My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 185

Therefore, her openly telling everyone that she is a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance) made me feel a little uncomfortable; when she came to the Service Club for a request this time, I couldn't help but want to find out her true intentions.

In this incident, her true intention in hoping that the boys would get along well was to keep them away from her and to build a firewall against Hubu's confession.

I think she not only approached our service club, but also discussed it with Hayama.

That's why Ye Shan was troubled and could only come up with half-baked solutions that only addressed the symptoms, not the root cause.

"Thank you so much this time, you've been a great help," Ebina said cheerfully.

I turned around and saw a relieved smile on her face. Since she had that smile, it must mean her potential was more than that. Thinking this, I blurted out a rather unimportant remark.

"...Although the Ministry of Revenue is not very reliable and is a useless person, he is actually a good person."

"Impossible, impossible, you should understand that, right? Even if I had a boyfriend now, it wouldn't go very smoothly."

“How could this be…”

Of course.

She accepted without hesitation.

"Because I have fallen to this level."

Ebina's smile suddenly froze. Those words sounded exactly like someone's excuse.

"...There's nothing we can do about that."

"Yes, there's no way around it. I can't understand others, and I don't want others to understand me, so it's impossible for me to have a good relationship with people."

When she talks about "degeneration," does she mean her own interests or her personality? But to be honest, there's no need to ask that question at all.

We smiled slightly at each other, and Ebina adjusted her slipping glasses. Because of the reflection in the lenses, I couldn't see what was in her eyes at that moment.

"but--"

She suddenly added this sentence, raised her slightly flushed face, and resumed her usual cheerful smile.

"If it were you, maybe we could have a good relationship."

"Even if it's a joke, don't say things like that casually, or I might actually fall for you."

This joke went a bit too far; anyone else would definitely burst out laughing. Ebina probably found it amusing too, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"I don't dislike your frankness in dealing with people you think are unimportant."

"What a coincidence, I don't dislike this aspect of myself either."

"I don't dislike the fact that I can blurt out things I don't mean."

We straightened our backs and put on gloomy smiles.

"I'm very satisfied with myself and my surroundings. I've been looking forward to this kind of life for a long time, wouldn't it be a pity to lose it? I like this environment and the people around me."

Ebina's gaze drifted away, looking towards the bottom of the long staircase. I couldn't see anyone there, but in her eyes, she must have seen someone.

She carefully descended the stairs, step by step. As she left, she said one last thing to me:

"—So, I hate myself."

I didn't say much, I just watched her figure shrink and disappear into the distance.

I was actually trying to open my mouth, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

We cannot praise, nor can we blame, the little lies we tell ourselves.

Because we know how to "cherish" and we "don't want to lose".

Therefore, we learned to conceal and to deceive.

However, because of this, we will eventually lose something.

After loss comes sorrow. If you knew you would lose it, you should never have had it in the first place; if you knew you would regret letting go, you should have given up on it altogether.

In a constantly changing world, some relationships are bound to change; and some things will be destroyed beyond repair.

Therefore, everyone lies.

However, the biggest liar is actually myself.

Volume 7 BT! BONUS TRACK! Girls' We Will Rock You♥

This bonus track is adapted from the audio drama CD included with the limited edition of volume 7 of "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU". The CD content is a continuation of the main story from volume 6. Please note that some content differs from the audio drama during the adaptation process; your understanding is appreciated.

We often hear the term "victory celebration banquet" (Note 56: the original text is "打ち上げ", which also means launch). But I still can't understand why we always hold a victory celebration banquet whenever we accomplish something together. To find a place that can tolerate such frequent launches, there are probably only launch sites like Florida and Tanegashima.

Anything launched into the air will eventually fall back down, as long as it's on the ground; this is a law of nature. Similarly, those attending a victory celebration will undoubtedly feel dejected.

In ancient Greece, Icarus, with sheer courage, soared into the sky wearing wings made of wax. As for what happened next, as we all know, his wings melted in the sun, and he ultimately perished in the sea.

Therefore, it is clear that the higher the goal, the more certain it is to lead to certain death. Trying to fly without understanding one's own limits is not courage, but at best recklessness. That is the act of a fool, a far cry from the courage of a true hero.

True heroes know how to read the atmosphere, or rather, they fear the atmosphere and therefore do not attend the victory celebration.

Based on the above points, we can conclude that courageous sages are not afraid of loneliness, and they will never agree to participate in activities that are falsely encouraged but actually forced.

I'm not going. I mean it... I absolutely will not attend the celebration party!

× × ×

The school anniversary celebration, which was neither short nor long, has finally come to an end.

However, that applies to ordinary students. As a member of the miscellaneous records group of the school anniversary executive committee, I also have the task of writing reports. Come to think of it, why did this job fall to me? I can't accept it… Oh well, that's how work is. Once a superior gives an order, the subordinate can only obediently follow it. It's not a matter of whether I can do it or not; I just have to do it.

This job, which felt like it was forced upon me, is finally nearing completion. Sometimes, even I'm terrified by my own level of excellence. I sped up, moved on to the summary, and finally, drew the true period, letting out a sigh of relief.

"...Okay, that's settled then."

Yuihama heard my voice and quickly looked up.

"Oh, have you finished writing?"

