My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 760

"Oh, a road bike..."

What road? Does she think happiness lies in the mundane little things? [Note]... But with such a high cushion, could it lead to the path of To Love-Ru?

Note: This is from the song "ROAD" by the Japanese band "THE Tiger Dance Dragon". Road bikes are often abbreviated as "Road".

Despite my unease, I pressed down hard on the pedals and started riding.

It's not that I don't want to follow Zheben's advice and lower the seat, but I'm a guy! If I think even this little height is too high, I'll be a little hurt if people laugh at me and say, "Laughing my head off, your legs are so short!"

My male reserve spurred me to ride faster and faster.

The foot pressing the pedal and the hand gripping the handlebars increased their pressure. The muscles in my back, which I could feel slightly, tensed up.

A relaxed voice, devoid of any tension, came from behind.

"I often ride my road bike on weekends, but I'm afraid of it being stolen when I'm going to school or working."

I didn't ask her, but Zheben probably guessed what I was thinking from my muttering earlier, and casually continued.

Hmm, it seems that "Road" refers to road bikes.

I suspect that she wasn't riding her usual lady-style bicycle on the holiday, but rather a road bike for a leisurely ride.

...Ah—this guy seems to have that kind of interest.

A road bike and a DSLR camera are the standard equipment for a sassy, ​​subculture-influenced "bad girl." Her lunchbox while riding around is probably smoothies and oatmeal… My prejudice is really strong. I mean, oatmeal really does look like bird feed.

Come to think of it, I had absolutely no idea she had that kind of interest back in junior high. No, wait, if someone asked me how much I knew about discounts, I wouldn't be able to answer anything.

"...You have so many interests."

I turned around and looked behind me.

Zheben didn't touch my shoulder or back; she seemed to be supporting herself by gripping the back of the cushion. Her upper body leaned slightly in the direction I was looking, and she answered while looking into my eyes.

"Yeah—I don't participate in any clubs, so I have a lot of free time."

"So that's why you went to work?"

I remembered what had happened at that shop—a coffee shop very close to the Seaside Comprehensive High School—and turned back to face forward, busily pedaling.

"Yes, yes, yes. Besides making money, I wanted to meet friends from other schools. So I started hanging out in all sorts of places."

From Zheben's tone, one can vaguely sense his desire to enjoy high school life.

There are people who want to expand their network... It's really abnormal for a high school student to have such a strong desire to communicate with people from other schools.

Furthermore, they also want to interact with high schools and college students in other counties and cities, not just those in nearby high schools, which is really terrifying. If I had to pinpoint what's terrifying about it, it's absolutely terrifying.

Some people use backpacks from well-known private high schools or prestigious universities. These kinds of items seem to be more important than bags from unknown brands; for those people, their relationships with friends are essentially a "brand halo."

In terms of valuing appearance, having a sense of superiority, and being vain, they are no different from people who have a high opinion of themselves and love to use English business terms.

Does hanging out with someone like Yu Sheng really make you feel good about yourself...? His favorite words are "connections," "entanglements," and "mutual stimulation," huh...?

That's what I thought, but the next sentence didn't sound very happy; it sounded a bit dejected.

"So, I was also thinking, could we be friends...?"

The voice, tinged with a hint of self-deprecation, was not blown away by the oncoming wind and entered the ears clearly.

I turned my head and met Zheben's gaze. She, who had been staring blankly at the street scene, smiled at me, using this to hide her true feelings.

"...They don't seem to like me very much."

She touched her slightly curly hair to hide her shyness.

There's no need to guess who she's referring to. Just recall what happened at the coffee shop today, and the answer will be clear.

By constantly initiating conversations, interacting with the other person in a friendly manner, and striving to eliminate any barriers between us, I believe that this cost-effective approach to making friends is the right one.

For her, friends probably have a different meaning than the halo of brand names.

Besides, looking back, she used to strike up conversations with me even when I was in junior high. If she wanted to benefit from my friend's fame, she would never have come to chat with me.

...No, it could also be an attempt to create the image of "I'm even gentle to marginalized people," but at least seeing that hurt smile just now, I really can't say that.

"Well, it's probably because we're not familiar with each other."

I looked away from her sad expression and told her this.

If my social skills were better, I could easily fulfill her wish of "wanting a friend from another school." I feel a little guilty about it.

Perhaps my thoughts were reflected in my tone, for Orimoto let out a gentle sigh, looking completely dumbfounded.

"Is that so—?"

She spoke with a teasing tone, then suddenly leaned forward. Then, as if to whisper something, she murmured in my ear.

"I think the problem might actually lie with you."

The distance closed, a small hand placed on the shoulder.

I accidentally lost my balance, and the tires hit the curb. The car shook violently for a moment.

Zheben let out a soft scream, then rubbed his buttocks and glared fiercely at her.

"Ouch... What are you doing? That's hilarious."

"Sorry... uh, you don't find it funny at all... um, I'm sorry..."

Her words, contrary to her glaring gaze, made me reflexively apologize. Even though the accident was 100% my fault.

Who told me to be so scared...

The fact that their faces were so close for such a short time puts a considerable strain on their hearts.

The key point is that the phrase "loss" put a burden on my mind.

I readjusted my cycling posture and pedaled hard, but I was distracted, constantly trying to recall the meaning of that sentence.

