My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 310

Raindrops pattered against the windowpane, pulled downwards by gravity. The weather had been like this, cold and damp, since morning.

A few days ago, I explained that I would be leaving the club early, citing Komachi's upcoming exams as the reason. Thanks to Komachi's connections, Yukinoshita didn't ask any questions and agreed to my request.

I don't know which window was left open, but the floor was a little damp. Stepping into the empty corridor, my shoes made a "squeak, squeak" sound from time to time.

Christmas will be here in a week.

Even in December, Chiba rarely sees snow, so there's no need to worry about it turning into a silver world. What we really need to worry about is the workplace we're going to later.

As soon as I left the school building, I went to the Civic Center.

It was raining when I left home this morning, so I took the tram and then the bus to school. In warmer seasons, I might be willing to brave the rain and ride my bike, but it's so cold in winter, I really didn't want to get myself soaked.

The road next to the park is lined with dead trees with all their leaves fallen, which adds a touch of chill.

Normally at this time of year, the sun wouldn't set so quickly; today, due to the weather, it was already starting to get dark.

In the gradually dimming vision, I saw a brightly colored plastic umbrella decorated with cute flowers.

The owner of the umbrella probably wanted to keep his hands occupied, so he twirled the umbrella as he walked, his flaxen hair occasionally peeking out from between the gaps.

Judging from his hairstyle and height, that person should be Isshiki.

Ishiki wasn't walking fast, so I quickly caught up with her. She noticed the movement beside her, tilted her umbrella slightly, and confirmed my face.

"Ah, senior."

"Um."

I also gently raised my umbrella in acknowledgment.

"Should we go buy some snacks first today?"

"No need, I heard there's no meeting today."

"Ah, that's true."

As Tong Se said, today's time should be used to evaluate the opinions raised yesterday and consider feasibility and compromises, so there's no need to prepare snacks. Naturally, I also don't need to help carry the bags.

Thinking of this, Isshiki, peering at me under the umbrella, smiled maliciously:

"...Hehehe, what a pity, I won't get my score today."

"I'd rather not have the points that are so easy to get."

The pointless conversation was halfway through when another person appeared ahead, holding a large, plain plastic umbrella, hurrying towards them, with the skirts of the high school girls from the seaside complex fluttering under the umbrella.

"Hey, isn't that Isshiki and Hachiman?"

The other person raised their umbrella high and spoke to us. It turned out they were losing money.

Hello~

"Hey—oops, I chatted with my friend a little too long and almost missed my deadline."

Zheben remained the same as always, maintaining a close and approachable demeanor. She walked over to Isshiki and began chatting amicably. Isshiki showed no sign of displeasure, responding with a bright and endearing smile.

I kept my mouth shut and listened.

When the conversation came to an end, Isshiki let out an "ah" sound, as if he had suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, I remember you and your senior seemed to know each other before?"

"Yes, we went to the same junior high school."

She glanced over after hearing Zheben's reply.

"So, it turns out that my senior also has close friends."

This statement left me unsure how to respond, and I hesitated for a moment regarding the potential loss.

"Is it okay? Hmm... alright, I guess."

Ise realized she was being evasive and that something was amiss; her eyes immediately lit up.

"It seems like there's more to it than meets the eye! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

Zheben realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly looked over.

It was really not up to her. After all, I wasn't exactly close to Zheben, so she could only gloss over it.

However, Issei didn't give up so easily. He grinned mischievously and tugged at my sleeve, asking:

"Senior, what exactly happened?"

Hey, stop pulling! If I accidentally touch your hand, I might never forget the soft touch!

She planned to use relentless pursuit to sway me, but unfortunately, I'm least immune to this tactic. While trying to dodge her, I accidentally let slip:

"In short, a lot has happened..."

"Many things..."

Isshiki pondered the word "loss" and looked back at the word "loss" again. He was speechless for a moment, and finally just laughed it off.

"Hahaha! Yeah, that was in the past."

Zheben's answer surprised me a bit. I thought she would bring up the past confession as a joke again, but she just looked away and brushed it off with a few words.

I wouldn't say I don't care if people bring up the past, but if it really happens, I can only accept it. That's why I'm a little concerned about the shift from losses to gains.

Before Issei could ask anything else, Takumoto quickly looked at me and changed the subject.

"By the way, didn't Hayama-kun participate in this activity?"

When Isshiki heard Hayama's name, he trembled slightly, and his originally malicious smile instantly froze.

"...You know Hayama-senpai too?"

Her sudden drop in tone sent a chill down my spine. Even though Isshiki was squinting and chuckling, it was probably just to hide his menacing gaze, right...?

We've hung out together before.

"Oh, let's go out and play..."

Upon hearing the keyword, she glared at Zheben with hostility. This is bad; things are going to get very complicated.

"He has his own clubs to keep him busy, so I'm afraid he can't."

I interrupted their conversation, tilted my umbrella to one side, and looked at them, saying:

"I thought he and you were getting along quite well, and I thought he would show up in a while."

"What's wrong with him? And asking him to come now is just making things difficult for him."

"Really? But the situation is quite dangerous right now. Our student council only took office this fall and hasn't fully settled in yet. That's why we're thinking of asking him for help."

I see. At least some students at Seaside Comprehensive High School understand that the situation is dire. She outwardly agrees unconditionally with the student council's opinion, but perhaps she doesn't truly believe it.

"It is indeed dangerous, but we probably won't look for Hayama."

"Hmm...that's true, it would be quite awkward if we actually met."

Orimoto said this in a low voice, and I believe she meant it. On the day they went out, Hayama said those things to her at the end; if they met again, it would only be incredibly awkward. Besides, I myself didn't really want to see Hayama.

