My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 423

After walking for a while, Yuihama pointed to a place:

"Ah. Well then, let's start with C.one!"

C.one. That's the place with Ichiran Ramen.

Because the counter seats at Ichiran Ramen are spaced out, providing a system that allows you to focus on the flavor while eating, I'm a regular customer. By the way—the "focus on flavor" system is patented. Following this logic, shouldn't the Lone Ranger already have a "focus on life" system? Hurry! I have to get that patent quickly!

The "C" in C.one should be the "C" from CHIBA (Chiba). That is, the initial C. This is also clearly seen in the naming of our local hero, Captain C. By the way, please note that Chiba Batman is not our local hero.

At the end of our walk, in a shopping mall displaying posters for the first time in the new year, shops lined up one after another. Utilizing the space beneath the elevated highway, this shopping street stretched along a long, straight avenue. Perhaps due to the New Year's clearance sales, it seemed more vibrant than usual.

The women shopping in the mall were making a lot of noise, and the sounds of their conversations filled the air. The guys couldn't fit in at all, so instead of falling behind, I stayed three steps behind, hoping they'd leave me behind and I'd be all alone.

"Little Enterprise! Look at this! Isn't it super cute!?"

"It's alright," I replied. What a load of rubbish! I can't tell at all! How many men in the world actually pick out clothes carefully when they go shopping with a woman?!

“This one is perfect for Yukino to wear in the spring…” Yui changed into one outfit after another, it was so dazzling, and a little dizzying, though… But you’re here to buy a gift for Yukino, right? You’re not here to buy things for yourself, are you?

Yuihama, holding clothes in her hand, took a few steps in front of the mirror and casually turned around.

I watched somewhat awkwardly from the sidelines, but couldn't help but sigh, "Yuigahama is truly a high school girl." I remember the last time I brought Komachi and Yukinoshita to pick out Yuigahama's birthday present, I was utterly speechless at Yukinoshita's aesthetic sense, which was completely out of touch with modern high school girl trends. Well, I'm not much better off, though.

Upon further reflection, I realize I'm actually not as good as Yukino. Although she's not good at picking out gifts, at least she puts a lot of thought into what to buy. She's probably... the kind of person who doesn't like buying gifts for others.

She can be very serious in some ways, yet unexpectedly appears quite clumsy—what kind of gift would suit Ms. Yukinoshita?

"I'll go take a look around here too."

Clumsy Yukinoshita, or simply Clumsy Yukinoshita, is quite a handful, clumsy Yukinoshita. She's someone who only likes practical things besides her hobbies. And those are practical things. She's prepared all her own books, and since she lives alone, she's probably prepared all her own living necessities and cooking utensils as well. A cutting board is practically standard equipment on her chest.

What should I do? What should I get her?

As I was wandering around, I saw a store selling Disney merchandise.

Uh, Mr. Pan... but she probably knows more about me than I do, so it won't work.

Continuing on, I came across a store selling pet-related products.

Cats…but she doesn’t own a cat…or rather, she doesn’t? One cat is enough, right? Does Yukino’s apartment building prohibit pets? Also, cat photobooks seem to be prohibited, and she looks like she has quite a few…

But it would be too much to just go to a jewelry store or something like that and buy her something...

I groaned in slight distress as I wandered around the nearby shops before returning to where I started.

Yuihama was there, holding a few pieces of clothing and looking around.

"Ah, Xiaoqi, disappearing without saying a word is really rude..."

Yuihama stared at me angrily, as if gesturing for me to come over.

"I already said that... Besides, wouldn't I look weird in a shop like this..."

"Is that strange?" Yui asked curiously.

"Um...it's a little awkward...or something."

"Very...embarrassing?"

No, it's hard to explain this kind of thing. It's just a bit like, you know, social and psychological stuff...

"Generally speaking, when a man and a woman go to a clothing store or something..."

"What about clothing—ah," Yui Yuigahama's slightly puzzled expression turned red as she spoke.

"I wouldn't be this shy if I hadn't said anything..."

