My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 263

Even people who know each other may not necessarily understand each other.

She lowered her head, picked up the teacup, slowly took a sip of the cooled black tea, and then placed the teacup back on the saucer. Her movements were so careful, as if she disliked the sound of the cup making a sound.

This silence gave me time to ponder the meaning behind Yukino's words.

"……yes."

Actually, the meaning of that statement is quite obvious. What Yukinoshita said is absolutely correct; it's a truth that cannot be faulted.

I sighed softly and rallied my spirits.

"However, constantly worrying about it isn't a solution. We'd better maintain our normal lifestyle."

If you want everything to remain the same as before, with nothing changing, then everyone around you has to do the same. Connections between people can easily break down. This applies not only to internal factors but also to external ones.

Yuihama slowly repeated what I said.

"We're maintaining our normal lives... um..."

She nodded slightly, trying to convince herself, who was not entirely comfortable with the idea.

I nodded in response.

This is our choice.

No, I should say it was my own choice.

Only Yukinoshita refused to nod, looking directly at me with a powerful gaze, and said, word by word:

"'Ordinary,' is that it... I understand, that's what you mean by ordinary."

"……right."

After I answered, Yukino sighed softly.

"...You mean don't want to change, right?"

I recall her saying the same thing to me before. However, when she brought it up again today, the meaning was completely different. This time, her words held no warmth; it was as if everything was over, and she felt utterly despondent.

My chest is aching slightly.

"I'm asking you..."

After stammering for a while, Yukino finally stopped. Her gaze wandered around, thinking about how to start the conversation.

—I understand. She must be trying to continue the previous conversation.

What she wanted to say was what she hadn't said at the time.

I relaxed my body, which had unconsciously tensed up, and waited for her next words.

She gripped her skirt tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly. After a while, she finally made up her mind and swallowed hard.

However, those words were never spoken.

"Ah, Yukino! Um, well..."

Yuihama excitedly put down her mug, interrupting Yukinoshita who was about to speak. Her action seemed to be an instinct that she couldn't let Yukinoshita say those words.

However, this is at best a delaying tactic, ignoring the facts and thinking that if they secretly bury it in the ground without anyone's knowledge, the problem will disappear on its own.

The tense atmosphere showed no signs of easing. Yukinoshita and Yuihama fell silent again, wondering how to respond.

This state didn't last long. The seconds continued to tick away.

I noticed the time because someone gently knocked on the door, making a "thump, thump" sound.

We both looked towards the entrance of the student union office, but neither of us spoke.

The person outside knocked on the door again.

"Please come in."

Finally, I answered the door. Although my voice wasn't loud, the other person seemed to have heard me.

The door swung open with a "click".

"Sorry to bother you."

The person who walked in was Hiratsuka-sensei.

Volume 8, Part 2: A dangerous fragrance faintly emanates from Isshiki Iroha.

The wind blew into the room through the open door.

Ms. Hiratsuka brushed aside her swaying, jet-black hair and walked in with a "clack, clack" of footsteps.

"I need your help with something..."

The teacher looked around at us as she spoke, then looked puzzled.

"What happened?"

None of the three answered. Yuihama awkwardly turned her face away, while Yukinoshita closed her eyes, maintaining an indifferent expression and remaining motionless.

This unnatural gap in the schedule puzzled the teacher even more. She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

My heart isn't strong enough to ignore someone staring directly at me, so I could only answer as calmly as possible:

No, nothing's wrong.

I thought my answer was concise and clear, but Hiratsuka-sensei just gave a wry smile. She probably sensed something was wrong. To be honest, anyone with a discerning eye would know something was amiss when Yukinoshita and Yui-hama remained silent.

"I'll come back another time."

"Actually, it doesn't matter."

What I meant was, "No matter which day the teacher comes, it will probably be the same." Even after tomorrow and the day after, the stalemate will likely continue.

“…I see.”

The teacher seemed to understand the meaning behind the sentence, shrugged, and sighed slightly.

Yuihama keenly sensed the atmosphere becoming heavy again and quickly spoke up.

"Teacher, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, right... come in."

The teacher called towards the door, and the person outside gently said, "Excuse me," and quietly walked in. The familiar figure had two braids, her bangs held in place with hair clips, and her shiny forehead was quite adorable.

That's right, she is none other than the current student council president, Senior Xun.

Behind her followed another female student with an unfamiliar face.

"We have something we'd like to consult..."

After explaining her purpose, the senior student looked at the female student standing behind her.

The female student obediently took a step forward, her flaxen medium-length hair swaying in the breeze.

She seemed to have been born with that hair color, and her hair was very healthy. When the setting sun shone on it, it reflected dazzling particles of light.

Her light, flowing hair and big, round eyes give her an adorable, animal-like impression; her uniform is also a little disheveled, and she gently holds the overly long sleeves of her cardigan in her palm.

I looked at her, wondering who she was. She gave a slightly shy smile and turned to us.

In that instant, a turmoil stirred within me. However, it wasn't because I had fallen in love with her at first sight; it was simply an alarm bell ringing in my mind.

"Ah, Iroha."

Yuihama recognized her, and the girl named Iroha also turned her head slightly to one side and greeted her in a gentle voice.

"Hello, Yui-senpai~"

"Hi-lo~"

The two people waved gently in front of their chests.

"Ah, so you two know each other. Then I don't need to introduce you anymore!"

Seeing their interaction, the senior student nodded in satisfaction.

Isshiki Iroha —

I recognize this name.

If I remember correctly, she was a first-year student and the manager of the soccer club. During some random event we held before summer vacation—a judo tournament or something—she barged into the event and got into a fight with Hayama… Speaking of which, I wonder what happened between her and Miura afterwards…

No, now is not the time to dwell on the past.

This request is most likely related to Isshiki Iroha.

So why did even the senior student come?

I gestured for the senior student to explain, and she nodded and began:

"As you all know, the student council elections are coming up soon, right?"

To be honest, I had absolutely no idea. Unless I was forced to participate in the planning, I've never been interested in school activities and have never really thought about them.

I glanced sideways at the reactions of the others. Yuihama didn't say anything either, just silently shook her head.

Therefore, it's clear that student council officer elections aren't an activity that everyone is particularly concerned about. Of course, it's a different story if a classmate or friend is running. However, most students lead very ordinary campus lives and have almost no opportunity to interact with the student council.

For the average student, the student council is something that "you don't really know what those people are doing, but they are definitely doing something." The election of student council officers might feel the same way.

Even I, if I hadn't helped out at the school anniversary celebration and sports meet, would probably have thought the same way. Yuihama probably felt the same way.

Only under the snow is it different.

"I know. The voting information and the list of candidates should have already been announced."

"As expected of Yukinoshita-kun, she's right. Except for the secretary position, which has no candidates, all the other positions have been announced."

Upon hearing Yukino's reply, Senior Xun clapped her hands a few times in delight.

"Actually, the vote should have been held earlier. But because we couldn't gather enough candidates, we decided to postpone it. If the successor isn't chosen soon, I won't be able to hand over the reins... Waaaaah~"

She jokingly pretended to cry a few times.

"The school is relying on you too much. Personally, I hope the handover can be completed during the sports meet..."

"No, not at all! Besides, I've already been accepted into university through the recommendation process, so I don't need to prepare for university entrance exams anymore."

Ms. Hiratsuka looked at Ms. Jun with concern, but Ms. Jun smiled and waved her hand to indicate that it was okay.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes perfect sense. Senior student Xun is a third-year student and will graduate from Soubu High School in less than a few months.

The days I could see the gentle and kind Senior Xun were numbered, so I quickly took a few more glances at her while I could. Just then, she remembered that she still had something to say to us.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot to explain. So, all the student council officers formed an election management committee and made this their final task."

In other words, none of the current officials will participate in this election.

That makes sense. They must find working with Senior Sister Xun incredibly valuable, and they seem to really enjoy it. Or perhaps, after the tumultuous school anniversary celebration and sports meet, they've been internally screaming, "I don't want to stay in the student council anymore!"

"And now, the election announcement has been completed..."

"ㄍㄨㄥㄍˋㄠ……"

Yuihama repeated the words she had heard in a low voice. However, no one was kind enough to explain them to her today. Yukinoshita, who was usually the first to notice, stroked her chin, seemingly deep in thought.

"At our school, the announcement usually just includes the voting date and the list of candidates."

Ms. Hiratsuka, feeling sorry for Yui, explained the situation to her. Yui quickly thanked her, covered it up with laughter, and changed the subject.

"Th-thank you, teacher. Ahaha... So, what's wrong with that 'ㄍㄨㄥㄍˋㄠ'?"

At this moment, the senior student glanced at Issei.

"Isshiki is running for student council president this year."

Oh, this person is running for student council president... I know it's a bit rude to say this, but I really can't imagine it. No matter how I look at it, I don't think she's interested in student council work.

I stared intently at Isshiki, wondering why she, who seemed so out of place in the student council, would even run for office. Isshiki noticed my gaze, turned her face towards me, and winked several times.

She seems to have only just noticed my presence. Wait a minute, you clearly looked over here just now… Did you think I was some kind of decoration or something? Tell me, what club in the world would put such an avant-garde totem pole in their office?!

However, instead of showing any disgust towards me, Isshiki covered her smile with her hand as if she had discovered something.

"Oh, do you think I don't fit in with the student council?"

"Oh, no. I didn't mean that."

Looking at her smile, I couldn't help but stammer.

Okay, after all, appearances can be deceiving, and deciding whether to watch an anime based on its characters is unwise. I secretly looked away, abandoning my preconceived notions.