The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

Yesterday, after dropping Koido off at the station, I sent a message to Misa and Haru on my way home, informing them that we had gathered all the evidence.

On the other hand, I also received a message from Koido.

It was a report that she had arrived home, along with a mysterious apology saying ‘I’m sorry.’

It’s not like sending her to the station took that much effort.

And then today.

Today, I finally go to school to put an end to these rumors.

…I feel like the stares are more piercing than yesterday.

Especially from the student with the blue tie, whose gaze seems to stab right through me, his eyes clearly filled with murderous intent.

Why has it intensified today?

But I’ll be saying goodbye to these stares after today, so maybe I don’t need to worry too much.

Upon entering the classroom, in that instant, I was confronted by Moriya who grabbed me by the collar.

His eyes were completely bloodshot, far worse than yesterday.

They resembled the eyes of the first-year students I saw earlier.

“You’re suffocating me.”

“Shut up! You, how dare you, how dare you lay a hand on our angel!”

“Hm?”

I feel like I’ve heard about angels somewhere…

Ah, that’s right. Yesterday, Kaita was calling her that.

“Moriya, let go of me for a second. You’re grabbing my collar, but I can’t grasp the situation.”

“Don’t say boring stuff! Damn it… Look at this! It’s what one of our students posted on social media last night!”

While feeling a sense of deja vu, I peek at the smartphone screen Moriya is holding.

There, accompanied by the text, ‘The rumored person at our school seems to be getting along with another girl, not just the one from the rumors’, was a photo that showed Koido and me walking together.

In it, my right hand and Koido’s left hand were overlapping, making it look like we were holding hands.

Of course, I’ve never walked hand in hand with her, so it’s just that the overlap made it appear that way.

Judging by the background and the darkness around, this photo must have been taken during yesterday’s walk home from school.

“Seko… Are you trying to spite me? Did you get with Koido, the girl I liked, just to get revenge on me!? Did you really drag her into such a petty thing!?”

Moriya was furious, but honestly, I had never planned anything like that, and it was the first time I even knew that Koido was the one Moriya had confessed to and been rejected by.

Because of that, there was a clear difference in temperature between Moriya and me.

“Poor Moriya. Seko is too cruel.”

“Seriously, at this point, he’s just so good with women that it’s hilarious.”

“The one who deserves the most pity is Yosaki-san. She’s been betrayed again.”

I could hear other classmates saying such things.

When the topic of Misa came up, I turned towards her. At that moment, my spine froze.

Misa was staring at me the whole time, her eyes devoid of light, not blinking even once.

If this was the case with Misa——I then turned to look at Haru, and her eyes too were dyed with darkness.

Even though I had been able to keep my composure under Moriya’s intense questioning, seeing the expressions of those two girls made me break out in a cold sweat.

Just when I thought I had to explain quickly, Matsui-sensei entered the classroom.

“Hey Seko. Come here.”

The instruction was quite blunt, but it was a relief in a way.

I replied energetically, ‘Yes!’

“Matsui-sensei. I’m going too.”

“Me too.”

Because the two of them made such declarations, the classmates began to buzz.

“Damn, this is gonna be a serious showdown.”

“I want to see that.”

“No way, someone is going to die!”

The dead person… that’s probably me huh.

Anyway, I decided to follow Matsui-sensei for now.

As I left the classroom, the two of them, true to their word, also left.

Then they positioned themselves on either side of me.

“Hey, Rento-kun. I heard you were in a cooperative relationship with Koido-san, but what’s the meaning of that photo?”

“That’s not true, is it? You’re not in that kind of relationship with Koido-chan, right? Ren wouldn’t choose anyone but us. Right, Ren?”

While walking, I received such questioning from both sides. When I tried to answer, Matsui-sensei told us, ‘Other classes have started homeroom, so you guys better walk quietly’, and thus I spent a very uncomfortable time until we reached the student guidance room.

Once everyone was inside the student guidance room and the door was closed, Matsui-sensei slammed the desk.

Then she glared at me.

“What’s the meaning of this, Seko? I had trusted you, you know.”

“It’s a misunderstanding, Sensei.”

“There’s no misunderstanding here. The excuse that you were just close this time won’t fly. Normally, I wouldn’t make a fuss over a single photo of you holding hands, but you do understand the position you’re in, right?”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“Then, can you also understand that this single photo could prove just how much of a scumbag you are?”

I want to assert my innocence with confidence, but I’m intimidated by Matsui-sensei’s fierceness and can’t find the right words.

“Rento-kun”

“Ren”

I also feel pressure from both sides.

To prove my innocence, I need evidence.

