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In that case, I can no longer easily promise, "I'll definitely finish writing earlier next time, hahaha!" Instead, I should obediently keep my mouth shut and say nothing. Sometimes, this can actually allow the other person to sense your thoughts. However, whether those thoughts are true or false is entirely up to the other person to judge.
And so, episode eight of "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU" comes to an end. See you in episode nine! Oops~ Maybe that was just a joke too—oops~ what was I even saying? Hehehe!
The following is a thank-you speech. This time it's for real!
Dear Ponkan⑧, it's truly amazing that you're working on the interior illustrations and the illustration collection simultaneously! The illustrations this time are just as fantastic as ever! They perfectly capture the feel of a female protagonist! Thank you so much!
Dear Editor Hoshino, I'm so sorry for the hectic rush this time, causing you so much trouble. But please don't misunderstand, the reason for the delay is actually... you know, it's not my fault, it's society's fault. Thank you so much!
To the illustrators who provided the illustrations for the collection, I am truly delighted to have you all depicted the world of "Guoqing" and the fresh perspectives of the characters from different viewpoints. Each piece is incredibly beautiful, filling me with happiness and providing solace to my eyes tired from blue light. Thank you so much!
Finally, to all the readers. I'm truly sorry for keeping you waiting so long between episodes seven and eight. Thankfully, your support has allowed me to continue writing. Thank you all so much. This teen romantic comedy will continue its journey for a while longer, and it would be my honor if you would stay with me until the end.
Well, that's about all the space I've used up. Please allow me to put down my pen here.
One October day, as the cold night wind blew, Watari sipped a warm MAX coffee.
Volume 8 Illustrations
Volume 9, Chapter 10: Despite this, the daily routines of that community office continued to unfold endlessly.
The Taiwanese version is from the Kingdom of Light
Scanned image: Ren Leipi
Input by: Ren Leipi
First proofreading: Ren Leipi
Photo editing: Mi Dake
Located by the sea, and with no tall buildings around, the biting cold wind blows straight in, rattling the windows.
I instinctively turned my head to look out the window.
The trees swayed back and forth, scattering branches and leaves all over the ground, and the dry wind stirred up gusts of dust; there were few pedestrians on the road, and everyone turned up their coat collars, hunched their shoulders and walked forward with their heads down.
Winter had already arrived on campus.
I experienced the same season last year, but I never knew that the north wind was so cold.
The sound of someone speaking could be heard intermittently mixed in with the wind.
"Hasn't the weather been super dry lately? So, Yumiko brought a mini humidifier, and the whole classroom was filled with moisture during class. Speaking of humidifiers these days, can they just be plugged into U...USJ? Or USA and used directly?"
Yuihama was gesturing wildly, talking and singing all by herself, having a great time. Yukino watched her with a smile and nodded gently.
"Yes, it's very convenient."
Yukinoshita wasn't a talkative person to begin with, so her brief response wasn't surprising. However, I still found it hard to look directly at her smile.
I silently shifted my gaze to the ground and just then saw Yuihama turn her toes.
"Yeah! So I was thinking, should we put a humidifier in our office too? What do you think, you autistic guy—you autistic guy?"
Yui turned her whole body towards me and called my name again, wanting me to answer. Until a moment ago, I had been lost in my own thoughts, making my reaction a beat slow. To fill the silence, I sighed helplessly before replying:
"...I'm listening, it's a USB, right? Why would anyone go all the way to America to get electricity...?"
"Ah, that's right!"
Yuihama clapped her hands loudly, and before Yukinoshita and I could react, she immediately continued her long-winded speech.
"It's so convenient that you can even charge your phone with a USB cable now. My phone always runs out of battery so quickly these days—"
She talked nonstop, shifting the topic from the humidifier to the phone she wanted to get next.
Thanks to this, the community office was spared from falling into silence.
However, all that exists is the sound of conversation; the topic of the conversation and the essential elements of the conversation lack coherence.
Suddenly, I felt as if I were standing at a distance, watching ice floes drift by.
Perhaps it was the branches peeking out of the window, swaying in the cold wind, that made it seem as if one wrong step would send you plummeting into an abyss.
There's no calendar inside the company bookstore, but I don't need to check to know what day it is. Checking the date is like calculating how my life is slipping away day by day.
December is almost halfway over, and in about two weeks it will be the end of the year. There aren't many days left in the year.
Everything in the world comes to an end, and the days that have passed cannot be recovered.
Another year is drawing to a close. I gaze at the setting sun.
Of course, before this, the sun set every day, and time flowed by just as it does now. Today's sun is no different from yesterday's; the same sun always hangs in the sky. The only thing that changes is the observer's state of mind.
I—no, it is precisely because we truly feel the existence of the end that we feel sadness even when we see a sunset as usual.
