My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 450

The wind blew fiercely against the window frame, making a creaking sound, and it was a bit muffled. But another gust of wind quietly blew in from somewhere in the corridor, crawling around my feet.

"It wouldn't be good to keep her waiting too long..."

Yuihama uneasily confided, quickening her pace to try and make me go faster. Naturally, since she was now holding my arm, I had no choice but to keep up with her. It was so late; whether Yukinoshita was still at the infirmary was debatable.

If Yuihama were in the infirmary, she would probably wait for us to come find her, just like Hachiko, before leaving. I don't know about Yukinoshita. The school's heating has been off for a long time, so if we really wanted to wait for her, she would probably be like a cat, sunbathing in the corridor.

I walked to the door of the infirmary and knocked.

"Please come in."

A familiar voice came from inside.

This was completely different from what I expected; she was still waiting on the other side of the door. Pushing it open, I saw Yukino sitting by the window.

Sitting in a chair, still in her workout clothes, she asked with some doubt:

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"Um"

Then, tilting her head, she saw there were more people behind her and tried to see them clearly. Suddenly, she pulled her hand back.

"Yah hello, Little Snow!"

"Yuhihama-san..."

There seemed to be a hint of surprise in her voice. Looking closer, she was even somewhat stunned. Both Yui and I were reflected in her clear pupils. When she saw it was the two of us, Yukino sighed almost inaudibly.

"Sorry I'm late..."

Yuihama apologized as she went inside. Yukinoshita's expression, however, was somewhat inscrutable.

Yui sat down opposite her, and Yukinoshita seemed to wake up immediately, shaking her head slightly and smiling.

"I am okay."

The sound was as clear and smooth as usual.

While listening to their conversation, I looked for where I should put the first-aid kit. Following the wall, I saw an empty recess not far away. That should be it.

I opened the door, stood on tiptoe, gently stretched my back, and pushed the first-aid kit inside. Once again, a sharp pain flowed down my wound.

"what……"

She let out a soft cry of pain without realizing it. Yukinoshita looked over, somewhat puzzled.

"Injured?"

Squinting, Yukinoshita glanced at my legs with a hint of pity.

"Hmm, just a little bit."

It's not cool to talk about how you got hurt; it's like you have to recount your entire experience of domestic violence when you seek help.

If you were the victim, you'd probably cry out, "Ah... my leg... it's all so-and-so's fault..."

It would be bad if she thought I was a victim of domestic violence.

So he gave a vague reply and closed the medicine cabinet door behind him.

Turning my head, Yukino looked at my swollen leg with some concern:

Has it been dealt with?

"That's right..."

She stared intently at the rough bow on my leg, and just as she was about to offer an explanation, Yui smiled sheepishly:

"Hmm...we still need to repackage it...I'm really not good at this kind of thing..."

Touching her own bun-shaped hair, she spoke with a hint of insecurity. To this, Yukino smiled slightly, shook her head, and spoke gently:

"No... this is enough."

"Wait a minute? Shouldn't the injured person decide?"

How can someone arbitrarily determine someone's injury just by glancing at them? It's like a patient next door coming to the doctor and saying they have a cold, but the doctor says, "Your symptoms aren't important. I don't think you have a cold, and you don't need any medicine." Wait a minute, a cold isn't even considered an illness!

Although the injury isn't serious, it shouldn't hurt as long as I don't engage in strenuous exercise. So I need to sit down slowly... very slowly...

I pulled up a nearby chair and slowly sat down. Yukinoshita seemed to have been waiting for me to sit down, and slowly began to speak:

"Looks like you've tried your best to catch up with Hayama... How was it?"

"more or less."

Hayama's victory, and his unexpected remarks at the awards ceremony. With that, the rumors should have mostly died down.

However, such a simple explanation wasn't enough to clarify things, so Hihama occasionally added exaggerated gestures and muttered to herself. Yukinoshita nodded from time to time. After I finished explaining, I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I concluded:

"Although it's not an immediate solution, I think this approach is quite good."

Unable to think of a better way to express it, I spoke ambiguously.

Yukinoshita held her lips with her hand, thought for a moment, and then slowly lowered her hand.

"That's good enough. Thank you."

"Don't thank me, thank Ye Shan. I'm basically useless, I feel..."

"That's true... but thank you anyway."

She smiled faintly.

I'll accept your thanks gracefully, rather than being overly deferential.

It's not that I'm being deliberately modest; in reality, I didn't do anything... I just had a superficial chat, and then, literally, tripped up myself. It seems I really didn't contribute anything...

All the real contributions were probably made by Hayama himself and Yui, especially Yui. It's still unknown what impression her behavior will leave on others... But at least the rumors about Yui and Hayama dating will dissipate accordingly.

But is it really the right thing to replace old rumors with new ones...?

My gaze drifted uneasily, probably because I was thinking about this, and my eyes unconsciously looked towards Yui. She was touching her bun hair while glancing elsewhere. For a brief moment, I saw her clear eyes look this way. The unintentional eye contact reminded me of the way I had just walked—and thinking of this made me even more uneasy.

The fan spun slowly, and the humidifier hummed softly. An unexpected sigh broke the silence—

"Will this method really work... Yuihama-san?"

Yukinoshita looked at her with some concern. Meeting her gaze, Yuihama clasped her hands tightly and leaned forward.

