My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 454

"Well, what I said earlier was just a joke. I was just trying to imitate you a little, senpai... So, as a reference for making a gift chocolate, what kind of sweets do you like, senpai?"

"Sweets...this is it!"

What I took out of the bag was, of course, a MAX coffee. As for why, well, it's a rather unusual treat among desserts.

The M can was slammed onto the table with a thud, drawing surprised glances from all three.

No, that suspicious look is strange, isn't it... When you get a sweet, no Chiba person would dislike it—though that's what I was about to say, but everyone has that subtle expression on their face...

Yuihama muttered to herself, staring at the jar.

"...I might be able to do that too."

"Are you stupid? Stop joking. Don't underestimate M-cans. Do you think you can just add sugar and condensed milk to coffee? Give me something decent, I'm serious."

"I feel like I was seriously getting angry?!"

Of course. It's fundamentally different from adding condensed milk to coffee. In fact, it's more accurate to say that adding coffee to condensed milk would be more convincing. You can't achieve that level of sweetness with regular ingredients. This isn't something an amateur can just whip up.

Isshiki touched his lips with his fingertips and opened his mouth as if he was thinking about something.

"By the way, doing this would exceed the budget."

"While I'm not sure how many you're planning to make, if the unit price is below 130 yuan, then that's a rather challenging budget setting..."

Xue rubbed her temples and said this with a hint of exasperation. But there's no need to worry about that.

"No problem. If you choose a good store and buy in bulk by the case, it will be cheaper."

"Just how much does Little Enterprise really like M-cans...?"

"Because I've never really experienced any success, it's had the opposite effect. I've only ever suffered."

Seeing me, she gave a wry smile. Yukinoshita tossed her long hair over her shoulder, revealing a smile that seemed to flaunt her victory.

"You're not suffering, you're underestimating suffering."

"It's all the same. In the end, you're consuming bitter components anyway. So from now on, I want to live a life where I only taste the sweetness."

"It seems you're underestimating not just hardship, but life itself..."

Yukino sighed deeply. "No, you are absolutely right. From this, we can conclude that life equals suffering, so life is truly bitter—"

Just as I was thinking about such a casual thing, Isshiki let out a scornful laugh at me.

"Ha, well, it doesn't matter."

"You really go too far by saying you don't care." Iroha downed her black tea in one gulp, slammed down the paper cup, and looked at me again.

"I hope you will consider this as a gesture of goodwill."

"A gift of chocolates..."

Although I was scratching my head and racking my brains for memories, I didn't really understand the context because I'd never received a gift of chocolate as a favor before. The chocolate I received from my sister was my most precious gift!

Perhaps it was because I was wearing a pained expression, while Ikse had a mischievous grin on my face.

"Ah! Could it be that you're the type of person who never gets chocolates? But wait, don't guys compare how many chocolates they receive? If you get zero, your pride will suffer, you know?"

"No, that kind of thing doesn't matter... What? Valentine's Day has become some kind of sporting competition?"

While there's no simpler, more straightforward way to win than by sheer numbers, the rules are truly a mess. Especially those "chocolate favors" offside traps—they just seem endless! I'm telling you, a straight red card during practice went unpunished. So, what exactly is offside? Hello, I'm not very familiar with the rules of football.

Although I kept rambling on and on, Isshiki probably took my words as me just putting on a brave face and didn't listen at all. Accompanied by a strangely warm gaze, Isshiki sighed as if saying "Oh dear."

"If there's really no other way, then..."

"You don't need to worry about that."

However, Isshiki's voice was interrupted by Yukinoshita. The meaningful, relaxed smile revealed by Yukinoshita as she tossed her hair stood in stark contrast to Isshiki's innocent, wide-open mouth.

"Eh... Could it be Yukinoshita-senpai?"

Yukinoshita smiled gently, not having heard Isshiki finish what she was saying.

"Because Hikigaya-kun has no friends to compete against."

"Ah, that's it."

Along with Isshiki nodding in agreement, I also nodded in agreement. It felt like being in a chicken coop. Oh, I see... indeed. So, the lone wolf is a form of primitive communism that even the principle of competition can't sway... although being too primitive, with only one person, is a big problem.

As I pondered, "What exactly is true peace?", Yuihama, who was listening nearby, puffed out her cheeks.

"I don't think there's anything to worry about...and the small business will receive it...right?"

As she spoke, she glanced at me slightly.

I nodded in response with a slight smile.

"Huh...? This means..."

Isshiki's gaze darted back and forth between me and Yui. When her questioning eyes met mine, I couldn't help but let out a triumphant laugh from deep within my throat.

"Hehe, that's right... I do have Komachi!"

So, I'm getting chocolates! That's great! Having a sister is awesome! Having a sister is enough!

However, Isshiki tilted his head, looking completely confused.

"Huh? Komachi...? Rice?"

"It's not rice."

What's going on? Does the Isshiki family eat Akita Komachi every day? Hopefully, they'll give JA u-go some more attention, especially their doujinshi (fan-made content). Speaking of which, JA, please come and manage your business in Chiba soon!

"Ah, Komachi is Kohira's sister."

After listening to Yuihama's explanation, Isshiki made a "ha..." and "oh..." sound with a completely uninterested expression.

"So, you have a younger sister too, senior?"

"Ah"

Yes, I have one. I have a world-class sister, or rather, a sister from all over the world.

