My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 128

"The gods in Japanese mythology do not necessarily all represent justice."

"Huh, really?"

"Hmm... If it's a polytheistic religion, there are indeed quite a few such cases."

In fact, those gods are prone to acting recklessly. A careful reading of mythology will guarantee you discover a plethora of absurd and bizarre events that you could never have imagined.

After we said that, Yuihama pondered with emotion.

"I originally thought that since Chi and the others were called gods, it meant they were all perfect."

If the god Yuihama refers to is "GOD," then it certainly needs to maintain a perfect image. However, the Japanese word for "god" is not limited to this. In the mythology of this country, there are many gods, and not all of them are omniscient or omnipotent, or absolutely on the side of justice.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but blurt out:

"In fact, it's not just gods; it's wrong to impose your own impressions on others."

I'm not saying this expecting a response from anyone; it's purely out of one of my most proficient skills—talking to myself. After a while, someone turned a page of a book and whispered:

"……yes."

This statement of agreement was likely not intended to elicit a response from anyone. Neither her voice nor her gaze were directed at any specific person.

You shouldn't impose your own impressions on others.

People can only demand perfection from the gods; they cannot seek "ideals" from others. That is a weak attitude, a hateful sin, a punishable negligence, and naive thinking about oneself and others.

We can only be disappointed in ourselves, hurt ourselves, and hate ourselves for not being able to keep up with our ideals.

The only one I can't forgive is myself.

"..."

"..."

The conversation abruptly ended, and the atmosphere in the office became heavy again, with only time continuing to pass. Although it was a completely enclosed space, the frozen time caused the indoor temperature to drop continuously.

“Ah, um…”

Yuihama trembled as she looked back and forth between me and Yukino, then slumped her shoulders in disappointment.

Our conversations have been going on like this for the past few days.

Everyone was trying to find topics to talk about and get the conversation flowing.

After this situation continued for two or three days, even Yuihama began to feel tired.

Only the wind outside rattled against the window, slightly breaking the silence inside.

The windowpanes rattled, and the air inside the office felt turbulent. Yui glanced out the window, finding a topic to continue the conversation.

"The typhoon seems to be getting closer and closer. What if the Keiyo Line is suspended? Will Yukino be unable to get home?"

Yes, I will.

If I remember correctly, Yukinoshita did take the Kyoyo Line to and from school.

If a powerful typhoon were to make landfall in the Kanto region, Chiba would become an isolated island. The entire railway network, led by the Keiyo Line, including the Sobu Line, Joban Line, Musashino Line, Keisei Line, Tozai Line, and Toei Shinjuku Line, would be paralyzed, completely cutting off the region's external transportation and effectively erasing it from the map of Japan. At that point, Chiba could easily seize the opportunity to declare independence.

That said, there are quite a few railways passing through Chiba. Besides the numerous lines mentioned earlier, there are the now-declining Choshi Electric Railway and Kominato Railway, as well as the Uchibo Line and Sotobo Line—two major lines that residents closer to Tokyo can never distinguish between. They frequently suggest relocating these two lines, drawing angry criticism from the people of Chiba. And the anger of the Chiba people is like a raging fire!

In short, every time a typhoon hits, transportation infrastructure in urban areas suffers damage, and Xuexia is no exception.

"Yeah. But it's okay, my house is very close to the school, so I can—"

Yuihama suddenly stopped talking halfway through her sentence.

The room fell silent again, which bothered me. I looked up and saw that Yukino had an expression of utter dismay on her face.

"...Don't worry, if the wind is too strong, I'll walk back."

"I see. That's true, Yukino's house isn't so far that you can't walk home."

It's only two stops from the school to the station near my home in Yukinoshita; it's not a distance that's impossible to walk.

Yuihama, not giving up, then turned to ask me questions.

"So, autistic guy, do you ride a bicycle?"

"Um."

I glanced out the window; it hadn't started raining yet. Great! Although I brought an umbrella, it's still best to avoid carrying one home in strong winds.

