How To Ruin A Love Comedy

“Haa!”

Lying sprawled on the bed, a vigorous yet somehow troubled exclamation burst from Chinami’s lips.

Covered with a blanket adorned with a large image of Momo, she reflected on the events that had unfolded on her way to the parking lot.

[Because you’re cute.]

[You’re just cute.]

[You’re cute, I said. ]

Matsuda Hubae-nim had looked down at her with his tall stature, wearing a stylish gentleman’s smile and offering compliments.

His deep, resonant voice echoed in her mind, unforgettable.

She also remembered how his large hands, which could easily envelop her wrists, had caught her as she was about to fall.

Had she thanked him then?

It seemed she had only managed to show her clumsy side...

She couldn’t quite remember, too flustered at the moment.

Unwittingly, Chinami placed her hand on the back of her neck, seriously contemplating what she might have said at that moment, before pressing her face into the pillow.

She then let out a long, meaningless groan.

“Ughhhh...”

As her face began to feel hot, she removed the pillow.

She had felt a similar warmth when Matsuda Hubae-nim had called her cute...

But why was this happening?

Could it be the sudden change in the weather?

Oblivious to the flush of her cheeks, Chinami picked up her phone and sent a message to Renka.

[Hello, Renka. Are you busy right now?]

A reply came almost immediately.

[Hi, Chinami. I’m home, so it’s fine. You’re contacting me late today. Did you meet a guy?]

‘Huh...?’

Chinami widened her eyes in surprise.

Blinking her deep pink eyes, she tapped on the screen.

[How did you know? Did you see me outside?]

Right after sending the message, her phone vibrated with a distinctive sound.

Seeing Renka’s name on the caller ID, Chinami answered the call.

“Hello?”

-You met a guy? What are you talking about?

There was an urgency in Renka’s tone.

Wondering why she was reacting this way, Chinami realized this was the first time she had met a man privately, not related to her family.

“I had yogurt peach ice cream with Matsuda Hubae-nim.”

-... Matsuda?

“Yes, Ken Matsuda Hubae-nim you know, Renka.”

-....

Silence fell on the other end of the line.

After waiting for a while without any response from Renka, Chinami tilted her head and said,

“Hello? Renka? Renka-chan? Are you listening?”

-I am... But why on earth did you go out to have ice cream with Matsuda?

“Well, here’s what happened...”

Chinami took her time to explain everything from the beginning.

She could have just highlighted the key points, but instead, she chose to narrate every detail of the events.

Deep down, she hoped that Matsuda would make a good impression on Renka.

-Ah… So that’s how it was?

“Yes. Matsuda Hubae-nim said it was fine, but I insisted on buying it for him.”

-Because you didn’t want to feel indebted?

“Um... Something like that.”

-But why would Matsuda text you first?

“He sometimes sends messages to check in.”

-Don’t you think he might have some ulterior motive? His image is a bit... you know.

Chinami chuckled.

Renka was always so full of worries.

“Renka, you shouldn’t speak ill of others like that.”

-But there are rumors about Matsuda...

“The rumors weren’t good. But now, people are saying his attitude has improved. And to me, he’s a really kind junior, always helping out with manager tasks.”

-Has Matsuda ever done anything strange to you?

“Not...”

Chinami hesitated, about to say ‘of course not,’ but then she remembered the strange feelings she got every time Matsuda Hubae-nim gave her a neck massage.

Catching her hesitation, Renka quickly said,

-You hesitated there. Something must have happened, right?

“No, no, it’s nothing. I was just lost in thought for a moment. He’s never done anything strange.”

-Are you sure?

“Yes, I’m sure.”

-Well... that’s good then... But what are you up to? Bored? Want to go out? Or maybe you’re hungry since you only had ice cream... Want to have dinner together?

“Ah!? Would you like to have miso katsu with me?”

-Alright. How about we meet in an hour?

“Yes! Sounds good!”

After setting a meeting place with Renka and ending the call, Chinami was about to head to the living room when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

What was it that she had wanted to ask Renka?

Engrossed in their conversation, she had completely forgotten.

It almost felt like she was suffering from Internet Addiction Syndrome.

After a moment of contemplation, Chinami decided to just let it go.

‘I’ll remember it later, right?’

Right now, satisfying her hunger was more pressing.

She would meet Renka in an hour, so she planned to fill up on peaches to tide her over until then.

Since solid food provides more satiety than liquids, half a peach should be sufficient.

[You’re just cute.]

Musing over Matsuda’s sincere voice that naturally replayed in her head, Chinami hummed a tune to herself as she made her way to the kitchen.

**

“... All of them.”

“.....”

“...tsuda-kun.”

A refreshing voice tickled my ears, and a chilly breeze slapped my face.

Wrapped in a thick blanket, I had been sleeping fitfully when I opened my eyes.

“... What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’? It’s me.”

Miyuki stood before me.

Apparently, she had gone to the bathroom at some point, her hands and feet damp.

“Ugh...”

I yawned sleepily and shifted my body to ask.

“Why are you here so early...? I thought you wouldn’t arrive until around eight...”

“It is eight o’clock, you dummy. Didn’t you hear me open the door?”

“I didn’t hear it...”

