My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 700

I spoke in a light tone, pointing to a sign that came into view. Yukinoshita looked over and exclaimed in admiration.

"KouMeiDa...This is my first time..."

"Oh, really? The Komida is pretty good. The snack beans that come with the drink are delicious, and the portion size is generous, making it very affordable. The actual Ice and Fire is even bigger than in the photo, which is kind of menu fraud. Would you like to try ordering one?"

Note: "Ice and Fire" is Komeida's signature dessert.

"Didn't I tell you we'd eat afterwards...?"

Seeing my smug expression, Yukinoshita, whose eyes had been shining, glared at me sideways.

"Haha, don't worry. Just thinking about what's going to happen makes my stomach hurt so badly, I can't eat anything even if I love Codactyl..."

I let out a dry laugh and unconsciously rubbed my stomach. Seeing this, Yukino said softly:

"I really can't help you."

Then smiled.

× × ×

The mere aroma of coffee brushing past my nose is enough to lift my spirits.

This certainly isn't because the aroma of coffee contains caffeine for its stimulating effect. It's more likely that, like Pavlov's dog, the habit of drinking a cup before work to boost morale automatically triggers an internal drive.

Note: Pavlov, the founder of classical conditioning theory.

I think I heard somewhere that American universities have been conducting this kind of experiment in recent years.

As if to prove the conclusion of this experiment, Yukinoshita seemed a little excited after entering Mita.

The staff led us to a booth. As soon as we sat down, Yukinoshita began looking around and making soft exclamations.

I sat across from her, smiling as I watched her, and deftly opened the menu and placed it in front of her.

"There are quite a lot of varieties."

Yukinoshita excitedly peeked out at the menu, then flipped through it with a delighted expression.

It's like this the first time you go to a store. It's okay, just keep looking... I can order later, or I'll just order a medium iced coffee, you don't have to worry about it...

I rested my cheek on my hand and cast a warm, uncle-like gaze at the snow-covered landscape. Just then, she noticed my gaze and rotated the menu ninety degrees so that I could see it more easily as well.

"What would you like to order, Hachiman?"

"coffee."

Upon hearing my straightforward answer, Yukinoshita suddenly laughed.

"I knew it, but there are many kinds of coffee."

"Right? I always struggle with this for ages, or rather, I'm struggling with it right now. After all, this is a coffee shop. Oh, drinks other than coffee are on this page."

As I spoke, I turned to the next page of the menu. After all, Yukinoshita is a tea enthusiast... For example, this one called Ise Wako Tea is quite good, I pointed to it and showed it to her.

"But this is a coffee shop."

Yukino tilted her head, put her index finger to her lips, and then flipped the menu back to the coffee page. But after a short while, she immediately flipped back to the black tea page and frowned.

She kept flipping through the menu, comparing different options, and after agonizing over it for a while, she suddenly stopped what she was doing.

"that……"

"Um?"

What's wrong? Have you made up your mind? I asked with my eyes, and Yukinoshita secretly glanced at me before timidly speaking:

"...I...it's inconvenient for me to look at it like this. Can I come to your place?...It's inconvenient for me to look at it like this."

Huh? How could it be inconvenient... Why did you say it twice? Besides, the menu is right in front of us, and you're the only one looking at it right now. There's no need for you to come sitting next to me. What is this person saying? How cute is he? Can't he stop this quirk?

Can we stop being so formal all of a sudden? You're making the atmosphere so serious, it's making me nervous.

Couldn't you have said it more naturally? How awkward was that...?

"...Ah, okay, please go ahead if you don't mind."

As a result, I myself was incredibly clumsy! She even made me become polite to her.

I answered quickly and hastily, and Yukinoshita's expression softened. She stood up quietly and then walked awkwardly to my side.

I shifted my body and moved to the inside of the seat, and Yukinoshita plopped down in the empty spot I had made.

Then, a silence descended upon us.

