My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 145

× × ×

Some people have strong opinions about this year's school anniversary slogans.

Actually, I had already anticipated that someone would protest.

"So much fun! It's so much fun! ~The sound of the sea breeze can be heard at Soubu High School's anniversary celebration~"

...This is absolutely impossible, right? It's a blatant rip-off of "Jūmankoku Manju" (Note 62: "Jūmankoku Manju" is a Japanese confectionery sold at "Jūmankoku Fukuchaya," a specialty of Saitama Prefecture. Its advertising slogan is: "You can hear the wind talking...Delicious! Absolutely delicious!"), and it's a Saitama product, so it's really hard for people from Chiba to accept.

Even setting aside Chiba for the moment, directly using an advertising slogan devised by someone else sparked debate about its appropriateness. Ultimately, the slogan was rejected after negotiations.

Therefore, the executive committee urgently convened a meeting to discuss countermeasures.

Haruno and Hayama, who have been frequently seen lately, also attended as observers. This alone clearly shows that the Executive Committee's operations are becoming increasingly chaotic and disorderly.

The executive department, mainly composed of student council officers, and Yukinoshita were both exhausted. In the days leading up to their departure, they had already exhausted their energy and were barely managing to keep the committee running. This sudden situation was undoubtedly a fatal blow.

There was absolutely no sign that the emergency meeting was about to begin.

The meeting room was filled with the chatter of everyone. Sagami, who was supposed to be in charge of the meeting, was chatting with her friend, whom she had appointed as secretary, in front of the whiteboard.

The senior student finally couldn't stand it anymore.

"Sagami-san, Yukinoshita-san, everyone's here."

Sagami then stopped talking and looked at Yukinoshita.

All eyes turned to her, but Yukinoshita just stared blankly at the meeting minutes.

"Yukinoshita-san?"

She looked up as if startled when she heard Sagami call her name.

“Eh…”

Fortunately, she understood the current situation in a very short time.

"Alright, let's begin the committee meeting now. As my colleague, the former student council president, informed us, today we'll be discussing the slogans for the school anniversary celebrations."

Yukinoshita began the meeting in a serious and methodical manner.

She first asked everyone to raise their hands to offer their opinions, but this was too difficult for a group lacking motivation. No one was enthusiastic, and the serious meeting devolved into gossip.

Hayama, who was sitting next to me, couldn't take it anymore and raised his hand, saying:

"It's a bit difficult to come up with any ideas suddenly. Should we ask everyone to write them down on paper first, and then explain them later?"

"Well... then, please take some time to think about it."

After receiving their sheets of white paper, very few people actually wrote anything. Most just looked at each other's strange writings and laughed gleefully. Not only that, but they didn't return the paper when it was collected at the end.

Fortunately, amidst the disorganized group, there is still a group of diligent and hardworking students who don't stand out. Aside from their inability to stand in front of others, they are very responsible and dedicated. I've received a lot of help from them before, and it seems I'll need their help again this time.

After collecting the returned papers, all the slogans were written on the whiteboard one by one.

Friendship, effort, and victory (Note 63: the three principles of Weekly Shonen Jump manga).

The next few slogans had a similar feel to this.

One slogan stood out: "Hakko Ichiu (Note 64: This was the national motto of the Japanese Empire, used as a slogan for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere during World War II. It means 'One World, One Family, Universal Harmony.')" Good heavens! I can roughly guess who wrote it…

Another slogan also attracted a lot of attention.

"ONE FORALL".

"Wow~" As soon as the words appeared on the whiteboard, Hayama immediately exclaimed in a low voice. "That slogan looks pretty good."

It seems Hayama really appreciates this slogan. Yes, it certainly sounds like something he'd like, and it's in English.

I simply responded with a snort, meaning, "Really?"

Hayama shrugged.

"I really enjoy the feeling of someone working hard for everyone."

"Oh, is that so? Isn't it simple?"

"what?"

Hmph, it seems even Ye Shan can't understand the meaning of my words. No problem, I'll explain it to you.

"To hurt one person first, and then exclude them... Isn't it common for someone to do this for the greater good?"

—Yes, I'm talking about you guys right now.

"Hachiman, you..."

Ye Shan's expression was as if he had been unexpectedly slapped; his eyes sharpened, and he turned to face me. Even from an outsider's perspective, it was clear we were glaring at each other.

The surrounding chatter instantly fell silent.

Fortunately, we spoke very quietly, and the others just whispered among themselves.

My silent standoff with Hayama lasted only a few seconds before I looked away, bringing it to a close.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not scared, it's just that everyone's eyes are focused on what's in front of us.

After discussing with his friend, who was the secretary, for a while, Sagami stood up and said:

"So, the final slogan we came up with is 'Kizuna ~The school anniversary celebration that everyone worked together to complete~'."

Sagami announced the slogans that their group had come up with and wrote them on the whiteboard.

"Wow……"

Hearing her say something like that, I couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment. This girl is way too self-important; does her head have such wild imagination that it's practically a flower-filled ranch? Do you guys make raw milk candy? (Note 65: "Hanamata Ranch" operates a ranch, food manufacturing and sales business, headquartered in Hokkaido. Raw milk candy is their best-selling product.)

