My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 412

Nice! Yui Yuigahama provided the perfect assist!

"Well, I've only seen it a few times while I was working."

"Xiao Qi, you're actually reading this kind of book while you're working?!"

"I think you should be more serious when you're working..."

Yui took two steps back as if she'd seen some kind of trash. Yukino sighed and began her signature temple massage. This… wait a minute, is it really that strange? I can't use my phone or read leisure books while working, and someone like me isn't good at chatting with people, so what's wrong with me looking at a magazine…? But they just stared at me expressionlessly, and I felt like there was a hint of disdain in their eyes…

"I'm scared of you two... Let's order first, okay?"

Yui looked at the menu, then tugged at Yukino's sleeve: "Yukino, Yukino, which of these black teas is the best?"

"Let me see... Assam, Ceylon, Earl Grey..." Yukino read the menu softly. "There are many choices of herbal teas, chamomile, rose, and mint are also options... Cherry blossom tea? It doesn't seem to taste very good."

Yuihama listened in utter confusion, just like Sun Wukong after hearing the magic spell.

"What is this long string of words...? They're talking so fast I can't hear them..."

"Just some types of tea..." Yukinoshita sneered.

No, you weren't listening carefully from the beginning, were you...?

"Let Xiaoxue decide. I can drink whatever I want."

"Okay. Hachiman, what about you?"

"Milk coffee, please, with extra sugar."

Yuigahama relies heavily on Yukinoshita when dealing with matters, probably because Yukinoshita is very reliable...

"Then I'll call the waiter over."

I checked it again, then raised my hand to greet the front desk.

I thought I would have to wait a while, but as soon as I raised my hand, a figure walked over quickly.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting. May I ask who you are... um?"

After skillfully setting down the cutlery, the waiter suddenly jumped as if he had seen something. His neat white shirt froze in mid-air, covered by the restaurant's unique apron, and his black curly hair was carefully tidied. A few strands of hair couldn't hide his surprised eyes, which then blossomed into a friendly smile: "What is this? Isn't this Hachiman Hikigaya? Long time no see."

"No... I was just a customer today."

"But I never expected... that you would come to a place like this."

After a slight smile, she took out a single-board.

The losses are still the same as before.

"It's quite a coincidence; I only started working here not long ago."

After we entered what we wanted, Orimoto looked up at the other two girls. It seemed she remembered them; the first time was when Hayama dragged me out for the student council election and we bumped into them; the other time was not long ago at a discussion meeting with Hamakawa High School about planning the Christmas party.

Honestly, this reunion under these circumstances is not a pleasant surprise at all, it's a complete shock... I just want to find an excuse to run away.

Yui Yuigahama awkwardly rubbed her bun, her gaze wandering among us; Orimoto looked at the two of them with some curiosity. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, stared coldly, saying nothing.

The air seemed to have frozen here, the silence was frightening.

Orimoto sighed: "Um... well, I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I'm Kaori Orimoto, a junior high school classmate of Hachiman's. Um, Hamakawa High School, we met before Christmas."

Yeah, this self-introduction was definitely a bad deal. But oh well, that's about it.

"Eh... I'm Yui Yuigahama, yeah, I'm Hachiman's classmate..."

Yuihama seemed startled, her words faltering, but before she could finish, Orimoto's signature loud laughter suddenly rang out: "Hachi... Hahahaha... Hitachi—"

Zheben held the order board with his hands folded over, hunching over and unable to suppress a laugh.

No way... is this... really that funny...?

"Ah...that..."

Yuihama was startled for a moment, and gave an awkward laugh in response. Orimoto wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes and quickly waved his hand, "No, it's nothing, it's just that I've never heard anyone call Hachiman that before, I couldn't help it..."

Well... that's how losses happen... I know she's not rude, she's just too straightforward and naive. There's no need to take it too seriously.

After all, most people in junior high called me by nicknames like "Penguin," so when I first heard "Little Penguin," I was probably just surprised and found it funny. Whether the nickname was derogatory was secondary.

Nicknames... always reflect a person's social status... Yuihama probably just didn't think that much about it.

"He can be so funny sometimes..."

"Eh...yes, that's right."

Yui forced an awkward smile. "Wow, impressive communication skills. She managed to keep the conversation going even in this situation. Well, if Yui had known Orimoto earlier, maybe the two of them could have really hit it off."

Like Miura, sometimes she directly expresses her joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness to those around her... Hey, maybe that's how normal girls develop feelings for each other. Orimoto scratches his head, looking bewildered, probably regretting his earlier outburst.

There are some communication skills required between people. Although I don't know if the two of them will continue to communicate in the future... if they can keep chatting, they will eventually become familiar with each other.

There is another person.

"Um... hello..."

Orimoto extended an invitation to Yukinoshita with as polite a look and tone as possible, but Yukinoshita remained cold, her pupils revealing an indescribable emotion. "Please, look at the atmosphere! This is really not a good time to do this..."

Orimoto bit his lower lip, at a loss for words, trying to find something to ease the awkward atmosphere, but what he ultimately let out was a sigh that sounded like a plea for mercy. Yukino also sighed.

My pounding heart finally calmed down a bit.

"Hello, I'm... well, I guess you could say I'm the department head of the small business."

Yukinoshita cleared her throat as if deep in thought.

Wait, Xiaoqi? No, why does Yukinoshita call me that too...?

No sooner had she finished speaking than Yukinoshita's face and neck flushed crimson. Her white skin seemed to bubble and simmer as if it were being boiled. Yuihama opened her mouth wide, then threw herself into Yukinoshita's arms, hugging her neck and giggling incessantly.

"If Xiaoxue feels shy, it's okay not to be stubborn..."

"No, I wasn't being stubborn... Hey, Yuihama-san, um, it's so close..."

