My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 118

As Komachi instructed, I downloaded both translation software programs.

"Come."

I activated the dog language translator and handed the phone to Komachi. Komachi put down the shortbread, took the phone, and immediately began experimenting.

"Come, come, shortbread, give me a shout."

"Woof!" (Come play!)

"I think that's about it?"

The program's translation was exactly as I expected. It makes perfect sense considering a dog's desires.

For the next while, Komachi kept pointing her phone at Su Bing. Su Bing, just like its owner, was very good at reading people's expressions. It sensed Komachi's intention and obediently barked a few times at the phone.

"Woof!" (Come play!)

"Woof!" (Come play!)

"Woof!" (Come play!)

"Woof!" (Come play!)

...Huh? This is just a copy and paste, right?

"Brother, is there something wrong with this?"

"No, with my usage habits, I wouldn't break the phone at all..."

Otherwise, I'll try imitating a dog bark myself. If the program translates something differently, then there's no problem.

And so, I roared toward the future.

"BOWBOW!" (I don't want to work!)

My God, it's incredibly accurate; even the Excite website couldn't translate it so vividly.

"Yes, there is no malfunction."

"Yes, it's my brother who's malfunctioning..."

Komachi's expression went beyond helplessness; it was almost one of complete surrender, akin to the enlightened state of an āgāri (Note 43, a Buddhist and Hindu term used by monks to address their teachers). I truly hope my family can understand that even someone like me can feel a little hurt when looked at with warm eyes by loved ones.

"...Anyway, this dog wants us to play with it."

"Hmm~ Then, let's take it for a walk."

"Okay. Let's do it that way."

If I take the shortbread out for a walk, it will stop barking incessantly, right? This dog is cute as it is, but if it runs around the house from morning till night, it will be exhausting.

"Brother, could you please get the dog leash?♪"

"Yes, yes, yes."

Following Komachi's instructions, I retrieved the dog leash from the pile of pet supplies left by Yuihama.

"Thank you~ Now put it on the shortbread, and Komachi is in charge of holding it down so it doesn't move around."

Komachi's tone was exactly like, "Leave this to me, you guys go ahead." While she was holding down the shortbread, I fastened the dog's leash.

"Is this okay?"

I shook the handle of the dog leash, and Komachi nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, let's go!"

She pointed towards the front door.

"...I'm the one who's going to take the dog for a walk."

"To be honest, it's true that my brother needs to go for a walk. If we don't do that, he won't even step out of the house."

Komachi is right... The title "autistic man" is not an exaggeration.

I let out a deep sigh. Although my whole body resisted stepping out of the house, Komachi didn't care at all and kept pushing my back from behind.

"Okay, okay, Komachi will go out with her brother too."

× × ×

The sun had already set in the west, casting a thin layer of ink across the indigo sky, with a crescent moon hanging high above it.

The city I live in is very tranquil, as if it has existed for generations, with residential areas visible everywhere you go. Across the main road, the riverbank is still dotted with farmland, where many families make their living by farming.

In the past—my mother said it was when she was a child, so about thirty years ago—fireflies could be seen in the rivers and fields around here; in other words, they've all disappeared now. Brother, why did the fireflies die so quickly? (Note 44: a line from the anime "Grave of the Fireflies")

I remembered what my mother had said, and looked out over the fields, wondering if I could still see fireflies.

The rice stalks rustled all day long, basking in the sunlight, absorbing water and nutrients to produce abundant grains. As a gust of wind blew by, they all bowed their heads to either side.

When I was little, I thought it was like an invisible monster causing trouble.

Neither fireflies nor monsters can be seen anymore.

Why do people always get caught up in nostalgia? Phrases like "the past was wonderful," "that great era," and "the Showa era" all seem to resonate more strongly with people the further back in time they've gone.

They reminisce about the past, about what once was, and lament the changes and transformations.

If that's the case, shouldn't "change" be a sad thing?

Is growth, evolution, and change truly the right path, something wonderful that we should be happy about?

Even if we don't change ourselves, our surroundings and the world as a whole will still change little by little. Is everyone desperately trying to keep up with the times simply because they don't want to be left behind?

If we don't change, there will be no sadness. Even though nothing is produced, as long as it doesn't cause negative consequences, it's a significant advantage. Just as when we compare income and expenses and find that the final settlement doesn't result in a deficit, it means the company's operating policy is absolutely correct.

Therefore, I don't think it's bad to remain unchanged, nor do I think there's anything wrong with my past self or my present self.

The so-called change is, in reality, just an attempt to escape the status quo. Since you're not choosing to escape, you should stand firm and maintain your current position.

Choosing not to change also has its advantages. This is similar to how pressing the B button to cancel evolution allows a Pokémon to learn moves faster.

I can't remember exactly when—it must have been a long, long time ago—that I asked myself these questions.

Komachi gripped the leash handle, enjoying the feeling of being pulled along by the shortbread.

"Short cake, there's a car, there's a car, it's dangerous!"

A car drove past us.

The crispy cake sniffed the scent of the haystack, making snorting noises, and then began to nibble on the grass. Cats and dogs often eat weeds like this to vomit up hairballs from their stomachs; this is a common occurrence when taking pets for a walk, so Komachi and I stopped and waited for it for a while. The crispy cake was eating weeds, just like the literal meaning of the phrase "eating roadside weeds" (Note 45: "eating roadside weeds" in the original text is "道草を食う," which means "to wander around or linger").

Komachi looked at me, then at the shortbread, and smiled happily.

"Oh dear~ Komachi hasn't gone for a walk with her brother in so long~"

"yes."

I haven't been out and about for a long time, since I prefer staying at home anyway. Unless it's a shopping trip or a pet show or something with a specific purpose, I almost never go out with Komachi.

Crispy pulled on the dog leash from ahead, and Komachi smiled at it and said:

"Okay, let's go!"

The shortbread barked once and then displayed the unique walking style of a miniature dachshund.

I followed behind them.

The afterglow hung in the western sky, the streetlights set at fixed intervals lit up together, and the lights of every household shone on the ground, with several kinds of light intermingling with each other.

In this city I've grown accustomed to, the crowds split into many different directions.

Some were office workers rushing home, some were housewives going out in the evening to prepare ingredients, some were elementary school students riding bicycles with friends, some were junior high school students chatting and laughing in a convenience store after club activities, some were high school students preparing to go out for a trip, and some were mothers going out to pick up their children.

This familiar scene exudes a warm and nostalgic atmosphere.

Komachi murmured:

"It's a wonderful thing to have someone say 'Welcome back' to you."

"Yes, although that's not always the case."

"Ugh... this person is so annoying..."

She couldn't accept that statement at all. But there are always exceptions, right? For example, no matter how much I complain about no one greeting me when I get home, if one day I suddenly saw a strange hippo singing "Welcome back" to me and inviting me to join the ranks of people rinsing their mouths with mouthwash (Note 46 is from an advertisement for "Meiji Isojin"), I certainly wouldn't be happy at all...

Even though her annoying older brother came to pick her up, Komachi was still very happy.

Komachi looked away from me and turned her gaze to the shortbread.

I took this opportunity to catch up with Komachi, who had slowed down her pace. If I didn't, she might see the corners of my mouth turned up in a smile.

"I... I didn't come all the way to pick you up, it was just a side trip."

Embarrassed, I gave that curt reply. Then there was a brief silence.

"That's alright."

I heard Komachi's warm voice and couldn't help but turn around.

She closed her eyes, placed one hand on her chest as if confirming the faint warmth in her heart, and then slowly spoke, word by word:

"That last sentence was to highlight how cute the lively and lovable Komachi is."

What appeared before me was the most unreal smile of this summer.

"Right……"

So annoying...

I lifted my shoulders, which had slumped in disappointment, and walked on, leaving Komachi and Mochi behind. I can't stand it; my little sister is so utterly unlovable when it matters. But she's incredibly cute normally, super cute.

Komachi kicked at the pebbles on the roadside with the toes of her slippers, gazing absently at the sky where the stars were beginning to twinkle.

"While her brother was hospitalized, Komachi had Koyuki to keep her company. Koyuki would greet Komachi at the door every day."

"If it were me, it wouldn't do that. That guy would just stay on the balcony and look down."

"Xiaoxue is a bit of a sassy."

At this point, Komachi started joking with me.

"Hehe... Komachi must be having a hard time being surrounded by two sassy girls all day long."

"Here we go again... I'm not being coquettish at all..."

I don't even think I'm awkward. On the contrary, no one else is more straightforward than me. The world is already so twisted that my straightforwardness only makes me seem twisted in the eyes of others.

"However, even with that kind of coquettish greeting, Komachi was still very happy."

This time, Komachi smiled at me.

"Huh? I can't stay here forever, and you should stop clinging to your brother."

"Huh... is my brother leaving home?"

Komachi immediately stopped and looked at me, her face no longer displaying the deliberate smile she had shown before, but rather an expression of surprise.

"Don't be silly, how could I leave this home without a reason?"

"...Komachi is relieved."

"Staying at home is incredibly enjoyable, it's absolutely fantastic. I will never work unless absolutely necessary, that's my principle."

"No, Komachi still can't rest easy... I'm really worried about my brother's future..."

Komachi said, holding her head.

I gently patted the top of her head, which she was hugging.

"I can commute to high school every day now, and I plan to go to university where I can commute every day too. So, unless something special happens, I won't leave this house."

If you're starting from Chiba, an hour is more than enough to get to a university in Tokyo; but if the campus is in Kanagawa or Tama, you'll have to think about it a bit more. As for places like Tokorozawa, they're practically hidden away, and I'd have to wear full gear to get to school there.

"It seems strange for a boy his age to think like this... Generally speaking, don't most people want to leave home?"

"It's alright. My family adopts a laissez-faire approach, and both my parents are working, so I can have my own time, and there's really nothing inconvenient about it."

"—Although I came up with many reasons, the real reason was that I would feel lonely if I left Komachi..."

"What kind of nonsensical monologue is this...?"

Hahaha, what nonsense are you talking about? Hahaha.

"I just don't get any benefits from living alone. Living outside costs money, and you also have to spend time and effort on housework. How could I possibly help with housework for no reason? Haven't you heard of an equal exchange?"

The family relationship isn't bad. Although my dad is a bit of a good-for-nothing, aside from the rubbish he says and the garbage he thinks, I have no complaints about him. Since I haven't particularly thought about leaving home, I naturally don't have any desire to be independent.