Ishitsumugi no Shou 6-2N

Path of the Best Friend - 2

[Food court]

Tou: Hinata-san, how came you can always stay so calm?

Mit: That's right... Even when Nogi-san went for some tea with another girl...

Hin: I want Wakaba-chan to get along with all sorts of people, you know?

Chi: But why...

Hin: Because it allows her outlook to get broader and her eye to get more discerning.

Tou: Well, that might be true...

Mit: B-But, aren't you worried that it'll mean less time for you two to spend together?

Hin: Hmm, still, I want Wakaba-chan to become more popular.

Tou: H-How do I achieve this state of mind... Please, teach me this Path of the Best Friend!

Hin: Path of the Best Friend? Oh please, you exaggerate.

Chi: No she isn't... Takashima-san is kind, so she'll accept anyone with a smile...

Chi: And someday... She'll forget about me... And disappear into a dazzling world of light...

Mit: U-Utanon, too... In Suwa it was just the two of us, but there are a lot of people our age here...

Mit: If she becomes friends with other people, she might just end up throwing someone as boring as me away...

Chi/Mit: Uuu...

Hin: W-Wait, just wait!

Tou: I'm keeping my composure, but when I think about Yuuna-chan having fun with somebody else...

Chi: Tougou-san, you're not keeping your composure... At all.

Hin: But isn't being the best friend of a popular person significantly more wonderful than that of an unpopular one?

Chi: That's not something you can explain so easily...

Mit: That's a surprise... I thought you'd be keeping Wakaba-san on a shorter leash, Hinata-san...

Hin: So that's what you thought of me, huh...

Mit: I-I'm sorry! That was just an image! Nothing more!

Hin: I can understand your feelings, but tying someone down out of jealousy has the exact opposite effect.

Tou: What do you mean?

Hin: The proper way to hold the reins is having them loose, but tightly gripped. For example... Take a look at this.

Chi/Mit/Tou: T-This is...!