My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 661

When I used to attend a cram school on the second floor of the same building, I would always stop by this bookstore before class. Although I only go back to my hometown for the Obon festival and Chinese New Year now, my body still remembers that habit.

This bookstore certainly couldn't compare to the big bookstores in Tokyo, but for me during high school, it was big enough. I often dreamed of buying all the books on the shelves.

Which book to buy with a meager allowance requires a deep internal consultation. This is perhaps why many book lovers are prone to self-reflection.

When I walked over to the light novel section, I saw that the fourteenth volume of "Guo Qing," which was published last November, was displayed on the platform.

I bought the first episode here, and I remember it very clearly—I even remember that day was March 21, 2011.

According to records, the maximum intensity here during the Great East Japan Earthquake was level 5. The earthquake destroyed all the books in this store, so it was closed for a few days and only reopened on March 21st. I remember that the release of "Guoqing" magazine was also delayed due to the earthquake.

Driven by a bit of curiosity, I went to the bookstore and stood in front of the light novel section. The cover of that book caught my eye. This girl with long black hair must be the female lead. She looks quite innocent and cute. The fierce-looking boy next to her must be the male lead. The title is… "Youth Romantic Comedy." What does "mistaken" mean? I flipped to the back cover for the reading outline. The protagonist's name is Hachiman. The female lead's name is Yukino… I don't know if Hachiman is a surname or a given name.

This seems to be an innovative campus romance comedy. It's my type. The fact that the protagonist is an outsider is also great. The fact that I can resonate with the protagonist is what made me decide to buy the book.

I flipped to the color page. It featured Yui, who had a slightly tsundere vibe, and Ayaka, who was more of a tomboy. They were both so cute.

Before the main text is a composition written by Hachiman. I glanced at it briefly and got the impression that he's a difficult person.

I put that book aside for a while and looked at other new works, but in the end I still bought this one that I saw first—I never imagined that I would spend almost nine years with it in the future.

The reason I included a letter when I lent her the first volume of "Fruit Blue" was because I was deeply fascinated by the story that began with Hachiman's essay. Although my writing skills aren't good enough to recreate that unique and eccentric personality.

The reason I'm writing this letter is to tell you how much I love the anime "My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected."

I'm not good with words, so I certainly wouldn't be able to explain in detail what makes this work so good in front of you.

The protagonist of this story, Hachiman Hikigaya, is an outsider. But he doesn't act inferior because of it (even though others insult him).

He said he wanted to prove that "marginalized people are not pitiful" and "marginalized people are no worse than others." As someone who is also marginalized, I think he's very cool.

The female protagonist, Yukino Yukinoshita, is also an outsider. She is proud of her beauty and talent, and is a character who seems to be the main heroine, but is actually like a villain.

They're both very sharp-tongued, yet they always stick to their own paths. That's what I like about them.

Do you remember the day last year when you took the initiative to talk to me?

I was sitting in my seat reading a light novel when you told me, "That book is really interesting," and then we talked about light novels for a while.

That book was borrowed from my brother. It was good, but to me it was just "my brother's book".

I want "my own book." I'm following the progress and looking forward to the next volume.

The title "As Expected, Mine~" (too long to be omitted) doesn't include the number of episodes, and the author's afterword suggests there might be a sequel. Hopefully, it will continue to be published.

I'll lend it to you when the second episode comes out.

Hopefully you'll be discharged by then.

The bus arrived at the roundabout. It was very cold, so I waited inside the station building until the last minute before boarding.

When I went to high school and cram school near the train station, I always rode a bicycle. So taking the bus home from the station made me feel like I was going to fall into a rut. Back then, I would ride my bicycle along the riverbank in strong winds even when I had no destination in mind.

The bus was traveling south on the county road. Outside the window was the building of a general hospital.

During the first class meeting after entering the second year of high school, I learned that she had been hospitalized. The homeroom teacher only told us this fact, without mentioning the illness at all.

After that, I spent three days writing a letter that filled two pages, and then rode my bicycle to the general hospital. Looking back now, it seems that my desire to share my thoughts on "Guo Qing" was stronger than my desire to help her relieve boredom while she was bedridden.

Her hospital room was a six-person room, with beige curtains clearly separating the space for each patient.

I greeted her, drew back the curtains, and she was sitting inside.

"Sugimoto-kun? You're here."

