My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 361

"...and we also need to add that hand control is not good."

She stood up, waved me away from the cabinet, took out disinfectant and bandages, and then pointed to the chair in front of her.

"Sit down here."

"No need, I can do this myself."

"Hurry up."

I reluctantly sat down on the chair, and Yukinoshita moved the chair she was sitting on over there as well.

She began to disinfect the wound on my foot. As she bent down slightly closer, the pungent smell of disinfectant mingled with a soft scent of soap.

The moment the wound came into contact with the cotton soaked in disinfectant, a wave of pain and itching shot through her body. She seemed quite inexperienced with this type of first aid; her trembling hands, gripping the cotton with care, applied improper pressure, causing disinfectant to seep into the wound intermittently.

"Ouch! Hey! It hurts..."

"What can be done? This means it's killing bacteria, so it's definitely effective against Bifidobacterium infantis."

"But please don't treat me like bacteria, okay?"

"So please be patient."

Is this the truth behind the saying "good medicine tastes bitter"? I still don't quite believe it. If the more bitter the better, my life would have taken off long ago.

That said, Yukinoshita did heed my advice to some extent, reducing the pressure on the wound and becoming much more cautious in her movements. This time, the itching sensation came over me, and I barely managed to suppress my body, lest I jump up at any moment.

We didn't speak again until the extensive abrasions were disinfected. I gradually got used to the stinging of the disinfectant, and my body relaxed. After wrapping a bandage around my leg once or twice, Yukinoshita slowly spoke:

"I heard you ran with Hayama-kun... Did you ask him anything?"

"Hmm. At least I know it's not the science group."

I can't think of a more accurate way to express it, so I can only give this vague answer. Yukinoshita chuckled softly:

"What kind of logic is this...? Okay."

She let out a satisfied sigh and lifted her face. The distance between us instantly closed until our cheeks almost touched.

"..."

The two of them remained frozen in place.

Beneath the snow, her skin resembled the white snow of winter, and her dark eyes seemed to ripple, her long eyelashes swaying gently with each blink. Below that was a beautiful, pointed nose, and lips that radiated a smile and exhaled warm breath.

Her thin shoulders trembled slightly, and her waterfall-like long hair swayed accordingly.

I quickly leaned back to create some distance between myself and her. But then, I don't know what I did, but a certain wound suddenly stung.

"Um... thank you for helping with the disinfection."

"...It's nothing, it's not a big deal."

I brushed it off with a thank you, and Yukinoshita sat up straight again, turning her face away.

Then, silence fell over the room.

With nothing else to do, I looked at the bandages Yukino had tied. There was a small bow at the knot… so when she said "it's done," she meant this…? Why didn't she use something else to secure the bandages? Was she trying to look cute by tying a bow on the bandages?

I looked at the bow and couldn't help but laugh, which made me feel a little lighter.

I sat up straight, a move that piqued Yukino's curiosity, and she tilted her head slightly to one side.

Next, I have a question I'd like to ask her.

"Could I ask which group you'd like to choose?"

She let out a soft breath, hesitated for a long time, raised her hand to place it on her chin, but then stopped at her chest.

"I'm in the International Liberal Arts program, so there's no group selection issue for me..."

"...That's true. I just wanted to ask, don't take it to heart."

I had expected her to answer that way, but I still felt satisfied when I actually heard it. Although it was just a kind of self-satisfaction.

I told Yukinoshita not to worry about it. However, she put her hand back on her thigh and looked down at me.

"This is the first time you've asked me something like this."

"Yeah?"

I pretended to be stupid.

Before today, I certainly had many opportunities to ask her personal questions. However, I always drew a clear line, never crossing it. Because I always believed that it was something that was not allowed.

Yukinoshita cleared her throat and looked at me from below.

"...However, I'm more suited to the humanities."

"Right."

"That's right. So... you could say I'm the same as you."

She smiled, just like a young girl on the eve of a trip.

"In terms of grouping..."

I also chose humanities, and Yuihama should also be a humanities student.

This kind of grouping might be meaningless. In the end, everyone will go their separate ways, heading to different worlds. Just like the trio who hadn't grown up yet, they couldn't stay together forever. As time goes by, our appearances are bound to change.

Only the facts that have already happened remain unchanged. These facts may become shackles binding a person, or they may become pillars holding people together. As long as each step taken leaves a trace, that is enough.

"Okay, I'm going back to the classroom now."

"Well, bye."

She said a brief goodbye in the snow, raising her hand and waving a few times. I nodded in response, then got up and walked towards the door.

Just as I was about to open the door, it clicked and shook. I initially thought it was just the wind blowing in, but when I opened the door, a figure was right in front of me.

"Oh my god...you scared me..."

I pressed my hand against my rapidly beating heart, while Yuihama outside the door stood frozen in place, unable to utter a sound for a long time.

"...Ah, hi—"

"Yuihama...did you just arrive?"

"Huh? Oh, right. I was just about to knock on the door..."

