My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 703

"I'm not very confident in my knife and fork skills. I've only ever used chopsticks."

"Chopsticks are meant to be used in pairs..."

I casually replied, and Yukino's expression became even more uneasy. No, no, no, the "chopstick" analogy was just me being unaccustomed to using a knife and fork.

"It's alright," I replied with a smile, then reached for the knife and fork.

To be honest, I don't have a deep understanding of table manners; I only have some hearsay knowledge.

However, I have some understanding of Yukinoshita.

Therefore, the answer is quite obvious.

I made up my mind, picked up the knife and fork on the outside, and then, without making a sound, gracefully put the cured meat into my mouth.

Hmm, it should be... quite delicious... To be honest, I was too nervous to taste it at all, but it should be very tasty.

As I was chewing the meat in my mouth, Yang Nai, who was also eating, glanced at me and suddenly laughed.

Seeing Haruno like this, Yukinoshita's mother said with a troubled expression:

"Oh dear, Haruno, that's very rude of you. You should start using the cutlery from the outside."

"Really? Oh no."

After being scolded by her mother, Haruno stuck out her tongue cutely and said humorously.

Haha, that was close. So that's how it was... Did this person guess I was going to imitate her and deliberately set a trap? Is it because your name is Yang Nai? (Note)

Note: This is a Japanese-style dry joke. "布下" and "阳乃" are pronounced the same.

However, what's even more terrifying than her is Yukinoshita's mother.

It's not scary that she's willing to put on an act to test me. No, that's quite scary too, but what's truly terrifying is that she makes absolutely no attempt to hide the fact that she's acting.

Yukinoshita's mother held her temples with her hand, squinted her big eyes, and looked me up and down several times as if appraising a price.

"Hachiman has studied table manners very well."

"I guess so..."

I have some understanding of Yukino Yukinoshita, and to the same extent, I also have some understanding of Yukinoshita's mother.

She wouldn't be satisfied with just raising a malicious table manners question. The fact that she went to such lengths suggests she has other motives.

I forced a dry laugh from my throat and added:

"There might be someone watching, just in case."

My mother stared at me intently, motionless, her icy gaze seeming to see right through me. But after a while, her vibrant lips slowly curved into an arc.

Yes, that's right.

Then, she opened her fan to cover her mouth, nodded quietly, and her eyes softened, as if she were smiling softly on the other side of the fan.

Suddenly, memories of my confrontation with her about the ball surfaced in my mind.

At that time, my conversation with this person was not of any real significance; it was mostly just diplomatic etiquette.

Her true intentions cannot be discerned by her words and actions alone. Only by perceiving the underlying motives can a dialogue truly take place.

Therefore, in the Yukinoshita family's way of explaining things, today's table manners performance should be seen as a piece of advice for me.

This is an implication that if I want to establish a connection with the Yukinoshita family, I must always maintain appropriate speech and behavior. It's also a warning: we will always be watching you, and we will frequently test you.

This is probably just the style of the Yukinoshita family.

It conveys meaning not through rambling words, but through genuine feelings, allowing people to understand.

So that's how it is. It's because of this person that her two daughters have become so twisted… Just as Yukinoshita said, it seems she really can't raise children well. Is her forte the study of emperors?

I sighed softly, exhausted, but my mother closed her fan with a satisfied look on her face and smiled happily.

"I didn't expect you to be so well-behaved. Your parents must have done a good job raising you."

"Haha, at least it's better than where you are."

I immediately retorted with a cheerful smile. I've fully grasped the Yukinoshita family's style. This time, I'll show you the Hikigaya family's style.

To deeply analyze someone's words and then feign ignorance with sarcasm—this is a family tradition I inherited from my father. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That's my motto!

Note: This references a famous line from the anime/manga series "Hanzawa Naoki".

I forced a silly smile, which caused Yukinoshita's mother to freeze up.

