My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 758

Just then, I heard the sound of a bicycle bell.

Although it was in front of the station, the bell was still clearly audible at night. I thought to myself with a straight face, "What's all the noise about?" The bell rang again, and then rang several more times.

Ugh, so annoying—I looked over to tell the person to be quiet, but a familiar-looking person was waving at me.

"That's hilarious, you're ignoring me."

"...What's so funny?"

Kaori Orimoto rode her bicycle, slowly moving her feet towards me. She must have been off work and heading home; she saw me on her way and greeted me.

"Hachiman, are you going home?"

"Um."

I gave a brief reply, lightly patting the bicycle rack.

"Would you like to get in the car?"

"Uh, why get on a vehicle... it's a bicycle... and it's so cold..."

She turned her head away without changing her expression.

"Riding a bicycle will warm you up."

That was on the premise that I was the one riding the bike. You woman, how dare you say such a thing without even blushing or panting?

I was about to click my tongue at her, but someone else beat me to it.

I looked over with trepidation.

A 34-year-old male, single, seemingly a salaryman on his way home, glared at us with a fierce expression that seemed to say, "What are you doing, showing off like that? I'll kill you, you brat..." Ugh... being a corporate slave is terrifying...

Feeling threatened like that, they had no choice but to leave the group. Continuing to stand there chatting might cause trouble for the others…

I gave up struggling, left the bus stop, and walked to Orimoto's side. Orimoto patted his gloved hands and got off his bicycle.

Then they wanted to let me ride the bike.

"Then I'll have to trouble you—"

"No, I don't ride two cars."

Zheben looked very dissatisfied and made a "mmm-mmm" sound.

"Hmm... never mind. Let's go then—"

She had barely finished speaking when she pushed her bicycle forward with long strides, completely ignoring what I was saying.

Without looking back, he acted on his own, as if he had no doubt that I would follow.

Since she adopted this attitude, I had no choice but to obediently follow her.

This guy is so annoying...

She has a kind of self-proclaimed "carefree" subculture "bad girl" vibe... but being treated with that kind of carefree attitude isn't so bad, in fact, you might accidentally misunderstand and fall for her! Please don't do that, it'll kill someone.

This sense of distance is really bothersome. As I thought this, I quickened my pace, when suddenly Zheben clapped his hands together.

"Oh, right, you changed your phone number, didn't you?"

"Oh, oh—"

I inadvertently gave a vague answer that was neither clearly YES nor NO; if I had to say, it would be YES. YES. YES.

To clear up past relationships, you should start with digital connections like phone numbers. Besides, this isn't the first time I've changed my phone number. I don't use social media or messaging apps anymore, so even if I changed my phone, the only thing I'd carry over are my mobile games.

However, I usually don't need to settle accounts with them; they'll just cut off all contact with me on their own!

Sending an email saying "I've changed my email address" will summon the Level 6 monster card "Mailer Daemon Summon" as a tribute, using "a slight expectation for interpersonal relationships" as the tribute. [Note] That card is really too powerful; it should be banned.

Note: This is a parody of the Level 6 monster card "Daemon" from Yu-Gi-Oh!. "Daemon" and "Demon" are homophones.

Why did you suddenly bring up phones? I looked at Zheben's slightly curly hair as she walked half a step ahead of me. She probably didn't notice me looking at her, but she began to explain:

"After Christmas, everyone was talking about having a class reunion or having a meal together. I thought I'd mention it to you, but the email wouldn't send."

"Oh, really... uh, I wouldn't go even if you asked me out."

"I think so too—"

The sudden shift in topic about losses made me laugh for a while and feel satisfied.

However, on the way home, we didn't talk the whole time. We exchanged a couple of sentences every now and then, but the rest of the time we were silent.

Although it was supposed to be a conversation, my replies were mostly just "Oh," "Is that so," "Yeah," and "Really," which hardly qualify as a normal dialogue.

But they didn't seem to mind losing money, and the atmosphere was no different from when they were in junior high school.

While crossing the massive overpass spanning the highway, Oribon suddenly turned around.

"By the way, who are you dating?"

The tone of voice, almost mocking, and the facial expression gave off a sense of schadenfreude. I've been asked similar questions before, which led to an impatient tone slipping out.

"We're not dating..."

"Oh……"

I answered immediately, but Zheben seemed to lose interest in my answer and continued walking forward.

All that could be heard were the footsteps of two people, the spinning of bicycle wheels, and the sound of cars speeding past in the lane below.

The whispers of loss.

It was mixed in again.

"So, which one do you like?"

