My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 212

Then, they deliberately moved into our line of sight before starting their work. They probably felt they were being watched. Our actions at least had some deterrent effect.

I kept checking on their progress while hammering in the nails. Is this what they call nailing each other in place...? Hey, I think I made a pretty good analogy...

After the assignment had been going on for a while, someone from the on-site team suddenly came over and said something. Of course, it wasn't directed at me.

"Ah, Yuihama-san."

"Oh! What's wrong? What happened?"

Yui turned to look at the other person, causing the plank to lose its balance and almost causing me to hit my own finger. Thank goodness—if I had actually hit it, I might have shouted something like "Kugimiya!"

"Hey, is this dangerous? Could you please make sure you're holding it steady?" Just as I was about to complain and looked up, I noticed Yui was staring intently in a different direction. The person who had spoken to her seemed to be asking her to look at something.

"Is this method of processing acceptable?"

"Hmm—it seems pretty good? I don't really understand..."

I don't quite understand... This girl is really careless... Just as I was thinking this, a student council member quickly came over, whispered a few suggestions, and then left immediately.

"Ah, that seems like a good idea."

"Thanks a lot, that was a huge help. Oh, by the way—I might need to ask you about something later, so would it be convenient to have your contact information?"

"The other party needs my contact information."

Yui called out to the student council member who had just been there. Suddenly, the student council member darted out from under the shade of the tree, quickly moved in front of the other person, and pulled out his phone. Their phone numbers were exchanged in an instant.

“Thank you…”

The on-site team members wore indescribable bitter expressions and thanked them.

...Sigh, there are always guys like that. Perverts trying to get to know other girls by participating in activities. There's no way to deal with them, just pretend you don't see them, don't take them to heart. Right now, I'm just a craftsman wholeheartedly pursuing elegant and swift nail-driving techniques. I don't care about anything else. Even though I don't care, why can I still hear their voices so clearly—it's unbelievable—one of the world's three great mysteries. Three times seven equals twenty-one, a total of twenty-one unbelievable things!

"So, what do you do on weekends?"

Of course I knew that the words weren't directed at me, but I still stole a glance at the man.

As it turned out, the other person wasn't doing anything at all; they were just chatting and laughing. Hey, even in Emiko Kaminuma's talk show, her hands were still moving, okay? Learn from Emiko!

Well, there's nothing we can do if this conversation just won't end. After all, Yui is the kind of person who will always respond if someone talks to her.

"Huh? Nothing special—but I've been busy with things related to the sports meet lately. I just have to do it today."

"If you're at school on weekends, I can come help you as soon as my club activities are over, right? If you could give me your phone number, I can contact you."

Yes, yes, yes, the person who really wanted to help wouldn't have gone to rest on the sidelines. Ugh, my hands are suddenly sweating! No wonder I was disliked by the girls during my second-grade graduation trip because my hands were so sweaty; the boys had to hold hands with the girls. With these sweaty hands, the hammer might accidentally slip from my grasp and hit that guy from some sports club on the back of the head, haha.

To confirm the launch direction, I glanced upwards and saw Yuihama speak:

"Oh, that sounds good~ But if I work hard this week, I won't have to come in this weekend. I want to rest too, and I want to go out and have some fun."

Yui kept trying to steer the conversation back to work, but the man had already made it clear he didn't want to work and continued chatting with the other person. I could practically feel his obsession...

"Going out to play? Where do you usually go?"

"Huh? Most of the decisions were made by Yumiko... so it's like she got to think of everything?"

"Oh, Miura-san... Miura-san...?"

I feel like that man's voice is getting softer and softer.

Is this proof of my exceptional concentration? Absolutely. It's like listening to music while reading, only to realize the music has long since stopped when you come to your senses—probably. Focus, focus. Concentrate on the wood. Now is not the time to focus on other things. Well, that's it, because I enjoy working…

Anyway, get your things sorted out quickly and then leave.

I kept hammering the nail, and suddenly I felt like I was cursing someone. The nail went in smoothly into the wood, and I reached into the box to get another one, but found nothing.

