My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 701

"LINE is definitely more convenient, isn't it?"

Looks like it's finally time for me to get on LINE... Can I finally unleash a barrage of emojis with Hikari and Aikatsu!? ...Why aren't the emojis for Sweet Dream Cat out yet...?

With a sense of tragic resolve, I asked casually.

"For short conversations or to notify someone, LINE is quite convenient..."

Yukinoshita put her hand to her mouth, thinking as she spoke, but suddenly stopped halfway through, revealing a serene smile.

"...But I quite enjoy taking the time to write emails and waiting for replies."

"……Yeah."

I found her answer really endearing. Her beauty—pure, intelligent, and straightforward—is perfectly suited to her, without being off-putting.

But I would be a little embarrassed if she knew I was thinking about these things, so I pretended to yawn.

"Then let's use them separately depending on the situation."

I gave a casual reply, and Yukinoshita nodded.

"How about we create an account first?"

"Okay, let's create it now."

It's definitely true that LINE is more convenient. Especially the emojis, they're incredibly convenient. When you don't know how to reply, just send a random emoji; it shows you've replied while simultaneously ending the conversation. Emojis are a wonderful thing…they're practically the very essence of a culture that breeds communication barriers…

As I created the account, I excitedly thought about what emojis I would add.

After I finished creating it, I showed the image to Yukino, and we immediately became friends through a QR code.

"Then try sending a message. For example, a picture of a cat."

"okay."

Ah, I get it now, so that's what this person was after. But I'd better not say it out loud. I randomly picked a picture of a snow house, pressed the paper airplane button, and immediately the message was marked as read.

Did it go through smoothly? I glanced to the side to check, only to find Ms. Yukinoshita happily staring at her phone screen. This person, so engrossed in the cat photos, didn't even notice me looking at her, did she?

So that's how it is. This is the famous "read but not replied" message.

Surprisingly, I didn't take it to heart at all, nor did I feel hurt. Perhaps it's because I've become accustomed to my words failing to reach others…

As I was thinking about these things, my phone suddenly beeped.

I looked at my phone and saw that Yukinoshita had sent me the photo from earlier, along with the message, "Thank you for the photo, Mr. Yukinoshita."

"Mr. Snow House... your respect is frightening... or rather, it's terrifying that it's excessive."

"Is it... strange? How should I address someone else's cat...? I'm not quite sure how to address someone else's cat respectfully."

Yukinoshita looked somewhat dejected, pouting her lips and appearing troubled.

"Why not just call me by my name... or by my nickname, Yuki-kun?"

Although I never call the snow house "Yuki-kun," my parents and Komachi call it that, so it's our family's official nickname. Since more people call it Yuki-kun, it would be better to just change the official name to Yuki-kun.

Just as I was pondering these things, it seems that the Snow Lord faction has gained another person...

"Yuki-kun... Yuki-kun..."

Yukinoshita looked at the photo of the snow house and kept murmuring it. Then, she smiled happily.

This isn't just Joyful, who loves cats the most; it's Monpetit, who loves cats the most... I feel like she'll start carrying around Churu with her sooner or later.

Note: Both Feast and Monpetit are cat food brands under the same company, but Monpetit is positioned as a higher-end brand. Chulu is the brand name for cat treats (i.e., cat sticks).

"By the way, why don't you just raise one..."

Since you like cats so much, why not just get one and live together...? I finally voiced the question that had been nagging at me. At that, Yukinoshita, who had been beaming with happiness, stopped smiling.

"It's not easy to raise a pet if I live alone. If possible, I'd like to start with a kitten, but kittens require a lot of care, which would mean I'd have to take leave from school..."

"Um... taking leave... isn't that a bit much...?"

"This is a matter of life and death for them! Aren't you taking raising cats too lightly? Can you even sing the whole 'Meow White Declaration'?"

Note: "Meow White Declaration" is an adaptation of Masashi Sada's famous song "Kanpaku Declaration," in which the lyrics change the husband's demands on his wife to the cat's demands on its owner.

"Such heavy love... No, your thoughts are remarkable, admirable... I can sing 'Meow White Declaration' too..."

She gave me a stern look and began to lecture me. Her earnest tone intimidated me, but what she said was not wrong in itself.

However, profound truths are meant to be spoken, not just heard.

Then I'll just let it go in one ear and out the other and change the subject!