In the ever-flowing passage of time, only this community office remains still.
After the student council president election, we gathered in this clubroom as usual, spending our time in an extremely unnatural and empty atmosphere, feeling like we were walking on thin ice.
"It's been so cold lately. But Christmas is almost here..."
Yuihama changed the subject again.
Yukinoshita and I responded listlessly, "Yeah," "It's getting colder and colder," "It'll probably be even colder tomorrow." Seeing that the atmosphere wasn't warming up, Yuihama suddenly leaned forward.
"Ah! Should we ask Hiratsuka-sensei to install an electric heater in the clubroom?"
"This might be difficult."
Unmoved by the snow, she silently gave a bitter smile.
"As for the teacher, let's think about giving her a reward first."
To be honest, her most important thing right now is to find someone to marry her as soon as possible. I'm serious, please, someone come and marry her, okay?
Seeing our lukewarm response, Yuihama's interest waned.
"I see...that makes sense."
Her shoulders slumped slightly, revealing a disappointed expression.
This concludes the series of topics.
Yukinoshita and I are not very talkative to begin with, and we don't have many topics to chat about easily, so recently Hihama has been leading most of the conversations.
The conversations lately have mostly consisted of trivial matters, with little regard for anyone else; it's a deliberately designed way to pass the time.
Based on my observation, Yuihama's way of finding topics is more sophisticated than before.
No, that's not quite right.
She must have been very good at this kind of thing before she joined the Service Society. From the past to the present, she has constantly cultivated her ability to sense the atmosphere, prevent people from falling silent, and maintain a perfect facade, as if nothing had happened.
This behavior might be similar to me opening a book but not actually reading it.
As time passed, line after line of text flowed by. I listened casually to their conversation, occasionally interjecting a word or two, and sometimes glancing at the clock.
Based on the consistent pattern of the past few days, it seems likely that Yukinoshita will announce her disbandment soon.
The others understood this as well. Yui looked up at the sky outside the window and said:
"It's starting to get dark."
"...Yes, let's end it here for today."
Yuihama's words were like a code; Yukino heard them, closed her book, put it in her bag, and we also packed our things and got up from our seats.
After we turned off the lights, we walked out of the dimly lit office, the darkness stretching to the horizon.
The group kept their mouths shut, walked through the empty and chilly corridor, and went downstairs to the outside.
The sun had already set, and the lights streaming into the school building were quite dim. The afterglow of the sky was also powerless to illuminate the shadows of the school building. The place where we were was already shrouded in the darkness of the night.
Yuihama, with her back to the streetlight, suddenly raised her hand and said:
"Then, I'll take the bus!"
"oh."
After responding, I turned and headed towards where the bicycles were parked.
Snow remained in the same spot, watching us say goodbye.
"Well, bye."
In the dim light, I couldn't make out Yukinoshita's face, only guessing that she was probably smiling. Yukinoshita slung her backpack back over her shoulder and adjusted her slightly disheveled scarf. Only that gentle, refined demeanor remained unchanged from the Yukinoshita of the past.
"goodbye."
I gave a brief reply, then looked away from her and quickly walked towards where the bicycles were parked.
But no matter how hard I try to stop myself from looking at it, that expression just won't go away from my mind.
After that day, Yukinoshita maintained that smile.
I pressed down hard on the pedal, trying to shake off these thoughts.
After becoming acquainted, getting to know each other well, and then—
One day, this state will likely be sealed away in a container called "daily life," sinking into the deepest part of memory, and justified by us through a means called "recollection."
There's a saying: Time is the best healer.
That's not quite right. Time is just a slow poison, slowly eroding what has happened, until we give up and it's all over.
I rode my bicycle, and along the way, I saw lights hanging from every household.
As Yuihama said, Christmas is just around the corner.
When I was a child, all I knew was that I would get what I wanted on this day. To be honest, it's not much different from a backwards compatible version of your birthday.
However, things are not like that anymore.
I am no longer a child, and no one has ever prepared Christmas gifts for me.
The most important point——
I no longer have any wishes, and I have nothing I want.
I dare say I don't even have the right to "make a wish".
Loss of good quality
Kaori Orimoto
birthday
November 21st
Specialty
He can strike up a conversation naturally with anyone.
interest
Taking photos, riding bicycles
Holiday activities
Part-time job, cycling
Isshiki Iroha
Iroha Isshiki
birthday
November 16st
Specialty
Asking someone for help
interest
Making desserts, self-improvement
Holiday activities
Club activities, shopping, and outings with the boys who are available.
*The original translation of the "Origami Kaori" series was "Kaori". The full name appears in volume 8 and is now standardized after being written in the kanji specified by the original author.
Volume 9, Chapter 1: Once again, Isshiki Iroha knocks on the clubhouse door.
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