The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 28

Episode 28

Every year during the Obon festival, my cousin Saki’s family comes to our house.

This year is different; Saki is coming alone.

I wonder if she can make it here safely, given that she has no sense of direction.

It seems she decided to come alone first because her parents are busy with work.

I can see she’s trying so hard to grow up.

Maybe it’s my role as her older sister(ane) to watch over her.

But I’ll go pick her up from the nearest station even though it’s not that far from our house.

I arrived at the nearest station right on time.

I get out of my parent’s car and head to the station.

I check the notifications on my smartphone——but there’s no message from Saki. Does this mean she hasn’t run into any trouble?

But what if she’s in a situation where she can’t even contact me…!

Just as I’m about to send her a message, I glance towards the ticket gate and see Saki——and next to her is someone I know very well: Seko-kun.

I’m puzzled by this unexpected pairing.

I hurry over to them.

As I approach, I notice they’re holding hands, and I can’t help but furrow my brows.

“Onee-chan! I finally found you~”

“Saki. Uhm…what’s going on? Why is my cousin with my classmate?”

“I ran into her when she was lost. Just guided her here.”

“…I see. Then why are the two of you holding hands?”

“I didn’t want her to get lost again.”

“Maybe it’s okay to let go now. Seeing my dear sister being touched by… just a little, I don’t like it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Whether I felt like Saki was being taken from me, or for some other reason I don’t quite understand, I found myself saying that in a fit of anger.

Seko-kun tries to pull his hand away from Saki immediately, but Saki keeps holding on, staring at me.

“Saki-chan? Could you let go of my hand?”

“Onee-chan and Rento-san, you two know each other?”

“Aha, pulling the classic dodge, huh? I’ve been classmates with Yosaki since middle school.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Saki finally let go of Seko-kun’s hand, apparently satisfied with his explanation.

But now, I wasn’t satisfied. I felt discontent with Seko-kun’s brief answer.

It wasn’t necessarily something that needed to be said, so it wasn’t strange that he hadn’t mentioned it.

However, I couldn’t let it go.

“…Is that all?”

“Yes?”

Seko-kun wore an expression mixed with surprise and confusion.

I blushed as I thought about the meaning behind my words.

Seko-kun also arrives at the same meaning, letting out a small “Oh,” before saying:

“Also, Yosaki is the one I’ve had a one-sided crush on.”

Upon hearing these words, I felt my heart being filled.

At the same time, I felt heat rise up to my ears.

Perhaps because he had helped her when she was lost, Saki seemed to have taken quite a liking to Seko-kun.

Ever since that day, she kept asking me, ‘What kind of person is Rento-san?’ and ‘When can I see Rento-san again?’.

I really started to feel like Saki had been taken from me by Seko-kun.

Even so, I took the initiative to arrange meetings for the two of them.

I couldn’t tell whether I did it for Saki’s sake or for my own,.

***

A week after Seko-kun and Saki met, they were to meet again.

I decided to join them this time, thinking it might be awkward to leave them alone.

As soon as they reunited, Saki greeted him with a smile,

“Rento-san, long time no see.”

To which Seko-kun replied,

“We just met last week, though.”

Saki puffed out her cheeks slightly and said, “Hmph. To me, it was a long week. The time I spent wondering if I should reach out to you and wanting to see you again, Rento-san, went by in a flash,” making a cute, sulky expression.

Upon hearing her words, Seko-kun began clutching his chest.

I could relate to that feeling.

As I suspected, this girl is a bit a bit ahead of her age.

Things take a sudden turn because of her.

We entered a nearby cafe.

It was a small, cozy shop run by a middle-aged man, a very relaxing place.

There, we ended up discussing Seko-kun’s views on love.

Honestly, I don’t fully understand love myself, so this seemed like a good opportunity.

As bad as it might sound for Seko-kun, the closest experience I have with love seems to be his feelings toward me, so this was really convenient for me.

By hearing his thoughts, could I understand his feelings better?

If so——

“Now, do tell us, Seko-kun, about your views on love.”

“Please, Rento Onii-chan.”

As we prod him for a final push, Seko-kun takes an exaggerated breath, as if bracing himself, and then he starts talking.

“Well, when you’re in love…when you start loving someone, in the end, it’s just an expression of wanting to be by that person’s side.”

“I like spending time with Rento-san and Onee-chan, and I hope these moments could continue. Is this also love?”

“That might be a form of affection or familial love. Spending time with friends can be fun too.”

Indeed, I enjoy the time I spend with Saki, Haru, and Seko-kun.

I want to be near them, and I do like them. But it feels more like familial love or friendship.

“How do you differentiate between the two?”

“That’s a difficult question. I don’t think you can clearly distinguish them. Someone you thought was just a friend until yesterday could become a romantic interest before you even realize it.”

“…I see, so that’s how it is.”

Seko-kun says that in the end, there’s no clear distinction.

Considering how different people bring different standards to the table——love seems like a very complex thing.

That makes it seem like something impossible for me.

“I think it’s also about wanting to be there to support the other person, no matter what situation they’re in.”

“Oh? So, Seko-kun would come to help me if I’m in a difficult situation?”

“I can’t picture Onee-chan being in a pinch…”

“For Yosaki… it might be a bit different. It’s not that I don’t want to support you, but if you ask whether that’s the main thing, I don’t think it is.”

“What…?”

Seko-kun’s words deeply hurt me.

My heart aches, and my breathing becomes shallow.

I try to analyze why my body has become so weak.

Seko-kun likes me——

He always compliments me and says he likes me.

But now, I’ve heard from him that the image of someone he would love romantically doesn’t align with me.

——Why? Don’t you like me?

After saying you like me so much…why, Seko-kun?

“For me…Yosaki feels more like someone I admire. Like, I want to become someone like you. I guess that’s how it turned into love.”

Admiration turned into love…?

I don’t quite understand, but Seko-kun does like me, after all.

That’s right——he has confessed so much, so there’s no way he could suddenly stop liking me.

Fufu, what was I so anxious about?

“Hmm, but isn’t that different from what you said earlier, Rento-san?”

“That’s why I said there’s no such thing as a correct answer. There’s no logic to it. You realize you’ve fallen in love before you know it, and the reasons just follow after that. It’s like when people say the person they’ve fallen for is their type.”

“I see… By the way, can I ask in detail what aspect of Onee-chan made you fall for her, Rento-san?”

“Well, at first it was her personality, or maybe her attitude. As I said earlier, Yosaki is someone I admire. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I am who I am today because of Yosaki. After realizing my feelings, I started noticing her other charms, like how beautiful and cute she is, and then——”

The pain in my chest vanishes, and now my heartbeat starts to race.

My body temperature, which had been cold, rapidly rose.

“I-I need to go to the restroom.”

Judging that I couldn’t continue like this, I decided to escape to the restroom.

I close the door and let out a sigh once I confirm that I’m completely out of Seko-kun’s sight.

My heart still hasn’t calmed down because Seko-kun’s words from earlier keep repeating in my mind.

Don’t tell me, I am——