The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 41

Chapter 41

When I woke up, I was faced with an unfamiliar ceiling.

Looking around, everything was stark white.

It wasn’t that there was nothing around; it’s just that everything was white.

“Oh, the idiot son finally woke up.”

It was a voice I was accustomed to hearing.

Hearing it brought a big sense of relief.

“…what kind of parent calls their own child an idiot?”

“What’s wrong with calling a son who jumped into a river in late spring and was carried away half-naked an idiot?”

“That’s really embarrassing, I’m sorry.”

When I apologized sincerely, Mom chuckled lightly.

“It’s the usual. For now, I’ll go and tell the doctor.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.”

“Also, you should contact those two. They were quite depressed thinking it’s their fault.”

“But it’s not their fault that——”

“Well, if you understand that, then fine. The fact is, all of you share the blame for what happened this time.”

Saying that, Mom left the hospital room. Probably to go and inform the doctor.

I realized a bit later that Mom’s remark, “if you understand that, then fine,” referred to the two believing they were responsible for the incident that led me to be hospitalized.

I was surprised by her unexpectedly stern comment, as I had thought she was very protective of the two of them.

Right, I was told to contact the two.

Spotting my smartphone on the bedside table, I turned it on.

Mom must have charged it for me because the battery was almost full.

What surprised me first was that a whole day had passed since the day we went to karaoke. Which meant I had been asleep for almost a full day.

Despite this, I couldn’t understand why Mom had such a mild reaction upon seeing me waking up.

The amount of notifications was also astonishing.

There were countless messages from Oda, worried about my well-being.

While thinking I owed him one, I replied with a 『Sorry to keep you waiting』 using a Torupani character stamp.

It was read immediately, and he replied with a stamp saying, 『I was worried about you.』

This casual exchange warmed my heart.

There were messages from some unexpected people too. It was Kaida.

According to Oda, after I left the karaoke place, Yosaki gave a little lecture to the remaining classmates.

Kaida seemed to have been left with a strong impression by what I said and seemed to be reflecting on his actions, asking if I could forgive him.

To that, I replied, 『That’s for Hinata to decide.』

Surprisingly, I received a message from Misa every hour. She usually does not send such messages.

They were all saying things like 『Are you okay?』 and 『Please contact me when you wake up』, but there were many of them, each with their own

It must mean she was really worried.

For now, I replied with, 『I just woke up.』

With Haru, it was also unexpected; only one message had come.

We don’t usually keep in touch, but I thought Haru would be the type to worry excessively in situations like this, so it was surprising.

And that single message just said, 『I’ll be waiting for you』, nothing more.

But when I replied with 『Good morning』, it was read immediately, and a message came back: 『Are you okay?』

Once again, short.

As I was exchanging these brief messages with Haru, I got a reply from Misa, and my fingers were busier than ever after waking up.

My mother came back, saw me busy typing on my smartphone, and let out a wry smile.

“You know what caused you to collapse, don’t you?”

“Yeah, it’s probably the usual.”

“Well, the doctor suggests we should do a brain examination just in case. You’ll do it, won’t you?”

“I don’t think it’s necessary to go that far.”

“Just do it.”

“Okay…Mom, sorry. For making you deal with this on your holiday.”

“It’s okay. That’s what being a parent is all about.”

“…Thank you.”

Actually, this wasn’t the first time I had fainted and been taken away in an ambulance.

There was one time each during my kindergarten and elementary school days.

However, my memory of those times is quite hazy, and I don’t remember what caused me to collapse.

I am aware that I am causing trouble for my mother and father.

I am angry at myself for not being able to manage this condition, even though I was aware of it.

“By the way, you seemed to be saying something just before you collapsed. Do you remember?”

“What? Did I say something?”

“…If you don’t remember, then never mind. Forget it.”

“What’s that?”

It seems I’ve forgotten something again this time.

Maybe I can find out if I ask them.

From now on…what will become of my relationship with the two of them?

It’s probably going to be difficult to maintain the status quo.

It’s all because of this poison called ‘love’——

Few people remember the exact moment they fell in love.

By the time they realize it, it has spread throughout their entire body, leaving them unable to move freely.

Body, heart, everything.

Love is truly a slow-acting poison.

