My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 141

"I'm going to study humanities. If you're really undecided, feel free to ask me anytime!"

"Yes... thank you, senior. I appreciate your kindness."

I initially thought Yukinoshita was going to politely thank the other person for their kindness, but she declined in a very tactful way. However, Senior Megure didn't notice this and continued talking happily.

"Hmm~ Ah, but I don't know much about science, so I might not be able to answer you. However, since Hina-senpai chose science, you can ask her."

"……yes."

A shadow fell over his face beneath the snow.

I think it would be impossible for Yukinoshita to ask her older sister for advice unless the sun rises in the west.

Yukinoshita, who was already not very talkative, now kept her mouth tightly shut. She clearly wanted us to stop talking, and so, as usual, Senior Megure stopped speaking as well.

After that, only the clicking of the keyboard and the rustling of our data processing remained. The two sounds blended together, like fragmented Morse code.

In the quiet space, even a soft cough from someone draws attention. Even if it's just a simple throat clearing to check if the voice is normal, I can't help but look in the direction of the sound.

"...Class 2-F leader, you haven't submitted your class project application yet."

Yukinoshita held the documents and sighed softly.

What time is it? There are still people who haven't handed in their application forms? I can't believe it, who is it... What, it's me! It's all my fault for having such a weak sense of belonging to the class that I completely forgot about this.

Wait, I vaguely remember Sagami saying she would be in charge of writing the application forms... Never mind, she hasn't come to the executive committee recently, so I can't find out.

"...Sorry, I'll finish it as soon as possible."

If we continue to wait here, Sagami might not actually be able to write it, so I might as well just write something random to get by.

"Okay, please hand it over by today."

I took the application form from Yukinoshita's hand and immediately began to write.

Number of participants, person in charge, registered names, required equipment, instructors... Hey, why do I need to draw a diagram? Is this a challenge to me, who only got a "2" in art?

I continued scanning the other fields that needed to be filled in.

Oh, I see. I had no idea how to write it.

From the past to the present, my reputation for steadfastly refusing to participate in any class activities is well-deserved. Needless to say, I can't even tell you how many people are in the class, let alone the group registration names.

But don't worry, this man exists precisely for this moment. In other words, he can certainly appear at any other time.

"Hayama, take a look at this for me."

Hayama quickly glanced at the application form, thought for a moment, and then replied:

"Sorry, I don't know everything either."

"It's okay, I'll just write the rest."

"That won't work."

"...I heard it very clearly."

Yukinoshita, staring at the computer screen, interrupted, and Hayama gave a wry smile.

"Why don't you go back and see who's still in the class, and just ask them directly? Wouldn't that be faster?"

"Right."

So, I left the meeting room with the application form and walked back to my classroom.

× × ×

On the eve of the school anniversary, the classrooms were in complete chaos after school. The decibel level of the noise and the number of participants at such times perfectly reflected how full the class was.

If we define a boy's ability to elicit laughter from a girl during a conversation as "1 Youth HIT (sH)," and a group's work for one hour as "1 Youth Hour (sH)," then the product of these two is the "Youth Principal Angle (sH)." During the school anniversary celebration, each class will compete based on their "Youth Principal Angle." However, the abbreviations for these units are all the same, making them difficult to distinguish (Note 49: s represents "Youth (seishun)," and H represents HIT, Hours, and Hero respectively).

Judging from the scene, the students in Class 2-F were quite tall. They decided to put on a play for the school anniversary, so they put tables together to form a stage. A group of actors gathered in one corner to practice, while others huddled in another corner sewing costumes.

"Hey, you guys, get serious!"

Sagami was yelling at a group of boys, led by Ooka.

It turns out she'd been staying in this place all along.

Well, even if she showed up at the Executive Committee meeting, she probably wouldn't be of much help, so I don't really care. In some situations, the gap in ability can be quite brutal.

I didn't know if I should remind her that I still had work on the executive committee. Although the thought was in my mind, if I actually said it, she would only talk badly about me behind my back: "I was actually complained about by that guy called Penguin, it's really uncomfortable~ It feels like it's gone beyond mere harassment, it's practically sexual harassment (laughs), I'm going to sue him (laughs). Besides, he's not my boss or anyone else (laughs), who does he think he is (laughs)...wait, so who is he anyway?" I could almost foresee that my future vision (Note 50 is from "Kara no Kyoukai," referring to the ability to predict the future) would awaken unexpectedly, and a battle of supernatural abilities was about to erupt.

