My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 180

I was speechless at that moment, and my expression must have looked ridiculous. Miura stared straight at me and said:

"You've been with Yui for so long, you should know Ebina well, right?"

"I...I...I'm not dating..."

Hearing something I didn't even know, I panicked and bit my tongue. What was this woman saying? I had never dated her!

I broke out in a cold sweat, and when Miura saw this, he revealed a smile that showed his utter contempt for me.

"Are you sure you didn't pick the wrong one? Disgusting. How could Yui possibly date you? What's there to doubt? I mean, you've talked to Yui so much, you should know Ebina quite well. Disgusting!"

There's no need to emphasize it one last time.

It turns out that when Miura said "together," he didn't mean a romantic relationship, but simply a friendship.

After realizing this, I actually had no idea what she was trying to say.

"What do you mean? I don't think those two people have anything in common."

"Yes, because they have different personalities..."

Miura's gaze softened slightly.

"Yui is someone who knows how to read the situation, but recently she has finally been willing to express her opinion."

She's right. When I first met Yuihama, she was very sensitive to the gaze and atmosphere around her, and she established her position by standing on the same side as everyone else and adapting to the atmosphere.

"Yeah, that's right..."

"Ebina is the same, just the opposite."

A slightly melancholy smile appeared on Miura's lips as he put the magazine back on the shelf.

"She deliberately goes along with everyone by ignoring the occasion."

Like Yuihama, yet the exact opposite; deliberately disregarding the occasion to conform to everyone's wishes—it must be admitted that this description is impeccably accurate.

"Ah, now that you say it, I think I understand."

"That's right. That kind of behavior is actually very dangerous. Ebina is only able to get to his current position because he is shrewd enough."

Simply put, Ebina's goal is to gain acceptance from those around her in order to maintain a healthy distance. She isn't actually a weirdo; she's just perceived as one by others.

Miura continued in a nostalgic tone:

"If she's quiet and reserved, she's definitely popular with guys, and quite a few have asked me to introduce them to people. However, every time I offer to help, she refuses with all sorts of excuses. At first, I thought she was just shy, so I actively tried to persuade her, and guess what she said?"

"I can't guess."

How could one possibly guess the answer to a question without any clues? Seeing me shrug, Miura silently lowered his head. It was a rare sight to see the mighty Queen of Hellfire display such sorrow.

"She told me with a nonchalant smile, 'If you bring this up again, we're done talking.'"

I can imagine Ebina saying those words. Her voice, smile, and eyes must have been icy, not allowing anyone to get any closer.

"Ebina doesn't talk much about herself, and I don't ask her about it. She probably doesn't like that kind of topic."

I think that's probably not the case. Ebina probably believed that it's better to destroy everything than to lose something; if you have to make a lot of sacrifices to protect something, just go all out and abandon it all.

Even if it's a current friendship, she would probably be heartless enough to abandon it.

"I feel really happy like this. If Ebina had left, we probably wouldn't be able to play together like this anymore, and those things would never come back."

Her voice began to tremble as she spoke.

"So, please don't meddle in other people's business, okay?"

In a real sense, this was probably the first time Miura had looked at me properly.

I could clearly see the thoughts hidden in her eyes.

Therefore, I answered her with the utmost sincerity:

"Don't worry about that."

How can you be so sure of saying that?

Her question was perfectly reasonable, since Miura had no reason to believe me. Trust and reliance, whether genuine or not, are built upon mutual understanding and accumulated practical experience.

I haven't established that level of trust with Miura yet.

Nevertheless, I am still absolutely confident.

"Don't worry, Hayama said he would find a way."

"What? Well, since Hayato said so, then it doesn't matter."

Miura answered with a smile.

Volume 7, Chapter 8: Even so, Hayato Hayama had no choice.

The morning of the third day.

Today is a day for everyone to do their own thing. Students are not restricted by class or group and are free to choose to spend time with club members or their partners. Activities are not limited to Kyoto; you can also venture to places like Osaka or Nara if you wish. In short, today is a free day, so everyone can spend it as they please, and of course, you can spend it alone if you want.

Thinking of this, I immediately felt much lighter, and I fell into a deep sleep until I was completely satisfied.

I vaguely remember that Totsuka shook me to wake me up, but in my hazy memory, I said something super cool like, "You guys go first, I'll catch up later."

Finally, I told Hayama, Tobe, and Totsuka to go have breakfast first, and I stayed in bed for a few more minutes.

However, sleeping all the time wasn't a solution. Of course, I didn't want to miss breakfast, and I was going to stay in a different hotel on the third day, so I had to pack my luggage quickly in the morning and move it to the lobby so the car could take it there first.

I reluctantly said goodbye to my beloved quilt, got up to wash my face, tidied my appearance, changed my clothes, and then packed my luggage.

...Hmm, that way we can leave immediately after breakfast. The next step is breakfast. I yawned and left the room.

Good morning, autistic guy.

"Um."

My mind wasn't fully clear yet, so I didn't think much of it when I saw Yui appear at the door.

"let's go!"

She was in such good spirits so early in the morning.

"Oh, breakfast is here? It seems to be in the grand ballroom... on the second floor?"

