The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The high school we attend is located in the town where I live.

Because of this, I usually commute either by bicycle or on foot.

However, I chose to go on foot to walk home together with the two of them.

Hinata’s house is in the town next to mine, and since Yosaki attended the same middle school as me, she probably lives in the same town.

Hinata commutes by train.

So, she and Yosaki split up somewhere, whether that’s in front of the station, in front of Yosaki’s house, or somewhere else, I don’t know because Hinata won’t tell me.

Now, Hinata and I were walking through the town together, and our destination was Hinata’s house.

Even though Hinata could simply take the train, she’s walking with me saying she feels bad making me walk alone.

On our way, we don’t chat like we do when the three of us are together.

It’s not like we have a rule to do so; it’s just the unspoken atmosphere between us.

But it’s not an uncomfortable atmosphere at all. Somehow, it feels natural.

All I can hear are the ambient sounds of the town, our footsteps, and Hinata’s breathing.

After about a 30-minute walk from the park, we’re already in the neighboring town, arriving at Hinata’s house.

It’s a typical single-family home.

Hinata unlocks the door with a key from her bag and invites me inside.

Taking her cue, I casually remove my shoes and step in.

First, I’m going to wash my hands. That’s our routine, but——

“Hey, Ren. Hold my hands.”

Hinata, using the name she calls me when we’re alone, extends both her small hands to me.

“Aren’t you going to wash your hands?”

“I will. But first, this.”

“You want me to hold your hands, but don’t people usually hold just one hand?”

“Just do it. Grab my hands.”

Though I’m not entirely sure of her intentions, I grasp both of her hands.

They’re considerably smaller than mine—it was soft and nice to touch.

“You can grip them tighter.”

“Hmm, I’m not quite sure what you’re aiming for here. Like this?”

Until now, I had just been holding them.

I start to gently stroke her palms and occasionally squeeze.

A sultry sigh escapes from her lips. I pause for a moment, but she doesn’t say anything, so I continue.

“Ah… Do you feel it? I touched Misa’s hair and stomach with these hands. Can you sense that?”

“Honestly, I can’t really tell. I’m just enjoying the feel of your hands. They’re as smooth as ever. It’s really nice.”

“Mmm… Well, I do apply hand cream and take care of them properly.”

So she does use hand cream.

I thought all girls naturally had soft and smooth hands.

The only hands of a girl my age I’ve held this firmly are Hinata’s, so I’m genuinely ignorant of this kind of stuff.

After enjoying the feel of Hinata’s hands for a while, we headed to the sink to wash our hands.

It seems she thought the sensation of touching Yosaki would disappear after washing.

I think there wouldn’t be much difference before and after, though.

Once we finished washing our hands, we went upstairs to Hinata’s room.

A bookshelf filled with manga also holds trophies celebrating remarkable achievements.

Alongside them, there’s a photo of Hinata in her uniform.

I moved to the center of the room and dropped my belongings in their usual spot.

Relieved to be rid of the heavy weight, I let out a sigh.

“Hmm.”

Hinata, having placed her things down too, turns to me and extends both arms, freezing in place.

She doesn’t say anything, but I know what I should do, so I act accordingly.

I approach her and gently wrap my arms around her body.

In response, she wraps her arms around my back and squeezes me tightly.

After holding each other like that for about ten seconds, she says, ‘That’s not it, that’s not it,’ placing her hands on my shoulders and pushing me away.

Then she says,

“Like this.”

She places her hand on the back of my head, guiding my face toward her chest.

“Mmnh.”

The moment the tip of my nose touches her chest, a sigh escapes from her lips.

“See? How is it? I hugged her a lot today. Even hugged her when we said goodbye. Can you smell Misa? The scent should be strong, right?”

Taking a whiff as she suggests, I detect two different scents: one of citrus and another reminiscent of flowers.

I realize the latter is Yosaki’s scent.

“Yeah, I can smell it.”

“Is it nice?”

“I guess so.”

“…Alright. Then, I’ll let you smell it even more.”

Hinata grabs my head with both hands, pushing it forcefully into her chest.

It’s slightly difficult to breathe, and I can’t exactly focus on the scent, but I willingly accept the situation.

When she seems satisfied, the pressure on the back of my head releases.

I moved my head a little from Hinata, and then she lowered both her hands, and when they reached my back, she pulled me into a tight embrace.

“What’s wrong?”

“…uh, nothing. Then, should we do it?”

***

Looking up at a familiar ceiling instead, I focus on the warmth I feel in my arms.

“Sigh. Ren, you really are a lustful monkey. I didn’t expect you to go for a second round.”

“It was you, Hinata, who suggested we do it a second time.”

“It nott like I was in the mood, but it’s because your body was excited. That means Ren was the one asking for it.”

“…Yeah, that’s true. I’m a monkey.”

After I admitted defeat, Hinata chuckled with a victorious grin and tightened her grip on my arm.

“Hey, didn’t you keep sniffing me around a lot just now? I’m naked now, but I don’t think Misa’s scent is on my skin.”

“…It doesn’t mean anything. If you didn’t like it, I’d stop.”

“I don’t mind it. Besides, you don’t have to hold back with me, because I’ll let you do whatever you want. You can use me to satisfy your desires. Otherwise, there’s no point doing this if you keep holding back.”

“…right. Sorry.”

“It’s not something to apologize for, but I’m glad you care about me.”

Hinata says this with a blooming smile, but I can sense her tone carries some sort of determination.

“So, how’s it been going recently? Any progress?”

“It’s been stalled because someone keeps getting in the way.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. I’m still against you dating Misa. Besides, if you can’t get past the challenge that is me, I won’t let you have Misa as long as I’m around.”

“That’s dark. You’ve fallen into the abyss.”

“No-no, I’m talking like that on purpose! Just now, on purpose!”

“It’s scarier that you did it on purpose. I’d rather it have been a mistake.”

We attend the same high school, but I can sense a difference in our academic levels.

Hinata’s is lower. This becomes evident even in our everyday conversations.

“You’ve been looking more and more beautiful lately, Misa. I heard you were popular across all grades.”

“When I look back at photos from our entrance ceremony, it feels like we’ve really grown.”

“I get you. People who used to have a round face before now has a sharp look.”

“That’s what it means to be an adult, I guess.”

“Well, we’ve become adults too. Maybe even more so than our other classmates.”

Hinata’s smile, instead of her usual sunny smile, it was a sultry and provocative smile.

“Hey, Hinata…Can we do it again?”

“Seriously, Ren? You really are a monkey. Sigh.”

Hinata exaggeratedly sighs. But in the next moment, she continues with her signature grin.

“Well, it’s okay. Take it all out on me.”

Just like this, even today, the best friend of the person I like is managing my s*xual desires.

***

TN: This novel is tagged with immoral (インモラル) on Kakuyomu, so if you don’t like this chapter, maybe you shouldn’t read this series. I don’t know how it will progress though since I tl this series as I read it.

Fyi, the previous title on Kakuyomu was, ‘好きな子の親友が俺の〇〇を管理している (The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Managing My 〇〇)

But it was changed to ‘好きな子の親友に密かに迫られている (The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me)’ after getting Light Novel adaptation.

Well, “Closing in on Me” might be a better fit than “Approaching Me” according to this chapter, but I’ll keep it as it is for now.