My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 532

The swing would come closer and then move further away, then come closer again.

I casually echoed what Yuihama, swaying on the swing, said to me.

Yuihama's wish wasn't surprising. Helping to organize a ball was definitely something she'd ask for. She'd also mentioned a celebration party before. I'm incredibly grateful for helping Komachi celebrate. As for going out, I really don't know much about that. However, if she doesn't mind me being with her, I'm always ready to go.

The swing slowed down more and more, and Yuihama's voice grew softer and softer.

"besides……"

She stopped talking halfway through her sentence.

The road was right beside me, and I could hear lively conversation coming from the other side of the fence. I looked over there and saw several men and women in the same uniforms as us walking down the road.

At first glance, there was no one she recognized, and Yui remained silent until they were far away. The swing also stopped swinging during this time, leaving only the lonely sound of the chains rubbing together.

I remained silent, looking at Yuihama, waiting for her to speak.

She probably noticed it too, so she lifted her downcast face and smiled at me.

"And also, grant your wish."

With her back to the setting sun, Yuihama gently raised the corners of her mouth. Under the deep blue night sky, the afterglow and the faint light of the streetlights illuminated her delicate face beautifully.

This time, I couldn't just casually agree.

My purpose in doing this is to fulfill Yukino Yukinoshita's wish.

Yukinoshita's wish is to fulfill Yuihama's wish. But Yuihama says she'll fulfill my wish instead. This just goes in circles, endlessly.

"My wish... it's so difficult..."

I was struggling with how to answer, or how to give a meaningless response.

"Right? So while you're helping me fulfill my wish, think about it. I'll think about it too."

After Yui finished speaking, she stood up in one breath. She took a step away from the wobbly swing, turned to face me, and stood with her back to the setting sun.

"...Then, explain yourself clearly...So, tell me clearly what you want to do."

The fiery red sunset made me squint. Through my blurred vision from the blinding light, I nodded in response.

When she saw me nod, she seemed to give me a beautiful smile.

Volume XIV, Prelude 2

The vibration felt only in the palm of the hand quickly travels to the heart.

But I had already guessed that something would happen, so I wasn't surprised.

It's finally here—the thought of having no hope at all made my heart tremble.

After school today, the teacher came to the classroom to find him. I watched him leave, certain that he wouldn't go back to the classroom.

I have absolutely no interest in going out to play.

I collapsed onto the sofa as soon as I got home, without even changing out of my uniform, and stared at the ceiling. My mother nagged me several times, "Your skirt and coat will get wrinkled," before I slowly changed and finally collapsed onto my bed in my room. As soon as I buried myself in the soft blankets, my body felt like it was sinking in and I couldn't move.

The phone vibrated once, and then there was no further response.

Was it him, or her?

I don't know, but it's probably not good news.

I thought to myself, "I hope it's a message from someone else," and slowly reached out to bring my phone to my face.

At the top of the screen was the message she sent.

Without even opening the messaging app, I could see the message displayed as a single line in the notification bar. Before the read receipt was even sent, I had already read the entire message.

Would it be convenient for us to meet?

The message, consisting of only a few words, revealed no information whatsoever. All that was known was what had happened.

I should have just pretended not to notice.

Pretend I didn't see it, and come back after a while; that way I can keep it going for longer—a cunning thought popped into my head.

But more than that, I was glad she wanted to tell me. Her eyes were a little teary, and her mind was in turmoil.

I've probably been waiting all along.

I waited for her to speak to me.

Because I'm afraid to speak up first.

So I just texted back "I'm coming right away" and put my jacket back on. As I was shoving my feet into my flattened sneakers in the entryway, I received a notification about the meeting place.

That's the place we have to go.

It's not far from here, very close. It'll be over soon.

Although she clearly had no intention of running over, her pace quickened as soon as she stepped outside.

There were many people on the street in front of the station.

However, I soon saw her sitting on a bench under a streetlamp.

She stood upright, her hands resting lightly on her skirt, eyes closed, quietly remaining still, as if she would melt into the air. Although she was wearing a coat, it was still quite cold at night, but she seemed oblivious to it.

Hearing my footsteps, she slowly opened her eyes, revealing a clear smile as beautiful as the winter night sky.

"Good night."

That smile was so beautiful it left people speechless. "Breathtaking" would definitely be the perfect word to describe that kind of beauty.

I didn't say anything, just nodded in response, pretending that I was still out of breath from running over.

Then, I immediately took off my scarf and sat down next to her. Otherwise, I might accidentally keep staring.

I've never seen such a cute girl before. I consider myself to have seen many cute and pretty girls. But this is the first time I've seen a girl so breathtakingly beautiful.

I let out a long sigh instead of a sigh, and asked her:

"What's wrong?"

"There's something I want to tell you."

She said this, then paused for a moment. After a while, she slowly chose her words and began to speak.

