My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 472

That has certainly been the case all along.

They stayed together, looking at similar things, and spending the same amount of time together.

However, they probably won't come to the same conclusion. I'm certain that only that answer will remain unchanged.

To avoid revealing the answer, we changed the subject.

Ordinary weather, cloyingly sweet coffee, or insignificant memories.

"I heard it was snowing the day I was born, so my name is Yukino... Pretty random, right?"

Time passed quietly, and Yukinoshita suddenly spoke. Yuihama responded with a gentle voice and a slightly self-deprecating smile.

"...However, I think this name sounds very nice and is very pretty."

Yuihama didn't seek anyone's approval, and I nodded naturally.

"...Yes, it's a good name."

The words that slipped out surprised Yui Hama, who blinked several times in astonishment, and Yukinoshita was also dumbfounded. Their reactions made me feel embarrassed, and I quickly looked away.

To cover up the awkward silence, I brought the coffee to my lips and took a small sip.

In fact, I do think this name is very good, and it would be strange to retract the preface, so there's nothing else I can do.

The name "Yukino" suits her very well.

Beautiful, dreamlike, yet tinged with a touch of loneliness. Incredibly, I don't associate it with cold or chilly.

"……Thanks."

The murmur beneath the snow drew my gaze back. Her hands, resting on her skirt, were clenched into fists, and her head was bowed low. Her smooth, black hair, like a curtain, obscured her expression. However, I could still glimpse through the gaps that her cheeks were flushed a faint pink. Yuihama probably noticed as well, a slight smile playing on her lips as she let out a soft breath.

Yukinoshita heard her soft laughter, coughed a few times, then raised her head and straightened her posture.

"It seems like it was named by my mother. Although I only heard that from my older sister..."

At first, her tone was calm, but eventually her voice became so soft it disappeared into the air, and her gaze, which had been raised, fell back down. A bitter smile tinged her expression, casting a shadow of gloom.

Yuihama and I were both speechless for a moment.

Should we just find some random topic to continue the conversation? Even jokes that are obviously just for show are fine, like the origin of my name "Hachiman," which is even more casual. My parents struggled with Komachi's name for so long, but I figured it out in a second.

Or you could hand it over to Yuihama and continue the conversation along her lines.

However, both Yuihama and I chose to remain silent.

Respond with breath, not words.

Yukinoshita with her mother, and Haruno.

We don't know much about their relationship—no, to put it another way, I don't know anything about Yuihama's family situation either, and they don't know anything about my family situation either.

Therefore, what I don't understand is something more fundamental.

I don't understand her, I don't understand them. Because I don't understand, I don't know how to respond.

This is like having a bunch of absolutions if you know nothing.

Since I don't know the other person, it's understandable that I might say something I shouldn't; since I don't know the other person, misunderstandings are inevitable; since I don't know the other person, indifference is perfectly reasonable. If I feel things are about to get complicated, I can simply pretend I don't know anything. Besides, I genuinely don't know anyone.

But our "understanding" of each other has reached a point where it can no longer be ignored or feigned ignorance. To continue pretending to be stupid at this point would be utterly shameless.

In the end, I still don't know the most appropriate way to handle our current relationship. Superficially agreeing with their opinions, expressing empathy when appropriate, and offering suggestions that aren't too presumptuous, along with a similar personal example—so far, I think I've done that. That's probably the standard answer. A perfectly natural form of communication that everyone understands.

However, it is precisely because we wanted to eliminate this falsehood that we have become what we are today.

I instinctively gripped the coffee can tightly, but the metal can remained completely still; only my fingertips trembled, and a faint sound of water came from inside.

The three of them were so quiet that even the faintest sound of water could be heard.

I downed my coffee and gently shook the can a few times to check the remaining amount. I made up my mind that I would have a proper talk with them after I finished my coffee.

Once I've made a decision, I have to do it. That's always been my principle. Even if I'm affected, implicated, or forced, in the end, I still have to make my own judgment.

That's just my personality; it's not the kind of decisiveness that's praiseworthy or something to be proud of. A lone wolf is basically someone who works alone and has to handle everything on their own. You could call such a person a "tool," but I'm not omnipotent. Basically, I'm not good at anything. If I had to name a specialty, it would probably be skillfully comforting myself, convincing myself, and then giving up.

