My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 681

I used Google to research Mother's Day gifts and found that flowers or trendy little items are good choices, but I don't know which one to choose.

So, choosing such basic items will actually get me criticized for having no taste? Thinking about this, my thoughts became a knot that I couldn't untie.

What should we do?

"What are you looking for?"

Hearing that, I flinched. A shop assistant came to check on me.

"Oh, it's okay, I can read it myself."

I acted like a complete social outcast, walking backwards out of the store.

I took a deep breath. Ugh, coming to think of it, why are the shop assistants so eager to chat with people? There must be customers who don't want to talk to anyone, right? Are there any stickers I can put on my car? Like those "baby in the car" stickers, or "socially awkward shopping alone" stickers… No, that would actually humiliate the person putting that sticker on.

In short, please don't talk to me. That's the truth.

"Hey, you—"

Just then, someone called out to me. I thought it was a shop assistant chasing after me, but when I turned around, I saw a tall woman with black and blue hair standing there.

"What are you doing in a place like this?"

That rude tone... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before... Uh, who is she? Let me think—I remember her name is Chuan, Chuan, Chuan...

Are you even listening to me?!

"Huh? Oh, yes. You're asking what I'm doing here, right? I'm here to take care of some odd jobs."

It's a bit embarrassing to buy a Mother's Day gift at this age, so I kept my intentions hidden.

"how about you?"

"Ah—I'm here to buy my sister Jingjing's..."

"Jingjing?"

"You remember, right? She gave you chocolates too."

You gave me chocolate? Receiving chocolate is a rare occurrence for me, I couldn't possibly forget. Uh, jingjingjingjing...

"Ah! That Jingjing!"

I remember now. The little girl who gave me chocolates on Valentine's Day. That child is her sister, which means this person is... ah, Kawasaki. Kawasaki Saki. Kawasaki, known for having a nasty younger brother.

"What's wrong with Jingjing?"

"Yes. Her birthday is coming up soon, so I came here to buy her a birthday present."

"Oh. So you are too."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I had said the wrong thing. Kawasaki stared at my face.

"Are you here to buy a birthday present too?"

"I'm here to buy a gift, but not a birthday present."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

Kawasaki looked puzzled, as if he didn't understand what I was saying. That's understandable; any normal person would be confused. Anyway, I had to change the subject.

"What I'm here for isn't important. Have you bought Jingjing's gift yet?"

"I'm still wondering what to buy for her... Oh right! You're free anyway, right? Help me choose a gift for Jingjing."

"Why!"

I protested in a way that sounded like a rant. Kawasaki, however, seemed unwilling to give up.

"It's okay if you stay with me for a bit."

"No, Kawasaki, I understand what you're thinking. But the point of gift-giving isn't what you give, it's that the recipient is happy that 'you picked out this gift for her.' In that case, it would be better if you picked out the gift and bought it for her yourself."

I copied Komachi's words in an attempt to defuse the crisis, but Kawasaki gave me an extremely cold look.

"What the heck? Of course, the best gift is one that will make the recipient happy."

Right, I think so too. It's a very rare experience to be refuted twice on the same topic.

"And for some reason, Jingjing really likes you. So picking out a gift with you might make her even happier."

Although I was a little bothered by her saying "I don't know why" twice, I didn't have time for that now. I was here to buy things for myself, and I didn't have time to help Kawasaki pick out a gift for her sister. But if I told her the truth, she would know I was here to buy a Mother's Day gift... I think I should help her pick out something as soon as possible and say goodbye to her.

"Just stay by my side."

"Alright. Since you've begged me like this, I can't refuse."

Upon hearing me say that, Kawasaki made no attempt to hide his disgust.

"What?! I didn't ask you anything. You're just a seasoning so I can give Jingjing the best gift."

"How dare you say such a thing in front of me?"

"Because I was very reluctant to ask. It was all for Jingjing's sake."

This sentence shows Kawasaki's love for his sister. He really does love his sister, and also that annoying younger brother who's eyeing Komachi.

"Okay, okay. You really are a siscon."

"No, that's not it. Jingjing is... an existence equivalent to an angel."

"That's what you call a siscon. Your sister is indeed very cute, I admit. But that's because she has the advantage of being younger."

Kawasaki looked puzzled. I didn't say anything and sat down on the bench in front of me.

"True cuteness is only truly tested when those advantages are lost. It's about whether you can maintain your cuteness as you grow up—at least until you enter junior high school."

"Jingjing will definitely be very cute when she goes to junior high school."

If Yukinoshita were there, she would probably say, "So that's how you look at middle school students. It's disgusting, please don't come near me." However, she is Kawasaki, a hardcore siscon, and all she cares about is "Kyo-kyo is cute."

"Kawasaki, that's just a hypothetical situation. Of course you would say that, but it's not true."

"That's right, but that's for sure."

Nothing in this world is certain. Only—

I took my phone out of my pocket and showed Kawasaki a photo.

