My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 220

This is something she designed based on the original design of the base after listening to a bunch of useless suggestions from Ebina in a meeting a few days ago.

Whether it can be called an unexpected talent is debatable, but Kawasaki certainly has a knack for it. Perhaps it's because she also has to take care of Daishi, who is two years younger than her, and other younger siblings, and in the process, she honed her drawing skills. I pictured Kawasaki impatiently drawing while being pestered by her younger sister, and a warm feeling welled up inside me.

After checking each item on the table, I waited quietly for the meeting to begin. One by one, members of the on-site team entered the meeting room. Everyone seemed dissatisfied that the previous meeting's discussion had been interrupted before it was fully concluded; attendance was surprisingly good.

Although some people hadn't arrived yet, after confirming the time, Senior Sister Xun turned and nodded to Sagami.

"...Well then, since the time has come, the plenary session will now officially begin."

Sagami announced in a slightly hoarse voice, "The final meeting has officially begun."

× × ×

The first thing was to confirm the progress of all tasks. That being said, since it had only been a few days since the last meeting, there wasn't really anything particularly important to report.

However, the attitude of the team members at the meeting was far too poor.

Whether the volume was loud or soft, whispering and chatting were the norm; some people were even slumped over their phones, or fast asleep. The way everyone was slacking off almost made me think the scene before me was just a painting.

However, this also reveals their assessment of the decision-making group. They make no attempt to hide their exaggerated behavior; on the contrary, it seems they are doing it intentionally for our benefit.

Such actions demonstrate their rebellious spirit and strengthen their sense of unity.

Although it was a naive and insidious form of protest, it was surprisingly effective. Because Yao and Jie's group openly raised their flag in rebellion, a wave of anti-decision-making sentiment swept through the on-site team. After all, people are creatures of the crowd; they naturally gravitate towards whichever side has the most followers.

The same situation occurred during the anniversary celebration executive committee meeting.

The difference is that Sagami, Haruka, and Yu are in different positions this time.

The factional infighting between the decision-making and on-site teams prevented them from creating a common hypothetical enemy. This is quite different from the situation during the school anniversary celebrations.

Now that the enemy is right in front of us, everyone has made the struggle their top priority.

Therefore, we have to resort to other means this time.

As with the last meeting, our position remains at a disadvantage.

I doubted how many people could actually hear Sagami's voice. She seemed slightly relieved that no one was listening and proceeded to chair the meeting on her own. Then, just as she was about to move on to the next topic, she suddenly paused, swallowed hard, and quietly swallowed back her nervousness.

"So, next up is the final match we discussed halfway through last time."

Upon hearing this, the team members immediately quieted down and pricked up their ears. They knew this was the focus of today's meeting.

For them, this is definitely the best place to launch an attack.

Of course, the same applies to us.

Senior student looked at Sagami with a worried expression. Yuihama's hands, which were restless on the table, kept fidgeting, and she looked very uneasy.

Sagami slowly spoke under everyone's warm gaze:

"Regarding the long-standing safety issues surrounding the '1000 Horses Battle,' as we explained last time, we will tighten the rules, cooperate with local firefighters, and indeed establish a rescue team."

As Sagami explained, Yukinoshita closed her eyes, straightened her back, and listened quietly to Sagami's words. Hiratsuka-sensei, on the other hand, seemed surprised, crossed her arms, and looked at Sagami with sharp eyes.

In the chilly atmosphere, Sagami continued his explanation:

"In addition, to save on labor costs, we have conducted some research on the costumes. Please check the information you have on hand. We believe that if the costumes are made according to the materials and designs listed in the information, there will be fewer safety concerns during the competition, and the production process can be simplified."

After Sagami finished speaking, he picked up a photocopy. It was the design draft of the "Thousand Horses Battle" costume.

Kawasaki's proposed clothing designs used relatively safe materials and were able to be broken down into several small parts for production on a production line.

If that's the case, clothing production wouldn't require highly advanced technology, and efficiency could be improved through division of labor. I quite like the functional design that balances the production process and practical use.

Although I know nothing about fashion design, I still think this draft is excellent. However, I can't guarantee that everyone will think so.

That's why we didn't forget to add a note below the photocopied materials: "※This image is a design draft and may differ from the actual product." Adding this line ensures that even if the design is significantly altered later, there's no responsibility. Why not just add "※The above opinions do not represent the views of this station" after every statement? Adding a proviso doesn't mean you can speak with impunity.

