The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 120.5

Author’s Note: I will process the ideas that couldn’t be fully developed in the form of short stories.

Interlude 1

Misa, Haru, and I started dating as a trio, and as usual, the three of us went out on a date together today.

Feeling a bit tired from walking, we entered a random cafe to have some drinks and chat.

“By the way, I heard my dad used to be super popular back in the day, and my mom worked really hard to become his girlfriend.”

“Wow. Aki… Haru’s mom had a tough time, huh? I wonder how popular he must have been.”

“Rento-kun. It might just be me, but it sounds like you know about Haru’s mother.”

“Ah… no, no, that’s not it. I’m just saying that she must be beautiful because she’s Haru’s mother.”

“Ren… Does that mean you’re also complimenting me?”

“Ah… yeah. I think Haru is cute.”

“Ren! Ehehehehehehe”

“It’s been getting hotter recently, but thankfully the air conditioning works well indoors.”

“…Rento-kun. My mother is also very beautiful.”

“Ah, yeah. I’m sure.”

“…Won’t you say the same thing to me?”

“O-Of course, I think Misa is beautiful too. But today is…”

“Muu…”

“…I see. Alright then. Now that you mention it, my mother also used to say that my father was always surrounded by many women, and it was hard to win him over.”

“Ah, it’s the same with Misa’s family, huh? Well, Misa’s dad did look cool.”

“Ren. How do you know about Misa’s dad?”

“Ah… that’s because, you see, I happened to see him when Misa’s dad came to pick her up in his car.”

“Oh, that did happen, didn’t it? Hehe, that brings back memories.”

“Hmm…”

Both of their dads were really popular, huh?

Maybe my dad was also quite the catch back in the day?

When I got home, I decided to ask my mom right away.

“Hey, Mom. How did you and Dad first get together?”

“Eh, what? That’s so sudden.”

“Well, I’m just a little curious.”

“Hmm. Right… We were in the same year in college, and it seemed like he fell in love with me at first sight. He kept asking me out, saying, ‘Please go out with me!’ over and over, so I agreed after a while on a whim. One thing led to another, and here we are now.”

…So that’s how it was.

As expected of my father, I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“…Well, I don’t regret that decision at the time. Now that you know, let’s have dinner. Rento, help me out.”

“Okay. But, I can only help with serving the food.”

“Sigh… I should have taught you some housework.”

While grumbling such things, Mom gently picked up Dad’s rice bowl.

Interlude 2

On the night when I was exhausted from the field trip and just lying on my bed, I received a call from Koido.

『Hello-hello, senpai! Did you enjoy the field trip?』

“It was pretty fun. It was mostly a gourmet tour though.”

『That’s great, a gourmet tour is great! By the way, I was like that.』

“Oh, really? You went to Kamakura after hiking, right?”

『Yeah, that’s right. Whoa, Kamakura really gives off a Japanese vibe. Just walking down the street got me excited!”

“Koido likes Japanese style, huh?”

『Hmm, it’s not that I particularly like it, but isn’t anything Japanese just naturally nice?』

“Honestly, I get it. It’s like memories that shouldn’t exist come to mind and you feel nostalgic somehow.”

『Exactly-exactly. What’s up with that feeling?』

“By the way, Koido, did you try various foods while walking around? What did you eat?”

『I ate a lot of different things. Among them, the sausage was really delicious!』

“That’s German. Where did the Japanese vibe go?”

『No, no, but like, there were so many other shops there! And it was super delicious!』

“Huh, it makes me a bit curious if you say it like that. I’ll try it out if I get the chance.”

『Please do! What did you eat, senpai?』

“Tako senbei, raw shirasu bowl, parfait, ice cream monaka…”

『You really ate a lot.』

“It’s the result of going around as Hinata requested. Now for the so-called fufu manju.”

『…Ah, I see. Well, I guess you walked off what you ate since you explored Enoshima a lot, right?』

“That’s right. I still got quite tired even though we took the escalator and should have had it easier.”

『Enoshima is mostly uphill and downhill, after all. It’s an island, so it can’t be helped.』

“I guess so. I wasn’t really expecting something like that myself since it’s a tourist spot, so I was surprised. It was like hiking… Oh, that reminds me. I remembered a field trip from when I was in sixth grade this morning. That year, my grade went hiking.”

『…Oh, really? Did you manage to climb all the way up?』

“Somehow. Actually, the grade below us suddenly joined us. At that time, I ended up hiking with a kid I had little interaction with during a cross-grade event. I remember trying hard not to lose to that kid… Ah, I’m starting to remember things from back then, little by little.”

『…Did you also remember that kid’s name?』

“Uh… I think it was Iwafusa if I’m not mistaken. I only know the last name, not the first name. Come to think of it, that kid wore glasses just like Oda’s girlfriend.”

『Wait, senpai! Are you saying you’re going to make a move on Oda Senpai’s girlfriend!?』

“Stop with the weird misunderstandings. And that sounded exaggerated.”

『I see now. Are you saying you have a thing for girls with glasses, senpai?』

“There’s nothing conclusive there. Your deduction is completely empty.”

『Hehe, I’m just talking nonsense. Oh, by the way, senpai! I, uh, got consulted by Kusakabe-san about Oda Senpai!』

“Let’s hear the details… I have a pretty good guess already though.”

『It seems like she’s going through a tough time over there. So, um…』

Thus, my phone call with Koido continued for a long time, and by the time we finished, three hours had passed.