Manatsu Shiohara is a simple and well-behaved girl, like Ebina from "Kasei" if you remove the BL elements. But now, when she sees me, she shows a bright smile.

The private space in the hospital room was poorly lit, with only outside light filtering through the lace curtains. There was a low cabinet with drawers beside the bed. Her glasses were folded up and placed on it. The small television and reading lamp were designed to be moved individually by a robotic arm. The remaining space was so narrow that only one person could barely pass through, and Utsunomiya, sitting in a chair, blocked that path.

Utsunomiya from the next class is a girl who belongs to a delinquent group. She looks like a combination of Miura Yumiko without her curly hair and a classmate named Kawa.

She seemed to have brought some biscuits to visit the sick, and was eating them in her hand.

"Is it okay to eat snacks in the hospital?"

I asked Shiohara, and Utsunomiya also looked at her.

"Huh? Is that not allowed?"

"Food is not allowed in the ward in the first place."

Shiohara's tone carried a hint of teasing.

"Really? You should have said so earlier."

Utsunomiya popped the cookie into his mouth.

I felt quite uncomfortable. The cramped space where I couldn't move an inch after entering, the coughing of other hospitalized patients, the creaking of the hospital bed, and the unexpectedly intimate behavior between Shiohara and Utsunomiya all made me feel suffocated.

"Hey, you can borrow this book. You can use it to pass the time if you're interested."

I handed the book out along with the bookstore's plastic bag. If it hadn't been in a bag, even the letter that was with the book would have been seen by Utsunomiya.

"Thanks."

She smiled and took the bag, wanting to peek inside. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly turned and left.

"Hello."

Someone called out to me from behind.

Turning my head, I saw that Utsunomiya had grabbed a few packets of cookies and handed them to me.

"Your name is Sugimoto, right? Here you go. You can't put food here."

“Thank you…”

I obtained cookies through a strange barter system and left the ward.

The second episode was released just before summer vacation.

Considering the interval between subsequent book releases, four months was already considered short, but at the time I couldn't wait to see the next volume, and this period of time felt quite long.

She is still hospitalized.

The long-awaited second episode of "Guo Qing" (fans seem to use this abbreviation) has been released.

This time, the Service Society officially began operations and took many actions. Watching the world in the book gradually expand is incredibly exciting.

The wood seat you like is also very active.

The ending, where Yukinoshita doesn't give up even when misunderstood by everyone, and Yui never gives up trying to understand others, left a deep impression on me. I'm probably a half-hearted person who doesn't belong to either side. But I haven't given up hope like Hachiman.

The three members of the Service Club have extreme personalities, which may be why they are so charismatic.

At the end of this episode, I sensed that their relationship was going to become increasingly complicated. Looking forward to the next episode.

My home is located in a neighborhood filled with houses that look like they're for sale. I used to think my house was shabby, but with my salary, I probably couldn't afford to build a house the same size in my entire life.

My father greeted me at the door, while my mother made chirashi sushi in the kitchen. It was always like this when we were having a big meal.

"You're going to Shiohara-kun's house, right?"

"Let's go this afternoon."

I climbed up to the second floor and went into my room. The light novels I'd left behind when I moved were still vying for attention on the bookshelf, each with its own vibrant spine. I sat on the bed and loosened my tie.

I never sat on that bed in her hospital room.

"The disease I have is malignant lymphoma."

One day, she told me this, as if she were talking about her favorite musician.

"What kind of illness is that?"

"It seems like the lymphocytes in the blood have turned into cancer cells."

I didn't say a word, I just nodded.

She lost her beautiful long hair during chemotherapy. The thin woolen hat on her head seemed a bit stuffy for the season.

The ward was small and dark, and wearing an unfamiliar mask made me feel stuffy, so stuffy that I couldn't talk for too long. If I wanted to talk about my favorite books, writing letters was the best option.

The third episode features a date (?) and a battle (?), making it quite rich in content. The plot is full of quirks and fits the style of the work quite well, but it's still fairly a "youthful romantic comedy."

Yui's affection for Hachiman is quite obvious, but what about Yukino? Her affection for cats is quite obvious.

