My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 336

With the three big idiots plus Miura and Ebina, almost all the members of their group were present.

The role that should have been at the center was missing.

"One person is missing..."

Yuihama heard my whisper and took a step back.

"I was going to ask Hayato to come too, but it seems he's not available."

"Very likely."

Yukinoshita nodded and said.

This statement was quite unexpected.

Not just me, but Yuihama, Miura, and Ebina all looked over.

"Huh? Do you know what news you have?"

Yukinoshita's matter-of-fact tone aroused Yuihama's curiosity.

"Because Hayama-kun's house has always been like that."

"Oh, I see..."

Yui nodded as if she understood.

That makes sense when you think about it. Yukinoshita and Hayama are old acquaintances, and "childhood friends" might be a more accurate description, so it's not surprising that she knows about Hayama's family situation.

"oh……"

On the surface, I appeared uninterested, but deep down I realized once again that I still wasn't very familiar with Yukinoshita and Hayama. However, this didn't mean I knew Yui-hama particularly well.

Besides me and Yuihama, there was another person who reacted.

"Hmm...is that so?"

Miura uttered those words softly, then looked away from Yukinoshita. She then took a few steps back, fiddling with her curly hair, and sighed with utter boredom.

I'm hungry.

She left without paying attention to the others present.

"Ah, Yumiko!"

Hearing Yuihama's voice, Miura stopped and looked back. She didn't say anything, quickly looking away again. At that moment, Ebina chuckled softly and walked towards her.

"Then, I'll go eat with you."

Kebu had sharp ears, and as soon as he heard about Ebina's movements, he immediately decided to join them.

"What? Want to go eat? Count me in! It's our first lunch of the year!"

Yes, yes, there are definitely people like that. No matter what they do that day, they have to add "the first time this year" to it, it's so annoying...

"Um, I..."

Yuihama looked at Miura's side, then at our side, and couldn't make a decision for a long time.

"Don't you need to go over there?"

"Um... hahaha... what are your plans?" She laughed, looking quite embarrassed.

He gazed at her from beneath the snow, a smile playing on his lips.

"I don't really like crowded places, it's about time to head back."

"Eh? But..."

Yuihama's expression turned complicated, and she seemed quite annoyed. Yukinoshita noticed this and gently put her arm around Yuihama's shoulder.

"We'll see each other again soon."

"Um……"

Although she couldn't fully accept it, she responded quietly.

No matter what, it's impossible to feel at ease seeing Miura and Yukino confront each other on the first day of the new year.

Yuihama's desire to bridge the gap between them is an expression of closeness. This is beyond doubt.

However, a friend of a friend is not necessarily a friend of your own. This is a common principle in the world. It's not always the best choice for everyone to gather in the same place and spend the same amount of time.

Yukino's philosophy is similar to mine, so even though it wasn't explicitly stated, I could sense that she was thinking of Yuihama's best interests. Given that, the answer to what I should do now is quite obvious.

"Well then, I should go too."

"what?"

Yuihama looked up with a hint of surprise. However, it wasn't hard to understand after a moment's thought.

"We're just here to pay our respects. We should take Komachi home and urge her to study harder."

"Hmm...that's true." She nodded.

Seeing this, Komachi gently tugged at my sleeve:

"Brother, don't worry about Komachi, hurry up and go!"

I'm not sure if it's a death flag or a survival flag, so I'll just ignore it for now. Besides, I never had the option to join their group in the first place.

"So, goodbye."

See you after school starts.

After I said goodbye to Yukinoshita, Komachi had no choice but to bow to them as well.

"...Okay, goodbye."

Yui waved gently across her chest, watching us leave. She'll catch up with Miura and his group soon, won't she?

Her friendships extended beyond the Service Society.

I don't know if she has a "best friend" in her mind, or who should decide that. But I think she must have struggled with this question.

Hopefully, she won't worry about these things.

× × ×

We retraced our steps, passed through the large torii gate, and arrived at the national highway.

A cold wind howled across the wide road, and Komachi and I couldn't help but shiver, pulling our coat collars tighter. Yukinoshita didn't seem to be bothered by the cold; she simply adjusted her scarf. At that moment, Komachi tugged at her sleeve.

"Yukino-neechan, would you like to walk with us for a bit on the way back?"

"……OK."

After a brief moment of thought, Yukinoshita smiled slightly and replied, "We're all heading in the same direction anyway, so there's no need to separate here."

From here to the station, a shopping street stretches out. Many vendors, taking advantage of the large crowds expected during the New Year's shrine visits, set up shop directly under the eaves. The entire street is bustling with activity, rivaling even the atmosphere at a shrine.

Along the way, Komachi and Yukinoshita chatted about the exams and what happened during the winter break.

