My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 333

I brushed away the dust that had accumulated on the cover and sank into the sofa with the book.

Back then, I only read halfway through before I dared not continue reading the rest.

Now, I must muster the courage to face it.

Volume 10, Chapter 1: In the end, Komachi Hikigaya still prayed to the gods.

By the time I finished reading the last page, the sun had already set.

It's a common habit to stumble upon a book and become engrossed in reading it, whether it's cleaning an entire house or tidying a room.

Thank goodness... If I had been reading an ongoing series, I would have completely immersed myself in it, not giving up until I caught up with the latest installment, and then banging on my bowl and yelling, "Author, get back to work and give me the next book!"

I got up from the sofa and put the book I had finished reading back on the bookshelf.

My spring cleaning is now over. Although I didn't accomplish even half of it, it's over anyway.

The stains in one's life can never be erased. Taking this principle to its extreme, one can understand that "cleaning" is an impossible and meaningless endeavor. Once life is no longer pristine, no matter what methods are used, the great cleansing of life will never end.

That being said, I at least tidied up my own room's bookshelf, and then triumphantly returned to the living room.

Only a few days remain this year.

Tomorrow is my parents' last day of work this year, and they have a mountain of work to finish, so they won't be home until late tonight. My mother had already anticipated that these next few days would be busy, and she had been cleaning the house little by little whenever she had a spare moment, so the living room is now spotless and tidy.

However, an ominous object remained sprawled on the ground.

—My younger sister, Komachi Hikigaya.

Komachi lay face down in the kotatsu, half of her body exposed. Her house cat, Yuki, nestled on her back, licking her fur.

"What's wrong with you...?"

I couldn't help but ask, but Komachi didn't respond at all; she was just a corpse... Oh, Komachi, dying like this is too tragic. (Note 1: Both sentences are famous lines from the game "Dragon Quest")...

However, the cat clinging to her body and refusing to leave must be quite painful. Xiaoxue clung to her back, completely motionless, like a bound spirit. Speaking of which, is this bound spirit a bound spirit, a cat, or a demon? Let's figure that out, okay?

I crawled into the kotatsu (heated bed table), grabbed Xiaoxue, and placed her on my lap. Xiaoxue tried stepping on my lap a few times, then immediately curled up and started to doze off again. I'm so sorry for waking you up~ Please forgive me, meow♪

At that moment, Komachi was relieved of the heaviness on her back and lifted her face.

"Ah, brother..."

Normally adorable Komachi, however, now wore lifeless eyes. "Ugh, how come I look just like my brother! We're definitely siblings! Since I'm so similar to my cute little sister, it must mean I'm cute too, right—come on, those dead fish eyes aren't cute at all." Even someone as cute as Komachi can't be cute with dead fish eyes; that just shows how unlovable I am.

However, this was the first time I had ever seen Komachi so dejected.

"Hey, are you alright...?"

"Ugh... I can't take it anymore..."

She mumbled something, then buried her head back in the cushions, continuing to murmur intermittently.

"We need to hurry... do a thorough cleaning... get rid of all the trash... brother..."

"Komachi, calm down. The spring cleaning is almost finished. Also, your brother won't just leave this house. Be patient."

"Waaah, Komachi really wants to get rid of it quickly..."

She glared at me, her eyes filled with intense displeasure. But I also had something to say. I'm incredibly troublesome; trying to get rid of me is probably as difficult as getting Hiratsuka-sensei married off, so it's practically out of the question. However, now isn't the time to build up my defenses; Komachi's matter is more important.

I can roughly guess why Komachi has become like this. The reason is most likely the impending entrance exams for higher education. Studying so hard must be exhausting, and her mock exam results must be causing her considerable anxiety.

After Christmas, Komachi began to study diligently day and night, and by the time New Year's Eve arrived, she seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

She tearfully poured out her grievances to me.

"It's all over...it's all over..."

Then, he stole a glance.

Seeing that I remained silent, she buried her face in the cushion and murmured indistinctly.

"Waaah... I'm so tired..."

Then, he stole another glance.

What a troublesome person... but there's no need to worry. I'm a professional with fifteen years of experience, so of course I know what to say to her in a situation like this.

"...Sigh, staying cooped up in my room studying all the time must feel suffocating. The New Year is almost here, how about we go to a shrine to pray and wander around a bit to change our mood?"

"want!"

Upon hearing this, Komachi jumped up and answered without hesitation. "Very good, very good. Your judgment was quite accurate; you didn't ruin the 'professional older brother' reputation. I hope my future career will allow me to fully utilize this skill. To be honest, the government should prepare a 'older brother' job for me as soon as possible." Wait a minute, why can being an older brother be a profession? Does it mean having your younger sister support you? Wouldn't that be the best, most invincible job in the world? —Thinking too much. There's no such thing as invincible; frankly, it's just being unemployed.

That being said, as a responsible older brother, I also remember to remind my younger sister what she should do, rather than spoiling her unconditionally.

"Then you must study hard these next few days."

