My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 62

"Anyway, I have no reason to refuse. But don't you find it annoying?"

She turned around with a serious expression and answered the question I had thrown back at her.

"I don't mind. It's impossible for anyone we know to recognize us, and everyone here is a stranger, so there's no need to worry about misunderstandings causing trouble."

Even I am completely regarded as an unrelated person... Oh well, it doesn't matter.

"Then, let's go."

As the snow fell, we walked to the next shop, and I stepped out to follow her.

A relationship where neither party has expectations of the other is quite relaxed, and I personally admire that. Think about it, wasn't Pandora's box filled with all kinds of calamities and hopes? Therefore, hope itself can be a calamity.

× × ×

Our visit to the second clothing store went surprisingly smoothly.

It seems society is more naive and superficial than I imagined. The moment a young boy and girl walk together, everyone quickly assumes they're a couple. But honestly, if I saw a high school boy and girl together, I'd curse them in my heart. So, the truth might actually be just that.

The shop assistants, who were even more physically fit than the Japanese athletes, had been keeping a close eye on me, but as soon as Yukino appeared next to me, they immediately lowered their guard.

Yukinoshita regarded everyone around her as irrelevant people. Even when a shop assistant came up to make a sale, she shut them up with the words "No need" and focused on choosing clothes herself.

She would occasionally pick up a piece of clothing she liked and examine it from all angles; her criteria for judgment were truly peculiar.

"Let's go to the next store."

She wasn't confident in the clothes' durability, so she quickly folded them and put them back on the rack.

"I'm telling you, if you're going to choose clothes based on how durable they are, you'll probably never find anything good in your life. I don't think Yuihama cares about the protective capabilities of clothing."

Since no monsters will appear, plain clothes are sufficient.

"...Sigh, there's nothing I can do. I can only judge from the material and weaving...I have no idea what Yui-hama-san likes or what she's interested in..."

This is the deepest and saddest sigh that Yukina has uttered so far.

Is she regretting that she never thought about this?

However, it's too late to regret it now.

"It's okay if you don't know. It's more infuriating when someone pretends to know you when they only have a vague understanding of you. It's like giving peanuts from other places to the people of Chiba Prefecture."

"Your example is too Chiba-esque; I can't understand it..."

Yukinoshita was a little unsure what to say. Hmm, didn't she understand?

Simply put, the people of Chiba Prefecture are very picky about peanuts. Chiba Prefecture is the largest peanut producer in the country, and that's no exaggeration. However, producing over 70% of the national total is truly remarkable. Incidentally, Ibaraki Prefecture accounts for 20% of the national peanut production.

"To put it simply, it's like a half-baked person delivering wine to a sommelier."

"I see, that makes sense."

She nodded, finally understanding what I was trying to say.

Yeah, this kind of thing often happens with birthday gifts from dads. They can't tell the difference between a PlayStation and a Sega Saturn, and when they find that the Super Nintendo is sold out, they think, "Oh well, it doesn't matter, I can play the Mega Drive and 3DO anyway." Gifts given with only a superficial understanding usually don't satisfy people.

"...I never thought your distorted values ​​would come in handy."

Yukinoshita seemed quite impressed, but I didn't feel like she was praising me at all.

"Challenging your opponent in their area of ​​expertise offers little chance of victory. To win, you must instead target their weaknesses..."

Even choosing a gift can be turned into a battle. Are you an Amazonian warrior?

"It's not about attacking weaknesses, but rather about supplementing the opponent's weaknesses. From this perspective, it aligns with your pursuit of practicality."

"That makes sense. Since that's the case..."

She seemed to have thought of something and walked towards the next shop.

I waited alone outside the fashion lingerie store diagonally opposite the clothing store, while Yukino went into the kitchenware store next door.

Compared to the boldly sexy and cute fashion lingerie, the unassuming lingerie counters at Yokado (Note 30, a Japanese chain department store) are more likely to evoke fantasies. But I'm probably the only one who thinks this way. Oh, and every June they also sell school swimsuits, adding even more to the suggestive atmosphere.

