My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 386

"Sigh...that's exactly what I meant..."

Isshiki and Miura sighed simultaneously, then looked up at each other at the same time. It felt like sparks flew between their gazes…

Ugh, so annoying... It's terrifying...

× × ×

I bought a can of MAX coffee from the vending machine in front of the welfare center on the first floor.

After getting up again with my coffee, I let out a heavy sigh.

The silent battle between Isshiki and Miura continued, making me, as a boy, feel like I had nowhere to go. I even suspected that the Slender Man (Note 7: Slender Man, a monster said to roam the forests, is extremely thin and has nowhere to go; the original text for "nowhere to go" is "肩身が狭い," which literally means "narrow shoulders") was actually me.

After using the restroom, I stopped by the vending machine to buy a can of M, intending to revitalize my tired body before heading back to the clubroom. As I slowly sipped it, I walked up the stairs, and when I returned to the clubroom entrance, I noticed a suspicious-looking guy.

Whenever that guy fidgets and looks around restlessly, his black and bluish ponytail bounces up and down, jumping back and forth, and to the left and right.

"...Hey, what are you doing?"

Because her behavior was so suspicious, I couldn't help but go up and strike up a conversation. As soon as she heard a sound behind her, her ponytail bounced several times before she finally turned her face to me timidly.

Her wary look, like a lynx I'd stumbled upon in the mountains, gave me an urge to say "Come here" and feed her some M&M's. But feeding wild animals indiscriminately doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

Besides, shouldn't we give her a name before feeding her? Let me think...right, let's call her Chuan something. Hey, Chuan something—I called out in my mind, and asked the other party's purpose:

"What's up?"

My question seemed to put her at ease, and she beckoned me to follow her to a corner of the corridor a little past the clubroom. Ah, I remember now, her name is Kawasaki Saki. I know her.

Kawasaki glanced furtively at the club office and asked:

"Excuse me...can I bother you for a moment?"

"Let's go inside and talk. It's cold in here."

In my opinion, she must have something she needs the Service Club's help with. If that's the case, why not go into the club office where the heating is on? But after thinking for a moment, Kawasaki waved his hand hastily:

"Huh... no, this is fine! I can say it here! Um... I just have something I want to ask Yukinoshita..."

Then just go ask her...

"Yukinoshita is inside. Hurry up and go in. It's cold in here, you'll catch a cold."

Perhaps an office window was open for ventilation, making the corridor of the building particularly chilly. The cold air that crept up from the soles of one's feet was indescribable, and the slight rattling of the windows whenever the cold wind blew even sent chills down one's spine.

"It's okay... I'm not afraid of the cold..."

Kawasaki turned his face away. The problem is, you're not afraid, but I am... If I catch a cold during this time and infect Komachi, it would be terrible, and it wouldn't be easy to recover.

When it comes to how Chiba locals treat a cold, it's usually the same: first, head to Narita's for a bowl of super-oily ramen topped with garlic and spices, then a warm can of MAX coffee before bed. Doing this guarantees a trip to the hospital the next day. So, the best way to prevent a cold is simply to stay home. That's my opinion.

Moreover, there's another student taking the exam in the Kawasaki family. If Kawasaki's younger brother, Taishi, catches a cold and then indirectly infects Komachi, then I'll have no choice but to stain my hands with blood and sin...

"Quick action."

Because of my hostility towards Taishi, this pest trying to get close to Komachi, my voice began to sound impatient, and my words became harsher. Kawasaki seemed somewhat afraid, lowered his head, and said:

"Since...since you've put it that way..."

I'm glad she understands my predicament. Every person around Komachi at risk of catching a cold is a potential threat.

"Great, I'll have a headache if you catch a cold."

I opened the office door and urged Kawasaki to come in. But for some reason, Kawasaki looked at me blankly.

"……Um."

Kawasaki answered in a weak voice unbelievably beneath her terrifying appearance, then tiptoed into the clubroom. "Although she looks like a delinquent at first glance, she's actually an honest, good girl," I thought to myself as I followed her inside.