My reaction caused a stir around me, and the almost mocking commotion touched a nerve with Sagami. She naturally turned her attention to me, the one who caused the disturbance and was the weakest link in the group.

"...What's wrong? Does anything seem strange to you?"

Sagami forced a smile, but she was actually furious inside; I could see her cheeks twitching.

"No, nothing..."

I only say half of what I mean, and in a tone of dissatisfaction. I can guarantee that this is absolutely the most infuriating way to respond. I've always unconsciously spoken like this in the past, causing me to lose friends one after another, so this principle must be true.

The purpose of doing this is to convey what words cannot express.

I know how to convey my will without words.

Because from the past to the present, I have never had a normal conversation with anyone.

Pretending to sleep during breaks, deliberately giving others a hard time when asked for favors, sighing and complaining at work... even if words aren't enough, I'll use these methods to express my will.

I know these methods all too well... although they will only make things worse.

"I think you seem to want to say something."

"Really, no."

Sagami looked displeased and gave me a slight glare.

"Oh, I see. If you're not satisfied, please give me some feedback."

Didn't I say I really didn't have any?

"Hmm... 'People—upon closer inspection, half of them are enjoying the cool air at the school anniversary celebration!'"

how about it?

...At that moment, the whole world seemed to stand still.

No one responded. Sagami, Megurine, and Hayama were all stunned. This was probably what was meant by being "speechless".

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Even under the snow, it stared blankly with its mouth agape.

Suddenly, a burst of laughter broke the silence.

"Hahahaha! Genius, truly a genius! So amazing! Hahaha... Phew! I can't take it anymore, my stomach hurts from laughing so much~~"

The one who laughed was Haruno, while Hiratsuka-sensei next door glared at me with a stern face. How terrifying, so terrifying.

The teacher nudged Yang Nai with her elbow and said, "...Yang Nai, your laughter is too exaggerated."

"Hahaha... um, cough cough."

Yang Nai then noticed the awkward atmosphere and coughed lightly to stop laughing.

"But I think it's great! As long as it's fun, there's no problem!"

"Hachiman...explain yourself..."

With an expression of utter disapproval, Hiratsuka-sensei demanded an explanation from me.

"Think about it, everyone. We often say that the word 'human' represents two people relying on each other, but actually, it's more accurate to say that one person relies on the other. I believe the concept of 'human' lies in the tacit acceptance and tolerance of sacrificing certain individuals. Doesn't this align perfectly with the school anniversary celebration and the executive committee?"

"Sacrifice? Please explain in more detail."

Before they knew it, the teacher's stern expression gradually faded.

"I've been incredibly self-sacrificing, being forced to work like an idiot, and it's all been work that others have dumped on me. Is this what the chairman meant by 'mutual assistance'? At least I haven't been helping anyone out, so I'm not really sure."

After I finished speaking, everyone looked at Sagami in unison.

They saw Sagami trembling, and then looked at each other.

A commotion broke out at the scene, and whispers spread among the crowd.

The sound reached my vicinity, then echoed back—finally disappearing in the center.

Seated in the center seat is the executive director of the school anniversary celebration executive committee, along with the vice-chairperson, Yukino Yukinoshita.

At that moment, no one spoke again.

All eyes were on Yukinoshita, waiting to see how the Ice Queen, who was carrying out sweeping reforms and implementing an autocratic system, would punish this joke.

Yukino quickly grabbed the meeting minutes and covered her face.

Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, and her back, which was curled up and almost pressed against the table, was also bouncing up and down.

Everyone stared at the strange sight, the sharp silence piercing their eardrums.

After a while, Yukinoshita let out a short sigh and looked up.

"Hikigaya-san."

She looked directly into my eyes.

Thinking about it, it seems like it's been a long time since I've heard her call my name and gazed into her clear, slightly blue eyes.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, a smile bloomed at the corners of her mouth, and her beautifully shaped pink lips parted gently.

Beneath the snow, a smile, like a radiant flower in full bloom, appeared, declaring to me:

"--turn down."

Then, she changed to a serious expression, sat up straight, and coughed lightly.

"Sagami-kun, let's call it a day. After all, we won't come up with any good proposals if we continue the discussion."

"Eh? But..."

"Spending an entire day on this issue is foolish. Let's all go back and think about it, and make a decision tomorrow. As for future work, as long as everyone attends regularly each day, we can quickly catch up on the progress we've fallen behind in."

After Yukino finished speaking, she quietly looked around at everyone with an expression that left no room for refusal.

"Does anyone have any objections?"

Under her decisive action, not a single person stood up to protest. In no time at all, everyone was forced to agree to attend obediently starting tomorrow.

Sagami is certainly no exception.

"Well... then, starting tomorrow, I hope everyone will cooperate. Thank you for your hard work."

Sagami announced the end of the meeting, and everyone stood up from their seats in twos and threes.

Ye Shan didn't even glance at me before leaving the meeting room.

As others passed by, they cast stinging glances my way, some even muttering complaints like, "What's wrong with that person?" Seriously, what's wrong with this person...wait, are they talking about me?

After the executive committee was almost completely disbanded, only a few familiar faces from the executive departments remained.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was no longer tense, but one person was still sullen.

That person is Senior Xun.