My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 761

The route to Sobu High School, where I attend, has a long bike path along the river. There are no cars on it, so you can ride your bicycle safely and comfortably.

Riding downstream along the river leads to the sea, while riding upstream leads to Inban Marsh, and continuing on should take you to the Sakura City area. Because it's currently very popular, I often see people riding road bikes these days.

I guess Orimoto will go cycling there this weekend too.

Thinking of this, she clapped her hands.

"Why don't you just buy a road bike?"

"No, I won't buy it...it's too expensive...and you were the one who told me it would get stolen...who would dare ride it to school..."

"real."

She covered her mouth and giggled as she spoke, it was unclear what was so funny.

The residential area was quiet at night, but her soft laughter somehow invigorated everyone.

This intimate atmosphere, like chatting on the evening of a graduation trip or in a park late at night, makes it easy to chuckle even when discussing mundane topics.

After I entered high school, I saw similar scenes in various places in my city.

From dusk till night, high school students who were originally from the same junior high school, dressed in different uniforms, rode their bicycles in front of convenience stores or other people's houses, casually reporting on their recent situation or reminiscing about the past.

Occasionally, you'll see that kind of scene in April or May.

From an outsider's perspective, there were people full of expectations for their new lives, as well as those who couldn't integrate smoothly and were reminiscing about the past; it was like a small class reunion.

Perhaps it's the saccharine memory or curiosity that makes some people seem like mere classmates, rather than members of the same group or friends.

They're probably just chatting about things like, "Introduce me to your friends~" or "Let's have a social event later~" What the hell? Get the hell out of here and go home.

Those must be the so-called new life magic, because it can only work during the period when one is just entering high school.

Whenever I see that scene, I pedal harder and ride home via another route.

However, I never expected that the same thing would happen to me, almost two years later.

Will other classmates start popping up one after another? I'm a little scared. Zheben is good at socializing; she'll even strike up a conversation with me, but the others are different.

I don't mind if they don't talk to me, but sometimes there are kind people who are especially thoughtful and ask me, "How have you been lately?"

That's terrible!

Even if someone initiates a conversation, I definitely won't be able to respond properly. The silence will dominate the scene, all smiles will vanish, birds will forget to sing, and darkness will descend... Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit.

Simply put, no, to be precise, I presume.

What happens next is that the person who was willing to chat with me gets scolded for "Why did you talk to that guy...it'll make the atmosphere awkward!"

Just thinking about it makes my heart ache!

In that case, it's safest to be a Ksitigarbha. Forget about offerings; you might even get a straw hat because you look too much like Ksitigarbha.

I imagined the unpleasant scenario and chatted with Zheben for a few minutes.

Then I sensed someone watching us from afar.

Is it a classmate from junior high? I turned my head nervously. The other person also approached with trepidation.

With each step she took, the tuft of hair on her head swayed. I couldn't possibly mistake that distinctive strand of hair; it belonged to my sister.

"...It's Komachi."

I called out softly, and the other person responded, walking over with their tuft of hair sticking up.

"Ah, what's this? It really is my older brother..."

The streetlights illuminated our shadows. Komachi placed her hand on her flat chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, these breasts were undoubtedly Komachi's. What a disgusting way to tell.

Upon seeing Komachi, Orimoto exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh! It's your sister... right?"

She probably lacked confidence and turned to look at me.

"yes……"

"I knew it, you two look so familiar. I mean, you two don't look alike at all, it's hilarious."

Mind your own business... What's with the laughter?... Oh well, Komachi doesn't look like me, and she's cute, which is something to be happy about. I won't hold it against her!

Komachi stood next to me, bowing repeatedly like an office worker.

"Ah, hello, hello! I'm so grateful for your care all this time!"

"No—that's why I'm saying this—"

He casually responded to the loss.

Although Komachi was smiling, she didn't seem inclined to start a conversation and stayed close to me the whole time.

I am puzzled.

Normally, even if the person she's talking to is a woman older than herself, Komachi would boldly chat with her about anything and everything, but today she was very well-behaved.

I thought she wasn't shy, but is that not the case...? Or is it that she doesn't want to let her brother go to another girl, which is why she won't leave my side...? Hey, if it's the latter, then you're pretty good, little sister. Komachi thinks her score is pretty high!

Orimoto is Komachi's senior from middle school, but they don't seem to have met. Well, unless they're in the same club, they probably wouldn't have much of a chance to interact. There's a certain distance and awkwardness, which is quite normal when you think about it.

How could someone who has only met a few times be able to have a proper conversation with someone the brother knows, given such a delicate relationship?

It's easy to understand if you take the example of the middle school boy who walks behind Komachi.

Goodnight, brother!

A light, lively, and energetic voice sounded extremely out of place in the residential area at night. The streetlights illuminated a head of short, black hair with a bluish tinge. His features bore a resemblance to his sister's, and he was quite handsome. Yes, he was the younger brother of Chuan's classmate.

This boy is the younger brother of someone my sister knows and someone I know; we have absolutely nothing to talk about. Considering this, it's understandable that Komachi is somewhat distant from Orimoto.

"Don't call me brother. Who are you?"

