My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 174

Right at the start, the woodworker immediately showed off several R cards.

"Spin around, spin around, spin around, spin around~"

Isn't it annoying that you keep going back and forth like this? Do you think you're singing "Love Somebody" (Note 48: In Yuji Oda's version of "Love Somebody," there's a lyric that goes "And I will never never never never never let the love go," and the "never never" part sounds similar to the original "リバリバ……" in the song title).

After multiple turn cards were activated, the playing order became Zaimokuza, me, and Totsuka. Everyone then played smoothly, occasionally someone would shout "pass," or, out of anger at being tricked, someone would throw a "draw two cards" card at the other, only to be retaliated against with a "draw four cards" card and a card of a suit that no one else might have. In short, it was exactly the scene everyone imagined playing UN0.

The battle has entered a heated phase. I have two cards left, while Zaimokuza and Totsuka each have five cards left. I currently have the advantage.

Then it was my turn again. After I played my card, Timberseat suddenly murmured and asked:

"By the way, Hachiman, where are you going tomorrow?"

"Huh? We're halfway through the game, why are you asking this?"

Tsk, why ask such a complicated question? Just as I was about to answer him menacingly, Zaimokuza turned his face away and asked Totsuka instead.

"Fine, don't tell me then. Totsuka clan, where are you going?"

"Hmm...it seems to be the movie village and Ryoan-ji Temple, and..."

Totsuka placed the cards face down on his lap, staring at the ceiling as he tried to remember. He looked so cute that I decided to join the conversation.

"And Ninna-ji Temple and Kinkaku-ji Temple."

"Ah, that's right."

As Totsuka said this, he simultaneously threw out a card.

At that very moment, Timber suddenly stood up and pointed at me forcefully.

"Gotcha! You didn't shout UN0!"

"……ah!"

By the time I realized it, it was too late.

"yeah!"

"Yay!"

Zaimokuza raised his fist and cheered, celebrating his victory. Totsuka followed suit, and the two even high-fived each other.

Wait, what's going on? Could this be their conspiracy? But I really want to high-five Totsuka...

That's a despicable tactic. You, Timber, are truly despicable!

They deliberately came over to talk to me before I called UN0, distracting me and making me miss my chance. So cunning...

That being said, Totsuka's excited look was so cute that I was quite satisfied.

"Punishment! Punishment!"

"That's right, you have to accept the punishment! I'll think of a punishment game, you just wait!"

On the night of our graduation trip, they were clearly in a particularly high mood and excitedly wanted me to play a punishment game.

The situation was similar in the mahjong group; they got excited about the game because of the punishment.

"Okay, next loser..."

Yamato winked at Ooka.

"I'm going to go to the girls' room and ask them for snacks!"

"Huh, really? Please...no...please...no...!"

An idea has emerged... that the loser has to go to the girls' room is indeed something those people would think of. However, Hayama advises them to abandon this idea.

"Alright, alright, don't make things difficult for him. Besides, I heard Atsugi is guarding the stairs."

"Right……"

Yamato fell silent, looking regretful. Atsugi-sensei was very authoritative, and with his mysterious Hiroshima accent, he was a famously stern teacher. As a physical education teacher, he was particularly strict with sports clubs, making him a formidable opponent for Hayama and his friends. Come to think of it, I myself am helpless against that kind of person.

"Or, why not confess to the girl? Let's get started!"

Ooka quickly proposed an alternative, starting a new round. Despite the dissatisfaction expressed by Tobe and Yamato, they obediently followed suit. Hayama, with a wry smile, also played his cards.

After a series of self-draws and discards, the Ministry of Revenue was the first to flip a tile.

"Ah, self-touching."

Everyone else lost their cards and sighed.

"Tsk, what are you doing? Coward, hurry up and confess your feelings!"

"Watch out, I'll kill you. Go confess your feelings, I bet you don't have the guts."

Ooka spoke to Yamato in a sarcastic tone.

"Who would do that!"

The Ministry of Revenue issued a protest, and Ye Shan smiled as he arranged the mahjong tiles.

"You really are a coward. You're punished by having to buy a drink."

"I didn't lose! But I happen to be thirsty too, so I can help you buy it."

He actually agreed. This guy is so naive... Although the punishment game was made much simpler because of Hayama, it doesn't change the fact that he was tricked.

Totsuka watched Tobe leave the room and whispered:

"Ah, everyone must be a little thirsty too."

"Hmm, it's decided then. Your punishment is to run errands."

"Yes~ What do you need me to buy? Ramen?"

"Hmm, that sounds very appealing..."

"Don't take me seriously..."

I figured I'd need to think about the timber base for a while, so I turned to Totsuka. Totsuka gave me a bright smile and said, "I'll leave the decision to you."

"I understand~"

I stood up and left the room.

× × ×

Thump, thump, thump—I walked down the stairs with light steps.

