My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 150

"Hey~ whoosh." She pulled out a folding chair leaning against the wall and sat down. Are you an old lady?

"How was the performance?"

"Not bad, and the audience really enjoyed it."

Regardless of the play's overall quality, the audience's reaction was undeniably enthusiastic. While it's unclear whether this was what producer Ebina intended, it was certainly a success in terms of the "fun" entertainment that Tobe championed.

As far as the high school anniversary performances go, they were simply superb. Add to that the performance by a group of close friends like Hayama, Tobe, and Ooka, and I'm not talking about any cliques; they truly brought out the full potential of the group.

When close friends play different roles, the contrast between them can bring great enjoyment to the audience; their unintentional displays of their personalities on stage can also bring another kind of enjoyment. These kinds of enjoyment are completely different from existing entertainment performances.

From these perspectives, this musical is indeed commendable. And most importantly, Totsuka is just so adorable.

"Because everyone has worked so hard for so long."

Yuihama made an "Mmm~" sound and stretched her body back. Listening to her emotional expression, I could feel how much effort she had put into this day. You've really worked hard... But with that T-shirt you're wearing, leaning back like that makes my chest and belly button look distracting. Could you please sit down properly?

"Yes. Although I didn't help, so I don't know, you must have been working hard for a long time, right?"

"You have work on the school anniversary executive committee, so it's understandable that you couldn't come to help. Oh, right... were you bothered that you weren't with everyone before the official performance?"

Yuihama tapped her two index fingers together, looked up at me, and asked. She often did this when she had something she found difficult to ask. This girl was worrying about trivial things again.

"No, I don't care at all. I didn't help at all, it would be strange if I just stayed with everyone, wouldn't it?"

That's what they say, but it's undeniable that this is something that worries her. I rarely answer questions so honestly, and Yui-hama sighed with a helpless smile after hearing that.

"...I knew you'd say that."

"How did you know...?"

It feels a little embarrassing to have the other person guess what you're going to say before you speak. Can we please not do that?

Yui leaned back in her chair, and the chair made a sound like giggling.

"Because you always pay attention to strange things; you'll naturally figure it out if you observe for a while."

"You've been looking at me the whole time..."

This time, the chair she was sitting on jumped in surprise and made an "Ah!" sound. Yuihama half-stood up and frantically waved her hands in front of her chest to deny it.

"Oh, no! What I just said doesn't count! I kept my eyes off the place most of the time and didn't see anything!"

"Actually, I don't mind if you want to see it..."

I scratched my head instinctively.

Then, we shut our mouths and stopped talking, while the noise from the two neighboring classes became even more intense.

Class E and Class G seem to be quite lively as well.

Especially Class E, I heard they rode the roller coaster, and there was a long line in front of the classroom.

Some people in the line couldn't stand the long wait and started booing and complaining. The students in Class E didn't know what to do.

Long queues can attract even more people to wait in line, which is a very peculiar phenomenon. This isn't just true for queues; the very fact that popular items are in high demand can be used as a new form of advertising to attract even more consumers to buy them.

Their class was no exception; the original line already had many people, and new people kept pouring in.

"Oh no... this is troublesome."

Yuihama murmured.

"If the queue keeps going on, won't it get out of control?"

Judging from the current situation, their class probably doesn't have enough people to handle the crowds. It's only a matter of time before the entire corridor is packed with people queuing up.

At this time-

A sharp whistle rang out.

I turned my head toward the direction of the sound and saw Senior Xun.

Please cooperate!

Even though there was no one else around the senior student on duty, as soon as she finished speaking, other student council members suddenly appeared. In the blink of an eye, they were already organizing the line, directing those at the back to other areas. Are you staff members from the Comiket event?

Is the person in charge of Class E here?

Yukinoshita also appeared. She found the person in charge of class activities, learned what had happened, and discussed countermeasures.

"Yukino is so cool..."

"I bet the people in Class E were really scared..."

Based on my observations and those of Yuihama, Yukinoshita seemed no different from usual, but someone who didn't have much interaction with her would probably find her cold and oppressive aura terrifying.

"However, she seems to be more energetic."

"……yes."

After discussing their strategy, Yukinoshita seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief. She glanced at us briefly as she looked up, then immediately looked away and left without looking back. Perhaps another task awaits her.

As I watched Yukinoshita walk away, I asked Yuihama, who was standing nearby:

"By the way, may I ask you something?"

"Hmm? What's up?"

Yuihama rested her chin on her hands on the table, responding without turning her head.

"Did you talk to her about anything while you were at Yukinoshita's house?"

"Hmm..." She thought for a moment before answering, "It's nothing~"

"what?"

I used this voice to demand an explanation, starting with Hibin recounting the aftermath of that day.

"After you got back, we were both hungry, so we had dinner together and watched a DVD. Then I went home... So, I didn't ask you anything you wanted to know."

That last sentence felt like it was deliberately targeting me.

"...I don't have anything I want to know."

"Oh? I'd really like to know."

"Then why—"

"Then why didn't you ask—" Upon seeing Yui's profile, I immediately swallowed back the question I was about to ask. She stared intently at the corner of the corridor that disappeared below the bend, her expression quite serious, making me realize that it was best not to speak again.

