My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 449

...Hopefully, she can't hear me.

Suddenly, the wind howled, relentlessly pouring into my collar and cuffs, and my whole body involuntarily froze.

"so cold……"

A low complaint slipped out of his mouth, and Yuihama, upon hearing it, strongly agreed:

"Yes... Ah! The wind is so cold..."

Yuihama's body trembled slightly, then she raised her head and took a small half-step towards the driveway. It looked as if she was hiding behind me, her arm getting a little closer to mine.

"That's all I'm saying, but what's the point of using me as a shield against the wind?"

"But it's so cold..."

She muttered something under her breath, then looked up at me like a stray dog ​​abandoned outside a supermarket. Who could resist such a pitiful act...? Aside from a reluctant groan, I had no choice but to succumb to her whim.

"After all, it's very cold."

"Yeah, it's cold."

Yui gave me a somewhat serious look, then suddenly laughed.

In fact, it's really cold today.

The temperature today is no different from yesterday.

However, the weather was much colder than I had imagined.

That's probably because I can only truly feel its chill after I've experienced its warmth.

...Well, because the weather is quite cold.

Relying on this for warmth is probably a last resort.

Act Two

The way back isn't actually that long; it only takes a few minutes to walk there.

But today, it just feels so long.

Maybe I'm tired from running the marathon? Or maybe I'm injured and can't walk fast.

Although the wound had been treated simply, it still hurt a bit. In order to prevent the wound from getting worse, I could only walk slowly, dragging my feet.

In any case, we were moving very slowly.

However, it's not just for these reasons—

The biggest reason is probably because I'm not used to having someone hold my arm.

The person holding my hand was probably the same; Yuihama walked with me somewhat timidly.

Occasionally a few students would hurry by, and sometimes they would glance in this direction.

That's normal, generally speaking, no one notices me. This is especially true when I'm out for a walk; nobody seems interested in me.

Look, aren't there many people walking alone on the city streets? There are so many that no one finds it strange to walk alone.

There are many lone travelers; this is just one aspect of what people see in daily life. Even if we come into their field of vision, as long as their attention isn't initially focused on us, they have no reason to notice us.

However, once they arrive at school and put on their uniforms—

That's a completely different matter.

Middle school or high school students are like sheep:

We went to school together, did activities together, and ate together.

If you are alone in the classroom or participate in school activities by yourself, you will be seen as an outsider.

They are naturally solitary.

Stereotypes or prejudice,

Being different from others is a sin, and being a loner is an unavoidable label.

Just like antelopes on the grasslands, if one of them breaks away from the group, our first reaction is: "What if it gets eaten?"

Social animals are bound to be like this.

If you don't know that antelopes live in groups, you might at most think, "Oh, it's an antelope."

By the way, you can distinguish antelopes by their rear ends. Hmm, that's a little-known fact.

In short, it means that if we see something that doesn't go against our nature, we'll immediately feel uncomfortable.

For example, in the current situation, Yui and I are walking very close to each other, side by side, which is quite illogical.

Especially Yuihama.

Her light brown hair was dyed peach at the ends, and her delicate features radiated an innocent smile. Her cheerful personality, friendly smile, and figure that would make any girl envious—plus her circle of friends in high society, where she often hung out with Hayama and Miura—all contributed to her immense popularity at school.

Hmm? Who is this unremarkable stranger next to her?

So they looked over with a puzzled expression.

Given the Hayama incident and the rumors surrounding Miura, it's inevitable that people will have various impressions of her, both good and bad.

Even so, she still chose to stay with me.

That way, no one will believe the rumors about Hayama and Yuihama.

Miura's request has been fulfilled, and my goal has been achieved.

The rumors surrounding Hayama will probably dissipate soon.

But, not yet.

It might cause other problems, right? Me walking with Yuihama... it's like when I met Sagami at the fireworks festival last time.

Well, I should be fine... That was a special event after all... This is just a normal incident, and besides, I'm injured...

It won't cause her any trouble, will it...? Hmm...probably? Never mind, I don't know.

