My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 42

Please, this reminds me of bad memories, so please don't mistake me for bacteria. Elementary school kids can be really cruel. I barely touched one of my classmates, and they started yelling things like "It's Hachiman bacteria!", "I touched it!", "I've already turned on my protective shield!", and some even said, "The protective shield is useless against Hachiman bacteria." Just how strong is this bacteria?

"But you said your sister comes home very late, how late exactly? I myself often come home very late, and since I started high school, that shouldn't be strange, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's true..."

When Yuihama asked him a question, Taishi stammered and looked away. He must be shy because this older sister was too sexy. This is a normal reaction for middle school boys, but now that I'm a high school student, I just feel that it's perfectly acceptable to talk so recklessly to a slut.

"But she often doesn't come back until after five in the morning."

"It was already dawn..."

With only two hours left to sleep, no wonder she was late.

"Your sister only came home early this morning, didn't your parents say anything?"

"Well... my parents both work, and there are younger siblings in the family, so they don't really have time to take care of her. Plus, my older sister only comes home around that time, so she almost never sees my parents... Anyway, when there are many children in the family, a lot of problems arise."

Totsuka asked with a worried look, but Taishi was able to answer his question fluently. "Hmm, it seems middle school boys don't yet appreciate Totsuka's charm, unlike me, a high school student, who finds him incredibly cute."

"Even when they occasionally bump into each other, all they do is argue; if I say anything to my sister, she always stubbornly insists it's none of my business..."

Dazhi slumped his shoulders, completely at a loss for what to do.

"Every family has its own problems..."

A gloomy look appeared on Yukina's face like never before, and she looked like she was about to cry, just like Daichi who was confiding his troubles to us, or even more so.

"Under the Snow..."

When I called out to her, the clouds outside the window blocked the sunlight, creating a shadow inside. Therefore, I couldn't see her expression as she lowered her head. I could only tell from her drooping shoulders that she had sighed softly.

"What's up?"

After raising her head again, she had resumed her usual cold expression, just like before.

The sun was only obscured by the clouds for a fleeting moment. At the time, I didn't understand the meaning behind her sigh.

It seemed that only I noticed the change beneath the snow; Daishi and the others continued their conversation.

"Not only that... lately I've been receiving calls from strange places, saying they're looking for my sister."

Upon hearing this, a question mark appeared above Yuihama's head.

"A strange place?"

"Hmm, I vaguely remember it being called something like 'Angel,' I think it's a shop... and it was the shop manager who called."

"Is there anything strange about that?"

Upon hearing Totsuka's question, Taishi immediately slammed his hand on the table with a "thud".

"That...that shop is called 'Angel'! It must be a very suspicious shop!"

"Huh? I don't think so at all..."

Yuihama flinched and remained reserved, but I understood perfectly well.

This information comes from my "chuunibyou erotic detector." For example, if you put the word "angel" together with "Kabukicho," doesn't the eroticism level immediately increase by 50%? If you add something like "super," the eroticism level will increase by another 40%.

Needless to say, it must be the sex industry.

For a kid to notice this, he seems to be a promising talent.

"Dazhi, calm down first. I understand all of this perfectly well."

When Dazhi heard that someone agreed with his idea, he happily wiped his burning eyes and excitedly tried to rush towards me.

"Brother, brother!"

"Hahaha, don't you dare call me brother, or I'll kill you."

And so, a bond ostensibly based on "eroticism" was formally formed between the two men. At the same time, the others calmly discussed their next course of action.

"Regardless, we first need to find out where she works. Even if the shop isn't as dangerous as those two idiots said, working until dawn is still very strange. We need to investigate as soon as possible and persuade her to quit."

"Hmm... but if we just advise her to quit, there's no guarantee she won't just find another shop to work at later, right?"

Yuihama expressed her opinion, and Komachi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's like the relationship between a snake and a mongoose."

"...You mean like playing whack-a-mole, right?"

Sigh, little sister, please don't embarrass the Hikigaya family. Even Yukinoshita is speechless.

"In short, we must treat the symptoms and address the root cause."

Just as Yukinoshita reached this conclusion, I pulled Taishi away.

"Hey, wait a minute, are we going to get involved?"

"Isn't that good? Kawasaki Taishi is the younger brother of Kawasaki Saki, a student at our school. His problem is related to Kawasaki Saki. I think that would fall within the scope of the Service Club's services."

"However, club activities are currently suspended..."

"Brother~~"

Komachi poked my back. I turned around and saw a smile on her face.

That was the smile she wore when she needed something from someone. One Christmas, she used that same smile to steal my chance to wish for a present. Why did I have to tell Santa Claus I wanted a card from the fashion witch?

However, with her parents as her strongest backers, I dared not disobey her. Damn it, this girl is absolutely not cute!

"I know..."

I reluctantly agreed. Dazhi immediately cheered and bowed repeatedly to thank me.

"Thank you so much! I'm so sorry to have troubled you all!"

× × ×

The following day, the "Kawasaki Saki Rehabilitation Project" was officially launched.

After school, I went to the club office and found Yukinoshita waiting there with a rather difficult book in her hand.

"Alright, let's begin."

I nodded to Yuihama, and for some reason, Totsuka was also there.

"Totsuka, you don't have to force yourself to come with us."

Yukinoshita always does some unexpected things. If you want to follow her around, you really need to have a very strong heart, and nine times out of ten you won't encounter anything good.