The girls' room is upstairs from ours. I heard that Atsugi-sensei is guarding the stairwell there to prevent boys from sneaking up, but I don't see the need to go and confirm it.

The vending machine is located in the lobby on the first floor.

Students are allowed to come here before bedtime, but everyone is too busy chatting with friends to bother going downstairs. The only people who end up here are probably guys like me and Hubu, who are being punished to run errands.

The Ministry of Revenue was standing in front of a vending machine in a corner of the hall.

He bought can after can, until everyone had their drinks. He noticed me as I walked over.

"Oh, it's you! You've worked hard~"

"Um."

Whether it's day or night, the Ministry of Revenue always greets people with "Thank you for your hard work," just like Yuihama's "Hi-lo." After greeting them, it was my turn to buy a drink.

At that moment, I felt someone watching me from behind, so I turned around.

For some reason, Hubu stayed standing there after buying the drinks and didn't go back to his room.

"What's up?"

When I asked him, he grinned.

"No, thank you so much for helping me out and creating opportunities for me."

Unfortunately, our help won't count until you achieve your goal.

"I didn't do anything special; it was almost all Yuihama who did the work. If you want to thank her, you should go to her."

"Oh, definitely, definitely, but I still want to thank you. Thanks to your help, I finally decided to confess. I'll be counting on you from now on too~"

He left quickly after he finished speaking.

Okay, I admit he's a decent person, just too compliant with the atmosphere. There's no good or bad in this personality trait, but to put it bluntly, it's being a slave to the atmosphere.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this personality that his relationship with Ebina remained stagnant. The atmosphere of every different moment would trigger a reaction in Hobe, preventing him from taking appropriate action.

The future looks bleak...

Confessing my feelings... I think it will be very difficult, but I still hope things will go smoothly.

Feeling exhausted, I decided to consume some sugar (MAX coffee) as a cure.

I started my search from the top shelf of the vending machine.

...Hmm, that's strange?

This time, I started looking for the drinks from the bottom row and worked my way back, carefully examining each one like I would when searching for light novels from the GAGGA Bunko imprint in a bookstore, so as not to accidentally miss the blue spines.

However, no matter how many times I search, I can't find the sugar I need (MAX coffee).

How is this going……

After a thorough search, it turned out that all they had here were fakes that looked like MAX Coffee!

This is Kyoto... No wonder it's a thousand-year-old royal city...

Left with no other choice, I had to settle for second best and buy a coffee café au lait instead, since at least it uses a relatively tall bottle and looks quite similar.

I pulled the tab off the bottle and threw myself onto the sofa in the corner.

Although I'm currently being punished by being sent out to run errands, I don't want to go back to the room that's been turned into a mahjong parlor anytime soon.

The coffee au lait wasn't sweet enough, and I couldn't help but sigh. At that moment, a familiar figure appeared in the corner.

It was Yukino Yukinoshita. She had probably just taken a shower, and was dressed casually, which was unusual for her. She had her hair up in a bun and walked confidently through the hall.

Yukino walked straight toward the souvenir shop attached to the hotel.

She stared intently at a display case in the souvenir shop. Well, judging from her focused expression, I could almost guess what she was looking at.

Then, she touched the corner of her mouth, thought for a moment, and finally decided to take the item. However, the instant she reached out her hand, she sensed the presence of those around her.

Yukino looked over and met my gaze, which had been meeting mine after observing her for quite some time.

She silently withdrew her hand and pretended to be nonchalant as she retraced her steps.

...It seems like it's always the same. I silently said "goodnight" to her and finished the rest of my coffee.

Then, she walked loudly to my seat, crossed her arms, and looked down at me.

"What a coincidence, running into you here."

"It's not quite right to say this now..."

I was more surprised that she came back specifically to talk to me. Also, why did she act like she was so great?

"What's wrong? Couldn't stand staying in your room, so you had to escape here?"

"I'm simply passing the torch to the younger generation. What about you?"

"Sigh..." Yukino sighed in exasperation. "My classmates always bring up me. Why do they like talking about that kind of thing so much..."

What kind of topic is it? I'm somewhat interested, but I feel that if I ask, Yukino will probably be angry, so I really don't dare to ask. In situations like this, playing it safe is the best policy.

"The fact that they ask you these questions means they're interested in you, isn't that a good thing?"

"You make it sound like it's none of your business, but it was the same during the school anniversary celebration..."

She glared at me with a sharp look in her eyes.

"I...I? Wait, I didn't do anything wrong."

I didn't know what she was referring to, but I still tried to defend myself. Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita pressed her temples, closed her eyes, and decided not to bring it up again.

"...Never mind. By the way, what are you doing here?"

"We came out to rest after playing. What about you? Weren't you going to buy souvenirs?"

"I don't intend to buy it, I'm just a little interested."

She looked away.

Really? You were so focused on it just now, I thought you were definitely going to buy it. Let me guess, is it something like the Kyoto limited edition Johnny the Panda?