My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 395

Hmm. I don't know what preparations she has for leaving here, but girls are always more complicated. Asking too many questions at times like this will only make them angry, as I've already proven with Komachi. Besides, there are many strangers here, and many dangerous medical devices; she probably doesn't feel comfortable leaving her sister's side...

"Yes, I'll keep an eye on her, you don't need to worry."

"Then I'll have to trouble you..."

Kawasaki nodded to me, then quickly left the cooking room.

After watching her leave, I turned back to face Jinghua.

Whether it was because she was tired from playing at kindergarten or because she was exhausted from being photographed so much by Kawasaki, Jinghua looked a little tired, and her eyelids were almost drooping.

However, she looked up at me, blinked a few times, and then immediately opened her mouth.

"It's 88!"

She seemed to remember me, stretching out her little hand and pointing at my face.

"Yeah, I'm Hachihata. Actually, I should say Hachiman. Also, don't point your finger at people, you'll prick them."

I knelt down in front of Jinghua and poked her cheek with my finger. Wow, so soft…

After being poked repeatedly in the cheek, Jinghua let out a strange cry like a sea lion, her expression full of confusion... Hmm, training complete. She won't point at others so casually anymore, right?

Although I was already satisfied, her cheeks were so soft that I couldn't bear to remove my fingers. Oh my, they're so soft... Komachi went through that phase too... No, she's probably still soft now—I imagined as I continued poking Kyoka's cheeks. Kyoka looked a little unhappy, but she quickly realized something.

"Hey!"

She poked my cheek hard without any hesitation.

"Ouch... Didn't we say you shouldn't point at other people? What if it gets into my eye?"

I continued poking her cheeks as punishment. Jinghua, seemingly thinking I was playing a game, burst into laughter, while simultaneously launching a counterattack. Hmm…did the discipline fail?

Just as I was poking Jinghua's cheek, pondering what to do, a cold voice came from behind me.

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

"Huh? No, this is..."

Turning around, I saw Kawasaki wearing an apron. She held a bowl and some chocolate chips, looking down at me with disdain, then sighed deeply and said, with difficulty,

"Um... I appreciate you keeping an eye on her, but this kind of thing is still..."

"No, wait, it's not what you think."

A dangerous man with dead fish eyes kept poking a cute little girl's cheek... If you only look at the picture, it's practically a crime. If this happened outdoors, it would definitely be reported to the police, become a warning on the bulletin board, and my mom would half-jokingly say, "Could it be you, hahaha?" while I would be speechless... What's more, Kawasaki's "I trusted you so much..." look made me feel a little guilty.

"This is... how should I put it..."

I stood up, raising my hands to indicate I had no intention of resisting, while desperately searching for an excuse. Just then, something pressed tightly against my feet. Looking down, I saw Jinghua had lifted me up.

"Actually, I was just playing with Baba."

"Yes, that's how it is..."

Although I initiated the play, if viewed from another perspective, it could be interpreted as me being manipulated by a little girl. In terms of being teased by her cuteness and soft cheeks, it's definitely not a lie.

This girl is terrifying! She's so young yet already knows how to manipulate men.

However, this girl's future is definitely promising. In fact, her older sister, Kawasaki Saki, is just like that; anyone with eyes could agree that she's beautiful, though her slightly rebellious appearance at first glance is a minor flaw. But the way she looks at her sister doesn't convey any of that fearsome feeling or ruthlessness.

“…I see.”

Kyoka's innocent actions completely dispelled Kawasaki's anger, and he smiled slightly. Kyoka smiled back, maintaining her tight embrace, and tilted her head, asking innocently:

"Does Sasha want to play too?"

"No...no need. Okay, Jingjing, come over here."

Kawasaki pulled Jinghua away from me and held her tightly in his arms. There's no need to be so nervous; I won't do anything reckless. Anyway, it seems I won't be arrested by the police. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

In contrast, Kawasaki seemed somewhat uneasy. She stroked Jinghua's head while glancing around the kitchen, asking:

"Is it really a good idea to bring her here?"

