My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

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What message should I send...?

As before, we encountered setbacks right from the start.

Having struggled with a similar issue not long ago, I can't help but feel that I haven't made any progress at all.

However, this is a completely different situation compared to a few days ago. Even building on the previous reflection does not mean that the same thing can be done.

In the end, each time, all that remains is the repeated process of falling down and suffering.

In short, nothing can begin without taking action. I groaned and tentatively started typing seasonal greetings, deleting and rewriting... and so on, but I still couldn't fill the spaces.

While I was making changes, Komachi, now dressed in her loungewear, returned to the living room. Kamakura followed behind, meowing softly. Similar to how Kamakura's body hair changed from downy to short, Komachi's indoor attire also changed from a sweatshirt to a more revealing T-shirt dress and shorts set.

Komachi went around to the kitchen, humming a tune as she turned on the electric kettle. While waiting for the water to boil, she shoved cat food into Kamakura's food bowl and poured instant coffee powder into a mug.

At that moment, the water sizzled and boiled, and the rich aroma of coffee filled the air.

Komachi, carrying a mug in both hands, came to the sofa where I was lying down and slowly squeezed her buttocks over, almost forcefully sitting down next to me.

"Hey, you're taking up a spot. Move aside."

"Um--"

My gaze remained fixed on my phone. After giving her a curt reply, I shuffled up and sat up, reaching for the mug on the table.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Well, anyway, this is the end of it. Let's take a break... The fact that I haven't written a single word can also be considered an end to this.

As I blew on the freshly brewed coffee to cool it down, I took small sips, and Komachi, doing the same thing, looked up.

"Did you invite them properly?"

"Invite what?"

Although I was caught off guard by the question, I tried my best to play dumb. However, I overdid it, and my sentence, with its vague subject, object, and verb, couldn't be considered an answer at all. Komachi, with a serious expression, kept waving her hands and denying it.

"No, no, you can't fool me like that. Weren't you waving around those promotional brochures all day? Only an eel restaurant owner would do that."

"It's not that bad..."

"That's exactly the kind of intimidating behavior you'd expect people to ask you, 'What's wrong?'"

Komachi pointed a finger at me casually. Hmm—I couldn't argue… because I was struggling with how to bring up the topic, I did wonder if anyone had come up to me with questions, which is true. If Isshiki hadn't touched on my little secret, I would have just kept fanning myself like that, and probably become a steam room master.

"Perhaps my feigned ignorance is quite considerate..."

"Yes, but Komachi, who understands this in her heart but remains silent, might be a heartless person..."

Komachi, looking troubled, muttered something under her breath, and I responded with a sarcastic remark using a similar phrase. However, Komachi simply narrowed her eyes, smiled calmly, and shook her head. It was a simple smile, like that of a sage monk.

"It's precisely because I know this in my heart that I deliberately don't ask; this is also a form of thoughtfulness."

"They probably just don't ask because they find it too troublesome..."

"Hehe☆"

Komachi covered her forehead with her hand, smiling shyly as her little scheme was exposed. This cuteness was infuriating…

However, it's not good for me to complain after causing others worry. I can't always rely on Komachi and Isshiki. The only people in the world I can unconditionally rely on are teachers like Google.

I sipped my coffee resentfully and turned back to my phone.

Then, enter keywords like "LINE," "dating," and "invitation method" into the search bar, and you'll immediately be in Google's lap.

Following the content of the article that appeared, I started typing away.

"How are you doing? Still no friends like before? w It might be a bit abrupt, but I haven't made plans to go to Disneyland yet. I originally wanted to go with my friends, but they canceled their reservation at the last minute w I'm definitely going to kill them afterwards w By the way, I think you should be free, how about we go together tomorrow? If you're not going, I'll go alone... w"

Typing complete, phew—, well written… I let out a long breath. Komachi curiously leaned closer to take a look. After a quick read, I restrainedly clapped.

"Oh~ it's so stiff~ like locking a wallet."