It's similar to the previous one, but it's an unexpected question.

This time, however, I couldn't answer immediately.

Unable to deny it immediately, only breath caught in the deep throat.

If this question was unexpected, my silence was perhaps even more surprising.

Zheben probably found it strange that she hadn't heard my reply, and turned around in confusion. However, her expression changed to that guilty smile that I had seen not long ago.

"...Okay, whatever."

How should I respond to that?

Actually, the questions that came before that are the ones I have to answer.

As a result, all I could give was a response like "Oh" or "Oh, right".

End 1 Yui's story Interlude

The room is filled with a subtle bergamot scent mixed with the familiar aroma of black tea.

I've been to her house so many times that I'm too lazy to count them; in fact, I can't even remember them all.

Therefore, my seat naturally became fixed. I sat on the edge of the fabric sofa, the most convenient spot to watch TV, and hugged the soft cushions.

"Sorry, the house is a mess. I'm only halfway through a big clean."

No, it won't happen.

I turned to look at her as she brewed black tea in the kitchen, gently shook my head, and told her not to take it to heart.

There's really no need to take it to heart, and I don't mind at all... To put it another way, it's not messy at all...

As I shook my head, I looked around... Was this really only halfway through the spring cleaning? ...Huh? Is there anything I can do to help?

Like my grandmother, I ran my finger across the low table, and there wasn't a speck of dust...

If I had to say anything, the only thing was that the books were piled up a bit messily. I glanced casually at the mountain of books; there were books that looked like novels, such as "The Gift of the Magi" and "A Christmas Carol," as well as dessert recipes. They were probably things she hadn't finished organizing for the Christmas event.

Only one of the books was locked.

She keeps a diary... that really suits her image.

At that moment, she came over carrying a tray with black tea and snacks.

She gently moved the items aside, placing the mug and plate on the low table.

He probably wanted to take a break before the big cleaning...

"Thanks."

I thanked her and picked up my mug.

It wasn't the formal tea set you'd find in a clubhouse, but rather a more homely mug. The first time I visited her, she used a very impressive tea set, which honestly made me feel quite awkward. But after a few visits, she gradually relaxed, which made me feel more comfortable.

She nodded in response and took a sip of tea from her mug.

Then he let out a breath and murmured:

"...So they were classmates."

Although she didn't say it explicitly, I immediately knew who she was referring to.

Because we've probably always cared about it.

"Oh, right. She kept trying to chat with us, it scared me a little..."

Even now, I occasionally hear him mention his memories of junior high school. However, Orimoto's attitude is somewhat different from what I remember, which is perhaps why I was startled.

Perhaps in Zheben's eyes, he is still a friend.

He seemed somewhat hesitant and distant, keeping his distance from the other person as if they were classmates he hadn't seen in a long time.

So, I was startled.

Because for him, his former classmates had this kind of distance.

Thinking of this, my heart felt like it was being squeezed, and my chest ached faintly.

So──

"...Hmm, I think I'm a little scared."

The same sentence came out almost as if he were talking to himself.

She nodded slightly in agreement.

"I was surprised too."

I was a little surprised she would say that, and I couldn't help but stare at her face. It was quite rare for her, always so calm, composed, and mature, to honestly express her feelings…

As I thought this, she, resting her chin on her hand, met my gaze and said with admiration:

"Because it's rare for someone to take the initiative to talk to Hachiman..."

"Your surprise seems to be for something different than mine..."

She chuckled softly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, as if to say, "Just kidding." Then, she looked down at the mug beside her, gazing at the water's surface. Her reflection in the water showed a changed expression; the smile had faded, and she looked somewhat lonely.

"...However, there are still people like that, they're just not common."

I couldn't tell what expression was on her lowered face, but her tone was younger than usual, which made me want to hug her tightly.

However, before I could move closer to her, she quickly looked up and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"Well, it's really strange... Isshiki is quite clingy to him too..."

"Ah... um. No, Iroha is a bit special..."

It's hard to understand what she's thinking... but it's easy to understand what's going on in her head. So, well, she's a bit special.

She pressed her temples, sighed as if she was getting impatient, but a faint smile remained on her lips.

"Hachiman is a bit special too..."

"That's right. Really."

I nodded vigorously.

That's absolutely right. Very accurate. Those two are both a bit odd, so it seems like they get along quite well.

"There's a feeling of 'birds of a feather flock together'?"

She gently touched her lips, lost in thought.

"More than just sharing the same taste, it's closer to mutual sympathy... no, more like mutual disdain for those in the same boat?"

"That's not an illness, is it...?"