"I understand! Brother! I'm Kawasaki Taishi!"

Taishi replied with a victory pose. What's with that "I'm Nakahata Kiyoshi [Note] in top form" pose of yours... And you didn't even listen to what I said... Don't call me brother... You're exhausted after just one sentence.

Note: Former Japanese professional baseball player often answered "I'm in excellent form" when interviewed by reporters.

Seeing the interaction between me and Daishi, Okimoto, who was standing next to me, smiled happily and quietly asked Komachi.

"Boy friend?"

"No, they're friends."

Komachi maintained her smile and answered calmly in a steady tone, though she caught a glimpse of Taishi slumping his shoulders out of the corner of her eye.

Two groups of people who couldn't strike up a conversation got together, and it was like a gourd! The four of them unconsciously took turns looking at each other, falling into silence. No one spoke, entering a state of mutual eye contact, as if asking, "So what are we going to do next?"

Step on the pedal to release the state.

"Well, I guess I should head back now."

Her nonchalant manner was so natural that it caught me off guard. Although it wasn't immediately obvious, Zheben's nonchalant attitude was probably a thoughtful gesture she made for us when we couldn't break the deadlock.

"Oh, oh. Ah—thanks."

Because I was riding my bike halfway through the journey, I completely forgot that I basically had Zheben take me home.

I thanked her in every sense of the word. At first, Orimoto looked like she didn't understand what I was thanking her for, but then she gradually got the hang of it and smiled broadly.

"Ah—you're welcome. Oh, by the way, I really can help you find a part-time job."

"unnecessary……"

"Haha, bye-bye."

"Okay, be careful on the road."

She added an unnecessary sentence at the end, waved vigorously, and pedaled the pedal with a flourish. Komachi bowed in greeting, and I also slightly raised my hand, watching her leave.

Once she had ridden to a spot where the streetlights couldn't reach, I faced Komachi. "Alright, let's go inside too."

Just as I was thinking that, a boy muttered "So cool" and looked at me with sparkling eyes.

"Brother, was that your girlfriend just now?"

"Who are you to suddenly pop up and spout nonsense?"

"I've always been here! I am Taishi Kawasaki!"

The heartbreaking cries echoed through the residential area at night.

This guy's got a problem; the neighbors will protest. So who is he anyway?

Conclusion 1 Yui's story 5 In a sense, Kawasaki Taishi is a big man.

Kawasaki Taishi.

Kawasaki Saki's younger brother, who is also my classmate.

By the way, he and Komachi are the same age and attend the same cram school.

However, the fact that they attended the same cram school as each other indicates that they did not attend the same junior high school. In terms of school districts, they were in neighboring districts.

Of course, since we're both within walking distance of the cram school, the Kawasaki family's house should be quite close to mine. However, if we take the cram school as the starting point, our houses are in the opposite direction from theirs.

No matter which route Kawasaki Taishi takes home, deliberately going around to the Hikigaya house is just taking a longer route, and under normal circumstances, Taishi won't be there.

However, whether the direction is opposite or the distance is far, these are minor issues.

It's not surprising that Taishi Kawasaki is here.

Because middle school boys tend to follow their crushes around and can't help but try to find out where they live! (Source: My information.)

I really hate middle school boys and want to beat up my past self—I thought to myself as I looked at Daishi, who was talking to Komachi about something.

However, he didn't find Komachi disgusting; it seemed he had come here with Komachi's permission.

I seized the opportunity when the two of them stopped talking and spoke to Komachi.

"What? You came back together?"

"Yes, we came back together after self-study time."

I see……

They must have been waiting for Komachi to come back.

It was so late, yet he still waited patiently. Truly remarkable. Even Aming [Note] wouldn't wait that long… no, Aming would wait.

Note: This is a group consisting of Japanese singers Takako Okamura and Haruko Kato. Their debut album was titled "Wait for You".

While I admired Dazhi's perseverance, comparable to Yuming's [Note], in being able to lie in wait for so long, I also felt a little scared.

Note: Japanese singer Yumi Matsutoya has a song "Ambush" in her works.

At that moment, Komachi tugged at my sleeve.

"Dazhi said he has something he wants to ask his brother."

"Oh……"

It turns out that it wasn't just because he had improper thoughts that he waited for Komachi.

I looked at Dazhi, wanting to see what was wrong with him.

Dazhi cleared his throat in a pretentious manner and looked at me seriously.

"Brother, may I ask you something?"

"No. You're not allowed to call me brother. Besides, who are you?"

"No, I will not back down. I am Taishi Kawasaki."

He took a step towards me as he spoke. Ugh, how annoying! You're being so eager to approach me, how can I refuse...?

Now is not the time to empathize with the feelings of a heroine in a shoujo manga.

Staring intently at me, I inexplicably looked away. If this were a world of wild animals, I would have already lost.

"...What do you want to ask?"

I asked hesitantly, and Dazhi exaggeratedly slumped his shoulders.

"It's about the big exam...isn't there supposed to be an interview?"

"Ah—there really is such a thing."

After he said that, I dredged up my memories and remembered that when I took the high school entrance exam, the first day was a written test and the second day was a group interview.