My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 352

At that moment, Ms. Hiratsuka patted me on the shoulder.

"You don't need to decide everything about your future right now. If you want, you can choose to change your major, transfer schools, or just go to any university and then prepare for the exams the following year. If you really want to talk about it, you can also consider changing jobs after you start working. The choices you make now are just one of countless choices in life."

"I see."

Whether it's pursuing further education or entering the workforce, you'll undoubtedly encounter countless opportunities to make decisions along the way. In that sense, marriage is also an opportunity to choose! Although I don't know if I'll ever have that opportunity! Of course, the same goes for teachers!

However, at best, these options offer us a chance to choose again, but do not guarantee that we can undo the mistakes already made. If we make the same mistake again, we may suffer even greater failures, exacerbating the original wounds.

"...Won't it be a lot of trouble later if I choose the wrong option from the start?"

"Yes. So what we teachers can do is add more options for you... and also, remove some options."

"Can I delete the option...?"

When I asked that question, Hiratsuka-sensei looked slightly embarrassed.

"Needless to say, the final decision rests with the student; we can only offer advice at most. At this stage... you'd better give up your dream of becoming a stay-at-home dad as soon as possible."

Ahh... my top priority option has been removed...

The long corridor came to an end, and the stairs finally appeared before us. I continued climbing the stairs, while Ms. Hiratsuka planned to turn the corner. It seemed that after finishing her request to Isshiki, she considered her purpose fulfilled and had no intention of showing up at the club office again.

The teacher raised her hand slightly, then continued on her way. I nodded gently and said goodbye to her.

She hadn't walked far when she quickly stopped, turned around, and said to me:

"...If you have the ability, why not get a teaching license during your university years? You might be surprisingly suited to be a teacher."

"Absolutely not. If I were a teacher, wouldn't I have to deal with students like me?"

I shrugged and answered, and the teacher gave a wry smile.

"Indeed, I feel the same way."

She's so caring towards me, yet she says things like that...

I nodded goodbye to Ms. Hiratsuka once again and watched her leave.

× × ×

I opened the office door and saw Yukinoshita standing right in front of me.

Yukinoshita had a blanket spread on her lap, holding a paperback book covered with a cat-patterned cover, her eyes fixed on the front door.

Yuihama hadn't arrived at the clubroom yet, so before that, only Yukinoshita was there. She smiled faintly and greeted me.

"Hello there."

"Hi."

After I responded, Yukinoshita closed her book and, as usual, got up to prepare some black tea.

While waiting for the water to boil, he took out everyone's cups and said to me at the same time:

"You're a little late today."

"I ran into Ms. Hiratsuka on the way; she had something to ask of me again..."

Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita, who was putting tea leaves into the teapot, tilted her head in confusion.

"What can I do for you?"

"We need to hold some college entrance interviews tomorrow, but the student council doesn't have enough staff."

"Student council... Well then, I'll make time for it."

"Okay... Ah, actually, I can go by myself."

Yukinoshita spoke so casually, and I readily agreed without a second thought. However, if the student council only asked me to help, it would probably be manual labor like moving chairs. In that case, there was no need to bother anyone else.

Despite my words, Yukinoshita answered without hesitation:

"I don't mind... Anyway, there's nothing else to do."

"Yes, indeed..."

Actually, it's not just me; Yukinoshita hasn't come up with any plans either. It sounds disheartening, but I promised Miura I'd find a way, and we haven't made any progress. Perhaps saying "we've tried" would be more comforting.

Then we stopped talking and just silently watched the kettle, waiting for the water to boil. Suddenly, someone forcefully pulled open the door.

"Hi-lo—"

"Hello hello~"

I remember these two special ways of greeting.

Yuihama was the first to enter the clubroom. Immediately after her, Ebina followed.

"Hello, Ebina-kun."

"This is the first time we've met since the New Year!"

"Come, please sit down."

"Thanks."

After inviting Ebina to sit down, Yukino went to prepare a fourth serving of black tea. I looked at Yuihama, my gaze demanding an explanation for Ebina's visit to the Service Club. Yuihama nodded and replied:

"Didn't we discuss earlier about asking around from people who might know about Hayato's team selection?"

"Um."

"So I was thinking, should we also discuss this with Hina, or even ask her to help us come up with a solution? Right?"

"I hope I can really help."

After hearing what Hihama said, Ebina nodded hesitantly.

Hmm, this candidate is not bad. Ebina is close to both Hayama and Miura. If Yuihama acts as a go-between, it's possible that someone I or Yukinoshita wouldn't have been able to find out anything from.

Moreover, although Ebina is disguised as a fujoshi (a female fan of BL), beneath that facade lies a hidden and elusive side. Even if we can't arrive at the correct answer, we might still find some clues.

However, Ebina herself had a somber expression. After accepting the black tea from Yukinoshita, her glasses were fogged up by the steam.

"As for the group Hayama chose... I didn't specifically ask. Besides, he excels in both humanities and sciences, so I can't just make a conclusion."