"You're back... Oh, Saki?"

Yuihama turned around, then showed an incredulous expression, her upper body and neck tilting to one side.

“Ah… um…”

Kawasaki answered somewhat awkwardly, and everyone's eyes immediately turned to her.

Yukinoshita looked surprised, while Isshiki shrank back somewhat fearfully. No, no, no, although this Kawa-something looks scary, he's actually not scary at all, you know?

On the other hand, Ebina greeted her with a bright smile and a cheerful voice:

"Ah, it's Sasa. Hello hello~~"

"Don't call me Sasha!"

Kawasaki retorted rudely. Yuihama gestured for her to sit down while trying to soothe her with words.

"It's quite rare for Saki to come here... This seems to be the first time."

Yuihama called Kawasaki by her first name, so it seems they became close after their graduation trip. I was touched that someone still remembered Saki Kawasaki, whose full name is always impossible to remember. My eyes welled up with tears. Lately, I seem to be more prone to crying; every Sunday, seeing Hikari no Pretty Cure's character fighting bravely in dire situations makes me shed tears – that's me!

Yes, it's so wonderful to see girls getting along so well. Absolutely beautiful.

As my cold body gradually warmed up from the beautiful scenery, Yukinoshita handed me a paper cup of tea and asked:

"So, may I ask what brings you here?"

"Ah, thank you... How should I put it..."

Kawasaki opened his mouth, unable to express his meaning for a long time. Thinking about it, she seemed to have said earlier that she needed to talk to Yukinoshita, right? Just as Kawasaki was worrying about where to begin, he heard the sound of fingers tapping on the table from the side.

Turning her head, she saw that Miura was looking unhappy. Perhaps because she was dissatisfied with her attitude, Kawasaki looked at Miura with a cold gaze, and the other party glared back without backing down.

"Hey, I haven't finished talking yet."

"Oh? I think you're just here for tea."

I retract my foreword. Kawasaki is indeed terrifying...

Miura and Kawasaki glared at each other fiercely, neither willing to back down. Sigh, you two are still as irreconcilable as ever… Watching the two glaring at each other, Ishiki froze, too afraid to move.

In the end, it was Ebina who broke the deadlock.

"Alright, alright, Yumiko. Sasa probably has something she needs to discuss with someone too, right? If you don't mind, you can tell me~"

"Although we were the ones who actually helped solve the problem..."

Anyway, tell us about it.

Ignoring Yukinoshita's muttered complaints, Ebina urged Kawasaki on. Kawasaki glanced furtively at me, Yui, and Yukinoshita, sighed softly, and then spoke his purpose:

"Um...it's about the chocolate..."

Upon hearing this, Miura immediately burst into laughter.

"What? You're going to give chocolates as gifts too? That's hilarious."

"what?"

"how?"

The two glared at each other again.

"...What do you mean 'you too'? Don't just assume everyone's the same kind of person, okay? I'm not interested in the kind of trivial things you care about."

"What?"

"how?"

...Don't do that! Let's all get along well!

Watching Miura and Kawasaki argue, Yukino sighed and shook her head repeatedly, giving them a "you two..." look. Uh, don't forget your own personality isn't much better... though that incredibly sharp tongue that used to be able to crush everything with a casual remark has definitely toned down a lot lately.

Seeing Miura and Kawasaki glaring at each other, neither willing to back down, Isshiki whispered:

"Why do all the people my senior knows seem to be weirdos..."

"What?"

"what?"

Ishiki was glared at fiercely by the two women and quickly hid behind me. "Didn't I tell you not to put yourself in such danger...? That kind of behavior is no different from that of a silly, naive little kitten... Besides, even I'm a little afraid of those two women!"

Anyway, let's end this topic as soon as possible. Only then can I get rid of this burden.

"And then? What happened to the chocolate?"

My younger sister heard about Valentine's Day at kindergarten and said she wants to try making chocolate... Are there any chocolates that little kids can make?

"Even kids can make chocolate..."

