My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 272

"You still...don't intend to change, right?"

"……Um."

At least I can still answer this question with certainty.

I will not change, nor can I change it.

"Yes, that's right..."

Yuihama spoke, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. However, she couldn't think of anything else to say, and her gaze darted back and forth between me and Yukinoshita.

The second ticked by, sending chills down our spines, and both Yukinoshita and I fell silent.

Isshiki looked at Yuihama with pleading eyes. After all, she wasn't familiar with me or Yukinoshita, and Yuihama was the only one she could rely on.

But this time, even Yuihama couldn't bring herself to speak.

Before she could think of anything to say, I got up and left my seat.

"...I know enough about everything now, I'm leaving."

Staying here won't get you anything else.

Not only will you not gain anything, you may even lose it.

In the quiet office, only the sound of my indoor shoes could be heard. No one else made a sound.

I try not to think about anything, so the few steps to the door don't seem long. Another possibility is that I lost track of time because I was thinking too much.

After closing the door behind me, I walked into the quiet corridor. But I had only taken a few steps when I heard the sound of a door opening softly.

I reflexively turned around and saw it was Isshiki Iroha, and my shoulders slumped involuntarily. Compared to disappointment, I felt more like a sigh of relief. I didn't think I could talk to them properly right now.

Isshiki walked over with light steps, and asked with a worried expression in a voice that wouldn't be heard by the people in the office behind her:

"Excuse me, please, you shouldn't have any problems...?"

She came to the service society for consultation, only to find that we were all singing different tunes and even had a minor argument that wasn't really a quarrel. It's understandable that she felt uneasy.

"If someone like that really runs for office, my life will definitely be much easier..."

"If that's the case, we'll probably have to find someone of similar ability to Hayama..."

"Hayama-senpai cannot run for office!"

I think so... However, he probably has no intention of running for office.

"...Anyway, there will always be a way. Things will work themselves out."

"Yes, but if I just lose the election, I'll be in a difficult position too..."

Although Isshiki spoke with reservations, I could clearly see the distrust in her heart. Nevertheless, she still tried her best to hide that distrust, clasping her hands together in front of her chest and showing a pleasing smile.

"But it's still so great. No one else is willing to help, so I can only rely on my seniors!"

If someone unfamiliar with the whole incident saw this, they would likely feel a strong urge to protect her. However, now that I know this is her way of doing things, I don't feel that way.

Although she and Kaori Orimoto are different types, their behavior is based on the gaze of others—especially boys.

One is a gentle and lovely version of myself, and the other is a straightforward and handsome version.

They simply define themselves as having a certain personality type, regardless of their personal feelings. Once they've defined their personality, the next step is to ensure that their every word and action conforms to that personality.

Therefore, she used the same behavioral pattern on me.

Although this doesn't count as evidence, Isshiki suddenly clapped his hands, made an "Ah" sound, and decisively left my side.

"I have to hurry back to my club, that's all for today! Please continue to help me out in the future."

Isshiki gave a slight nod and quickly walked away without any hesitation. That was a clear indication that he had no interest in me whatsoever.

If it were me in the past, even if I heard such an ordinary conversation, I would probably assume that the other person meant something.

I can't stand it, why is my way of growing up always so awkward—I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

Volume 8, Part 5: Even at the very end, Hayato Hayama still couldn't understand.

Several days passed after the conversation with Yukinoshita and the others at the Service Club.

During this period, I only went back and forth between home and school every day. When I got home, I didn't see Komachi, let alone talk to her. The only one who would listen to me was my cat, Yuki.

It seems that after my tutoring session ends today, I won't go to the student affairs office either, but will go straight home.

Lost in my own thoughts, I had no idea what my tutor was saying. Then, the bell rang, signaling the end of tutoring time.

I picked up my bag and stood up from my seat. I could hear Bibin's voice, so she was still in the classroom. I deliberately lowered my head, avoiding looking in that direction, and quickly left the classroom.

As I reached the door, someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

Are you free?

I turned my head and saw Ye Shan giving me a refreshing smile.

"……What's up?"

Ye Shan first surveyed the surroundings, then beckoned me closer. He probably wanted to tell me something privately.

But I really didn't want to get my face close to Hayama's. And don't forget, Ebina was still in the classroom... I felt a little... embarrassed...

Never mind, it's fine. Anyway, there's nothing between me and Hayama that we need to talk about in secret, and besides, we've barely had a normal conversation.

If I had to name one, maybe it would be the graduation trip. But there's no point in mentioning that anymore.

I didn't lean in; instead, I used my gaze to urge him to speak.

Hayama smiled with a hint of trouble in his eyes and shrugged to indicate that he was giving in.

"Regarding the matter of Orimoto and Nakamachi before—"

"Um."

Then I remembered that Yang Nai had introduced him to those two girls a few days ago. What's wrong? They're showering you with attention, and you don't know what to do? Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to help with that.

As it turned out, Hayama brought up something else.

I'd like to discuss Saturday's schedule with you.

"oh."

Saturday? Saturday, Saturday… I know, the day after Saturday is when "Superhero Zone" airs, right? Okay, to be honest, my real targets are "Jewelpets" and "Stargirl." What? So you wanted to confirm the airtime with me. Of course, in the morning! You don't need to specifically ask me about this, okay?

