Volume 5 Chapter 7 Lily the Best Friend and Rival’s Secret
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Yoo-hoo!!”
”Lily. I’m sorry for the sudden call from Kanagawa,” Misaki murmured, shaking her head lightly.
”It’s totally fine, totally fine! I absolutely adore Misaki, so of course I came!” Lily whooped, a brilliant, solar flare of a girl.
The very next day, a Sunday, Misaki had called out her closest friend, Fukasawa Lily Haruna, asking her to come all the way from her home in Kanagawa to Tokyo. Since Lily had to finish her morning club practice first, their meet-up wasn’t until three in the afternoon.
Lily was the living embodiment of the word ‘innocence’; a girl with a naturally platinum blonde hair so pale it was almost white, accented by an elegant headband. Her perfect, sculpted features were proof of the British blood that ran in her veins. That utterly ladylike air, combined with her blinding brightness, could make any place instantly light up just by her presence.
”Lily, you’re adorable today, too.”
”Right?! Lily-chan is always sparkling, you know!” she beamed.
”Yeah, you are. Alright, let’s go.”
”Okay!”
Lily’s mini-skirt swished out with a whirl as she followed Misaki, and they headed into a small cafe along the busy high street.
”Sooo? What’s going on today?” Lily pressed.
”Lily, don’t you know the meaning of small talk?” Misaki groused.
”Oh, come on! You didn’t tell me what we were talking about, so of course I’m curious!”
Misaki had only sent a message asking if they could meet because she had something important to discuss. So, Lily truly had no idea what the topic was.
”Fine, whatever… Lily, how’s your back? Can you play in the High School Athletic Meet without any issues?”
”Huh? My back problems in a bright, happy café like this?! That’s so dark!”
”Just talk, will you?!” Misaki retorted.
Because Lily often clowned around like this, Misaki usually adopted an exasperated attitude toward her. But when Misaki became truly serious, Lily always gave in.
”Hmm… I don’t know, honestly. It’s not great… but I can definitely participate in the meet! I just don’t know if it’ll last until the Kanto finals… or the nationals, though!”
”That’s exactly what I mean about you, Lily. Your back might prevent you from playing until the very end, and yet you’re completely planning on going to nationals!” Misaki sighed.
”There’s no point in worrying about things you can’t change, is there? I’m a national-level player, and I’m going again!”
”Is that so? You might lose to me this time, you know.”
Both Misaki and Lily were regular competitors in the Kanto tournament. However, Misaki’s personal best was always the Kanto tournament itself, while Lily had beaten her several times before and gone on to the national meet. There was a difference in their track records, even as rivals.
”You think Misaki can beat me? You’ve never done it before!” Lily teased.
”If your hernia gets worse, I might!”
”Ooh, Misaki, you’re so mean!!”
Lily pouted at Misaki’s jab, but she wasn’t genuinely angry. This kind of playful banter was normal for them.
”…But, truly, isn’t the hernia painful?” Misaki asked, returning to the core subject with genuine concern.
”It’s… a chronic thing now, like a habit… and yeah, when it flares up, it’s truly awful,” Lily admitted, her brightness dimming for a moment.
”I figured as much…”
Misaki knew it without having to ask. It was because Lily had sent her a message saying, “I want to play tennis” the last time she had to sit out a tournament because of the pain.
”I can’t talk about the details… I’m not allowed to say… but if we act now, you can make it to the tournament just in time,” Misaki explained, her voice low and serious.
”Hmm, whatcha mean?”
”You do want your hernia healed, right?”
”I want it healed, sure, but since it just keeps coming back, I’ve halfway given up on it.”
At Lily’s words, Misaki stood up from her chair. Then—
”I want to play my last high school tennis match against a perfectly healthy Lily, too… so—come with me to my house right now.”
* * *
”—I’m sorry to call you right after yesterday, Takanashi,” Misaki muttered.
The two friends had gone to Misaki’s house, and shortly afterward, Hirose Takanashi arrived. When Lily saw Takanashi, she immediately went ballistic.
”Ehhhhhh!? Misaki, what is this?! Did you get a boyfriend!?” she shrieked.
Lily was utterly delighted and had immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was Misaki’s boyfriend.
”Ah, Takanashi. She’s like this, just get used to it,” Misaki sighed toward the boy.
”Yeah, I understand… I’m Hirose Takanashi. You’re Lily-san, right?”
”I’m Lily! …But yeah, I’m Lily!”
She was so excited that she couldn’t even fully process the situation.
”Misaki… that Misaki…! Ah, this is the happiest news of the year!”
”…Hayase-san… we should probably tell her,” Takanashi advised.
”Right…”
Lily continued her speech, entirely convinced they were a couple, but that wasn’t the reality.