Suddenly, Haruno burst out laughing, her bare shoulders shaking uncontrollably. Yukino's mother glared at her coldly, and she momentarily stopped laughing, but couldn't help herself and burst out laughing again. This mother and daughter's personalities are truly something else…

I watched the scene nonchalantly, but the other daughter seemed quite unhappy. Yukino reached out and pinched my thigh. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" I looked to the side, and Yukino, her face dark, whispered:

"Can't you watch your words?"

She puffed out her cheeks, pursed her lips angrily, and lightly patted my thigh like an angry cat. Although it didn't hurt at all, the polite thing to do at that moment was to pretend it hurt and apologize.

"Sorry, I accidentally acted the same as usual. After all, I look a lot like you..."

I replied casually, gently removing Yukinoshita's hand. I've been incredibly itchy ever since...

So, Yukino snorted unhappily, slapped my hand, and immediately turned her head toward her mother.

"Um, Mom. Don't let his usual demeanor fool you. He can be quite serious when he's in a good mood, and he's very dedicated when he's working. Although he's pretty useless at other times, with a foul mouth and hands, and a mean personality and glaring eyes, he's not a bad person. I'm only saying this because I'm afraid you'll misunderstand him."

Then, Yukino hurriedly rattled off a bunch of things, trying to cover for my slip of the tongue. To others, it might not sound like she was trying to smooth things over, but I actually have many, many more flaws, and she didn't point them all out. Considering that, she could barely be considered to be trying to cover for me. Can she even be considered...?

Although her words were disorganized, it seemed that she still managed to convey her meaning.

Yukinoshita's mother watched with great interest as her daughter became increasingly excited, and suddenly smiled. A familiar warmth emanated from her expression.

"It's okay, it makes me feel more relaxed."

Seeing her gentle gaze, Yukinoshita breathed a sigh of relief.

I finally relaxed and could enjoy the free meal. I took a knife and cut open the duck, vegetables, and French sauce that was served.

At that moment, a voice sharper than a knife rang out.

"You really have guts..."

I could see a hint of joy in my mother's squinting eyes beneath the snow; behind the open fan should have been a smiling face, but her voice was chillingly cold.

I gave a dry laugh to brush it off, and frantically shoved the untasting French sauce and Pecorine into my mouth. This is bad! ☆note

Note: This is a reference to Pecorine's catchphrase from "Princess Connect!", as "French porridge (テリーヌ)" sounds similar to Pecorine (ぺコリーヌ).

× × ×

Cold appetizers, hot appetizers, pasta made with seasonal ingredients, top-quality fresh fish caught locally, and roasted Wagyu beef as the main course—the set menu proceeded smoothly.

It is said that red wine is best enjoyed with meat.

I glanced quietly ahead and saw a male sommelier walk over and pour red wine into Yukinoshita's mother's glass.

Glug glug, the surface of the highly transparent red liquid gradually rose, and under the candlelight on the dining table, it looked like a gem that had lost its shape.

"Excuse me, we're the only ones drinking."

"No, it's perfectly fine..."

She swirled her wine glass, looking at the clear trail left by the glass with a satisfied expression. Judging from her attire, she resembled a noblewoman from the distant Middle Ages.

For example, Elizabeth Bathory, the inspiration for the vampire legend.

Note: Elizabeth Bathory is rumored to have murdered over 650 young girls and bathed in their blood to maintain her youthful beauty.

Yukino Yukinoshita, standing beside her, seemed like a close relative, tilting her crimson wine glass. She didn't drink incessantly, but took her time to sip slowly; the wine must have been of good quality.

"Everyone in my family can drink a lot, but Yukino is a bit like her father, so she probably can't drink much."

Yang exhaled with satisfaction and glanced at Yukinoshita. She must have drunk quite a bit, but judging from her eyes and voice, she was still perfectly sober. Her boasting about her high alcohol tolerance was definitely not an exaggeration.

On the other side, Yukinoshita, who is said to have a low alcohol tolerance, wasn't drinking, but her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she pouted somewhat discontentedly, saying:

Do I look like my dad...?