"Ah—I knew it. I thought so too..."

Yuihama slumped her shoulders in disappointment, forced to agree with Ebina's assessment. Unless one is like me, a picky eater with only a few subjects to excel in, it is indeed difficult to judge team selection based on academic performance.

Deliberately avoiding subjects you're not good at is certainly passive, but it worked well for me. However, that doesn't mean it will work for everyone else.

I rested my cheek on my hand and sighed softly.

Ebina continued to think, then, as if struck by a thought, said:

"Oh, but he did mention the industry he wants to work in in the future."

"Huh, really? Did he mention that kind of thing?"

She nodded to Yuihama.

"That was a long time ago. During my internship, he seemed to have said he wanted to work in mass communication, or maybe work for a foreign company."

"Ah, I think I remember that."

Upon hearing this, Yuihama recalled the situation and tapped her hand. "Come to think of it," she said, "I think I've heard Hayama mention it before. However, the scope of 'mass communication' and 'foreign companies' is still too vague. Even liberal arts graduates aren't necessarily more likely to enter the mass communication industry; and as for 'foreign companies,' the term is too general, making it impossible to know what kind of industry it might be, and even if you wanted to deduce it from there, you couldn't."

"However, that could simply be his interest. As a basis for judging which group to choose, its effectiveness is probably somewhat weak."

Yukinoshita stroked her chin and said, "What she said makes a lot of sense. When I went for my internship, I also chose the IT industry, which has absolutely nothing to do with me."

Ebina also understands this.

"Yes, that's what I think too. Besides..."

She paused there, shifting her gaze from us to a quiet corner of the office.

"not to mention?"

Urged on by Bibin, she shook her head and continued.

"Besides, everyone ended up choosing the same internship location, so it might not be a reliable reference point!"

"Ah...right."

As Ebina spoke, his tone became unusually excited. Although Yuigahama repeatedly expressed her agreement, I couldn't accept it. What was Ebina really trying to say at that moment?

Yuki crossed her other leg and asked her:

Did he say anything else?

"Anything else, I don't remember..."

Ebina tilted her head, thought for a moment, and then turned her gaze to me.

"You probably know more about other trivial matters than a penguin, right?"

"Huh? Me?"

Her words were so unexpected that I couldn't help but point to myself and question them.

"That's possible. He watches it often—"

Before Bin could finish speaking, Ebina excitedly interrupted him.

"Just think about it! Isn't this the kind of eye contact unique to homosexuals (Note 39: 'unique to homosexuals' is a Japanese internet slang term originating from the gay AV series 'A Midsummer Night's Dream')? Wild Yoru-Hachi pairing!"

"That would be best..."

What's with this weird eye contact and conversation typical of gay people?! Does this woman think she's some kind of New♂Type? Stop trying to be a fujoshi, just give up! (Note 40 is a line from the anime *Gundam G Reconquista*.)

"Enough with the jokes already..."

"Ah, hahaha..."

"well……"

Yuihama gave a wry smile, while Yukinoshita pressed her temples, her head throbbing, and sighed.

Ebina was still the same as always, emitting a chilling "Hehehe~" laugh, then suddenly pushing up her glasses. The reflected light made the lenses completely white, and I couldn't see where her eyes were looking.

"...However, this is not entirely a joke."

She said it so softly that I almost didn't hear it. Before I could even ask what she meant, she moved her chair and leaned forward.

"Come on, come on~ Let's talk about the possibilities of pairing Ye and Ba together~ It'll be so much fun!"

"No. I'd rather die than..."

"What a pity... Alright, I should probably take my leave now. Yui, Yukinoshita-kun, see you next time!"

Ebina got up from his seat and walked towards the entrance of the community office.

"Ah, um. Thank you!"

"If you hear any news, please let us know."

"I will. Bye-bye~"

She waved to Yuihama and Yukinoshita and walked out of the office.

I stared at the doorway for a while, then sighed and said:

"It seems there won't be any progress in the short term."

"yes."

Yukinoshita reached for the cold black tea, while Yui Hamaya held a mug in one hand and fiddled with her phone in the other.

"...I need to use the restroom."

I left those words behind and departed from the office.

Ebina left just a few seconds ago, so she shouldn't have gone too far. I want to ask her a few more questions—no, more accurately, to find out the true meaning behind her words.

Most importantly, before leaving the club office, Ebina forgot to say goodbye to me. This might mean she had something she wanted to say to me privately. Another possibility is that she simply forgot I existed. If, unfortunately, it's the latter… well, let's not talk about it. That would be a complete betrayal of my feelings… If it were *Another*, when an "invisible presence" appears, someone would have already died.

As I pondered this thought, I turned the corner and, sure enough, saw Ebina walking slowly ahead of me.

She heard my hurried footsteps and turned her head.

"I think that makes no sense."

Ebina's very first words left me completely bewildered. And judging from her tone, it was as if she had already anticipated that I would catch up.

"what?"