I could somewhat understand her unease. Almost everyone present was a high school student, and there were even students from other schools mixed in; Jinghua's presence in such a place always seemed a bit out of place. However, this wasn't a formal event, and there were no clear rules.

I glanced furtively at the preparation counter diagonally opposite; Haruno was chatting happily with Senior Megure. From the moment that person appeared, there was no longer any question of eligibility to participate.

"It doesn't matter, even people who aren't high school students are here."

"Um……"

Hearing me say that, Kawasaki nodded in agreement. Speaking of which, the purpose of today's event also includes resolving Kawasaki's request. Although I feel a little bad for making her uncomfortable, I at least have to complete her request… I just can't offer any direct help.

I looked around, searching for someone who could complete the task. Just then, I heard hurried footsteps and a cheerful greeting behind me.

"Ah, Saki. You made it in time."

Yuihama greeted them. Yukinoshita followed behind her.

"It's been so long since I've seen Little Jinghua~~"

Yui Hama crouched down and stroked Kyoka's head. Both Yui Hama and Yukinoshita had met Kyoka at the Christmas event, so they knew each other.

Yukinoshita walked over to Kyoka's side, but her slightly raised hand kept slipping out and then retracting. It seemed she didn't know how to caress Kyoka. How useless.

I had just thought that when I discovered another useless guy.

"Um... I need some help today, thank you..."

After agonizing for a long time, Kawasaki greeted him shyly in a low voice. Jinghua stared at her blankly, her thoughts unreadable. Then, she straightened her posture and bowed deeply.

Please give me your guidance.

Perhaps it was something her kindergarten teacher taught her, but although she spoke slowly and deliberately, her greetings were incredibly warm and friendly, the complete opposite of her aloof older sister. A slight smile unconsciously crept onto my face. Not only did I feel this way, but Yui was also overjoyed by her adorable appearance, and Kawasaki was even moved to tears by his younger sister's growth.

Beneath the snow, a loving smile also shone. She gently pressed down on her skirt, slowly knelt, looked into Jinghua's eyes, and said softly:

"Yes, nice to meet you. So, what kind of dessert would you like to make?"

When asked this question, Jinghua looked up at Kawasaki. Kawasaki nodded to her.

"Jingjing, which dessert do you want?"

Jinghua paused for a moment, then suddenly answered:

"eel."

"Uh... I see..."

I was momentarily at a loss for words. Ah, I see, an eel...

"Sorry, we had eel at home a while ago, and she's become really fond of eel ever since."

Kawasaki lowered his head in embarrassment. But children often say things they don't even understand. She probably didn't think too much about it; she was just casually mentioning food she remembered. There was no need to take it seriously.

While I thought this way, Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought...

"In that case, how about eel pie? I know how to make pie, but I'll have to look up how to prepare the eel..."

"Oh? Are those pies difficult to make?"

"right."

Yukino answered with an air of nonchalance. This guy really knows everything, it's just a pity my own pie skill just won't activate...

"If you don't mind, would you like to try making it once?"

Upon hearing Yukinoshita's suggestion, Kawasaki blushed and shook his head repeatedly.

"No...no need! I want you to teach this child things he can do too..."

"Well then, truffle chocolates should be good... I'll go get the extra ingredients."

After finishing her sentence, Yukino walked towards the lectern in front of the cooking room.

While waiting for her, I turned my attention to Jinghua and discovered that Yuihama had taken over my job of looking after the child.

Yuihama squatted down to chat with Kyoka, unaware that she was about to expose herself.

"You want to eat eel... I understand. I'd like to try making it too."

"The eel is so delicious. The sauce even gets on the rice!"

"Yes, eel is delicious!"

"Yes, white rice is delicious."

"Huh? White rice..."

Although they were completely talking at cross purposes, they both seemed to be having a good time. And it seems like Yuihama is really planning to try cooking eel, which is a bit worrying.

Anyway, as long as Yukinoshita and Kawasaki are around, she shouldn't lose control. Looks like I, the one in charge of tasting, don't need to make an appearance for now.

Before you start working, go wander around somewhere else.