As she walked up the long, gentle slope to the top and arrived at the station's ticket gate, Komachi suddenly stopped.

"Oh no! Oh no! Komachi forgot to buy a good luck charm! How could this happen—she even forgot to write an ema (votive plaque)! I'd better rush back! So, Yukino-neechan, Komachi will take her leave here!"

"Ah. I'll go buy a good luck charm too."

When she heard me say that, she squinted at me.

"What is my brother saying? Idiot! Useless piece of trash! Blockhead! Hachiman! Hurry up and go back with Yukino-neechan!"

"Yes, yes... wait a minute, why is my name being used as an insult too?"

Before I could even finish protesting, she was already far away. Tsk, that girl just vanished like that, what am I supposed to do? I'm completely defeated by her… But, this is also a good opportunity to teach her a lesson. One person does the deed, one person takes the blame; Komachi does the deed, Komachi takes the blame. Oh my god, it's so cold!

I turned to Yukinoshita to see what she planned to do next. I saw her shoulders trembling, and then she simply turned her face away.

"How are you...?"

She exhaled, adjusted her breathing, and began to mutter incantations.

"Idiot, blockhead, Hachiman..."

It turned out she hadn't updated her swear word dictionary in a long time... I gave her a deadpan look, and she cleared her throat and returned to normal.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that you two have a really good relationship."

A gentle smile appeared on her face. After speaking, she immediately turned forward and walked past the ticket gate. I followed behind her, up the platform stairs.

The platform was just as crowded as it was on the way there. It looks like we've hit the peak of the return journey.

I finally managed to squeeze onto the tram, but the seats were all gone in the blink of an eye. With no other choice, I had to stand and ride back. Fortunately, my destination was only two stops away, and although I was a bit tired, it wasn't unbearable.

As the tram started moving, the entire carriage shook violently, and I stumbled. I quickly steadied myself and grabbed the handrail.

At the same time, my coat seemed to be caught on something. Looking down, I saw that it was Yukinoshita's fair and delicate hand that had come up to me.

So I increased the strength in my hands and legs to avoid losing my balance again later.

Throughout the journey, all I could hear were the vibrations of the tram, the wind rattling against the windows, and the noisy chatter of the passengers. However, whenever the carriage swayed from side to side, a clear, faint sound of exhalation could be heard from the right side.

...After all, the space is so cramped and the tram keeps swaying, so I don't really care.

I stood very close to Yukino, but we didn't really talk. With nothing to do, my gaze naturally drifted to the handrails and the advertisements overhead.

Tram route maps were also interspersed among the advertisements. As I looked at them, a question suddenly arose in my mind.

"Hey, are you sure you're going the right way?"

Yukinoshita tilted her head to the side, looking puzzled.

"My house is on the uphill direction, so this side should be correct..."

She stroked her chin, checking the map, looking rather uncertain. Well, what can you do when she has no sense of direction…

"No, I mean, aren't you planning to go home for the New Year?"

"Ah, I see... I'm not going back this year. There's nothing going on at home anyway, staying would just be asking for trouble..."

"That's it."

I didn't know what the situation was like between Yukino and her family, nor did I know how far I could go with my inquiries, so I simply responded.

Yukinoshita probably sensed my hesitation and suddenly smiled.

"It's nothing serious. Everyone's just busy during the New Year period. Even if I go back, neither of us will feel particularly comfortable, so it's better to avoid unnecessary contact."

She continued:

"Besides, it makes no difference whether I'm here or not."

After speaking, Xue looked out the window, gazing at the receding scenery.

"Isn't that great?"

"what?"

Hearing me say that, she turned her face back with slight surprise.

"It makes no difference whether you're here or not, isn't that relaxing? You won't bother anyone. But there are other kinds of people in the world whose mere existence can ruin everyone's mood."

Is this a self-introduction?

She gave a playful chuckle.

"You guessed right. So, from the past until now, I've tried my best to avoid contact with others. Thanks to this painstaking effort, everyone has been able to live in peace. I really feel I should be properly thanked."

"You put in a lot of effort without expecting anything in return."

So that's how it is. Heh, I'll remember that. So much effort, so no reward expected. But if you don't put in the effort, you're destined to face consequences. That's just too unfair.

After some time, the tram finally arrived at the station where I needed to get off.

At the next stop, Yukinoshita also got off the train and transferred to a bus.

"Well then, I'll be going now."

"Um."

The two nodded to each other, said a brief goodbye, and I got off the tram.

Goodbye.

Just as I was about to turn around and remind her to be careful on the road, the tram doors were about to close. Yukinoshita, her face downcast inside the carriage, whispered to me:

"...Please continue to guide me this year as well."