"Should we consider taking the bus in this weather?"

"No, the bus will definitely be packed."

Moreover, most of the passengers are students from the same school. If I found out that the person next to me was a classmate, it would be very troublesome. If the other person is willing to ignore me, there is no problem; but if the other person is someone I barely know and stops having a pleasant conversation with my friend because of me, I will feel quite uncomfortable, my chest will be filled with guilt, and I will be unable to help but learn from Osamu Dazai and apologize for being born into this world (Note 8 "I am sorry for being born" is a famous quote from Osamu Dazai's novel "No Longer Human").

Another crucial reason is that taking the bus at this time of day means I'll almost certainly be going back with Yui. And given her personality, she'll chat with me casually the whole way.

If other people saw that scene...

It's not something to be happy about that Yuihama is seen as being so close to me, someone who's at the very bottom of the school social hierarchy. I don't want her to think about that fireworks display again.

In any case, we'd better get back before the weather gets worse.

The weather is already bad, and other clubs should have ended their activities early. Even if we stay here, there's a good chance no one will come to us for help.

Just as I was thinking this, the office door opened without warning.

"Why are you still here?"

As usual, Hiratsuka-sensei, the advisor of the Service Club, came in without knocking first.

"Other clubs have already finished work early, you'd better hurry back before the typhoon hits."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita slammed the book shut.

"That concludes today's club activity."

The low-hanging clouds dimmed the light inside the office. Perhaps influenced by the shadows, Yukinoshita's expression appeared particularly somber.

"...Take care on your way."

Hiratsuka-sensei looked at Yukino with concern, but in the end said nothing and left on her own.

Yuihama and I had no objections, and after we packed our things, we walked out of the clubhouse together.

"...I'll go return the key to the office first."

Yukino left those words behind and silently stepped into the empty corridor. I didn't glance at her again and walked alone toward the door. Yui hesitated about what to do, and after I took three steps, she decided to follow.

We didn't speak to each other before we changed our shoes.

The entrance to the building was deserted, with only the sound of us placing our slippers on the ground. I casually slipped on my shoes and walked outside.

"I'll go get the car."

"Okay, bye-bye."

Yui waved gently across her chest, bidding me a brief farewell.

The outdoor breeze, carrying moisture from the south, has a wonderfully warm feel.

× × ×

I pedaled with all my might against the wind. This shopping cart, which I'd been using for over a year, was now creaking and groaning.

No matter how hard I pressed the pedals, the bike showed no sign of moving forward; I even felt like I was being blown back. The wind was incredibly strong, and I was panting so hard my heart felt like it was going to burst, but I still desperately tried to push harder on the pedals.

As autumn progresses, the sun sets earlier, but it shouldn't be completely hidden yet. The sky is dark simply because thick clouds are obscuring the sun.

The streetlights, spaced at equal intervals, emitted a faint glow, while plastic bags and empty cans were blown about by the wind.

In the dim light, I smelled the damp scent of earth. The next second, tiny black specks began to appear on the asphalt road.

Two, three... the number of black dots gradually increased, and rain fell from the sky, making a clear dripping sound.

Finally, those black spots completely covered the ground.

The raindrops, ignoring my continued journey, fell one after another from the sky. The rain stung my exposed arms.

The heavy rain lashed down on me relentlessly, soaking my shirt until it was completely transparent. It was such a shame there weren't any high school girls passing by.

—What's going on? This is so troublesome…

I muttered a complaint under my breath as I took an umbrella from the basket in the car.

Opening this plastic umbrella is like creating a protective barrier around you.

But in the next instant, the umbrella was instantly shattered by the strong wind. The ribs snapped, and the canopy became a sail. The wind carried me forward, ah... like a sailboat (Note 9 is an adaptation of Tatsuji Miyoshi's poem "Earth," the original being "Ants dragging a butterfly's wings, ah... like a sailboat").

The car lost its balance, and I quickly put my feet on the ground.