Well, after all, the nickname "Little Enterprise" is just a personal preference of Hihama. Yukinoshita is such a protective person, she definitely wouldn't team up with others to mock this nickname. But in the end, it's all because of my nickname... oh well, as long as those two think it's okay, that's fine.

"They have such a good relationship..."

"I'm curious too..." I glanced at Orimoto. Orimoto squinted, watching them bicker with a longing yet melancholic smile. Although I often saw those two in the Service Club, from an outsider's perspective, such close best friends would probably make others both jealous and envious.

Although I know very little about Zheben, she probably doesn't have a close girlfriend like that. Or perhaps, different girls communicate their feelings in different ways.

"Let's pretend I didn't say anything."

Zheben sighed softly, opened the order page, and her face appeared as always.

"I'll give you a discount for now."

"Eh...huh?"

Yuihama, still not off Yukinoshita, instinctively asked a question upon hearing this.

With a salesperson's signature smile, he replied:

"It's so rare to run into someone I know."

Is it true? I'm worried they might misunderstand something, sis.

"……grateful."

Yukinoshita immediately sat up, her questioning gaze sweeping over Origami before settling on my face.

"You...didn't bribe or coerce me, did you?"

In the blink of an eye, she averted her gaze like a stray cat, while Yui looked us around with the eyes of a stray dog.

"No, no, it's just that it's rare to see old classmates. Besides, the manager often encourages us to bring acquaintances to support us."

Zheben waved his hands incessantly, desperately trying to dispel the doubts of the cat and dog.

Damn, you're making it seem like I'm in a chaotic mess, sis. The three of us aren't like that at all, let me explain... Ah, whatever, a discount it is, as long as my legs aren't broken.

No matter where you work, there will always be girls like this, who always come to chat with you during their free time, and then you mistakenly think that she is interested in you... In fact, she just happens to sit next to you and it is more convenient to chat about gossip, and she really has nothing else to do with you.

Ha, women. If you're not interested, don't try to stir up my fragile heartstrings. Can't you just focus on your work?! I still remember back then... ugh, no!

Regardless, I'll accept her kindness safely for now.

"Milk coffee, thanks."

"Um... thanks."

Yui tried her best to piece together the words, but it wasn't very good. Yukinoshita nodded.

"French Mont Blanc and canelé, please. As for the tea... ah, could you wait a moment?"

"Please."

Yukinoshita and Yuihama are once again struggling with what to choose.

"Today's specialty is Sachertorte, would you like to try one?"

“Okay,” I replied.

Yukinoshita continued to select intently, her expression as aloof and focused as ever.

But thinking about it, whether it's loss, or Hayama and Yukinoshita, our distance remains as indifferent as when we first met. Even with that jade rope... does the relationship between people really not change with time?

But what surprised me the most was Yui Hama. I always felt there was something off about her when she spoke to Orimoto, as if there was a thin veil between them, making things seem hazy. I've known Yui Hama for so long, and I've never seen her speak to anyone so reservedly.

Language is always so powerless, yet the distance between people's hearts can be both near and far. Sometimes you're having a perfectly good conversation with someone, and the next second, it's like you've stepped on a landmine, and suddenly the conversation just stops.

Even someone as good at making friends as Yuihama, given enough time, should be able to build a good relationship with Oremoto. However, this is just my wild guess; these two will probably have little contact in the future.

Just as I was thinking this, Yui suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling, and asked me, "Hachi, is there anything else you need?"

"No, that's fine."

After quickly completing the formalities, Zheben deftly put away the menu: "Okay, just a moment."

The magazine is below the menu.

He glanced at the loss and asked me:

"Looking for a job? Why don't you come work for me?"

"Ah, thank you for your kindness..."

"How could that be... You're quite capable, aren't you?"

No, please... what you're saying is making me think the wrong thing again. Do you want to work with me? Maybe you should seriously consider it...

Suddenly, a mocking laugh rang out:

"It's no use making this man work, because he doesn't want to work anywhere."

Yui nodded in agreement. "It's really...sigh, that you guys reached an agreement in such a strange place."

Orimoto tidied his hair and said with a hint of regret, "Ah—it would be so much easier if someone could swap with me more often."

Arranging shift handover is the lobby manager's job, you know.

Zheben patted my shoulder with a menu piece of paper: "If you change your mind, come find me."

Yui smiled politely: "Actually, I was the one who took this book..."

"That's fine too. If you want to work, I'll take you under my wing." Zheben smiled again.

Although there weren't any customers in a hurry to order, it wasn't really appropriate for the staff to chat for so long. Zheben turned around and walked briskly towards the kitchen.

Act IV

After a short rest, we laid out the food we ordered around the table.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Orimoto, well-trained, collected the tray, bowed politely, and stepped back, leaving behind a table full of desserts. Even though I, the great teacher, have seen many confectionery shops in Chiba, I couldn't help but secretly admire it.

While we were still deciding which one to try first, Yuihama had already cut open a parfait with her fork:

"Little Qi, look at this, wow!"

Then the other half of the parfait appeared on the plate. Chocolate sauce gushed from the cut like a newly discovered spring; the baby's breath fudge, used as decoration, was scattered throughout, like diamonds lost in a desert river. The other half of the Mont Blanc looked like a boxer who had been badly beaten, constantly overflowing with red sugar. Although I've always thought desserts were cute, this cutting technique really terrified me.

"Thanks." I took the plate. Well, compared to the food itself, the sentiment, sharing, and joy it embodies still take a backseat.

"Little Xue, Little Xue, this plate is for you~"

"Okay, I'll cut some for you."

Yukino took the fork and neatly cut the dessert in half. Are you guys really using the same fork...? How come your cake-cutting skills are so different...?