"So that's why..."

Yuihama-san's ability to sense the atmosphere is as high as ever... Even though she only says a few words, she can get the whole meaning from them.

That would be even more awkward. It would have been better if we hadn't said anything, but what should we do now?

Yuihama held it in for a long time, then clenched her small fist:

"I should have called Komachi-chan over..."

"It wasn't as smooth as you imagined..."

Komachi will probably come first and then run away halfway through; that's what happened last time she went out with Yukino. Ah, what is my little sister—

"Oh right, Komachi-chan should focus on preparing for her exams."

Yuihama clapped her hands in sudden realization.

It's not what you think...

She raised her head and said with great spirit:

"I will try my best, keep going!"

"Wait a minute—what are you trying to do?"

Yui didn't respond to me, but nodded to herself. After a moment, she picked up the clothes lying beside her and gave me an inquiring look.

"This is a bit of a headache... Little Qi, can you come and help?"

"Helping you is my pleasure, but don't expect me to be of any use."

"Um, thanks... Wait, what do you mean 'useless'? That's terrifying..."

"Let me try."

As she spoke, Yui walked towards the full-length mirror at the back of the store. I followed behind her.

"I think sweaters and cardigans can be worn over shirts, and they can be worn to school too..."

As Yuihama spoke, she took off her coat, and then took off the knitwear she was wearing underneath.

I immediately looked away because I felt I shouldn't look. Go to the fitting room... Do you think you don't need to care just because you're wearing a shirt underneath? I do care, please don't do that.

Even though music was playing in the store, the sound of clothes rubbing together was surprisingly loud. Even though I didn't want to listen, Yui's breathing reached my ears.

"Okay... How was it?"

I finally turned around when I heard her voice.

She was wearing a thick, warm-looking, ribbed cardigan.

"Even if you ask me what I think... well, I think it's pretty good..."

It's not a question of good or bad; it's that it suits her very well.

But if there's a problem, it's that this sweater wasn't bought for Yuigahama herself, but as a gift for Yukinoshita. If Yukinoshita wore that cardigan, it would probably look baggy... well, I didn't say which part.

"However, aren't you considering the size under the snow...?"

Choosing clothes is basically about whether they fit. You have to be careful about the silhouette, etc., but I'm just learning these things from Komachi's advice. Incidentally, my outfit today also received Komachi's fashion critique. All the clothes I chose received harsh criticism: "I'm stepping on you!" Ugh, isn't that just like P-zi? Wait, should it be Asagi? Oh well, either way is fine.

"size……"

Yuihama repeated the word while pinching around her stomach.

"Is it big...?"

As she spoke, a look of despair crossed her face. She moved her hand from her stomach to her upper arm, her expression growing even more somber. "It's okay! It's not big! Although it's big, it's not big! Or rather, it's not small at all!"

"No, well, it's fine. Rather, it's just right, or rather..."

I wasn't trying to take sides, but I tried to brush it off. However, probably because of my suspicious behavior, Yui looked at me suspiciously. Ah—really! What should I say now?!

"It suits you very well... I think it's good too."

He finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"...Hehehe...Thanks."

Yui finally smiled, took off her cardigan, and began happily folding it. I couldn't look her in the eye, so I turned away somewhat awkwardly, when suddenly it occurred to me.

"But Yukino is usually very disciplined about school rules, so she probably wouldn't dress like that at school."

Although it's all just a formality, our school does have rules. Of course, there are regulations regarding clothing, and the school even specifies the styles for sweaters and cardigans. That said, since not many students follow the rules, it doesn't need to be taken too seriously. However, a number of conscientious students, including Yukinoshita, do diligently abide by the school rules.

"Really? Yes. In that case..."

Yuihama thought for a moment, tucked her cardigan under her arm, and then walked toward the shelf that had gathered small items such as scarves and gloves.

She looked around the shelf for a moment, then let out a soft "Ah."

"So cute! It looks like it would be fun to play with Sabre using this."