Now that the small talk is over, let's get back to the main topic.

In addition to common cooking utensils such as frying pans and pots, the kitchenware store also carries exquisite items such as heat-resistant gloves that resemble a pair of animal comedians (Note 31 refers to the comedic duo "Papet Mapetto"). and tableware sets shaped like Russian dolls.

"Oh wow~~ That's definitely Yuihama's weakness."

Yuihama is terrible at cooking—correction, she can't cook at all. I once tried some of her cookies and thought I was eating charcoal from Kyoto Home Center, though it could also be from JOYFUL Honda (Note 32: "Kyoto Home Center" and "JOYFUL Honda" are both chain home goods retailers). Anyway, the taste was astonishing, matching its terrifying appearance. Wait, "stimulating" might be a more accurate description than "taste."

Yukinoshita also ate cookies at that time. Although Yuihama's cookies finally improved to a normal level after she guided her with all her might, I don't think she could make anything good if it were a more elaborate dish.

That said, this shop is quite pleasant.

Oh? This pot lid is really interesting; you can open it with a handle to add seasonings. It looks so appealing. Ugh, I feel like an idiot.

Besides the convenient utensils, there's also a real frying pan. Oh no, I really want to pick it up and swing it around while laughing out loud (Note 33 refers to Akiyama-chan, the protagonist of the manga "Fried Heaven").

Whether in a household goods store or a 100-yen shop, just looking at these things makes me involuntarily excited.

"Over here, Hachiman."

I followed the sound and saw Xue Zhi wearing an apron.

The black material actually has a light and thin feel, and when she wears it, it even exudes a cool vibe. The chest is also decorated with cat paw prints.

She tied the rope into a large bow, highlighting her slender waist.

Then, she spun around like she was waltzing, checking that her head and wrists could move freely. The loosely tied bow fluttered up like a tail.

"How about it?"

"If you want my opinion... I can only say it's perfect."

I couldn't think of anything else to say. Yukinoshita's long black hair complemented this minimalist style perfectly. I honestly complimented her, but she didn't look at me; instead, she was checking her shoulders, bow, and skirt in the mirror. Only the mirror knew what expression Yukinoshita was wearing.

"...Um, thank you. But I wasn't asking about myself, I was asking how it would look on Yuigahama-san."

"Yuigahama's suggestion might not be appropriate. She probably prefers ethereal, flamboyant, and quirky designs, right?"

"It's harsh to say that, but it's the truth, and I really don't know how to answer you..."

As she spoke, Yukinoshita took off her apron and carefully folded it.

"However, it should be safe to choose a gift from here."

Before Yukinoshita could even put her folded apron back, she spotted her next target. This time, she carefully checked the number of pockets and their material. Indeed, the material was crucial; choosing something non-flammable like asbestos was preferable, as letting that guy use fire would be extremely dangerous.

Yukinoshita ultimately chose an apron with a light pink base and minimal decoration.

"This one is fine."

"Hmm, not bad."

This apron has a small pocket on each side and a large four-dimensional pocket in the middle, which is perfect for Yuihama, who seems to carry a lot of snacks.

Yukinoshita folded up her pink apron and walked towards the counter. At that moment, she was carrying two aprons, one pink and the other black.

"Starting with the plush toy, you probably already knew what you wanted to buy, right?"

"...This apron is not on my shopping list."

"So it was impulse buying. Well, that kind of thing happens all the time."

“…………”

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but swallowed her words back. She glanced at me, then looked away and went to pay the bill alone.

Isn't this just impulse buying? This girl is truly baffling. The only thing that's certain is that the panda plush toy was already on her shopping list.

× × ×

When I finished shopping at the pet store and went to pay, Yukinoshita wasn't there with me.

