The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

I walked Misa home after we left the cafe.

There was no conversation between us during the walk, and in my mind, I was grumbling about the shopkeeper who was secretly enjoying our shambles (shuraba).

“Thank you for walking me home again today.”

“It’s gotten dark, so it’s the least I can do.”

“Oh? But you always walk me home, don’t you?”

“…well, that’s true.”

It felt awkward.

Maybe because of the conversation we had in the cafe, maybe because we had been silent until now, or maybe, even though it’s not technically true, our relationship has seemingly changed in the eyes of others.

“Hey, Rento-kun. It’s getting dark outside, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah. I think I also told you that earlier.”

“We are boyfriend and girlfriend, aren’t we?”

“…That’s, well, debatable.”

“But we do like each other, right?”

“…I guess so——”

Suddenly, Misa’s face came closer, and our lips met.

It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in a while. That’s why I instantly remembered the previous touch and the scene from that time.

Misa stepped back while touching her lips with her finger and smiled.

“Then this much should be okay, right?”

“…I don’t think that’s good.”

“It’s for me to decide.”

“Do I have a say in this?”

“Do you dislike it?”

“… It’s not that I dislike it.”

“Then it’s fine. Fufu, Rento-kun, I like you. Let’s kiss a lot from now on.”

Her mischievous smile was so beautiful that it shone brightly even in the darkness.

***

Upon returning home, I headed straight to my room and dove onto my bed while still in my uniform.

Lying there, I let my thoughts wander.

I understood why Misa had acted the way she did.

My lenient attitude towards Haru seemed to be the root cause.

I hadn’t realized it before, but now that I think about it, I seem to have often agreed with her request.

That’s why I wanted a third-party opinion.

Well of course Misa is also a third party, but there might be some bias due to her position.

I took out my smartphone and sent a message to someone, and the reply came quickly.

【I need to talk to you about something.】

【Hmmph. You sure have the nerve to ask me for help after ignoring all my messages!】

【About the talk I had with Yosaki after school today…】

【Eh, ignoring me? You’re completely ignoring my messages! How much more do you plan to ignore me?!】

【I’m trying to have a serious conversation here. Can you calm down for now?”

【Whose fault do you think it is?!】

【Koido, you’re the only one who will listen to me. Please.】

【… What’s that? You’re showing your vulnerable side to get my sympathies? Well, your strategy is a huge success—I’m totally on board now! Now, please tell me what you want to talk about!】

After a bit of banter, I typed the main topic into the chat app.

【Koido, do you think I’m too lenient with Hinata?】

【Hmm? Well, I haven’t seen the two of you together, so I can only go by what you’ve told me, but I think you’re very sweet to her.】

【Seriously?】

【’Seriously (本気)’, and I mean ‘seriously (まじ)’ here. It’s easier to understand this in a chat, isn’t it?】

【Can you tell me the ‘reason(理由)’? And by ‘reason (理由),’ I mean ‘reason(わけ).’】

【You don’t have to play along with my joke! …Well, let’s see, I always have the impression that you rush to Hinata Senpai’s side whenever she’s in a pinch. Even when Hinata Senpai doesn’t send an SOS signal, you seem to sense it.】

(TN: They’re joking around by explaining the written messages.)

That matched the view on love that I once shared with Misa and Saki.

Maybe that’s why Misa was so anxious.

【It feels like Hinata Senpai is younger than Senpai and really brings out your protective side for someone younger.】

【Koido is so cheeky that I don’t feel you’re younger than me.】

【What’s that supposed to mean! Cheekiness is a junior’s privilege!】

【Maybe it’s also because you’re too reliable.】

【Senpai…! Your balance of tsun and dere is just perfect right now!】

Feeling the conversation getting off track, I sent 【 Thank you for listening to me】, and closed the chat app.

Then I tossed my still-vibrating smartphone away.

There were many things I needed to think about, but my mind wouldn’t let me do that.

That’s why I just shut my eyes to escape the pain.

***

The next day.

We ate together as usual during lunch break.

Misa was in the seat in front of me, with Haru next to her.

Until recently, Misa and Haru used to share a desk, but they’ve been using separate desks since yesterday.