”Lily, listen. Takanashi and I are—”
”Did you two have sex yet!?” Lily blurted.
”Wha—!?”
Lily was known for her open nature. She often talked about boys in front of Misaki, who would always just let it go. However, this time, Misaki’s face turned bright red.
”You—you idiot! We are not in that kind of relationship—!”
”But you’ve already invited him to your house! I figured you must have gotten pretty close!”
(It’s true that we’ve done something close to that… but sex? Never…) Misaki’s inner thoughts raced.
‘Because I often end up getting attacked by them.’
Takanashi’s words from the day before flashed into Misaki’s mind.
(No… I haven’t done anything with Takanashi… oh, gosh… why did Lily have to say something so weird… now I’m even thinking about what I did alone yesterday…)
”—Lily-san. Hayase-san and I are not a couple,” Takanashi said politely but firmly.
”That’s right. Takanashi has a perfectly nice girlfriend,” Misaki confirmed.
”Hmmmmmmmm? ………Then that’s cheating!” Lily accused.
”…That’s not what I called you here to talk about!” Misaki nearly yelled.
It took some time after that for Lily’s misunderstanding to be resolved, but she finally understood they were just classmates, and they moved on to the real topic.
”Lily… Takanashi here might be able to cure your hernia.”
”But even doctors couldn’t completely cure it?” Lily questioned.
”Yes… He has a record of success, apparently… And yesterday, he completely took away all my body’s fatigue. I know it’s real.”
”Nuh-uh-uh…”
Lily was still skeptical. It was a natural reaction.
Normally, if Misaki had shown her the complete removal of her mole, along with before-and-after photos, Lily might have believed her. But Misaki was focused on the upcoming tournament and wanted to heal Lily’s hernia at the same time. She couldn’t afford to wait.
”Hayase-san. Thank you for trying to spare my feelings, but it’s alright. I’ll tell her myself,” Takanashi stated.
”Takanashi…”
”I’ll tell you because I trust you are Hayase-san’s important friend. I possess a Gift called ‘Beauty’—”
Lily listened carefully as Takanashi described the Gift, some of his skills, their effects, the treatment method, and the recoil, though not everything. Finally, a single, dominant thought crossed Lily’s mind.
”—You have been doing something lewd after all!” she cried out.
That was essentially the truth. They just hadn’t had sex.
”Lily-san. I came here today because Hayase-san said she wanted to help you. …But the most important thing is your own feelings. I have to touch your skin directly, and there are side effects. This shouldn’t be an easy decision for you,” Takanashi reasoned.
”Hmph… So this is the guy that Misaki, who always avoids men, fell for…”
”W-wait, I haven’t fallen for him!” Misaki protested.
”Yeah, yeah, save it. That’s not important right now—… So, if my hernia is truly healed, that means I can play tennis freely?”
After her little dig, Lily brought the conversation back to her hernia. It had been her long-term trouble since middle school.
”Yes. I believe you will be able to.”
”…That’s not a lie, right?”
”I can say that with confidence.”
Lily thought for a moment, touching her lower back, imagining what her life would be like if the pain was gone. The answer she came up with was—
”I want to see Misaki’s treatment first. Show me now.”
”…No way,” Misaki whispered.
Misaki’s face turned red again at the thought of her best friend, Lily, watching the embarrassing treatment.
—
Summary:
Misaki calls her vibrant, national-level tennis rival and best friend, Lily, to Tokyo to get her debilitating back hernia healed. Lily, excited and playful, instantly assumes Misaki and Takanashi are a couple, leading to highly embarrassing questions about their sexual history. Takanashi calmly explains his Beauty Gift, which requires direct contact. Lily, finally seeing a chance for a full recovery, asks to witness the treatment on Misaki first, which mortifies Misaki.
—
Character Insight:
Lily is fundamentally a deeply loyal and energetic person, using her chaotic energy to mask the chronic pain of her hernia. Her openness about sex highlights her free spirit, but also causes immense embarrassment for the more reserved Misaki. Misaki’s willingness to expose her own ‘secret’ treatment shows the depth of her friendship and concern for Lily’s future in tennis.
—
Behind the Scene:
This chapter is crucial for deepening the relationship between Misaki and Lily, establishing a high-stakes, time-sensitive reason for Takanashi’s Gift usage. The sexual misunderstanding serves to fully fluster Misaki and forces Takanashi to be more open about the true nature of his power’s mechanics and side effects (Recoil), setting up a difficult choice for Lily.
Notes:
• Lily – Fukasawa Lily Haruna. Misaki’s closest friend and tennis rival from Kanagawa. Despite her talent, she suffers from hernia. Have platinum blonde hair, very white skin, small but perfectly formed breast, beautiful, slender, and wearing elegant headband like tennis player. Embodiment of innocence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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