Even though we were closer than before, we spoke less, making our soft breathing even clearer. Although most of it was me.

While I was worrying about whether I was sweating or had any strange smell, I secretly glanced at Yukinoshita and found that she seemed to be checking her comfort level, pinching the sofa stool under her with her hand, looking like a cat checking its own bed.

After the inspection was completed, she reached for the menu and placed it between us so that I could see it more easily.

"That makes it much easier to see..."

She exhaled, spoke softly, and then gave me a look seeking approval.

Really? You really think so? Hmm... I find it a bit complicated... I've lost all interest in looking at the menu, so I don't think it's become much more convenient; in fact, it was more convenient to look at it the way it was before...

But I can't keep leaning my body in the opposite direction from the snow forever. I have to gradually get used to this sudden sense of distance.

After quietly exhaling a breath over my shoulder, I slowly straightened my body.

"Have you made up your mind?"

Upon hearing my voice, Yukinoshita looked up from the menu and smiled happily.

"I want Sakura no Anko-machi... It's a cute name."

"Yes, it's so cute, really cute, super cute."

Seeing her blush and whisper a few words, I couldn't help but nod vigorously in agreement. Yes, so cute, so very cute. Her name, her appearance, and the reason she chose it are all adorable.

I wholeheartedly agreed and kept saying how cute she was, which made Yukinoshita seem a little embarrassed. She shut her mouth and squirmed uncomfortably. Then, she cleared her throat and changed the subject to me.

Which one would you like to order?

"Koumeda Special Black Coffee. The name is quite cute."

After I said this with a smug look on my face, for some reason Yukino frowned and said with a surprised expression:

"……cute?"

"Isn't it cute...? Read it aloud, doesn't it look a lot like a snow house? Since it looks like my cat, it's definitely cute."

Note: The pronunciations of "Komekuro" and "Kamakura" are similar, respectively.

To be honest, my cat, Snow House, isn't exactly a beautiful cat. It always acts aloof and arrogant. Being a male American Shorthair, it's very robust, and when it lies on my lap, it's so heavy I can't move. It also always only kisses Komachi and not me. If I touch it, it will look unhappy. It usually won't come when I call it, but it knows to come to me when it's vomiting. It's not actually that cute, but it's these unlovable traits that make it cute, so it's still quite adorable.

Seeing me struggling to speak up, Yukinoshita's stern gaze softened.

Now that you mention it, it really is quite cute.

She closed her eyes and nodded gently. Hey...aren't your standards a bit too casual? Everything's cute just because you see it through a cat filter, right? How cute are you?

This is truly a human-shaped Fancy Fever cat food vendor who loves cats the most... Just as I was thinking this, this human-shaped Fancy Fever cat food vendor gradually closed the distance between us.

Note: Flipped Cat is a cat food brand name. This reference is to its advertising slogan "Nekodaisuki Flipped Cat," which is usually understood as "Cats' favorite (food) Flipped Cat." However, here it is intentionally interpreted as another plausible meaning: "Flipped Cat's favorite."

"Hey, do you have any photos?"

"Yes, we do, but wait a moment, let me order first."

Yukinoshita asked with an expression of barely suppressed excitement, her tone more casual than usual. I gently stopped her and pressed the call button to summon a waiter.

Then, he quickly told the waiter who came over immediately what he wanted to order.

"Sakura no Azuki Komachi and Kochi Mita Special Black Coffee".

"Okay, please have a seat for a moment."

The waiter greeted us with a cheerful smile, took down the order, and then left. Alright, now it's time for the cat time we've all been waiting for!

"Here you are."

I fiddled with my phone, opened the photo album, and placed the phone in front of Yukinoshita.

"Thanks."

She thanked him and immediately picked up her phone to start scrolling.

It's great that you're enjoying this so much, but my cat photography skills are just as terrible as Komachi's. I'm a little embarrassed that you're looking at it so intently.

