The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

The year is almost over, and it’s getting really cold now.

As I thought about how quickly time flies, I already stared at my smartphone in my room for about an hour.

It’s not like I have a hobby of observing smartphones or anything; I’m just hesitant to take the next step.

“Calling Seko-kun to invite him out…”

Usually, when making plans to hang out with Saki, we talk face-to-face, so I’ve never been this nervous.

But this time, I’m planning to ask Seko-kun to go out, just the two of us.

“Maybe Seko-kun will invite me… No, I can’t think like that.”

Feeling pathetic, I shake my head to clear those thoughts.

It’s not impossible that Seko-kun would invite me, but if it’s Seko-kun, he’s more likely to suggest ‘the three of us’—me, Seko-kun, and Haru.

This time, it has to be just the two of us; otherwise, it’s meaningless.

Besides, I’ve already told Haru about my feelings, so there’s no need to feel guilty about leaving her out.

I also haven’t told Haru about Saki yet.

Looking back, maybe I wanted to monopolize Seko-kun.

Even though Saki is there, the distance between Seko-kun and me feels different when it’s just the three of us with Haru.

December 25th. Christmas. A holy night. A special day for lovers.

On that day, I want to go out——or rather, go on a date——with Seko-kun.

This year, that day happens to be a Sunday, but we’re already on winter break, so I can make full use of the day.

Next time Seko-kun confesses to me, I plan to accept his feelings. But I don’t want it to happen in a classroom.

I want to be in a more romantic atmosphere, a more intimate setting, just the two of us.

I want to monopolize that special time.

Finally, I summon the courage to make the call. After a few rings, the sound abruptly stops, and then—

『Hello?』

I hear his voice, and my heart jumps.

『…uh, hello? Yosaki?』

“Ah, s-sorry.”

『It’s rare for you to call. Is it something urgent?』

“…I wonder if I shouldn’t call if I don’t have a reason.”

『N-no, it’s just that Yosaki rarely calls, that’s why.』

“Fufu. I’m just kidding. Sorry.”

Half joking, half serious.

Maybe I should start calling for no reason from now on.

『Don’t scare me like that… So, what’s up?』

“Well… um, are you free next Sunday, Seko-kun?”

『Next Sunday… Yeah, I’m free.』

“Great! W-would you like to go out with me on that day?”

『With you, Yosaki? Will Saki-chan be joining us?』

“…No, it’s just you and me, Seko-kun.”

『What?』

I can feel the tension running between us.

I can easily imagine the surprised look on his face, and it makes me smile slightly——

And so, I was able to secure a date with Seko-kun.

***

Then came the longest week of my life.

Even when I saw Seko-kun in class as usual, I couldn’t look him in the face directly.

My cheeks got unusually hot just listening to his regular compliments.

I knew I was acting differently, and I figured it would be even more obvious to others.

However, for some reason, Haru was always absent-minded and didn’t seem to notice at all.

The end-of-term ceremony was today, and the promised day would come tomorrow.

Despite it still being morning, my heart was already racing.

“…Huh?”

When I opened my shoe locker to change into my indoor shoes, there was a letter inside.

I’ve had this sort of experience before, so I immediately knew what it was and inadvertently let out a big sigh.

While it’s certain that I’ll reject the invitation, I can’t ignore it either.

It just wastes time.

I skimmed the contents and found out that the sender was waiting for me at the back of the school building during lunch break.

The back of the building… I wish it had been somewhere else.

I felt repulsed at the thought of overlaying the memory of Seko-kun confessing to me there for the first time with someone else.

Lunch break came, and after reluctantly taking time away from my friends, I headed to the back of the school.

The sender of the letter was already there, flipping his long, light-brown hair and showing his white teeth when he saw me.

Judging by the color of his tie, he seemed to be a second-year senpai.

“Sorry for calling you out all of a sudden.”

“No need for apologies. May I ask what this is about?”

“Heh, you’re in a hurry. Or are you nervous?”

Nervous? As if.

His overly familiar tone irritated me. I wanted to get this over with and return to my friends.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Sorry, I don’t.”

“Ah, I see. Well, you’re not in a club and you don’t interact with upperclassmen, so it’s not strange for you not to know students from other grades. I’m Naruki Arahira, a second-year student and the upcoming ace striker of the soccer team.”

“I see. So what business does Arahira-senpai have with me?”

“Heh, you’re so bad. You know what this is about, yet you want me to say it. But since that’s the main point, I don’t mind.”

Arahira Senpai extended his hand in front of me, saying,

“I like you, Yosaki. Will you go out with me?”

He said such a flimsy thing.

“Thank you for taking a liking to someone like me. By the way, what specifically do you find attractive about me?”

“You’re greedy, aren’t you? Well, first of all, I heard you have excellent grades. You’re at the top of the school, and it’s no small feat to achieve that here.”

“Anything else?”

“Hmm… Essential to your appeal is your beautiful appearance. Your glossy black hair, small face, slender body, and even your lips are plump and cute upon closer look.”

“Anything else?”

“Ha, still want more? Hmm, let’s see… I think your assertiveness is also a part of your charm. The woman walking beside me should be independent. They say that the character for ‘person’ is composed of two individuals leaning on each other, but both need to be independent for it to work. In that regard, you’re solid.”

“Anything else?”

“Jeez, you…”

Faced with my successive questions, Arahira Senpai grimaced, visibly annoyed.

“Getting a confession makes you a bit full of yourself, doesn’t it? Even I have my limits. I haven’t even received an answer yet.”

“An answer, you say? I decline.”

“What? After you made me tell you how attractive you are, what’s this? Are you kidding me?”

I never had expectations from the beginning, but I let out a big sigh after seeing the man’s true colors in front of me.

“Only that much? You’ve only listed three things so far.”

“Three is enough. How many would you need to be satisfied?”

“Let’s see… at least 250.”

“250!? …Ah, come on, there’s a limit to talking nonsense. No one in this world can——”

“He praises me every day. He knows things about me that even I don’t know and tells me about the charms he can see that no one else can. Even without my asking, he voluntarily does so. He is…he is—”

As I continued to speak, Arahira Senpai’s face increasingly twisted.

“What, what are you talking about? You don’t make any sense. Forget about what happened earlier, just forget about today.”

Saying this, Arahira Senpai returned to the school building.

I also wanted to go back to the building immediately, but I’d end up walking with that guy if I didn’t wait for a while.

“…Seko-kun.”

I found my hand on my chest before I knew it, unconsciously murmuring his name.