My Popular-as-Hell Best Friend Is Annoying, So I Want to Get Him a Girlfriend and Shut Him Up - Chapter 17 & 18 & 19

T/N: Will be posting three locked chapters at a time now, maybe even 4 in the future. I kinda like this novel so I want you guys to also enjoy chapters much more frequently so when i unlock it’s three chapters not 1.

Chapter 17: Saturday’s Gestalt Collapse

“That’s why I’m telling you to bring up shared topics!”

“Clubs are a shared topic! Is your head okay!?”

“Then why’d it turn into a Sen no Rikyu discussion!?”

“She’s in the tea ceremony club, so Sen no Rikyu is a shared topic!”

“What kind of bias is that!? Do you know someone who joined the tea ceremony club because they admired Sen no Rikyu!?”

“If someone like that existed, I’d want to meet them! You can’t call yourself a tea ceremony club member if you don’t know Sen no Rikyu—you’re just a tea enthusiast!”

“Your questions are too niche! How do you keep a conversation going when she’s asked why Hideyoshi ordered him to commit seppuku!? And that’s not even tea ceremony-related anymore!”

“It is related! There are stories, like how tea rooms were used for secret meetings with other warriors, or how Hideyoshi got annoyed because the prices of Rikyu’s tea utensils skyrocketed!”

“I’m saying no tea ceremony club member could answer that! Get off the Sen no Rikyu train already!”

“Hah!? Who’s greater, you or Sen no Rikyu!?”

“Sen no Rikyu!”

“Then don’t diss Sen no Rikyu! I love Sen no Rikyu!”

“When did I diss Sen no Rikyu!? I love Sen no Rikyu too!”

“Liar! If you love Sen no Rikyu, why’re you complaining so much!?”

“Sen no Rikyu’s a figure from the past! He can’t survive in the modern world!”

“Don’t mess with me! Why give up!? We just need to spread Sen no Rikyu’s legacy!”

“That’s not the point of this! Aren’t you supposed to be mimicking me to talk to Kirita-san!?”

“That’s why I’m mad you’re not bringing up Sen no Rikyu! If you love him, talk about him! I’ll take it all in!”

“What good does it do if we get hyped!? The conversation’s gotta click with Kirita-san!”

“That’s where you show your skills! Bring Sen no Rikyu back! Revive him in the modern age!”

“That’s an insane demand! Obsessing over Sen no Rikyu that much will just freak her out!”

“You said it, huh? You finally mocked Sen no Rikyu, didn’t you?”

“That wasn’t my intent, but if that’s how it sounded, fine. Sen no Rikyu’s irrelevant to the topic!”

“You fake Sen no Rikyu fan! Fine, I won’t bring up Sen no Rikyu to Kirita Akari.

But! If she mentions Sen no Rikyu, Uryu, you’re buying me matcha for a week!”

“You’re on! If she doesn’t, you’re buying me matcha for a week!”

“Bring it on! I’ll make you taste a defeat as bitter as matcha!”

“Keep talking! I’m looking forward to the matcha I’ll drink after beating you!”

The next day, Kirita Akari didn’t mention a single syllable about Sen no Rikyu.

T/N: Oh yeah, this chapter? You can ignore it. Just know that Akari seemed off despite the lively peeps. For context, Sen no Rikyuu is a tea master.

Chapter 18: Maidens’ Chat

“Akari!”

After school, as she headed to club activities, Misono Izumo called out to Kirita Akari, who was about to enter the tea ceremony room.

“Izumo-chan, hi.”

“Hi. Before we start club, can we talk for a sec?”

“What’s up?”

Izumo beckoned Akari a little away from the tea ceremony room and asked in a hushed voice:

“You went out with Hirose Yukiya yesterday, right?”

“Yeah, but how’d you know, Izumo-chan?”

“He told me himself. Said it was to help you succeed with your date with Aoyagi-kun.”

“Haha, yeah, Hirose-kun doesn’t seem like the type to hide that.”

“So, was it okay?”

Izumo put a hand to her mouth, frowning as she whispered:

“He didn’t do anything weird to you, did he?”

When she’d heard about the date, this was Izumo’s biggest worry.

She hadn’t wanted to bring it up beforehand and risk derailing the date, so she had no choice but to check now.

“All I’ve got are memories of weird stuff.”

Seeing Akari giggle as she spoke, Izumo realized nothing serious had happened and finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Good. So yesterday was properly useful, right?”

“…”

Akari didn’t answer right away.

Since it seemed like a simple yes-or-no question, Izumo felt a different kind of unease creeping in.

“What’s wrong? Did it not go well?”

“No, it’s not that! We had great conversations, and it was really fun.”

There was no awkwardness in Akari’s quick response, and Izumo believed she truly enjoyed herself.

So why had Akari hesitated earlier?

Izumo was curious about that.

“Izumo-chan, I’ve got two questions for you.”

“Questions?”

Akari shifted gears from the date talk and threw that out.

“Yup. First one: have you ever stopped liking something you used to love because it started feeling just… ordinary?”

“That’s random. Food-related?”

“Uh, yeah, let’s go with that.”

Izumo thought for a moment before answering.

“Well, things that are too sweet or too spicy—I don’t like them as much as I did when I was a kid.

