The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Ever since he confessed to me on the day of the entrance ceremony, Seko-kun has been telling me he likes me almost every day.

“I like you, Yosaki! Please go out with me!”

“Today’s weather is nice. Look at that blue sky. It’s as beautiful as you, Yosaki. Please go out with me!”

“I bought Yosaki’s new favorite snack series, and it was delicious! By the way, why does the word ‘delicious (美味しい)’ contain the character for ‘beautiful (美しい)’? You’re beautiful today too, Yosaki. Please go out with me!”

While I’m secretly happy about this, I end up responding with a calm demeanor.

A part of me is a little embarrassed to show genuine happiness, but in the end, I can’t accept his feelings, so I find myself adopting an ambiguous attitude.

I simply tell myself that it can’t be helped.

Yet, his spirit remains unbroken.

He continues to talk about what he finds charming in me and ends by expressing his feelings.

This alone began to make going to school more enjoyable for me.

Additionally, there was one more thing that made me look forward to going to school.

“Seko, enough already. Don’t bother Misa.”

Every time Seko-kun confesses to me, my best friend Haru Hinata steps in to scold him.

This exchange between him and her is so frequent that Seko-kun’s confession is becoming a setup for Haru’s intervention.

After that, both Seko-kun and Haru usually engage in normal conversation.

Haru has a very outgoing personality and can talk to anyone without any distinction.

She often exchanges jokes with Seko-kun, the kind that doesn’t happen between him and me.

I find myself envious of her.

She’s someone I look up to, and that’s why I’m really happy when Haru calls me her best friend.

She also has her airheaded moments, which make her all the more endearing and cute.

I remember there was a time when she often forgot things.

Once, she advised me that I should seriously reject Seko-kun’s confessions.

“With the way Seko is going, he’ll keep confessing until you say yes. If it’s bothering you, you should firmly reject him.”

“…I see. But I’m not particularly bothered by it. I’m fine with the way things are.”

“…Alright. Then, as long as you’re okay with it.”

She seemed to understand, and hasn’t brought it up since, although she still steps in to stop Seko-kun whenever he shouts his love.

It’s the truth that I’m not bothered. In fact, I’m actually looking forward to it.

But I have no intention of reciprocating his feelings.

I genuinely feel bad for what I’m doing to Seko-kun.

However, the thought of no longer hearing his confessions makes me feel lonely.

That’s why I don’t seriously reject him.

I wonder if I’ve always been such a devious woman.

I mock myself in my heart.

***

I have an adorable younger sister. Well, she’s actually my cousin.

Our houses are close, so we see each other often.

I treat her like my real sister, and she looks up to me as if I were her real sister.

“Onee-chan, it’s been a while.”

“Welcome. Is it okay for you to be at home today?”

“Yes, I want to talk a lot with Onee-chan.”

This incredibly cute sister, Saki, is directionally challenged, so she can’t make it to our house on her own.

She’s brought here by her parents today, though she denies being directionally challenged.

We head to my room with some tea and sweets given to us by Saki’s parents, and after a moment’s rest, Saki asks me,

“Onee-chan, how is high school life?”

“It’s pretty much what I expected. The classes aren’t particularly hard and about my classmates…well, I did make a new friend.”

“A friend for Onee-chan! Congratulations!”

“It’s somewhat annoying to be congratulated on making a friend. Especially by my younger sister.”

“Because it seemed like you weren’t interested in anyone other than family and me, Onee-chan. That’s why I thought you would never make friends…”

“Hmm, that’s rather pathetic of me… Well, I can’t blame you for thinking like that. It just so happens that Haru is a good person, so we became friends. It’s not like I did anything special.”

“Her name is Haru? I’d like to meet her someday.”

“Sure. You’d probably get along with her quickly, even with your shyness.”

Saki isn’t exactly antisocial; she’s actually quite sociable.

But she usually puts on a facade in front of people other than me and our family.

However, I’m confident she’ll be fine with Haru.

As I ponder when to introduce them, Saki grins at me.

“So, Onee-chan, do you have a boyfriend yet?”

“A boyfriend? No, I don’t.”

“Ehh? But you’re so beautiful, Onee-chan. Haven’t you been confessed to?”

“I’m not interested in men who are only attracted to me for my looks…and it’s too soon after entering school to be talking about confessions…”

Actually, I have been getting confessions. Almost every day.

Saki didn’t miss the hesitation in my words.

“So you were confessed to! I’m so proud of you, Onee-chan!”

“Why are you the one who’s proud? And no, it didn’t happen.”

“That’s not going to work. I love you too much, Onee-chan; that’s why you can’t fool me;”

“…Fine, I admit it.”

Once I admit it, Saki’s eyes sparkle with excitement. I can tell she’s expecting something.

This kid is really… a bit too mature for her age.

“So how did Onee-chan respond?”

“I turned him down. I don’t really understand romance.”

“What? Oh come on. You’re in your high school years, the prime of your youth. I think it’s a waste not to experience love.”

“It’s not a waste.”

“Onee-chan’s words, who doesn’t know anything about love, doesn’t have any power of persuasion.”

“Ugh…”

Lately, this kid seems to have gotten sharper or perhaps a bit cheekier.

She still looks up to me and calls me Onee-chan, but… uh, she’s adorable, so I guess it’s fine.

Saki pulls out a few books from the bag she brought and hands them to me.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a popular shoujo manga among young people right now!”

“Calling yourself ‘young people’ while in elementary school feels a bit strange. Anyway, why did you bring this?”

“I anticipated this, so I brought it to give you some guidance in love, Onee-chan.”

“…You’re in elementary school, right?”

“Yes, until the end of this year.”

Why am I being coached in romance by a sixth-grader?

Is it just because I’m clueless about love?

No, it’s just that she’s acting too grown-up. That must be it.

I pick up the first volume of the manga Saki brought.

Flipping through it, I see a girl on the cover who appears to be the protagonist.

She seems to be in love with a male classmate and is always following him with her eyes.

The boy has a smug personality and is unlikable, and I don’t particularly like him, making it difficult for me to project myself onto the main character.

However, there are moments when I can relate to her words and actions.

And sometimes, it seems to overlap with my own experiences with Seko-kun.

What am I thinking?

This is just fiction. Comparing myself to a manga character like this…

As I continue to flip through the pages, another boy appears.

He is the protagonist’s childhood friend, and they have a comfortable relationship.

He seems to be supportive of the protagonist’s love life, and I find him more likable.

“That boy is a pitiful character.”

“Pitiful?”

“Yes. He actually loves the protagonist but hides his feelings, choosing to support her love as her childhood friend. As a reader, you naturally want to root for him.”

“…I see.”

It seems Saki feels the same way about this character as I do.

I’ve never read such manga before, but maybe I could actually enjoy it——

“Wh-what?! S-Saki, this is——”

“A kissing scene. It’s essential in shoujo manga.”

The scene where the unlikable boy is forcibly stealing the protagonist’s lips…Is this what’s popular now…?

More importantly, is it appropriate for elementary school students to be reading this?

I narrow my eyes as I turn to the next page.

Then, the protagonist accepts the kiss, and the two bodies get even closer than before, with a close-up on their lips and their tongues——

“W-what!!?”

“Oh, it’s the first time I’ve heard Onee-chan raise her voice so much.”

“W-why are they doing this!? Weren’t they just kissing!?”

“Onee-chan? This is still a kiss. Just a little deeper.”

“…This is… a kiss…?”

Saki said it as if it was obvious, but I had no knowledge of such a form of kiss.

In my mind, a kiss was only about lips touching.

…Maybe love is still too early for me.