I looked around the classroom and saw that no one was wearing a uniform.

Is it finally finished...? A chilling weapon of mental destruction, named "Class Uniform".

Simply put, the class uniforms are T-shirts made by each class for the school anniversary. However, this explanation is practically meaningless, so it's best to just remove it.

Class uniforms likely carry multiple meanings, including the unity and friendship among classmates, the promotion of school anniversary activities, and the preservation of youthful memories through tangible objects.

For some reason, everyone seems to like printing everyone's nicknames on the back of their class T-shirts. From my past experience, this phenomenon is quite obvious.

This year's class uniform was no exception, covered with everyone's nicknames except mine, which was the most ordinary: "Hikigaya-kun" (Note 51: The original text here is "Hikigaya-kun"). Nicknames are usually written in hiragana or katakana, so my few kanji characters stood out particularly. Not only that, but "kundo" in "Hikigaya-kun" was also marked in katakana. I could feel the effort the designer put into making me fit in, and even felt a little embarrassed by their misguided kindness.

Although I was traumatized by this in my first year of high school, let's just go for it now! Whether you use my full name or just Chinese characters, I'm not afraid at all. Haha, as soon as the school anniversary celebration is over, I'll immediately use it as a rag. Anyway, the material of this kind of clothing isn't very good, and it's not comfortable to wear as pajamas.

I continued searching for Yuihama in the classroom.

Um... Miss Hihama, Miss Hihama...

Suddenly, the figure of a beautiful woman entered my field of vision.

It was a neutral, illusory, yet captivating existence.

The coat draped over his body was clearly too wide, with sleeves extending far below his wrists, leaving only a tiny bit of his fingers sticking out. It turned out to be Totsuka dressed in the costume of "The Little Prince," who was rolling up his overly long trousers and then pinning a safety pin to mark the folds.

He stood there, unable to find anything to do. As soon as he saw me, he raised his hand, which was slightly showing from his sleeve, and waved it gently.

"Ah, Hachiman, you're back!"

"……I'm back."

Although I am deeply ashamed, I have returned alive (Note 52: This is a famous quote from Shoichi Yokoi, a soldier during World War II. After Japan's unconditional surrender, Yokoi continued to hide in the forest for twenty-eight years before being discovered and returned to Japan. This was the first thing he said upon arriving at Haneda Airport.) — I couldn't help but bow to him. If Totsuka were willing to greet me with those words, I would be willing to return every day.

"Oh, that's right."

He suddenly remembered something, ran to his backpack, rummaged through it for a while, then quickly ran back with something in his hand. On the way, he accidentally stepped on the hem of his coat and fell into my arms—for a moment, I genuinely hoped this would happen, but alas, fate had other plans. No matter when or where, reality is always so cruel.

"Thank you for this."

He handed me a book.

This is the paperback edition of *The Little Prince* that I borrowed from him a while ago. Having already read it countless times, the cover edges are worn, and the pages are dirty. I reflected on this and reminded myself not to lend anything that's in such poor condition to others next time.

"I'm thinking about how to thank you..."

Totsuka looked serious, nodded vigorously with an "Mm," and looked straight up at me.

"Hachiman... is there anything you like?"

—Totsuka.

I almost blurted out that answer. To be honest, I even accidentally pronounced the "ㄏ" sound.

"Hmm...it seems like there's nothing I particularly like."

In short, I'll try to figure out a way to get by first.

"Hmm..." Totsuka crossed her small hands and began to think seriously.

"I see... So, is there any food or book you like? Or... snacks or something? What do you want?"

—Totsuka.

I almost blurted out that answer again. To be honest, I even accidentally pronounced the "ㄏㄨ" sound.

"Hmm... I don't know how to answer this question since you asked me so suddenly... If I had to say, I like sweet things."

For example, MAX Coffee, miso peanuts, malt jelly, soft serve ice cream from Mama Ranch, and peanut pie from Holland House (Note 53: a Japanese and Western-style confectionery specialty store founded in Chiba).

