My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 300

"Senior, is this someone you know?"

I said, "Iroha, your tone sounds like 'So, you know someone, senpai.' Can you please not ask that? Besides, didn't you meet once? Although you were some distance away then, you probably don't remember her." Therefore, I couldn't think of a good explanation for a moment, so I simply answered in my usual way:

"Yes, a junior high school classmate."

"oh……"

After listening to my explanation, Isshiki feigned disinterest, gave me a perfunctory reply, and then sat down in the chair next to her, opening the snacks she had bought earlier. Seeing this, the students from Seaside Comprehensive High School also began preparing their own food and drinks.

It seems everyone is finally getting ready for a meeting.

The two schools arranged the conference tables and chairs in a U-shape, and the participants sat in their designated seats. So, where should I sit...? How about I pick a seat from one of the four corners and guard this room? Wow, I'm practically one of the Four Holy Beasts—just as I was lost in thought, someone tugged at my sleeve.

"Senior, this way please~"

"Oh, it's okay, it's fine if I sit in the corner..."

Ignoring what I said, she continued to hold onto my sleeve. I tried to break free, but to no avail. What kind of strange strength was that? Her movements were undeniably cute, yet I couldn't shake her off at all…

"Hurry up, hurry up, it's about to start!"

She pulled my clothes over again.

"I know, I know, you'll loosen the clothes!"

Since I wouldn't be speaking at the meeting anyway, it didn't matter where I sat. In that case, I might as well pick a seat on a table with snacks laid out. Reluctantly, I compromised and sat next to Isshiki.

Sitting at the head of the U-shaped conference table, also known as the "birth seat," was Tamaki, the student council president of the Seaside Comprehensive High School. I and Isshiki sat in the corner to his right.

Looking at it again now, it's clear that what Zheben said earlier was correct: the opposing school had the majority of students, nearly twice the number of ours. Coupled with their noise, it felt like the difference in numbers was even greater. The Seaside Comprehensive High School was packed with men and women, chatting animatedly, while the Soubu High School side was quiet and peaceful.

Well, after all, this event was proposed by them, so it's understandable that they're very enthusiastic. We're like the organizer and the co-organizer, and even the seating arrangement conveys this message.

In terms of power relations, it is clear that the dominant position lies with the Seaside Comprehensive High School, which is responsible for most of the work, while Soubu High School provides support from the side.

After confirming everyone was seated, Tamaki, the student council president of Haibin Comprehensive High School, clapped his hands and announced:

"Well then, let's begin the meeting. Please feel free to offer your guidance."

He delivered his speech fluently, and everyone present bowed in greeting.

The meeting finally began.

Yu Sheng asked a student council member to come to the whiteboard and write something with a marker. He glanced at the content on the whiteboard and continued:

"So, just like last time, we'll start with brainstorming today."

Huh, what kind of move is that? It sounds super cool, but unfortunately I can't type it.

The thought flashed through my mind, but brainstorming is nothing more than what is commonly known as "brainstorming." There are many different definitions of this word, but to put it simply, it is a group of people freely proposing ideas.

"Continuing from the previous topic, please share your thoughts on the concept and content of the event—"

Yu Sheng chaired the meeting, and people from their school raised their hands in twos and threes to express their opinions.

I chose to observe quietly. Wait a minute, please don't misunderstand. Speaking rashly before fully understanding the situation would only cause confusion, so I'm definitely not being lazy or shirking my duties; I'm doing this for everyone's benefit!

At this point, one of the people on the other side spoke.

"To meet the needs of today's high school students, we must inspire mind innovation in young people..."

Well, that makes sense.

Then, another person from the other side spoke.

"In that case, we must first establish a win-win relationship with the local community, and think from that perspective."

Oh, yes, indeed.

Then, the other side had a third person speak.

"Therefore, we need to consider cost-performance from a strategic perspective, and then achieve consensus..."

Oh...yes, yes...

Having listened to this without uttering a word, I couldn't help but wonder—

What kind of meeting is this?