"No, no, I've cancelled breakfast."

"Cancelled... What?"

Hearing those unfamiliar words, my mind instantly cleared. What did it mean that breakfast was canceled? It's not a fighting game; how could it be canceled so easily?

"What do you mean by canceling? Haven't you heard that breakfast is the source of energy for the day? How can you skip it?"

"Why are you so persistent in such a strange place...?"

Yuihama's tone was full of helplessness, but she still steered the conversation back on track, pushing me back into the room.

"Anyway, hurry up and pack your bags, we're about to leave."

"Wait a minute, what exactly is going on...?"

Fortunately, I didn't bring much, so I finished packing quickly. Besides, going back to my room wasn't a big deal, so I listened to Yuihama and went in to get my luggage.

"Okay, take your luggage to the lobby and then let's go!"

"Okay, but remember to have breakfast after you've put your luggage away..."

I reminded Yuihama again, but she seemed to be looking forward to today's free time and didn't listen to me at all. She just hummed a song and walked forward with light steps.

Hey, breakfast...

× × ×

Hotels have recently been offering more and more convenient services, and businesses in tourist areas even help transport luggage, delivering it to the next accommodation before guests check in for the night. Our graduation trip utilized such a service.

The place we're staying tonight is Arashiyama, one of Kyoto's most famous scenic spots.

Thanks to such convenient services, we were able to travel light and enjoy a whole day of free time.

By the way, thanks to skipping breakfast today, my stomach feels so light.

We left the hotel and started walking. Everyone says that Kyoto's streets are as neat as a chessboard, and walking on the streets, I found it to be true. Not only are the roads straight, but even the corners are 90 degrees, which allowed Yuihama to boldly move forward without getting lost.

As I walked, I saw a white coffee shop building next to a Japanese-style shop with a Kyoto feel. However, judging from the signs, the two shops seemed to be the same one.

"Ah, it seems we've arrived."

"What's here?"

"A place to eat breakfast."

"Huh? Isn't breakfast in the grand banquet hall on the second floor of the hotel?"

"I've already told the teacher that I won't eat breakfast there."

Yuihama walked into the coffee shop as she spoke. "Huh, so breakfast can be skipped? Free time is this free? Isn't our school too lax?"

The Japanese-style building also has a courtyard, and the waiter led us to seats on the balcony. Yukinoshita was already sitting there, elegantly sipping her coffee.

"Oh dear, you guys are so slow."

"Huh? What's going on here?"

I was still out of it, and all I could think was, "This person sitting on the balcony drinking coffee is just perfect."

"Morning".

"I know it's morning."

Yukino looked completely at ease and randomly tested my English vocabulary, though I certainly knew that level of vocabulary.

"It doesn't mean morning. In places like coffee shops, breakfast is called a morning set or morning service."

"Oh, I know, it's very famous in Nagoya."

Speaking of Nagoya's specialties, there are also fried shrimp rice balls and the famous "Mountain" café. Also, in the Nagoya dialect, it's customary to add a sound like "mya~" to the end of sentences (Note 55: the original is "みゃㄧ" (mya~)). Did Yukinoshita think it was a feline?

"...You can interpret it that way if you want."

"I didn't expect to find one here in Kyoto."

"That's right, that's right, this is a super famous store!"

Yuihama found a staff member and quickly took the order.

The shop's decor is beautiful; it's definitely appealing to women. By the way, this must be the same amusement route that Yukinoshita researched and recommended to women.

"I saw Ebina-kun at the old building just now, are they here too?"

"So the Ministry of Revenue couldn't wait any longer and followed that route."

Hearing this, I finally understood what was going on. This was one of the popular tourist spots that Yukinoshita mentioned yesterday, places that girls would like.

Yuihama told Tobe about the tourist spots, and Tobe was very enthusiastic, immediately inviting Ebina to have lunch here this morning. Hmm~ That guy's really hardworking.

After a while, the waiter brought the breakfast tray to our table.

Breakfast included bread, ham, scrambled eggs, salad, coffee, and orange juice. At first glance, the food didn't seem particularly special, but with its careful plating, it was certainly tempting.

"Let's eat first."

"Okay, let's eat."

"I'm starting."

We put our hands together and began to eat. Thinking about it, it felt a little strange that the three of us maintained the Japanese custom of putting our hands together and saying "Let's eat" when the table was clearly set with a Western breakfast.

During the meal, Yukinoshita explained the upcoming itinerary.

"The first place we need to go is Fushimi Inari Shrine."

"A thousand torii gates?"

"I've seen it on TV."

Yukinoshita nodded to Yuihama. Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari shrines in Japan, so its fame goes without saying; coupled with the continuous rows of large red torii gates known as "Senbon Torii," it is easy to imagine that it is very popular with women.

"After visiting the shrine, we will detour to Tofukuji Temple on the way back."

"I've never heard of that."

I tossed the keywords into my mental search engine for Japanese history, but found nothing that matched. It seems it's not some kind of world heritage site. Yukinoshita placed her cup on the table, her fingertips lightly touching her lips as she pondered.

"Hmm, if it's a graduation trip, I probably wouldn't go to that place..."