"I know, I know~ Just thinking about the fun plans ahead gives Komachi the motivation to study!"

Komachi said that, but she didn't actually listen at all. The first thing she did after sitting up was to grab an orange from the kotatsu table and eat it. Hmm... rekindling motivation is definitely a good thing...

"Are there any shrines that I've heard are very effective and I'd like to visit?"

"Um……"

When I asked her that question, she started to think about it.

Visiting shrines during the New Year period is considered an indispensable part of the preparation for major exams. Even those who don't usually burn incense will suddenly turn to shrines when it's crucial.

When things are truly urgent, only the gods can be relied upon. After all, humans are unreliable creatures. Therefore, since we cannot depend on others, we might as well leave all the big and small matters of daily life to the gods. When crises arise one after another and we are helpless, we always hope that some superhero will appear (Note 2: lyrics from the opening theme song of the tokusatsu series *Ultraman Gaia*).

"Near here is the Kameido Shrine, which my dad used to say he'd queue up all night for."

It's not far from my house to Kameido Tenjin Shrine; it's just a short ride on the Sobu Line. The deity enshrined there is in charge of academics, so it's no surprise it's incredibly crowded during this time of year. Just thinking about the hordes of people makes me gasp. Oh well, what can you do when there are so many people?☆

Aside from me, Komachi also showed a look of disgust for some reason.

"Queuing all night... that's something about Dad that's a little unsettling..."

Isn't having a dad like that great? Let's just let him off the hook for now... If Mom hadn't stopped him, he was planning to go to Dazaifu (Note 3 refers to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, which is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, the god of learning). Oh... It was probably Mom who dissuaded him from queuing all night.

"Alright, let's put Dad aside for now. As for other things, there's Yushima Tenmangu Shrine..."

Yushima Tenmangu Shrine also enshrines Sugawara no Michizane, and it becomes a very popular shrine to visit every year during the exam season, so it is bound to be crowded during this period.

I offered a few suggestions, but Komachi just pondered them.

"Hmm... Famous shrines are certainly good... but shrines closer to the school seem to be more effective!"

"Is that so? In that case... Asama Shrine?"

"Oh—that shrine that often holds festivals!"

"It would be best if festivals were held frequently."

If a shrine holds festivals all year round, what kind of place is it? Will people still have a grateful heart? It's just like the shops in front of Akihabara Station that always have "Closing Sale" signs, it's the ultimate example of "every day is every day".

Since Komachi wasn't familiar with Asama Shrine, I couldn't blame her too much for only wanting to attend the festival. It would be one thing if it were a famous tourist attraction, but we only visit shrines near our homes once or twice a year, around New Year's and festivals.

However, Asama Shrine... I have a bad feeling I'll run into a lot of acquaintances there, so I really don't want to go. But it seems slightly better than going to a nearby shrine and running into my middle school classmates. What's wrong with me? I don't really want to go anywhere at all!

Komachi seemed to sense the hesitation on my face and gave me a concerned look.

"What's wrong?"

When I asked her this question, she straightened her posture and answered solemnly:

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking that my brother doesn't really need to be with Komachi all the time. Komachi can go with Mom too."

Hmm—Dad was naturally forgotten. Typical dad of mine!

Actually, I vaguely sensed that Komachi had suddenly become concerned about me. Despite her appearance, Komachi does consider her brother's feelings. But I must add: I, as her brother, also consider my own feelings! It's just that I'm not quite sure how to respond properly yet.

Therefore, this winter break of less than two weeks came at just the right time for me. Although I will still have to face it again when the next semester starts.

Anyway, winter break is a chance to catch my breath. Since it's a holiday, I should definitely rest. That's my style. As a man aspiring to be a stay-at-home dad, the worst thing I can do is waste my brainpower during the break. Procrastinating on decisions and taking all suggestions home as homework—these are the rules of a corporate slave! So, are you a corporate slave or a stay-at-home dad? Please figure it out…

In order to fully relax during the holiday and leave all the problems to worry about later, I decided to change the subject.

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Sigh~ If possible, Komachi also hopes not to have to worry about her brother like this."

She deliberately let out a big sigh for me to see. I'm so sorry, but that's just how my brother is.

"Actually, if you don't go, I'll just go to the shrine by myself, like I always do. That way, I'll be happy to have an easier time."

"My brother said that again..."

"The ancients said, 'The year's plan starts in spring.' This means that if you encounter something unpleasant while visiting a shrine in early spring, the whole year will be unpleasant. So, Komachi, don't you think it's foolish of you to go to the shrine during the New Year and squeeze into the crowds, only to end up feeling angry?"

At first, Komachi looked annoyed and rolled her eyes at me. But after hearing my reasoning, she agreed with me, nodding vigorously and looking at me with a serious expression.

"The year's plan starts in spring...that makes sense. It seems Komachi should go with her brother."

"Okay, sure... Why all of a sudden..."

