My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

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"...I've made up my mind. I want to give it a try."

"What?"

I couldn't understand at first, so I turned to her and asked.

Yuihama pursed her lips, staring intently at her feet. So, I carefully analyzed the meaning of her words.

When she said "I want to give it a try," she meant she wanted to run for student council like Yukinoshita. She wasn't joking.

Why did you...?

I don't think Yuihama would be interested in the student council president position. To put it bluntly, she's not suited for that role.

Yui kicked away a stone at her feet. The stone bounced on the ground and rolled into the roadside ditch.

"I have nothing. I have no ability, and nothing I can do—so conversely, running for student council president seems like a possibility."

After Yui finished speaking, she looked up and gave a shy smile to her otherwise serious words.

Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, the smile on her face gradually disappeared. Only then did I manage to utter a few words.

"What do you mean by the opposite... Don't make decisions on your own."

"I don't."

Yui stopped and looked down at the ground, making it impossible for me to see her expression. However, her tone was strong, as if blaming me. It was the first time I had ever heard Yui speak like that.

"It was you who made the decision on your own."

Her voice wasn't loud, but I could feel the quiet burning anger within it.

I certainly have no right to forbid others from making decisions on their own. The request for our graduation trip was resolved precisely because I decided to do it myself. The same applies to Yukino's decision to run for office. Our judgments are undoubtedly self-centered.

Nevertheless, this is not enough to justify Yuihama's candidacy.

Have you thought this through?

Yuihama, still looking at the ground, nodded and answered hesitantly:

"I've thought about it. I've thought it through very clearly, and I feel this is the only way..."

She gripped the backpack straps tightly with her ungloved hands.

"This time, we'll both try our best. Because I've realized that I've always relied on you to solve problems before."

"I didn't do anything."

"yes……"

She smiled sweetly and tilted her head slightly to one side.

"That's right, so you don't need to work hard."

That's all I can say.

To be honest, I've never done anything good, let alone anything praiseworthy. That's why I always flaunt principles that benefit myself.

Therefore, Yuihama doesn't need to care about this at all.

"That's not all."

Yuhihama looks towards the school in the distance.

"Once Yukino is elected, she will definitely focus on her work in the student council for the sake of this school and become a better student council president than any previous one... And then, our club will probably disappear because of that."

"How could the Service Society just disappear like that?"

I had no intention of deceiving her. I truly believe that serving society continues to exist.

However, Yuihama gently shook her head, her not-so-long hair swaying as it reflected the light of the setting sun.

"Of course it will disappear. As you know, Yukino was very focused on her work during the school festival and sports meet."

"..."

I am very clear about this. Whenever we are asked to handle any large-scale event, we always have to devote all our energy to it.

While Yukinoshita's workload capacity is certainly much higher than that of the average person, it is ultimately limited. To be honest, those who serve as student council presidents are always busy with work throughout the year. If Yukinoshita were to actually take that position, it would probably be difficult for her to take care of her original service club as well.

As I was thinking, Yui suddenly stepped ahead of me.

"And me—"

She lifted her skirt, turned around, put her hands behind her back, and stopped walking.

Then she looked straight at me.

"I really like this club."

Because of her love for the club, she tried her best to convey her desire to protect it with her limited vocabulary.

"I really like it..."

Yuihama emphasized it again, her eyes glistening with tears.

Seeing this, I was speechless.

At times like this, what should I say? My mind is filled with thoughts that are inappropriate for the current situation, and I can't bring myself to speak.

Seeing that I hadn't answered for a while, Yuihama realized something and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

She forced a smile.

"N-no, if I were the student council president, I could just handle things over there and continue participating in the Service Club. That's just how I am anyway, so nobody really expects much from me—"

"No, even so—"

I was about to speak when Yui stopped me.

She took a step closer, placed her hand on my chest, and gently shook her head, signaling me not to say anything.

Her face was almost touching the tip of my nose, but because she was facing the ground, I couldn't see her expression. I couldn't keep my distance from her, and I was just rooted to the spot.

At this moment, Yuihama slowly raised her head.

"...Therefore, I must beat Yukino."

The tears in her eyes were long gone, replaced by a gaze filled with unwavering determination.

When I was about to call Yuihama's name, she took the initiative to pull away from me, taking a step back.

Then, she glanced around briefly, slung her backpack over her shoulder again, and said hurriedly:

"I...I'll stop here! Well then, goodbye!"

"Oh, oh... well, goodbye."

I gave a brief reply as I watched Yui's retreating figure. She seemed to have heard the last sentence and turned to look at me.

"Bye-Bye--"

She waved gently, saying goodbye once more.

Bathed in the setting sun, I watched Yuihama, smiling, disappear into the distance, seemingly out of reach. The spot where she had touched me throbbed with an unbearable, agonizing pain.

