My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 650

Yukinoshita's head was pressed down by Yuihama's chest... Yukinoshita's eyes were dead.

"Yuigahama-san, calm down."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Yuihama quickly sat back down in her seat.

"Let's discuss this quickly, Yukino. What do you think we can do to overcome this?"

"Well... if the problem isn't with your physical condition but rather with psychological factors, gradually getting to know cats and letting them get used to it should be effective. How about we check out a cat cafe?"

"A cat cafe...hmm, that sounds nice. I'll go after club activities. Yukino, would you like to come with me...?"

"Of course."

"Hooray! Let the autistic guy come along too!"

"No, I'll pass."

"Huh—! Why?!"

This reaction would be perfect to be accompanied by the onomatopoeic word "clang!"

"What do you mean, why...? Would it even make sense for me to go?"

"Yes! You see, I need someone to teach me how to hold and pet a cat, and things like that. So it would be best if someone who owns a cat could keep me company."

"There are staff members here, right?"

"That's right..."

Yuihama seemed unconvinced.

"But it's good to have one more person. It's more reassuring to have more people with us, someone we can rely on..."

She pleaded with an expression that looked like she was about to cry, which made me waver a little.

Yuihama said she'd go after club activities. I don't know what time the cat cafe closes, but it shouldn't be too late. So, even if I stay a little longer, it'll probably only be about an hour. That's fine.

"...It's not impossible."

Yuihama immediately broke into a smile.

"Thank you!"

Seeing such a dazzling smile, I overreacted to gender.

She continued happily:

"So, after club activities, let's go straight to the cat cafe. Is there anything else we can do?"

"Other things we can do... well..."

Yukinoshita crossed her arms and answered calmly.

"Regarding overcoming fears—or rather, overcoming emotional trauma—dialogue can be quite effective. Recounting how you came to dislike cats might help you process your feelings."

"Simply put, is it psychological counseling?"

I looked towards Yuihama.

"By the way, why doesn't Yuihama like cats?"

"Wait, didn't I mention that the cat I had when I lived in an apartment building suddenly disappeared one day..."

"Ah—I think I've heard that before..."

I think she said that to get the attention of Kawa or something. Komachi brought our little Yuki along, and Yuihama was terrified.

"A lot happened when I was secretly keeping a cat in the apartment building. It would take a long time to tell the story..."

At this point, Yuihama smiled as if trying to hide her loneliness.

...Yes, that's right. I remember she had the same expression back then. It was a bitter expression, a mixture of sadness and regret, impossible to tell. It was precisely because I had seen her usual cheerful and lively self that it was so hard to bear watching her like that.

"...There's no need to force yourself to say it."

Yuihama and Yukinoshita looked at me.

"I don't mean to deny the importance of psychological counseling. I just feel that talking about it might not help the wound heal."

When you speak out but receive no response, the frustration and emotional trauma will take deeper root in your heart. If it's a sensitive issue, keeping it to yourself is also a viable option. This way, you won't suffer deeper harm.

However, Yuihama seemed to sense something, gave a gentle smile, and shook her head.

"But I still want to say it. Because I also want you to know."

His eyes, fixed straight on mine, conveyed a firm resolve.

"……Yeah?"

I leaned back in my chair, ready to listen to her.

"Would Yukino like to listen too?"

"Of course. I already said I'd help."

"Thank you..."

Then, Yuihama began to slowly narrate.

Hmm—where should I begin… Ah, shall I start from the beginning? That's fine then.

Unlike you, I'm not very good at explaining things in a simple and easy-to-understand way. I'm sorry if I can't explain it clearly.

I remember finding that cat in September.

Autumn in fourth grade.

On my way home from school, I heard a cat meowing, probably in front of the apartment building. But I didn't see any cats around. I thought it was probably just my imagination and walked away.

the next day.

As I walked out of my apartment building and headed to school, I heard a cat meowing again. The location was the same as yesterday, so I guessed it was probably hiding somewhere.

I listened more carefully than yesterday and realized the sound was coming from underground. I looked around and saw it on the ground. The hole covered with wire mesh. What's that thing called?

Oh, it's called a drainage ditch.

As expected of Yukino, she knows so much.

And then, there was a kitten at the bottom of the drain.

A tiny calico cat.

It was presumably washed ashore by a ditch in the road. Water was pooling below, and the cat was meowing and scratching at the wall.

I felt sorry for it and wanted to get it out, but the lid was firmly stuck in the drain, and I couldn't lift it; the hole was also deep. So I originally planned to ask an adult for help. But at that moment, I remembered something a mean boy in my class had told me.

"If a stray cat is picked up by an adult, it's usually taken to a health center."

"Yuihama, you don't even know what a public health center is?"