Komachi chuckled lightly for a while, then suddenly stopped laughing and slapped my shoulder hard.

"Then, write it carefully."

"oh oh……"

No, I didn't actually intend to send that message... It's embarrassing to come up with something I really wanted to send in front of my sister, so I just teased her on purpose. Thanks to her, I was able to put down the energy I was wasting on putting on airs and feel like I was back in a neutral state.

"Well then, I'm going back to my room."

"Um."

I stood up with a shout, and Komachi nodded and waved to me gently. She watched me leave the living room with a look that carried a hint of maturity.

So, what should I post...?

I'm still not good at dealing with these kinds of things.

However, I'll get better at it in the future.

Because no matter how many times in the future, perhaps even for a lifetime, it will have to be sent out.

DB Bonus: High School Grade 3 New Chapter 6 Interlude

Perhaps I should be the one to say it.

I lay on my side on the bed, staring at the round light on the ceiling, reflecting on what I've done countless times before.

However, even if we look back and learn from it, no matter how much time has passed, we cannot correct it.

Before I knew it, I was waiting for him to speak.

This is one of my bad habits.

There should be many opportunities for me to bring it up.

Bringing up the topic of hiking in the activity room, on the way home that day, or sitting close together on the tram. Even if it's the next day or the third day, it shouldn't matter. Or, sending a lighthearted message, saying... "If only I had done that."

There are no physical obstacles. It's something that can be done immediately, right now.

I rolled over, lay face down on the bed, and reached for my phone beside my pillow. I tapped the messaging app icon and opened the chat window.

Just say it casually. Ask him what he plans to do tomorrow. That's all you need to convey. If possible, I'd be even happier if the conversation could last a little longer…

No, no. This idea won't do. I shook my head slightly, banishing the thoughts that had inadvertently crossed my mind.

First, you need to send him a message. If you're careless, you might carefully craft an extremely long text, only to find yourself regaining your sense of self midway through writing, and then getting caught in a vortex of writing and deleting.

In short, only convey important information.

...It is precisely because this is difficult to do that it has been delayed until now.

Besides, talking only about serious matters is a bit boring... or rather, I feel a bit lonely.

Adding a brief pause before getting to the main point would allow the other person to respond smoothly. Having an opportunity to exchange messages, along with an invitation, would allow him to move on without much concern. So, things that might pique his interest... like book reviews, exam topics, or even cat-related topics. However, this might make him wonder why I suddenly sent this kind of content. Perhaps I should weave in a pause without making him feel strange... And so, I've fallen back into my usual pattern.

Hadi sighed deeply and buried his face in the pillow.

It must be conveyed to him in a more convenient way.

Effortlessly, casually...

Despite repeating it to myself several times, my mood grew heavier with each repetition.

I can't bring myself to be carefree.

My heavy heart grew heavier and heavier with each passing day.

At this point, there is absolutely no way I can feel at ease.

Therefore, no matter how much text I type or how many sentences I string together, I eventually have no choice but to keep deleting them.

Then I looked at the blank input field again, swiped up, and swiped left.

Try writing down just two words.

Next to the two words that would never be sent, the cursor blinked like a beating heart.

From other people's perspective, I'm wasting my time. I just toss and turn in bed, staring at my phone in silence.

After dinner, I sat on the sofa in the living room, still holding my phone. I rested my chin on the soft cushion I was hugging to my chest, lost in thought about solutions.

The constant sound of the television, the woman across the street leisurely sipping her wine, and even the question of why she was here—all faded from my mind. ...Really, how could she be here? I even vacated the main apartment; lately she's been finding some excuse to return to her hometown.

I know that being curious about this means I've already lost, but I also feel like I've lost if I lock myself in my room because I'm worried about my sister. I wish I could go back to my room sooner... But getting up in this situation feels like running away, which is really frustrating.

As a result, I occupied one side of the sofa, keeping an eye on my phone while occasionally glancing over to check on my sister.

