My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 759

That's what I say, but I'm actually not very confident. They're both probably healthy... maybe a little bit off, but that's just in terms of their personalities... I guess. I just don't have much confidence.

She nodded in agreement with what I said, and then nodded vigorously again.

"They're birds of a feather..."

"A raccoon dog?"

"Refers to both badger and raccoon dog. It mainly refers to badger, but there are various interpretations depending on the era and region."

"Oh……"

I nodded, thinking, "What's a badger...?" It sounded like a bear [Note], but then she said it was a raccoon...

Note: The Japanese kanji for badger is "穴熊".

"On a side note, tanuki are really cute."

I voiced the thought that came to mind, and she frowned, her expression turning serious.

"Then using a tanuki as a metaphor wouldn't be appropriate... Isshiki is very cute, he is, um..."

"You're stammering way too much!"

She seemed to be attending a funeral, silently lowering her gaze, quietly shaking her head, then suddenly looking up with a very gentle smile, as if she were advising a child, and continued:

"Let's not talk about this. It's really not good to speak ill of someone when they're not around. Isn't that right?"

"Even if the person involved is present, it doesn't matter! Yukino and the autistic guy are both numb, so it's okay! Also, I didn't mean to speak ill of anyone!?"

If I could say bad things about people, I would have a lot to say too! But I kept those words to myself.

But she showed no sign of stopping. She clapped her hands, as if she had just remembered something. She raised her finger and confidently revealed a smug smile.

"Ah, how about 'accomplice'?"

"Treat them like criminals!?... But, it feels somewhat fitting."

I can easily picture him, complaining but still somewhat amused at being played, and her, all smiles.

(Illustration 008)

Strangely, the scene didn't create any sense of freshness whatsoever. Extremely negative words perfectly suited those two people.

As I groaned, she brushed aside her long, black hair that hung over her shoulders and straightened her chest.

"Right?"

Seeing how smug she was, I couldn't help but chuckle.

When she talks about him, she's always full of energy, or maybe mischievous, or just plain happy—in short, incredibly adorable. She's already pretty and cute, but she's at her cutest when she talks about him.

Although she herself probably had no idea... I had just thought that when, sure enough, she was completely oblivious, arms crossed, muttering to herself as if she were detached from the situation:

"He might be easily liked by someone who's a bit eccentric."

"Yes, that's definitely right."

I nodded vigorously, almost instinctively.

Because there's someone right in front of me who perfectly fits the description... I've decided not to say that. She'd probably throw a tantrum if she did...

And... and I think I'm a little strange too.

It's strange that we can talk about him so normally.

I don't find it offensive at all.

Not only that, but I was actually quite happy to be able to talk to her about these things, so I was indeed a little surprised.

Me, her, and him—we're all so strange.

If only there were words that could accurately describe our relationship, but I have no clue right now, so I can only describe it as strange.

I wonder how long this strange relationship can last.

But just as Christmas will end, just as this year will end, just as high school life will end, one day, it will all come to an end.

It's painful to think about ending it as just a classmate relationship and letting it become a thing of the past.

Therefore, I will do my best.

For us, who are willing to give up in certain areas, maintaining the status quo is definitely not enough. Therefore, even if it's just a little bit, we should gradually shorten the distance.

It's okay if the reasons like school, club, and job no longer exist.

Okay, that's decided. My goals for next year are set. I'll write them down in my diary so I don't forget. Although I always give up halfway, I'll try harder starting next year.

Therefore, the first step is to—

"Oh, that's right."

I patted her on the shoulder, and she tilted her head in confusion, asking me gently with her big eyes, "What's wrong?"

I stood up slightly, slid down on the sofa, and leaned against her.

"What are your plans for visiting shrines during the New Year?"

End 1 Yui's story 4 Whether in the past or now, Orimoto Kaori has not changed.

From dusk to night, the wind direction turned into a headwind.

Even after crossing the land bridge built over the riverside highway, we didn't stop.

So, which one do you like?

After she asked that question, we didn't exchange any words and walked silently along the familiar road we had traveled countless times.

She ended the conversation with just "Whatever," was it because she really wasn't interested? Or was it a thoughtful gesture? Or perhaps she pitied me because my expression when I was asked was so awkward.

In any case, I missed my chance to answer that question. I doubt she and I will ever talk about it again.

Besides, regardless of who asks the question, I don't think my answer will change. No one has ever asked me that question before.

Only the monster inside would occasionally ask questions in a soft voice. Human speech was one thing, but the monster's voice was utterly unworthy of attention.

To repeatedly ponder questions that no one asks, and then deliberately put them into words, is a serious misunderstanding. Even calling it self-pity sounds too good to be true; such a person is utterly disgusting.

Therefore, I can never arrive at an answer. Because an answer derived from a state where the question is invalid is bound to be wrong.

If I were asked by someone else in another place or at another time, I would not be able to give an answer that still does not exist.

Presumably, they would only use ambiguous words, incoherent voices, and with a neither smiling nor angry expression, uttering meaningless sounds like "oh" or "uh".