Orimoto mentioning Hayama might be a way of restraining him from meeting him, or it could be a way of confirming something. I can understand that.

Of course, Issei didn't understand the conversation. She kept glancing at me and Zheben, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Since she didn't remember Zheben, it probably didn't matter if she didn't mention it. Anyway, she probably wasn't interested in other girls.

After stopping talking about Ye Shan, the three of them fell silent and quietly went their separate ways.

As we approached the Civic Center, Zheben suddenly made a "hmm" sound, as if she wanted to say something. I glanced over and found that she was also staring in our direction.

"...I also thought that the two girls you're close to would come."

"Hmm... I'm afraid not."

I won't contact them, and I can't contact them.

"yes……"

Zheben said listlessly, kicking a puddle on the ground and looking up at the sky. I looked up too. A few streaks of sunset hung in the western sky; the rain was probably about to stop.

However, the sky is still dark.

× × ×

After entering the Civic Center, I suddenly looked up at the clock.

Today is still just wasting time.

I closed the borrowed laptop and gently pressed the corner of my eye with my finger.

The evaluation of yesterday's meeting proposals was even more appalling than I had imagined.

As time goes by, fewer and fewer activities are feasible.

Not enough time, not enough manpower, not enough budget—as long as you come up with three excuses, you can have a perfectly legitimate reason. With this reason, we can give up anything and compromise on anything.

If the plan could be postponed or even frozen altogether, then of course this wouldn't apply. But now, the die is cast, and there's no turning back.

The number of people involved in the preparations keeps increasing, but the most crucial elements remain elusive. To use an animation analogy, it's like finalizing the production committee list, but the most important element – ​​the animation itself – is still nowhere to be seen. Would you look forward to such an animation?

Moreover, as everyone fiddled with things, time slipped away second by second. To put it nicely, this was meticulous refinement, but in reality, it was just compressing the available working time. To use animation as an analogy, it's like spending all your time in planning meetings while the actual production process is disorganized and disjointed.

Maintaining balance and making decisions are both important, but unfortunately, we have neither right now.

I took a breath, lifted the screen, and continued working.

Estimate the required funds, determine the process, and consider the feasibility of the plan as well as the efficiency of fund utilization... Just to be on the safe side, I also looked up the contact information of the church and the jazz band.

As the process unfolded, I increasingly felt that this activity was unfeasible. What the hell? What kind of idiotic plan is this? It's simply impossible to achieve—I couldn't help but mutter a complaint under my breath. The Soubu High School student council seemed to agree; the vice president sighed and handed me some materials.

"No matter how I calculate it, the budget is definitely not enough. What should I do?"

"We could cut some event content or try to get sponsorships, but we can only wait until the next meeting to resolve that."

Frankly, waiting until the next meeting will be too late. However, to ensure the other party fully grasps the facts, we must gather sufficient supporting evidence. Even with evidence, the other party may not accept it.

I scratched my head and picked up the paper cup containing black coffee. The coffee was intensely bitter and didn't taste good at all.

As I searched the desktop for a while, looking for any sweets, Isshiki walked over here.

"Senior, the decorations seem almost finished. What's next?"

Right, we also have to deal with those elementary school students. I paused my work for a moment, crossed my arms, and thought.

The venue is almost set up. What else can we do separately from other tasks, that we definitely need, and that even elementary school students can manage...?

After a while, I had a flash of inspiration.

"Where's the Christmas tree?"

After listening, Isshiki replied with a slight hesitation:

"The Christmas tree has arrived... but won't assembling it now interfere with everyone's work?"

I've thought about this too. The Christmas tree we prepared this time is so tall and large, it's very eye-catching. If it suddenly appeared here, it would not only be quite jarring, but also unbearable. So, we should turn the tables and make use of its presence.

"Let's talk to the people at the association and see if we can put it at the main entrance. Next week is Christmas, so now is the perfect time to display it. We can move it inside the venue on the day of the event."

"That makes sense... I understand!"

Ishiki nodded and walked towards the elementary school students. After watching her leave, I turned back to the computer on the table.

Although I didn't find any snacks, my brief conversation with Isshiki just now gave me a slight respite. Thinking about it carefully, the way I'm trying to change my mood at work is still through work itself—this is practically incurable. The comfort of being a corporate slave, the hypocritical reactions—give me freedom before I die from overwork… (Note 34: Rewritten lyrics to the opening theme song "Guren no Yumiya" from the anime *Attack on Titan*.)

However, this is not the time for jokes. Although I came here to help out of obligation to Isshiki, I found myself unknowingly giving instructions to the others.

This clearly went beyond the scope of "providing assistance from the sidelines." Moreover, no one present questioned this phenomenon; everyone naturally began to confirm the work with me.

This scene seems familiar, but continuing down this path will be dangerous.

If this situation isn't reversed, the student council will inevitably fall apart sooner or later. I've witnessed similar cases firsthand, so I know this very well. Moreover, considering Iroha Isshiki's future position as student council president, this situation absolutely must be avoided.

We must make things clear as soon as possible and hand over the work to Isshiki.

I took the compiled materials to Yusheng. The previous meeting format was no longer feasible; without direct dialogue between representatives of both schools, the other side would only continue to evade the issue.

"Is it convenient for you to say something?"

"Um?"

Yu Sheng was also busy with his own work. His MacBook Air screen was filled with project outlines, detailing how to gather opinions from various parties and achieve synergistic effects.

He was clearly determined to take everyone's opinions into account.

Seeing this draft proposal, I almost swallowed back the words that were about to come out. But I still mustered my courage and handed the documents to Yu Sheng.