My Popular-as-Hell Best Friend Is Annoying, So I Want to Get Him a Girlfriend and Shut Him Up - Chapter 38 & 39 & 40

Chapter 38: Warning

Calm down, calm down, me.

Getting sucked into Tsukikage Miharu’s leisurely pace will wear me out, as always.

This is the nurse’s office, a place to be quiet, so as not to disturb other users…

“By the way, where’s the teacher?”

It’s supposed to be quiet, but both beds are empty, and the usual health teacher’s nowhere to be seen.

It’s just me and Miharu here—is that okay?

Are we even allowed to hang out like this?

“The teacher stepped out for a bit.

It’s fine, I’ve got the keys.”

“That’s not fine at all…”

Hold up, a teacher trusting a student with keys feels all kinds of wrong.

How much do they trust her?

If it were me, I’d be swarmed by teachers with pitchforks.

“I’m the honorary health committee member, so I’m tight with the teacher.”

“Never heard of that role.”

“I made it up.

I look after everyone when the teacher’s gone.”

“Oh.”

No clue how widely known this is, but if it spreads, we’d have a flood of “injured” students.

All to get healed by Miharu.

Yeah, for the students’ sake, better not station her here.

“Speaking of, back to the topic—you heard about you and Uryu-kun dating, right?”

That again?

It’s spread to other classes already.

Why doesn’t anyone question it?

It’s all Uryu’s fault for not getting a girlfriend.

“You’re not just cheering for other girls—you’re stealing their crush.

Pretty ruthless, Yukiya-kun.”

“It’s fake news, a rumor.

I’m not into that.”

“Really?

Didn’t an underclassman declare you her rival?”

“How do you even know that…?

We’ve already made up!”

“Made up?

You confessed your true feelings to her?”

“How’d you get there?”

I’m done with this school.

No one bats an eye at me being a romantic rival alongside other girls.

Isn’t there one person going, “Hirose’s a guy, it’s obviously a joke”?

Why’s everyone just like, “Oh, yeah, sure”?

One of the seven mysteries.

No choice, so I gave Miharu a concise rundown of today’s events.

Gotta clear this brainwashing ASAP.

My mission’s brutal.

“I see.”

“You get it?”

“Yup.

There’s this awful classmate who’s helping an underclassman, Rando-san, despite having me.”

“That’s where we landed?”

“That’s where we landed.”

I cleared the Uryu misunderstanding, but Miharu slipped some smiling venom into her comment about me supporting Rando-dono.

Is her grin happy or angry?

I can’t tell anymore.

All I know is she’s dishing out poison.

“But you might wanna be careful.”

“With what?”

Miharu’s smiling face darkened, like she was about to say something tough.

“From what you said, Rando-san stands out a lot, right?

For people crushing on Uryu-kun, she’s probably not their favorite.”

“You feel that way too?”

“I think it’s a bit tricky, but I can’t hate someone who’s trying hard.

Still, not everyone feels the same.”

“Is that based on something concrete?”

Natori Mayoi’s face popped into my head.

Her harassment’s petty, but she’s definitely on the “dislike” side.

“I don’t wanna spread it around, but maybe Haruka-chan last year?”

“Huh?

She’s been harassing people?”

“No, the opposite—she was targeted a bit.”

“…Oh.”

Got it.

I was thinking about the harasser, but Miharu was talking about the harassed.

Haruka, huh?

Given her usual behavior, it’s not hard to imagine.

“We got along fine with our grade, but some upperclassmen gave us trouble.

Just complaints, nothing major, but it hurt Haruka-chan.”

“That happened?”

“It stays quiet among girls, so it’s not surprising you didn’t know.”

Fair.

I get why upperclassmen girls would vent.

Having beauties like Haruka or Miharu in the lower grade, threatening their crushes?

That’d sting.

I’d tell them to act and win instead of whining, though.

This sounds like it’s about Haruka, but I bet Miharu’s speaking from experience too.

She’s not the spotlight type, but she’s close with Haruka.

Wouldn’t be shocking if she got flak from upperclassmen when they were together.

