My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 161

There are usually no people around me, but the difference this time is the way others are looking at me.

It wasn't that they didn't recognize me; rather, they deliberately used their eyes to tell me, "I don't want to talk to you at all." They only glanced at me for a fleeting moment, and managed to suppress a laugh.

I turned my head to find out who was looking at me, and we made eye contact.

In this situation, I never actively look away.

Therefore, nine times out of ten, the other party is looking away.

To be honest, that was indeed the case in the past.

However, this does not apply when the other party is in a dominant position. Instead of turning to look away, the person stared at me for a full two seconds, then chuckled with his companions, exchanging a witty exchange, interspersed with playful remarks such as "He seems to be looking here (laughs)," "What are you doing (laughs)," and "This is really uncomfortable (laughs)."

I feel a bit like the panda in the exhibit—no, comparing me to a panda is too self-aggrandizing; I'd be more like an axolotl or a baby sea monkey. Ugh! Am I really that popular? Or am I both disgusting and cute?

—If I don't comfort myself like this, my heart will really be hurt.

To be honest, my heart is indeed missing a piece, and I even shed a few tears under the covers at night. If we're talking about superhuman toughness (Note 1: from the manga *Kinnikuman*, where 0 to 10 represents Superman's body hardness level), I dare say I'm diamond-hard. But while diamonds are completely scratch-resistant, they're still easily shattered if struck hard with a hammer. Didn't some manga use the title "The Unbreakable Diamond" (Note 2: referring to *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure* Part 4)? That's a lie.

Fortunately, the "anti-Hikigaya craze" of the entire school year has subsided, which is something to be thankful for. After all, I've never been particularly noticeable, and everyone's dislike of me was just a passing fad, quickly fading from interest. This is what they mean by "rumors don't last long." To put it another way, it's like the guy who gets obsessed with different female characters every time a new season of anime starts. From the past to the present, the treatment I've received has always been vastly different from others, compressing this process further and further, until finally, they didn't even bother to interview me about "where that person is now (Note 3: the original title is "あの人は今," a Japanese variety show that specifically seeks out the current situation of once-famous celebrities)."

This world has no interest in me. After all, there are countless joyful things in this world.

The classroom was relaxed today, with students chatting happily.

A group of people in the back seats were talking loudly, boasting about their presence, much like gorillas thumping their chests. Incidentally, this behavior is called "drumming" in English.

The group was chatting happily, their loud conversation clearly reaching my ears as they asserted their presence. I glanced over and saw the trio of Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato sitting at the table. There were chairs available; why wouldn't they sit properly? I really couldn't understand it.

"By the way, where are you planning to go for your graduation trip?"

When the Ministry of Revenue raised the question, Ōoka raised both hands in response:

"Come on, it's Kyoto! Of course we have to go to Universal Studios! U.S.J! U.S.J!"

"Then let's go to Osaka."

"Here it comes! A super authentic吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for a sarcastic or witty remark)!"

omg...

Yamato calmly muttered a complaint, which immediately excited the Ministry of Revenue. Honestly, I couldn't stand this conversation. If there were any real Kansai people present, they would definitely grab an ashtray and smash it over their heads.

One of the defining characteristics of people from Kansai is that they get angry when they hear broken Kansai dialect. Conan guarantees that.

The strangest thing in the world is listening to people from Kanto speak Kansai dialect. If you ask whether it's acceptable, it's practically a passing grade.

The trio, of course, had no idea what I was thinking. They continued chatting happily, and every now and then they would look at the girl with eyes that seemed to say, "Isn't our conversation interesting?" It was so boring it was laughable.

"But having to go all the way to Osaka is too much trouble~"

"yes."

Hobe pulled at the back of his hair and said, and Ooka's face lit up with "How about that?" The only one who was calm, collected and slow-witted was Yamato, who completely ignored them, silently strategizing for a while before accurately hitting the target.

"...Wouldn't it be better if only one person from the Ministry of Revenue went?"

"What! Am I being ostracized? I'm not that penguin!"

After he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Upon closer inspection, Oda and Tahara, who were looking at each other's smartphone screens, were also trembling, trying hard not to laugh, but still managed to make a "pfft" sound.

Okay, okay, this is hilarious, I'm dying of laughter.

In short, this is how I've been treated lately. They're finding their own boundaries, exploring the lowest acceptable limits, and putting me in one meme after another.

Please allow me to emphasize again: there was absolutely no bullying! They were just playing around, having fun with my name—a classic example of "I didn't bully him, I was just joking." No matter how hurtful the words or how excessive the behavior, it can all be easily dismissed as "just joking," it's incredibly convenient. This phrase acts like "Laugh, Dahl," making it impossible for the listener not to laugh.

