My Best Friend is so Popular it's a Problem (BL) - Chapter 1

“Yuto Yuhito, Sora Aozora. You guys really are fast, huh.”
“Haruto Haruhi, good morning. You’re early today.”
“Ah, you’re right. That’s rare.”

With a lazy expression, Haruto walked toward us. Even with such a tired look, Haruto in the morning sun sparkled for no reason. Any girl would… no, in Haruto’s case, anyone—boy or girl—would turn their eyes to his beautiful face.

But what’s amazing about Haruto isn’t just his looks. I can’t explain it well, but there’s something in his expression that feels kind of seductive, and even as his friend, I sometimes find my heart racing.

“Yeah. My old lady kicked me and said, ‘How long are you gonna sleep?’”
“Whoa, seriously? That beautiful mother of yours does that?”

Sora and I usually leave for school around the same time, so we naturally meet up on the way and walk together. Haruto is bad at mornings, so he almost always rushes in right before he’s late. I think this is the first time I’ve seen him come this early.

“Ahh, I’m so tired. Yuuto, give me a piggyback ride.”

Saying that, Haruto hugged me from behind. Haruto really likes physical contact. He seems to think this kind of touch between friends is completely normal.

When we first became friends in high school, I was pretty startled when he suddenly hugged me. But then he said, “I thought this was normal for friends. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop…” with a face like a scolded puppy. It made me feel like I was the one in the wrong. Since then, I’ve tried to accept this as Haruto’s way of showing friendship.

“Hey, Haruto. You’re heavy.”

He was walking while being dragged along by me, but since almost all his weight was on me, it was hard to move. When I complained, he hugged me even tighter.

“Haruto, are you even listening?”

I sighed and complained again, and next to me, Sora started snickering.

“Seriously. Haruto, you’re too clingy with Yuuto.”
“Why not? It’s fine, right? We’re best friends.”
“…It’s not bad, but can’t you walk a little more on your own?”
“I’m sleepy…”

Maybe because I kept saying he was heavy, Haruto finally adjusted and started carrying less of his weight on me. From the outside, we must have looked strange. But since Haruto clearly had no intention of letting go, I gave up and just kept walking, dragging him along.