The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

We didn’t just go to the pool during summer vacation; we also went to a fireworks festival!

Initially, I thought of going in casual clothes, but since Misa said she was going in a yukata, I decided to do the same and quickly made a reservation at Rental’s shop.

As expected, Misa looked stunning in her yukata.

She had worn a black swimsuit before, and this time, her yukata was also black.

Perhaps it was due to her translucent skin, but she seemed to glow in the darkness.

Plus… she looked incredibly sensual.

As usual, Seko was full of praise for Misa’s appearance.

He always compliments Misa, but today, his compliments were even more overflowing.

I should have gone for something more mature-looking…I chose my outfit impulsively, but maybe it looked too childish.

As I was contemplating this, looking at my own yukata——

“Hinata, the yukata suits you too.”

After showering Misa with compliments, Seko also praised me.

Seko complimented me. He said that I look good in this cute yukata.

I’m happy…I’m glad that I chose this one.

Because I’m not as cute as Misa, he wouldn’t compliment me if I didn’t wear a cute yukata. But I’m glad I wore it today.

I want him to compliment me again.

Seko. I like you. I’ll wear something else next time.

What would Seko like me to wear?

I wish he’d tell me. I’ll wear anything.

This fireworks festival is the biggest local event, so there were lots of stalls.

We indulged in food and drink and even played some shooting games.

I ended up spending a lot of money on the shooting game… I kept trying because there was something I really wanted, but it turns out I have no talent for shooting games.

However, Seko took one try at it for my sake.

We didn’t win the prize, but I was happy that Seko tried to get it for me.

It felt like I got what I wanted.

Finally, the three of us watched the grand finale of the fireworks together.

I’m always situated between Seko and Misa.

So next to me is Seko, and when I look over, I can see his profile looking moved while staring up at the night sky.

Right now, Seko is engrossed in the fireworks. That’s why he won’t notice.

Quietly, I grasp the hem of Seko’s clothes. Just enough not to pull without Seko noticing.

It felt as if it were just the two of us here.

***

The fun, fun summer vacation is over, and I’m back to being confined to the school building.

The end of such a joyous summer was a big shock, but I can still see them both if I go to the classroom, so all is not lost.

Now then.

I was separated from Seko when we changed seats before the summer vacation.

Having once experienced sitting next to him, it was quite hard being far away.

So, I have high hopes for today’s seat change!

My time, come again!

——I failed miserably.

I couldn’t get a seat next to either Seko or Misa.

Instead, they ended up sitting next to each other.

I can see Seko’s lovesick face from my seat…It hurts.

Checking the seat next to me. I think it’s Seko’s friend… Oda (小田)… Is it pronounced ‘Ota (オタ)’?”

(TN: I don’t get this one, maybe it’s a joke using オタ for calling him オタク (Otaku).)

Although it’s disappointing that I couldn’t sit next to either of them, this might be a good opportunity.

If he’s Seko’s friend, maybe I can learn something about Seko that I don’t know.

I decided to strike up a conversation with him right away.

“Hey, Ota-kun. You’re friends with Seko, right?”

“Eh, err, it’s Oda… um, yes. I am friends with Seko!”

“I thought so. Do you know who I am?”

“Um, yes. Because you’re always with Seko…Thanks to that, Seko doesn’t pay attention to me and I’m a bit jealous…”

“What? Pfft, jealous among friends!”

“Wh-what are you laughing at! Seko is an important ally to me! Granted, we only started talking last year, but time isn’t everything! What matters is how the two of us have spent our time. Last year, Seko and I were always together and…”

Ota-kun started talking about how important Seko was to him.

Ota-kun… you’re making a good point!

That’s right! Time isn’t everything! There are also other important things!

“Ota-kun… you’re awesome!”

“Ah!? Really!? That’s the first time anyone’s said that to me…”

“I have something I want to ask you, Ota-kun.”

“Go ahead! Ask me anything! My hobbies are…”

“It’s about Seko.”

“Ah, yes. Seko, about Seko, um…”

Hmm, what should I ask about?

As for the Seko I don’t know…

“What was Seko like in junior high school?”

“Seko in junior high school? Well… I met Seko when we were both third year and ended up in the same class. I didn’t know about Seko before that. But at first, to be honest… I didn’t like him.”

“Oh, really? Why?”

Ota-kun briefly explained why, apparently, Seko used to be the class’s clown.

Although that’s still the case, back then it was against his will.

The cause was Seko who wouldn’t stand up for himself. Ota-kun didn’t like him much for that reason.

It seems that the one who triggered the change in him was Misa.

Apparently, she didn’t directly do anything, but he is who he is today thanks to her.

Then Ota-kun became friends with Seko around the time he started changing.

“…wow, so something like that happened?”

“Haven’t you heard it from them?”

“Both of them don’t like to talk about their junior high school days. So I’ve never been able to ask.”

“Uh… was it wrong for me to tell you, then?”

“Not at all. I’m grateful that you told me. But it might be bad if they find out, so let’s keep this a secret between us.”

“Se-secret between us!? What a tantalizing idea…”

It seems Ota-kun has important information about Seko.

I’m starting to think the seat change might not have been such a bad thing after all.

“By the way, do you know what Seko likes?”

“Do you mean Yosaki-san——”

“No.”

“Ah, s-sorry. As for hobbies, he doesn’t seem to have any in particular… He and I often talk about manga.”

“What kind of manga? Jump?”

“It is from Jump, but… um, well. It’s kind of hard to talk about it; it’s not something anyone would openly discuss.”

“Come on, tell me. Please, Ota-kun.”

“…seko likes a manga called ‘Tornado Panic.’ ”

Tornado Panic? I never heard of it.

“What is it? What kind of manga is that?”

“A-ah. I really hope you’ll spare me any more than this!”

“Why the formal language? I won’t tell Seko, okay?”

“It’s not about telling Seko or not… It’s for my own honor! Please spare me!”

“Um? Okay, I get it. Thanks for telling me!”

“Thank you as well!”

What is he thanking me for?

I’m not sure, but I can just look it up on my smartphone later.

I quickly asked my browser about ‘Tornado Panic.’ And then…

“This is…”

It was a somewhat naughty manga.

Now I understand what Ota-kun meant about his honor, and I also found out that Seko is a bit of a pervert.

So Seko likes this kind of stuff? I wonder if he, well, does anything while looking at it?

Or maybe he doesn’t, and he’s just… pent-up or something…

But if that’s the case, I wonder if he’ll explode someday.

I don’t know much about boys’ bodies, but I think I’ve heard some things like that.

…The characters are all so cute.

I wonder who Seko likes the most. Maybe it’s someone like Misa?

I’ll buy it and read it next time.