My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 711

I really wanted to slap my forehead, but I couldn't just talk too casually and confuse the other person. Yuihama's gaze fell on her feet, but her tone was very serious.

"It's about Yukino, or rather... about us, so we wanted to talk about it between the two of us."

“I-I see…”

If it's about Yukinoshita, needless to say, it's indeed difficult to discuss with others present.

However, it just doesn't seem right for Yui and me to be alone together. It might be normal at school, but it looks different somewhere else. At least if I were watching from the sidelines, I'd definitely say, "Hey, hey, hey, that guy's going to die!"

Should I inform Yukinoshita first? But what stance should I take when saying something like, "I need to talk to Yuihama!"? It's just a sentence, but wouldn't it seem like I'm being overly self-conscious to say it?

No matter how I think about it, it gives me a "Who are you?" feeling, doesn't it? Isn't that disgusting? Thinking about it carefully, I really am a disgusting person... No one can despise themselves more than me.

I kept finding excuses in my mind, constantly worrying. Yui suddenly chuckled.

"...I've already spoken to Yukino, so it's fine."

His gaze seemed to see right through me; it was very mature and gentle, yet also held a hint of coldness.

Staring at me through those eyes that reflected the red of the setting sun, mixed with pink and light gray, my shoulders suddenly went limp.

"Ah, I see... I see...."

My answer was, in a way, quite foolish, and my voice carried a mix of relief, frustration, and shame.

So Yukino already knew... Then I guess I don't need to worry about it so much.

But if I could accept it so easily, I probably wouldn't have struggled with it for so long. My personality isn't so straightforward that I'd willingly let others make the judgment.

"...That being said, it doesn't mean I could have done it without informing her."

With a sigh, I said this as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. Ha—, my heart is so heavy… Thanks to this, my phone feels seven times heavier than before.

"Could you wait a moment?"

I took out my phone and started operating it, while Yui blinked and nodded with a hint of confusion.

"It's possible..."

"Feel sorry."

I offered a brief apology and slowly squatted down against the railing.

What should I send next...? Come to think of it, Yukinoshita and I haven't had any proper written communication yet, so even if I were to contact her now, it would probably just be some vague text message. Just thinking about what to send will probably take quite a while.

Why is it that even when I'm thinking about these meaningless conversations, my mind is filled with thoughts like, "Is it too short? Is it a bit hasty?" "She'll probably find it annoying if I tell her this..." "Asking this kind of question feels like asking for an answer, doesn't it feel disgusting?" "Anime-related emojis are probably annoying to people." "I feel uneasy sending funny emojis." As a result, I can't send them at all.

If the other person is a wood sign, you can send an emoji, a "grass" emoji, or simply not reply... I really want to text a wood sign...

Seeing me suddenly squat down and mutter "Ha~" under my breath, Yui Hama burst out laughing.

"Hmph"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

I cast a reproachful look at Yuihama, who couldn't help but laugh, but she just shook her head.

"It's nothing. It's just that they took it much more seriously than I expected, so I was a little surprised."

"Well... I wouldn't say I was serious."

He sighed self-deprecatingly.

If I were truly that serious, the atmosphere in the department wouldn't have turned out that way, and I wouldn't be racking my brains for excuses now. However, I can finally admit that I'm a person lacking sincerity and hypocritical.

Therefore, this kind of nonsensical communication is just self-satisfaction.

Even so, I would still impose this self-satisfaction on others. Although it's just wishful thinking, if it's possible, I think it's enough to just impose it on each other.

The problem lies in the approach.

I typed each word slowly, then deleted them, repeating this process countless times. My fingers probably swiped across the screen over two hundred times, but I still couldn't produce a coherent sentence.

Um... what should I post...?

Should I use a seasonal greeting? Or a standard business email phrase like "Thank you for your continued support"? No, no, we've known each other for so long, shouldn't I just say something more direct like "Thank you for your hard work"? Or maybe just a simple "Thank you for your hard work~"? That sounds like I'm saying, "What's this person's name again?"... Maybe I should try a different approach...

As I was still worrying about this and that, I buried my head in my hands, staring at the phone screen where the cursor had stopped moving. Then suddenly a shadow fell over it.

