The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 61

Part 8: Together with the Cat

Chapter 61

Last weekend was full of dates with Haru.

On Saturday, I visited Hinata’s household and had a long chat with Akira-san for the first time in a while.

I worried about what I bring as a gift but they warmly welcomed me and it turned out to be a fun day.

As a result, I ended up spending Sunday with Haru as well.

This time we decided to go out and travel to Yokohama.

I was once again amazed by her physical abilities, and watching her happily munch on pancakes made me realize her charm again.

…It really was a happy two days.

——Thinking that I could spend every day like this if I were with her makes my heart race.

They have been waiting for my answer for a long time——and I have to give them an answer soon.

To choose one means to let go of the other.

That’s the way it has to be… The days of having fun together as the three of us may never come again.

Still, if there’s even a little bit of hope, I want to minimize the hurt.

That seems like my responsibility. So, I want to land slowly… But, in the end, it’s just my selfishness.

Just like Koido once said, I’m just being a chicken.

But yes. I want to make my decision this week.

——No, I will make it.

As I walk the school route, I reaffirm my resolve.

And as I arrive at school and change into my indoor shoes, I feel a gaze on me.

Being somewhat of a living legend at this school, I’ve always felt gazes on me, but today, it felt different.

It wasn’t just curiosity, but a mix of envy or jealousy?

I felt various emotions.

Walking down the hallway to my classroom, I received many stares from the passing students.

Legend or not, I’ve never been this much the center of attention.

I opened the door of the classroom feeling a little uncomfortable, and all my classmates turned to me at once.

It reminded me of the first day back from Golden Week, but I hadn’t participated in any get-together again since then.

“S-Seko.”

Oda comes up to me timidly.

“Hey, Oda. I’ve been feeling a lot of gazes since this morning. Why do you think that is?”

“…I knew it, Seko hasn’t made up his mind yet…”

“Yeah? What do you mean?”

Oda seemed to be convinced of something on his own, but I wanted an explanation for this situation.

As I asked for an explanation, other classmates gathered around; many of them.

I braced myself, wondering if I had done something wrong, but I couldn’t sense any anger in their expressions.

Rather——

“Seko! You finally did it!”

“Congratulations! It feels weird to say it, but I’ll celebrate for you!”

“Seko-kun, you’ve been persevering without getting discouraged… I will also try my best without giving up! Thank you for showing the courage!”

“Heh. I always believed that one day your dream would come true. You’ve grown up.”

What’s with this happy tension?

And it feels like there was a classmate in the back making a boyfriend-like face, or is that just my imagination?

“Seko.”

“Ah, Kaita. Isn’t everyone so excited?”

“That’s true. Especially us in the soccer club, it feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders, you know, like we’ve been freed from a curse. Oops, maybe that’s not something I should be saying to you.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…Could it be, Seko, you…”

Just as Kaita was about to say something, a clear voice reached my ears amidst the noisy classmates.

“Rento-kun.”

I turned around toward the voice.

There’s only one person who calls me that, and she shouldn’t use that name when others are around.

“Yosaki…?”

As I expressed my confusion, Misa chuckled and said,

“Geez. I asked you before, didn’t I? To call me by my name. I want you to call me properly, Rento-kun.”

“…Misa. What does that mean——”

The moment I tried to question her, the classroom erupted.

“Wooooah! They’re calling each other by their first names! And Yosaki-san even asked for it!”

“Wow… Seeing it in person really makes it feel real!”

“Really no, finally both feelings are mutual huh? Seko-kun, Congratulations.”

“A boyfriend… I’m starting to want one too.”

Wait… Wait-wait-wait——

It’s true that Misa and I confirmed our mutual feelings before. But why do my classmates know about it?

Confused, Oda whispered in my ear.

“Yosaki-san told everyone this morning. It’s rare for her to do something like that, but the content was shocking. She said ──’Rento-kun and I have started dating.’.”

“…what?”

I haven’t given my answer yet.

So how come Misa and I are supposed to be dating?

Surrounded by classmates and bombarded with questions, I catch the gaze of a girl behind Misa, who is staring at me with empty eyes.

Her eyes seemed to view everything in the world as her enemy.

***

Misa is always by my side.

After class, she would always come to my desk and start talking with me.

The content of the conversation was the same as usual, but it felt strange since Haru and I were the ones who used to go to Misa’s desk to talk.

Feeling bad about making her stand and talk, I asked, ‘Would you like to sit?’ so she could sit down instead of me.

She said ‘Yes,’ then she casually sat down on my lap.

Of course, the surrounding classmates gasped in astonishment.

I was also so surprised that I couldn’t react immediately.

She sat sideways on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.

It was so bewitching that I unconsciously swallowed my saliva.

Haru, for her part, always follows Misa to come near my seat.

However, she doesn’t approach closer than a step back and doesn’t initiate conversation.

She just responds with appropriate nods.

Haru is exceptionally considerate, and she’s good at reading the room.

Perhaps because of that, she senses the surrounding glances that say, ‘Don’t interfere with them like before. There’s no need for that anymore,’ and she finds herself unable to move any further.

When I tried to start a conversation with Haru, she showed a brief happy expression but it faded quickly and she responded with short replies.

Then lunch break arrived. Today, the three of us eat together again.

That hasn’t changed. But——

“Rento-kun. I made you some side dishes. I wonder if you would like to try them?”

Misa had brought food she made.

On the desk, a small lunch box contained karaage, tamagoyaki, and coleslaw——all of which were my favorite foods.

It’s terrifying how none of them overlapped with my lunch for the day.

“I-Itadakimasu.”

First, one piece of karaage… Delicious.

Even though it’s cold, it’s very juicy, and the flavor of the meat seeps out.

Then the tamagoyaki… Also delicious.

It’s sweet, just how I like it, and then I eat the coleslaw for a break between the strong flavors.

“Everything’s delicious. It’s exactly to my taste.”

“Fufu, I’m glad. It was worth observing your eating habits all this time.”

“Uh, you were doing that? It’s embarrassing to think I was being watched.”

“Rento-kun secretly smiling while enjoying his favorite foods was adorable.”

Misa said so with a seductive smile.

The shocking truth she revealed made me feel a little embarrassed; seeing her smile made my face grow even redder.

“That, I… no, never mind.”

Haru started to say something, then stopped and put down her chopsticks.

I wanted to ask her what was on her mind, but she gestured with her eyes for me to be quiet.

Showing concern for Haru here would probably lead to antagonism of those around us.

She understood that and signaled me to stop.

So, the only person I could talk to was Misa.

Also, there were plenty of things I wanted to talk to her about.

“Misa. You’ll explain to me, right?”

“Yes, but not here. Let’s do it after school, and I’d like it to be just the two of us.”

“…Is Hinata not okay?”

“…Well, I want to remain best friends with Haru…but I’m not sure what I might end up saying to her.”

At that, Haru’s body jerked in reaction.

I could faintly grasp the meaning of Misa’s words.

From there, Misa started a casual conversation, and Haru and I joined in.

We were supposed to be smiling and chatting, but our hearts were not at ease.

——Although we were smiling and talking, our hearts were not at ease.

***

After finishing our meal, Misa asked me,

“Rento-kun, aren’t you going to the infirmary today?”

Honestly, I was reluctant to leave Misa and Haru alone together.

But with Haru saying, ‘Go ahead’, I apologized to the two of them and left the classroom.

I needed to calm down for now; because my mind and heart have been in turmoil since this morning.

For that reason, I headed to the backyard.