When Sagami finished explaining, Haruka and Yui looked at each other, nodded slightly, and after confirming their opinions, they both raised their hands.

"In that case, it's not much different from last time..."

"In the end, there's still no way to guarantee I won't get hurt..."

We knew they would answer that way. In fact, our goal was to entice them to say that.

Therefore, we had already anticipated that the other members of the on-site team would also begin to complain one by one.

"The competition is almost here—"

"Are you saying that the chairman's speech was exactly the same as last time? That's outrageous."

"That's right, they're just slacking off—"

The members deliberately expressed their dissatisfaction and resentment loudly, showing no signs of stopping.

Sagami still seemed somewhat uneasy, glancing briefly at Megure and Yukinoshita. Even with prior explanations, facing the overwhelming complaints from the crowd, I think anyone would feel some fear.

However, both Senior Sister Xun and Yukinoshita nodded to her, telling her to put her mind at ease.

Sagami decided to trust the two of them and waited quietly.

Her mouth was tightly shut, her gaze fixed, and her posture remained motionless. Only the hand holding the photocopied documents on the table trembled slightly.

Finally, the crew members seemed to have exhausted all the complaints they could think of, and gradually quieted down, then looked at Sagami, who remained silent, with puzzlement.

Incredibly, no matter how loud the noise was, everyone would automatically shut up as soon as they sensed the surrounding silence. Everyone unconsciously noticed that the atmosphere had changed.

Before long, the meeting room fell completely silent.

Sagami, who had been waiting for this opportunity, spoke up:

"We have done our best to propose the best solution. If you are still dissatisfied and have security concerns..."

Sagami, following his pre-rehearsed plan, stopped mid-sentence.

Then, he announced:

"Whether or not to participate in the sports meet is now up to the students to decide and be responsible for."

The guys on set didn't understand what Sagami meant at first, and just tilted their heads and said "Huh?" as if looking down on someone.

On the other hand, Hiratsuka-sensei, who was sitting to the side, was dumbfounded.

"...Does that mean those who are dissatisfied with your proposed plan don't need to participate in the sports meet?"

Hiratsuka-sensei spoke up to confirm the meaning of that sentence.

Sagami probably hadn't expected the teacher to ask a question and couldn't answer immediately. Seeing this, Yukinoshita quickly stepped in to help:

"It's not just the '1000-horse race' that's dangerous; any competition could be dangerous. Moreover, if the number of participants is reduced, the risk of accidents will decrease, and I think this assessment is reasonable."

"Hmm, you're right..."

Ignoring the thoughtful Hiratsuka-sensei beside him, Sagami continued his explanation. The most important part of this plan hasn't been mentioned yet.

"In addition, we prohibit anyone outside the school from participating in any activities of this sports meet, including cheering or visiting."

This time it actually worked. The guys on set immediately understood what he meant and started to stir.

"What the hell... why did it turn out like that?"

"I have absolutely no idea what she's talking about..."

Complaints echoed throughout the meeting room.

Actually, we had absolutely no legitimate reason to make this decision. Now that things have come to this, we can only come up with an excuse. But Sagami probably can't come up with anything. This kind of thing is my specialty.

"The school's sports meet is a so-called intra-school event... Parents and friends from other schools are not allowed to enter the campus freely. In other words, in principle, people from outside the school are not allowed to participate in the sports meet."

I'm quite impressed with myself for coming up with such a sophistry. Once the other person calms down, they'll immediately realize this argument makes no sense and then cling to it relentlessly.

However, because the on-site crew was in chaos, no one noticed this.

It seems that only Ms. Hiratsuka is someone who can remain calm, even though she is not a member of the decision-making group. She is probably still thinking about the matter of deciding whether to participate or not, with one hand on her forehead and the other hand raised in a "wait a minute" gesture.

"Wait a minute. What should we do with people who don't want to participate in the sports meet? We can't just leave their homes standing aside, can we?"

"Just follow the same approach as when we had our graduation trip. People who didn't go on a graduation trip probably still have to go to school and stay in the classroom to study."

I've once again rambled on with a bunch of nonsensical nonsense. This is what you call far-fetched connections. Graduation trips and sports meets are completely unrelated. However, the school does have such a rule, so we're not without evidence, and there's room for discussion.