If that’s the root of her warning, it’s appreciated, but after seeing Rando-dono’s determined eyes at lunch, I think she doesn’t need the concern.

“Thanks for the heads-up, but Rando-dono won’t back down.”

Miharu’s eyes widened.

Maybe she’s surprised I didn’t say I’d warn Rando-dono.

“She’s tough, huh?”

“Tough as hell, especially with her drive for Uryu.”

Miharu didn’t laugh.

Is she rattled by a strong rival?

She’s got a pensive look.

“…Those kinds of girls are the most vulnerable, though.”

“Hm? Say something?”

“Nope, just thinking I can’t lose either.”

“Oh!”

Miharu, sticking to her pace, said something super positive.

How great is that?

After all her venom, today’s talk was worth it!

“Alright, strategy session.

Ask Uryu out on a date, or at least eat lunch together again!”

“Sounds good, but make sure it’s a day you can come, Yukiya-kun.

I can’t talk to Uryu-kun alone.”

“…”

Seeing Miharu’s unapologetic face, I realized I’m stuck repeating pointless lectures today too.

Chapter 39: Ominous Visitor

Three days after patching things up with Rando-dono, nothing much had come up, and I was feeling a bit bored.

“…So bored.”

During the break after fifth period, I slumped onto my desk, chin resting on it.

It’s good that Rando-dono hasn’t needed to consult me, but not knowing what’s going on is a little frustrating.

“If you’re that bored, go listen to Kamishiro-san’s whining.”

From my left came the voice of a guy who charms every girl in school but seems allergic to commitment.

“No way I’m wasting energy on that.

Why’re you so cooperative with Kamishiro Haruka anyway?”

“‘Cause I’m the one getting an earful about you.”

“Heh, curse the fact you’re stuck in the same gym for club.”

“I told her to come to the classroom if she wants to talk to you.”

Hey, what’s this zero-libido sports coach doing?

Dumping her complaints on me just because he doesn’t want to deal?

I didn’t raise you to be that kind of guy.

“Speaking of, what happened to your ant obsession?

You were so into them.”

“Hmph, I’ve absorbed everything they had to teach.

They’re irrelevant now.”

“Pretty cold.

Same with Sen no Rikyu?”

“Idiot, don’t lump a historical titan like Sen no Rikyu with mere ants.

They’re on different levels.”

“Think modern ants deserve more focus.”

“History repeats itself.

That’s why I’m always scheming—how to avoid Hideyoshi’s seppuku order.”

“Go to the cops.”

Wow, after calling me cold, that’s a pretty detached comeback.

Hideyoshi could be lurking anywhere.

Talking more with Uryu will just make me sigh and ruin my health, but it hit me—I can just ask him for updates.

Might feel a bit bad for Rando-dono, but oh well.

“Hey, Uryu, what’s the deal with Rando-dono lately?”

So, I cut to the chase.

Rando-dono hasn’t shown up in our classroom these past three days, so if anything’s happened, it’d be before or after club.

“Talk about a random jump.”

“Just answer.

It’s your duty.”

“Duty, my ass.

Nothing big’s happened.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we chat before and after club, but it’s just basketball stuff.

She’s starting to get the game, so maybe she’s having more fun with that.”

“I see.”

Listening to Uryu, I feel like that’s not very Rando-dono-like.

After her bold “I won’t lose” declaration, I expected her to ramp up her approach, but Uryu says it’s business as usual.

Sure, pushing too hard might scare him off, but that’s not her style.

Hmm, maybe she’s struggling with something and just hasn’t told me.

Might as well swing by for a greeting and check in.

“Hirose Yukiya.”

As I was planning to say hi to Rando-dono, Misono Izumo loomed over me, glaring like she was about to intimidate me.

“What?

If it’s about class, I was totally listening.”

“What do you take me for?

You’ve got a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“Just come on, they’re waiting in the hallway.”

With that, Izumo turned on her heel and headed out.

It’s annoying to follow her blindly, but I’m free, so I went along.

“You didn’t do something weird, did you?”

“Huh?

What’re you talking about?”

“No idea, but they looked like they were about to cry.”

