My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 275

Ye Shan looked at them with a slightly embarrassed smile, then glanced at his watch and urged:

"If we don't hurry, we won't have time to shop later."

"Oh, right! What time do department stores close?"

The loss has posed a question to me, but unfortunately, I can't possibly know the answer. I don't even know which department store to visit... Why does it feel like I'm on a mystery tour of Chiba (Note 23: a type of travel where the destination is not disclosed to the tourist in advance)?

Nakamachi picked up her phone to check and answered:

"Um... 8:30."

"Really? Then there's no time left!"

Zheben quickly pulled out his phone to check the time. It was 7:30 PM, meaning he only had one hour left. Although he didn't know how long women usually spent shopping, this was definitely not enough time.

Therefore, the group quickened their pace.

Judging from the route Hayama took, he planned to cross the pick-up lane from here and head towards the PARC0 area (Note 24: a Japanese chain department store). So, he was basically going to PARC0.

Speaking of "pickup artist avenue," what an awful name. There's also a "pickup artist bridge" in Makuhari Beach, so what's going on in Chiba?

We strolled past several shops along the way and arrived at a large intersection. In the large park directly opposite, many young people were practicing dancing and skateboarding.

The second activity was shopping.

We went into PARC0, took the escalator to the second floor, and chatted about winter clothes and how to wear uniforms with scarves—of course, I didn't participate in the discussion.

The second floor sells trendy women's clothing, interior decorations, and household goods, making it a great place for high school girls to kill time.

The interior furnishings, including sofas and beds, exude a relaxed atmosphere. A man and a woman sitting on the same sofa might help them get closer—that's what they would have written if Hot Dog Press hadn't stopped publishing.

But if you ask me how to write about other clothing and accessories, I'm very sorry, I can't think of any.

In situations like this, how should a guy pass the time?

The last time I went shopping, I felt just as uneasy in the women's section. So, how did I get through it?

The answer is: Pretend to be a couple with the other person, even if you don't look very convincing.

Fortunately, we don't need to do that today.

Perhaps it was because Hayama was there, or perhaps it was because we were a group of two men and two women, but the shop assistants didn't seem to suspect me at all.

If it were about choosing gifts for others, I could offer some advice. But they were choosing things for themselves, so there was no room for my input.

I just stood there, staring blankly behind Yeshan.

"Hayama-kun, how about this one~"

"Oh, what about this one?"

Orimoto and Nakamachi surrounded Hayama, showing off their chosen outfits, while Hayama busied himself commenting on them.

On the other hand, bored out of my mind, I simply imagined myself as a bodyguard protecting an important person, pressing my ear and pretending to listen to the briefing coming from the radio, or looking around for sniping positions and being wary of the surrounding situation.

At this moment, the warning net showed an abnormal signal.

I heard a familiar voice.

"Hmm...it looks nice on, but won't the color blend in with the uniform?"

"You're the one who said you wanted to see the boots..."

I cautiously looked towards the source of the sound and spotted my classmates in the shop diagonally opposite.

Yumiko Miura stood in front of the mirror with a frown, while Hina Ebina watched impatiently from the side.

"Let's go with black."

Miura murmured to herself, changed into another pair of black leather boots, and stood in front of the mirror again to examine herself. The black leather boots seemed to suit Ebina's taste, and she clapped her hands happily.

"Ah, this is really nice! The uniform paired with black leather boots looks so maniac~"

"...Fine. But if you say something like that again, I'll knock on your head."

Miura took off her boots with a look of disgust. However, she seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation.

It's great that everyone gets along well. However, I'm a little concerned that Yuihama isn't there. The trio always go out and shop together; does she have other plans for today?

"How about this suede one?"

Ebina took the boots off another shelf and turned to hand them to Miura. Halfway through, her eyes met mine, which I had been watching the whole time.

"ah."

This was probably the first time we'd really looked at each other since our graduation trip. We paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to react.

Miura also sensed something was amiss and turned around.

"Ebina, what's wrong?"

The next moment, she saw me—or more accurately, Hayama behind me. Not only that, she also saw Hayama with two girls.

"Falcon, Hayato..."

She tossed her slightly wavy, long blonde hair a few times, then abruptly stood up—

However, she tripped over her half-off boot and fell hard.

Underwear! Pink! What a surprise!

Thank goodness, I almost thought, "It's so great that you came out to play with me today..."

"Wow! Yumiko! Are you alright?"

Ebina quickly ran over and helped Miura up.

Miura groaned, tears welling in her eyes, as she pressed her hand to her bruised buttocks. She looked to be in real pain, and Ebina gently comforted her. What had I just witnessed…?

"Ugh~~Halbus, Hayato..."

The pain in his buttocks lingered, and Miura looked at Hayama with tears in his eyes.

Ah... that must have hurt a lot... both physically and mentally.

However, seeing such a strong girl shed tears is actually quite nice.

No, this isn't the time to let my mind wander. Judging from Miura's condition, it will probably take her quite a while to recover. But once she does, she'll definitely go straight for Orimoto and the others and start a fight. If she repeats her previous tactics against Isshiki here, it will cause us a lot of trouble. Besides, things won't be resolved quickly; it'll probably drag on until very late, affecting my time to get home.