What was the purpose of this meeting? And what were those people saying? Am I just too stupid?

I glanced uneasily at Isshiki, who nodded occasionally, letting out an "Oh..." of surprise. Raiden, do you know (Note 15: a line from the manga *Sakigake!! Otokojuku*)?

Since I was there to help, I couldn't fall behind in the conversation, so I lowered my voice and asked her:

"Isshiki, what are you doing right now?"

Isshiki turned her head slightly, tilting it cutely to one side.

"Hmm...good question."

What a good question... Are you Ai Fukuhara? (Note 16: A Japanese table tennis player. Due to her long-term training in China, her shout "Sa!" when scoring is a characteristic sound, which is similar to the Japanese expression of emotion "Saa" (meaning "good question") when she is unsure of the answer.)

This person clearly doesn't understand either, yet they reacted like that? I stared blankly at Isshiki, who didn't seem to care much, even giving a slight smile as if to say, "Don't worry~"

"It's okay, they'll come up with lots of ideas."

"oh……"

If the other party offers ideas, it means we just need to put them into action. It seems I can handle it all by myself.

I don't reject tedious work. Although repetitive mechanical tasks can be mentally taxing, my spirit has long been worn down, or rather, worn down to the point of developing resistance. So as long as it doesn't require much thought or effort, it's an easy job for me.

Since that's the case, it's best to first understand what we need to do. That being said, from what I've heard so far, everyone's comments haven't been very substantial...

Yu Sheng, who led the meeting, seemed to have noticed this as well.

"Everyone, haven't you overlooked something more important?"

He spoke in a heavy tone, and the atmosphere immediately tensed. As expected of the student council president, his authority was truly formidable. Everyone focused their attention on Yu Sheng, awaiting his next words.

After surveying the entire lecture room, Yu Sheng made an exaggerated gesture, as if turning a windlass, and began to speak:

"You need to think logically."

Aren't the two sentences the same? How many times do you need to think about it before you're happy?

"You also need to understand the customer's perspective and stand on their side."

Aren't the two sentences saying the same thing? How many times do you have to be a customer before you're happy?

My lips were now turned up at an angle, like a facial twitch. The others looked at the jade rope with an "I see" expression, their eyes sparkling.

...No, I think the president and his partners are all like that.

In other words, today was a gathering of people with similar tastes, or rather, the chairman deliberately brought everyone together. The rest of the meeting remained the same.

"Then, outsourcing should also be taken into consideration."

"That method is probably difficult to apply to the current scheme."

"That makes sense, so it might need to be rescheduled, right?"

What are you even talking about? Rikiu, who says grilled beef tongue is delicious? Why do you like speaking English so much? Are you some kind of comedian?

Innovation! Negotiation through dialogue! Resolving resentment is our solution! The meeting continued in this spirit, and they had long since surpassed the level of novice hip hop dancers; their minds were buzzing with excitement.

Waaaaah~~ Everyone here is an elite, they definitely won't accept trash like me~~

× × ×

Where do we come from, and where are we going?

Listening to everyone's remarks, this question suddenly came to mind: Where did this meeting come from, and where is it going?

The meeting ended without anyone reaching any meaningful conclusions.

However, brainstorming is all about expanding your ideas, so whatever comes to mind should be brought up first. Therefore, today's meeting wasn't entirely without its benefits.

What caught my attention was that almost all the speakers were from the student council of Haibin Comprehensive High School. Although the students from Soubu High School were present at the meeting, they barely spoke a few words. However, after hearing the other side's string of elite remarks, they probably didn't dare to embarrass themselves, and even the student council president, Isshiki, couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Speaking of Isshiki, after the meeting, she went to chat with the student council of Seaside Comprehensive High School.

With nothing else to do, I simply stood a little distance away, staring blankly at Isshiki. She noticed my gaze, then seized the opportunity to end the conversation and came over to me.

"Senior, do you have a general idea of ​​what it feels like?"

"No, I don't understand at all..."