But at this moment, such jokes can't fool myself.

Let me be frank.

Actually, I think I've been avoiding thinking about the future.

The word "escape" might not be quite accurate. The closest word would be "avoidance."

You could call it rejection.

No matter what, it's definitely not about running away.

Because, in fact, I find it disgusting.

In the end, what I seek is not any answer, solution, or conclusion, but "elimination." I have been waiting for the issues, problems, and difficulties before me to vanish before they are clear, leaving behind an ambiguous ending.

I selfishly believe that I unconsciously hoped this would all just end there. While it's presumptuous of me to speculate on their feelings, my guess is probably pretty accurate.

Because we spent together this time, a time that was like a fleeting moment of slumber—or perhaps a slow, agonizing torture that drove us step by step to the brink of despair—a time mixed with both fortune and misfortune.

However, I know that this is impossible.

Yui Yuigahama has already raised a question.

Yukino Yukinoshita's words also imply a reply.

So, what about Hachiman Hikigaya?

In the past, I would probably have laughed at this mediocre situation; in the future, I would probably not accept a conclusion that doesn't even qualify as an answer; right now, I know nothing about what is right, and only feel that I am still on the wrong path.

In that case, what I should do is try my best to correct this mistake. So, now I must start the conversation.

I drank the last sip of my now completely cold coffee and prepared to speak.

At first, I only let out a sigh, then a hesitant sound as I carefully chose my words. Finally, I managed to utter a coherent sentence.

"...Yukinoshita, may I hear about you?"

Even I think, "Who could understand such a question?"

I don't even quite understand what I want to hear.

But for them, that seemed enough. This statement was more than just a leaf; it lacked clarity down to the smallest detail, even the trunk and roots. However, perhaps it could still become a seed. Because, at least it contained the meaning that I wanted to talk to her and move this stagnant relationship forward.

Yui took a soft breath and gazed at me. Her eyes seemed to confirm my resolve.

Under the snow, he tensed up and looked down at the ground.

"...Can I tell you about it?"

Her soft voice betrayed a hint of hesitation, and her gaze, observing my and Yui's expressions, was timid and uneasy. What followed her words was only a wavering, uncertain air.

A question beneath the snow—no, I'm not sure if it's even a question. I don't think that statement was directed at me.

I responded to her whispered confirmation with a look and a nod. Yukinoshita lowered her brows in distress and remained silent.

She's probably choosing her words, just like me.

Yuihama leaned closer and sat down next to Yukinoshita, stroking her hand as if to offer support from behind.

"I... I've been thinking, is it better to keep waiting? Even though it's only a tiny bit each time, you've still shared a lot of your stories with us."

Yui rested her head on Yukinoshita's shoulder. I couldn't know what emotions were in her closed eyes. At least that puppy-dog-like gesture was enough to bring warmth. Yukinoshita relaxed, like a slowly melting block of ice. Her tightly clenched fists gradually loosened, and she tentatively squeezed Yui's fist in return.

Yukinoshita took Yuihama's hand, as if to confirm each other's body temperature, and slowly spoke:

"Yuihama-san. Didn't you ask me what I wanted to do before? But... I don't quite understand."

Her voice sounded a little dazed, like a lost child. We, listening silently, probably shared the same expression. Because we ourselves were children who didn't know where to go.

Yuihama lowered her gaze sadly.

Yukino probably didn't want to worry her, or perhaps she wanted to encourage her, which is why she showed a calm smile and tried to appear energetic.

"But there were things I wanted to do before—things I used to want to do."

"...Something I've ever wanted to do?"

Yuihama looked puzzled and repeated what she had heard. Yukinoshita nodded slightly, looking pleased with herself.

"My father's job."

"Ah... but that's—"

Her words brought it up. I'd heard before that Yukinoshita's father was a prefectural assemblyman and also ran a construction company. Haruno had mentioned it to me too. As I dredged up this vague memory, Yukinoshita interrupted me, continuing:

"Yes. But there's an older sister... and I'm not the one making the decisions. It's always been Mother who makes the decisions."