I gently raised my hand to say goodbye, then turned my bicycle back the way I came.

Once back on the main road, I got on my bicycle and started pedaling.

Throughout the journey, I kept thinking: Yui Yuigahama decided to run for student council president to protect the Service Club and her place in the community. If anyone had a chance to beat Yukinoshita, that person might be Yui Yuigahama. She's at the top of the school hierarchy, with a stronger presence and wider connections than Yukinoshita. She might even be able to siphon off some of Hayama's votes, and the Miura Group, who were originally supposed to support Hayama, are now uncertain about their future. Most importantly, Yui Yuigahama is an outstanding girl. It wouldn't be surprising if she became student council president.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama—

The final winner will most likely be one of these two. And regardless of who loses, Isshiki Iroha will be able to save face.

I can't think of a better way.

The request for a single color can be resolved in this way.

However, this would inevitably lead to the disappearance of the Service Society.

Despite what Yuihama said earlier, she will still do her job as student council president diligently. Even if she initially wanted to juggle both roles, she will eventually reach her limit.

Despite Yui's seemingly harmless appearance, she's actually a serious and caring person. She'll definitely become the president that other student council officers admire. She won't let them down and will shoulder the responsibilities of president. At that point, the Service Club will only drift further and further away from her.

That's why I said this club will eventually disappear.

Perhaps the "Service Society" signboard and its offices will remain, but the essence of the society will be completely different.

I realized this a long time ago. And it wasn't just me; they felt the same way.

If Yukinoshita and Yuigahama fully understand this and still make this decision, then I have no right to object. I have no right to influence their decision based on my personal sadness.

but--

However, despite this—

Delegating this kind of work to others still causes me a lot of pain.

Seeing them choose to let go in order to protect what they cherish, my heart aches terribly.

I know perfectly well that without sacrifice, there is no youth—

I shamelessly declared that I hadn't made any sacrifices, therefore I didn't need sympathy or pity—

Why such a contradiction?

As dusk settled, the sky gradually darkened with night, and the cold wind stung my fingers. When I came to my senses, my legs, which had been frantically pedaling, had already stopped.

Volume 8, Chapter 7: Needless to say, this is precisely where Komachi Hikigaya's gentleness lies.

As November draws to a close, the nights become terribly cold.

That being said, I was drenched in sweat when I arrived home after pedaling my bicycle as fast as I could.

I entered the house, panting.

The first priority is to go straight to the bathroom, take off your uniform, and take a hot shower.

The scalding hot bath water caused a sharp, stinging pain in my cold body.

But no matter how long I rinsed, I still felt listless. In the end, I simply gave up and turned off the tap.

I looked at myself in the mirror, water dripping constantly—you're still the same, with those dead fish eyes.

After leaving the bathroom and drying myself off, I went back to my room to get dressed.

Upon entering the living room on the second floor, I saw the family cat, Xiaoxue, curled up on the sofa cushions, taking a nap.

The best way to relieve fatigue is to seek healing from small animals. Perhaps I was cycling too intensely earlier...

My legs were accumulating too much lactic acid, and I was so tired that I felt like I was about to collapse.

So I sat on the sofa, picked up Little Snow, flipped it over, stretched it out, flicked its ears, pinched its paws, and then buried my face in its belly. Oh my god, so happy!

Xiaoxue, thoroughly annoyed by my teasing, looked over as if to say, "What are you doing...?" Wow, my cat really hates me, it's so funny.

"Hahaha...sigh..."

Before I knew it, my laughter turned into a sigh.

"I'm sorry."

I patted Xiaoxue apologetically, but it still turned its face away, jumped off the sofa, walked to the living room door, nimbly grabbed the doorknob, opened the door, and left the living room. Hey, remember to close the door properly! Are you trying to freeze me to death?

Xiaoxue left me alone in the living room.

For me normally, this would be a precious time to spend leisurely.

However, in this silent space, my mind keeps thinking about the same thing.

The issue of the student council president election had been repeated in my mind countless times.

What problems might arise if either Yukinoshita or Yuigahama were elected student council president? The Service Club would disappear. Personally, I don't mind, as it's an inevitable outcome. The Service Club was bound to disappear; it was just a matter of time. Even if we're all fine now and nothing has happened, the Service Club will still come to an end after everyone graduates.

So, what else is there to worry about? Since the Service Society was destined to disappear from the very beginning, what is there to be afraid of?

No, wait. Why am I so fixated on finding the problem?

The obsession with finding the problem is itself a problem... I'm not writing a script for Space Warrior 13, why am I making things so complicated for myself?

Whether I think about it seriously or not, I can't get an answer.

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply.

If you don't even know where the problem lies, how can you possibly arrive at an answer?

In other words, there is currently a lack of "reasons" that constitute the preconditions.