My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 345

"See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

I waved gently, watching them walk towards the main entrance, then turned my gaze back to the soccer club. They were finally leaving the field to return to the club office—

Oh no. Will they need to change clothes and take a shower when they get back? I've never been in a sports club, so I don't know the actual situation.

There was no other way but to follow them. I leaned against the side wall of the new school building next to the student affairs office, sipping my MAX coffee little by little.

× × ×

After the sun had completely set, the chill became even more biting. However, I kept a close eye on the soccer club, wondering when they would finally come out.

Seriously, I'm freezing... Even if this is work, why do I have to wait for Hayama here? Can't we just ignore Hayama and directly interview his guardian spirit (Note 25 refers to Ryuho Okawa's "Guardian Spirit Interviews" series. The books contain the author summoning the guardian spirits of famous figures for solo interviews) and call it a day?

I was exhausted, my body was frozen solid, and my legs were completely stiff... Since there wasn't a single person in sight besides myself, I couldn't help but wonder if some kind of magical barrier had formed around me...

Fortunately, perseverance paid off, and the members of the football club finally came out.

However, Hayama was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go...?

I straightened up and looked around. At the same time, someone from the soccer club called my name. Even though we were some distance apart, I could immediately recognize Hubu from his brown hair and flippant attitude.

"Huh—isn't this a penguin contest? What are you doing here?"

The Minister of Revenue waved to me readily, and I raised my hand slightly in response.

"Where's Hayama?"

"Hayato... Ah, he just happened to have something to do—"

He said that, but his eyes were wandering. I peeked in the direction of his gaze, but I still couldn't see Ye Shan.

"He's not here."

"Ah, he's not exactly not here. He hasn't left yet; he was just here a moment ago..."

He was being ambiguous; I had no idea whether he was there or not.

"There's nothing I can do if you're not here... I'll be going now."

I waited so long in the cold wind, only to find nothing. This outcome left me dissatisfied. Since staying any longer wouldn't bring any benefit, I might as well leave. Knowing when to stop is basic common sense in gambling, and it applies equally to the gamble of life. What's going on? Why do I never seem to avoid hitting my stop-loss point in my life?

I bid farewell to the Ministry of Revenue and then turned to where the bicycles were parked.

"……ah!"

I heard his voice behind me, but I ignored it and continued on my way.

Not long after, I suddenly spotted Hayama in the shadows of the school building. What? He was right there... It turned out he wasn't heading towards the main gate, but had chosen the side gate instead.

Just as I was thinking about how to start the conversation, I suddenly stopped.

Another figure appeared where the orange streetlights cast their soft glow.

Without thinking twice, I immediately pressed myself tightly against the school building wall, hiding my body. The coldness of the wall gradually seeped into my body.

In the dim light, I couldn't make out who was with Hayama; I could only tell from their build that they were women. Then, I heard snippets of conversation carried on the wind, like, "Sorry for suddenly asking you out." Judging from their tone, they seemed to be girls in the same grade.

The girl was wearing a heavy navy blue coat, her hands tightly clutching a red scarf at her chest, and she looked up at Hayama. Even from a distance, I could clearly see her slender shoulders trembling, showing how nervous she was.

—Oh, I see. I understand.

No wonder the Ministry of Revenue was so evasive earlier.

The girl took a deep breath, made up her mind, and grasped the collar of her coat, saying:

"I heard from a friend... that Hayama-san has a boyfriend. Is that true?"

"No. I don't have a girlfriend."

"Then, please follow me..."

"Sorry, I don't have time to think about that right now."

Although their voices were very faint, I could still barely hear them.

After Ye Shan answered, neither of them spoke again.

They probably didn't know what else to say.

However, even if I can't say it out loud, I can still understand.

There, in the darkness, emanated a unique tension, and a despair so starkly different from the usual cheerfulness. This atmosphere was quite fitting for the cold winter, and I recalled a similar feeling I had experienced not long ago.

This scene is strikingly similar to the Christmas season, with Iroha Isshiki and Hayato Hayama at Tesco Disneyland.

I overheard them exchange a few more words, then the girl weakly waved and turned to leave.

Ye Shan watched the other person walk away, his shoulders slumped slightly, and he let out a long, deep sigh before raising his head. At that moment, it seemed he noticed my presence.

He smiled at me, his face showing neither shyness, embarrassment, nor joy, but only a look of utter despair.

"You saw it."

"Uh—actually, it's not that...sorry."

The other person spoke first, putting me at a disadvantage and leaving me momentarily speechless. Even if Ye Shan hadn't said anything when he saw me, I probably still wouldn't have known how to start the conversation. If I were the one being rejected, I could at least say a few words of comfort; but I was facing the person who was rejecting me, and I really didn't know how to react.

Ye Shan saw through my hesitation and chuckled softly.

"Don't take it to heart. Even the staff members are being very sensible today."

Judging from this statement, he has probably been confessed to by several people in the past few days.

"You've really worked hard."

Honestly, this is the only thing I can say right now. I have absolutely no interest in who Hayama dates. When I meet someone who's perfect in every way, I don't feel jealous at all. Making lighthearted jokes about him like this might be a sign of my good intentions. It's just a pity we're not that close.

