My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 203

I'll omit the last part, "General, cherry blossoms, romantic storm (laughs)," and finish explaining the rules. To be honest, I was very surprised that Zaimokuza's proposal was so serious.

“Is that so?”

The woodworker seemed puzzled by the recognition he received.

"It's simple, clear, and easy to understand. The content is also easy to imagine."

The senior student nodded. It seemed that even a rough composite image was sufficient as material to express the concept. Scattered applause rang out in the conference room.

How should I put it? Sometimes, no matter how good the work is, if the way it's expressed is wrong, it often won't receive positive feedback. I think ultimately, the methods of expression should be properly taught, so that so many people won't suffer emotional trauma in the classroom.

The woodworker was surprised by the applause and recognition he received; his eyes darted around, and he couldn't calm down.

"Hachiman, what is this...?"

"Looks like your idea isn't bad. Thanks for your hard work."

I patted the woodworker on the shoulder and returned to my seat.

"Woo, woo-ho."

The unexpectedly high praise brought a satisfied smile to the woodworker's face, but the applause from the audience stopped abruptly and was replaced by whispers of "disgusting."

If you hadn't shown that kind of smile, things wouldn't have turned out this way...

× × ×

With the proposal for the timber base finished, it's Ebina's turn to speak.

As expected of someone with Wang Yin☆ experience and who is at the top of the school hierarchy, she began to explain skillfully.

"Well, my proposal is as follows."

Ebina pressed the ENTER key to move to the next page of the presentation. The cover of the presentation read "Cycling Competition".

Surprisingly ordinary... It was clearly Ebina's idea... Could it be that you're not actually Ebina Hina, but rather Vikinakina (Note 31: the name of a mobile suit appearing in *Mobile Suit Gundam F9*)?

"The focus this time, to put it bluntly, is on the general himself. Although there is some overlap with the previous proposal, this proposal places more emphasis on personal charisma than on strategy."

Ebina, oblivious to my questioning look, continued her explanation with great enthusiasm. "Hmm, this person is truly remarkable. A rare talent, possessing creativity, ability, and leadership qualities all in one."

"Hayama Hayato, the president of the soccer club, is quite popular among the students. Putting him in the lead role in the pole vaulting competition will surely attract everyone's attention."

The briefing quickly moved to the next page, and the projection screen showed a photo of Hayama with a bright smile. What was going on...?

I felt a surge of annoyance, but the women on the operations committee were making a ruckus. The effect was remarkable!

"It's quite interesting."

Especially Sagami, she seemed to agree very much.

Judging from this, the other girls' reactions were probably similar. Ebina's casting was perfectly fine. When organizing a performance, casting should focus on people with high audience appeal to maximize profits. Her strategy was very sound.

However, the proposal seemed to have some flaws, and she looked slightly troubled, a shadow passing over her face.

"Since Hayama-kun is in the White Team, the Red Team also needs to find someone to be the general. Um... is there anyone in the Red Team who is suitable to be the general?"

Ebinaru nobunaga addressed Sagami, who was the chairman of the committee.

"Hmm, who should I choose..."

Sagami simply tilted his head, while Senior Megure addressed everyone in the conference room:

"Are there any members of the Red Team here? If so, I hope everyone can help think of someone."

Everyone began to confirm their group affiliation. However, no one suggested any good candidates. Senior student Xun herself was muttering to herself as she pondered, when suddenly she exclaimed, "Ah!"

"Yukinoshita and the others are also in the Red Team. I wonder if they've thought of any suitable candidates?"

"Huh! Is Hachiman in the Red Team?"

Ebina suddenly clung to that sentence. Or rather, she clung to it relentlessly.

"Then it's decided that it'll be Hachiman! The red and white pairing of the two opposing team's top generals couldn't be more auspicious. Tonight, I'll cook red bean rice! Here we go! (Note 32: A popular internet slang term evolved from a line from the anime 'Strawberry Fever,' often used when discussing homosexuality.)!"

They didn't come. They didn't come at all.

"Hmph, Hachiman. Are you also one of the Crimson Ones...?"

Zaimokuza grinned. So, Zaimokuza is also in the Red Team... Although I really want to just make Zaimokuza the general, it probably won't work unless he's someone who's a good match for Hayama... Although from a negative perspective, the two seem quite compatible, from the perspective of the proposal concept, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to do it this way.

Of course, for the same reason, I am not on the list of candidates for the general. The candidate must be like Hayama, able to attract a wide audience, and be someone that viewers are willing to cheer for.

However, Ebina, who had already entered corruption mode, continued to go berserk.

"In short," Ebina continued calmly, making no attempt to hide her surprise, confusion, and delight. "Um, Hayato from the White Team... he ...

Ebina leaned back forcefully and then froze. Sensing he was in a dangerous situation, the senior student nodded to the student council members. They swiftly moved, grabbing Ebina's hands and pulling him away from the meeting room. The sight of him being dragged away was reminiscent of the Roswell incident (Note 33: the UFO crash that occurred in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. A black-and-white photograph of an FBI agent leading what appears to be an alien object is particularly well-known).

Let's take this opportunity to quickly reject my proposal to become the leader of the Red Team. Although even if I didn't object, everyone would probably still reject it for me.

"As I am also an operations committee member, I am unable to serve as the general manager. If you decide to hold a pole-climbing competition, please find someone else."

"Yes, that makes sense. We need to decide which proposal to adopt first."

The senior student nodded.

"Alright, Sagami-kun, let's begin the voting."

"Alright. Then, those who support fighting on horseback..."

One by one, the hands of those present were raised.