It makes me sad to feel like their emotional distance has also grown apart.

I finished my lunch and cleaned up slowly.

Seeing that I made no move to leave the classroom, Haru tilted her head.

“Huh? Seko, aren’t you going to the infirmary today?”

“…I think I’ll pass for a while. Recently, the nurse’s gaze has been kind of painful. I guess I have been going to that place too much.”

“Ahaha, you did go there every day. But are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll just take it easy at my seat.”

“Fufu. You say that, but you just actually want to spend more time with me, right?”

At Misa’s question, Haru freezes.

I also stiffen momentarily, but considering the classmates around us, I respond with ‘Stop it, you’re embarrassing me’ and not entirely denying it.

“Oh? Given your past actions, I didn’t think you’d be embarrassed by something like this.”

“Don’t mess with my past…”

“Fufu. It’s a beautiful memory for me.”

Misa’s blushing and slightly shy remark causes the girls in the class to scream.

“Yosaki-san! We can’t take it anymore! Let’s talk over there!”

“We have so many questions for Yosaki-san!”

“Uh, wait, you guys. Now is my time with him…”

“There will be plenty of time for that later! Come on, let’s have a girls-only chat, boys are not allowed!”

Misa is somewhat forcibly taken away by them.

They leave the classroom, but I wonder how far they are going to go.

Left behind, Haru and I exchange a wry smile.

“Well then, uh, I have something to do too…”

I wonder about this ‘something to do,’ but judging from Haru’s expression, I decide not to ask and just reply, “Okay.”

Then Haru tidies up her lunchbox and leaves the classroom.

I wonder if she really had something to do. That’s the first thing that comes to mind.

Even if she didn’t, unlike before, we can’t just stay together now.

Not because someone specifically forbids it but the atmosphere around us doesn’t allow it. And Haru seems to be the one who feels this the most.

As I’m thinking about how much I dislike this situation, suddenly——

“Seko! Let’s have a talk!”

One of the male classmates calls out to me.

I think he was at that get-together and seems to be from the soccer club.

I don’t know his name though.

“Uh… sorry, who are you?”

“That’s cold. I’m Moriya.”

Even after hearing his name, it doesn’t ring a bell.

I realized again how little interaction I’ve had with classmates other than those two and Oda.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, Seko. You stopped confessing to Yosaki since that day, right? That was because of us, wasn’t it?”

“Ah… it seems like you were concerned about it.”

“We felt sorry about that. Well, it’s also because Yosaki lectured us. No, I mean… you stopped confessing to her because you started dating her after that day, right?”

Moriya’s deduction was off the mark, but since I didn’t know how Misa had been explaining our supposed relationship to others, I couldn’t flatly deny it.

It might cause annoying troubles later if our stories don’t match.

“…Uh.”

“No, you don’t need to say it. I know we’re in no position to be resented, not appreciated.”

——Of course.

The words almost slipped out, but I swallowed them back at the last moment.

I had a feeling I was beginning to understand Moriya’s character in this short interaction.

He probably was a bit of a joker.

“So, here’s the main thing Seko… I want you to be my love guru! Please help me with my love problems!”

“No.”

“Masteeerrrr!”

Moriya clung to me while screaming.

Why am I suddenly his master?

“…Sigh. I’ll at least listen to what you have to say.”

“Master! Hehe, that’s what I’m talking about.”

Moriya happily sat down backward in the seat in front of me.

“Wait. Can you sit next to me?”

“Eh? It’s fine here.”

“I won’t listen otherwise.”

“Uh… I don’t get it, but okay, I’ll do that.”

Moriya sat down next to me with a bit of reluctance.

I muttered to myself, ‘I don’t know why I had even said that.’

“So, first of all, it’s about this girl I like. She’s a first-year manager who joined this year.”

Manager… Ah, I remember hearing someone in the classroom talking about that.

Was that Moriya speaking?

“That girl… she’s like a real angel, you know? Super considerate and all. She brings drinks and hands out towels——it’s amazing!”

“Isn’t that’s the normal job of a manager?”

“Idiot! Other managers don’t do that much! …At least not to me…”

“I see. It’s usually exclusive for the good-looking guys then.”