This brings the question of "who is the main heroine" to the forefront. In my first letter, I said Yukino was the main heroine based on the rule that "the character on the cover of the first volume is the main heroine," but I'm starting to wonder if this rule applies to *Hajime no Aoi*. Perhaps it's because the protagonist, Hachiman, keeps avoiding those kinds of romantic comedy elements. Even so, he still gets dragged into romantic comedies, and honestly, I'm quite envious. Lately, I want a younger sister like Komachi (laughs).

The wood base you like is really hot this time. It's gone from hot to annoying.

His declaration, "I wanted to become a writer because I love it," touched me deeply.

I also want to try to express my feelings. Although my "liking" has nothing to do with "becoming".

After finishing lunch, I went outside.

I boarded the bus to the station and saw five girls in my old school's sports uniform occupying the last seats. Judging from their bags, they were probably from the soft tennis club. Even though it was winter, they were all tanned dark. I wonder if students still practice running on the slope in front of the main gate these days.

Like the first volume, the fourth volume of "Guo Qing" will be released in March.

She's about to enter her senior year of high school, but she still hasn't returned to school.

This episode is about summer vacation. In contrast, we haven't even started our first semester yet; time flies so fast in the book.

However, they are only high school sophomores, so perhaps it's more accurate to say that our time passes much faster.

Hayama kept delivering meaningful lines. I initially thought he was a villain like Miura (?), but it seems he's an unexpectedly important character. It seems he's been through something in the past.

My life is ordinary and unremarkable; I have no dark past. So I somewhat yearn for it.

Although Hachiman's final solution was terrible, I think it was acceptable. Hachiman once said, "Changing yourself can change the world—that's a lie," and I agree. I've also had moments where I wanted to destroy the world, like him.

But I'm just a mortal; I can't do that.

"Is Sugimoto-kun an outsider?"

Shiohara sat on the edge of the bed, swinging her legs as she asked me. Her bare toes were almost touching me, so I pulled the chair back a little. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor echoed in the ward.

"The readers of 'Guoqing' are all marginalized people."

"Yeah?"

"I don't know. To say it's all an exaggeration would be too much."

She smiled. She looked to be in excellent physical condition.

She took off the cardigan she had been wearing over her pajamas and placed it next to her pillow. She had mentioned before that front-opening garments were preferable so she could remove them for her appointment. The notification light on her phone on the shelf was flashing. She picked up a plastic bottle next to her and drank some water. Everything was kept within her reach.

The television is broadcasting a VTR of the Peach Blossom Festival at Gongfang Park.

"I used to attend every year, but this year marks the second year in a row that I haven't gone."

She put on her glasses and stared at the television. In the dimly lit hospital room, her faint shadow was cast on the curtains. A few strands of hair peeked out from under her woolen hat.

"I haven't been there since I grew up."

A high school boy couldn't possibly understand the charm of a simple flower like a peach blossom. But at the time, I felt that the flowers I saw with her must have been incredibly beautiful. Beautiful things in the world exist so that we can see them together with the one we love.

The same applies to good books.

I don't know whether I liked "Guo Qing" first or her first. To this day, I still can't tell.

When I'm sitting in my classroom seat, in the creaky seat at the cram school, lying in bed during breaks from reading, or reading "Guo Qing," I'm always thinking about her.

She was discharged from the hospital.

"Let's go for a bike ride."

I had mentioned before that I would be cycling along the riverside path, so she made that suggestion.

"Then let's go to the flood retention pond."

It was a sunny day, but the wind was damp due to the prolonged rainy season. The tall weeds, nourished by the rain, rustled in the wind as we looked down at the riverbank and rode along the path on the embankment.

She seemed to really like the derailleur on my mountain bike, constantly shifting gears and making a clicking sound. Her legs, peeking out from under her shorts, were so white they seemed to be rejecting the sunlight. The bones in her knees were clearly protruding, as if the surrounding flesh had been scooped away.

The wind ruffled her hair. Her hair was still a bit short, and her hairstyle was similar to Hachiman's.

"I'm so tired~ I need to exercise more."

We sat on a bench overlooking the artificial lake with its retention basin. She downed a sports drink straight from the bottle and sighed. Although there were bike paths nearby, we'd already cycled this far and decided to take a short break.

This place is marketed as a dating spot because of its heart-shaped artificial lake, but I don't know if it's effective. From where we are, all we see is an ordinary, vast lake with a vague view of the opposite shore.

Have you decided which university you want to apply to?

"Um."