Similar to the question I couldn't answer earlier, no matter how many times I tried, I still couldn't get the answer.

Nevertheless, I still chose to say the most likely answer.

"The reason is not due to any specific person, but simply because the jade rope caused everyone a lot of suffering, which led to them not having a very good impression of you."

"Ah—possibly! The situation was incredibly chaotic back then—!"

That joint Christmas event remains a vivid memory for both me and Zheben. It was a rather exhausting event in my life, and it seems Zheben felt the same way.

However, as the saying goes, once the wound heals, the pain is forgotten.

Sitting on the shelf, Zheben was probably reminiscing about the past, laughing heartily.

Um, if you swung your leg behind me and patted my back, I might lose my balance, it's dangerous...

I stepped on the pedals with increased caution to avoid hitting the curb like before. After a while, Zheben seemed to have laughed enough and let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, in an unexpectedly cheerful tone, he said:

"...But once you get used to it, the student council president is quite interesting, a good person, just a little bit... you know—"

"Appeared" or "emerged"—someone who adds "just a little bit like that" to the end of a sentence—

When someone uses a transitional tone, you can be sure they're not a good person...

If you're going to deliberately use a transitional tone, why not just deny it entirely from the start? For example, if someone said, "Hachiman is quite gentle, I like him a lot, but he's a bit... I can't get along with him," it would seem very strange, right? It really is strange.

"Hey, which road do you need to take to get to your house?"

"The one along the railway line."

I answered the unexpected question succinctly, then lightly poked my shoulder with my finger. Just that sent a shiver down my spine, and I almost bounced up.

I barely managed to restrain myself, turned my head slightly, and pointed to the next intersection.

"Then turn over there."

She said casually, pointing to the railway line and the road leading to my house.

I thought I would be forced to take her home, so I couldn't help but turn my head away.

"But your home isn't over there, is it?"

"Huh? How did you know where I live? That's hilarious."

Losing money seemed funny, but I couldn't laugh at all. The weather was freezing, yet my back was covered in cold sweat.

Oh no! I said something wrong, didn't I?! I desperately tried to hold back from yelling and stammered my way of trying to explain.

"Huh? Oh, I just heard it from someone... What do you call it, a coincidence? Oh well, these things always happen..."

"Huh—is there?"

Question marks kept popping up above Zheben's head. Oh no, if she keeps pressing me for answers, things will get really bad.

"Yes, yes, yes. Don't worry about such a small thing."

She listened, still deep in thought, and finally seemed to decide to swallow her questions, muttering, "Never mind."

Awesome! No wonder he's such a straightforward person! Just saying "it's nothing" or "it's a bother" to a straightforward girl is a clever way to change the subject! You should all try it!

I tried to get away with it, but one difficulty after another followed. To be honest, unexpected events are the norm in this world.

The loss-making company offered an unexpected suggestion.

"I can get back quickly by bicycle. I'll take you home."

"Uh, no need... and I'm the one riding..."

"It's okay, it's okay."

As he spoke, Zheben casually patted my back to urge me on.

I would respectfully decline such an offer to ride a bicycle to my house, but the conversation we just had has become a constraint, making it difficult for me to refuse.

If I were to deliver Zheben directly to his home, it would likely reignite the discussion about "how I know where Zheben lives."

This could lead to me being taken away by the police for violating the law...

We need to go home before we give ourselves away!

"Then I won't stand on ceremony..."

I turned and rode onto the road leading to the railway line.

...Ugh—I really want to kill my past self—

Thinking about it calmly, how can you describe it as disgusting that someone knows where I live when I've never told them? It's practically a crime, the kind that can't be pardoned...

Why do guys always find themselves searching for where the person they like lives?

Most junior high school students will time their club activities to end before going out to buy things, deliberately passing by the school, and if they're lucky, they can walk the other person home... That's right!

Elementary school students use dog walking as an excuse to loiter around the houses of people they like, pretending to bump into them! Hilarious! Absolutely!

Moreover, the other party sees through your evil intentions perfectly clearly, and privately calls you disgusting or stalks you! That's right!

...Is that right? Is it wrong? Yes, it is wrong—

× × ×

After crossing the intersection, I rode along the road for a while and arrived at my home.

I parked my bicycle at the door and carefully observed the exterior of my house.

"Oh—you live here—"

"Oh, well, as you can see..."

I got off the bicycle and handed the handlebars to Zheben. Zheben yelled and jumped off the shelf, straddling the seat. Her skirt rode up with a swift movement—oh dear, thank goodness it's dark here. If there were light, my eyes would have inadvertently followed it…

Actually, it was already quite dark. Although the winter solstice had passed, it would be a long time before the days became longer.

Night was falling, and I winked at Orimoto, signaling that it was time to call it a night. However, Orimoto remained seated on his bicycle, showing no sign of leaving.

Not only that, she also turned her head while still riding her bicycle and looked at my bicycle parked at the door.

"You ride your bicycle to school, right? Isn't it tiring to ride all the way to Soubu High School from here?"

"It's actually not so bad once you get used to it. There are no traffic lights on the road, so it's quite fast."

I answered this casual remark honestly. Zheben nodded in understanding.

"Ah—because there's a bike path. I often ride that path on weekends too."

As expected of a local resident, they have a deep understanding of the geography of this area.