"Hmm, that's about right. Take the rest home to write."

She asked about my condition, then looked at Yukinoshita.

"Yukino, have you finished filling out the opinion survey?"

When Yuki puts down her pen, she has probably finished as well.

"Okay, all we need to do now is hand it over."

Once Yuihama confirmed that we were all finished, she excitedly stood up from her seat and spread her arms wide.

"Alright, let's all go to the after-festival!"

"I'm not going."

"I'm not going."

Yukinoshita and I displayed an unusually excellent understanding. The next second, the club office fell silent, and Yuihama sat back down in her chair with disappointment, pleading with us with anxious eyes.

"Are you really not going?"

"Didn't I already say that? Anyway, if I go, I'll only ruin the atmosphere."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita smiled and said to me:

"You always do this. Shouldn't we use our club funds to buy an air purifier?"

"Hey, you can't joke like that. Don't remind me of that time in junior high when a girl in my class sprayed me with antiperspirant from a distance."

I will never forget it. At that time, summer was approaching. One day after PE class, Suga, who was sitting next to me, slowly said, "Never mind, I'd better not say anything more, or I'll feel even worse."

Yuihama noticed my feelings and said in a sympathetic tone:

"Wow...it's so sad to hear that...but, at least they don't spray air freshener. I have to spray it every time Dad goes by."

"This doesn't comfort me at all, and your father is so pitiful, please don't hurt his feelings..."

I was supposed to be the one being comforted, but I ended up comforting the one doing the comforting. Sigh, having a daughter this age at home, being a father is really tough.

The saying "children don't know their parents' hearts" is exemplified here. After I said that, Yuihama began staring at the sky, lost in thought, and murmured:

"Ah, indeed... Dad, he... I always felt something was off about him..."

I don't know what she's thinking, but the point right now is to reiterate her firm resolve not to participate.

"In short, I'm not going to the celebration party. It's just a waste of time to squeeze in with a bunch of people."

"Where is the waste of time?"

Yuihama was very unhappy with my remarks, while Yukinoshita shared the same opinion.

"Even if I went with Hachiman, there really wasn't anything to do; we could only sit there doing nothing."

"Don't worry, I'm here for you."

Yuihama confidently pointed to herself, however, things wouldn't go so smoothly.

"This is precisely where the trap lies."

"what?"

Yuihama couldn't understand what I meant and blinked several times.

"Let's say we're good friends, and I accept your invitation to the celebration party. Now here's the problem: if you're good friends with me, it means you're a popular person with many friends, and wherever you go, there are always a bunch of people eager to chat with you. While you're chatting with other people, I'll be left with nothing to do, and since I don't know anyone else, I'll just be burying my head in my food. For these reasons, I decided from the beginning not to go."

Following that, Yukinoshita added:

"So-called banquets and ceremonies are nothing more than occasions for socializing and exchanging pleasantries. Thinking about it this way makes things much easier."

"It feels so real, it's scary..."

Yuihama was somewhat taken aback by Yukinoshita's smile, and she herself seemed to glimpse the dark side of high society. Yukinoshita paused there and offered Yuihama some advice.

"Yuigahama-san, neither Hikigaya-san nor I have any intention of participating. However, if you could point out the benefits of participating, perhaps we could reconsider."

"That's right. For example, you don't need to use conditioner (Note 57: the original word for 'benefit' is 'merit,' which is also the brand name of Kao shampoo.), add body lotion, or it won't turn into a duck when it gets wet in cold water."

"Those are all shampoos, right... Wait a minute, is that Shampoo (Note 58, a character from Ranma 1/2 who turns into a cat when exposed to cold water, and whose name comes from shampoo. The same goes for Musi in the next line)?"

No, it's Musi that turns into a duck when it gets into cold water.

"Okay, tell me quickly, anything is fine."

Yuihama put her hand to her mouth and began brainstorming.

"Hmm... Ah, it would be... a lot of fun if everyone went together?"

"This advantage is too subjective and lacks persuasiveness."

Yukinoshita rejected the vote very decisively.

"Then...then...it tastes especially good when everyone eats together!"

"I'm too busy worrying about others to have any appetite."

This time it was my turn to vote back, but Yuihama kept up the good work.

"Having fun together...yes, it's good for your health..."

"I don't think it's a healthy activity for so many people to party at night."

Yukinoshita calmly refuted her with sound arguments, but Yuihama still wouldn't give up.

"Hmm...Leaving behind precious memories?"

"Oh, I know that. It's the thing that's written as 'memory' but pronounced as 'trauma'."

Even Yuihama finally racked her brains, tears welling in her eyes as she pondered deeply.

"Waaaaah~~ Wait a minute, I'm thinking!"

Why haven't you given up yet...?

"I see. Well then, Hachiman, how about you use this time to list some of his weaknesses?"

Seeing that Yuihama wouldn't give up no matter what, Yukinoshita smiled and proposed this devilish idea. However, having teamed up with her, I had no right to say anything.

"Hmm... First of all, it costs money."

"You stingy person..."

Yuihama muttered sadly, while Yukinoshita gave me a bright smile. Oh? Hmph, I already guessed what she was going to say next.

"As expected of Hachiman-kun, he brings up money right away."

"Yes, money management is an essential skill for stay-at-home dads."