Looking up, I saw Yuihama standing next to me bending down to peek over, revealing a smile that seemed to be mocking me.

"What did you send to Yukino?"

"Hey? Don't peek!"

I turned away to hide my phone, and Yui Hama squatted down next to me at the same time.

"What's wrong with that? Hehehe, let me rate you."

Yuihama coughed, stroked his non-existent beard, and puffed out his chest. I put on a sour face and said with a crooked smile.

"No, no need, thank you."

Although I refused, Yuihama crossed her arms and started thinking about it.

"First of all, we should be able to have normal conversations on LINE, right? Just say something like, 'Speaking of which, we walked home together after school today~', wouldn't that be fine?"

"That was a report afterward, wasn't it..."

However, it now feels like a report after the fact, and the longer the time spent on word choice and sentence structure, the stronger this feeling becomes.

For the average office worker, the after-the-fact report is usually bad news. Just when you're thinking, "Why didn't they contact me?" and you're a little careless, you'll receive an email with a subject like "Discussions about payment terms," ​​or someone will tell you, "I bought Turkish lira bonds for my beloved CEO! They were super cheap!"

Reporting, communication, and negotiation notes should be prepared as early as possible.

Translator's note: A management model commonly found in Japanese companies.

In that case, let's follow Yuihama's advice and start by sending LINE messages normally...

"Ah, first of all, I don't even understand what 'normal' means in the context of sending LINE messages..."

My question sounded like a philosophical question, and Yuihama's answer also had a philosophical feel to it.

"Normal is... normal. You just say what you want to say or ask... whatever's on your mind, and then the conversation continues, that's the feeling?"

"Isn't this incredibly difficult...?"

Although she made it sound so simple, someone at my level would Google anything they want to know, not specifically ask someone else. Besides, with my personality, I can't even bring myself to say what I want to say… And I can't change the subject afterward either. What's the point of asking questions after I've asked? She keeps asking questions… is she an Akinator…?

Translator's note: Akinator is a program that asks questions to ultimately answer a pre-defined character.

I frowned, and Yuihama also looked a little troubled and furrowed her brow.

"No need to overcomplicate it. Look, just treat it like you're sending it to Komachi!"

Then she hummed in agreement, clenching her fists in front of her chest as if to encourage someone. While I appreciate your concern, unfortunately, my conversation with Komachi is completely unsuitable as a reference.

"When I texted Komachi, it was just things like 'I'm going home today' or 'Don't cook for me'... But even though it was Komachi who texted me, her replies were much longer."

"Ahhh~"

Yui let out a long sigh, a mixture of understanding and discouragement. I silently nodded in agreement.

"What about that? Business liaison? Small businesses aren't very good at that, are they?"

Yui clapped her hands sharply, raising her fingers. The invisible light bulb above her head lit up.

Translator's note: This refers to a common technique used in anime to depict the act of coming up with an idea.

"Hmm, I'm quite good at that... So, does that mean I don't have any other topics to talk about...?"

However, that statement isn't quite appropriate... Although he had a smug expression, he didn't seem to have any malicious intent whatsoever...

But my conversations have always been like this. Even now, I can only have a normal conversation with Yui because the situation is urgent and I have to deal with it as soon as possible. I can only use a problem that needs to be solved as a pretext to try to start a conversation. Thinking about it this way, Yui's point isn't entirely unfounded.

"Let me think about it for a moment..."

"Um"

Yui nodded vigorously, straightened her skirt, and squatted down. She didn't offer any suggestions, but simply hugged her knees and began swaying back and forth, gazing absently at the occasional passing car. It seemed she was willing to wait for me.

Although Yuihama probably couldn't see me, I still moved my chin and silently thanked her. Then I went back to staring at my phone.

If there's anything that Yukinoshita and I need to resolve right now, it's definitely the dinner with Yukinoshita's family yesterday. This matter couldn't be resolved in the usual way, but I've already considered it in my own way.

It was the operation involving the Dutch House pastry gift box. Its essence was to show sincerity and reiterate greetings.