After repeating Kawasaki's words, Yukinoshita nodded. Ebina, however, asked in confusion:

"But Sasha, aren't you very good at housework?"

Yes, I remember Kawasaki's parents were very busy, and she had many younger siblings, so she often helped with household chores. I've also seen her carrying a shopping bag with long green onions stuck in it, looking every bit the devoted wife and mother. Judging from that, she should be quite good at cooking too. I shifted my gaze, only to see Kawasaki turning her head away awkwardly.

"Um... what I made is a bit tacky, kids probably won't like it..."

"May I ask Kawasaki-kun about his forte, science?"

After being asked this by Yukinoshita, Kawasaki remained silent for a long time before stammering and answering in a low voice:

"……ball……"

A ball... a sugar ball? Kids would probably love those. When I was little, I used to fight with Komachi over the sugar Santa Claus on cakes... but we soon found out that those things weren't very tasty, so my dad ended up taking care of them.

But it seemed Kawasaki wasn't talking about sugar balls. Everyone's eyes were on her, waiting for her to finish speaking.

Under the silent pressure, Kawasaki lowered his head in embarrassment and murmured in an even softer voice:

"Stewed...stewed taro balls..."

...That's so tacky.

The level of tackiness far exceeded expectations, leaving the club office speechless for a moment. Kawasaki's eyes welled up with tears because everyone's reactions were so obvious. She seemed genuinely embarrassed.

Yuihama was the first to notice, and she suddenly looked up, forcing out a cheerful voice to cheer Kawasaki on:

"That's amazing! I can't cook at all, so I really think you're incredible! Right, Yukino?"

Yukinoshita nodded repeatedly with a serious expression.

"Yes. Stewed taro balls and cat rolling around sound a bit alike (Note 8: Stewed taro balls are originally written as '里芋の煮ころがし', while cat rolling around is written as 'ねつころがし'). It sounds quite cute."

"That's not the right way to smooth things over!"

Yuihama looked surprised. "Yeah, yeah, that's exactly what I was saying. She's actually making things worse."

What's with cats rolling around like that...? If you just roll a sleeping cat over and over with your hand, it will look at you with a super reluctant expression, and that moment is so cute that I can understand that feeling to some extent. But if it's a long-haired cat, it will get covered in dust like a mop, so you have to be especially careful!

Never mind the cat. We're talking about Kawasaki now. Thanks to Yukinoshita's bizarre way of smoothing things over, Kawasaki looked even more embarrassed, trembling like a newly adopted kitten. I'm sorry, that person doesn't really have a knack for comforting others…

Although I wasn't going to step in and play for someone else, I cleared my throat and said:

"But it's not bad this way, at least you can cook."

"Hmm...you're right. Although it is indeed a bit tacky..."

Isshiki followed behind me, speaking with a lack of confidence, but there was not a trace of contempt or sarcasm in her words.

"Hmm, not bad, it has a nice rustling feel!"

Ebina also gave a thumbs up and flashed her signature smile.

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the praise, Kawasaki started fidgeting, but quickly stopped. I followed her gaze and saw it was because of Miura. Kawasaki seemed worried that Miura, with whom she had just been arguing, might say something hurtful.

But after silently gazing at Kawasaki, Miura quickly turned his head away with a look of disinterest, and then muttered to himself:

"So you can cook."

"Huh...? Well, I guess I can..."

"Right……"

Although she seemed busy fiddling with her hair, a hint of respect still lingered in her voice. It's not hard to understand; after all, Miura doesn't seem like someone who can cook… but for the girl residing in Miura's heart, it might be a skill to aspire to.

"Since Kawasaki-kun has cooking skills, we just need to offer suggestions on the dishes, right?"

Xue Shita, who had been deep in thought, rested her chin on her hand and came to this conclusion.

"I want one too! I want to know how too! I'll definitely make chocolate that kids can make!"

Yuihama quickly raised her hand, but Yukinoshita lowered her gaze with a sorrowful expression.

"...That's hard to say."

"Yukino is so honest!"