My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

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"No, no~ Actually, we just happened to be here to have fun, so we were wondering if we should invite the teacher to join us. Also, we need someone to look after our older brother~"

"Oh? Well then... I guess I'll have to take this job."

The teacher, swayed by Komachi's silver tongue, readily accepted her invitation. Yukinoshita, who had been observing the situation from a distance, breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems they've reached an agreement."

"Then let's all go have fun!"

Yuihama ran towards Hiratsuka-sensei and Komachi, Totsuka happily followed, and Zaimokuza launched his attack with heavy steps. Left behind, Yukino and I exchanged glances, sighed simultaneously, and decided to obediently follow.

× × ×

We casually glanced around at the arcade machines.

In the dim lighting, the game console screen was blindingly bright; the loud music was occasionally punctuated by the characters' voices.

The music from one of the machines stood out.

"Oh! What do you think of this horse racing machine?"

The clatter of the lumberjack was no less than the music from the machine. Unfortunately, I only found its shrill cries annoying.

"Horse racing game..."

"Hmm? Why do you look so uninterested? Isn't that good-for-nothing guy all about gambling?"

"Teacher Hiratsuka asked in surprise."

"I've long ago made up my mind to stay away from gambling, and besides, I'm not a loser..."

My grades are pretty good, and I'm quiet and attentive in class—though that's because I don't have anyone to talk to. For this reason, whenever we practice English conversation in groups, the student next to me just buries themselves in their phone and never pays any attention to me. The only word to describe it is "utterly miserable." Couldn't they at least ask, "It's okay if you don't practice, right?" But even if they did ask, it wouldn't change the fact that it's so miserable. This miserable situation makes not only my English terrible, but my Japanese is just as miserable.

Rather than calling myself a useless man, I think I'm more like a useless person.

I wasn't the only one who thought this way; Yukinoshita also laughed and said:

"I think your life is a gamble, and the odds must be very high."

"Don't underestimate my chances of success in life. Isn't being a stay-at-home dad a super safe career path?"

"Wow, that's a huge bet..."

Yuihama murmured, a trembling expression on her face.

You're wrong, I just haven't met my destined other half yet...

I did nothing wrong; it was fate that was wrong. That must be it.

"Or how about that?"

What? Has my destined other half appeared? No, it was Totsuka who was speaking. He pointed to a row of coin pusher machines. These coin pusher machines are different from the ones in snack shops where you play rock-paper-scissors and win tokens. Players insert tokens from above and try to knock down the pile of tokens below.

This coin pusher machine is very intuitive to play, with no complicated operations, which is why it often attracts couples to try it out.

In other words, this type of game console primarily targets casual gamers.

The timber stand coughed a few times, then said smugly:

"Hmm, a coin pusher machine? That's too simplistic! This kind of kid-baiting stuff won't satisfy me!"

"Simply put, it's about dropping tokens to push down a pile of tokens, right? It seems very simple."

Yukinoshita wasn't interested either, thinking it was a game for children.

"Don't say that. You'll know once you try it. Simple things are actually more addictive."

Hiratsuka-sensei offered a wry smile and words of advice.

The teacher is right; you won't understand this kind of game unless you actually play it once.

× × ×

The music playing inside the store clashed with the sounds from the arcade machines, while the excited shouts of young people drifted from afar.

The coin pusher in front of us made a cheerful "clang clang clang" sound.

It was indeed a noise to those standing nearby, but the fact that no one spoke made the overall impression of tranquility.

"..."

"..."

Zaimoto and Yukinoshita, who had previously openly looked down on coin pushers, had already shut their mouths and kept moving their eyes back and forth, trying to find the right moment to insert the tokens.

"Ahhh, what a pity! Ugh... why didn't it fall down?"

"Yuigahama-san, please be quiet."

Wait, aren't you taking this too seriously...? Even Yuihama is a little embarrassed. Don't you think that's a bit pathetic?

The other person's situation is equally worrying.

"...Hmm, don't underestimate the power of the Evil Eye...I saw it—ah, ouch, missed...Hmph, it's just an afterimage..."

"That's the same as not seeing it at all..."

This guy's head is truly worrying. Besides, just a few minutes ago he was spouting nonsense, saying that coin pusher machines were just a game for kids, but he himself was having a great time playing them.

However, Yukinoshita also had a great time.

"...Oh no! I was so careless, I missed out on the grand prize..."

Whenever winning or losing is involved, a fire ignites within her. Judging from her focused expression, she might break the machine at any moment. Besides, because Yukinoshita understands quickly, she has probably already inserted countless tokens.

"Everyone's so focused... Yukinoshita memorized the rules in no time..."

"Komachi seems to sense a tense atmosphere..."

Totsuka and Komachi, who had been having a great time, stopped what they were doing and looked at them with fear. However, Yukinoshita and Yuihama, who were deeply engrossed in the game, didn't hear them at all and continued to feed the machine tokens.

"Ah, Yukino, lend me some tokens!"

Yuihama reached out to take the token, but Yukinoshita grabbed her hand.

"Wait a minute, are you going to pay it back? I see you're just constantly putting in tokens without any planning at all."