High-sugar or high-calorie stuff, too, but that might not exactly answer your question.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“And the second one?”

When prompted, Akari paused again.

Just as Izumo was about to ask what was wrong, Akari spoke up.

“Have you ever started liking something you thought was ordinary or even disliked?”

It was a normal question despite how hesitant she’d seemed.

Izumo had braced herself, so she felt a bit deflated, but seeing Akari’s serious expression, she switched gears.

“…Fukujinzuke, maybe.”

“Fukujinzuke?”

“Yeah. When I was little, I’d always leave it—it’s like vegetables but sweet and sour.

But lately, I’ve come to appreciate its flavor.

It’s like, that unique taste is so satisfying once you get it.

Kind of like matcha! That bitterness is addictive now.”

Izumo started strong but fumbled partway through.

She wanted to say that spicy, bitter, or sour things can feel charming once you see their individuality, but she wasn’t sure if it came across.

“…Like matcha, got it…”

But Izumo’s worries were unfounded—Akari nodded repeatedly, looking satisfied.

“Thanks, Izumo-chan. That was really helpful.”

“Glad to hear it, but what were you trying to figure out?”

“It’s less about figuring out and more about sorting my thoughts.

I wanted to hear your perspective, Izumo-chan.”

“All I talked about was fukujinzuke and matcha.”

They both laughed at that.

Since joining the club as first-years, Izumo and Akari had grown close, and moments like this reaffirmed their bond.

“Oh, Izumo-chan, there’s something I need to apologize for.”

Taking advantage of their closeness, Akari brought up something she’d been consulting Izumo about.

“I’m thinking of holding off on confessing to Aoyagi-kun for now.”

“R-Really?”

Izumo tried to stay calm, but the news was shocking.

Akari had confided in her about liking Uryu, and since they were in the same class, Izumo had given her plenty of advice.

She’d heard multiple times that other girls were after Uryu, too, so she’d been encouraging Akari to be brave.

She never expected this response.

“Yeah. There’s something I need to think through properly.

If I figure things out, I might come to you again for advice.”

“That’s fine, but are you okay with Aoyagi-kun dating someone else in the meantime?”

In the past, comments like this had spurred Akari to decide to write a letter.

Her feelings had seemed that strong.

“If that happens, I guess I’ll have to let go cleanly.”

Akari said it with a calm smile that betrayed no sadness.

For some reason, that smile struck Izumo as dazzling, even enviable.

“Well, that’s the end of that talk. Ready for club?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Izumo paused as Akari swiftly switched gears and entered the tea ceremony room.

Akari wasn’t going to confess to Uryu for a while.

She hadn’t given up, but she didn’t seem all that eager either.

“…What should I do in this situation?”

In her confused mind, Izumo recalled a conversation she’d once had with a certain guy outside the classroom.

T/N: Akari is thinking about that for sure, about him

Chapter 19: Ant Doctor

“Yo, two days in a row coming in early, huh?”

“Shut up, I’m reading. Don’t talk to me.”

The morning after I gave up on helping Kirita Akari, I was elegantly enjoying a book when the root of all worldly misery casually struck up a conversation.

“Oh, that’s rare. What’re you reading?”

Ignoring my words like they went in one ear and out the other, the poster boy for Handsome Planet, Aoyagi Uryu, kept talking.

Here’s an honest question: why’s he so pushy?

Ever heard of personal space?

‘Illustrated Guide to Japanese Ants’? Another niche pick.”

“I can read whatever I want, can’t I?”

“Sure, sure.”

Ever since my date with Kirita Akari two days ago, where we got into talking about ants, I haven’t been able to shake my fascination with them.

They’re so tiny yet ferocious, sometimes preying on creatures several times their size.

That ferocity has got me pretty hooked.

“But, like, aren’t global ants more interesting to look at than Japanese ones?”

“…Oh?”

This guy has the audacity to try and one-up me on ants, right when my knowledge is at its peak?

There’s a limit to not knowing your place.

I’m reading the Illustrated Guide to Japanese Ants because I’ve already mastered global ants!

“Alright then, Uryu, which ant do you stan?”

“Gotta be Paraponera from South America.

It’s 2.5 times bigger than a bullet ant and dubbed the strongest ant.

That’s the stuff that gets a guy’s heart racing.”

Huh? Why’s he answering so casually?

A poser would just say something like fire ants and call it a day!

“But now there’s Dinoponera, practically stealing the ‘strongest’ title.

South America’s wild, man—even a tiny species like ants is locked in a brutal survival competition.”

And Uryu doesn’t stop.

Like a fish in water, he starts gushing about ants with glee.

Hold on, my mental search engine can’t keep up!

“But that’s not the end of the ant world.

The so-called ‘strongest’ ants still can’t beat the sheer numbers of army ants.

Individually weak, but with role division, they can take down the strongest.

That’s some romantic stuff, right?”

This guy’s unreal.

He’s got this far-off look, oozing melancholy, waxing poetic about ants.

Who are you, spinning romance out of ants?

“Oh, and get this!

The total weight of all ants on Earth is roughly equal to the total weight of all humans.

Did you know that?”

Enough already! You win!!

Why are you this knowledgeable about ants!?