The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

We resumed our discussion after another restart.

“Let’s set aside the source of the rumor for now and think about how we should behave from here on.”

“Right. I think we shouldn’t deliberately distance ourselves from each other.”

“What do you mean?”

“Probably some people will say things to us, but let’s ignore them and continue to be together as usual, all three of us.”

“Ah… is that okay? I thought maybe it would be better for me not to be around the two of you.”

“If we scatter, it would be like affirming the rumor, wouldn’t it? We’re in a position to deny the rumor, so we want to avoid that.”

“Ah, I see. Misa, that’s smart!”

If we each act independently, it would appear to others as if we’ve fallen out.

That would lead to speculation about why the three of us are no longer getting along, and the first cause that would come to mind is the rumor.

Misa got fed up with me for cheating on her.

Of course, Misa would also dislike Haru, the supposed affair partner.

Then Haru and I would also separate due to the discomfort of the situation.

It’s a logical conclusion.

Misa suggested that we continue to be together as usual to prevent such a scenario.

“I agree with that.”

“Then it’s decided. Now, what about you, Rento-kun? How do you plan to deny this rumor?”

“Matsui Sensei suggested that if we have sufficient material to deny the rumor, she will convince the school on our behalf.”

“Material… you mean evidence. But isn’t that like proving a negative?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Hey. What do you mean by this ‘proving a negative’ you’ve been talking about?”

“Proving a negative is a philosophical concept that refers to the difficulty or impossibility of proving that something does not exist. In this case, we’re trying to prove that we didn’t do it, but how do you think we can prove that we didn’t do it? For example, Haru, can you prove you’ve never lied before?”

“Umm… huh? No, that’s impossible. Because I don’t have a record of everything I’ve ever said.”

“That’s what I mean. And even if you submit a record saying, ‘these are all my past statements,’ you still have to prove that it’s really everything. That seems impossible, right?”

“Eh…what? Then how are we supposed to prove it!?”

“Well, that’s really where it all comes down to.”

We all hum in our thoughts.

Haru is… well, she’s doing great just keeping up with the conversation.

“If only we knew the motive behind spreading the rumor…”

“We need to identify the source for that reason.”

“Ugh… we’re back to that again…”

“Speaking of evidence…. There seems to be some evidence for this rumor.”

“Nobody has confirmed it so far though. It feels like just the existence of ‘there is evidence’ is spreading.”

“Maybe there really isn’t any evidence?”

“Ahaha. That’s…”

“Maybe…”

Hearing Haru’s remark, Misa and I begin to ponder.

Haru looks at us alternately in confusion as we suddenly fall silent.

“That’s possible.”

“Yeah. We don’t know yet, but it’s a possibility.”

“Um… not to interrupt, but why do you think so? It was just a thought I had…”

Haru timidly raises her hand and asks, to which Misa responds with a smile.

“Fufu, I guess it’s Haru’s intuition…yes, that’s right. This rumor is probably being spread intentionally by someone in a way that it easily spreads widely. It wouldn’t have spread so much by morning otherwise.”

This must be based on Misa’s own experience.

Last week, she spread the false rumor that ‘Seko Rento and Misa Yosaki have started dating.’

Her motive was to rally people around her, and as she had planned, the rumor spread quickly, reaching nearly the entire school by the time I arrived.

What’s important here is that she talked about it intentionally to spread the word.

She talked about it in the middle of the classroom, loud enough for all her classmates to hear.

From there, the classmates acted as speakers, further spreading the rumor.

Even considering my popularity, the speed at which it spread was abnormal.

There must be another reason behind that.

Also, it’s important that she, being one of the involved parties, spoke about it.

Since she was the one talking, it immediately provided credibility to the rumor.

However, in the current case, the involved parties are me, Haru, and Misa.

For a third party to spread the rumor about us, they would need some basis for it, as people are unlikely to believe otherwise.

——But there’s a loophole.

