My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 58

It seems this area is a bird sanctuary, where a vibrant, colorful world of parrots, magpies, and other birds unfolds before us. Yellow, red, green… the various birds generously display their colors, intensely stimulating our visual senses. The feathers that flutter as they spread their wings shimmer under the lights.

However, amidst this torrent of vibrant colors, the most striking feature was a head of black hair.

The person held a guidebook in one hand, looking around, his hair, tied in two bunches, swaying with it.

"That person is... Yukino-neechan?"

Komachi noticed it too.

To be precise, there aren't many people as striking as her, so it's natural that she easily attracts everyone's attention.

She wore a simple pale yellow cardigan that reached about thigh-length; underneath was a light and plain dress, tied with a ribbon below the chest, giving her a softer look than usual. With each step, her strapless high-heeled sandals made a crisp, cool sound.

However, she seemed completely oblivious to the stares around her, searching for something with a blank expression, just as she always did in the club office.

After confirming the exhibition area number, she looked down at the guidebook, then looked around again, looked at the guidebook once more, and finally sighed slightly as if giving up.

Oh no, she got lost.

Yukino snapped the handbook shut and, with a determined look, walked out—towards the wall.

"Hey, that's a wall!"

I couldn't bear to watch any longer and couldn't help but speak up to warn her. Yukinoshita immediately glared at me, her wariness obvious. How terrifying!

However, when she realized that the person speaking was me, she walked over with a slightly surprised expression.

"Oh my, there's a really strange animal here."

"Please don't address me like 'Horno sapiens sapiens' (Note 20: the biological name for humans) the moment we meet. Are you denying my humanity?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

"There should be a limit to the pursuit of correctness..."

From the very first sound, I was treated like a hominid, a primate. From a biological perspective, accuracy is of utmost importance, but when it comes to greetings, it becomes the worst way to put it.

Why are you walking towards the wall?

"...I'm lost."

Yukinoshita replied with an expression that said, "What a careless mistake," as if she were about to commit seppuku at any moment. Her resentful gaze fell once again on the guidebook in her hand.

"This place isn't big enough to get lost in, is it...?"

Is she directionally challenged...? Even with a map, you can still get lost, especially in sprawling, continuous areas where maps are practically useless, like the Comiket venue or the underground of Shinjuku Station. Also, if you arrive at Umeda Station without any map paper, you could easily get stuck inside.

"Hello, Yukino-neechan!"

"Oh, hello. Komachi came too?"

"I really didn't expect you to come here. Is there something you've come to see?"

"...Yes, there's a lot to see."

It's probably a cat... She even drew a huge red circle around the cat exhibit in the manual...

Yukino noticed my gaze and nonchalantly folded up the guidebook.

"H-Hachiman... cough cough, what brings you here this time, Hachiman?"

She tried to remain calm, but still bit her tongue. I struggled to resist the urge to burst out laughing at her, pretending not to have seen her reaction. There was no way I could; if I actually said it, she would retaliate with five times the force.

"My sister and I come here every year."

"We bought our cat here."

As Komachi said, this is where we first met Xiaoxue. Although she was quite arrogant, she had a very pure pedigree. At that time, Komachi said she wanted to buy her and raise her, so the decision was made on the spot. My dad was called here simply to pay for it, which felt rather pitiful.

Yukino looked me and Komachi up and down, a clear smile playing on her lips. Here we go again; she's shown that expression before.

"...Your relationship is still just as good."

"It's alright, this has become our annual routine."

"I see... Well then, goodbye."

"Well, bye."

We didn't want to go into too much detail, so we said goodbye.

"Wait, please wait a minute! Yukino-neechan, since this is such a rare opportunity, would you like to join Komachi for the tour?"

Just as Yukinoshita was about to leave, Komachi grabbed her hem.

"Anyway, if I stay with my brother, I'll only hear things that spoil the mood. It's much happier to be with Yukino-neechan."

“Is that so?”

Seeing Komachi leaning closer and tugging at her clothes, Yukinoshita took a half-step back and asked, "What is it?" Komachi nodded vigorously.

"No, no, no! Please, please!"

"Won't this cause any trouble... I mean, Hachiman-kun?"

I was naturally excluded.

"Idiot, what kind of question is that? When I'm with a group of people, I hardly talk, so I won't bother you at all."

"From another perspective, you've integrated quite well... In some ways, that talent is truly remarkable..."

Yukinoshita's expression was a mix of surprise and bewilderment. However, the truth is, if there's a quiet, unassuming person in the group, everyone will still notice.

"...I understand, let's go on the tour together then. What animals would you like to see? If not..."

"Hmm... It's rare to have an exhibition like this. How about we see some animals that we don't usually see?"

Komachi had a sudden inspiration, clapped her hands, and said...

"...I have absolutely no idea whether you know what's good for you or not."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Komachi tilted her head, puzzled, and asked in return.

"...Okay. Sigh..."

Yukino sighed in despair. "Well, how should I put it... I apologize to you on behalf of my sister."