——My whole body is tormented by it.

Author’s Note:

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you for reading ‘The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Managing My S*xual Desires’ (Season 1).

I truly appreciate all the comments and reviews.

It seems that I have successfully managed to shatter everyone’s s*xual preferences, which leaves me immensely satisfied. Let’s all break together.

I’m broken as well. If we’re to die, we’ll all go down together.

By the way, everything up to this point is just the introduction.

The main theme of this work is 【Love is a slow-acting poison.】

Love is something you find yourself falling into before you know it, and by the time you realize it, you’re already so deep that it’s too late.

I tried to depict this feeling that 「It’s already poison by the time you’re aware of it」 in the story.

And the hidden theme is 「I want to depict girls falling in love and breaking apart」

This is my true motive. It’s my pure, unadulterated honesty.

The future of these three’s love is undecided.

I believe it will move on its own and find its resolution.

As Rento’s mom says, the three of them maintained a delicate balance.

Misa supports Rento, Rento supports Haru, and actually, Haru supports Misa.

So, if a pair forms among them, it becomes troublesome.

That’s why Rento’s mom said she hopes they will ‘maintain that balance’.

In the end, the person who understands Rento the best at this point is his mother (mother worship).

Misa is saved by Rento’s proactive actions. The same goes for the Saiki incident.

However, behind that lies his inherent nature of being considerate.

Haru is saved by his true character. He notices when she puts effort into her appearance when they go out and when he stays by her side during the haunted house.

And the eraser forgetting incident that made them closer happened because he was able to take proactive actions.

It’s a complicated love situation… or rather, I hope it’s become a heartwarming story.

Well, it’s not a recommended form of romance, but I am rooting for their love.

By the way, I casually added Haru’s liking for sunflowers.

It was just a feeling that 「Active girls match sunflowers!」. That was the spirit.

When I looked up the language of flowers later, it had meanings like 【Admiration】 and 【Passion.】

Haru admires Misa and has the passion typical of a sports girl. Nice, right?

There’s also 【I only have eyes for you】, which seems to fit Haru perfectly.

It appears that large sunflowers mean 【False love】, which seems to point to her twisted relationship with Rento.

It’s scary how well it fits.

For now, I’d like to apologize for three things.

Firstly, I changed the period when Haru started track and field from the third grade of elementary school to the second grade.

Secondly, about the title being a bit clickbaity.

Originally it was something like 「Having a Twisted Relationship with the Best Friend of the Girl I Like」, but I thought that was unclear, so I changed it to the current title.

It’s clearer but I kind of regret it.

Thirdly, I apologize for the timeline being jumbled and hard to follow.

Due to the novel structure, it had to be this way. I’ve summarized it briefly for clarity.

Third Year of Junior High School

○ Rento is helped by Misa.

○ Rento becomes aware of his feelings for Misa.

○ Misa starts to have expectations of others after seeing Rento.

○ Haru loses confidence in herself.

○ Haru is helped by Rento during entrance exams.

First Year of High School

Spring

○ Rento confesses to Misa and is rejected. Thereafter, he declares his love almost daily.

○ Rento, Misa, and Haru form a close-knit group.

○ Haru realizes her feelings for Rento.

Summer

○ The three enjoy the summer together.

○ Rento meets Saki.

Autumn

○ Cultural and Sports Festivals.

○ Misa starts to realize her feelings for Rento with Saki’s support.

○ Misa shares her changing feelings with Haru.

○ Haru proposes a twisted relationship with Rento.

○ Rento misses school due to a headache (not depicted).

Winter

○ Arahira confesses to Misa and is rejected.

○ Haru goes on a Christmas Eve date with Rento (not depicted).

○ Misa goes on a Christmas date with Rento and becomes aware of her feelings.

Second Year of High School

Spring

○ Arahira organizes a karaoke targeting Haru under the guise of a get-together.

○ Haru confesses her feelings to Rento.

○ Misa learns about Rento and Haru’s relationship.

○ Misa kisses Rento.

○ Rento collapses.

That’s all for now.

The next chapter will start Season 2.

***

TN: I changed a few things from Kakuyomu.

Kakuyomu : This Website

Episode = Chapter

Chapter = Part

Part = Season