”

Faced with Haru’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge her high score in biology, Misa lets out an exaggerated sigh.

“Haru, you should choose biology instead of physics. I think you’ll do fine in science that way.”

“No.”

“You’ve done well this time, but you’re obviously better at biology. There’s no reason to throw that away.”

“No”

“Haru”

“No!”

Finally, Haru rejects with a shout, her eyes brimming with tears.

She glared at Misa with those tearful eyes.

“Misa, you’re just trying to separate me and Ren, aren’t you?”

“Sigh. No, I’m not. I’m thinking about your future.”

“Lies! It’s definitely that. Definitely, definitely…”

As I stood there confused, not understanding what Haru was saying, Misa noticed and explained it to me.

“There’s talk of dividing the classes between those who choose physics and those who choose biology within the science stream. It’s easier for the school to manage the timetable that way.”

“…I see.”

I would choose physics, my strong subject, but if Haru chose biology, there’s a chance we’d end up in different classes even though we both advanced to the science stream.

While I was processing this explanation from Misa, Haru had finished packing her things and stood up with her backpack. She then grabbed my hand.

“Ren. Let’s go home. Just the two of us.”

“Uh, but…”

“It’s okay. Today’s a holiday. It’s my day, so let’s go home together.”

“Wait, Haru. Even if it’s a holiday, we had school today, so it’s not okay for you to go home together with Rento-kun.”

“Then I’ll have even fewer days! I originally only had two days, and if I lose today, that’s just one day left!?”

“It can’t be helped. This is a school event after all.”

“It’s not something that can be settled with ‘it can’t be helped’! …Hey, Ren. Let’s go home together?”

With her eyes brimming with tears, Haru looked up at me and made this plea to me.

Honestly, I wanted to go home with her, to escape from this oppressive atmosphere, to rush out of the classroom together.

At that moment, Misa’s words from last night echoed in my head.

“…I think Haru should choose biology.”

“!”

When I said that, Haru let go of my hand.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks.

“Why… Why would you say that, Ren…? Aren’t you on my side…?”

“I-I am on your side, Haru. But—”

“I’m going home alone today!”

“Haru!”

I tried to chase after her as she dashed out of the classroom, but Misa grabbed my arm, stopping me.

“Let her be alone for now. She needs some time to cool off.”

“…But”

“You have nothing to regret, Rento-kun. In fact, I’m glad you spoke up. Thanks to what Rento-kun said, she will start to think about it a little more.”

…What am I regretting? Telling her to choose biology? My lack of ability, because I couldn’t fully teach her physics?

Or maybe──

“Rento-kun. Since we have the chance, let’s go home together today.”

Hearing her suggestion, I cast my gaze downward.

“I’ll go home alone today too. I need some time to think.”

“…I see.”

After a moment of showing a sad expression, Misa let go of my arm and tried to put on a smile.

“Good work today, Rento-kun. Let’s meet again at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah, good work.”

After exchanging farewells, I found myself absentmindedly looking out the window.

The setting sun that had been shining into the classroom was now sinking.

…Maybe I should visit Matsui-sensei.