My sister neither initiated a conversation nor paid any particular attention to us; she was simply swirling the wine in her glass in circles. Suddenly, my gaze was drawn to the golden-pink liquid quietly bubbling inside the thin glass, and to my sister's nails, which perfectly complemented the color.

It looks cute, yet it possesses a sense of transparency and a mature charm.

I think it suits my older sister very well. To be more precise, I think it complements her appearance perfectly. As for whether it suits her personality, that remains to be seen.

Just as I was thinking this, the phone I was holding suddenly vibrated.

In a panic, I turned on the screen and saw this straightforward sentence in the chat app.

"Can we go shopping together tomorrow?"

Just seeing this string of words, I even felt as if I could hear his voice. It was his way of speaking, from pondering and groaning to hesitatingly opening his mouth, and the way he spoke that was interspersed with sighs and whispers.

Therefore, before replying to the message, I nodded without thinking. I almost made a sound.

I suppressed my impatience and tried my best to appear calm, but replied hastily. As a result, my reply sounded subtly stiff and affected.

"OK"

Rereading those two words, I couldn't help but get the feeling that he was still angry. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would seem strange not to add something, but he replied before I typed anything.

"OK"

His reply was only two words.

Although their conversation didn't match at all, those two words perfectly captured his voice. The image of him holding his breath in confusion, then scratching his head with an "Ah!" and nodding like a chick pecking at rice flashed through my mind. I could even picture him adding an unnecessary "No, don't just say 'okay'," a slight joke to fill the gap in their conversation. And then, within seconds, the messages I expected appeared one after another.

"What time are you free?" "Let's meet then." "I'm free anyway."

His style was to pause briefly in the original conversation before launching into a continuous stream of words. I could even feel his breathing, and a smile involuntarily crept onto my face.

"Any time is fine. Early is also okay."

Although I feel a little bad for my classmates, I have to leave the group midway through the trip. Although this is a hiking trip meant to strengthen our relationships, they should understand since my class has remained unchanged for the past three years.

…But how can I smoothly explain this to them? I don't want to tell them I'm going to hang out with friends. However, saying I'm with classmates from the same club would be too roundabout. While I could use a more direct approach, I feel I can't do it when I'm fully conscious. I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

Without realizing it, I placed my hand on my chin, lost in thought, only then noticing that his reply had abruptly ended. A while had passed since the "read" indicator appeared.

I checked the time; it's still early if I want to sleep. Could it be because there's a difficult question to answer, or because I asked a troublesome question?

I felt uneasy and looked back at the content I had sent. I felt that this part was flawed, as it could be any time.

He'll probably think he's been dumped on him...

A similar thing happened when we went out together before. When we were planning to go to a coffee shop to kill time, I entrusted him with the task of choosing the shop. Perhaps he's currently having some nonsensical worry like, "Is he testing me...?"

"The afternoon or evening would be good. Shall we meet up after lunch?"

"Yes. How about 15 PM?"

After I presented a somewhat concrete solution, he responded immediately. Perhaps he'd been staring at the screen in deep thought. His eyes, already clouded like a dead fish's, would have looked even more stagnant with that furrowed brow and hesitation. I pictured him in my mind with amusement, and a smile suddenly crept onto my face.

Although I wanted to immediately reply with "It would have been fine even earlier" and typed that out, I quickly deleted it.

This is practically saying I desperately want to meet you. At least in words, I need to be a little more composed.

I felt my face suddenly become hot. Without thinking, I buried my face in the cushion.

She quietly exhaled and raised her head, only to find her sister staring intently in her direction. Their eyes met.

"W-what...?"

I mumbled something, and my sister gave me a wicked smile.

"Are you chatting with Hachiman? How's it going? How's it going? Let me see."

She said this as she sat down next to me. Then, she pressed her unfair weight onto my shoulder little by little and looked at my phone screen.

"If my sister sees this, I'll smash the screen."

I quickly hid my phone behind my back, but she wasn't someone who would be easily dismissed. My sister put her arm around my shoulder.

"What does it matter? I'm quite interested to see what kind of message Hachiman will send."