My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 741

After all, it's related to surprises.

Komachi has been the president of the Service Club for about a month. She's pretty much gotten used to the new system. Today, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama suggested giving Komachi a gift to celebrate her becoming president.

Why not just give a gift for celebration or commemoration? I have thought of that, but perhaps it is precisely because today is an ordinary day that surprises are particularly effective.

Birthdays go without saying, but whenever a holiday approaches, one can't help but wonder if they'll receive a surprise. Even retired uncles often expect to receive bouquets of flowers.

From this perspective, it wasn't exactly a month ago, and even Komachi couldn't have predicted receiving a gift at this time.

To ensure the raid is as effective as possible, the key is to avoid arousing Komachi's suspicion. If the three of us go out together, Komachi will definitely suspect we have ulterior motives. I'm staying here to provide an alibi and avoid arousing Komachi's suspicion.

Therefore, I should be grateful that I'm spared the time of lying to her. If the target is Komachi, I don't think I have any way of fooling her. Or perhaps, it's precisely because of this consideration that Yukinoshita and Yuigahama asked Komachi for leave beforehand.

In any case, Yukinoshita and Yuihama were absent due to other matters, so today's club activity consisted only of Komachi and me.

In the quiet office, the sound of the mechanical pen was unusually loud.

When we're at home, we often spend time together, sometimes without saying a word, just petting the cat. But right now, I'm really bothered by this silence.

Perhaps it's because we haven't had many opportunities to be alone in the office lately. It makes us really nervous.

To be frank, I'm a little embarrassed... Thanks to this, I, who usually can't study at all, have now opened a reference book.

I pressed my head against the mechanical pencil, trying to imitate Komachi's reading style, and smoothly wrote down the answers to the question set in my notebook.

Although it's easy to forget things unintentionally, or rather, I want to forget them, don't let my appearance fool you, I'm a test-taker. I have to prepare for exams frequently during my free time.

During this time, Komachi's mechanical pencil and I made light, cheerful sounds, composing a low-key symphony.

However, my hand stopped after a short while.

I don't even study with Komachi at home; I always make sure to pay attention to the person sitting diagonally in front of me.

I tapped my notebook with the tip of my mechanical pencil, pretending to be thinking, while secretly observing Komachi.

A suit jacket with slightly long sleeves, a shirt with the top button undone, and a loosely tied bow tie.

I stared intently at Komachi, who had finally gotten used to her school uniform after a month of enrollment.

Hmm...

Upon closer inspection, this guy really suits our school uniform. Even though she's my sister, to be conservative, Yu Zhou is still the cutest.

She still retains a girlish innocence, but the hair clips holding her bangs in place reveal her love for dressing up. Her slightly disheveled uniform exudes a lively vibe, giving off a sunny and cheerful feeling.

She must be very popular in class. In the "Cutest Girl in Class Contest" that boys probably hold regularly, there would likely be conversations like, "The most popular girl is definitely this one, Komachi Hikigaya!" and "She's my favorite classmate, I hope she does her best!" She probably got three stars in the pre-contest comments. Huh? What? Are you looking at my sister like that? I'll kill you all, you know? (Dark smile)

Komachi, unaware of my thoughts, nodded while looking at her textbook, her ahoge (cowlick) bobbing back and forth.

She tucked her loose hair behind her ear, casually clipped a red pen to her ear, and drew lines with a highlighter. As if to check it again, she held the highlighter to her cheek and tilted her head slightly.

At that moment, she probably sensed my gaze and glanced at me. Then, with a slightly displeased expression, she spoke.

"What?"

"fine."

I gestured with my chin in denial. Uh, really nothing's wrong. I wanted to tell her to button up her shirt, but I knew she'd hate being so nagging…

Upon hearing my answer, Komachi snorted in dissatisfaction and looked back at her textbook.

The conversation ended there, replaced by the sounds of highlighter pen drawing lines, red pen drawing circles, and my groans of boredom.

Seeing Komachi in her school uniform makes me curious about what she looks like in the classroom. Is she like this during class too?

I felt like I was attending a teaching observation session, and the emotions of fatherhood welled up inside me. I coughed a few times and opened my reference book.

"How was your time at school?"

I created a serious atmosphere, feigning solemnity, but the words I spoke were overly simplistic. The subtle murmurs were indistinguishable from the person I was talking to, and our eyes never met.

His actions and tone were just like those of a father in the Showa era, who would spread out a newspaper at the dining table and talk to his teenage son... Fathers in the Showa era must have had such low social skills, right?

Komachi, the person involved, was stunned on the spot, and then gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"What kind of question is this? Are you Komachi's father? You mean, your brother and Komachi go to the same school, right?"

"No, it's just that although we meet in the club office, I don't know how you're doing in the classroom."

I'm a little unhappy about being compared to my dad, but I really want to ask him some deeper questions like, "Have you made any friends?" or "Have you found a boyfriend?" Being a dad makes it impossible for me to answer those questions!

However, whenever my family asks me these kinds of questions, I sincerely hope, "Please leave me alone..." I really want to commend myself for restraining myself.

Perhaps my thoughts have been conveyed, for Komachi crossed her arms and pondered deeply.

"Hmm... well."

She tilted her head and pondered for a moment, then looked up in one breath and answered very seriously.

"ordinary."

"yes……"

Well, that's the only answer I can give. If my parents asked me that, I would have given the same answer.

It would be too troublesome to explain in detail my friendships, especially those based at school, but I don't want to worry my parents, and I would feel embarrassed to talk about it face-to-face.