"Feasible...no, not feasible? In this situation, who should make the judgment? The head of the grade, the PE teacher...no, the dean of academic affairs? Maybe the principal...but this should fall under the scope of physical education..."

Ms. Hiratsuka was deeply troubled by the hierarchical relationships within the school administration. We decided to leave her alone and continue the meeting.

"Since we cannot guarantee the safety of every student 100%, we have no choice but to make this judgment."

This is precisely the result of such concerns.

When we first discussed ideas for the final competition, many proposals were rejected due to various concerns. This leads us to conclude that using concerns to influence member opinions is a viable tactic, and no one would object.

Neither the decision-making team nor the on-site team could go against the higher-level school's wishes. So, we'll use this to our advantage, using "the school's concerns" as a pretext to impose restrictions on the sports meet. If used properly, the meeting should move in the direction we want.

"Huh, does that mean if I object, I won't be able to participate in the sports meet?"

"No, participation is voluntary, okay?"

"What I mean is, if you oppose holding mounted warfare, you can't participate in any competition."

The guys on site started discussing it again.

"That's complete nonsense."

"There's no need to listen to them!"

"That's right! Whether or not we can participate isn't up to them!"

The team members on site were shaken, then began to get excited. The punch seemed to have an even better effect than expected.

Then, the decisive, fatal blow will follow.

I stood up, picked up the large stack of papers that were placed in front of the student council officers, and handed them to Yukinoshita, who was standing in front of me.

Yukinoshita picked up one of the sheets and placed it in front of Sagami.

Sagami picked up the paper and took a deep breath.

"We have done everything in our power to propose solutions that can guarantee your safety. This is the limit of our capabilities. If you still have objections, we will consult with all students in the school."

Sagami pointed to the small mountain on the table, which was made up of more than a thousand sheets of paper.

"We have prepared the questionnaires to be distributed to all students in the school."

Professor Hiratsuka stood up from his seat, picked up one of the questionnaires, and glanced at it. Then, he gave a wry smile.

"Are you willing to participate in the sports meet? Yes, no... Are you really planning to ask every student individually whether they want to participate? This is unprecedented!"

While shaking the questionnaire in her hand, Ms. Hiratsuka asked Sagami a question.

"How are you going to explain this to the other students?"

"Let me explain it from beginning to end..."

"What?"

Hiratsuka-sensei seemed surprised by Sagami's answer, blinking rapidly. Yukinoshita quickly added:

"We will explain the whole story to all students in detail, without any concealment. Some student organizations have raised concerns about the safety of this event, and we have proposed solutions to address this issue. However, they have not been able to accept them, so we would like to seek the opinions of all students in the school. This is how we will explain it."

No, although this statement sounds like a supplementary explanation, it is actually a restraining action against the team members on site.

Because that would be almost equivalent to a public execution.

Because we used the euphemistic term "a portion of the clubs," whether out of a sense of justice or curiosity, some students will inevitably become suspicious and begin to investigate, trying to find out who is against it.

The sports meet may not be as eagerly anticipated by all students as the school anniversary or graduation trip.

However, for those who yearn for youth, sports meets remain a very important event in high school life. If anyone dares to take away this right, they will surely take some action.

Moreover, the number of "them" is definitely not small.

For freshmen, this is their first sports meet since entering high school; for juniors, it's their last sports meet of their high school career. As for sophomores, there are probably quite a few students who consider the sports meet a special memory.

Although this is just my unrealistic speculation, I believe that more than half of the students hope the sports meet can be held smoothly. However, given the current situation, the sports meet might be forced to be canceled if things go wrong. In that case, students in sports clubs will definitely become the target of everyone's criticism.

If the members of the field team can understand this, they will no longer be able to easily resist the decision-making group.

We don't need to actually conduct the survey. We just need to show them that we're well-prepared and ready to go.

Even if the likelihood of actually implementing it is low, it's enough to make them understand that "we might take action."

Let me teach you self-proclaimed majority guys a lesson. I'll show you how illusory your values ​​are and how truly terrified you'll feel when facing a real majority.

As expected, dissenting voices still rang out from the audience.

"No, we don't need to go that far. Wouldn't it be better to just avoid holding mounted warfare?"