Although these are rare and exotic animals, the exhibition space here is limited, so it's impossible to display very large animals. If we think about it this way, the bird section becomes quite complete, not only showcasing a high degree of rarity of the animals but also taking up minimal space.

We left the brightly colored southern-themed booths and entered another super cool area.

On the other side, carefully separated by a fence, are majestic and proud birds with sharp beaks, sharp claws, and tough feathers.

"Komachi, look! It's an eagle! An eagle! And a falcon! They're so cool, I really want to have one!"

So cool… I couldn’t help but stop and lean against the railing. Anyone who has ever suffered from chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) is invariably awestruck by their solemnity. The US military must be incredibly chuunibyou-ish.

Unfortunately, Komachi didn't understand their coolness and questioned me.

"What? It's not cute at all, it sounds so cringeworthy..."

"Hey, idiot, what are you talking about? Don't you think they look cute when they turn their heads?"

I turned to her specifically to try and persuade her, only to find she had already walked away. How rude of me.

"It's not cute... but I think its fierce posture is beautiful."

I never expected that Yukino would answer me in place of her ruthless sister. She stood beside me, her hands resting on the railing, gazing at the birds of prey; she didn't seem to be lying.

"Wow! Can you understand how cool they are? Don't you feel the chuunibyou spirit hidden inside you starting to stir?"

"...I don't understand."

Hmm, women just can't understand... Oh dear, danger, I've accidentally become like a woodblock.

"Chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) is a mental illness that can never be cured in one's lifetime."

This is a creation from Hachiman's heart. Incidentally, the seasonal word in it is "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome). Chuunibyou is a seasonal word for the bittersweet spring (Note 21: Seasonal words expressing the seasons are an indispensable part of haiku).

× × ×

After the bird area, there is the small animal area.

This place is filled with pets like hamsters, rabbits, and ferrets; it seems to be specially designed for Komachi. In the hands-on experience area, she kept exclaiming "Wow!" and "Ah!" and refused to move an inch.

On the other hand, Yukinoshita also scratched and played with the small animals, but she tilted her head every time she touched one, as if none of them matched her ideal touch. Surprisingly, she persisted.

As for me... as soon as I approach those small animals, they flee in panic. I never thought I would be disliked even here.

"Komachi, let's go..."

"Wow~~ So cute~~ I want to step on it~~ Hmm? Oh, it's okay if you go first, Komachi wants to play a little longer."

"oh……"

This guy's reason for finding something cute isn't cute at all. Is this really okay?

After receiving permission from Komachi, I decided to continue my tour on my own.

As I recall, the next two sections featured dogs and cats respectively.

"Well then, the next two sections after Yukinoshita are the cat exhibit areas. Please keep an eye on Komachi for me."

"I don't mind, but Komachi is not young anymore. Don't you think you're being too protective of her?"

"No, I want you to make sure she doesn't step on those animals."

"Komachi won't step on it~ Ah, Yukino-neechan can go see the cats first."

"Oh? Is that so? Well then, since this is a rare opportunity..."

Yukino stood up before she could finish speaking. Just how much do you want to see a cat?

"let's go."

She simply abandoned me and forged ahead without hesitation, as if venturing into a deserted wilderness.

However, she was immediately startled when she saw the sign that said "dog".

"how?"

"No……"

Yukinoshita slowed her pace and walked behind me to let me go first. Oh no! I've been ambushed from behind! I'm going to die—though I worried this for a moment, no one actually attacked me.

I understand, it's because of the dog. I remember she was terrified of dogs.

"These are all puppies on display."

Since this is a pet exhibition, there's a realistic side to it, especially with familiar animals like cats and dogs; they tend to select younger, smaller breeds for display. It's sad to say this, but that's how business is.

"I don't know how effective my words were," Yukinoshita said, looking away.

"As for puppies... well, let me clarify, I'm not afraid of dogs! I should say... I just can't handle them."

People usually just say "I'm scared".

There is still a discrepancy between the two.

Is that so... Well, since Yukino said there's an error, then let's just say there is an error.

"Hachiman...do you like dogs?"

"I don't particularly like either one. My principle is not to belong to any side."

True strength doesn't come from afar. Being alone signifies facing the world as an enemy, no matter how much time passes. The thought of being at odds with the world makes me feel like Stephen Seagal. Having Stephen Seagal's mindset, I truly am his embodiment.

However, Yukinoshita showed no agreement whatsoever.

"It's probably because they don't want you to join. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

"They mostly match. Okay, that's not important, let's go."

What Yukinoshita said is largely true, so I don't intend to refute it. Arguing with her will only make things worse, so I decided to quickly end the topic and move on.

After I took a step, Yukinoshita murmured behind me:

"I thought you preferred dogs..."

"Huh? Why?"

"...because you were working so hard back then."

I turned around to ask her for clarification, but her answer left me completely confused.

Did Yukino see what I was risking my life for? If I had to say, there's only one possibility.