That’s something I’ve come to realize over the past few days.

However, there’s no such convenient evidence when it comes to this accusation.

Whatever I say, it’s over if the other party doesn’t accept my argument and rejects it.

Just when I thought I had gathered all the evidence…. I was despairing at the thought that everything would all end here.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for a response, the door opened.

“Ex-excuse me…”

The one who entered timidly was none other than Koido, who was at the center of the suspicions.

“Koido”

“Ugh, senpai, this place is super scary.”

“Relax, I’m super freaked out too.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better!”

Seeing Koido, who appeared even more frightened than I was, I started to feel a bit more at ease.

It’s just like last year on the water slide.

“Sensei, did you call Koido too?”

“No, I didn’t call her.”

“What?”

“Ah, um, I came here of my own will. I thought maybe senpai might be in trouble, so I came early. Because we have to submit the evidence regarding those rumors…”

“Evidence?”

Matsui-sensei reacts at the word ‘evidence’.

I thought this would shift the conversation to that topic, but——

“Wait a moment. Right now, I want to inquire about the relationship between Rento-kun and Koido-san.”

“Th-that’s right. That should come first!”

For Misa and Haru, their emotions were far from being focused on that.

Upon seeing the two of them, Koido, who had appeared frightened just moments ago, now wore an expression of disbelief.

“Eh? Could it be that you senpai came here for such a reason? …uhh.”

At Koido’s reaction, the two of them looked a bit annoyed.

Thinking that this could lead to a conflict right here, I decided to intervene and move the conversation forward by addressing Koido.

“Koido. Could you show the evidence to everyone?”

“Ah, yes. Sure thing. Just give me a moment, please.”

The girl who had been jittery until a moment ago seemed to have gone somewhere else, then Koido operated her smartphone with confidence and displayed a certain image.

“First off, this is a screenshot of a chat from a group that includes some members of our soccer club. It captures the planning process of a recent get-together.”

“A get-together? What’s that?”

“Ah, Sensei, you didn’t know yet. There was a get-together organized by Arahira-senpai from the soccer club the day before Golden Week started, targeting Hinata-senpai.”

“What? Targeting Hinata?”

“Ah, Sensei’s face is turning into a demon’s… Anyway, I’ll continue. So, Arahira senpai forcefully took Hinata senpai away at this get-together and confessed to her. Of course, Hinata senpai turned him down, and just as Arahira senpai was about to lash out in anger, Seko senpai showed up and saved Hinata senpai from the violence.”

“…Is that true?”

“Just as Koido said.”

“…Everything she talked about is true.”

“…It’s true.”

“…”

With the three of us acknowledging Koido’s story, Matsui-sensei also had to admit that it was the truth, biting her lip and showing her anger.

“Why didn’t you tell the school about this?”

“…since there was no evidence.”

“…I see. This matter also reflects a failing on our part as the school. I apologize.”

We were all flustered as Matsui-sensei bowed her head, .

There’s nothing more uncomfortable than an adult’s apology.

“So, Arahira senpai came to hold a grudge against Seko senpai because of all that. And the revenge he thought up was——”

“To start spreading that rumor?”

“Exactly. And I do have evidence for that. This right here.”

Saying so, Koido showed us a screenshot of a chat history where someone was talking with Arahira.

The other party was Arahira, and it showed evidence of him spreading the rumor, saying, ‘Actually, I heard this story…’ And there were dozens of such screenshots.

“Hmm. It’s true that these numbers are extraordinary, but isn’t this weak as evidence that he’s the mastermind behind the rumors?”

“That’s true. So I’ve also prepared this just in case.”

The next chat history I was shown was yet another screenshot of a conversation involving Arahira.

However, unlike the previous one, the direction of Arahira’s passionate remarks was different.

This time, he was clearly trying to woo the other party.

This conversation dated yesterday was not peaceful., and the person who had been gently dodging Arahira’s advances until now finally sent a message bluntly rejecting his affections, which seemed to trigger a change in Arahira’s tone.

His words became much stronger and even violent in nature.

It was reminiscent of when Haru rejected a confession.

“The one receiving these messages is me. This obsession and aggressive vibe, don’t they make for solid evidence?”

“Indeed. This behavior is far removed from the character of Arahira we’ve been aware of, and it serves as sufficient evidence to assert his true nature.”

“I’m glad to hear that. So, in this way, I received a terrifying approach from Arahira senpai, and when I consulted with Kaita-san from the soccer club, I heard a story that Hinata senpai had also suffered the same harm but was rescued by Seko senpai. Therefore, I wanted to be saved too, and I approached Seko senpai for advice.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say that the two of you met because of a confession from someone else?”