However, if you delve into the reasons behind their behavior, you will find that it is simply a common tactic used for "acceptance".

When trying to accept something that is difficult to accept, some degree of compromise is inevitable. There is only one way to compromise: to treat it as a laughing stock. Dissidents within a group must go through this process to gain acceptance.

There was a time when, under the vigorous persuasion of Sagami devotees, everyone in Class 2-F treated me with disdain and showed great camaraderie towards Sagami. However, in high school, this period only passed quickly. When the sports meet ended, the sympathy for Sagami had faded, and now the trend was "Let's make fun of Penguin-classmate." I was truly a darling of the times.

Sagami, who caused all this, was forgotten, but the dregs after the storm—that is, himself, Hachiman Hikigaya—remained and gradually became a habit for everyone.

This kind of ritual, which is merely a formality, can be easily understood by interpreting it from a religious perspective. A number of activities with long histories or profound origins are gradually losing their original meaning. For example, the Bon dance and Christmas are still acceptable to people and celebrated happily even if they cannot explain the origins of these festivals.

These activities will eventually become part of the group's shared consciousness and culture, allowing everyone to reaffirm and recognize that they belong to the same group.

One day, they'll get tired of joking about me too.

Unfortunately, just before the graduation trip, the class was in high spirits, and the enthusiasm reached its peak.

When everyone gathers in small groups to discuss topics like "where to go" and "what to do," it's the perfect time to leverage "group strength." Therefore, the ritual of joking about me is indispensable.

The people from the Ministry of Revenue kept bringing up "comparing penguins, comparing penguins," changing topics one after another. Come to think of it, there's clearly no penguin in my name...

As Ooka spoke, he kept touching his buzz cut, while Yamato chimed in.

"A graduation trip...that's awesome."

"Yeah, that's awesome."

At times like this, never ask "What's so awesome?" Just say it's awesome, and you'll lose if you take it seriously. Even if you're having a nonsensical conversation, never complain. It's truly awesome.

"By the way, Ministry of Revenue, what are your plans for 'that' thing?"

Ooka suddenly adopted a nervous tone, as if he had been wanting to speak for a long time. Upon hearing the question, Tobe also became hesitant and stammering.

"Huh? You really want to know? Okay~ what's the point of asking? Isn't the answer obvious?"

The Minister of Revenue coughed lightly, keeping everyone in suspense.

"...I've made up my mind."

"oh!"

The Ministry of Revenue answered with a meaningless serious expression, prompting the other two to exclaim in surprise. Wait a minute, you said you've made up your mind, does that mean you've decided to take drugs? (Note 4: "决める" means to decide, but "キメる" means to use illegal drugs.) This stuff is far too powerful; I was immediately speechless.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue and their entourage, who had been talking and laughing loudly, now whispered amongst themselves in hushed tones. They probably didn't want to be overheard.

The others also shifted their gaze away from me, returning to their own topics. I glanced at them, then stared blankly at the ceiling.

Sitting only on the front half of the chair, leaning back with my whole body against the backrest, felt so comfortable. I sighed and slowly closed my eyes.

The classmates were excitedly discussing their upcoming graduation trip, and the whole classroom was filled with noise, which allowed me to escape the annoying stares and ridicule.

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over my vision. When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of familiar breasts—no, it was a familiar face.

"Hi!"

Yuihama stared down at me from above.

"oh……"

I was so startled I almost fell off my chair, but I tried my best to stay calm.

"Are you going to your club today?"

"Um."

"Okay, see you at the club office then."

Yui answered me quietly, deliberately choosing a moment when everyone's attention was elsewhere. That thoughtfulness was truly remarkable.

She waved cautiously in front of her chest and walked back to Miura's territory. Miura looked at me in surprise for a moment, then quickly shifted his gaze back to his phone.

As expected of the Fiery Queen, who boldly forges her own path, she has absolutely no interest in me, someone from the very bottom of the school hierarchy. She's neither my enemy nor my ally, but she's not exactly neutral either. This neutral stance is incredibly fortunate.

She might not have been looking at me, but rather at Yuihama.

Given the current atmosphere in the class, talking to me is a risky move. Fortunately, Yui is good at reading the room and knows how to avoid upsetting others.

Of course, self-protection is one of the main purposes, but there is another major purpose: to prevent myself from becoming a target of attack.

When a group has to accommodate an unpleasant individual, the first priority is to eliminate as many potential targets as possible. Avoiding mistakes, concealing errors, and leaving no obvious weaknesses—these three points are quite important, although in reality, they amount to only one.

Conversely, boasting about how perfect you are will also make you a target of attack. Therefore, remember this key point: do nothing. If you do nothing, you naturally won't make mistakes.

Another point is to avoid getting involved with anyone.

When people interact, friction is inevitable, and in addition to the parties involved, one must also consider the opinions of others. Extra caution should be taken when dealing with people who easily attract attention.

I'd better be more vigilant myself, because I don't want to implicate others.

Yuihama is well aware of her social standing in school and knows that she needs to choose the right moment to speak to me when no one is paying attention, but I can't let my guard down.

Previously, simply eliminating my presence was enough; now, I'll probably have to truly disappear. As for specific methods, like walking out of the classroom while checking my phone and pretending someone's calling… but that trick would definitely be exposed quickly. After all, who in the world would call me? Don't be ridiculous.

Finally, having nothing else to do, I simply lay down on the table and went back to sleep.

With little time left before the end of get out of class, footsteps began to sound chaotically as students who had gone to visit other classes, to the restroom, or to buy drinks returned to the classroom.

I slightly opened my eyelids and this time I saw a ponytail swaying back and forth in the corner of my vision.

She tied her long, dark-blue hair into a ponytail with a hair tie, looked at her phone screen with a smile, and then quickly changed to an expression of utter boredom.

Is that guy with a brother complex texting his brother again? Looks like I need to be more careful when texting Komachi, otherwise people will say I have a sister complex, or even that I'm a little sister princess... Okay, never mind.

That person, Kawasaki (Note 5: "Saki" and "Saki" are pronounced the same in Japanese), seemed very concerned about whether anyone could see her when she smiled. She furtively glanced around before making eye contact with me.

"babble!

Kawasaki gasped softly, the sound quite eerie, and her body jerked. Her face flushed, she lowered her head and quickly walked back to her seat.

Ever since the school anniversary celebration, she's been the same way, refusing to come near me no matter what. Even when she sees me, she deliberately turns her head away.

Yes, yes, that's good. To ensure each other has a comfortable life, it's always necessary to maintain a proper distance.

Some people think they're so clever as to say, "The only animals that kill each other are humans," but that's not entirely true. Wild animals also fight when their territories clash. In places like schools, students are constantly fighting over territories, so it's only natural that conflicts will occur.

Moreover, high school students, as a whole, belong to different groups, different school classes, and even different individuals.

It is absolutely true that everyone is a completely different individual.

The evidence is that the person who is walking towards me, clanging and jingling, doesn't look like he's from the same race as me at all.

"Hachiman."

His voice was like heavenly music, his footsteps were like walking on clouds, and his figure was like a holy angel.

Totsuka is indeed an angel.

Because he was an angel, he was able to ignore the unpleasant aura emanating from other inferior races and speak to me naturally.

"It seems like the class meeting later will be about deciding on the groups for the graduation trip."

He first revealed to me information that he had somehow obtained.

Our four-day, three-night graduation trip is starting next week. The first day will be a class trip, the second day will be divided into groups, and the third day will be free time for everyone. Only the first day has a fixed itinerary; afterwards, everyone is free to explore. Therefore, the students are currently discussing what to do on the second and third days.

After the class meeting that follows to decide on the group assignments, two-thirds of the itinerary will be finalized. It's no exaggeration to call this a prelude to the graduation trip.

However, I was destined to be squeezed into the last spot and follow at the back of the line, so it didn't mean anything to me.

"...Oh, but it seems like everyone has already made up their minds."

"Really... But I haven't found a group yet."

Totsuka lowered his head and muttered something to himself, probably because most people had settled down while he was the only one who hadn't found his place yet.

"..."

Seeing that I remained silent, he looked up and smiled, then brushed me off.

I want to protect this smiling face.

I never thought I was mentally prepared to extend an invitation, but since it was a rare graduation trip, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Unfortunately, when I mustered up the courage to try for a boy, things already started to go wrong.

"...Or how about we form a group?"

"Um!

Seeing Totsuka's spirited and joyful smile filled me with a sense of satisfaction. If I were a wandering ghost, I would surely become a Buddha on the spot; if the Self-Defense Forces came to recruit me, I might sign up without a second thought.

"So, what should we do if we need to find two more people?"

"If we're in a group of four... then we'll see there are only two people anywhere, so let's just merge with them."

In other words, we look for other places with vacancies and then pick one that looks good to make up the number of people.

"Good idea, so all that's left is deciding where to go..."

"Oh, whatever."

The school bell was about to ring, and Totsuka would probably continue to ponder this question for a long time, so I took a detour to let Totsuka know that he should go back to his seat and sit down, and I didn't forget to casually pat his shoulder.