“Yeah, don’t rub it in, damn it!”

I felt a bit sorry for Moriya. Hang in there, Moriya.

Though I’ll probably forget about this tomorrow.

“Then, what do you want to consult me about?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? How can I start dating her?”

“Why are you asking me? Haven’t you seen what I’ve been through?”

“Because you clawed your way up and got Yosaki, that’s why I’m asking for your advice.”

“Then first; confess every day for half a year and keep getting rejected.”

“Are you kidding me?! If I did that, my glass heart would shatter into a million pieces!”

“I’ll scatter it around the sports field if that happens.”

“At least manage it properly! Why are you making it harder to collect?!”

“It’s your home turf. You can cry while you pick it up.”

“Now I ended up picturing the defeated teams at Koshien! No that’s baseball, not soccer! I’m in the soccer club!”

I responded casually because I was not really in the mood to have a conversation like this right now, but Moriya seemed to get excited on his own.

It’s a little funny.

“Master Seko, I’m really counting on you!”

“The ‘half a year’ part was a joke, but if you don’t have the guts, you might as well give up from the start.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve got a point there… But it’s not that, you see…That girl, she’s, um…”

Moriya glanced at me repeatedly, struggling to find the right words.

Watching him, I had an inkling.

“Is she Arahira’s favourite?”

“…Yeah. Arahira Senpai is popular despite everything. He’s got a lot of trust from others too. If she’s his favorite, who knows when she might end up in Senpai’s clutches.”

I remembered what Kaita had said before.

He mentioned that Arahira already had someone he was crazy about apart from Misa and Haru.

“Then you have no choice but to attack. Or pray that her defenses are rock-solid.”

“If they’re solid, I don’t stand a chance.”

“Then you’ve got to attack. She must be popular, right?”

“Obviously. She’s cute and has an angel-like personality! But she doesn’t come to club activities on weekends, she says it’s due to family circumstances… Maybe she’s going on dates with her boyfriend!?”

“Thank you for your hard work, now give up.”

“Hey, you don’t know that yet! Don’t just end it like that!”

“You’re the one who said that. Anyway, you better act fast if you don’t want to turn that pain into reality.”

“…Yeah, alright. I might not be able to confess right away, but I’ll try a little harder. Thanks, Seko!”

“Yeah.”

I didn’t think I gave any concrete advice, but if he’s satisfied, that’s all that matters.

I had never been asked for such advice before. After all, I was the guy who had always lost.

I didn’t know adding one win to my record could suddenly make me a big player.

Just as I was thinking about how quickly people’s impressions change, I heard a scream-like voice from a female classmate.

“Hinata-san!? What happened?”

Hearing the name, I quickly turned towards the classroom door.

There stood Haru, looking like she was about to cry.

Without thinking, I rushed over to her.

“Hinata, are you okay?”

“…Seko. I, I…”

“Something happened with the ‘something to do’ you mentioned earlier.”

“…Yes. I was called to the back garden, so I went. There was a Senpai I didn’t know, and he asked me out. I-I properly refused. I really did. Then he got angry and said, ‘Don’t get cocky,’ and I got scared, didn’t know what to do…”

I noticed her body trembling slightly. Maybe she had developed a trauma towards confessions because of that Arahira.

“But, you know, a first-year girl pretended to call a teacher and helped me. So, um, nothing happened to me. I’m still untainted, Seko.”

Maybe that first-year girl who appeared in the back garden was——I should thank her later.

I guess I’ll have to treat her to strawberry milk again.

“…I see. I’m glad you’re safe, Hinata. From now on, you don’t have to force yourself to accept confessions. If you want, I can go and refuse it for you.”

“…Is that okay? Won’t you be disliked for that?”

“Either way, I’m already getting various kinds of attention at this point. It won’t make much difference.”

“…Thank you, Seko. Thanks. Seko. Seko.”

I stayed with Haru, who was in a fragile state until she reached her seat.

Meanwhile, I could hear our classmates talking.

“Seko is being awfully nice to Hinata-san.”

“The distance between them…”

“I wonder what Yosaki-san thinks about it——”