Yukino's tone turned cold, her gaze fixed on the distance as if she were glaring at someone. So, we chose not to interrupt.

When people reminisce, they always seem to look into the distance. Looking up at the sky beneath the snow, I followed suit and looked up as well.

Driven by the wind and illuminated by the moonlight, the cotton candy-like clouds drifted and changed into various shapes.

The snow clouds have moved away, and stars are beginning to appear in the sky. There shouldn't be any more worries about the weather tonight.

The light of stars comes from the distant past, tens of light-years away. We have no way of knowing whether that light truly exists in the present. Perhaps that's why it appears so beautiful. Things we can't have and things we've lost always seem especially beautiful.

Knowing this, I cannot reach out and touch it. Touching it would cause it to fade and decay. Besides, I am well aware that something so precious is not something someone of my level can touch.

Yukinoshita, who expresses her wishes in the past tense, and Yuihama, who listens to her story, probably both understand this.

"From the very beginning, everything was decided by my mother. She controlled my older sister but let me do as I pleased. So, I've always been chasing after my sister. I don't know how I should act..."

Her soft voice carried a hint of homesickness and regret, while her eyes held a hidden loneliness and resentment.

"...Even now, I still don't know anything...Just as my sister said."

Yukinoshita spoke softly, her gaze drifting from the distance to her feet. She stared at her neatly aligned toes, as if confirming that she hadn't moved an inch.

Upon hearing this, we were speechless.

Yukinoshita probably sensed the heavy silence as well. She quickly looked up, using a shy smile to cover up the awkward atmosphere.

"This is the first time I've told anyone these things."

I was slightly relieved by her smile, and after exhaling a breath from my dry lips, I replied:

"You haven't mentioned it to anyone?"

"I must have expressed this to my father and mother in a tactful way..."

That was probably a long time ago, Yukinoshita thought to herself. In the end, she gently shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

"But I don't remember them ever taking it seriously. They always told me not to worry about these things... probably because they decided to let my older sister inherit it."

"What about Haruno-neechan?"

"...I probably didn't tell her."

Yukinoshita gently stroked her chin, tilted her head to think, and then smiled wryly.

"Because of her personality."

"Ah, I understand..."

Whether it's the evaluation from her younger sister Yukinoshita or the fragmented impressions she hears from her childhood friend Hayama, Yukinoshita Haruno is not someone you can discuss topics like the future, love, dreams, and hopes with.

If the other person is a complete stranger, she might outwardly appear to sincerely accept the advice, offering sound advice applicable to universal values ​​without forcing the other person too much, or subtly agreeing and expressing empathy to give the other person a sense of immediate satisfaction and improve their mood. For that person, this little matter is utterly effortless.

However, if the target were family, her reaction would be completely different. Mocking, teasing, and sarcastic remarks would be the bare minimum; even if the problem were resolved, she would bring it up again and again, using it as a joke, a toy for life. That's what Hayama Hayato said before.

Both of them, based on their own experience, understand this very well. Perhaps that's why Yukinoshita never talked to Haruno about it.

Okay, I won't proactively discuss my aspirations and future with my family either. I don't know whether to call it fortunate or unfortunate, but until now, I've never faced a major decision beyond my capabilities.

But because of this, I do lack personal experience with family issues. If we had our own businesses, we might be able to relate, but unfortunately, we are just a traditional dual-income family, so we are not involved in this kind of thing.

Yuihama probably felt the same way, and lowered her head sullenly.

Unaffected by our reaction, Yukino sighed softly.

"However, maybe it's the right thing to do to discuss it with her. Even if the wish doesn't come true... I guess I'm afraid of getting a definite answer, which is why I haven't checked."

Her tone carried a sense of nostalgia for the past; perhaps regret would be a more accurate description. Whatever the reason, the past can never be undone.

Nevertheless, her eyes remained fixed on the distance ahead.

Ahead of me are Yui and Hama.

"So, I need to start confirming things here... This time, I'm going to make my own decision. Not based on what others say, but after thinking it through myself, accepting the facts... and then giving up."