However, Totsuka simply smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay, I've heard about it anyway, and I'd like to see what your club is up to... If it won't bother you, I'd like to join."

"Oh, I see. Well then... you should join us too."

Without realizing it, the only words I said that sounded manly were "You join too." I couldn't help it; the other person was grabbing my shirt sleeve, looking me straight in the eye, and saying "I want to join!" (Note 28: The original word "付き合ぃ" has two meanings: "to associate" and "to act together"). If I didn't show off here, what kind of man would I be! But, Totsuka is a guy too, sigh…

Club activities ceased before exams, so few people remained after school. Now, besides a few of us, the only other students left on campus were those who stayed for evening study sessions and Kawasaki Saki, who had been called in for tutoring because of her lateness. Incidentally, if someone is late more than five times in a month, they'll be called to the faculty office for tutoring.

At this time, Kawasaki should be in his office, receiving earnest instruction from Professor Hiratsuka.

"After a little thought, I think the best approach is for Kawasaki to solve his own problems. Compared to being forced to change, the risk of him getting back on his own is lower, and he's almost certain to not relapse."

"That's right."

It's not just bad behavior; people often feel resentful when their actions are criticized. Even if the person offering harsh criticism is close to them, they are still prone to developing a resistant attitude. To give a clear and easy-to-understand example, if a mother says before an exam, "Stop slacking off and go study," the response might be, "Oh! I was just about to study, and now you're making me not want to study anymore." It's the same principle.

"So, what specific methods do you have?"

Have you ever heard of animal therapy?

To put it simply, animal therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses contact with animals to reduce stress and produce positive effects on emotions.

After Yukinoshita gave a brief explanation, Yuihama responded with "Hmm, hmm" sounds to indicate that she understood.

This is indeed a good method. According to Taishi's description, Kawasaki was originally a serious and gentle girl. Through animal therapy, perhaps she can rediscover that gentleness.

However, there is a problem.

"Where should we look for animals?"

"Regarding this... does anyone here own a cat?"

Totsuka shook her head to indicate no, and she looked so cute. I think this adorable little animal is enough; it's incredibly effective!

"We have a dog at home, is that not allowed?"

Yuihama held up her index and pinky fingers, touching the other three fingers together. Hey, isn't that shape supposed to be a fox?

"A cat would be ideal."

"I don't know the difference between cats and dogs... Is there any academic reason?"

"No... anyway, we can't use dogs."

Yukinoshita suddenly looked away.

"...I think it's just because you're afraid of dogs, right?"

"I never said anything like that, please don't jump to conclusions."

Yukinoshita's expression turned displeased, but she was immediately pressed by Yuihama for answers:

"You're lying~ Yukino, you hate dogs? Why? There's no other animal cuter than a puppy!"

"...That's because you like dogs."

When Yukinoshita said those words, her voice sounded rather low. What happened? Did the dog cause her any trauma? Was she bitten by a dog? Oh well, if she really hates dogs, then so be it. Anyway, I'm already quite satisfied to know one of Yukinoshita's weaknesses.

"I have a cat at home, so it should be okay, right?"

"Can."

After getting Yukinoshita's permission, I immediately called Komachi. A strange ringtone came through the receiver—what kind of ringtone was that? Why was her phone playing music?

"Hello~ It's Komachi~"

"Ah, Komachi, are you home now?"

"Yes, I'm home. What's up?"

"Your cat should be here, right? Could you please bring it to school?"

"Huh? Why is Xiaoxue so heavy? No way!"

Our cat is round and chubby like a snow house, but the four syllables are too troublesome to pronounce (Note 29: The original word for "snow house" is "kamakura," which is a traditional custom in Akita, Niigata, and other areas of Japan, where an altar is set up in a cave made of snow to worship the water god.), so it was gradually shortened to the name we have now.

"Yukinoshita said she wanted to bring it."

"Komachi will be there right away."

As soon as Komachi finished speaking, the dial tone of the call being disconnected rang out... Huh? Why does her attitude change so much as soon as I mention Yukinoshita's name? She always makes excuses for ages when I ask her for help!

I put the phone away, feeling quite uneasy. Zongwu High School is quite well-known in this area; she shouldn't be lost, right?

"She said she'll be right there, should we wait outside?"

After I told Yukinoshita this, everyone went to the school gate to wait. Twenty minutes later, Komachi appeared before us, carrying a pet carrier in one hand, looking very energetic.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you to come all this way."

"Oh, no, no~ It was Yukino-neechan's request~"

Komachi said with a smile, while opening the box from above to show everyone.

Xiaoxue sat brazenly in the cage, glaring at me with an arrogant look, as if to say, "Hey, what are you looking at?" This cat is really not cute at all.

"Wow, so cute!"

Totsuka stroked Yuki, but Yuki struggled and protested, "Hey, stop it! Stop! Don't touch my belly! Don't touch me~~", but she could only let him do as he pleased.

"So, what do we do now?"

I took Yuki from Totsuka and lifted her by the scruff of her neck. Please note that this is the wrong way to do it; the correct action is to pick her up with your hands.

"Put it in a cardboard box and then place it in front of Kawasaki. If she's interested, she'll take the cat home."

"She's not like those old delinquent leaders anymore..."

You actually think that bad people would take stray cats home and raise them... Were you born during the second baby boom (Note 30 refers to those born in the first half of the 1970s)?

However, since we are not familiar with Kawasaki, and we want to help her with animal therapy, we can only use this indirect method.

"Then, I'll go find a cardboard box."