When I asked her that, Yuihama was surprised, taking several beats to react, and hurriedly explained. She closed her eyes, caught her breath, then immediately looked up, went inside, and loudly said to Yukinoshita:

"Yukino—I'm sorry I'm late!"

She sat down opposite Yukinoshita. Yukinoshita looked slightly surprised, then shook her head and smiled as she told her:

"It's okay, I'm not bored here."

"That's good... Ah, since the autistic guy is here too, we can talk about it together."

Yuihama turned around and waved to me.

It's not good to leave the door open all the time. Even though it's just a wall away, it's much colder outside than inside.

I returned to the infirmary, where it was warm and cozy again. Yukinoshita and Yuihama sat side by side near the radiator.

"Weren't we supposed to report the results to Yumiko today? But she's going straight to the celebration party afterwards. What should we do?"

Yuihama asked uneasily, while Yukinoshita quietly stroked her chin in thought.

"...It seems I'll have to wait until I get back to tell her."

"yes."

"Why didn't you just say we'd participate together?"

Hearing Yui's wails, Yukino and I exchanged glances. This had clearly become a recurring scene; we nodded to each other and spoke in unison:

"Go if you can."

"We'll decide based on the situation then."

"It sounds like you might not actually go in the end!"

Yuihama sighed as if she couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, whatever. At least it's an improvement over before..."

She slid the chair wheels to her side and whispered:

"Then... let's all go together."

Then, she gently pressed herself against the snow.

"...This is very sad."

Yukino frowned slightly from the heat, but continued to let Yui stay close, not pulling her away. Yui also showed no intention of moving, and a blissful expression gradually appeared on her face under the warmth of the heater.

The nurse will definitely kick us out as soon as she gets back...

It's alright. Until then, I'll stay here and warm myself up a bit more.

Volume 10, Chapter 8: Thus, his and her past and future intertwined, finally coming to a close in the present.

After the sun completely disappeared, the temperature plummeted, and the wind picked up even more. Along the road leading from the park to the station, bare, leafless trees swayed in the north wind.

I pulled my coat collar tighter, covered the lower half of my face completely with my scarf, and followed behind Yukinoshita, Yuihama, and Miura. Today we suspended club activities, and on Miura's way to the celebration party, I reported the results of the request to her.

Miura wore a plaid scarf, his proud curly hair flowing in the wind.

"Is that so... Hayato, the selection group, huh?" she murmured.

"Yes. That's how it feels."

Yui scratched the bun on her head, sounding unsure of herself. "I can't help it," she said, "it's just hearsay, and I, as the source, am not exactly trustworthy. I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

After hearing her response, Miura kicked off his casually slipped-on shoes and looked calmly at the sky.

"Then I'll choose the literature group too."

"Isn't it a good idea to make such a hasty decision?"

Yukinoshita's tone was gentle, but there was a hint of reproach in it. Miura didn't look at her, still gazing up at the stars in the night sky.

"I don't really have anything I want to do. If I need to take science subjects, I can just go to a cram school, right?"

If she possessed a mind comparable to Hayama's, this method would indeed be feasible. However, what would it actually be like? I wasn't the only one who thought her idea was too optimistic; Yukinoshita also looked troubled, while Yuigahama nodded repeatedly. "You, your grades are the most precarious among us..."

However, my worries seem to be unnecessary.

"You can retake college entrance exams, but this matter... there's no second chance."

At this point, Miura paused, stood on tiptoe, and put her hands behind her back. I couldn't see Miura's expression, but I could guess that her eyes at that moment must have been as clear as the winter sky.

"It's really tough to fall for that kind of person."

"Hey! You—"

Yui nudged me with her elbow, telling me to shut up. Miura also turned and glared at me.

"What? Do you really need to tell me this?"

"No, I don't need it..." Waaaaah... Miura is so scary...

After a long while, she withdrew her sharp gaze, continued walking forward, and muttered something as if to refute what I said.

"Including that, how should I put it... the troublesome part—"

She turned gracefully, the hem of her coat and her shiny blonde hair fluttering in the breeze.

"Don't you think it's great?"

Miura smiled slightly embarrassedly and said this.

Since she could speak with such a radiant smile, I have to admire her. It turns out there's such a simple way to express oneself. It's precisely because of its leaps, conciseness, and simplicity that her purest aspirations are revealed.

I stared at Miura's smile in a daze until she noticed me, then she stopped smiling, put on a grumpy face, and walked quickly forward.

"So... this works too. It's fine to keep it even simpler..." Yui whispered.

She clutched her coat tightly to her chest, while Yukinoshita beside her also showed a surprised expression, staring at Miura without moving.

But I don't think this is surprising. During the graduation trip, Miura had already grasped Hayama's intentions and Ebina's will. Therefore, even if their feelings were hanging in the balance, there was a good chance they would get closer to the "real thing." And don't forget—Miura has a motherly personality!

Miura noticed that we weren't following, so he turned around and came back.

"Yui, thanks."