Exchanging words with Izumo as we stepped into the hallway, I saw a recently acquainted kouhai standing there.

“Izumo-senpai, thank you!”

“No big deal.

Anything for a cute kouhai.”

My “visitor” was Ai-chan, Rando-dono’s friend.

She greeted her club senpai, Izumo, with a lively voice, but her expression did seem dark.

“I’ll step out then, right?”

“Yes… sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s a private talk, yeah?

See you at club after school, Ai-chan.”

“Y-Yes!”

“You, don’t pull anything weird with Ai-chan.”

“Shut up, get back to class.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Izumo returned to the classroom with a slightly exasperated look.

The moment her senpai was gone, Ai-chan rushed at me in a panic.

“Um, Hirose-senpai, can you come with me right now?”

“Right now?”

Fifth period just ended, and we’ve got about five minutes left in the break.

If I go somewhere to handle something, I’ll miss sixth period.

I just got in trouble for being late, so I’d rather avoid that, but—

“Yes!

I-I don’t know what to do!

We’re friends, but I can’t think of anything helpful to say!”

Seeing Ai-chan pleading with teary eyes, I knew this was serious.

“Calm down, Ai-chan.

What’s going on?

What happened?”

Grabbing her trembling shoulders, I pressed her.

Why’d she come all the way to a senpai’s classroom, targeting a mere ten-minute break, and need me to come along?

Then, with tears breaking through, Ai-chan repeated the same words.

“Sora-chan… Sora-chan…!”

Chapter 40: Wails and Wrath

As I hurried after a jogging Ai-chan, I listened to the events that led up to this moment.

“After splitting up with Sora-chan at the toilet during lunch, I was in the classroom. But Sora-chan… sniff, she didn’t come back, even when fifth period was about to start.”

Overwhelmed with emotion as she spoke, Ai-chan broke into sobs. Still, she pushed herself to keep explaining to me.

“Then I got a message from Sora-chan: ‘Bring my gym clothes to the toilet.’ I wondered what was going on and went there, and when I got there…!”

“It’s okay, Ai-chan, that’s enough.”

I told Ai-chan, who was struggling to continue, that she didn’t need to say more.

From what I’d heard, I could already piece it together, especially given the context.

The only sound left was Ai-chan’s sniffling as we reached our destination.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else to calm Sora-chan down. Plus, I can borrow the key here.”

With that, Ai-chan reached for the door of the tea ceremony room.

“Sora-chan, I’m coming in, okay?”

Her voice trembling, Ai-chan slowly slid open the fusuma.

There was Rando-dono, changed into her gym clothes, curled up in a seated fetal position.

She looked even smaller than usual.

A white towel covered her head, her hair visibly wet beneath it.

A damp uniform beside her told the story of what had happened.

“…Hirose-senpai.”

Through the gap in the towel, hollow eyes vaguely locked onto me.

She was so drained, unlike her usual energetic self, that I could hardly feel her vitality.

In unfamiliar gym clothes, she seemed like a different person entirely.

“Listen, Hirose-senpai, don’t get mad, okay?”

Her voice was small but oddly cheerful.

On closer look, the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Given the situation, there was nothing to smile about.

Yet Rando-dono kept her lips curved as she continued.

“Maybe I don’t actually like Aoyagi-senpai that much.”

I couldn’t believe those words came from Rando Sora, and my eyes widened in shock.

I needed to know what she meant, fast.

“Even before we got close, I thought he was cool—his smile was amazing. But when he kindly showed me the way, I realized he’s gentle too, and my heart was stolen. I thought, this is love, my first love.”

Word by word, Rando-dono recounted her memories with Uryu.

Her tone was so casual that even Ai-chan, standing nearby, seemed stunned.

“I quickly learned he’s super popular at school. Countless girls confessed, but he’s never dated anyone. So many are stuck pining, unable to confess, with rivals as numerous as the girls in school. Hearing those rumors—true or not—I thought, I’m not gonna lose.”

Exactly.

That’s the Rando Sora I know.

Never swayed by others, always pushing to get closer to Uryu.

No one’s been like that before, which is why I respect her.