What Yise really wanted to ask was whether I understood the purpose of this meeting. While I could somewhat grasp the purpose, after hearing so many supposedly professional terms, I was truly unsure whether I actually understood it.

Isshiki read this from my expression and sighed softly.

"Hmm—they did talk about a lot of complicated things."

Rather than being complicated, the real reason people didn't understand was its excessive ambiguity. But Isshiki, unconcerned about the subtle differences, flashed a playful and adorable smile and said:

"However, as long as you say things like 'Wow, that's amazing' or 'I'll work hard too,' they'll be super happy! And remember to reply to the occasional text messages they send, and that should be enough."

"You'll get stabbed someday..."

Even if everything seems fine now, I'm still worried she'll pay a heavy price later. Unpopular guys are easily fooled, which leads to all sorts of tragedies... Unpopular guys are innocent, straightforward, and unwaveringly devoted, making them a high-risk group for misunderstandings. Thinking about it that way, aren't unpopular guys incredibly kind people? Then why are they unpopular? It's unbelievable!

As I was lost in my own thoughts, Isshiki also let out a low murmur, I don't know what he was thinking.

"...But, senior, I often get this feeling too! I don't know if it's because he seems very smart, or because he's arrogant—"

She said it with a half-smile, as if a "(laugh)" followed by her self-assurance.

"Don't compare me to them. I'm not being arrogant, I just have a strong sense of self."

Simply put, the so-called "self-righteous (laughs)" refers to people who crave to become more mature and can't wait to show it off to others. They like to flaunt business and management jargon to create an image of being very capable and different from others. In reality, it's not much different from adolescent delusions. I feel a little sorry for people like this.

On the other hand, those with a strong sense of self are just ordinary people who are hard to bear to look at, not much different from high school sophomores.

"Sigh, I can't tell the difference."

Isshiki didn't know how to react. It's okay, actually I can't tell either way. But no matter which way it is, it's equally heartbreaking to see in other people's eyes.

"In short, we've decided what to do, so let's get started."

She took out a stack of papers.

It turns out that Isshiki's conversation with the other student council wasn't just casual chat; he was clarifying issues that hadn't been discussed during the meeting and getting a clearer picture of the specific work at Soubu High School.

About nine out of ten meetings are a waste of time; truly important matters are not resolved in meetings, but rather decided behind closed doors by key figures.

In this respect, Isshiki was very clever, and being a cute first-year girl, she was also well taken care of by the other party.

"You seem to get along well with them."

"Hmm...yeah, I guess so."

She rested her index finger on her chin and thought for a while, then let out a "haha" laugh.

"...Didn't the senior say that the cutest girls are those who proactively ask questions?"

"Who taught you this kind of thing...?"

I admit I hinted to Isshiki that she should make good use of her position, but I didn't say it so bluntly—no, that was actually a theory Isshiki developed on her own after listening to me… Oh no, it seems I've unknowingly raised a monster. Will that group split because of this woman…

"But judging from this, it's probably best to just hand the work over to them. I probably won't be of any use."

"Ah—this..."

Suddenly, Isshiki lowered her head, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly worried about something. I waited patiently for her to speak, but still received no answer.

Because at that moment, someone knocked on our table.

"Iroha, how about I leave this to you too? We've already finished the main parts."

It turned out to be the student council president from the other side, Tamaki. After discussing the matter with Isshiki earlier, he brought over some new documents, so it seems we have some new work to do.

"Okay!"

Without saying a word, Isshiki took the documents, his previous gloomy expression completely gone.

"Then please. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask, and I'll teach you properly."

Yu Sheng laughed heartily, waved goodbye and left, and Isshiki waved goodbye as well.

"Okay, let's begin!"

After returning, Yise immediately organized the new materials and sent them to all student council officers.

"Therefore, our task is to compile the minutes. Thank you all."

She assigned the tasks one by one, but no one reacted much. Compared to the harmonious student council on the other side, there was a clear difference in enthusiasm.