Yukinoshita seemed quite satisfied with what she was seeing. She stared intently at the photo, as if trying to bury her face in her phone, occasionally nodding slightly and saying, "I see..." Wait, what do you mean by "I see"...? What's so great about "I see"...?

Time ticked by, and it wasn't until the ordered drink arrived that Yukinoshita finally looked up from her phone.

She looked happily at the red bean cake in front of her and quickly took out her phone to snap a picture. Hmm, she hadn't forgotten this time. She'd already drunk some bubble tea before taking the picture.

I watched this scene with a smile, feeling very gratified by her growth. At that moment, Yukinoshita suddenly glanced at me.

Then, she sat up slightly, leaned closer to me, and stretched out her left hand holding the phone, pressing the selfie button.

Huh? What is this person doing...? Why did they start taking pictures without permission...? And why are they giving that shy, bashful smile...?

It seems I need to give her a good talking to.

I pretended to have a headache, rubbed my forehead with my hand, and then covered my face to hide my burning cheeks, letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm telling you, you're giving me a real headache..."

"Eh?"

I peeked through the gap between my fingers and saw Yukinoshita tilting her head blankly.

"You taking pictures of me without my permission, well, it's giving me a real headache..."

"I'm sorry. I just felt that these kinds of scenes should be filmed together... so, well..."

Seeing her flustered appearance, I understood.

She probably takes pictures with Yuigahama Isshiki and the others a lot when they go out. After all, those two love taking selfies all the time.

Seriously though, photos are generally taken with other people, right?

My photos are usually landscapes, cats, and ramen; I've gradually forgotten that these are supposed to be taken with other people. It's said that you can clearly see the breadth of a person's social circle from their phone's photo album.

In that case, I need to reform my mindset. I can't keep saying things like "taking photos will steal a person's soul."

I'll need to gradually get used to this sense of distance. Besides, seeing how happy she was taking pictures, I didn't want to stop her.

"No, taking photos is no problem at all, but please remember to let me know before you take them..."

"OK……"

After I gently told Yukinoshita, she lowered her head and said somewhat dejectedly. In the past, I would never have seen her with this expression. Her reaction was quite novel, and it didn't seem bad, but I didn't want her to overthink it; I hadn't intended to make it this serious in the first place.

"Also, remember to send me a copy later."

I deliberately cleared my throat and quickly added a sentence. Yukinoshita looked up, blinked several times with a puzzled expression, and then seemed to finally understand what I meant, and smiled.

"OK."

She smiled, humming a little tune as she operated her phone. However, her fingers suddenly stopped, as if she had sensed something, and she let out a small "ah."

Wow, did you notice... we still don't know each other's contact information...

"So, that, you know, the address for sending..."

I stammered, feeling too embarrassed to say, "Tell me your contact information." Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita nodded.

Asking for contact information now is quite strange, given the order in which it's being asked.

But if you don't take advantage of such an opportunity or find an excuse, you'll never know when to exchange contact information. As long as there are no problems in the end, that's fine.

"This is my phone number and email address."

"Ah, okay, thank you..."

I showed Yukino the picture with her contact information written on it, and she hurriedly started typing the information into her phone. Seeing her type each word carefully, I felt a little guilty.

In the old days of flip phones, contact information could be exchanged with a single click using infrared technology. Now, it's even easier to exchange contact information by scanning a QR code using chat apps like LINE.

But my phone doesn't have that function or app. No, maybe it does, but I just don't know it, or at least I'm not very proficient at using it.

So far, I've only been in contact with a handful of people, so emails and text messages are fine.

However, considering the future, such as after getting into university, it is still necessary to install these basic communication tools.

I've heard that more people are now communicating through chat apps and private messages on social networking sites. In this environment, if someone uses a different method of communication, the effort required increases. Something that could be easily resolved by sending a message to a LINE group chat now requires a separate resend.