My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 531

The classroom was heated, so the door was closed. I opened the door and then closed it behind me.

The moment your finger leaves the doorknob.

The cold touch startled me.

It felt like there were thorns stuck to my fingertips, the coldness lingering there. I put my hands in my coat pockets, leaned against the wall, and tried to forget the sensation.

The corridor windows were also tightly closed, and with the heat leaking from the classrooms, it was warmer than I had imagined.

Only the fingertips are different.

The fingertips that finally touched that door are still cold to this day.

× × ×

The crisp sound of metal bats striking the ball, the shouts of passing and receiving the ball, and the timbre of brass instruments.

The sounds after school gradually faded into the distance, but at the same time became clearer.

When we left school, the rush hour had passed, and there were fewer students on the streets. The paths winding through the residential area and the parks along the roads were deserted, with only the rustling of leaves in the cold pre-dark wind.

I walked along the sparsely populated road, keeping pace with Yuihama's steps, at a slower speed than usual.

"Sorry, I'll have to ask you to make time for me again."

"It's okay."

Yuihama, walking beside me, shook her head lightly in a cheerful tone. I nodded in response with gratitude.

Despite the rather clumsy way of arranging the meeting, I still managed to set up the scene for my conversation with Yuihama.

Okay, where should we begin?

Explaining the situation might take some time. Perhaps it's best to find a quiet place. In noisy or crowded places, there's the worry of being overheard, making it very difficult to speak.

In that case, Saliya or a coffee shop might not be a good fit... um...

As I hesitated, Yuihama seemed to realize something and exclaimed, "Ah!"

"Oh, right, I heard from Yukino yesterday that the ball is definitely going to happen."

She suddenly spoke, and I froze, almost stopping in my tracks. But I forced myself to take a step forward and speak to fill the silence.

"Oh, oh... you've heard?"

"Yeah, she texted me on LINE that night, and we met up and chatted for a bit."

Yuihama lowered her gaze slightly, a smile still playing on her lips.

"yes……"

I couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Considering their relationship, it's not surprising that Yukinoshita told Yui about it. Besides, Yui is also concerned about whether the ball can be held smoothly, so it's natural for her to inform her.

However, this swift action reminded me of Yukino Yukinoshita in the past. To put it nicely, it was decisiveness. To put it bluntly, it was disregarding other people's thoughts and feelings, making conclusions on one's own, and rushing forward headlong.

It's something to miss.

Looking back, I'm not much different from before. I'm still indecisive, procrastinating on everything, making excuses for myself, and I can't even send a text message. It's only now that I've finally managed to make an appointment with someone.

However, thanks to her, I became more prepared.

"Can I leave for a moment?"

"……Um."

I stopped and pointed to the park. Yui frowned slightly, but she quickly nodded in agreement.

If I don't make things clear to her now, I'll probably keep putting it off.

I bought iced coffee and hot tea from a nearby vending machine and headed to the park. I parked my bicycle near a bench under a streetlamp and sat down.

Then, I glanced to the side and gestured for Yui to sit down as well. Yui gripped the strap of her backpack tightly, her expression a little stiff, but she relaxed a bit when she quickly walked over.

I thought Yuihama would sit next to me, but she put her backpack on the bench instead.

"Oh, it's been so long since I've been to the park."

Even though it was a park that could be found anywhere, Yuihama looked around curiously, her gaze lingering on a certain spot.

I looked over and saw a swing. It was an extremely common amusement park ride, nothing particularly noteworthy.

However, Yui ran over with light steps.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I tried to call out to her, but Yuihama was already clattering around on the swing chain. Frustrated before I could even speak, I had no choice but to follow her.

"Wow, what a tiny swing! I didn't know it was this small!"

Yui sighed and nervously sat down on the swing. As she slowly swung, the chains creaked and groaned.

"How terrifying! How terrifying! I haven't played this game in so long, it's so scary! It's even scarier than I imagined!"

She quickly stepped to the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. I silently handed her the bottled black tea.

"I never felt scared when I was a child. I often jumped off the swings and always scraped my knees."

Yuihama accepted the black tea, thanked him softly, and took a sip.

"Ah—I think I've had that experience before... But it's surprising that you do that too."

She hooked the chain, swayed slowly back and forth on the ground, and looked up at me. Her teasing gaze flickered for a moment towards the swing next to her.

But I did not accept her invitation to sit there; instead, I sat on the railing surrounding the swing.

I used one hand to pull open the tab on the can of coffee and moistened my throat.

"Yuihama".

I swallowed the bitter taste lingering on my tongue and continued.

Tell me your wish.

Yuihama seemed not to understand the meaning of those words, and as if she were thinking, she pursed her lips and gave a wry smile.

"what?"

"I asked the wrong question. Tell me what you want me to do, or what you want me to do."

"Huh—"

Yui placed her hands on her inner thighs, swayed her body from side to side, and began to think. A short while later, she found the answer.