"...The nails are gone."

I was referring to a five-inch nail (Note 41: a nail used in traditional Japanese magic). No, a regular nail will suffice.

"for you."

I heard a sound, looked up and saw Yuihama handing me a nail, which jingled in her palm.

"……good."

I carefully picked up the nail, trying not to touch Yuihama's palm. That's right, the way to handle this situation is the same as when you encounter the phenomenon of "a cute convenience store clerk touching your hand while giving change, and you can't help but fall for them." As a man, you should try to avoid physical contact.

"Does that mean it's over?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

When I asked, Yui looked completely bewildered. Of course, I couldn't explain that I was referring to "the conversation with the male classmate."

"No...it's okay."

I added a comment to brush it off and continued hammering in the nails.

Yuihama is quite popular among the male students.

I heard about it from Tobe when I was in Chiba Village during summer vacation. Although he didn't say it to me personally, I did hear him mention it.

It's a matter of course.

She was cute, had a good figure, a cheerful personality, and a kind and approachable manner. Although she was at the very top of the school's social hierarchy, she was the kind of girl who could get along well with anyone.

Most importantly, she is gentle.

What is considered a "fool" might be seen as a virtue by others.

During events that create the illusion of closer relationships between men and women, it's quite common for Yui to be approached by male classmates she doesn't know. Although her situation likely extends beyond events.

It wasn't until I saw it with my own eyes that I suddenly realized it was real. She really was extraordinary.

...This guy is definitely not an ordinary person. No wonder he's at the top of the school hierarchy. Could her airheadedness be an act? Being stared at like that and still managing to dodge everyone so successfully, there's definitely something fishy going on.

As I was pondering this, I suddenly found myself in complete silence.

"Huh? Where did that guy go?"

I looked around, my eyes darting about, but all I could see nearby were the student council officers who were resting, myself, and Yui-bin directly in front of me.

"Well, they said they had club activities and left early... probably because I mentioned Yumiko."

...So, that guy really did run away?

It seems Yui deliberately brought up Miura's name to force the other party to back down. From her appearance and usual demeanor, you'd never guess she's such a strong girl. She's incredibly adept at this kind of women's politics, or class politics. Her political acumen is probably around 90. Incidentally, Miura's leadership stat is probably around 95.

How terrifying must Miura be to use this as a means to get rid of male harassment? No, I can actually understand that male classmate's feelings. Miura is truly terrifying.

However, it's just a phone number; giving it to her shouldn't have any impact. She probably has other reasons. Besides, if we continue to investigate further, it will likely only lead to the worst-case scenario, so it's best to let it go.

I roused myself and switched the hammer to my other hand.

"...Anyway, let's continue."

"oh--!"

Yuihama raised her hand high, answering with boundless energy. "I'm basically the one who talks about strength."

The hammer struck down with a clanging sound.

Making something in the school courtyard made the echoes sound much louder than usual. The sounds of the baseball, soccer, and rugby clubs from the distant playground overlapped with the sharp whistles of the track and field team.

One nail, two nails, I kept hammering, when suddenly I felt a gaze fixed on me.

“…What’s going on?”

Being stared at like that makes it hard for me to do anything. As soon as I asked, Yui quickly shook her hand. "No, no, no, you need to press the wood down properly..."

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing... I mean, the autistic guy is surprisingly skilled."

"Everyone can do this, right?"

Boys naturally learn how to operate these tools while playing with toy cars and similar items. Screwdrivers are a given, but diagonal pliers, needle pliers, sandpaper, and the like are all a piece of cake.

It's not just about four-wheel drive cars; as long as boys have tools in their hands, they'll want to make things, like making nonsensical items out of wood chips or simple crafts out of corrugated cardboard boxes. These are things that everyone has done.

Regardless of skill level, simple tapping and banging is definitely something anyone can learn. This is especially true for guys who have nothing else to do.