"It's a place where stray cats and dogs are killed."

Sigh—I was only ten years old then, and I took everything that boy said to heart. I thought there was a rule among adults that if you found a stray cat or dog, you had to notify someone to catch it.

Of course, things are different now. I know not every adult is like that. For example, Ms. Hiratsuka, she feels she might bring stray cats home.

Huh? She would put the umbrella next to the cardboard box and walk home in the rain? Such a vivid image... it has a Showa era feel to it.

The topic of autistic men has gone off-topic.

Getting back to the main point, I think we shouldn't let the adults know about this kitten's existence.

But I couldn't just leave it there. So I went home, secretly took a fish sausage from the refrigerator without my mom's knowledge, tore it into small pieces, and threw it into the ditch. The kitten ate it…

I am very happy.

I stared at the kitten until it finished the sausage, forgetting to pay attention to the time, and ended up being late that day.

After school, I rushed home and got another sausage to feed it.

From that day on, I made sure to feed it every morning and evening.

I wanted to tell it that eating only sausages isn't good for its health, so I used my allowance to buy it cat food. And sure enough, it ate the cat food very quickly.

I fed it for about five days.

Although I couldn't touch it at all because of the drain cover, I was still very happy.

However... I still feel that this can't go on.

It's so pitiful to have to stay in such a dark and cramped place all the time.

But I couldn't do anything by myself, so I decided to ask my friends for help.

After school, I took three friends to the drainage ditch where the kitten stayed.

Then, like pulling up a radish, they worked together to open the lid... and then came the real problems.

I glanced at it; the drain was quite deep. We couldn't reach the kitten even after reaching in. So we tried a bunch of methods: lowering a jump rope down, using branches to pry it out. But the kitten wouldn't come up, as if it were wary of us.

Although it was a bit dangerous, I decided to go down into the drainage ditch. My friend stopped me.

"It's so dirty."

That's what she said.

Indeed, the drain was covered in moss and mud, and the space was cramped; going in would definitely get your clothes dirty.

I was wearing an outfit I really liked that day. It's really hurtful to say that, but I couldn't help thinking, "I really don't want to fall into the ditch." My friend tried to cheer me up by saying, "Others will save it," and "It will climb out on its own afterward," but I felt like those words weren't just for me, and I had mixed feelings.

So we decided to give up on rescuing the cat that day and try again tomorrow.

When I put the drain cover back, the kitten looked up and stared in my direction, which made me feel really guilty...

However, I put that unease out of my mind the next day and went to school and attended classes as usual.

I was still thinking about how to save the kitten during class. But, you know how it is with elementary school kids—they only have a short attention span, right? So after a day, I wasn't as focused anymore, and I couldn't think about it too seriously. I figured it was okay to save it later…

Do you think I'm cold?

God probably thinks so too.

I remember it was around the fourth period. I had just noticed the weather was getting worse when it suddenly started to rain.

It was a torrential downpour.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and everyone looked out the window. I remember the teacher saying something to us.

I did look outside at the time. However, what I was thinking was probably different from what others were thinking.

I'm worried about that kitten.

The drainage ditch is where rainwater accumulates, right? So I'm worried that if it rains too heavily, the kitten might drown.

The thought of the kitten struggling desperately with nowhere to escape in the rising water level of the ditch makes me feel terrible.

If I had rescued the kitten yesterday instead of worrying about getting my clothes dirty, this wouldn't have happened.

During the class, I kept regretting it.

The rain showed no signs of letting up.

...Huh? You're telling me not to force myself to talk? Haha, it's okay. Thank you, you introverted guy. Let's take a break after we reach a certain point.

Hmm—where was I? Right, right, it started raining halfway through the lesson.

The whole day's classes are over, but the rain still hasn't stopped.

After leaving school, I rushed through the rain towards the drain where the kitten was. By the time I got there, my underwear was soaked... but I was so worried about the kitten that I didn't care about that.

I peered cautiously into the drain, and the kitten was still alive. But the water level was very high; it was standing on its hind legs, with only its head above water.

I thought to myself, I have to save it quickly.

Fortunately, everyone had lifted the drain cover once before, so it didn't take too much effort to open it.

Then, not caring about getting my clothes dirty, I jumped into the ditch. The water was up to my chest. It smelled strongly of earth and was very damp. The thought of the kitten living in a place like this made me want to cry.

I finally managed to rescue the kitten and climb back onto the road.

We were all covered in dirt, and the rain was still pouring down, but I felt a huge sense of relief... I was so happy at that moment...

But the kitten seemed a bit listless... so I took it home and gave it a bath. My parents weren't home at the time, so I also gave it some warm milk.

Looking at the kitten, the thought of wanting to stay with it forever came to mind.