The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

We have a strange relationship, but we chat normally in class and even walk home together.

We even hang out together sometimes.

A friend of mine Oda once said that our bond is one of the “Seven Wonders” of our high school.

Being recently admitted to the school and suddenly incorporated into the school’s ‘Seven Wonders’ made me feel like I owed an apology to the other ‘Wonders’ senior.

When I mentioned this, he laughed and said I was being overly modest.

Since neither of us is involved in club activities, we often have free time on our hands.

So, on weekends, we go into the city for shopping or visit entertainment facilities like karaoke and bowling.

Misa’s beautiful singing voice resonates in the heart, Hinata’s vibrant voice lifts the spirits of those who hear it, and I’m good at chiming in.

Misa consistently gets spares, albeit with both hands, Hinata scores strikes with her innate athletic talent, and I’ve mastered the art of ball polishing.

During Golden Week, we considered taking a trip somewhere since it’s a long holiday.

However, both Misa and Hinata ended up having family vacation plans, so our trip didn’t materialize.

They were quite disappointed, but from the stories they shared, they seemed to have enjoyed their individual trips.

Still, the idea of a trip remained alive.

As summer vacation approached, the two got excited and started planning for it again.

“Where should we go?”

“Let’s decide!”

Considering that staying overnight might be difficult just for high schoolers, we wanted to pick a place that was within a day trip range and felt summery. So, we settled on a leisure pool.

Since our middle school days, there haven’t been any swimming lessons, so I had never seen Yosaki in a swimsuit.

I was wholeheartedly agreed to the pool idea, and the night before the outing, I was so excited and nervous that I couldn’t sleep.

As for the actual day, it was a continuous thrill.

Yosaki appeared in a bikini with a black base color and white accents.

The design wonderfully accentuated Yosaki’s fair complexion, and I was taken aback by how daring her outfit was.

“Seko-kun, what do you think?”

“It’s amazing! Perfect! I thought a goddess had descended! Please go out with me!”

“Fufu, I’m glad. This was quite a challenge for me.”

Hearing my words of praise, Yosaki smiled with satisfaction.

Her charm was irresistible, and I could feel my face getting hot.

“…What about me?”

“Umm… Hinata, you look great too.”

“Hmph. It’s totally different from what you said to Misa.”

Hinata, who arrived with us, wore a cute frilled swimsuit, which was also a bikini but covered more area than Yosaki’s.

What was surprising was, in contrast to Yosaki’s confident appearance, Hinata blushed and looked embarrassed, twisting her body.

And… her chest was so big that I struggled to keep my gaze in check.

I couldn’t let Yosaki catch me staring, and I had no idea how Hinata would react.

“Don’t stare at Misa like that.”

“Come on! What’s the point of a pool event if I can’t do that?”

“Just enjoy it normally.”

“Fufu. This is my first time coming to the pool with friends like this. Isn’t it fun, Seko-kun?”

“It’s a lot of fun! Haven’t even swum yet but I’m already having a blast! Oh, there’s a water slide. Let’s try it out!”

“What’s that, a slide? It looks fun. Let’s go.”

“…so stupid.”

I tried to go to the water slide, inviting Yosaki, but I realized Hinata wasn’t following.

Looking back, Hinata was standing still with a gloomy face.

“Hinata. Aren’t you coming?”

“Ah… I, I’m coming!”

When I called out to her, Hinata broke into a smile and started running towards us.

“Hey, don’t run by the poolside—”

“Kyaa!”

Just as I feared, Hinata slipped on the wet surface and almost fell.

Fortunately, I caught her.

“——see? I told you so. Between leaving your stuff behind and this, you’re quite the scatterbrain.”

“Sh-shut up. …But, thanks…”

I’m startled by the posture of Hinata in my arms.

I’ve been feeling something soft pressing against my chest, and I can feel my heart racing.

“Aren’t you going to let go?”

“Ah!”

“…!”

Upon Yosaki’s words, we hurriedly separate.

Even after parting from Hinata, the soft sensation I felt earlier doesn’t fade, and there’s no sign of my heartbeat calming down.

She also seems dazed. Normally, she would’ve snapped and pulled away even before Yosaki said anything.

“Hey, we’re going to that slide, right? Let’s go.”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. I’ve never tried it, but it’s supposed to be super fun!”

“Is that so? Fufu, I’m looking forward to it. You too right, Haru?”

“Uh, yeah. But there’s a chance Seko’s info might be wrong.”

“My source is TV. If it’s wrong, blame the TV station.”

“Don’t deflect the responsibility. You’re our informant. Own up to it.”

The usual banter with Hinata is back. I’m relieved, but a part of me feels disappointed.

***

Considering it’s summer vacation, there’s naturally a large number of visitors, but undoubtedly, the water slide is the main attraction of this pool.

There’s a long line of people waiting on the stairs leading to the slide, but since there’s no fast pass or anything, we join the queue.

The three of us often spend our free time chatting, so waiting isn’t an issue.

If the conversation dies, someone brings up a new topic, and the cycle continues.

However, there’s a significant difference from our usual selves: our attire.

I’m unsure where to look, occasionally scanning the line or gazing into the distance.

When I try to look at their faces during conversation, my gaze inevitably drifts downwards. So I force myself to look elsewhere.

As we spent time this way, our turn was approaching. The slide looks higher up close, and my legs feel a bit shaky.

In times like this, seeing someone more scared than yourself can be reassuring.

This seems true, as the trembling Yosaki in front of me instantly stops my own shivers.

“Yosaki, are you okay?”

“Uh, yes. It’s just higher than I expected.”

“…Really?”

“…I admit. I’m actually a little afraid of heights…”

“Oh. If you had said so, we could have decided not to go. Do you want to get off now?”

“No. We’ve already waited in line, and since it’s a rare opportunity, I want to see it through. Besides, Seko-kun said it would be fun and invited me.”

“Hmm…”

To be honest, that reason made me happy. It felt like something just struck my heart!

…But then,

“Hehe. That’s a lot of responsibility, Seko.”

“It’s definitely going to be fun. They said so on TV, and look at how many people are lining up!”

If it turns out not to be fun, I’ll immediately lodge a complaint with the TV station.

“But Hinata, you’re fine with it?”

“Well, yeah. I’m good with heights and I kind of like roller coasters.”

“Roller coasters… I’ve wanted to try them, but I think they might be too much for me.”

“That’s not true, Misa! There are different levels of roller coasters, so you can find one you’ll enjoy! How about we go together next time? I’ll be with you!”

“Really? Fufu, maybe I’ll take you up on that.”

Thanks to Hinata’s quick thinking, a smile returned to Yosaki’s face.

I felt a bit frustrated that I couldn’t have been the one to do it, but I was relieved to see her in better spirits.

“Next, please!”

Urged by the staff, we moved to the starting point of the slide. The view from there had a different kind of intensity than before.

“I… I don’t think I can…”

Yosaki began to tremble again.

Maybe it’s better for her to give up, I thought.

Just then,

“If you’re scared, why don’t the two of you slide down together? Having someone with you can be reassuring.”

The staff lady suggested this and gave me a thumbs-up. I quickly grasped the implication of her words.

Hinata, who seemed to understand as well, said,

“T-Then, Misa, let’s slide down together!”

Saying that, she reached out her hand to Yosaki. However, Yosaki only stared at the hand, hesitant to take it.

It was a moment of uncertainty that lasted a few seconds, then Yosaki looked into my eyes and said,

“Seko-kun. I want to slide with you.”

“Uh, me?!”

A voice of surprise escaped from me because of the sudden request.

Naturally, Hinata was also shocked, and while retracting her outstretched hand, she said,

“Why with Seko?! Wouldn’t it be better with me? I mean, we’re both girls, and I’m not scared at all. You can rely on me.”

“No. I want to slide with Seko-kun. Seko-kun, you’re a little scared too, aren’t you?”

“…You noticed?”

“Yeah. Your body is trembling slightly. I felt relieved knowing I wasn’t the only one, but if I slid with Hinata now, I’ll be leaving such a scared Seko-kun alone. I don’t want to do that. Besides, sliding with someone else who’s also scared might be more fun, don’t you think?”

Saying that, Yosaki flashed me a mischievous grin.

It was an expression I had never seen before, and my heart skipped a beat.

“That’s how it is. Sorry, Hinata.”

“It’s okay! If that’s the case, there’s nothing I can do! Go on, you scaredy-cat.”

“Don’t call me a scaredy-cat.”

Pushed from behind by Hinata, I ended up sitting at the top of the slide with Yosaki.

She sat in front and I sat behind.

“Alright, Onii-san, wrap your arms around her waist. Make sure to hold her tight!”

“Uh, Yosaki isn’t my girlfriend yet…”

“Okay! Off you go!”

With a strong push from the staff lady, we accelerated due to the force of the water and gravity, rapidly getting closer to the ground.

“Whoaaaaa!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

The force was more intense than I expected, and I involuntarily tightened my grip around Yosaki. In that state, we were hurled into a pool below.

As we hit the water, we got separated. I quickly lifted my face out of the water to check on Yosaki. She slowly stood up, lifting her face out as well.

Her expression was different than before; it was exhilarated and somewhat content.

We looked at each other and both started laughing spontaneously.

“Hahaha! That was so scary! I didn’t expect it to be that fast!”

“Ahaha. Really, it took me by surprise. I’ve never screamed that loud before.”

By the way, I remember that even Yosaki had screamed loudly. I was too overwhelmed, so I don’t remember everything clearly.

As the next person was coming down, we quickly got out of the pool.

Once at the poolside, Yosaki, who had exited before me, continued, saying,

“It made my heart race so much.”

At that moment, her expression was almost like the heroine of a romance movie––––

Splash!

There was a loud sound from behind, accompanied by a spray of water.

It must have been Hinata who slid down after us.

She said she was good with heights, so she might have enjoyed it even more than we did.

I turned around to see her reaction.

Standing there was a girl with a much dimmer expression than the usual lively Hinata. But it was unmistakably Hinata.

“Wow, that was quite the thrill! The water slide really lived up to its reputation!”

Hinata, locking eyes with us, regained her usual brightness and expressed her thoughts.

Seeing her like that made me wonder if I misread her previous expression.

“It was just as the rumors said. See? My information was spot on.”

“Heh. you talk big for someone who just got lucky.”

“W-what did you say?!”

“Fufu, but it really was fun. Knowing that there’s water below makes it less scary.”

“Oh! Then let’s go again––”

“We’re not going.”

As I was about to suggest riding the water slide again, Hinata immediately shot down the idea.

Her voice was unusually deep, and it took me a moment to recognize it was hers.

As I tried to gauge Hinata’s downcast face, she suddenly looked up at me and quickly saying,

“Look, if we do that, we’ll end up waiting in line for ages! If we want to try other attractions, we won’t have enough time!”

“…ah, that’s right. Yeah, let’s check out other places. Is that okay with you, Yosaki?”

“Yes. Fufu, maybe I’ll experience a lot of firsts today.”

“Hey, watch how you phrase that.”

“Ugh, Seko, what are you thinking?! Pervert!”

Hinata’s face, teasing me, had returned to her usual sunny smile.