“The sound of me washing my hands in the bathroom?”

“Uh...”

“And you didn’t notice me changing clothes?”

“That’s a shame. I should have seen that...”

As I expressed my regret, Miyuki let out a hollow laugh.

I gave her a dismissive smile and looked outside.

It was dark.

Hadn’t we last spoken on the phone at three in the afternoon?

What was meant to be a short nap turned into a deep sleep…

I’ve been sleeping a lot lately, especially after parting ways with Chinami yesterday and sprawling out in exhaustion.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I shook off the grogginess and looked up at Miyuki.

“How did you get here? Did you take a taxi?”

“No, the bus.”

“I told you to call me...”

“I did call you. Three times, even. But you didn’t answer, so I assumed you were asleep and just came.”

“Is that so...?”

Scratching my head awkwardly, I couldn’t help but chuckle when Miyuki slipped into the blanket and left a trace of her pink-tinted lips on mine.

“How was the trip?”

“Yeah, it was great. The temples were really impressive. They had this ancient vibe, but I really enjoyed it.”

“That’s a rather bland review. What did your sister say?”

“About what?”

“You said you’d talk to her.”

“Oh...”

Miyuki’s eyes darted upwards after a brief exclamation, as if deeply pondering over Kanna’s reaction.

Then, with a mischievous look, she said,

“It was... kind of fun.”

Judging by her expression, it was more than just ‘kind of’ fun.

“Why? What did you say?”

“Just... some naughty stories...”

“What kind of naughty stories?”

“The ones I said I’d tell...”

“Are you going to keep teasing? So what were these stories you mentioned?”

“Ah, don’t make me say it...! I don’t want to talk about it...”

Miyuki pouted, seemingly still uncomfortable with sharing.

I could almost picture Miyuki shyly sharing her stories with her, and Kanna’s face turning red as she swallowed hard while listening... It’s vivid.

“Let’s look at some photos. I took them at the temple.”

“Ah, yeah...”

Miyuki fumbled with her phone and showed me photos taken with her family.

In the serene setting of the ancient temple, blended with nature, Miyuki’s family, dressed in hiking-like attire, was all smiles.

I browsed through the photos silently before asking,

“Didn’t you take any photos at the torii*?”

“Torii gates are only found at shrines...”

“Why do you sound so disdainful?”

“When did I... Eek!”

Miyuki gasped in surprise, her eyes widening.

It was because I had pulled her on top of me.

As Miyuki tried to hastily get away, I patted her back to calm her down and said sternly,

“You treated me like I was some kind of fool.”

“Are you having some sort of persecution complex? I didn’t do that...!”

“But you did.”

“No, I didn’t...”

Miyuki stopped herself from denying further and clamped her mouth shut, perhaps noticing the stiffness between my thighs.

Placing her hand on my chest, she propped herself up and then, looking down, she shook her head from side to side.

After rummaging in her pocket, she pulled something out.

“Put this on first... you pervert...”

It was a string of Buddhist prayer beads, often called a rosary.

It seemed she had bought it from the temple...

The quality was quite good, coated to a shine.

“A rosary, huh?”

“Yeah... Give me your hand.”

I silently extended my hand, and Miyuki pulled the rosary apart and slid it onto my wrist.

The elastic string stretched slightly before contracting again, causing the beads, each about half the size of a finger joint, to snugly fit without any gaps.

I examined the rosary that fit my wrist perfectly and said with intrigue,

“It doesn’t feel tight, nor does it dangle... it fits perfectly. It’s not easy for regular rosaries to be like this... How did you know the size?”

“I see and touch it every day, how could I not know? How is it? Do you like it?”

“Yeah, it’s comfortable.”

“What about the design? Is it too plain?”

“No, I prefer it simple.”

“Is there anything off about it? Like misalignment or the beads not being up to par...”

“Not really. But why do you ask?”

“Just... wondering...”

Observing Miyuki’s reaction, I was certain this wasn’t just any ordinary rosary. Given her embarrassed expression, it didn’t seem like she was seeking feedback for a refund on a purchased item. And considering how she had just fumbled over her words...

“You made this, didn’t you?”

It was clear she had crafted the rosary herself.

“Yeah... There was a workshop... I made it to give to Matsuda-kun...”

Miyuki’s voice was barely audible, almost like a whisper.

I stared at her blankly for a moment, then, as she averted her gaze, seemingly overwhelmed by the attention, I spoke up.

“Miyuki.”

“.....”

Miyuki clutched my waist tightly, as if pinching it.

It seemed she was thrilled to hear her name called out in my deep, trembling voice.

I gently stroked her back from top to bottom, comforting her.

“Thank you. I’ll wear it every day.”

Miyuki rested her forehead against my chest and rubbed it side to side, perhaps finding comfort in my voice.

Was she that embarrassed to have made the rosary for me?

Feeling Miyuki’s especially tender frame today, I patted her back.

“.... Mmm...”

Hearing the warm, contented hum that Miyuki made when she was in high spirits, I smiled indulgently.

The atmosphere had become incredibly cozy, suggesting that taking it easy for the rest of the day wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵

Devil: Torii: A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, symbolizing the transition from the mundane to the sacred.}

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