“Ugh…”

Upon being reprimanded by Yukinoshita, Yuihama froze. I noticed her coin-operated manner was indeed unrestrained; she was clearly the type who should never set foot in a casino. Yukinoshita shared the same thought, earnestly lecturing her with her index finger raised.

"From the beginning, I've thought you have a serious lack of planning and don't know how to plan for the future at all..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

With each word Yuihama heard, she shrank even smaller, but because Yukinoshita was absolutely right, no one could help her.

Planning is indeed very important.

"Komachi, give me some tokens."

"As expected of my older brother, he wouldn't even lend it..."

Komachi's expression went beyond surprise; it reached a state of enlightenment. What does that mean? Since I can't possibly return your tokens, I'm just asking you directly. Please describe me as "honest."

I didn't say anything, only conveyed it through my eyes, trying out the unique nonverbal communication between siblings. Then, someone playing at the next arcade spoke up:

"Hachiman, do you want him?"

Hiratsuka-sensei handed me a token. Yay! How lucky! I reached out to take the token, but Komachi suddenly patted me on the shoulder.

What does this mean? Since Hiratsuka-sensei said she would give me tokens, what's wrong with that? I looked at Komachi with dissatisfaction. She raised her index finger and gave me a stern look—turning to Hiratsuka-sensei.

"I'm sorry~ This will only make my brother more useless. Please don't be too nice to him, teacher. If he becomes a gigolo in the future, it will be Komachi and his wife who suffer. Komachi's biggest wish is for my brother to find true happiness."

"I see... I didn't expect you to be a middle school student, yet you speak so profoundly..."

I also think what Komachi said is too profound. How is she able to handle things on her own? Does she have someone in her family who's so useless? Remember to thank that negative example properly.

× × ×

We didn't invest much money in the coin pusher machine at the beginning, and since the profits were split equally among everyone, the tokens were consumed faster than expected.

After all the tokens were used up, everyone started thinking about what to do next. Komachi seized this moment, looked at everyone, and said:

"Alright, we've used up our tokens and it's almost time. Let's hurry up and head to the last game!"

"The last game? What do you want to play?"

So it's not over yet? Everyone thought the meeting would end after the coin pusher machine. Facing everyone's puzzled looks, Komachi loudly announced:

"Chiba-dori's Quiz!"

We were all stunned, unsure how to react, except for Komachi, who excitedly pointed to the game console behind her.

"Let's use the Chiba Examination from Chiba Magic Academy for the competition!"

"Chiba Magic Academy, let's begin!"

This machine looks familiar... It's like another quiz game I often play... Would anyone outside of Chiba want to play it? No, even within Chiba itself, whether anyone would want to play it is a question.

After Komachi inserted the token, the machine made a sound effect, and I sensed that the game was about to begin. It seemed that everyone had no choice but to participate; there was absolutely no right to refuse.

"Then, please have the teacher read the questions aloud and act as the judge."

"Okay, sure."

Hiratsuka-sensei readily agreed.

Chiba-Tsu's quiz system is gradually taking shape, but problems still exist.

"However, this is a machine for one person only, or rather, a machine for my personal use."

Hearing me say that, Komachi chuckled.

"Therefore, today's competition will be a team event, with everyone divided into two teams to compete. Please be mindful of your answers. Next are the competition rules... In short, please match the atmosphere."

"Your explanation suddenly became very casual..."

Yukinoshita said with a headache, "I think so too. What does 'answering according to the atmosphere' mean? Isn't that just everyday life for Japanese people?"

However, there are only two machines here, so if it's a team battle, we'll have to ask everyone to be courteous to each other.

"So, how should we group them?"

Totsuka looked around, and Yuihama timidly raised her hand and said:

"Ah, if we're talking about team battles, I'll be in a group with... with that introverted guy... He's better at Chiba than..."

Yes, that's a perfectly reasonable decision. When it comes to understanding Chiba, no one here can beat me. A group with me in their lineup can practically declare victory... provided there aren't any questions testing teamwork.

However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Komachi shook her head and said:

"No, no, no, please divide into boys' groups and girls' groups."

Hmm, this grouping method is simple and clear, so my group includes Ariyakiza and... Totsuka? Totsuka is in my group, is that true?

I couldn't help but think about it seriously, but after seeing Totsuka's bright smile, I felt that nothing mattered.

"So, I'm in the same group as Hachiman!"

"Okay, let's do our best!"

That's right, keep up the good work!

In contrast to the spirited boys' group, a dejected voice came from the other side.

“Eh…”

As Hama looked displeased, Komachi gently approached her and said:

"Yui-neechan, Komachi has her own ideas."

"That terrifying smile, so enigmatic, has appeared again..."

Then, Komachi left Yuihama's side and gave us a suspicious smile.

"Hehehe... Well then, let's start the competition right away! The losing team will be punished!"

Finally, she flashed her signature playful smile and announced the start of the competition.

× × ×

In the tense atmosphere unique to the competition, Mr. Hiratsuka stood before two game machines. A battle of wits, wagering on mutual respect and penalties, was about to ignite between Chiba Tsutomu.

Because of my love for Chiba, I absolutely cannot afford to lose the match.

Hiratsuka-sensei scanned everyone, took a deep breath, and asked loudly: