My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 299

She looked out the window at the hazy, deep red sky.

"...Perhaps."

I managed to squeeze out these few words with great difficulty. To avoid this from going on and on, I'll immediately continue with the next sentence.

"No one else will probably come today."

"yes……"

Yukinoshita received the signal that the event was over, closed her book, and I picked up my own schoolbag.

"Well then, I'll be going now."

"Okay, let's call it a day."

Yuihama and Yukinoshita also started packing their bags. I turned around and walked out of the clubroom first.

Actually, I realized a long time ago that interfering every time isn't necessarily the right thing to do. Actions taken in the name of what you think are good for others can lead to the worst possible outcome, sometimes with no second chance and irreversible damage.

So, I—

What exactly has all we done so far?

Volume 9, Part 2: The meeting was leisurely and harmonious, but no progress was made.

The community hall where I arranged to meet Isshiki was not far from the school, only a few minutes' bike ride away.

To be honest, I've never stepped into the Civic Center, but I'm quite familiar with the area since I'm used to walking around there, so I have no fear of getting lost.

The Civic Center is located near the station, and the MARINPIA shopping center is on the same street, so in the evenings you'll see many elderly women living nearby, as well as students mixed in. MARINPIA is a popular place for nearby high school students to spend their time after school, and I myself often go there to the bookstore, the arcade, or to the batting cage to swing a bat.

After arriving at the Civic Center, I parked my bicycle in the designated parking area.

I turned to look around, but couldn't find Yise anywhere. Well, after all, we hadn't agreed on a specific time.

I should have come with her...

However, to avoid Yukinoshita and the others finding out that I'm helping Isshiki alone, the only way is to meet them off-campus. Accepting the student council's request in front of Yukinoshita in her current state would be too cruel; completely excluding Isshiki would be too irresponsible. Although I could exclude Yukinoshita from the process, that would seem like a deep betrayal of her. Considering the current state of the Service Club, the best approach is for me to act on my own.

I came to this conclusion again, walked towards the Civic Center, and sat on the steps at the entrance.

After waiting for a while with my mind at ease, I saw Isshiki walk out of the convenience store across the street, carrying a heavy bag in her hand. As soon as she saw me, she immediately jogged over to me.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I just went to buy something..."

That bag seemed really heavy; Isshiki was panting heavily.

"...It's alright."

I said this while extending my hand. However, she dodged it, stared intently at my hand, and looked puzzled.

"What?"

"What are you talking about? That expression is infuriating. Didn't you say the bag was heavy and you wanted me to help you carry it?"

Upon hearing this, Isshiki touched her hair, secretly looked away, and her cheeks flushed slightly, whether from surprise or confusion.

"Sigh... Actually, I don't have any particular intention right now..."

Oh, really? I thought this woman only treated men like laborers, and seeing her behavior made me overthink things. Think about it, doesn't the Ministry of Revenue often run errands for her, and she acts like it's her due?

Isshiki was stunned for a moment, then suddenly thought of something, quickly got into a fighting stance, and took a step away from me.

"Ah! Senior, you didn't do that because you want to pursue me? I'm sorry, although I was momentarily moved, after calming down I realized that we are impossible."

"Oh, really..."

How many more times will she give me this cold shoulder...? Now even denying it is too much trouble...

That said, if Isshiki is so easily swayed, she needs to be extra careful, otherwise she won't be able to relax properly on her trip. Does she get a flutter in her heart every time a flight attendant helps her with her luggage? Probably not… wait, maybe she does (parameter correction for the beautiful flight attendant). Wait a minute, even if she's not a flight attendant, a manual laborer might be just as attractive… working women are definitely the best (parameter correction for stay-at-home husband aspirations)!

"Fine, say what you want."

Ignoring Ichise's actions, I snatched the bag from her hand.

"Ah... thank you..."

She grasped the cuff of her sweater and bowed deeply to thank me. I couldn't discern her expression from her bowed head, but her frank thank you unexpectedly made me feel a little embarrassed.

"...It's nothing, it's within my job scope."

If I kept thanking him for such a small thing, wouldn't Komachi's catchphrase become "Thank you, brother, I love you!"? I subtly told Isshiki not to take it to heart, but I regretted it the next second.

"Wow~ Senior is so reliable~ Since you say so, I'll ask you to do it again next time♪"

She clasped her hands together in front of her chest, her smile as radiant as a flower.

Sigh, the bag suddenly feels heavier... I wonder what's inside.

I looked inside the bag, wondering why it was so heavy. It was filled with snacks, drinks, and other food and beverages—the usual refreshments for every meeting—and Yishe was the person who ran the errands.

When a conversation stalls, people can eat some snacks or drink some tea to fill the gap. This is similar to someone letting out a dry laugh during a chat and then popping a Frisk mint into their mouth. At that moment, you know, "Ah, he/she doesn't really want to talk to me..."

By the way, even if there's no actual conversation, if someone asks "Want a Frisk?", it's an implication that you have bad breath! Pay close attention to this! It might indicate something's wrong with your internal organs! You should definitely be aware of this!

Let's get back to the topic of snacks. Choosing snacks for a meeting is actually an art. Snacks that make a "crunching" sound or smell too strong can potentially disrupt the meeting. So, let's take a look at which snacks Yise chose.

Easy-to-eat chocolates, fruit-flavored throat lozenges, soft rice crackers... Hmm, the selection is pretty good, and each one is individually packaged, so you don't need to prepare a separate container when eating them, and you won't get your hands dirty. It's also very easy to clean up, which is commendable.

"Wow—you're quite shrewd, I never would have guessed."

Isshiki was not satisfied with my small compliment and puffed out her cheeks unhappily.

"What do you mean 'I never expected this'... They're very thoughtful! Although the other person will also prepare snacks."

"Oh, really, you don't need to buy any. Since the other person has the money to buy snacks, just eat them freely."

"That won't work..."

When Isshiki said this, his expression turned stiff.

I see. It seems she really did notice many details. If they always prepare snacks, we can't always go empty-handed—that's what Isshiki meant.

If we were guests in the past, receiving hospitality from the other party, we naturally wouldn't need to pay attention to these details. But today we are co-hosting an event with the other party, and we are on equal footing. Even if it's just snacks to embellish the meeting, we must maintain a level comparable to the other party's.

Dealing with other schools is quite troublesome. Just thinking about the impact that will occur once the preparations actually begin makes the bag in my hand feel even heavier.

× × ×

Led by Isseki, I entered the Civic Center.

Since I've never been inside before, I really have no idea what this place is for. Will it restore HP after a series of "thump thump thump thump♪" sound effects? It's not some kind of baby center.

Once inside, a cool, quiet atmosphere filled the air, giving it the feel of a government office. The library was on the first floor, so no one dared to speak loudly there.

I followed Isshiki up to the second floor, and the environment immediately changed. It became more noisy, and I could faintly hear music playing.

Continuing up the stairs to the third floor, I realized that the music I had heard earlier was coming from upstairs.

Yi Se and I looked up at the same time, wondering what the people up there were doing.

"There's a large auditorium on the third floor; it seems the Christmas activities will be held there."

"oh……"

The floor was vibrating slightly, probably because a dance club or some other group was using it.

Based on this, it seems that community centers are similar to activity centers, providing space for local residents to hold various activities. So, what are the differences between the two? Size?

Since it was my first time in this place, I looked around curiously. Just then, Isshiki, who was leading the way, stopped in front of a certain room.

A sign on the door read "Workshop Room," so they were probably having a meeting here.

Iroha gently knocked on the door.

"Please come in—"

After the person inside responded, Isshiki took a deep breath and then opened the door.

The noise from the crowd suddenly grew louder. The room contained tables and chairs, giving it a classroom-like feel.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"

Iroha greeted me in a rather charming way and entered the room. After I followed her in, no one quieted down, and they didn't even glance at me. It seemed they were having a great time chatting and had absolutely no interest in me.

Even so, the group recognized her. One of the boys, wearing the uniform of Seaside Comprehensive High School, raised his hand and spoke to her:

"Iroha, over here, over here."

"Ah, hello everyone~"

Isshiki waved and walked towards the group, and I naturally followed. When we got very close, the boy who had spoken earlier finally noticed me, looked over with surprise, and whispered in Isshiki's ear:

"who is he?"

"Ah, he's our helper."

Isshiki answered with a friendly smile, but her words were extremely casual. However, the other person seemed to accept her explanation, making an "Oh—" sound, and turned to face me again.

"I'm Tamaki, the student council president of Seaside Comprehensive High School. Nice to meet you!"

"...Yes, hello."

Yu Sheng introduced herself so confidently that I hesitated whether I should also give my name. But Yu Sheng didn't seem to care and continued:

"It's wonderful to be able to co-organize an event with Soubu High School! I've been thinking about whether we can build a partnership based on mutual respect and create a synergy—"

Unexpectedly, this guy named Yu Sheng gave me a hard time right from the start. Although I only understood about half of what he said, I could still guess that he was the one who planned this inter-school activity.

Yu Sheng, as expected of the student council president of Haibin Comprehensive High School, quickly drew a crowd after just a few words. Each new face introduced itself, but honestly, I couldn't remember them all. Anyway, we wouldn't see each other again after the event, so it didn't matter if I didn't write them down.

Just exchanging pleasantries with so many people had almost exhausted me. I couldn't help but sigh, leaving the situation to Isshiki, and walked to a chair a little further away to sit down, watching the mob.

At that moment, I made eye contact with one of the people who looked surprised. He saw me, blinked a few times, and got up to walk over.

"Hikigaya?"

"……oh."

When I saw the unexpected person appear, I was so surprised that it took me a few beats to react, and cold sweat began to break out all over my body.

The girl's uniform at the seaside comprehensive high school was a little disheveled, and she kept combing her curly black hair with one hand.

Loss-making fine weaving—

She was my classmate in middle school, and also the girl I confessed my feelings to. Not long ago, I unexpectedly ran into her and got caught up in an unexpected event. Neither the past nor the present holds pleasant memories of her.

I thought about it for a moment, and it's true that Orimoto attends Seaside Comprehensive High School. Her presence here... could it mean she's joined the student council?

Zheben seemed to share the same question, expressing his surprise.

"Huh—you're a student council member?"

"no……"

Zheben listened and nodded as if he understood.

"Oh, I see. So you're like me. I came because a friend invited me."

As she spoke, she peeked behind me and curiously looked around, seemingly searching for something.

Are you alone?

"Haven't I always been like this?"

This answer made her burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.

"What?! That's hilarious!"

"I'm not joking..."

What was so funny about what I just said... And I'm not the bottom (Note 14: The original word for "funny" is "ウケる", the first two syllables of which are the same as "受 (uke)"). Not being the bottom doesn't mean I'm the top!

That said, thanks to Zheben's presence, I was able to get a better grasp of the situation. This event was jointly organized by Sobu High School and Haibin Comprehensive High School, and in addition to the student councils of the two schools, which played key roles, there were also volunteers who participated.

"Are there too few people from your school? Or are there too many people from our school?"

“Well…”

This is my first time here, and I have no idea what the organization is like inside. However, there are about ten people from Haibin Comprehensive High School in this space, as for our Zongwu High School…

...Hmm? That's strange, our student council... Ah, found them, they're all huddled in the corner. Besides me and Isshiki, there are only four of them wearing the same uniform: Ichigo, Ichigo, and Ichigo. And compared to the students from Seaside Comprehensive High School, they seem lifeless, all looking uneasy.

"Indeed, there are very few..."

"You'll see when you see it... although it's not the main point."

Orimoto lost interest in the matter and turned to return to her original spot. After she left, it was Isshiki's turn to return. Isshiki stared wide-eyed at Orimoto, muttering to herself: