The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Another week has passed since then.

There was this annoying event called midterms, but somehow I managed to get through it.

Well, as it was less of a headache, I might have found it easier to focus on studying for the exams than anything else.

After enduring that hell, we finally reached lunch break.

The real hell was yet to come, with normal classes scheduled after the exams.

“Seko, how did your exams go?”

“Pretty average, as usual-as usual.”

“Um. That’s good. Wouldn’t want your health to affect your grades, as those two would feel sorry for it.”

“Oda… you’re so cool!”

“Huh, you finally noticed. …Seko, while you’re at it, why don’t you smash all the mirrors around me?”

“Why so negative! Oda, you’ve lost weight and look quite sharp now. Have some confidence. There are guys who keep getting rejected for over half a year and are still going strong.”

“That example is an exception to be a motivation.”

I’m not living as a legend for nothing.

I wish it could be helpful in times like this, but it seems it didn’t resonate with Oda. Sigh.

As Oda and I were having this conversation in the classroom, I overheard other classmates talking.

Everyone was excited after finishing their midterms, and their voices were loud.

“Finally, exams are over! Time for club activities!”

“I’m not thrilled about meeting Senpai, but I can push myself for the sake of the new manager.”

“Man, that girl is like an angel. Though, she’s probably out of our league.”

“Haha. She gave me a towel after practice. ‘Moriya Senpai sweats a lot, so I prepared this.’ She’s practically my wife now, right?”

“What? That’s just her saying, ‘you look disgusting sweating so much, wipe it off quick, you octopus’.”

“Your mouth is so dirty. Were you always like this?”

“Shut up! Damn, now I’m going to drink two liters of water and join practice!”

“Don’t try to create an artificial ‘sweaty character’.”

It’s a very typical conversation among high school boys. Oda, hearing them too, muttered,

“A manager, huh?”

“We’re strangers to that kind of existence.”

“Seko might be, but I am a member of a club.”

“The manga club? There’s no such thing as a manager there.”

“You never know. A cute junior might join, saying, ‘Senpai, it’s a fight to create names!’ ”

“Is that an idea for your next one?”

“Let me have my fantasies, Seko!”

He raises his voice in despair, but Oda’s next work will likely be about a senpai and kouhai.

Oda’s a man who sublimates his desires in the two-dimensional world.

“Speaking of juniors, there’s a first-year girl with flashy hair.”

“Oda’s surprisingly well-informed.”

“He who controls information controls the world. Her name is, umm… ”

“Mai Koido.”

“Yeah, Mai Koido… what? Seko, you’re interested in a lady other than Yosaki and Hinata?”

“What’s with that reaction? Well, she’s just an acquaintance.”

“It wasn’t a matter of my interest! But what’s your relationship?”

“Hmm… She’s someone I consult with and who makes me treat her to strawberry milk.”

“That just makes it even more confusing!”

Honestly, even I don’t quite understand my relationship with Koido.

It’s not just a typical senpai-kouhai dynamic, but it’s not friendship either.

“For now, let’s just say she’s my cheeky mentor.”

“Seko’s social circle is full of mysteries. By the way, her hair is pink, right? Like Fuu from Torupani.”

“Stop it. You’re bringing up the one thing I was trying not to think about.”

“Sorry. It’s complicated, huh?”

“It is. Sorry about that.”

At first, when I saw her hair color, my favorite character Fuu from Torupani flashed through my mind.

But apart from the hair color and cheerful personality, they’re nothing alike.

Fuu doesn’t end her sentences with ‘ssu’! That’s a trait of another character.

In fact, I don’t see Koido in that way. She’s just a close junior to me.

“What’s this? Were you talking about Torupani? About Fuu-chan?”

“Hinata-san!?”

Oda, startled by Hinata’s sudden interruption into our conversation, began to fidget uncomfortably.

It was an awkward topic, after all.

“We were just saying how cute Fuu was in the new volume.”

“I read it too! Fuu-chan was really adorable! The earnest feelings she has for the protagonist really come across. …Oh, and there were quite a few… er*tic scenes, weren’t there?”

“Ufufu… Ow! W-what are you doing, Seko!?”

“Shut up.”

