My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 215

"Um... please have each department report on their progress so far..."

Amidst the commotion, Sagami spoke up and asked a question.

However, no one in the audience responded.

"...Let's start with the props. So, how's the entrance archway doing?"

The senior student, who couldn't stand it any longer, interjected.

If someone is motivated, they will obey even orders given in Sagami's style. Motivated people will work diligently even without orders. However, in the current state of low morale, without providing clear instructions and assigning specific tasks, no one will heed their commands.

Although Senior Xun was asking questions to the on-site team, it was Yuihama who stood up from her seat.

"Ah, yes. The entrance arch is mostly finished; all that's left is painting and decorating... something like that."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you."

Although the senior student responded with a smile, her expression was somewhat stern. There was nothing she could do about it.

Most of the prop-making work was handled by the on-site team, and a person in charge was selected. That person in charge is the one who should report on the progress at this time.

However, since our decision-making group also stepped in to help, they took it upon themselves to shift the responsibility onto us.

I can understand how they feel. It's like having your work stolen halfway through.

Perhaps we could call the current situation a negative cycle. People are not only gradually losing their enthusiasm, but also their sense of responsibility.

If it's okay not to do it yourself, then just leave it all to the other party. This kind of atmosphere has already formed throughout the entire camp committee.

The people on the field team must have been thinking, "I'm being forced to do hard labor" or "I'm helping you out of pity."

After all, we were in the position of asking for their help, requesting that they spare some time for us when the club activities were very busy.

It's quite obvious which side has the upper hand. If this matter were related to payment, the situation might be somewhat different, but there's no guarantee that the other party will do their job just because money is paid.

Boosting morale when you can't offer anything in return is no easy task.

Despite the palpable somber atmosphere, the meeting continued.

"Next up is the grand finale competition... Is that alright?"

"Senior Xun looked at Yukinoshita and said."

The final competition was largely the responsibility of the decision-making team. However, because the members were forced to take on odd jobs, the matter remained unresolved for a long time.

"For the men's competition, the route has been confirmed. As for the captain who has been left unresolved, we will conduct the selection of the red team captain later, and also confirm Hayama's wishes."

Yukino answered without hesitation. "That's true," she replied, "there's not much to prepare for a pole-splitting competition. The rules are simple; all you have to do is choose your two best players, and you're all set."

The problem lies in the women's final match, the 1,000-horse race.

Regarding the women's final match...

As soon as Yukinoshita opened her mouth, a noticeable commotion arose from the audience. I looked toward the center of the noise and saw several girls huddled together, whispering to each other, as if they were talking in secret.

Then, one of them slightly raised her hand. Upon seeing this, Yukino nodded gently in permission.

"Please let me know if you have any questions."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the person raising their hand was Yao.

"Um... is it called 'riding horses to fight'? Regarding that, we..."

Haruka wasn't looking at Yukinoshita, but instead kept glancing at her companions' reactions as she spoke slowly, as if confirming with them what she should say.

We tried our best to be patient and waited for the other person to finish speaking.

Yui, sitting next to me, suddenly sighed. "What a coincidence, I'm feeling exactly the same way right now." No matter how you listened to that sentence, you could only sense a negative tone.

The reason the other person was hesitant was because they had something they couldn't bring themselves to say. And difficulty in saying it meant it wasn't a good thing. Basically, everyone who talked to me sounded like that, so I knew it all too well. I'm practically a superpowered person! I might even be used as a nude model by my father (Note 45 alludes to Fujiko F. Fujio's *Psychic Mami*).

What would the other person say next? Although I could roughly guess the answer, Yukino urged the other person to continue.

"Is there a problem with that?"

Yukinoshita's eyes were usually very sharp, and coupled with her calm tone, they exuded a chilling aura, like ice blades. Haruka, who was being stared at, flinched slightly, but then, as if remembering the presence of her companions behind her, she stammered out a reply.

"Well, we're thinking that horseback riding might be a bit dangerous... because some clubs have competitions coming up, and we'd rather not participate in activities that could lead to injury..."