As she spoke, she picked up a glove that resembled a cat's paw. Then she picked up a glove that resembled a dog's face.

The gloves, designed to mimic cat paws, were made to look exactly like cat paws. On the other hand, the dog-face gloves had a dog's face on the back of the hand, with ears glued on as well, and a jaw on the thumb side. Yui put on the gloves and began moving her hands dramatically.

"It doesn't feel very convenient to move around in..."

"That's how mittens are."

Yuihama thought for a moment with an "hmm," then looked up as if she had thought of something and suddenly opened her clenched hands.

"Hey, I'll bite!"

Then, the gloved puppy bit my hand.

"...Just kidding."

Yuihama said, blushing, as if trying to brush it off. "If you're shy, please don't do that." "I'm shy too." I gently pulled my hand out of my glove and fanned myself lightly with that hand. "This shop's heating is so strong!"

"It doesn't really matter, but she probably wouldn't wear this kind of pattern in public."

"...That's probably true."

Yui nodded in agreement. To be honest, judging from Yukinoshita's usual attire, she probably wouldn't own clothes that were so revealingly cute. Even if she were given them, she probably wouldn't wear them... No, it's hard to say. If it were a gift from Yui, she might surprisingly appear calm on the surface, but inwardly be secretly delighted as she put on the gloves.

"We need to find something else..."

Yuihama shook the cat paw mittens, pondering as she continued searching for a gift.

"Ah, this might be pretty good."

As she spoke, she pulled a pair of socks that looked like cat paws from the shelf.

"Socks. These look like they'd be hard to wear inside shoes."

"These are indoor socks! No matter what, this design isn't meant for wearing outside."

According to this theory, those gloves should definitely not be worn outside either... Well, but to be honest, the soles of these socks have rubber that mimics pink paw pads, which seems to prevent slipping.

"Since it's something I wear at home, I don't have to worry about what other people think... How about that?"

"Yes, she'll be very happy."

I guess Yukino would be happy with anything sent by Hima, no matter what it is. Who sent it is more important than what the gift itself is. Just like who said something is more important than what it says.

"Okay, that's it."

Yuihama rustled as she gathered her belongings and headed towards the cashier. This included the cardigan and two pairs of gloves she'd just received. "You're even giving away cat paw gloves...?"

Speaking of which, cat paws and cat feet...

Do they sell cat tails here as well?

Act Two

Alright, I need to start looking properly now. After all, the shop I just visited didn't sell cat tails.

So here we are—Sensity.SOGO Chiba Store. You can tell from the name that they're very sensitive to trends. This isn't just "sensity," it's "sensitive"!

I usually go to the men's clothing section, but today I came to buy a gift for Yukino, so I naturally headed to the floor that sells women's items.

That being said, I am not familiar with women's things, so I let Yui lead the way.

Needless to say, the store chosen by Yuihama has everything from clothes to all sorts of other small items.

"It wouldn't be bad to look at all sorts of things, would it? Gloves, jewelry, scarves... and other miscellaneous items..."

After hearing that, I started looking for various items in the store.

Because Yuihama was recommending this and that to me, I haven't been notified by the staff yet, nor have I seen any security guards patrolling. If I had come in alone, I would definitely have been asked "What are you looking for?" by the staff, and I would have felt the constant scrutiny from behind the cashier. This comes from my previous experience standing here. I understand that it's rare to see a lone male customer, but if you could lower your level of vigilance even slightly, it would be a huge help...

As I moved between shelves, mindful of the shop assistants' gaze, Yui stopped. The sign on the shelf read "Eyewear".

—What's with "Eyewear"? Just write "eyeglasses" as "eyeglasses." Using English for everything, are you some kind of highly educated intellectual? Just write "clothes hanger" instead of "hanger." Calling meat sauce "Bolognese" and spaghetti "Pasta" is just too much. No, meat sauce and pasta are English words. What would you say in Japanese...?

Just as I was feeling annoyed, Yuihama tapped my shoulder with a "thump".

"Wow, doesn't he look very clever?"