She didn't abandon me and leave first; after all, she wasn't that heartless. Actually, I asked to temporarily leave the group to buy my own things, and she readily agreed... Hmm, she's still heartless after all.

I originally planned to contact Yukinoshita by phone, but then I thought that she would probably only go to a few places, so I left the pet supplies area and headed to the cages where pets were on display.

As I expected, she was there.

Yukino sat on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest, a gentle smile on her lips. She gently stroked the kitten, stroking its fur from time to time. However, because there were other customers around, she did not make a "meow" sound today.

Seeing how engrossed she was, I felt a little reluctant to call her.

Just as I was thinking about what to do, the kitten that Yukinoshita was stroking suddenly turned its ears around, and Yukinoshita turned her head as well.

Wow, that was fast!

(Translation: I want to touch it a little more...)

"Feel sorry."

I'm not sure if I apologized for making her wait or for coming back too early. Either way, I apologized first.

Yukinoshita reluctantly petted the cat one last time, mouthing a silent meow to say goodbye before standing up.

"What are you buying? Although I can probably guess."

"Yes, just like you thought."

"Yeah?"

She answered calmly, but a hint of satisfaction appeared on her face; it seemed that guessing the answer correctly made her quite happy.

"However, I'm quite surprised that you would buy a gift for Yuihama-san."

That question left me somewhat at a loss for words.

"...No, not at all. This is just an extension of the competition; I simply decided to collaborate with you this time."

"This is already quite rare... Are you sick?"

Yukinoshita opened her eyes wide in surprise, how rude of her.

That said, using a birthday celebration to ignite Yui's passion is indeed a good idea. However, for this purpose, I also need to properly examine my relationship with Yui. If we continue in this ambiguous state, the same thing will happen again sooner or later.

"Now that the matter is settled, let's go back."

"it is good."

It's about 2 PM now. I can't believe we've been wandering around inside for so long. We were planning to finish quickly.

Before we left the exit, I always walked in front. I always felt that even on the way back, if Yukinoshita led the way, we would probably never find our way out. Large labyrinths only need to exist in the past.

On our way out, we passed an amusement park that mainly catered to families and couples.

There are token games, claw machines, two-player cooperative shooting games, racing games where you put your face into a character, and sticker machines—basically all machines that require group fun, so they're not relevant to me.

I intended to pass through this area quickly, but I stopped in my tracks under the snow.

"What? Do you want to play?"

"I have no interest in electric vehicles."

She said that, but her eyes were fixed on the claw machines—no, upon closer observation, that wasn't actually the case. I followed her gaze and discovered that she was only staring at one of the claw machines.

The machine was filled with familiar plush toys.

With eyes that seem to see through the darkness of the world, claws strong enough to tear bamboo and wild beasts apart, and fangs that gleam ominously under the light… that’s Johnny the panda. This character is incredibly powerful; no wonder his name contains the word “strong.”

"...Would you like to give it a try?"

"No, I don't want to play games at all."

(Translation: I just want the plush toy inside.)

I must have eaten some kind of strange konjac to be able to decipher the meaning of Yukinoshita's words and have a conversation with her.

"Sigh, if you want the plush toy, give it a try, although I don't think you can hold it up."

"Oh, is this some kind of provocation? Do you look down on me?"

A chill emanated from beneath the snow, indicating that a switch had been flipped on her.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing your skills. It's just that this kind of game is inherently difficult to win with the claw machine before you're proficient. Komachi has never succeeded in playing it either."

She kept dropping coins in, like feeding a piggy bank, and as I watched, I felt sorry for her.

Even though I brought up Komachi as an example, I couldn't extinguish Yuki's competitive spirit. She took out a thousand-yen bill and put it into the coin exchange machine.

"If that's the case, why not just practice until you're proficient?"

After speaking, she placed a stack of 100-yuan coins next to the coin slot, preparing to monopolize the machine.

After Yukino inserts a coin, the machine makes a strange "waaaaah..." sound.