Yao finished speaking in one breath and swallowed hard.

In the ensuing silence, we were all stunned, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Surprisingly, the first person to come to her senses was Sagami. She stood up abruptly, making a creaking sound from the chair legs.

"Why are you all suddenly saying such things...!"

She opened and closed her mouth, but the last part was so mumbled that it was unintelligible. Then, her shoulders trembled, and her eyes stared at Yao and Jie.

"Actually, we'd been thinking about this for a while..."

"...We also have club activities to take care of."

Haruka and Yui's eyes remained unwavering, for they had a perfectly legitimate reason. In their brief reconciliation with Sagami, they had subtly secured their agreement that club activities took precedence over the organizing committee. Their intentions were already clear from their statement, "We will do our best to cooperate." And because Sagami, or rather, our entire decision-making team, had overlooked this point, their claim gained legitimacy. We must, in fact, refute this point immediately. Any concessions we make will allow them to use this as leverage to coerce us into making further concessions.

At this point, it's appropriate to firmly refuse. This approach is correct. Attempts to coerce someone into agreeing to a request without following proper procedures are unacceptable.

I wanted to confirm how the decision-making group planned to respond, so I gave Xun-senpai a look. Xun-senpai noticed me, smiled and shook her head, then looked at Sagami.

It seems that Senior Xun has decided to hand it over to Sagami.

The person in question, Sagami, was biting her lower lip tightly.

"But, this is already a decision..."

After a long silence, Sagami finally answered in a barely audible voice, sticking to her position. Haruka and Yui glanced at Sagami, then turned to look around.

The two women exchanged a glance, then turned back to face Sagami.

"But even if something has already been decided, if it's actually wrong, it should be corrected as soon as possible."

"It seems we really need to re-examine this carefully."

The two of them spoke as if they were reading from a cheat sheet they had prepared beforehand.

No, it's not just a feeling; they definitely planned this all along.

That's why they sat together. People who share the same opinions naturally want to gather together. The quickest way to exert pressure is through mob violence.

Simply by expressing dissatisfaction or spreading rumors during casual conversations before or during a meeting, one can easily incite rebellion among the participants.

They must have endless complaints about Sagami and the decision-making team. It's impossible to work under someone without any dissatisfaction.

The effect of spreading rumors is like multiplication; it amplifies exponentially. It can also be called an additive effect. Even if each person's discontent is only a tiny bit, when they accumulate, their power is not to be underestimated. One day, they will develop the illusion that they are righteous messengers who persuade good and punish evil, or revolutionary fighters.

When one learns that someone shares the same thoughts, their guilt is justified. If everyone thinks the same way, one can blindly believe that their opinion is correct.

The same applies to the current situation.

By explicitly expressing opposition, one can evoke a response from others and sway the attitudes of those who silently harbor discontent. Those who share the same opinion will then join in.

To prevent this from happening, the decision-making team needs to demonstrate strong leadership and completely overturn the opinions of Yao and his group. As is the rule in the wild world, the decision-making team must prove that it is the stronger party.

If it were Yukinoshita, she would probably do that. Even if it's unreasonable, she would immediately overturn the other party's claim. Yuihama, on the other hand, would probably just smile and brush it off, dodging the question while trying to figure out how to negotiate. In short, the two of them will probably be thinking about ways to break the status quo.

However, before we could come up with a solution, Sagami spoke first.

Even if you're talking about this kind of thing now...

Sagami murmured to herself in a weak voice. Perhaps due to her anxiety, her complexion was not good. She slumped back into the chair behind her in what appeared to be a fainting posture.

The situation is set.

Sagami, as the leader of the decision-making group, showed a submissive attitude, and a commotion arose in the meeting room, like ripples spreading across the water.

"Fighting on horseback is indeed very dangerous."

A soft whisper reached my ears. It was probably not Haruka or Yui, but a member of the production team. Then, other people's voices came through.

"The competition is almost here..."

"We don't have time to help prepare the costumes."

"If someone gets injured, who will be responsible?"