For a fleeting moment, Ye Shan's expression contorted, as if he couldn't breathe or was enduring pain.

However, he quickly shook his head, flashed his usual smile, and pointed with his chin towards where the bicycles were parked. So, we walked there together.

"Compared to me, Yukinoshita-san must have it much harder."

"Huh? Why is she having an even harder time?"

Hayama immediately mentioned Yukinoshita, and I reflexively asked him a question in return. He continued looking ahead and replied:

"There are people in the world who enjoy digging into other people's privacy. Even if it's just out of curiosity, it doesn't change the fact that it causes trouble for others."

His tone was sharper than usual. I couldn't believe that he was the same person as Hayama Hayato, who always had a gentle smile.

However, I know very well that he was referring to this rumor.

The girl who confessed to Hayama earlier was probably influenced by the rumors and manipulated and encouraged by her friends. Perhaps something similar happened just a few days ago.

Halfway there, Ye Shan glanced back. Under the streetlights, his eyebrows drooped slightly, as if he felt apologetic.

"I may have caused trouble for Yukinoshita as well. Could you please apologize to her on my behalf?"

"If you want to apologize, go apologize yourself."

"I would love to if I could, but now is not the time... If I just get close to her, the rumors might get exaggerated. In that kind of situation, I can only handle it by staying out of the noise."

Hayama spoke as if he had had a similar experience. My feeling is that he was just reciting truths he had learned from past experiences.

Moreover, she probably realized the same truth outside of Hayama.

The thought flashed through my mind, and I paused for a moment. I quickly moved my legs and took another step forward.

"You seem very used to... this kind of thing happening all the time?"

"...Oh right, didn't you want to talk to me about something?"

When I asked him a question, he shrugged and quickly changed the subject. It was clear he didn't want to talk about it.

I have already identified a bottom line that absolutely cannot be crossed. Since that's the case, I will respect his bottom line and instead explain my purpose.

"Actually, it's nothing important. I just wanted to ask about your... choice of group."

So that's what it was about—Yayama murmured, giving a wry smile.

"Did someone ask you to ask this?"

"Well... anyway, just for reference."

Of course, I couldn't openly say that this was Miura's request. Hayama, who was walking ahead, saw me stammering and sighed softly.

"...It's all about work again, isn't it?"

Ye Shan's tone turned cold, as if he looked down on me. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but I saw him clench his fist tightly.

"You're still the same as always."

In the oncoming wind, I could clearly hear him spitting disdainfully. The tin roof of the bicycle parking area vibrated in the wind, and the unclaimed, rusty bicycles swayed from side to side.

His voice displeased me, and my tone hardened.

"Didn't I already say that we are a community that specializes in service activities?"

"Really? Then can I ask you for a favor too?"

Ye Shan stopped and turned to look at me.

"—Could you please stop bothering me with this question?"

There was no smile on his face, his voice was flat and monotone, and his clenched fist loosened weakly. Nevertheless, his words, unaffected by the wind, echoed quietly behind the school buildings in the night.

I was momentarily speechless, unable to think of anything to say. A brief silence fell between us.

next moment--

Ye Shan immediately smiled again and asked me in a joking tone:

"...What would you do if I made the opposite request?"

"What do you mean, 'what to do'... we'll think about it later."

"……Yeah."

We didn't speak again after that, and just walked to the bicycle parking area. Ye Shan stopped and pointed to the side entrance of the school.

"I want to take the tram."

"Um."

He used these words to say goodbye, then looked up at the sky and stood still.

I looked up, wondering what he saw.

However, apart from the dimly lit school buildings and the streetlights reflected in the glass windows, I could see nothing else. There were no stars or moon tonight; artificial lighting was the only source of light.

Ye Shan, as if struck by a sudden thought, spoke abruptly:

"Your question is for you to figure out yourself. I don't know who commissioned this, but... if you don't think things through carefully, you'll definitely regret it later."

After saying that, he walked away into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows. Following this road would lead to the school's side gate, but at that moment, I couldn't tell where he was going.

Hayama's last words were probably meant for someone who wasn't present.

But for some reason, I felt that he wasn't talking to that person.

× × ×

Recently at school, I tried to pay some attention to Hayato Hayama's movements and things related to him, and I quickly noticed a phenomenon.

In short, Isshiki Iroha's worries have indeed come true.

Just as she mentioned a few days ago at the Service Society office, the rumors about Hayama dating Yukinoshita have begun to change the environment around Hayama.

Whether walking in the hallway or staying in the classroom, their rumors spread quietly.

In any case, the two people involved were well-known on campus, so students of all genders were highly interested in the rumors.

During the break, I was spacing out in the classroom, and I could tell that everyone was paying attention to Ye Shan, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

A girl sitting diagonally behind me, whose name I don't know, was also talking about this topic.

"I wonder how true that rumor is."

"Yeah, I really want to know if they're really dating~ What do you guys think?"

"But I heard from people in Class E that it seems like there aren't any."

"They didn't tell you the truth because they didn't want to hurt you more, right? How can you be so gentle?"

"Where is the gentleness in that! It's ridiculous."