That's my internal monologue. There's no way Hayama would ask such a question.

If you're not here to watch anime, what do you want to discuss with me on Saturday?

Seeing my reaction, Hayama looked surprised.

"Hey, didn't you hear? After I texted them, they said they'd go to Chiba together on Saturday."

"Never heard of it..."

Are you going out for a trip? (Read) And I haven't received a single text message—oh, I almost forgot, I didn't exchange email addresses with them. No one received the notification email I sent when we changed email addresses.

Oh dear~ So they didn't invite me just because they didn't know my email address. Ugh~ They're so unenthusiastic~

Stop trying to comfort yourself. It goes without saying that someone like me would never be on an invitation list.

Hayama seemed unaware of this, and a slightly puzzled expression appeared on his face.

"Oh... I thought everyone would go together."

From Hayama's perspective, that's certainly true. His philosophy is "Let's hold hands and be good friends."

"That's just an excuse to get you to go out. No matter what, there's no reason to go without an invitation. Why don't you just go with them?"

"You weren't invited, right...?"

He nodded and said to me with a smile:

"So, would you like to come with us? It'll be more fun with more people."

"Stop fooling around..."

Is this person out of their mind? The fact that they didn't invite me in the first place means I'm not welcome. Even if I had accepted Hayama's invitation to go with them, the moment they saw me, they would definitely have given me a sour look, as if to say, "Why did you even come?"

Besides their reaction to the loss, there are other issues as well.

Do you think I'd go out with you?

Seeing that my expression turned serious, Ye Shan also stopped smiling.

We belong to different social classes, different social strata, and different environments. I can't imagine two people like us appearing together anywhere outside of school without any external intervention. People who know our relationship on campus would find it incredible to see such a sight—no, let alone outside of school, the current situation is unusual enough.

Not only are there objective factors at play, but from a subjective perspective, it's also impossible for the two of us to be together.

I haven't forgotten the pity he showed me back then.

From the moment the hierarchical class system was clearly established, a thick wall separated the two sides. I am not qualified to cross that wall, nor can I allow Ye Shan to do the same.

Both the world and I are narrow-minded.

The two stopped talking. Other classmates probably thought we were glaring at each other.

After a while, Hayama broke the silence first.

"Consider it as coming to help me, okay?"

He lowered his head and said this to me. This reaction surprised me. Although I couldn't see his expression, judging from his clenched fists, it definitely wasn't a smile.

I don't understand why he bowed down to me. Nevertheless, I still can't honestly agree.

"I have nothing to help you with. You didn't need any help in the first place."

Hayama kept his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"...Besides, I'm too lazy to go out during my holidays. Oh, right, why don't you bring your friends along and introduce them to you? That would solve everything."

After I finished speaking, I left.

"Is that so..."

As the classroom door closed, I could faintly hear his murmurs from behind.

× × ×

When I got home, I curled up on the sofa to kill time, turned on the TV, flipped through a few pages of a book, and then touched my handheld game console. "Miracle Trade (Note 17: The built-in trading system in the game Pokémon X and Y. Players can trade without any communication between them)" This feature is amazing, a real boon for solo players.

My parents, who come home late every night, have scolded me countless times, but I always brushed them off with "uh-huh" or "oh." Now they have completely given up and are leaving me to fend for myself.

When I'm feeling down, I usually go to bed early or concentrate on reading. However, these past few days, I haven't been able to relax no matter what I do.

Even so, as night fell, I finally felt the call of the Duke of Zhou (a figure associated with sleep).

I was yawning on the sofa and stretching vigorously. Just then, the living room door suddenly opened.

Is it a cat that has learned to open doors by itself? No, it's Komachi wearing a sleeping cap and pajamas, with a very unhappy face.

Just as I was thinking about what to say, Komachi spoke first:

"Brother, the phone."

"what?"

She blurted out that, and I immediately pulled out my phone to check—no incoming calls, no text messages, and the battery was almost dead. What the hell? I don't want a phone like this! (Note 18: A paraphrase of the lyrics to Kokoro Ikuzo's "I Want to Go to Tokyo." The original lyrics were: "No TV, no radio, and hardly any cars on the road. I don't want a village like this.")

Why did she say there was a call when there was none? I looked at Komachi and was shocked to see her throw her phone straight at me. Luckily, I reacted quickly enough to catch it in time, preventing the hard phone from making intimate contact with my cheek.

"Komachi is going to sleep. Just leave it there when you're done."

"Ah, oh."

After saying that, Komachi went back to her room and locked herself in.

I looked at her phone; the screen displayed "Keep".

Anyway, I'll answer the phone and see. Although I don't know who the other person is, since they're calling Komachi, they probably aren't some random person.

I released the hold mode, put the phone to my ear, and spoke with a certain degree of caution.

"……Hello?"

Hee-ha-ho—

An unusually cheerful greeting came through the receiver, making me want to hang up immediately. I moved the phone away to check who was calling. The screen displayed the name "Yukinoshita Haruno".

Why would she call—and why does she know Komachi's phone number? I stared at the phone screen, puzzled, while a voice came from the receiver saying, "Is anyone there?"

However, since the other party had already called, I had no choice but to put the phone back to my ear and obediently answer.