“So I tried hard. It was a bit embarrassing and nerve-wracking, but I started going to Aoyagi-senpai’s classroom. I even joined the same club. I knew it was intense, but I thought I had to go that far for him to notice me. That’s how much I liked him—so much that I kept approaching him, not caring what others thought. That time was so happy, unbreakable, I genuinely believed.”

Her light, flowing story started to falter, as if she was avoiding a reality she didn’t want to face.

“I really believed that, thought I’d never lose to anyone… thought that… but…!”

In that moment, Rando-dono’s mouth twisted.

Her forced cheer gave way to a voice heavy with tears, her eyes overflowing.

“With this, I broke so easily…! I swore I wouldn’t lose, but I’m already thinking it’s impossible…! Someone like me doesn’t deserve to stand beside Aoyagi-senpai…!”

Like a snapped thread, Rando-dono’s emotions erupted.

She cried like a small child, burying her face to muffle her sobs.

“Senpai! Is this kind of thing normal? Why does Sora-chan have to go through this!?”

As if pulled by Rando-dono’s outburst, Ai-chan laid her feelings bare too.

She’s right.

This isn’t normal.

It’s a rare, abnormal ordeal most people never face.

If someone calls this “normal,” human society’s already rotten beyond saving.

And that’s why there’s something I absolutely can’t forgive.

“Don’t mess with me.”

I walked up to Rando-dono and gave her towel-covered head a chop.

She stopped crying, her teary eyes wide as she looked at me.

Her face screamed disbelief at what I’d done, and I told her flat-out:

“What’s this? You think getting water dumped on you in the toilet is just this?”

“…Senpai?”

“No way it’s just this.

It’s not something you brush off.

It’s normal to feel like you can’t go on, to cry, to break.

There’s no helping it now.”

Sitting next to Uryu, I’ve watched Rando-dono work tirelessly.

I’ve seen her highs and lows reacting to him.

That’s why I can say, with more confidence than anyone:

“Take back what you said.

You do deserve to stand beside Uryu.”

As I spoke my truth, anger slowly surged in my head.

I couldn’t stop the rising fury.

“Give me a week.

I’ll fix everything.

So, Rando-dono, keep pushing like before, no worries.

It’ll be tough, but nothing else will happen.

I promise.”

“Senpai… um…”

“I’m stepping out.

Ai-chan, stay with Rando-dono.”

“W-Wait, senpai…”

I said only that to the two and left the tea ceremony room.

Sadly, there’s nothing I can do right now.

Back to the classroom for now.

“Wait, hold on!”

Turning, I saw Ai-chan chasing after me to stop me.

“What’s up, Ai-chan?”

“Um, I wanted to know what you meant by those words.”

“My words?”

Wiping her eyes, Ai-chan looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“Are you going to tell Natori-senpai to stop, Hirose-senpai?”

Hah, what’s she talking about?

I couldn’t help but laugh at Ai-chan’s off-base assumption.

“No way I’d do that.

Why would I need to tell her to stop?”

“Huh…?”

“That’s what brainless losers do.

I wouldn’t even consider it.”

Ai-chan’s face fell, crushed by despair at my harsh words.

They must’ve stung, but it’s the truth—I’m not telling Natori Mayoi to stop.

—Stopping her?

I’m not taking such a passive approach.

“You know the Code of Hammurabi, Ai-chan?”

“…Huh?”

“I’m not a fan, but Articles 196 and 197?

Pure gold.

I wish Japan had them.

Those lessons are practically my foundation.”

No clue how much of that got through to Ai-chan.

Doesn’t matter if it didn’t.

What I do next is my call—no need for anyone’s approval.

Natori Mayoi, if you were still pursuing Uryu, I’d have cheered you on full force.

You’d have been a great rival to Rando-dono, pushing each other to the limit.

But you chose the one option you never should’ve.

Trying to tear down someone who can do what you can’t?

That kind of evil path—I’ll never forgive.

—An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Get ready, Natori Mayoi.

You hurt the Rando-dono I respect, and I’ll make you regret it for life.

T/N: The code of hammurabi -> “An eye for an eye”