The Best Friend of the Person I Like is Secretly Approaching Me - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Having successfully finished the exam, I looked over to the next seat, planning to return the eraser and express my thanks.

However, that boy had already left.

In the end, I ended up not being able to thank him, and that eraser was still carefully stored in my pencil case.

It’s become something of a talisman for me.

A few weeks after the exam, I learned that I had been accepted into that high school.

I didn’t go to the school to see the entrance ceremony because it coincided with a hospital visit for ongoing medical observations.

I could have rescheduled, but I didn’t feel the necessity.

I did wonder if I might run into him, but if one of us had failed, the atmosphere wouldn’t have been right for conversation.

If both of us passed, I thought we’d have a chance to talk after enrollment anyway.

I went with my mom to get measured for the school uniform and tried it on.

Wearing it, I felt more like I was being worn rather than wearing it.

Despite my mom and the store clerk saying it looked good on me, it sounded like nothing more than flattery.

Then the high school entrance ceremony came around.

With my heart pounding, I arrived at school and, after the ceremony, headed to my pre-assigned classroom to meet the classmates I’d be spending the year with.

Among them was ‘him’.

His name was Seko Rento.

Only then did I realize I hadn’t known his name until now.

I clearly remembered his face, and since I hadn’t talked about him to anyone else, it hadn’t posed a problem.

Once everyone’s self-introductions were over and the teacher had given us a brief overview of what to expect in school, today’s class came to an end.

‘Since we ended up in the same class, I should go thank him,’ I thought.

But when I looked for him, he had already vanished again.

I glanced down the hallway and saw him walking together with a girl who was also my classmate.

I remembered her because she was striking.

Misa Yosaki. Her long, jet-black hair was beautiful, and her skin was porcelain white like a doll.

She was the very image of what I wanted to be.

Why had he left with her?

Then I remembered, during their self-introductions, they’d both mentioned coming from the same middle school.

It made me uneasy, but I didn’t have the courage to find out about it.

That night, I couldn’t help but wonder where they had gone and what they had done.

I should have followed them, I thought—but that would make me a stalker.

The next day, I arrived at school early.

Not because I was eager to start my new high school life but because I wanted to be in the classroom when he arrived.

When I got to the classroom, a few students had already arrived, including Misa Yosaki.

‘Should I ask her about yesterday?’ The thought crossed my mind, but I reconsidered.

It would be weird to ask a question like that on our first meeting.

For now, all I could do was wait for him.

By the time most of the classmates had gathered in the classroom, he finally showed up.

I thought, ‘He’s here!’ and was about to run over to him, but he wore a serious expression and went straight to Yosaki.

“I forgot to mention this yesterday, but the high school uniform suits you, Yosaki! Please go out with me!”

He confessed to her.

For a moment, I had no idea what was happening, but as the classroom started buzzing, a sharp pain engulfed my chest.

As I watched their interaction while clutching my aching chest, she, the one being confessed to, responded cassualy.

“Oh, thank you. I really like this design.”

…I didn’t like it a bit.

I don’t know what this feeling is, but I also want him to tell me that the uniform looks good on me. That urge overcame me.

I couldn’t read their relationship at all, but I instinctively knew it would be dangerous to leave them as it is.

So, I interrupted them and blurted out,

“Hey, stop doing that! Can’t you see you’re bothering her?”

***

Three weeks have passed since then.

Our group has an awkward dynamic, but we’re close friends.

Misa and I get along well. She’s not only good-looking but also has a great personality, so we quickly became friends.

Some people find her straightforwardness off-putting, but I like her because she’s genuine and fearless.

As for Seko, I realize our relationship might look weird to others.

We’re at odds over Misa, but outside of that, Seko treats me normally.

While not as much as he does with Misa, he shows me some degree of kindness.

For now, I want to get closer to Seko, so I keep this relationship going.

I still haven’t returned the eraser, nor have I thanked him for that time.

Sometimes, I think he might not even remember it, which makes it difficult to bring it up. I am a sneaky woman…

Even now, that eraser sits in my pencil case.

Our group hangs out together, even going out on the weekends to shop and have fun.

Whenever there’s a plan to go out, Seko always invites me, even though he’d probably prefer to go out with just Misa.

I’ve wondered why he also invited me, but I could never bring myself to ask that question.

I wonder if it is because Seko wants to spend more time with the three of us.

Being with both of them feels so comfortable.

I did not join any club activities partly to keep an eye on Seko and Misa but also for this very reason.

Today, we’ve planned a small day trip to a nearby town.

There’s no specific agenda; we’re just going to hang out.

It makes me really happy that we meet up and spend time together like this even without a reason.

We’re meeting up at the location, so I get on a train from the nearest station.

As it turns out, Seko is in the same train compartment.

He notices me and raises his hand to say, “Hey.”

Seko is dressed stylishly but not overly so.

I wonder, if this were a date with Misa, would he go all out in preparation?

What would he wear if it was just the two of us going out?

Thinking about it makes my chest tighten, but I don’t know why.

“You’re not going with Misa? You two take the train from the same station, right?”

“Yosaki is getting a ride from her parents. Look.”

Saying this, Seko shows me his smartphone screen.

It displays our group chat, and indeed, a message from Misa confirms what he just said.

“Really? I didn’t check because I was busy getting ready this morning.”

“I think this every time, but your outfits are always on point, Hinata. No wonder that you’d be busy before going out.”

“…?”

W-what did Seko just say? On point? What? My outfit?

I feel my face heating up, but my mind is calm.

By ‘always on point,’ does he mean that I have a fixed pattern?

But I make a conscious effort to wear something different every time, and if I had a fixed dress pattern, it wouldn’t make my mornings busy.

…does that mean Seko is complimenting my outfit?

I’ve never thought of my own outfit as stylish.

I’m just wearing a simple combination of a white T-shirt and shorts, topped off with a black cap.

‘There’s not a shred of cuteness,’ I thought when I looked at myself in the mirror.

Still, I always spend my time carefully choosing what to wear.

I don’t know why…now, my reflection in the train window suddenly looks good.

After that, Seko and I talked in hushed voices while riding the train, but I can’t remember what we talked about——