The opportunity to answer has been permanently lost; the answer that should have been given never existed in the first place.

So I shut my mouth and let the cold wind blow on my stiff cheeks.

Even so, their feet still seemed to be fleeing as they headed back to where they were supposed to be.

The sound of bicycle wheels turning, mixed with the sound of the wind, came from beside me.

I glanced sideways and saw the headlights of a car in the opposite lane illuminating her face.

Kaori Orimoto squinted at the light, watching the passing cars with impatience, as if she wanted to click her tongue.

This is probably the first time I've ever seen Zheben, who is usually very straightforward, show that kind of expression.

This guy is really straightforward. So straightforward that he'll yell "Heave-ho! Heave-ho!" while chopping down a tree. That's just... [Note]

Note: This is a parody of the lyrics of "Yozaku" by Japanese enka singer Saburo Kitajima: "Yozaku is cutting down trees, heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho, heave-ho."

That being said, I could never know Orimoto Kaori's true personality. My relationship with Orimoto is not very close.

We were just classmates in junior high school.

It's just that if we hadn't bumped into each other just now, we definitely would never have met again in our lives.

Perhaps we'll meet again at our coming-of-age ceremony in three years or at our class reunion in over a decade. However, the chances of me attending such an event are extremely slim, so it's highly unlikely I'll ever have that opportunity.

Even if we happened to meet somewhere, we wouldn't walk side by side like this.

Why did it develop into this situation? I don't know.

Accident, coincidence, the cruel joke of fate...

However, no matter how the wheels of fate turn, if the object of her affections hadn't been a straightforward girl like Zheben who would easily get close to people, things wouldn't have turned out this way.

Because my middle school classmates usually don't talk to me when they see me! I mean, I'm someone who confessed to you before, shouldn't you at least hesitate a little...? What's wrong with this guy? He's really not normal...

I was a little scared and stared intently at Zheben's profile.

Zheben seemed to notice my impolite gaze, and pushed his bicycle towards me, frowning to show his discomfort.

"What?"

"Oh, no, it's nothing... I just felt bad making you walk with me."

The shame of accidentally staring at her made me give a reason that sounded like an excuse. She stopped, looked at the handle in her hand, then at me, and burst out laughing.

"It's hilarious to hear you say something like that. Is that really your image?"

She covered her mouth and chuckled as she spoke. I returned her a smile tinged with sadness.

As Zheben said, the statement that sounds like he's thinking of others but is actually trying to cover up his shame doesn't quite fit my image.

I don't think losing money is enough to understand my personality, but what I just said was a bit unnatural and it definitely made people think it was strange.

At least during my junior high school years, I would never have said such a thing.

I probably won't do superficial things, I won't smooth things over, I won't try to cover anything up, I'll just remain silent.

Of course, I only remain silent because I can't think of anything to say, but I'm probably internally speculating on some mysterious theory like, "I'm so cool when I'm silent, and those chattering people are so lame."

However, I still haven't broken the habit of holding mental debate competitions, and I still can't speak when faced with unexpected situations.

"How about we ride bicycles instead?"

Zheben intended to let me ride the bicycle, as if to fill the silence.

"No, I don't want to..."

"But it's very cold!"

"What does this have to do with that...?"

Zheben clenched his fist in front of his chest and revealed a smug smile.

"I told you, riding a bike will warm you up."

"I'm the only one feeling warm... What? Is this a sign of gentleness?"

However, my rambling will always be quieter in the face of losses.

Of course, he didn't hear the call for a refund. He stopped the car temporarily and shouted as he sat down on the storage shelf.

Then pat the cushion to indicate that you are ready.

She stretched out her long, slender legs, one hand gripping the handle, her posture a little unsteady.

I said, that pose really makes people very self-conscious about what's under their skirts, please don't do that. It makes you want to peek down to see if there are any Pokémon underneath.

Although it wasn't exactly unexpected, Zheben's leg muscles were firm, and the beautiful legs peeking out from under her skirt almost drew my attention; I barely managed to look away. I didn't even glance at her shapely calves. This time, it wasn't a lie.

If you don't look at the storage rack or the seat, your eyes will inevitably fall on the handlebars.

Turn the faucet at a loss and hand the handle to me.

I stood there, staring at the handle.

Not long after, the wind blowing on me brought a chill, and I finally made up my mind.

Sigh. Part of it was because I felt bad making her walk such a long way with me in the cold winter at night.

"That……"

I said briefly, took the handlebars, and got on the bicycle.

I noticed something strange on the soles of my feet.

The seat cushion is so high...

Because I was pushing the bike earlier, I didn't pay attention to the overall shape of the bicycle. After actually sitting on it, I found that the seat was higher than the lady bike I usually ride, which made me feel uneasy.

Wow, this kid has such long legs... Is she a model taking photoshoots?

I glanced at her, turned slightly to the side, and Zheben, who had distanced himself from me, clapped his hands together, as if he had discovered something.

"Ah—sorry. Because I'm used to riding road bikes, I've adjusted the seat of this bike too high. If it's difficult to ride, you can adjust it lower."