"Next. The one who supports the pole-climbing competition~~"

As Sagami spoke, he raised his hand. One by one, the hands of those present rose again, the number of hands being roughly the same as before.

Although the two sides were evenly matched, there were slightly more participants in the pole-climbing competition. It's only in the pole-climbing competition that you can see Hayama's active side, so I wasn't surprised at all.

"They're almost tied..."

The senior student on patrol, counting the number of students, said this.

So, deciding to hold a pole-dropping competition is fine. It's permitted under a majority vote. Whether the opposing side represents only a minority opinion, or the opinions are evenly matched, almost reaching half the votes, this can be used as grounds for rejection. The more total votes, the more people are eliminated.

This is majority rule. We can say that this system has a major flaw. In other words, it's wrong. Conversely, minority rule is correct, meaning that the minority like me is always right, right? So, am I the embodiment of justice?

"Therefore, the final men's competition will be the pole vaulting competition..."

Without hesitation, Sagami made his decision.

"In that case, should we make horseback riding and warfare the grand finale of the women's competition, and adopt both proposals?"

"Oh—I see."

The senior student seemed to agree with the approach, tapping her palm and then looking at Professor Hiratsuka. Professor Hiratsuka nodded in agreement. As usual, they were still adhering to the student autonomy guidance policy.

After receiving permission, the senior student surveyed the entire conference room.

"Can everyone accept this?"

A sound judgment. After all, fighting on horseback had received nearly half the support. No one voiced their opposition to Senior Sister Xun's question.

The key point to consider when using majority rule is how to properly handle the opinions that are rejected.

In this respect, Sagami's response can be considered passable.

From a decision-making perspective, I don't think there's anything wrong with this decision. In terms of concept and creativity, horseback warfare is no less impressive than pole-fighting, and the decision-making team, mainly composed of student council members, all expressed their approval.

However, there was no response in the meeting room.

A sense of unease flashed through my mind.

A soft rustling sound, like the footsteps of insects.

Yukinoshita and Yuihama also sensed the atmosphere that hinted at something about to happen.

"..."

Yukinoshita squinted, searching for the source of the voices. Although Sagami hadn't noticed yet, the atmosphere around them had definitely changed.

"Well, since no one objected, we've decided to make horseback riding and warfare the final event for the women's competition. Now let's assign tasks."

Sagami looked very pleased that his opinion had been adopted and that a task had been successfully completed.

"Now, here is a list of competition events. Please come up on stage and register the event you would like to represent."

Sagami gave the instructions. The student council officers began distributing materials. Then everyone was free to think for themselves, and after deciding on their answers, they were to register them at the whiteboard.

I was staring at the documents because I had to make a choice, when Senior Sister Xun walked over quickly.

"I plan to have everyone work at the operations headquarters that day, so there's no need to register."

"Okay. Shall we now assign projects to the members of the operations headquarters?"

Yukinoshita nodded and suggested that all members of the decision-making group discuss the matter further.

"Okay, sure."

"Ah, then Sagami too..."

Yuihama searched for Sagami's figure.

Sagami hadn't gone far; he was still inside the meeting room.

Therefore, we could see clearly what happened next.

"I'll be in charge of the project, what should I do? I want to choose the pole vaulting competition. Let's have Yu and Haruka come too."

Sagami and Haruka are together. These three also went together during the school anniversary celebration, so they will definitely be together during the sports meet as well.

However, compared to before, the sense of distance between them is clearly different now.

Yao and Jie looked at each other, as if they had planned it beforehand, and said the same thing at the same time.

"Um, I'm a little..."

"I also have club activities, so things that require a lot of preparation might not be suitable..."

Faced with the subtle distance that had grown between them, Sagami was momentarily at a loss, her face full of confusion. However, she quickly put on a smile again.

"Huh...huh—? But the other activities are all so boring!"

As soon as Sagami finished speaking, the two of them, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, refused each other in a soft tone.

"Yes, that's true, but we still have competitions and other events to participate in."

"It's a bit difficult to coordinate the timing, so for more grand projects like this..."

"Ah, but don't worry about us, Minami can choose whatever she likes."

The two continued to cite reasons that Sagami couldn't handle, at the club level, but finally showed some concern for Sagami and abruptly ended the conversation.

This tactful way of declining is similar to the approach used in shogi endgames.

"Yes, I see. That makes sense—"

To show that he didn't care at all, Sagami deliberately made a brighter smile.

"Sorry—"

The other two, on the other hand, deliberately emphasized how much they cared and spoke apologetically. And so, the negotiations between Sagami's group ended.

Just then, Yuihama called out to Sagami.

"Hey—Little Model, let's start our discussion—"

"Okay, I'll be right there—I'll be going now."

Sagami waved to the two men and returned to the decision-making group, whereupon the group prepared to begin their discussion.

"I mean, Hachiman. What should I do?"

"Eh... Ah—since we can discuss the details of horseback warfare anyway, you can stay."

Zaimokuza nodded immediately after hearing this and plopped down on a nearby chair. Zaimokuza was done, but what about Ebina? She hadn't returned yet… Had she drifted off to Area 51 again…?

Once Sagami was seated, the decision-making group began its discussion.

Confirm the work items and decide on the personnel to be responsible. The number of members required for each competition item will be determined by the on-site team.

The problem lies in other areas, such as first aid and broadcasting, as well as prop making and venue setup. These cannot be handled solely by the decision-making team members; some of the work must be delegated to the on-site team.

Senior student Xun explained the content based on the content of previous years' sports meets. As soon as she finished speaking, Sagami nodded and urged her to move on to the next topic.

"So, what else is needed..."

"The final competition is a school-wide event, which might require all available resources. Shouldn't we mobilize all our manpower to handle it?"