Oda was upset at being kicked in the shin by me.

It was his fault for having a slightly creepy smile while Hinata talked about Torupani.

Haru, not understanding our exchange, looked puzzled.

Then the next moment, Haru seemed to have an idea why, and she brought her mouth close to my ear.

“Does Ren like that sort of thing too? I can do it for you, you know?”

Feeling my heartbeat quicken, I lightly flicked her forehead as she leaned in.

Then, Hinata held her forehead, saying, ‘Ouch!’

“That hurts, Seko! What are you doing!”

“I actually held back quite a bit.”

“Seko-san, it’s not good to lay hands on a lady.”

“Do you want to try my gender-equal flick?”

“Umm… I’ll pass.”

Oda chose to retreat after seeing my flicking gesture and hearing the sound of my finger cutting through the air.

“Haru. What are you doing?”

Misa joined in, and Oda seemed to shrink even more.

“Weren’t you supposed to be inviting Seko-kun to lunch?”

“Oh, right. Sorry, Misa. I forgot.”

“Sigh. Haru really is clueless sometimes. That’s why you make those mistakes in math problems.”

“Ugh, don’t say that! Geez, Misa, you’re mean.”

“Fufu, sorry.”

It’s comforting to see that they are still close best friends.

As I felt relieved watching their interaction, Oda whispered to me.

“Beautiful girls interacting with each other is always nice to see.”

“Don’t even think about drawing a manga about them.”

“Why would I do that? …though, I might have considered it if Seko-san hadn’t mentioned it.”

“Hey!”

I don’t want to discourage his hobbies, but I definitely don’t want him using our friends as material for his manga. Especially not those two.

Though I doubt Oda would seriously consider it.

Then, after chatting and eating lunch with Misa and Hinata, I put away my empty lunchbox and stood up.

“Seko, are you going to the infirmary again today?”

“…Yeah.”

“Are you really okay? I can come with you.”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks, I appreciate the thought.”

“But… you’ve been going to the infirmary every lunchtime recently. I’m really worried.”

“Haru. Seko-kun knows his body best, so let’s just watch over him, I guess.”

“…Alright.”

Misa, having calmed down Hinata, gave me a knowing look.

She probably understood that I wanted to be alone and acted accordingly.

“Thanks, both of you.”

“It’s okay. But if something happens, you must tell us.”

“…Got it.”

With a mix of gratitude and guilt, I left them and headed towards the back garden.

***

When I arrived at the back garden, Koido was already there, sitting on a bench and swinging her legs as she waited for me.

Expecting her to be there, I handed her the strawberry milk I bought as an apology for being late and sat down next to her.

Then, I reported what had happened in the classroom earlier, especially about Hinata.

“Hmm, Hinata Senpai did that? It seems like there might be some movement soon.”

“That sounds like something a detective staking out a criminal would say.”

“Anpan goes well with strawberry milk, huh?”

“Don’t sweeten up a stakeout with strawberry milk.”

“Such a naive attitude will give you away to the criminal, you know?”

“Don’t steal my closing line. I’ll arrest you on the spot for theft.”

“No way! That’s mean!”

As we chatted in our usual light-hearted manner, I asked Koido something that had been on my mind.

“…hey Koido, what do you think ‘liking’ someone means?”

“Wow. You’re hitting me with the most troublesome question out of the blue.”

“You can’t tell me that a question about love is troublesome for a high school girl.”

“High school girls fall in love based on intuition, so we don’t ponder over such logical things… Well, ultimately, maybe it’s wanting to be with that person?”

“Koido thinks so too, huh… Then, me running away from those two right now…can I say I like them?”

“See, it’s turned troublesome! What… Do I have to answer that?”

Koido crossed her arms, pondered for a while, then slowly began to speak.

“Senpai is currently trying hard to be with both of them. So, I think your feelings for them are genuine.”

“Koido… You always say the nicest things.”

“Right?! When I thought of this answer, I even wondered if I was a genius!”

“A genius’s words of wisdom, I’ll take them to heart.”

“Huhuhu. Keep up the good work.”

I think Koido might really be my Master after all. (TN: Master/Mentor/Teacher, Shishō.)