It's said that girls don't usually do this kind of thing. If we need to inspect the work site again in the future, it might be better if I do it.

If only the situation could improve to the point where we wouldn't need to do this...

As I was thinking, I swung the hammer, when Yui suddenly whispered something.

"I feel like... this way... isn't so bad."

"What's good about it..."

I'm basically being chased by work deadlines... It's already strange that we have to work this late, and it's even more absurd that we're the ones doing this... I was supposed to be busy with other things...

What nonsense is this guy spouting...? I gave him a protesting look, but he seemed amused and smiled.

"This is what youth is all about."

"...Idiot. Calling this a corporate slave wouldn't be an exaggeration, would it?"

If staying after school to do chores is what youth is, and being forced to do work that isn't part of your job is what youth is, then wouldn't all office workers be at the peak of their youth? At least my dad comes home exhausted from work every day, and he's always complaining about the company and society. I don't think that's youth at all.

"First of all, what you call youth is that kind of shiny but meaningless, hole-in-the-head, and ethereal thing, isn't it?"

"What kind of strange impression is that? It's not like that at all!"

The other person protested, seemingly greatly troubled. "Isn't that right? I thought you'd definitely like this kind of thing."

Yuihama let out a deep sigh.

"During my school anniversary celebrations, I was always with my classmates; we've never done anything together like this before."

Yes. That's true. In fact, the class activities went almost entirely thanks to Yui's enthusiasm. This guy is surprisingly verbose when it comes to money management…

But isn't being able to be so active in class what "youth" is all about for her?

"Didn't you already have your youth in class? Besides, you were in a band with Yukinoshita. You should be content. That's enough to call it youth."

"It's not just that..."

Yui puffed out her cheeks, snorted, and turned her face away. A blush crept onto her cheeks. The setting sun slanted down from above the special building, and before she knew it, the atrium was ablaze with red.

If we assume that Yuihama's definition of youth is the same as Yukino's—wanting to achieve something—then that's really... how should I put it... love is truly heavy (Note 42: a famous line from the manga "Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei").

I should give her some advice here.

"Don't you get tired of always clinging to others like this? The most important thing is that you're most tired when you feel exhausted."

"Ugh... What you said is so annoying."

Yuihama expressed her disgust in an extremely exaggerated manner. Could you please not move your upper body so obviously back? The wooden planks that were originally aligned are all crooked. As long as you don't make it crooked, you can lean back as much as you want.

I realigned the planks and nailed them into the corners.

Well, in short, the nailing is almost done. Next, all we need to do is saw off the excess. The people of Chiba Prefecture have a deep connection with saws, because there's a mountain in Chiba Prefecture called Saw Mountain. Other than that, there's no particular connection. In fact, you could say they're completely unrelated.

I got up, found a saw that I could handle, and returned to the spot where I found Yuihama still puffing out her cheeks.

"That's not what I meant..."

"It doesn't matter which one it is."

I switched to the saw and stepped on it firmly to stabilize the signboard. To keep it from veering off course, I kept my eyes fixed on the saw.

"As long as this bizarre club activity continues, these kinds of silly things will inevitably happen to us again someday. If we want to do something together, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

How much of the noise from the saw can drown out the words? I moved the saw in my hand back and forth at high speed.

"...Yeah, that's true."

It seems that no matter how loud the saw is, it's useless. Yuihama's voice clearly reached my ears.

There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, although that's what I say.

The person who least believes this statement is myself.

Don't assume there's always a next time, or that there will always be another chance. Relationships between people are far more fragile than we imagine. Our relationships are no exception.

As the wood was gradually shaving away, bits of sawdust occasionally sprayed out. I felt the saw in my hand gradually become lighter, and finally, a muffled thud reached my ear.

× × ×

With the work coming to a close, I handed over the remaining tasks to Yui and the student council officers, and returned to my own post.

As soon as I stepped into the conference room, Yukino looked up at me.

"Oh dear, I was wondering where you went... Did you finish simulating the movement route I asked you to do?"

"If I had finished, I would have given it to you already."