However, suddenly bringing someone snacks as a gift is hardly wise; people who do this are usually missionaries, election campaigners, or opportunists. On the other hand, if you contact someone seriously beforehand and then visit them for such a reason, the recipient will likely be wary. In truth, I should have made thorough preparations, even to the point of being prepared for a full-blown battle.

Translator's note: "Tenchi Modou" is the special attack of the Great Demon King Barn in *Dragon Quest: The Great Adventure of Dahl*. The Japanese characters for "Tenchi Modou" and "preparation" both contain the character "构え" (goe).

Therefore, avoiding direct statements and expressing them more tactfully would probably reduce the burden. I'm mainly referring to the mental burden I'm experiencing.

That is to say, an implication.

After reaching the above conclusion, I typed a string of words on my phone. After such a long time, I finally completed a reasonably decent piece of text.

"I'm so sorry for contacting you so suddenly. Do your parents eat sweets? I mentioned this when I went back with Yui."

Perfect… I reread this passage carefully, and it was flawless. It subtly conveys the current situation to the recipient before they purchase the gift box.

Just as I was feeling satisfied, I soon heard a soft sound from beside me.

"Waaah!"

"Eh"

Although it was only two words, it was enough to discourage me, and I subconsciously looked up at her. However, our eyes did not meet. Yui looked coldly at my phone screen.

"How should I put it... it felt really disgusting."

"Eh"

"What's this called? It feels like a hastily made-up excuse, it's really a bit scary..."

"Eh"

I was wondering if things were getting a little awkward, but she seemed genuinely uncomfortable. She whispered an "I'm sorry," and it sounded like she meant it. She probably felt that even though she'd seen something she shouldn't have, pretending not to see it would only make things more embarrassing.

After being told that, I no longer wanted to send such things. Frustrated, I deleted the text, and my phone screen returned to its initial blank state.

Hmm, yeah... After being reminded, I realized that passage was indeed quite disgusting. It felt like trying to be clever.

I turned my neck a few times and realized that what I felt before was indeed disgusting. So, perhaps business communication methods are still simpler.

After reconsidering, I typed out an even simpler sentence.

"I need to talk to Yuigahama, so I'm going out with her for a bit."

After stripping away the disguise, all that's left is a simple sentence. And precisely because only clear facts remain, there are no lies or deceptions. I pressed the paper airplane symbol note without hesitation.

Translator's note: LINE's send button is shaped like a paper airplane.

The green dialog box displayed the message I had just received. Seeing that it had been sent, I breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the sky.

"What did they send?"

I turned my head and saw Yui hugging her knees, looking directly at me instead of at her phone screen.

"It's just... I need to talk to Yuigahama."

"Okay. Let's do it the way Little Enterprises does. Although I'm not sure either."

Yui nodded slightly and chuckled. Unlike before, her voice was warmer.

My style... I guess so.

I glanced at my phone screen again and read what I'd sent, but I didn't really feel like I had my own style. I feel like my writing style is becoming more verbose and full of unnecessary details.

In any case, perhaps I just don't get the hang of writing. Sometimes it's too simple, sometimes it's too complicated; in short, I just can't express my meaning accurately.

As I thought this, I kept my eyes glued to my phone screen. Finally, the words "Read Now" appeared next to the chat box.

"Oh"

He blurted it out without realizing it.

However, after waiting for another minute or two, the current time and the time the message was sent gradually became more and more different, but the screen remained unchanged.

Perhaps I should have added something after sending that message. I don't know if Yukinoshita will reply to this rather ambiguous statement.

Take Komachi and me as examples. For things that are unclear or don't need to be said, it's okay not to reply. Maybe Yukinoshita is that kind of person too.

If I were alone, I could wait for Yukinoshita's reply, but Yui is here too, and it wouldn't be good to keep her waiting. I looked at Yui, asking if it was time to leave.

However, Yuihama didn't seem to be in a hurry, simply sitting leisurely with her knees drawn up, gazing at the sky. I looked up too, and could see the fiery clouds drifting slowly by. In the distant eastern sky, twilight spread out like a thin layer of ink, and a white crescent moon floated up. There wasn't much else worth describing.

It seems that Yuihama is also waiting for Yukinoshita's reply.