Dragging my feet like a zombie, my mind raced. Do my eyes look particularly rotten right now? Regretful cries, frustrated groans, panicked questions... all appear out of nowhere like street brawlers, haphazardly splashing colorful paint onto the wall with forceful impacts.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh——

My mind was a complete mess, but I still walked forward unconsciously.

Crossing the pedestrian crossing leads to the small gate, the last stretch of road leading to the school building.

The number of students I could see gradually increased, and for some reason, I felt my pace quicken. Yui looked at me with slight surprise, but still kept up with my faster pace.

Although she didn't have anything to say, she suddenly tilted her head and spoke softly:

"what--"

She paused slightly, then, as if trying to sneak into my shadow, took half a step closer. She stood on tiptoe, cupped her hands around her mouth, paused, and whispered in my ear:

"It's a little... awkward..."

With a slightly shy smile, she said these words.

Don't laugh! You're making me want to laugh too...

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat, as if a truck had hit me. I tried to come up with some frivolous rebuttal, but all I could think about was what she had just said.

It was really a bit awkward... in a way, all sorts of awkward. Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to other people's gazes?

No, it is not.

There's an even bigger reason behind it.

Will walking with me bring her bad memories...? This unease has never stopped from the very beginning.

She's much stronger than I imagined, daring to dispel rumors like that.

It's a worry that's not really based on anything, and even if I understand it, I can't convince myself with that excuse.

Whether it's excessive self-awareness or not, Hachiman Hikigaya has no friends and no one would notice him when he walks in a crowd.

I have always been alone, and I have always lived alone, without a care in the world.

How wonderful it would be if I could just ignore all these unnecessary and superfluous thoughts, and the curious glances from others.

However, I couldn't help but notice it.

Such thoughts weighed on my mind, forcing me to confront them directly.

It concerns me.

Suddenly, I felt disgusted with my own indulgence. Perhaps, if we stay together like this, it will eventually make her feel disgusted and regretful, and it will really bring some gossip to her.

But I didn't act immediately; I just numb myself, thinking that this was okay, that it wouldn't be a big deal.

Cowardly, and pathetic.

Ever since I became aware that there is an "atmosphere" between people, I have been very careful about how others see me and what they think of me.

Just like, someone.

Slightly annoyed, she turned her head and stole a glance at Yui, clearing her throat as if to say something. They were just approaching the school gate; here, two people holding hands would be far too conspicuous. Besides, they'd already helped each other all the way here—that was enough.

"Um...it should be alright now..."

"Ah."

Yui nodded slightly in reply. However, she did not loosen her grip.

Is this really... okay...?

He changed his shoes without a word, but didn't let go of the support with his other hand.

With a little force, a sharp pain flowed from outside the wound on my foot.

With one hand supporting me, Yui changed her shoes and left the doorway. We moved slowly down the corridor.

Just as we thought we were heading towards the classroom, Yuihama tugged at my sleeve:

"Ah, we have to return that."

He pointed to the first aid kit in my other hand.

"That's true... I'll go and come back quickly."

I gripped the first-aid kit tightly again and headed towards the side building. However, for some reason, Yui followed closely behind me.

"Ah, I'll go too. Xiaoxue is in the infirmary too."

"Really? Then you can just take this with you while you're at it."

There's really no need for two people to go together... Well, that's just the efficiency management mindset of a corporate slave.

"Yeah, uh, that's right... if..."

Yuihama stepped back and stood still.

A somewhat forced smile.

Very reluctantly.

"Just kidding... I also need to report today's events to Yukinoshita, let's do it together."

"All right"

She pouted and nudged my arm.

Well, it's probably like what she said—

What is borrowed must be returned.

Whether it's things, words, or ideas.

Even borrowed tenderness is the same.

One day, I will return it properly.

At least for now, relying on it for a little longer is permissible, isn't it?

Although, it may not necessarily be just an excuse.

Act III

The school building was deserted, seemingly even colder than the open space outside. Perhaps it was because many people were casually chatting and killing time by the marathon course.

We walked along the clean corridor.