My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 119

I won't leave home unless there's a reason—so people who live alone must have some reason.

"Here we go again~ I'm clearly afraid of being alone."

"Huh? What is loneliness? Do you want me to go to Akihabara and look for that thing? (Note 47 is from an advertisement jingle for the now-defunct electronics retailer SATO MUSEN: 'Look, look, find the best stuff. It's right in Akihabara near your home, SATO MUSEN.')"

I don't have those feelings. I cherish the time I spend alone; solitude is the best thing ever.

"But Komachi will be lonely."

My joke was completely ignored. Damn it, is "loneliness" and "something" really such a far-fetched connection? (Note 48: The original word for "loneliness" is "sabishii," and the original word for "something" in the advertising lyrics is "something," the two sound similar.)

At that moment, I felt like the enemy had breached my defenses, so I had no choice but to obediently go along with Komachi's topic.

"Your words may be lonely, but I—"

"Komachi isn't just referring to her brother; Yukino-neechan lives alone, right? I wonder how she is doing. Is she really okay...?"

Komachi's implication is that even someone like Yukino Yukinoshita might harbor a sense of loneliness.

Even though she always presents a flawless image, she occasionally reveals a vulnerable expression, or rather, exudes an aura of helplessness. However, I don't yet understand the meaning behind it.

Komachi continued.

"Moreover, those who are left behind must be lonely."

...She's right.

How could I think only those who leave feel lonely? Those left behind clearly feel the same way. If Komachi were to get married someday, I dare say I would cry.

Komachi led the shortcake forward, and at that moment, I took the dog leash handle from her.

"elder brother?"

"Are you tired? Let's switch arms."

Walking such a small dog shouldn't be too tiring, unless my sister has extremely poor stamina.

Komachi looked at me with a face full of surprise, and then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hmm, this is troublesome. Now it's Komachi's turn to hold her brother's hand so he won't go anywhere!"

As she said this, she took my hand.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay at home until I get married."

"...If I become a stay-at-home dad, does that count as getting married?"

"Or, change it to 'marry her off'."

"Hmm, I always feel like these things aren't really that important..."

Since I've taken the rare opportunity to go for a walk today, I might as well take a longer route through this city that's so different from usual before heading home.

× × ×

Just as we were getting dinner ready, the intercom rang. Komachi was busy at the stove, so I went to answer the door.

Yui appeared on the walkie-talkie screen; she was fixing her hair and seemed to be in a good mood. It looked like she was going to take the pastries back. After confirming, I went to the front door.

I opened the door, and Yui waved to me.

"Ah, hi-lo~"

"Hi."

"Here, this is a gift for you."

She shoved a paper bag into my hand.

Judging from the size and weight of the bag, it shouldn't be a wooden sword. What a pity... I would have been somewhat happy if it were a keychain with a dragon wrapped around it for some reason, or a skeletal keychain that glows in the dark.

"This is a region-exclusive item!"

"oh……"

I looked inside the paper bag and, as Yuihama had said, it contained sweets that could only be bought locally. However, they were actually just the same sweets that you could see all the time in the market, only packaged as regional exclusives.

Giving these kinds of gifts as souvenirs not only shows where you're going but also demonstrates thoughtfulness towards the recipient. After all, few people feel at a loss when receiving snacks. In addition, these snacks are individually packaged, making them easy to distribute at work or school. Therefore, it can be said to be a safe and appropriate choice for the occasion.

However, when I saw these snacks, some memories suddenly came back to me.

"It's a snack..."

"Oh, you don't like it?"

Yui looked worriedly into the inside of the paper bag in my hand.

"No, no... When Nvchen buys souvenirs, she really likes to choose things like this, and she even shares them with all the girls in the class."

"Hmm...yeah. Although some girls wouldn't do that, like Yumiko."

Miura? As expected of a queen, her mere act of taking tribute for granted is enough to inspire respect.

"A long time ago, my shoe locker was stuffed with a bunch of empty bags of these regionally exclusive snacks... The culprit was definitely a girl in my class, and she made no attempt to hide her crime. Her assertive attitude hurt me even more..."

A dry laugh escaped my throat, and Yui quickly comforted me.

"It's all alright now! That won't happen again!"

"I hope so."

"No problem! Nobody here knows you, so they won't do anything like that!"

"That makes sense."

Yuihama clenched her fist and assured me, but unfortunately, her ability to comfort people was almost zero. However, I could accept her words, so I'll leave it at that for now. My invisibility ability has finally blossomed, and even dealing with the Chimera Ant King (Note 49: The Chimera Ant King is a character in the manga "Hunter x Hunter") is no problem. This is truly something to celebrate.

It seems my second semester will go smoothly, so I can relax.

At that moment, Yui looked into the house from the doorway.

"By the way, where are the shortbreads?"

"Oh, it's doing well. Komachi~"

I called out to the house, and Komachi came to the door carrying shortbread.

The shortbread barked once in Komachi's arms. Yuihama saw this and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Thank you, Komachi!"

"No, no."

Yuihama gently stroked the shortbread as she asked:

"Has it caused you any trouble?"

"How could that be? We even played with the dog language translator together, and it was so much fun!"

"A dog language translator? Oh, that. There used to be something like that."

"Now the app is available on smartphones."

Instead of spending time explaining, I decided to just show her. I turned on the dog language translator, and Yuihama immediately looked at the screen curiously and tried talking to her dog.

"Come here, Su Bing, it's your older sister!"

Upon hearing this, Su Bing looked bewildered.

"Woof?" (Who is this woman?)

"Short pastry~~~~"

“Woof!”

Yui let out a near-desperate wail, while Mochi, startled, circled around my feet. I picked Mochi up, gently placed it in the bag Komachi had brought, zipped it up, and handed it to Yui.

"Look, it should remember in two days."

"Waaah... I hope it didn't forget me in the first place..."

Yuihama looked miserable, clutching the bag tightly to her chest.

The shortbread pressed its nose against the mesh of the tote bag and whimpered.

"Well then... goodbye."

Although I didn't take special care of it, I still felt a certain emotion when the time came to part, especially since it made a reluctant sound.

"Yui-neechan, remember to bring some cookies next time you come play!"

Komachi, who had spent three whole days with the shortbread, held Yuihama's hand with tears in her eyes.

"I definitely will! I'll definitely come again!"

"Please make sure to visit when my parents are home, and bring some snacks to say hello."

"That makes sense. Say hello to your parents... Wait, no, I can't! I'd better not come!"

Komachi's eyes, which had initially gleamed with ill intent, immediately clicked her tongue and reverted to her usual expression after hearing the other party's refusal.

"Anyway, Komachi is really looking forward to Yui-neechan coming to visit again."

"Yes, thank you."

After thanking Yuihama, she picked up her bag again and then picked up her other luggage.

It seemed she was about to go home. Then, something came to mind.

"By the way, about Yukinoshita, she might show up at the fireworks display. Hiratsuka-sensei said it's an event hosted by the local government, so all the local dignitaries and their families come."

"I see... I understand, I'll go check it out—"

Yuihama suddenly stopped speaking, as if she had thought of something. She took a few deep breaths and looked at me uncertainly.

"Um...would you like to go to the fireworks show together? It'll be on me, as a way of thanking you for taking care of Su Bing."

"Since she says so, let's go, Komachi."

From the very beginning, I never considered the option of just the two of us. Besides, if we really wanted to express our gratitude, Komachi, who was the one who took care of the shortbread, should also go.

Komachi seemed to see through my intentions, and with her hands on her hips, she sighed helplessly and muttered a complaint, "My brother is really useless." But I pretended not to hear her.

She told Yuihama apologetically:

"Hmm... I'm really happy to accept Yui-nee's invitation, but unfortunately, I'm preparing for my high school entrance exams right now. Although Yui-nee is doing this as a thank you gift, I probably won't be able to go out and have fun..."

"I see...that makes sense."

"I'm so sorry. But... but... but... there are still things I want to buy... Ah—what should I do? I don't have enough time~~ It's terrible to want something but not have time to buy it~~ And there are so many things, it's too much trouble for Yui-neechan to carry them all back by herself~~"

That little devil deliberately glanced in my direction after finishing his long string of complaints.

Yuihama realized Komachi's intention and suddenly moved closer to me.

"Ah! Right, that's it! You autistic guy! Let's go buy a thank-you gift for Komachi! She always takes such good care of you!"

"This...this...but..."

Although I really wanted to continue speaking, Yuihama kept staring at me from the front.

"It's really worrying to let a girl go to a fireworks display alone... especially with the recent unrest in society... Sigh, if only a guy who's free could accompany her during a time like this..."

Komachi was also whispering behind me.

"Um... if you've already made plans to go with someone else, or if you're really busy... it's okay..."

Yuihama gave him a look that was both expectant and afraid of being hurt, using a tactful tone.

My scheduled itinerary is "no schedule," so I'll definitely be free on the day of the fireworks display.

Besides, since they've made such a request, I can't bring myself to refuse. I'm currently caught in a pincer movement, much like the situation during the Siege of Osaka (Note 50: In 1614, the Toyotomi clan, after agreeing with the Tokugawa shogunate to fill in the moat outside Osaka Castle during the Winter Siege, later had the Tokugawa clan fill in the moat inside the castle, leading to the Summer Siege of 1615. The two battles are collectively known as the Siege of Osaka, which ultimately resulted in the Toyotomi clan's demise).

"...Alright, this is also for Komachi's sake. Contact me again later."

I left those words and went back to the living room.

"Okay, I'll text you then!"

Just before the door closed, Yuihama gave a spirited response from behind.

× × ×

After the pastry went back with its owner, the house immediately became quiet.

The incessant barking of dogs from morning till night these past few days seems to have vanished, replaced by the clattering sounds of dishes being washed. Even after I turn off the tap, I can still hear the chirping of insects in the distance.

Before their parents return, this place will return to the tranquility that once belonged to the Hikigaya family.