"By the way, aren't you living with your family now? Then there's nothing to worry about."

Yukinoshita rubbed her temples as if suffering a headache, and sighed deeply. Then, in a voice filled with utmost solemnity and genuine emotion, she said:

"...Do you think those people can take good care of children?"

"So heavy... no, it's definitely very convincing."

I have a pretty good idea about this. The way Mom raises her cubs gives the impression of "a lion pushing its own cub into a deep valley to kill it," which must be terrifying for a feline. Let alone felines, even I, a human, am afraid. Do I really have to eat with those people after this?

Note: The correct proverb is "A lion will push his own son into a ravine."

Just as I was trembling with fear, Yukinoshita suddenly relaxed her shoulders and quietly looked into the distance.

"And... I'll probably be moving out again soon."

"Oh, that's true. We'll have to go to university then."

"Yes, that's certainly one reason..."

Huh? "That's true"? Are there any other reasons? — That's what I wanted to ask, but I couldn't bring myself to ask.

Because of the snow, her eyes were moist and she lowered her head.

Her long eyelashes drooped gently like flower petals wet with morning dew, and she gently bit her full, luscious lips, letting out a soft breath as if she were holding back tears.

Her profile looked ethereal and heartbreaking. At that moment, Yukinoshita wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her slender fingers, then covered her mouth with her hand and sniffed.

"Moving out would mean being separated from the cat, which would be incredibly sad... so it's impossible to keep it at home..."

“I-I see…”

This person, just imagining the scene of being separated from their beloved cat whom they hadn't even started raising yet, actually showed such a tragic expression... Even among the expressions I've seen so far, the level of sadness is definitely one of the top.

At this point, all I had to do was invite her to my house to see the cat, but that was just too embarrassing.

Furthermore, using the cat as an excuse to invite her to his home inexplicably gives off a scumbag vibe. Conversations like, "I have a cat. Want to see pictures?" "Wow, so cute!" "Right? Oh, why don't you come to my house to see the cat?" sound like those of a frivolous man with ulterior motives.

I hope that Yukino Yukinoshita will not be fooled by this kind of boring trick.

...No, I'm getting more and more worried about her. I made a firm vow to myself that since we'd already exchanged contact information, I'd send her cat photos regularly from now on.

DB Bonus: Senior 3, New Chapter 2, Part 5. Respectfully yours, from a restaurant filled with questions and silence.

The faint sound of a piano could be heard in the white-themed space.

The warm-toned lights illuminating the room were dim and hazy, which made the candlelight on the tables stand out even more.

After spending some time at Koumida, I was led by Yukinoshita to the location of today's gathering—a high-end Italian restaurant.

I glanced around and saw men in suits or jackets, and the female customers were also dressed rather formally. But it wasn't particularly glamorous; rather, it gave off an elegant vibe.

Tranquil and elegant.

As expected of a restaurant that claims to serve high-end Italian cuisine, just a sneak peek from the entrance gave me a sense of tranquility.

However, in contrast, my heart was far from at peace.

"I'm Yukinoshita, who made a reservation."

As I anxiously looked around, Yukino quickly finished processing my request. I don't know if it was because she frequented this place or because she was used to such upscale establishments, but the way she naturally struck up a conversation with the waiter seemed remarkably mature, a stark contrast to her earlier worried state about the cat.

Then, led by the waiter, we went to a four-person table in the innermost corner.

Seasonal flowers adorned the pure white tablecloth, and candlelight flickered quietly in the center of the table.

Two beautiful women sat under the dim light. One was a woman in a kimono with her long, black hair styled in an updo, and the other was a woman in a dress that boldly exposed her shoulders.

Needless to say, they were the guests at today's gathering: Yukinoshita's mother and Haruno.

Hello!

Yang waved and greeted us gently, as if beckoning us over. The greeting sounded quite eccentric and out of place in this elegant shop.

Normally, I would just think she's being silly again, but seeing her do something outrageous in this serious atmosphere makes me think she's very skilled and natural, which is unbelievable.

"You're here really early."

Yukinoshita glanced at her watch and said, and then Yukinoshita's mother opened her fan and chuckled softly.

"Yes, because I was so excited, I left home a little early."

She squinted, smilingly shifting her gaze from under the snow to me. Faced with such a meaningful smile, I could only return a faint, bitter one.

"I'm really looking forward to it too, since it's been a long time since I've had a meal with my family."