One second she was looking at me with disdain, and now she's all serious. Komachi's sudden change in attitude made me a little uncomfortable. She smiled and said to me:

"If Komachi spends the spring with her brother, doesn't that mean she can spend the whole year with him? This line is meant to give Komachi a bonus."

"Ah, oh... I guess so."

Komachi's answer was so direct that I couldn't quite process it for a moment.

…………

Oh my god, my little sister is so cute! Let's pretend I didn't hear that old trope that always appears at the end of a sentence, my little sister is just too adorable!

"K-Komachi..."

I choked up with emotion, while Komachi puffed out her cheeks in embarrassment, turned her face to the side, and then secretly glanced at me.

"No, don't misunderstand! I'll be going to the same high school as my brother next year, so 'spending time together' means we'll pray for good luck on our exams together! This is just to give Komachi a bonus!"

Good heavens, how can someone be so arrogant like this... This cheap arrogance is comparable to the murderer in Portopia. The murderer is A-Kang (Note 4: a famous line from the PC and Nintendo Famicom mystery game "Portopia Serial Murder Case"—"The murderer is A-Kang." The original pronunciation of A-Kang (ヤス) is the same as "cheap" (安い).) I can't even stand it anymore...

Although Komachi's deliberate actions were not cute at all, she still found them adorable when she thought about how they were meant to cover up her previous shyness.

"Then let's go together."

"Okay! Then Komachi will go back to her room and study harder!"

Komachi climbed out of the kotatsu table and stood up.

"Okay, keep it up."

Little Snow was still nestled on my lap. I grabbed its front paws and waved them at Komachi a few times.

"Yes—Komachi will do her best!"

She smiled in response, picked up her phone, and started humming a song as she walked back to her room, dialing and pressing buttons.

Xiaoxue and I were left in the living room. Xiaoxue let out a sigh, broke free from my grip on her front leg, got up unhappily, stretched her limbs, and then crawled into the kotatsu table.

I followed in its footsteps, snuggling into the warm quilt table, leaving only my shoulders and above exposed, completely switching to "useless mode".

There are only a few days left in this year, and like every year, it's another peaceful year-end.

× × ×

May the new year arrive peacefully.

happy New Year.

It's a bit pretentious for family members to congratulate each other. In fact, it feels rather foolish and ridiculous.

However, to get those red envelopes (cash gifts), this is something they have no choice but to do—that's right, the cultivation of "corporate slaves" must begin from a young age. If you want money, you have to choose to ignore whatever is unreasonable, reluctantly lower your head, and put on a fawning, superficial smile. This is what it means to be a corporate slave.

Thinking about these trivial matters, I smoothly received the red envelopes from my parents. Years ago, the red envelopes I received would be quickly deposited into some mysterious "mother bank" with the words, "Mom will keep them for you." I imagine I've accumulated quite a bit of wealth in that account. When I leave this family in the future, I believe I will definitely be able to, and should be able to, get them back. I hope that the first letter of "mother" won't be missing then.

Now that this year's funds have come in smoothly, I can leisurely snuggle up in my warm quilt at the table, use the chair cushion as a pillow, and lean against it while playing on my phone.

One difference this year compared to previous years is that after New Year's Eve, cell phones, which had never made a sound before, started beeping.

Several New Year's greetings text messages appeared in my mailbox.

On New Year's Day, someone sent a long, rambling, and idiotic text message; the second was concise and cute, yet still idiotic; another was from an unknown sender, like a prophetic message… Anyway, that's what New Year's text messages are like. I thought there would be another message that was disrespectful to me, but it never came. Oh well. I didn't have high expectations anyway. In short, I'll just get rid of those two text messages that reek of adolescent angst and are as long as a torrent.

As for the remaining letter, the latest masterpiece of minimalist style, the "Knocking on the Heart" text message, I'm still struggling to figure out how to reply. Writing something too earnest and long-winded will only make the recipient uncomfortable; making the whole letter overly elaborate with pictures and emojis will make me feel disgusted. It seems that using the most standard template is the only solution. However, this might also make the recipient feel cold.

If writing text messages, like New Year's cards, had templates to refer to and length limits, it would be much easier... New Year's cards are quite convenient; you can easily tell at a glance whether the sender is simply being polite. Just print out a large photo or image, find a blank space and write something like "Let's hang out again next time!" or "Let's have a drink together next time!" and you're done. Japanese culture is truly amazing! Speaking of which, college students seem to use "Let's have a drink together next time" way too often when they're struggling to find topics. If they actually drank all year round, wouldn't they be addicted? But they aren't, so that phrase is just a polite greeting; they wouldn't actually be inviting you for drinks...

As I pondered the message in my mind, I wrote and deleted, deleted and wrote again, wrote and deleted again, wrote and ...

While I wanted to reply with a formal, lengthy email, I was afraid it would be too verbose and spoil the mood. However, being too brief might make me seem cold. Considering both possibilities, I ultimately decided to keep it roughly the same length as my text message. This is known in psychology as the "mirror effect." Taking the same actions as the other person can help increase positive feelings!