Hearing my proud answer, Isshiki stared at me with a surprised expression. Her eyes were narrowed to the limit, and she tilted her head slightly.

"...A sister complex?"

"certainly not."

Although I said that, the reaction around me was very indifferent.

"...This point is probably hard to deny."

After Yuihama said that, Yukinoshita lowered her head with a sorrowful expression. No, try to smooth things over.

When it came to Xiaocaiyu, she nodded "Mmm," as if she had accepted something. Then, she put her index finger on her chin, tilted her head cutely, and made a smile.

"As expected, the senior still prefers younger people."

"No, not at all."

Regardless of age, I'm the type who struggles with relationships across all fields.

I gave a perfunctory reply, and quietly clicked my tongue.

"That……"

Isshiki cleared his throat with an "Mmm~" as if to confirm the tone, glanced at me again with an upward gaze, and then quickly looked away.

One hand clutched the chest of her uniform, while the other trembled slightly as she straightened her skirt, which had become wrinkled from curling up. Her breath, along with her moist eyes, carried warmth.

Then, accompanied by a voice that appeared and disappeared intermittently, Isshiki spoke.

"Would you dislike...young girls?"

...I would never hate it! Yeah! In fact, if you were to ask whether I like or hate it, I'd definitely say I love it!

Yui let out a short sigh and looked at Isshiki speechlessly.

"It's all about tone and posture..."

"...Well, that's true."

Yes, I agree with that opinion. After all, I'm gradually developing some resistance. Perhaps because I wasn't very cooperative, Isshiki gave me a somewhat resentful look.

I couldn't help but smile wryly at this.

I think Isshiki's demeanor, tone of voice, and even Isshiki herself are very charming, but for some reason, they don't have much effect on me now. If it were me in the past, I would have been easily defeated in one shot, without a doubt.

Of all these reasons, the most important one is...

"It doesn't matter if she's older or younger, I love any sister."

"Those who are obsessed with their younger sisters need medication even more than those who like younger men!"

As Yuihama's sorrowful voice echoed in the room, Isshiki nodded with an expression of disbelief. What's wrong? Just imagining the older Komachi is enough to excite me. I shook my head, wondering if anyone else would agree with me.

They found Yukinoshita with her arms crossed, looking troubled.

"When describing someone as young, what exactly constitutes 'young'? Is it based on the number of school years? The year of birth? Or is it that any number of years, as long as the birth date is later, is considered young...? The definition is very vague. Shouldn't we start by defining this?"

After listening to Yukinoshita's muttered words, Yuihama clapped her hands and said.

"Ah, but Xiaoqi probably gets along better with older women, hmm!... Probably. Definitely."

There was an inexplicable strength in his tightly clenched fist. However, I'm not actually that particular about it.

"...It's okay. It's just a year's difference, there's basically no difference."

It mainly depends on income! The key is whether they can support me. In this respect, my husband Komachi takes perfect care of me! That girl has top-notch talent.

Hearing me say that, Isse muttered "hmm".

"Eh—, is that so—? So, Hayama-senpai thinks so too—?"

"No, why does Hayama think I don't know?"

"But, but, senior, didn't you say before that being a junior has a significant advantage—?"

"I think that's what they said... However, you were born in April, which is less than a year apart, so you don't give the impression of being young."

Nowadays, you can only feel a physical difference if there's a two or three-year age gap. You'd need to be at the level of Komachi and Haruno to really have an age difference. And at the level of Hiratsuka-sensei… well…

Actually, the age difference between me and Isshiki is only eight months. For Yukinoshita and Isshiki, it's only three months.

Just as I was lost in thought, Isshiki, the person involved, probably didn't think so, and blinked at me with a blank expression.

"..."

"What are you doing...?"

"Ah, it's nothing, just a little unexpected."

When I asked that question, Isshiki started fixing his bangs as if to smooth things over.

Suddenly, the chair opposite me, Yuihama, made a loud noise and moved away from me.

"How did they know my birthday?! That's horrible! Little Qi is disgusting... no, really disgusting..."

"...You really know a lot about this."

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita remained unmoved, smiling. Rather than a slight smile, it was more like the expression of a smiling Aoe, cold and imposing.

"No, isn't that what Isshiki said before when he was pretentiously trying to show off in vain..."

"You actually said it was futile!? It's not futile at all—! In fact, I'm not being pretentious; it's just that you're being pretentious in situations like this, senior!"

Isshiki stood up aggressively, her finger suddenly pointing at me. Honestly, I wasn't being pretentious at all; Isshiki was definitely more pretentious...

"I have a great memory... By the way, once you're done, hurry back to your student council office or the soccer club."

Hearing what I said, Isshiki puffed out her cheeks, looking disgruntled, and reluctantly prepared to leave the activity room. This child is behaving like this again… Yes, yes, so affected, so affected.

Whether it was Yukinoshita or Yuihama, we all gave wry smiles at our juniors' expressions and watched Isshiki leave. But just then, there was a knock on the door of the Service Club.

Suddenly, a request came to the Service Department.

I glanced at the door where I had been gently knocking for a moment.

Halfway there, Isshiki looked back and forth between us and the door, then silently sat back down. After all, it would be quite awkward to run into visitors at this hour.

From the other side of the not-so-thick wall, one could faintly hear voices.

"Even if we don't trouble the people here..."

"Okay, okay. Anyway, it's not something I'm very good at."