I tiptoed around to Ye Shan's back and whispered to him:

"Hayama, it's about time to move on to the next place."

"what?"

Hayama glanced at the time—no, no, it wasn't about the time, but something far more terrifying!

Fortunately, for some reason, he eventually agreed with my opinion, muttering "That's true," and said to Zheben and the others:

"There are some things I'd like to see too."

Upon hearing his voice, Orimoto and Nakamachi put the things they were holding back in their places.

"Okay~ What do you want to see?"

"Let's go anyway."

Ye Shan avoided the question and led them away from the shop.

After distancing ourselves from Miura and Ebina, it's time for shopping in Hayama.

By the way, I don't think I was assigned any shopping time. Although I don't really want to buy anything, if I had to, I'd probably just browse the bookstore. But I'd prefer to go to those places alone.

"I'd like to take a look at the ski suits first."

After saying that, Hayama headed towards the escalator leading upstairs. If you want to see ski suits, you should go to the sports equipment section on the sixth floor.

At that moment, a commotion came from the direction of the escalator.

"Don't do that, Iroha~ Let's just go to another Murasaki shop~"

"No way! Isn't there a LI/LION (Note 25 refers to Lion Baseball Pro Shop) store over at the west exit?"

"That's a baseball equipment store. Wait, you know the name, don't you?"

A couple with medium-length flaxen hair and long brown hair came downstairs. They were carrying bags from the shops we were going to visit.

"Huh? Isn't that Hayato?"

The Ministry of Revenue spotted Ye Shan and immediately rushed over to him, crying and pleading.

"Hayabusa—hito—"

"Minister of Revenue, what's wrong?"

Ye Shan looked puzzled as he was suddenly hugged. Hu Bu, pulling at his hairline, complained unhappily:

"Listen to me~~ Iroha said she wanted to buy a new sweatshirt, so someone came with her, but she ended up buying a high-protein sweatshirt instead..."

He only realized at this point that I and Orimoto and the others were also there, and that we were having a four-person date (laughs), so he awkwardly shut his mouth and took two steps back.

"Um... Ah, sorry, sorry, did we disturb you? We're really sorry~ We'll be right back~ Hey, Iroha?"

The Ministry of Revenue turned around in a panic to look at Iroha, only to find that the spot where Iroha had been standing was now empty.

It turned out that she had already sneaked up to me without me noticing.

So fast! Incredibly fast! What kind of witchcraft is this?

"Hey senior, what are you doing? Ah, out with your friends?"

Iroha asked with a beaming smile and a voice so sweet it seemed to melt your ears. Although at first glance it sounded like something a junior would ask a senior she bumped into off-campus, I felt an indescribable pressure.

Her deeper meaning was probably, "You're really bold, ignoring my request and running off to hang out with other girls." No, no, no, you misunderstood. Of course, I thought about things in my own way, and I haven't forgotten your request at all!

"No, this isn't a game..."

I racked my brains trying to figure out how to explain. Isshiki tugged at my sleeve, looked up at me with eyes like a little animal. What's wrong with me? She's kind of cute… Don't look at me like that anymore, I'm starting to panic!

I blinked, letting Iroha keep tugging at my sleeve. With an unexpected pull, my shoulder dropped, and my body leaned forward, bringing me right up to her face.

Isshiki smiled gently and parted her delicate pink lips slightly.

"And who's that girl? Ah! Is she the senior's girlfriend? Wait, there are two of them... What's your relationship?"

Beneath the bright smile lay a chilling voice... Terrifying, utterly terrifying!

"Uh, this..."

I was trying to figure out how to answer in a way that would allow me to get away unscathed, but then Hayama answered for me:

"I'm sorry, Iroha. I invited him to keep me company."

"Oh, I see. By the way, we're shopping too. Would you like to come along if you don't mind?"

Isshiki suddenly released my sleeve, turned around, and stood directly in front of Hayama. I didn't expect her to be so assertive.

At that moment, the Minister of Revenue waved to her somewhat frantically. "Great, finally I'm free..."

"Hey, Iroha, let's go too!"

"Are you out shopping too...? Well then, let's leave it at that for now."

Hayama gently raised his hand to say goodbye, and Isshiki also waved in front of his chest, making a cute gesture.

"Okay~ Goodbye~"

Then, she waved to me as well.

"Senior, remember to tell me next time!"

Sigh, I guess I haven't completely gotten over it. I wonder how she'll force me to tell the truth next time we meet...

However, the next time I see her might be on election day—no, not that late. At least one strategic rehearsal should be conducted before election day.

To prevent her from winning a vote of confidence, the worse her campaign speeches, the better. However, that could damage her image. On the other hand, if she performs too well, no matter how unprofessional or chaotic her campaign speeches are, she might still gain people's trust. Finding the right balance is a complex art.

Regardless, success or failure hinges on that day's speech. I'll discuss it with her next week... But how do I explain today's events?

As I watched Issei and the Ministry of Revenue leave, an unnecessary worry crept into my heart.

The Ministry of Revenue kept shouting along the way, trying to cheer Yise up. He was truly a good man.

"Alright! Next up, Lion Baseball!"

"Ah, no need. They only sell baseball equipment over there anyway."

"what?"