"...The ball is definitely going to happen."

"Oh, that's great..."

Hearing her say that, I finally felt relieved. I'd been worried about that the whole time. For a fleeting moment, that awkward look flashed through my mind, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps it was because my sigh was so heavy, but she chuckled softly.

"It's all because of your help."

"I have everything—"

Nothing was done. Nothing could be done.

I gently shook my head, replacing that sentence.

She gazed at me, then suddenly looked into the distance and whispered:

"...And then there was his help."

My body trembled. I couldn't look her in the eye; my gaze fell on the ground.

"...That's not true. It's because Yukino worked really hard."

"It's okay. I know exactly what I'm doing."

Hearing my words, which sounded like both comfort and an excuse, she gently shook her head this time.

"I've accidentally become dependent on him again..."

Her tone was joking, a bit childish, quite different from her usual mature demeanor. I was a little surprised.

I instinctively looked up. She had a shy smile on her face; I couldn't tell if she was just shy or trying to hide it.

"Even though I knew he would do it because of his personality, I didn't refuse."

She slightly raised her gaze and looked into the distance. I looked in the same direction, but all I could see were tall buildings.

"But it's all over now."

The streets were noisy at night, but her soft, faint voice was very clear, like the lights of a distant building.

In the darkness, the red light slowly rose and quietly disappeared, and the faint sound gradually blended into the night.

Finally, it was scattered by the strong wind.

"I told him everything honestly."

Her long hair fluttered in the wind, veiling her face like a veil. After the wind subsided, she used her hands to comb through her disheveled hair, gently tucking it behind her ears.

Then he smiled.

That smile looked refreshing, as if the spring night breeze had washed away many distracting thoughts.

From the past to the present, I have probably always loved that beautiful smile.

Seeing that smile, I realized this relationship was about to end.

Volume 14, Part 2: One day, we'll all get used to this relationship.

During my warm and sunny afternoon break, I enjoyed lunch at my usual spot.

I ate my meal while spacing out, with the sounds of tennis club practice playing in the background.

Today's temperature is several degrees lower than yesterday, but not so low that it's unsafe to be outside. It's certainly chilly in the mornings and evenings, but once the daytime temperatures rise, you generally don't need a jacket. The sunlight streaming through the slightly cloudy sky is quite pleasant.

In just a few days, it felt like a season had passed on the streets. Spring will probably approach at this pace.

I stuffed the leftover bread from the canteen into my mouth, swallowed it with tea, and let out a satisfied sigh. I rested my cheek on my hand, closed my eyes, and enjoyed the warm sunshine.

As I listened intently to the sounds of the ball hitting the court and the voice of the tennis club president, Totsuka, the sound of footsteps on the sand mingled with the noise.

I reflexively turned around and saw the pale pink dumpling swaying back and forth. Yui-hama seemed to recognize me as well, and waved at me a few times with her hand raised to her chest.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

"I bought this for you when I went to buy drinks."

Yui handed me a can of MAX coffee and sat down next to me, holding down her skirt. I took the still-warm can and tossed it around in my hands, unsure of what to do with it.

"Huh, why? Can I accept it? How much?"

"It's okay. You treated me to black tea yesterday too."

"Ah, I see. Then I won't stand on ceremony."

"Um."

Did she come all this way to return the favor? ...How polite of her... I pulled the tab and sipped my warm, sweet MAX coffee.

A warm feeling slowly spread throughout my body. Yes, yes, that's the feeling. Just as I was nodding and savoring it, I suddenly felt a gaze on my side.

Glancing to the side, I saw Yui hugging her knees, tilting her head to look at me. Her warm, sun-like gaze made me a little uneasy.

To hide my wavering, I silently looked away and stared at the ingredient list of the drink in my hand.

Is everything alright? I've had this inexplicable feeling of happiness since the very beginning. Could it be that MAX coffee shouldn't be abused? Could it contain a bunch of dangerous white powder...? And indeed it does! The dangerous white powder that gives people happiness! Its name is sugar!

I used this period of random thoughts to calm myself down. Just then, Yui started talking to me.

"What are your plans for the victory celebration banquet? Which day do you want to hold it?"

"what……"

I responded with a sound to fill the silence, and then began to think.

The celebration banquet was proposed by Hibin yesterday evening, and it can be said to be one of her wishes.

The purpose was to reward Zaimokuza, the game club duo, Miura, Ebina, and others who helped me plan the fake ball a few days ago... but with this lineup, Zaimokuza and the others couldn't possibly be happy...

However, since Yuihama wanted to do it, I couldn't refuse.

As a result, I didn't object. Yuihama probably took it as my agreement and started checking something on her phone.

"Yumiko told Hina that she was free today, and I'm free too. Let's just get it done today."

"Didn't you ask me if I was free?"

She pouted.

"You just said before that you're very free, that you're free tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that."