...They almost fell off their bikes.

I wiped the rain and cold sweat from my face and resignedly put away my umbrella.

—This is such a hassle.

The howling wind drowned out all other sounds, and the torrential rain made it almost impossible to open one's eyes.

My soaked clothes stole my body heat, the moisture made my body heavy, and all I could see was a blur.

In the torrential rain, bicycle tires, all words, and thoughts slipped and slid.

Looking down the bicycle path towards the Hanami River, one can see the dark waters rushing forward, carrying a pile of things downstream.

I was the only one left in this storm.

Volume 6, Part 2: Sagami Minami strongly insists on standing up for herself.

Since a typhoon is coming, schools will probably close, or at least postpone the start of the school term, right?

For a time, I also held this view, but each time, the typhoon would quickly move away in less than a night, giving everyone a normal morning. This is simply too unscientific.

The sun was still shining overhead, the sky was incredibly clear, and I felt carefree and full of energy (Note 10: lyrics from the opening theme song "We Gotta Power" of the anime "Dragon Ball 2"). — No, actually, I had no energy at all.

Last night I was thinking that the typhoon was an excuse to be a little late, so I stayed up very late. As a result, I am now severely sleep-deprived, so much so that I could write a song about it as the opening theme for the anime "Kiteretsu Daihyakka" (Note 11: The opening theme of the anime "Kiteretsu Daihyakka" is titled "Sleep Deprivation").

The recent typhoons have been so unreliable, which is really frustrating.

I barely made it to base before class started, but I was incredibly sleepy all day. Usually, I sleep or pretend to sleep in my seat after class, but today I was genuinely catching up on sleep.

Not just during breaks, but also during class, I continued to fight against sleepiness.

To be more specific, I would prop my cheek up with one hand and fall directly onto the table; or I would try to find the most comfortable sleeping position by tucking my neck between my arms. War is, after all, not a good thing, and if it can be resolved peacefully, then of course we should choose a peaceful solution.

Yes, that's right. From now on, I still intend to continue to live peacefully with the Sandman.

And so, before we knew it, get out of class was over.

Based on multiple experiments, the most comfortable way to sleep is to cradle your neck with both hands and lie on a table. This way, your face won't be pressed in, but the downside is that your neck, shoulders, and back will ache terribly.

Moreover, this way of sleeping only gives me very shallow sleep, and coupled with the ergonomic posture, the feeling of exhaustion in my body reaches almost its peak.

If you want to get a good night's sleep, you really have to lie down properly.

Given this, the answer to where I should go is quite obvious.

I stood up from my seat, my steps unsteady, and prepared to walk out the back door of the classroom.

The moment I opened the door—

"Wow!"

"Oh, sorry."

Just as I was about to leave, someone else was walking in, and we bumped into each other. Although I didn't see stars, their face lightly tapped my chest. What the hell? Who is this guy? Driving without paying attention to what's in front of you doesn't qualify you for a driver's license! (Note 12: "~of the year" is a catchphrase of Sayaka Suzuki from the anime "Hippie Laughing Garden"!)

I glared at the other person, trying to see who was so blind, but what I saw was a boy I knew all too well, who looked like a little animal, and the way he tossed his head was really cute.

It turned out that the person who was running breathlessly back to the classroom was Totsuka Saika.

To be honest, you shouldn't bother getting a driver's license. I'd much rather you always be sitting in my car, with me driving you around... of the year!

"Ah, it's Hachiman. Sorry..."

"No, no! It's my fault, I was a little distracted..."

In fact, I'm still in a daze.

Although this situation was accidental, my arms were wrapped around Totsuka... Phew, that was dangerous. If he had bread in his mouth at that moment, we might have fallen in love (Note 13: Bumping into someone of the opposite sex on the way to school while eating bread is a common trope in anime).

Totsuka noticed that the two of them were still in their current position and gently moved away from my chest.

"Sorry, I was in a hurry to get back... Where are you headed? The next class is about to start."