“Yes. It’s true that it gave me a chance to talk with senpai, and after talking a little, I really thought that senpai was a trustworthy person, and finally, I brought up my consultation. Right, senpai?”

Half of what Koido just said was true, but the other half was a lie.

I had never received such a consultation.

However, I understood that it was a lie created considering my circumstances, so I nodded at her.

“While you were receiving that consultation from Rento-kun, the two of you became that close… I see.”

“…Are you still doubting our relationship? Sigh. Then I’ll show you that evidence too.”

This time, she showed us several photos. They were very similar to the photos Moriya had shown me, and they seemed to be from before and after the incident in question chronologically.

“Look at this. These are consecutive photos, but you can’t really see us holding hands at all, right? Even looking at this, would you think that just in that one shot, just in that instant, Senpai and I were holding hands?”

“…Right, I wouldn’t think so. No, I can’t think so.”

“Yeah… I thought maybe, but it was just our hands coincidentally overlapping, making it look that way.”

Relieved that the misunderstanding seemed to be cleared up, Koido let out a big sigh.

“I’m glad the misunderstanding has been resolved. If you want, we can spin it that Hinata senpai has been particularly close to Seko senpai lately because she became afraid of men after being almost attacked by Arahira senpai, and Seko senpai was a reliable person who happened to be close to her.”

“I see. That would be a good piece of reason and evidence to refute the rumors.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Then, as the next piece of evidence, Yosaki senpai, please.”

“You know about the evidence I have as well?”

“Of course. I’m senpai’s collaborator, right?”

“I forgot…”

With a clouded expression, Misa began operating her smartphone and started playing the video in question.

It was taken from quite a distance, but it showed the scene on that day, on that bridge, where Haru, Arahira, and I were having a dispute.

“…It’s quite small, but I can barely make out that it’s you guys. And I can somewhat understand that there’s some kind of fight going on.”

“In addition to this, there’s an audio file. I’ll play it now.”

Misa played the next audio file, which had recorded the entire event at the karaoke place that served as the venue for the mixer.

The part where Arahira came over and started hassling us was captured clearly.

Listening to this, Matsui-sensei crossed her arms and nodded.

“Uh-huh. With this much evidence, even those stubborn heads will have to be convinced.”

“In addition to these, I believe the fact that senpai was taken away in an ambulance that day also serves as solid evidence.”

“…I see. Seko was hospitalized starting that day, wasn’t he? So that happened… Alright. Leave the rest to me. I will definitely clear your names.”

“Y-yes. Please do, Sensei.”

“I’m going to need to borrow your phones for a while, is that okay?”

“I don’t mind…”

“Ah. Well, I’d rather not… Can I just send all the evidence to Yosaki-senpai’s phone?”

“I’m fine with that, but is Yosaki okay with it?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll just upload everything to the cloud, and then I’ll share the URL with Matsui-sensei.”

“Just give it to me quickly, whatever works.”

With that, Misa and Koido began to work on their smartphones, busying themselves with uploading the files that would serve as evidence.

During that time, Matsui-sensei came over to talk to me.

“Sorry about earlier, Seko. I doubted you and even raised my voice.”

“Well, I can understand how you feel, Sensei, so don’t worry about it. Besides, I think you’ve been a big help to me.”

“…I see. It’s a relief to hear you say that. But that first year, Koido, was amazing. She gathered all that evidence and boldly presented it to us, even though I was suspicious of her.”

“Yeah, I thought she was a little strange, but I didn’t expect her to be like that.”

“Plus, she kind of talks like you, doesn’t she?”

“Could it be that was indeed the case?”

“Don’t suddenly start speaking so formally. It gives me the creeps when you talk all polite.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

But well, I do think it’s true that we sound similar.

I tend to speak like them too when I’m around someone older who’s close to me.

But I don’t think I’ve ever shown her that way of speaking before that day, so I don’t think it has much to do with me.

My way of speaking is influenced by a character from Torupani.

As I was discussing this with Matsui-sensei, Haru tugged at the hem of my blazer and asked,

“Hey Ren, who exactly is Koido-chan? How can she gather so much evidence…”

“Who is she… I wonder. I don’t really know either.”

“Is that so, even Ren doesn’t know… ehehe.”

Despite not being able to provide any information about her, Haru seemed somewhat happy.

After a while, the two finished uploading the files, and Matsui-sensei took them to negotiate directly with the school authorities.

Of course, we were also called in as the parties involved, but we were able to speak without contradicting any of the evidence we had submitted.

——Finally, our battle came to an end.