"Sweet things... okay, I'll bring some for you next time!"

After Totsuka finished speaking to me with a smile, someone beckoned him over, presumably to sew up his trouser legs. Totsuka responded, then turned to me and said, "Well then, I'll go first."

Take care.

I watched Totsuka wave goodbye as he left... It felt wonderful, and I wished I could see him off like this every morning. But for some reason, the thought of being kept by Totsuka made my heart ache, as if telling me it was impossible.

Once I was alone again, I looked around the classroom once more.

Because Totsuka was so cute, I accidentally forgot my original purpose for coming back to class.

Let me look for it, Miss Hihama is there...

Ah, found it.

"Yuihama".

Yuihama was biting into a popsicle she'd bought somewhere, holding a piece of paper in one hand, seemingly discussing something with someone. She looked up and walked towards me.

"Hey, are you done with your work over there?"

"Work can be left unattended, but it's never truly finished."

"What are you talking about?"

The way she looked at me was like she was looking at an idiot. Tsk, so these people who can work comfortably... I originally planned to tell her how terrible and miserable being a corporate slave is, but unfortunately I don't have that kind of free time right now. So I silently swallowed my hatred for work and quickly finished the troublesome things.

"Anyway, I'm still working. Could you please teach me how to fill out this application form? I absolutely have to submit it today."

"So urgent? Wait a minute, isn't Hayato there too?"

The "there" she mentioned must have been referring to the school anniversary executive committee.

"yes."

"Let's go over there and get it done. It's incredibly noisy here, and I was just about to gather everyone to discuss the stage effects."

As we were speaking, we heard Sagami's voice from behind.

"Ah, I should probably head to the Executive Committee meeting soon too. Excuse me, everyone! I have to go now after I'm done!"

× × ×

Back in the meeting room, Yuihama began to tell me about the class project.

Beyond the practical aspects, there are also abstract details to fill in, such as the required equipment, number of participants, and how the allocated budget will be used. While these written descriptions can be glossed over, the problem lies in having to draw even the structural components of the objects, making this part incredibly tedious.

"Didn't you say it was wrong? Our decorations are luxurious; you need to paint it even more extravagantly, like this!"

"I can not understand……"

Rather than saying that drawing is troublesome, it's actually that Yuihama's explanations are too difficult to understand.

Why is she so casual about even her explanations... I really can't understand it, I just can't understand it at all.

"Also, you've got the number of people allocated wrong."

"To be pointed out by Yuigahama... How humiliating..."

"What did you say? Stop talking nonsense and fix it now!"

Yuihama's instructions were quite strict, which really surprised me. I honestly picked up my pen and tried to fill out the application form.

The diligent students had a motivating effect on the implementing department, and the patrolling senior students worked with smiles on their faces, which eased the usually tense atmosphere.

A sharp, piercing sound broke the silence.

"Sorry I'm late~ Oh, Hayama, you're here too!"

Sagami entered the conference room with her two close friends. After many days, they finally remembered to show their faces. She spotted Hayama and was about to walk over when she was startled to find Yukinoshita blocking her path.

Yukino handed the documents and seal to Sagami with lightning speed.

"Sagami-kun, please stamp these documents. I have reviewed them all, and theoretically there shouldn't be any problems. I have also corrected any minor oversights."

"Really? Thank you!"

Even the pleasantries were skipped, and the first thing she said was about work.

Sagami's expression faltered when she realized her chance to chat with Hayama had been ruined, or perhaps she was annoyed at being given work the moment she stepped into the meeting room. However, she quickly put on a smile again and took the documents.

She barely glanced at the contents of the document, frantically stamping it with her seal, while Yukinoshita checked the documents and put them into a special folder. This scene presented numerous problems, and these problems certainly hadn't just arisen in the last two or three days.

As a member of the executive committee, I could naturally sense it, but what did outsiders think? I glanced at Yuihama and saw her lips tightly pressed together, her gaze lowered; she must be thinking something. The club is currently on hiatus, creating an ambiguous distance between Yuihama and Yukinoshita. Now, having finally met, seeing Yukinoshita interacting with Sagami like that must be incredibly upsetting for her.

What about the other person who doesn't belong to the Executive Committee—Hayama?