The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 122

Chapter 122

In the morning, I decided not to laze around and headed down to the first floor after waking up.

Then, I caught my mother’s eye before she left for work, and she gave me a puzzled look.

“You’ve been enjoying a lazy life since the summer vacation started, but you’re up early today. Are you going out again?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm. With Misa-chan and the others?”

“…No, not today.”

“Then is it with Oda-kun like yesterday?”

“It’s not Oda. This… I was invited out by a junior from school.”

After meeting with Oda yesterday evening, I suddenly got a call from Koido inviting me out.

Assuming I’d be free because I’m her Senpai, she went ahead and made plans for the next day.

Well, I didn’t have any plans anyway.

“You have juniors even though you’re not in any clubs?”

“It seems like I can manage to have them, surprisingly.”

“Oh? What kind of kid is it?”

“A bit cheeky, but a reliable one with pink hair, I guess.”

“Pink!? Quite a strong choice for a child… I’m a little curious about how she looks. Do you have a photo or something?”

“Ah, I do have one, but… well, it’s fine.”

For a moment, I considered it might be better not to show it without permission, but I figured the girl who had been freely distributing my photos without my consent wouldn’t have the right to complain, so I displayed a photo of her during a field trip that I had previously received from her on my smartphone screen.

There she is, Oda’s girlfriend… Kusakabe-san is also in the picture.

Looking again at her appearance from the ‘glasses era’, it really gives off a totally different impression from the one I saw yesterday.

Holding that thought, I showed the photo to my mother.

“Here, this one. She’s conspicuous, so there’s no need to mention which one, right?”

“Wow… it’s really pink, huh. You won’t have trouble finding her at the meeting spot.”

As I thought to myself what kind of impression that was, I was about to lower the smartphone I had shown to Mom,

“Wait. Let me look at her a little longer.”

Mom stopped me. Then she carefully observed the screen.

“This girl… could it be…”

She was muttering something, but I was more concerned about something else than Mom’s words and behavior.

“Mom, are you okay with the time?”

“Eh… Ah! Come on, you should have said something earlier. It’d be troublesome if I were late.”

“Yes-yes. Have a good day.”

“I’m off. Take care, Rento.”

“Okay. You too, Mom.”

After watching Mom leave through the entrance, I headed to the wash basin to wash my face and was about to go to the living room when I caught eyes with Dad, who was standing in the entranceway in his suit.

He silently looked back and forth between the entrance and me, not making a move.

Perhaps——

“Ah, Dad, have a good day. Work hard.”

When I called out to him, Dad’s face brightened up instantly, and he gave a thumbs-up with high spirits before leaving the house.

It seems that Dad, just like Mom, wanted a ‘have a good day’ from his son.

Maybe I should wake up a bit earlier during this whole summer vacation.

***

Around ten o’clock on a weekday.

Normally, the crowds would be sparse, but due to summer vacation, there are young people everywhere. Well, I’m one of those youths too.

As mom had said, finding Koido was easy in such a crowd.

“Hey.”

“Ah, Senpai! Good morning!”

Her flashy hair sways as she turns towards me with a smile.

Then, I noticed there was another person next to her.

“It’s been a while, Rento-san!”

“Ah… Saki-chan!”

An angel clad in a pure white dress that complemented her black hair smiled at me.

“Hmm. Senpai, you seem happier to see Saki-chan than when you greeted me somehow.”

“Eheh. Rento-san loves me, after all!”

“It’s not just love, it’s worship.”

“I’ve become an object of worship!?”

“Despite having such a reliable junior, what’s with that attitude, Senpai… is what I’d like to say, but I’m also under Saki-chan’s tutelage. Maybe I should say, ‘As expected of my master!’ ”

Come to think of it, Koido said she learned how to handle men from Saki-chan.

Considering that, indeed, Saki-chan is like a master to Koido.

And Koido is my master——

“The master of my master… Saki-chan is like my great master!”

“Ah… I can’t keep up with you two’s energy… But I won’t be discouraged! This is normal for Rento-san, right? I’ll adapt!”

“You don’t need to adapt. Rather, I don’t want to see Saki-chan getting into such a silly mood.”

“Hey, Senpai! That sounds like you think I’m silly!”

“Don’t worry, I’m part of it too.”

“Hehe. If that’s the case, then it’s all good!”

“Is it really?”

“Yes!”

I’m relieved to know that Koido will continue to join in on my silly antics; well, she’s about the only one who does.

While Koido grins, Saki-chan puffs her cheeks.

“Muu… Rento-san seems to be getting along quite well with Mai-chan, huh!”

Mai… that’s Koido’s first name, right?

It took me a moment to recognize who she was talking about.

“You have to get along with me too, or else I’ll be mad!”

“!”

Saki-chan pouts and grabs my hand.

At that moment, my chest twinges with pain.

…What’s with this girl?

Is she a genuine angel?

As I reflexively grip her small hand back, Saki-chan’s expression softens.

“Ehehe. If we stay like this, anyone looking would think Rento-san and I get along well, right?”

She says, smiling at me while looking into my eyes.

That’s when I realized my mistake.

This girl isn’t an angel. She’s a little devil.

As I was revising my perception of Saki-chan, she blushed and looked up at me with upturned eyes.

“This time I was invited by Mai-san, but next time… I want Rento-san to invite me!”

“If that’s what Saki-chan wants, I’ll invite you again next time.”

“Really!? It’s a promise, okay? Let’s exchange contact information before I forget. I couldn’t before because Onee-chan was always… Ah.”

Saki-chan quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but the words had already slipped out.

Saki-chan’s Onee-chan… meaning Misa, was mentioned, and the air between us froze.

I knew I should say something here, but the right words just wouldn’t come to mind.

“Saki-chan, did you get a cell phone after becoming a junior high school student?”

And in such moments, the one who comes to my rescue is always Koido.

It seems Saki-chan also noticed Koido’s quick thinking, and she bit into the topic Koido brought up.

“Ah, yes. I actually wanted one since elementary school, but my parents thought it was too early.”

“Yeah, I get it. They’re convenient but can be dangerous. Though I’m sure Saki-chan is smart enough not to misuse it.”

“Thank you. But now I think it was good timing. I was still immature during elementary school. Being constantly connected to someone might have been a bit too much…”

“Ah… It seems like everyone knows your contact information. It’s troublesome when you get messages from people you don’t know at all.”

“I understand. I’m happy that people are interested in me, but being known one-sidedly is a bit scary…”

It appears that a casual conversation about the troubles of popular girls has started.

I don’t join in their conversation, but I listen carefully and etch their words into my heart.