"No, it's okay! I don't care that much about what others say..."

"Not that much about it... or is it still a little bit?"

"No way! I don't care at all!"

Seeing the slightly uneasy expression on Yukinoshita's face, Yui waved her hand and hurriedly explained, her voice tinged with panic. Then, she paused briefly, calmed herself, and placed her hands on her knees:

"Hmm... at least I've thought it through... including... it should be fine, right?"

Her gaze met Yukino's without flinching, and even though she spoke haltingly and her words were somewhat disjointed, her tone was so direct. But it was precisely because of this that her words were so genuine and unpretentious.

The sun outside the window was setting, and the pure white infirmary slowly turned red. Yukinoshita looked shyly at Yuihama, who was bathed in the afterglow and wore a somewhat serious expression.

"If that's the case... that's really great."

Then, a smile, more exquisite than we could have imagined, blossomed upon her, as beautiful as a glass artwork.

Yet, despite its undeniable beauty, I inexplicably felt a heartbreaking pain.

Upon seeing that smile, Yui and I almost stopped breathing.

"It's time to get going."

Silently, she stood up. Yui nodded, then suddenly clapped her hands and said:

"Ah, if everyone's here..."

He cleared his throat and said earnestly.

"Didn't I have to report to Yumiko about that today? But Yumiko is going straight to the celebration party later, what should I do?"

In contrast to Yuihama's anxious speech, Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand and mumbled something under her breath.

"...Then I'll just have to talk to Miura on the way back."

"Yes."

"Shouldn't we say we're going to the celebration together?"

Hearing Yui's call, Yukinoshita and I exchanged a glance. We'd gotten used to this routine by now. We nodded almost simultaneously.

"Well, if you can go, then go."

"Well, we'll see how things go."

"Is this a pattern of ultimately not going?"

"Ha—" Yuihama sighed as if she were exhausted, and then continued.

"Well, it's better than before..."

After saying that, Yuihama moved her wheelchair and took the spot next to Yukinoshita.

"Let's go together then...everyone, together."

She repeated it softly, then quietly leaned against the snow.

"...It's so hot."

Perhaps because she was directly under the air conditioner, Yukino frowned slightly. But she didn't forcefully push her away, remaining in that position. Yuihama also seemed determined not to change her posture, displaying a comfortable and happy expression under the air conditioner.

Anyway, our school nurse will probably kick them all out when she comes back...

Well, until then, I'll stay in this warm room too.

○ Nevertheless, Hachiman Hikigaya refused.

As darkness fell completely, the temperature dropped further, and the wind grew stronger. We set off from school, slowly walking along the path outside the park towards the station. Trees swaying in the north wind occasionally shed withered branches and leaves.

I wrapped the cuffs of my coat tightly and then completely covered the lower half of my face with a scarf. Walking ahead of me were Yukinoshita, Yuihama, and Miura. To report the results of the investigation commissioned by Miura, we had suspended our after-school Service Club activities today and were walking with her on the way to the celebration party.

Along the way, we talked to each other—or rather, only Yui Hama recounted the whole story. After a pause, Miura nodded deeply, his scarf covering his face.

"That's good..."

The colorful checkered scarf on Miura fluttered in the wind along with her proud long, golden curls.

Yuihama ruffled her bun hair without much confidence:

"Hmm. That should be the feeling."

Even after hearing such an ambiguous explanation, Miura didn't pay any attention. He simply shuffled his flat shoes on the ground as if kicking his leg, then stared blankly up at the sky.

"After all, it's Hayama. In that case, it's not unexpected."

Miura stopped in her tracks, and as if to stretch, she tiptoed, crossing her arms behind her back. I couldn't see her expression from behind, but I imagined her eyes to be as clear and cloudless as a winter's day.

"It must be tough being with that person."

"Hey, Little Enterprise!"

Yui poked me reproachfully with her elbow, and Miura, still standing, turned his head and glared at me.

"Huh? Do you need to tell me, you idiot?"

"Ugh... Miura Tan, how scary..." She stared at me for a moment, then withdrew her sharp gaze and continued walking. Then, as if to argue with me, she muttered softly:

"Like this... how should I put it, troublesome things are also included."

She turned around lightly, the hem of her coat and her bright blonde hair dancing in the air as she turned.

"As expected, this is the best way."

Following the momentum of his turn, Miura bent down and chuckled shyly.

Seeing such a smiling face and hearing such words, I can only admire them. It turns out there are such simple expressions, almost arbitrary yet so concise and pure; it is precisely because of this that this aspiration is so pure.

I stared blankly at Miura's smiling face. When she noticed my gaze, she immediately stopped smiling, looked unhappy, and quickly walked out.

"Oh, I see... that's fine. It should have been simpler anyway..."

Hearing this soft muttering to myself, I turned my head and saw Yui's hand tightly gripping the chest of her coat. Yukinoshita, standing beside me, stared at Miura in astonishment, a slight look of surprise on her face.

However, this is not surprising. During the school trip, Miura accurately grasped Hayama's intentions and Ebina's thoughts. In that case, perhaps even such unstable feelings have enough potential to reach the real thing... Besides, Miura-kun has a typical motherly nature!

Noticing that we were still standing there, Miura came back.