The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 69

Chapter 69

After the holiday, Rento-kun returned to school.

I was worried about his health, but I was also concerned that Arahira Senpai might target Haru again, so I decided to accompany him to Haru’s house.

Honestly, I felt a bit jealous when I heard that. He has a soft spot for Haru.

Since our first year, it felt like he supported Haru more than me, someone he loved.

I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I feel something stirring inside of me.

Still, I was also genuinely worried about her, so I decided to join in to be her escort.

As a result, it was a good thing for me because I got to spend more time with him after school.

After dropping Haru off, it would just be the two of us going to my house.

That precious time seemed to shine brightly.

“By the way. I heard you sharply tell off our classmates after I left the karaoke place on the day of the get-together. Thanks to to you, Kaita seems to be really reflecting on his actions. Thank you.”

On the way home, he suddenly thanked me.

To be honest, I was just venting my anger and spewing what was on my mind at them, so it’s honestly embarrassing to be thanked for that.

“There is no need to thank me. I was just venting my anger. It seems that Kaita-kun was more impressed by what you said.”

“Did I say something? I don’t really remember much about that time.”

“You said to the guy who was getting carried away, ‘What do you know about me and her?'”

“Uh, wow. That’s a really rough tone. Misa reading that line out loud feels so out of place.”

“Fufu, even I can speak roughly sometimes. Want to know how I spoke back then?”

“Even as a bystander, it feels like a chill runs down my back… I’ll pass.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying you’re scared of me, Rento-kun?”

“No, no. It’s just that, how should I put it, Misa hits you with the hammer of sound logic, so you can’t talk back, and, you know, because Misa’s beautiful, it adds an intensity to it.”

“…Idiot.”

Remembering how he was angry at that guy made me a little upset, so I teased him a bit as a form of revenge.

I never expected him to retaliate.

——My face is starting to heat up.

“…By the way, you gave Oda-kun more money than necessary, did you get the change?”

“…Ah! I didn’t! He also didn’t say anything! …maybe it wasn’t enough? Ugh, I should have asked him.”

I changed the subject to avoid further teasing from him. But he shows his kindness even in such a situation.

I couldn’t take my eyes off his face.

“Hey, Misa. How much was it actually… Misa?”

“Ah, um, sorry. I left money too, so I don’t know the actual amount.”

“I see. You left early too. Hmm, guess I’ll have to ask Oda. I might have to give him a little lesson if there was change.”

“Oh. If that’s the case, I’ll join in too.”

“That would be… a bit pitiful for Oda.”

“What? Do you actually think I’m scary? Hmph.”

“No-no, sorry, Misa. I didn’t mean it like that~”

Lately, I’ve been enjoying teasing him.

His flustered expression while scrambling for excuses is just too adorable, and I want to see more of it.

——He’s looking at me.

——I can feel it. Really, it warms my heart.

***

The next day.

I’m among the earlier ones to arrive at class, and today, with only a few others around, I was killing time with my English vocabulary book while occasionally glancing at the hallway and hoping Rento-kun and Haru would arrive soon.

“Misa. Good morning!”

Haru, who had quietly approached me, greeted me, and I looked up and turned to her.

“Good morning, Haru…Oh?”

“Misa is so diligent, studying from the morning. I should study in the morning too! Maybe memorization is best for these spare moments?”

“Ah, yeah. I think so. Things that require calculations can’t be interrupted easily, so memorization is better.”

“Got it! Okay, I’ll work on my vocabulary book too!”

Puffed up with determination, Haru clenched her fists and headed to her seat.

She’s always cheerful, but today she seems especially lively.

I had a hunch about the reason.

The hairpin shone in her bangs——

Previously, she had lost the hairpin she used to wear during a conflict with Arahira Senpai.

So there was no hairpin in her bangs yesterday. But she’s wearing a sunflower-designed hairpin today, just like the one she had before.

I thought maybe she went shopping for it after yesterday.

But that alone wouldn’t raise her spirits to such a level.

Probably, he, Rento-kun, gave it to her as a gift….

Being the kind person he is, he might have felt responsible for agreeing to go to the get-together or for not intervening before Arahira Senpai made a move on Haru and decided to give her a replacement.

I wonder if he knew that the replacement would be the best present for her…

If he did give it knowingly, then maybe his heart has already gone to her——

A pain runs through my chest, and I instinctively cover it.

——Maybe Haru has been feeling this way every morning.

Thinking of this, my jealousy towards her is overwritten by sympathy for a best friend.

But still, it hurts. It’s a type of pain I’ve never experienced before, so I don’t know how to deal with it.

“Yosaki. Are you okay?”

As I held my chest, Rento-kun, who had just arrived at school, expressed his concern.

At that moment, the pain in my chest disappeared.

“Yeah, I’m fine now.”

“I-I see, then I’m glad. But don’t push yourself too hard. Again, good morning.”

“Good morning, Seko-kun.”

It’s such an irony that even though your existence is the cause of this sickness, being with you seems to cure it.

I can’t help but smile bitterly to myself inside

***

Lately, Rento-kun spends half of his lunch break in the infirmary.

It seems his headaches continue, and rather than staying in a noisy classroom, he prefers the quiet of the infirmary.

I fully agree with this and happily see him off, hoping for his better health.

However, Haru always asks him, ‘Should I accompany you?’ Each time, he gently refuses with a slightly apologetic look.

Seeing Haru’s disappointment, he seems troubled.

I find myself envying Haru——She gets his attention.

Despite me being the one respecting his wishes, he’s always most concerned about her.

When he returns to the classroom, she’s the first he speaks to.

Seeing her smile bloom as he returns, he too softens his expression.

One day, I saw Haru waiting for him in the hallway. Then she patted his head as he returned.

The emotions I felt then were… indescribable, no, too ugly to put into words.

Something dark and turbulent covered my heart, bubbling up from within.

——I never knew I could harbour such ugly feelings.

I’m surprised by what arose within me, but now, these feelings are deeply ingrained in my heart.