Yang Nai gently stroked her bare shoulder and blinked.

Um, there's an outsider here... But before I could even open my mouth to object, my mother and sister gave me a knowing smile. Just that was enough to make my stomach start to ache.

Even so, I forced a wry smile in response and sat down. To mention something trivial, because these kinds of restaurants usually have waiters to pull out chairs for you, it's easy to end up bowing and scraping.

So I can't help but bow and scrape in front of my mother! When I sat down, I nodded to her and bowed, and my mother snapped her fan shut and smiled gently.

"It's been so long since we last met, Mr. Qi Gu."

"Hello, it's been a long time..."

Actually, it hasn't been a month since we last met, so it doesn't feel like that long time has passed. But since she said it on purpose, she must have some intention.

I nodded, while glancing down slightly at my mother's expression, trying to find the answer. Then, sensing my gaze, my mother gave a meaningful smile.

"You must have been very busy lately, right? I'm so sorry to have called you over when you're so busy, because I've been wanting to have a good chat with you."

Her tone was calm, and her eyes were very gentle.

However, from the depths of her slightly narrowed eyes, I felt as if she were saying, "You little rascal, why have you rejected me so many times?" And rightly so! After all, ever since she first invited me, I've been trying to delay and avoid it!

My mother's presence was always very strong; no matter how she tried to hide it, I could feel the silent pressure emanating from her. Yukino, sitting next to me, looked worried, glancing at both my mother and me. Meanwhile, across from me, Haruno lowered her head, desperately trying to suppress a laugh. Hey, hey, hey, isn't this bystander going a bit too far?

But I've met my mother several times already, so I know how to get along with her. I straightened my posture, placed my hands on my knees, and gently lowered my head.

"Thank you for your concern. The new semester has just started and I've been quite busy, but things have finally settled down recently. Thank you so much for your hospitality today."

It's the uncontrollable factors of this season that have made me so busy, it's not my fault! But I did thank you properly! Such a statement of thanks, mixed with excuses, deliberately avoids mentioning what I was specifically busy with, is a true adult communication skill! It's a sophisticated technique that, by using some stiff sentence structures, can maintain a polite attitude while also implying to the other person that you don't want to talk about this anymore.

Of course, my mother must have seen through my shallow thinking. In fact, I would find it strange if she couldn't see through it.

Surprisingly, the mother covered her mouth with her fan and nodded.

"Really? Okay then, since you've made time for it today."

Her words were as if to say, "Since you intend to maintain such a polite attitude, I'll let you off the hook for today," so I nodded silently.

I glanced to the side and saw Yukinoshita patting her chest with a relieved expression.

Haha, don't worry. I'm best at these kinds of formulaic conversations and superficial greetings. Because they create the feeling of a real conversation just like that. So you can relax and relax.

I breathed a sigh of relief and exhaled from my tightly closed mouth. At that moment, Yang Nai, who was sitting opposite me, chuckled softly.

Then, as if emphasizing her ample bosom, she leaned forward and looked at me.

"Wow, the new semester is so busy! Is something wrong?"

Yang Nai grinned mischievously, feigning ignorance as she asked. "Yang Nai, you bastard!" I cursed her inwardly, but showed no sign of it on my face, replying with a forced smile.

"Yeah, there's a lot going on...like club activities and choosing a university...and also, class reunions, since it's the new semester."

Although I hadn't actually been working on choosing a university or having a class reunion, I just blurted it out as soon as it came to mind, while also repeating the magical phrase "new semester."

Haha! Now you can't argue with that, right? Because Japanese people have this kind of DNA: as soon as they hear words like "new semester," "before the final accounts," or "Obon (year-end rush)," they automatically assume the other person is very busy! Not only that, Japanese people also have the temperament of a corporate slave, so even when we hear seemingly impressive phrases like "rushing to finish before Golden Week," we can't help but reply, "Oh, I see... this is terrible... I'll figure something out as soon as the long weekend is over." Such a corporate slave, fire him! What do you take deadlines for?

Just as I was rambling on in my mind, Yang Nai seemed to know something and nodded.

"Really? Now that the new semester is over, you'll have more time, right?"

"ha?"

What is this person saying...? By the time I thought that, it was already too late. She had found my weakness from a very tricky angle.

Yang showed a happy smile, and then she threw the conversation to Yukinoshita.