Like a wildfire, opinions began to emerge one after another. Everyone started complaining or using the opportunity to chat, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control. At this moment, in the meeting room swirling with complaints and questions, a few crisp claps rang out.

"Okay, everyone, pay attention this way!"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was Senior Sister Xun who stood up.

"We understand everyone's concerns. We will seriously consider solutions."

She declared that she hoped to end the topic as soon as possible.

As expected of Senior Sister Xun, she's adept at handling this kind of situation and reacts very quickly. It's best to adjourn the meeting as soon as possible and extinguish the flames before they spread.

This meeting should have ended much earlier, but because Senior Megure wanted to test Sagami and remained silent, it ended up like this. We've done similar things to Sagami before, so we can't really complain to Senior Megure...

"In any case, please proceed with your other tasks."

The senior student made a declaration to stop the topic from developing further.

However, the team members on site continued to whisper amongst themselves. It seemed they had no intention of letting the conversation end there.

A series of questioning gazes were fixed on the senior student.

Although Yao and Jie's remarks were nothing more than a clever but nitpicking act, that does not guarantee that my concerns are unfounded.

Ensuring student safety is indeed the decision-making team's responsibility. Especially for clubs with competitions approaching, I can understand their sensitivity regarding safety.

But if that's the case, then even regular physical education classes can't be held...

Walking may result in bumping into a wall, running may result in falling; no one can avoid getting hurt. Life is a constant process of getting hurt and hurting others.

That being said, invoking idealism or principles in this situation is useless. The meeting cannot be adjourned unless we offer something that will force the other side to concede.

The on-site team pressured us with their eyes. Pairs of gazes filled with dissatisfaction, mockery, and contempt were directed at us.

In their eyes, who have only ever followed orders, the decision-making team is nothing more than an incompetent group unable to provide clear instructions on important issues. They are incredibly fussy about trivial matters, yet fail to demonstrate leadership in crucial moments, making them the perfect example of an incompetent boss.

However, it would be very distressing to be looked down upon like this.

If the other side continues with a provocative attitude, then this guy is bound to step in—a guy who's naturally competitive and exceptionally talented.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who had been silently keeping her hands clasped in front of her chest, quietly raised her hands.

"Yukinoshita-san, please speak."

When called upon by the senior student, Yukino silently moved her chair away and quietly stood up. Then, she moved to the whiteboard and picked up the whiteboard marker.

"Regarding solutions, I would like to propose several effective options here."

Everyone present focused their attention on Yukinoshita, wondering what she was up to. Ignoring the gazes behind her, Yukinoshita began writing on the whiteboard.

"The first step is to establish a rescue team, followed by seeking assistance from the local fire department, strictly enforcing the competition rules with severe penalties, and appointing supervisors. Of course, this may require some manpower..."

As Yukino spoke, she continued writing on the whiteboard. Everyone was so astonished by her composure that they could hardly speak.

After writing for a while, Yukinoshita turned and looked over.

"Could you please discuss setting up a first-aid team with the school nurse, and formally apply for assistance from the local fire department on behalf of the school?"

She looked at the senior student on patrol, who then nodded.

"No problem. I will make a request to the school through the student council."

Yukino immediately obtained the senior's permission and continued explaining without giving anyone a chance to ask questions.

"The rules will be clearly stated in writing and communicated to participants in advance, and teachers will be asked to assist in supervision. This should effectively prevent dangerous behavior from occurring."

The explanation is well-organized and indeed has Yukinoshita's style.

The members of the on-site team also began to carefully review the opinions raised by Yukinoshita, whispering and discussing in small groups.

"How to do?"

"Hmm, if that's the case..."

"But..."

"yes."

Their behavior was less an exchange of opinions and more a mutual confirmation of each other's emotions. They were interpreting each other's tone and immersing themselves in the atmosphere.

The high-context dialogues rose and fell, and finally the voices focused on Haruka and Yui, who spoke first.

Then, the two looked at each other to confirm, and this time it was Jie who nervously raised her hand.