× × ×

Kawasaki and Kyoka started making chocolates under Yukinoshita's guidance, and so I, the babysitter, became completely unemployed. I was once again a staunchly unemployed bum. If this unemployment continued, I might even consider collecting stones by the river to sell. No, that's "the incompetent one" (Note 24: Japanese manga, telling the story of a down-on-his-luck manga artist searching for direction in life. The pronunciation is similar to "unemployed bum" (無貴の人).).

Hayama, who was also in charge of tasting the food like me, was still being pestered by Miura and Isshiki. Meanwhile, Tobe, who was trying hard to get his hands on the food, kept making a fuss around Ebina, but was ultimately ruthlessly dismissed.

Haruno and her senior, Jun, were chatting with Hiratsuka-sensei. The old and new student council members were all busy serving the tables, except for the vice president and the secretary, who occasionally chatted and laughed. Seriously, vice president, get back to work!

The group from Seaside High School were discussing around the cooking station, with Tamaki in the center. However, judging from the fact that they hadn't actually cooked anything, they were probably still in the brainstorming stage.

It seems that I'm really the only one left here with nothing to do.

As I was spacing out in a place where I wouldn't be bothering anyone, the kitchen door in one corner of my field of vision opened slightly.

The person who opened the door seemed to be spying on the situation, only opening the door a few centimeters before not moving any further.

What's going on...? Could it be that other groups also using the civic center are complaining about the noise...?

No one noticed the commotion at the door except me. Left with no other option, I had to answer it myself.

As I hurried to the door, I suddenly hesitated.

What if it was a young, beautiful woman? That would be terrifying… Being verbally abused by someone like that would probably traumatize me. That being said, it's only natural for office workers to be scolded; after all, being scolded is part of the job, haha. Even if there's no pay. The service company doesn't pay for 365 days a year! Waaaaah…

I braced myself, reached for the doorknob, and pulled the door open in one go.

As it turned out, the person standing in front of me was someone I knew all too well.

Perhaps because he had just finished club activities, he was wearing a loose-fitting rain jacket and slightly oversized sportswear. His hands, covered only by the excessively long sleeves and revealing only the fingertips, were nervously clasped together in front of his chest. Influenced by his own demeanor, when he slightly hunched over, even the sturdy jacket seemed to soften.

The moment our eyes met, his expression brightened.

"Hachiman!"

"To-Totsuka...you're here too?"

"Yeah, I'm so late because I have club activities to do."

My classmate, Totsuka Saika, appeared at the door. Although I casually mentioned this event to him when I ran into him at school today, I didn't expect him to actually come.

"Great, I thought I had the wrong location."

As he spoke, he glanced at the group from the Seaside Comprehensive High School. Ah, I see. Through the slightly ajar door, they were probably the only ones he could see.

That's right, that's right. Once your field of vision narrows, some things will become impossible to see.

For example, the guy standing behind Totsuka now.

"Hachiman!"

The person standing behind Totsuka is my… what was he again… never mind, let’s just say he’s my gym partner. He’s my gym partner—Yoshiteru Zaimokuza. Although I don’t see him often at school, and I haven’t told him about this event at all, I just have a feeling he’ll show up. There’s no reason why, it’s just because he’s Zaimokuza. Taking things too seriously like this is a losing proposition.

"Hey, what are you doing here, you piece of wood? Getting ready to roll away?"

The wooden stand coughed twice in a pretentious manner.

"Cough cough. I received a task from Hiratsuka-sensei while I was with Totsuka-san, so I haven't gone back yet."

"A mission? Aren't you going back?"

"No, just say you don't want to go back, Koma."

After waving his hand vigorously in front of his chest, he answered in a strange accent. Anyway, what task did Hiratsuka-sensei assign...? Just as I was wondering, Totsuka put his backpack on the ground.

"Um...the teacher asked us to bring something for them..."

He began rummaging through his backpack.

"Oh, you're here. Did you manage to get your things?"

Ms. Hiratsuka noticed us then and came over. Totsuka, having just found what he was looking for, breathed a sigh of relief and handed it to the teacher with a smile.