As a result, the only three phrases that were usable were "It's okay", "Nothing much", and "Normal".

Yeah, I know, I know.

Even though I know the answer, I still worry and can't help but ask. Only now do I understand the heart of a parent, wavering between over-interference and non-interference.

In the past, whenever something happened, she would yell, "Let me tell you, let me tell you!" "Well, Komachi reported to me today..." I was touched to myself, while Komachi waved her hand seriously.

"No, no, no, it's not a rebellious phase. I'm really just normal. I have friends like everyone else, I keep up with my studies like everyone else, and I'm happy like everyone else. So, um, normal?"

Komachi's expression was remarkably calm, utterly ordinary. Neither her demeanor nor her tone suggested she was hiding anything or lying.

There's nothing particularly wrong with her, she seems to be living a very stable life. Perhaps it's precisely because it's so stable that the word "ordinary" is the only way to describe it. Since that's what she says, I can only accept it.

"Oh, I see...that's good."

Komachi nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, only my older brother is going through his rebellious phase. Komachi talks to Mom about school."

"Oh...where's Dad?"

"Hehehe. Dad is very busy."

Komachi brushed it off with a cute smile.

However, this isn't entirely a lie. In fact, my dad is incredibly busy, working day and night, so our schedules don't overlap much. As for holidays, my dad and I usually sleep all day, only seeing each other during mealtimes. My mom is also very busy. Since both my parents have the "corporate slave" gene, I'll probably inherit that trait too.

I was trembling. Komachi cleared her throat and pointed at me.

"Or rather, my brother probably doesn't talk to my father either."

"No, I often ask him for money."

"Huh...isn't this even worse than Komachi...?"

I said it frankly, and Komachi was completely speechless. But as a test-taker who couldn't work, there was nothing I could do about it.

Taking full advantage of my high expenses, I ask for pocket money under various pretexts such as buying reference books or taking mock exams. This is my main source of income now.

"But that's all I can talk about with my dad, what can I do?"

"What a pathetic father-son relationship... They're father and son, yet they have to deliberately find common ground; that's especially pathetic..."

Komachi muttered sadly, casting a pitying look at me.

"No, that's how it is between fathers and sons, I guess. I've only ever talked to him about money and my thoughts on the EVA movie."

"Hmm...the father and son have a better relationship than Komachi imagined..."

Komachi's expression, which had been filled with intense sorrow just moments before, now turned into a bewildered, bitter smile. She was even a little frightened.

Well, you can't blame her for being scared... When my dad and I were sharing our thoughts, all we could say was "thank you..." It was hardly a conversation... The sight of two grown men staring at the sky, not even glancing at each other, saying "thank you..." in unison would only be terrifying to others.

Okay, let's put Dad aside for now. Since she talked to Mom about school, there's probably no need to worry.

Just as Komachi herself said, she lived an ordinary, uneventful, safe, and smooth school life.

"...It's good that there are no problems."

"Um."

Komachi nodded in response and continued facing her textbook.

I stared at her blankly.

A pleasant breeze blew into the room through the open window.

From the distant playground came the energetic shouts of sports clubs and the scattered sounds of a band playing.

It seems every club has new members joining. The music after school is more varied than before, but it feels full of energy.

Although it's just discordant notes now, as time goes by, their breathing will surely begin to harmonize, and one day it will transform into beautiful background music that evokes nostalgia.

I listened intently to the sounds outside the window and then turned to look around the office.

In the quiet office, the only sounds were the click-clack of mechanical pencils and the occasional rustling of pages turning.

I was struck by how spacious this office was. A feeling akin to nostalgia washed over me as I gazed at Komachi, who sat diagonally in front of me.

It was just the two of us.

Komachi quietly studied her textbook in the clubhouse, where no one else was around, her attention fully focused.

It's similar to what I saw in this community office a year ago.

A girl reading a book in the setting sun.

This appearance reminds me of her in the past.

If I hadn't been brought here that day, would she still be reading alone in this office building to this day?

What a meaningless fantasy.

No matter how much you imagine hypothetical scenarios, time cannot be reversed.

Even if we could start over, we couldn't bring back those memories, so the outcome wouldn't change.

In the end, I'll probably still be taken to this community office.

Therefore, there is no point in imagining this.

However, if one insists on finding the meaning in it...

My imagination could be seen as hinting at what Komachi might look like in the future.

I don't have much time left to stay in this office.

There's less than a year left until graduation.

After we leave, will this child also spend his uneventful after-school time alone like this?

In this classroom, there are neither them nor the aroma of black tea.

Just thinking about that scene makes my chest clench.

Knowing that this day would come sooner or later, I only felt it was real when I saw Komachi sitting alone in the club office.

"Komachi."

Upon hearing my call, Komachi immediately raised her face, without saying a word, and tilted her head to ask me what was wrong.

"Should we recruit new members?"

I spoke without warning, and Komachi looked surprised and blinked. A moment later, her face showed surprise and confusion.

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up..."

"No, other clubs are getting new members, aren't they? Hmm, I was thinking it would be nice if we had more juniors here."

The image that accidentally popped into my mind just now is causing me great pain—I can't bring myself to say it, so I can only stammer out my answer.

Komachi squinted and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Brother, aren't you the type who finds those kinds of things troublesome? Like how you were so casual with Dazhi before."

"How could that be? I don't dislike my superior-subordinate relationship."

"What a terrible senior..."

I straightened my back, and Komachi was completely dumbfounded.