"Komachi, an angel who is still adorable even after growing up."

The phone screen showed Komachi, dressed in pajamas, lounging on the sofa at home.

"...What the hell?"

"Yes, that's right. It's written as 'younger sister' and pronounced as 'angel.' Conversely, it's written as 'angel' and pronounced as 'komachi.'"

"Something's upside down."

Kawasaki sighed deeply. Right, right? Seeing how adorable Komachi is, you can only kneel down and surrender, right? It seems Mito Kōmon also had a picture of Komachi in the ink box he took out, which is why the bad guy confessed. That sigh definitely didn't mean "What's this siscon thinking?"

"...Yes, Komachi—is that her name? She is indeed very cute."

Kawasaki was talking while scrolling through his phone.

"Right, right?"

"However, you've only ever seen angels."

"……What's the meaning?"

"It means you've never seen an archangel leading angels. How pathetic!"

"What are you talking about, Kawasaki? Archangels—"

Kawasaki interrupted me, showing me his phone screen. On the screen was Jingjing dressed as a fairy, smiling; she was probably acting.

"How about that? In front of such an adorable child, that is, in front of an archangel, can you still stand firm? No, you can't. That's the power of Archangel Jingjingye!"

She must have added the "Ye" to her name like Rafael and Michael because she is an angel (Note 16). I thought "Kyo-Kyo-Ye" sounded a bit strange, but Kawasaki's imposing manner wouldn't allow me to fuss over such a trivial matter.

"That way we'll know who the higher-ranking angels are."

Kawasaki was satisfied and was about to put his phone back in his bag when...

"A higher-ranking angel... Kawasaki, do you know him?"

"What?"

"There are also exoangels in the world who deliberately disguise themselves as angels to monitor whether the archangels are leading the angels in the wrong direction."

"An...angel?"

Kawasaki looked surprised, and I stood up and held my phone in front of her.

"That's right! It's Archangel Komachi Yoh's appearance again!"

That was Komachi dressed up for the New Year.

"This is justice! This adorable appearance will purify all the sins and punishments in the world!"

I looked smug. Hehehe. And so the World Sister War came to an end. I put my phone back in my pocket and reached for my bag on the bench, when a hand immediately landed on my shoulder and pulled me around with surprising force.

"Above the Archangels are the Lord Angels..."

"...Sorry, we have to close the store."

The clerk's words snapped Kawasaki and me back to reality. Looking at our watches, it was past 8 PM. I remembered arriving at this shopping center around 6 PM, and then immediately running into Kawasaki… Had we been arguing about my sister's cuteness for almost two hours?

"...You and I are both quite good at talking."

"Yes, I completely forgot about buying a gift."

Kawasaki felt a little guilty. But so did I. Driven by our love for our younger sister, we inadvertently entered a state where neither of us was willing to back down. In that sense, we were both enemies and allies. A mysterious friendship existed between us, a desire to immediately grasp her hand.

"Since we've already agreed, let's go buy you a gift another day."

"No need, I'd feel bad about it."

"It's okay, I've already agreed."

However, Kawasaki still refused. Well—though it's a little embarrassing, we've already developed a friendship through my sister, so it shouldn't be a problem to be honest with her, right?

"Also, I didn't tell you earlier, but I actually came here to buy a Mother's Day gift. But I don't know what to get. So I was wondering if you could help me pick out a gift for myself while you're buying one for my sister. That way we'll be even, right?"

"Is that so? Then it's decided."

She finally agreed. After discussing it, we decided to come to this shopping mall this weekend to get revenge.

"Seriously, why didn't you just tell me you were here to buy a Mother's Day gift?"

"Uh, I'm so shy."

There's nothing to be ashamed of when giving gifts to family members.

Kawasaki's words were so matter-of-fact that they resonated with me, making me feel a little itchy inside.

We arranged to meet at the central plaza of the North Wing of "LaLaportTOKYO-BAY" on the weekend. The time was 11:50 AM. I arrived a little early. The shopping center was very crowded and lively.

"Mom—that person's eyes are so scary."

"You shouldn't say things like that."

"It was a look filled with hatred."

"That's true, but you can't talk about people like that."

I hope the conversation behind me isn't about me. No, I'm about to cry.

As I was thinking, I checked my phone and received a message. It was a text message from Kawasaki.

"Where are you?"

I looked around and saw a ponytail-wearing girl who was also looking around.

"Found you. I'm coming right now, don't move."

I replied to the text message and walked towards Kawasaki. Kawasaki saw me on the way and gently raised his hand.

Kawasaki was wearing a simple combination of a gray hooded top and jeans, but I thought it suited her exceptionally well, perhaps because I know Kawasaki's personality.

Why are you staring at me?

No, I think this outfit suits you very well.

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Kawasaki glared at me. But she seemed a little shy, and her gaze wasn't as sharp as usual.