"I've decided to continue waiting for Yukino. She probably also wants to speak up and take the initiative to approach us... so I'll wait for her."

This is undoubtedly what Yuihama said.

So far, it has always been Hihama who has taken the initiative to approach us, so she will definitely continue to wait. Yukinoshita understands this, and in order to reciprocate her feelings, she also wants to take the first step herself.

"If someone is someone who won't change no matter how much time passes, I won't wait for them."

"Hmm? Yeah, waiting for that kind of person indefinitely isn't a solution."

Yuihama chuckled softly. She maintained the position of resting her chin on her hands, turning her body slightly to gaze at me.

Outside of performance hours, the flow of people in front of the classroom gradually quickened. Students in the corridors were either rushing to their next destination or soliciting customers; everyone was busy coming and going. We didn't need to recognize each person, and the noise was completely irrelevant to us. In short, they were just background noise, just ambient sound effects.

Therefore, I could hear Yuihama speaking slowly, word by word, in a voice more composed than usual:

"No. I won't wait for him... I'll take the initiative to approach him."

Thump—at that moment, my heart pounded violently, the pain feeling like it was about to burst.

Looking at her teary eyes, I almost started to overthink the meaning of her words. However, if I did overthink, I would likely only end up in the worst-case scenario, misunderstanding her intentions again. I've learned this lesson countless times before, and I don't want to misunderstand again this time… perhaps.

Therefore, I have no good answer to her right now.

"Is that so..."

"Yes, that's right."

We gave vague and meaningless replies, and Yui responded with a shy smile. Her smile probably meant she wanted to end the conversation there.

The two sighed softly and looked away.

At that moment, I noticed the plastic bag that Yui had placed on the table earlier.

What's in that bag?

"Oh, I forgot. You haven't had lunch yet, have you?"

Yui opened the plastic bag; inside was a paper bag. She opened the paper bag and took out its contents. "Hey, this Russian nesting doll is really unique!"

Wait, something doesn't seem right.

Oh, it's bread, a whole loaf of toast.

This bread is topped with a generous amount of whipped cream and chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with colorful chocolate sprinkles, but it's basically just a loaf of toast, and a whole loaf at that. It's more like toast than lunch.

Bin then proudly held up the cream toast.

"Ta-da! Honey Toast!"

Wow! Could it be the legendary "Pasela's" super popular honey toast...? Is this some kind of themed dish? Wait, no? So no one's going to serve the special drink with a special coaster? No problem, Karaoke Ironman can too! (Note 81: Themed dishes refer to restaurants collaborating with businesses to offer food and drinks themed around specific anime or manga works. "Pasela" and "Karaoke Ironman" are Japanese karaoke chains.)

I looked at Yuihama with a slightly touched expression, and she asked in surprise:

"Honey toast isn't that rare. Doesn't Chiba have Pasela too?"

"There's nothing I can do, I almost never go to karaoke."

It's a pity this honey toast was made by an amateur; that's why it's of this standard. Real honey toast must be much more refined and delicious. Seriously, isn't this just bread? Why not try a little harder to disguise its true nature? Leaving it so blatantly exposed is clearly telling everyone, "I am just a loaf of bread."

"Hey!"

Yui separated the honey toast, making a sound that was anything but proper for dividing food, and placed it on a paper plate. "You just use your hands... whatever, I don't mind."

I'll accept Yuihama's kind offer and try the honey toast she's prepared.

"So delicious!"

Yuihama stuffed her mouth full, her face smeared with cream. Judging from her blissful expression, she's probably a sweet tooth.

As I looked at it, I started to think I would fall in love with this toast.

With excitement, I took my first bite—

...The bread is so hard...and there's not a trace of honey flavor in it!

There wasn't enough whipped cream; halfway through, it became a dry, hard-to-chew mess. Was this some kind of punishment game? But honestly, choosing honey toast for lunch was problematic in itself.

Strange, why is Yuihama herself enjoying this so much... Is there really anything delicious in it?

"The whipped cream is so delicious!"

Hey, hey, hey... that's not a prerequisite for honey toast... and besides, that pile of whipped cream was taken from me.

Although there were countless things I could complain about, seeing Yui enjoying her meal so much, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. In the end, I swallowed the bread with tea, and it was only with great difficulty that I managed to finish it.

Hmm... okay, it's alright, I guess?

Yui finished her honey toast and pulled out a tissue to wipe the cream from the corner of her mouth. Her lips glistened, dazzling in the sunlight, forcing me to look away.

This honey toast is a whole loaf, so even though there are two of us, the portion still feels quite large.

Since it's a whole loaf of bread, it should be quite expensive, unlike a Mexican burrito which is cheap.

"How much?"

I had just taken out my wallet when Yui stopped me by pressing my hand down.

"No need, it's nothing."

"No, since we ate it, we have to pay."

"Really, you don't need to!"

Yuigahama insists on not charging money. If this continues, it will only go on forever…

"...I'm willing to be kept, but I won't accept charity!"

"I really don't understand your pride!"

Yuihama made a "Hmm..." sound and hesitated for a while, then finally muttered:

"You're such a pain~ Okay, I got it. Otherwise, next time you'll treat me to honey toast... at Pasela in Chiba."

"They even specified a location..."

Although I complained like that, I knew very well what she really meant.