“And you know, Haru. For instance, if I say, ‘It’s going to rain this afternoon,’ would you believe me?”

“Ah, yes, because Misa is saying it. I might doubt it a little if Ren was the one who said it.”

…Well, I’ll keep quiet for now.

Even though I am a good and pure person, it seems no one believes my weather forecasts…

“People tend to focus more on who said something than what was actually said. That’s why Haru, you just said you’d believe me but not Rento-kun.”

“Yep-yep. I think I might feel that way too sometimes.”

“Therefore… the person who spread this rumor must hold a grudge against us and also be someone who has earned the trust of others. The claim that there is evidence could just be a bluff, pretending there is proof when it can’t actually be shown. Well, that person must be credible enough for such a claim to be believed.”

“Wow-wow! Misa, you’re amazing! Just like a detective!”

Haru claps her hands, praising Misa’s deduction.

Receiving such straightforward admiration, Misa looks a bit embarrassed.

By the way, I had reached the same conclusion.

Really. I just gave Misa the chance to take the lead here.

After all, it seems like it lacks credibility when I’m the one who says it.

“Someone holding a grudge against us huh? I wonder who.”

“Maybe the culprit is someone who likes Yosaki and resents me, her boyfriend, trying to break us up.”

“That makes sense… Yeah, that could be it. Ren, you seem to have been gathering a lot of resentment recently.”

“You can tell?”

“Yeah…When I saw the looks directed at Ren, I felt really uncomfortable.”

Haru is sensitive to the feelings of those around her, but I didn’t expect her to be able to interpret the emotions behind the glances directed at others.

“…Try not to look at them too much.”

“Um, okay! Hehe. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Haru seems very happy as I say these words of concern.

I can see her invisible tail wagging behind her.

“Cough—”

Misa gives an exaggerated cough and glares at me.

“As expected of Misa, Your deduction was perfect and easy to understand.”

“What, now? I don’t need such an insincere praise.”

“I was just holding back to not interrupt the flow. Hearing Misa’s clear, logical explanation helped me understand it better too.”

“…Well, Rento-kun trying so hard to please me is cute. Fufu.”

Now Yosaki-san has switched to teasing mode.

It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m relieved she’s in a good mood.

“Ugh… hey-hey! Anyway, can we say we have a lead on the culprit?”

Haru’s puffed cheeks bring us back to the discussion.

We sure get sidetracked a lot.

“…Hmm. Well, we’ve sort of decided on a general direction. Now we just have to rely on the information Oda will gather.”

“Oh. Oda-kun is helping too? That’s reassuring.”

“Misa relies on Ota-kun too, huh.”

“His ability to gather information is not to be underestimated. And when it comes down to it, he’s a man who gets things done.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Good thing Ota-kun is on our side!”

” ……. ”

“Fufu. Rento-kun, are you jealous?”

“Eh, is that so Ren? Ehehe. That makes me happy.”

“I can be dependable too when it counts, you know.”

“Ugh…what should I do? I suddenly feel like hugging Rento-kun tightly.”

“Ah, me too. I want to pat his head and tell him he’s a good boy!”

“…you’re embarrassing me…”

As my face turns red and I look away, the two of them come closer, their breaths getting rougher.

Just as I thought they might shower me with affection, the door opened, and Matsui Sensei spoke up.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the first period is about to end. I can’t let you skip any more classes, so it’s time to head back to the classroom.”

Whether the timing was good or bad, Matsui Sensei’s interruption makes the two back off with dropping shoulders.

I let out a sigh and stood up, heading towards the door.

“Rento-kun.”

Misa comes close to me, speaking in a volume just low enough for Haru not to hear.

“About the suspect we have in mind.”

“Ah, yeah, probably. Still, let’s wait until we’ve confirmed it before we act.”

“…Alright.”

The person Misa and I are thinking of is most likely the same, someone we’d rather not discuss with Haru about.