My Childhood Friend Who is My Girlfriend was Stolen by My Best Friend. From Now on, I'll Flirt with My Ex-Best Friend's Little Sister! - Chapter 24

Rift, Rejection and a Pathetic Former Best Friend

“Now, how are you going to explain this, Shintaro?”

My former best friend’s expression darkens. His cheeks twitched, and his eyes widened in surprise.

His mouth is slightly open and shows no signs of closing.

He mustn’t have expected this at all.

“T-That’s…”

He opens his mouth to answer my question, but there are no further words follow.

Silence falls over us. Rinka is still hiding behind my back.

“…I-I did it for your sake, Toshiya.”

“Huh?”

“Tsukimiya-san has a low sense of chastity. Honestly, I don’t think she’s right for you. So…yes, I took it upon myself to investigate what kind of person she really is. I planned to gather information and then tell you about it once I have concrete evidence!”

He desperately tries to keep his composure, but it’s obvious that he’s agitated.

That’s the worst excuse I’ve ever heard in my life.

Is there anyone who would believe such excuses?

“If you thought she wasn’t right for me, then why did you push me to confess to her?”

“…I only realized Tsukimiya-san’s true nature after you two started dating. If I had noticed earlier, I wouldn’t have tried to get Toshiya and Tsukimiya-san together.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me what kind of person she truly is? Surely you’ve gathered enough information by then, right?”

“That’s because I was worried telling you about it will take a toll on your mental state…”

He’s clearly trying to think of a way out, but it’s too late.

There is no way to fix this now, not with all the evidence laid out.

Even if we give in and believe what he has to say, his reasoning just doesn’t make any sense at all.

“Well, whatever. Thanks for everything, Shintaro. But you don’t have to worry about my mental state.”

“I-Is that so…that’s good to hear.”

“Yeah. As long as I have Rinka with me, I’ll be fine. So, you won’t get in the way of me and Rinka, right? I mean, you’re such a selfless guy who’d go that far for my sake, after all.”

“……”

“The conversation is over. Sorry, but can you leave?”

I really don’t like what I’m doing right now. Turning his words and reasoning back at him…

I take Rinka’s right hand and take out the key to the apartment.

“W-Wait! The conversation isn’t over yet!”

“What else is there to talk about?”

“…is Rinka staying over at your place?”

“Yeah, I already got permission.”

I haven’t told Rinka’s father about this…but it should be fine. I already got permission from Mika-san.

“No, I won’t allow this! I’m taking Rinka home with me right now!”

Shintaro frowns and resorts to a more forceful approach, grabbing Rinka’s left hand.

In that instant, Rinka’s cheeks twitch and her shoulders trembles.

“Don’t touch me!”

With a voice almost like a scream, Rinka forcefully shakes him off. I’ve never seen her so clearly reject someone before. Even Shintaro seems shocked by it.

I unlock the door and hide Rinka behind me. I lightly push Shintaro’s shoulder, putting some distance between us.

“The next time you do something Rinka doesn’t like, I won’t show you any mercy.”

After saying those words, I take Rinka and step inside the apartment.

My former best friend is stunned and can only stand there frozen.

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“That was a disaster…”

Right now, me and Rinka are sitting side by side, using the bed as a backrest.

I let out a small sigh and scratch my cheek.

“Yeah…I’m sorry, Rinka.”

“Eh? Why are you apologizing, Senpai?”

“I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if you had come home first before me.”

We’re lucky that I got home first, but if Rinka had come home first earlier, things could’ve gone very differently.

In hindsight, it would be best if we had just gone home together from the beginning.

In the end, fortunately, nothing serious happened.

“Well, it’s should be fine. In the end, Senpai chased him away.”

“I wonder if I really chased him away…”

When I looked through the peephole in the front door earlier, there were no sign of my former best friend. So, I think I can say that we’re safe for now.

“Yeah, you definitely did, Senpai. When you said, ‘The next time you do something Rinka doesn’t like, I won’t show you any mercy’ that was so cool!”

“W-Wait, are you making fun of me? It feels like there’s some malice in your impression of me!”

“I’m not making fun of you at all! Hehe, I’m so glad I recorded it.”

“You recorded it!?”

“Want to listen to it?”

Rinka plugs her earphone into her phone and places one in my left ear. She puts the other one in her right ear and plays the recording.

‘The next time you do something Rinka doesn’t like, I won’t show you any mercy.’

The voice that comes through the earphone is mine.

It sounds a little…no, a lot different from what I usually hear inside my head, but it’s definitely me.

“Delete that right now.”

“No way. I think I’ll start waking up to this recording every morning.”

“Don’t you dare! You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

“I’m not! You are so cool, Senpai♡”

Damn it, she’s totally teasing me…

I see an opening and reach for Rinka’s phone.

However, Rinka notices right away and my attempt ends in failure.

“You’re not going to snatch my phone that easily, Senpai.”

“Ugh…”

As I’m biting my lower lip in frustration, Rinka changes the topic.

“Now that I think about it, Senpai. What did you buy at the electronics store earlier?”

She is curious about what I bought at the electronics store.

From the look of the bag, it’s hard to tell what it is.

Since it’s not anything worth hiding, I decide to just tell her. I take it out of the bag.

“A hairdryer. I don’t have one at my place, so I thought it’d be useful if you’re staying over.”

“Eh, you didn’t have to…you bought it just for me?”

“It’s a cheap one, so don’t worry about it. Then, what did you buy at the convenience store, Rinka?”

I ask the same question.

Rinka slightly blushes and looks down.

“Let’s keep it a secret from you, Senpai.”

“When you say that, it makes me even more curious.”

“Ah, it’s getting pretty late, isn’t it? I have to make dinner.”

She abruptly changes the subject.

Well, I’m not really in the mood to press her, so it’s fine.

We both stand up.

“No, I’ll do it. You already made breakfast for me.”

“Don’t worry about it. You already let me stay over, cooking is the least I can do.”

“Then how about we cook together?”

“Sounds great!”

And so, we decide to make dinner together.