But judging from her tone, it didn't seem to stem from disgust, but rather from a tantrum or shyness. I couldn't quite discern her exact feelings, but my sister seemed to understand immediately, and she said with a teasing laugh:

"Of course, for example, your troublesome personalities."

"You're about the same..."

Not only do you two look alike, mother and daughter, but you sisters also look alike... This is really troublesome... I subconsciously whispered out loud, and Yang Nai turned to me with a mischievous smile.

"You're about the same."

You're right. Indeed, all men are brothers. Since we're all brothers, it's normal to be alike. In other words, a troublesome personality is an original sin inherent in humankind, that is, "karma"... (note)

Note: "Karma" is a Buddhist term.

Just as I reached a state of profound understanding on my own, Yukinoshita's mother nodded with great interest and said:

"Indeed, Yukino is probably more like her father, for example, in her gentleness."

"Yes, is it..."

Hearing her mother's loving smile, the daughter hesitated and shyly lowered her gaze.

Ah ha, this reaction...it seems this person really likes her father. A severe case of sister complex plus father complex, truly a heavy burden of karma. Or perhaps she even has a bit of an Oedipus complex. It seems the Yukinoshita family is full of landmines.

However, I already knew about this, and besides, I love my own sister very much, so I have no right to judge others.

So-called complexes are simply love and hate; the deeper the feelings, the more distorted they become.

My family is all like this; my father must have it tough. I felt a pang of sympathy for him, whom I'd never even met. But since he'd married my mother, there must be something wrong with him...

I was thinking these very impolite things on my own, and I wondered if she had noticed, because my mother smiled at me. I unconsciously straightened my back, and she looked me over carefully.

"Does Hachiman look more like his father or his mother?"

"Hmm... if I had to say, I think I resemble my father more... only my hair texture is like my mother's."

The frustrating thing is that I inherited most of my traits, both internally and externally, from my eccentric father. Therefore, I don't look much like Komachi... The only connection between me and Komachi is the hair texture I inherited from my mother... I thought to myself as I fiddled with my hair.

Then, Yukinoshita began to examine the top of my head.

"Komachi's ahoge (cowlick) must have been inherited from her mother, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. By the way, please don't call me 'Mom' like that, it feels weird."

Feeling suddenly embarrassed, I touched my ahoge (cowlick) and looked away. However, Yukinoshita tilted her head and followed my swaying ahoge with a puzzled look.

"You mean Mother?"

"Yes, it feels so strange, I'm not used to it at all."

I know this is a respectful way of addressing my mother, but I still feel a little embarrassed.

Seeing my mom like that at home, calling her "Mother" feels really incongruous. In fact, I even sensed a kind of sophisticated sarcasm in her voice, like "Mother (laughs)".

...Moreover, although even I find this kind of thing disgusting, the way she calls my mom with such a subtle term of endearment makes me have strange thoughts and I can't calm down.

My face seemed to be filled with shame, and then Yukino noticed something, slightly opened her mouth, and suddenly turned her head to the other side.

"Is that so... Mother, I think it's quite good."

Hearing her soft muttering to herself, I pretended to comb my hair back and covered my face with my hands. Seriously! How embarrassing! Don't do that!

My wish, of course, had no effect. Through my fingers, I accidentally glimpsed warm smiles on the faces of the two people sitting opposite me.

As soon as our eyes met, Yukinoshita's mother smiled gently.

"Who is Komachi?"

"My sister. The best in the world."

Because I was very grateful to her for changing the subject, I answered quickly. Then, another person chimed in, saying:

"What a coincidence! I also have a sister who is number one in the world."

"Sister, shut up, it's so embarrassing."

Yukinoshita also chimed in to stop Haruno.

Only Mother remained calm, or rather, excessively calm. She opened her fan, covered her mouth, and quietly closed her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

"I see, so you're the eldest son."

"Yes, yes."

She didn't say anything more after that, and they remained silent for a while.