"There's a lot. I hope you can be more natural when you talk to me, stop glancing at me all the time, reply to text messages faster, and get rid of your picky eating habits. Oh, right, and—"

"Okay, okay, I understand. It's my fault, I shouldn't have been born into this world, I'm sorry, okay? After you said that, I really am a terrible person. Utterly terrible..."

Yui started counting on her fingers, listing the items one by one. "She'll probably never finish," I interrupted her. "If she keeps going, I'll really get hurt," I muttered, feeling disgusted with myself. Yui tilted her head with a very serious expression.

"You're only finding out now?"

"I feel that the harm caused by what I hear is different from what others say. And there are so many of them, and they're so long, all pointing out my flaws. Any normal person would feel upset listening to that... Although I want to try my best to change."

"No need, it's absolutely impossible anyway..."

Yui sighed wearily, her shoulders slumping. Ugh, she's given up on me… I'm aware of the flaws she pointed out, and I was thinking of trying to change them… but I know it's not that easy to change, so I could only manage a bitter smile.

I let out a laugh to brush it off, and Yuihama exhaled unhappily. Then, as if remembering something, she spoke up:

"Ah, but I hope you can change the habit of suddenly needing to contact someone like today. It's perfectly fine when you're free, but sometimes I'd like to prepare in advance."

"Oh, um. I'm really sorry."

To be honest, lately when I try to contact Yui-hama, it's often unexpected. She happened to be discussing her schedule with Miura and his group today, and thinking about that made me feel bad, so I apologized. Yui-hama nodded repeatedly.

"besides……"

"There's more? So much? I'm so sorry for always causing you trouble!"

Yuihama smiled slightly upon hearing this.

I couldn't help but laugh too.

How easy it would be to maintain this atmosphere while talking to her. Not mentioning anything important, pretending to be normal, deliberately avoiding the core issues.

However, to allow oneself to do this is to betray oneself.

I gulped down my coffee, gripped the can tightly, and let the warmth seep into my cold fingertips. With that squeeze, the fragile aluminum can immediately deformed. I tried to straighten the deformed part by twisting the can in my hand, but this only caused other parts to dent, further warping it.

Knowing it was impossible to restore it to its original state, I still stubbornly squeezed the aluminum can, each squeeze producing a hollow cracking sound. A short while later, I let out a sigh of relief, tinged with laughter.

"...That's not what I wanted to ask."

The voice that came from her mouth was softer than I had imagined, even gentle. I looked up from the aluminum can and gazed at Yuihama.

She remained seated on the swing. Applying a slight reaction force, gazing at the toes of her shoes suspended in the air, she gently began to sway.

"what is that?"

"It's that match. The winner can command the loser's match."

"...The game isn't over yet."

Her tone was a bit like she was sulking, even more childish than usual, and I couldn't help but smile. She can be incredibly mature at times, but at this moment she was so childish that I found it rather amusing.

"That's right... However, I concede defeat. In that case... the match ends here."

"That was just your own idea."

The setting sun, hanging in the western sky, slowly descended, its proportions of dark red and deep blue gradually shifting. A star eagerly shone brightly in the sky.

"No, I lost. I lost miserably."

I looked up at the sky.

To be honest, I feel great after losing.

The question of whether the ball could be held unexpectedly became the final contest. Yukino quickly saw through my scheme—the fake ball was merely a pawn to sacrifice, disregarding victory or defeat. Understanding this, she agreed to the contest. In other words, it was entirely my miscalculation. My misjudgment wasn't of Yukino's strategy or thoughts, but rather of her awareness.

I sighed deeply and relaxed my body. The breath I exhaled didn't turn into white mist, but instead dissolved into the air.

Even if the winner is not determined, the competition is over once the loser is identified.

"So, let me grant your wish."

It took me a long time to finally say the words that had been stuck in my chest.

It's not just now. In the year since the competition started, I've often thought to myself that one day I'll probably say those words.

Yuihama used her legs to bring the swing to a stop. She pressed her lips together, waiting for the creaking of the chains to cease, before murmuring:

"I'm a greedy person, I can't just choose one wish... Is that okay? Can you grant them all?"

She lifted her face, which had been facing downwards, turned to look at me, and gave me a mischievous smile. I shrugged.

"The standard answer when making a wish... Sigh, I'll try my best to find a way within my capabilities."

I advise you not to.

Yuihama lowered her gaze and said firmly. She looked so sad that I was speechless.

"You always do this. Even though you can't do it, you say you'll help within your capabilities, and then you force yourself to actually solve the problem."

As Yuihama spoke, she swung her legs, and the reaction force made the swing start to sway again.

"So, I only make simple wishes. I'm not quite sure what my wishes are, but there are things I want to do."

"Oh? What is it?"

I stared at the swing as its speed gradually increased.

"First of all... I'd like to help Yukino. I want to see the ball a success."

"That's it."

"And also, a victory celebration party. Looking for people from the game club? People from the chuunibyou group, people from Yumiko and Hina, and..."

"Um……"

"I also want to celebrate with Komachi."

"Good idea."

"I also want to go out and have some fun."

"I see."