My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 353

"There's no point in continuing to inquire about Hayama's selection group. He's unlikely to reveal it easily."

She stopped and cast a cold glance through her glasses. That look was so different from her usual self; perhaps this coldness was her true nature. I experienced something similar during my graduation trip in the fall.

I shrugged and looked away.

"...Probably. But we've already assured Miura, so we can't just do nothing."

"oh……"

What followed was swallowed up by a prolonged silence.

There was no one else in the corridor. When we didn't speak, the surroundings suddenly became quiet, with only the cold wind constantly hitting the windows.

I stood there, scratching my head awkwardly, before remembering the question I'd originally intended to ask Ebina. I cleared my throat and began:

"Then let me ask you, is that also okay?"

"What?"

"No matter what the outcome, you can't stay like this—"

No, you won't.

Ebina answered immediately before I could finish speaking.

"Hayama will definitely dodge cleverly, and Yumiko knows that too. I think that reassigning students to different classes won't cause everyone's relationships to completely fall apart."

Her choice of words was somewhat ambiguous, but her tone sounded very firm.

"I understand. You trust them a lot."

"That's not what I meant... I was just thinking that Hayama would choose a method that wouldn't hurt anyone. It's less about trust and more about my own wish."

She stuck out her tongue and laughed.

If it were me in the past, I would never have questioned Ebina's words and would have believed in my heart that Hayama Hayato was that kind of person.

However, everything is different now. Although I cannot grasp a definite form, I always feel a complex sense of unnaturalness.

Therefore, I have this question:

"I'm asking you. Why do you think that?"

"...Given Hayama's personality, he will definitely meet everyone's expectations."

Ebina looked away and smiled again. However, her smile this time was not cute or endearing at all; her expression was quite cold, as if she was just mechanically raising the corners of her mouth slightly.

That expression suddenly appeared before my eyes, and I was momentarily at a loss for words, allowing silence to creep in. Ebina stepped back and gently raised his hand.

"Well then, I should probably head back now."

"Ah, oh..."

I managed to squeeze out a sound as I watched her receding figure.

I haven't yet come up with what seems like the right answer.

All I knew was that I felt an inexplicable sense of unease. On my way back to the office, I kept thinking about what this unease was all about.

Looking up unintentionally, the winter sky appeared gloomy, a mixture of red and blue.

That sky will eventually darken completely.

This is a perfectly natural principle, something you can understand without even thinking about it, and it won't disappoint anyone's expectations.

× × ×

After Ebina visited the service club office, no one else appeared until it was time to leave school. So, I started my journey home.

Entering the house, I said "I'm home" as usual, only to be met with complete silence. The two working professionals in the family couldn't possibly be home from get off work this early; Komachi was either at cram school or locked in her room studying.

I climbed the stairs and came to the pitch-black living room, groping for the light switch.

With a "snap," the living room was lit again.

In an instant, a figure appeared in the room that I had thought was empty. My heart almost stopped.

"That scared me to death..."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Komachi sitting at the table, propping her cheek up and staring blankly.

Komachi only snapped out of her daze when she heard my disheveled voice, turned her face towards me, and gave me a forced smile.

"...Ah, brother, welcome back."

"Oh, um, I'm back..."

I tossed my coat and backpack onto the sofa, picked up the remote, and turned on the air conditioner. Komachi had probably been standing there in a daze for a long time; the whole living room felt chilly.

"what's wrong?"

I sat down on the sofa and spoke to Komachi. "Oh dear~" She immediately laughed embarrassedly, then exaggeratedly lay down on the table.

"Komachi really can't take it anymore..."

She held her head in her hands and said in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry.

"Waaah... Komachi will definitely fail her high school entrance exam and become a loser in life... The neighbors will definitely laugh: 'I heard that the two kids from the Hachiman family are both shut-ins~ Hehehe'... Komachi is going to become a loser..."

"Wait a minute, I'm not a shut-in..."

"Ugh—" She wouldn't listen to my correction, ran her fingers through her hair, and then slumped onto the table with a "thud."

Ugh, it just had an attack at the end of last year, and now it's back again...

But thinking about it carefully, since there's premarital blues, maternity blues, and even "tail blue," Komachi's symptoms should probably be called "exam blues." Manjianghong and Shachuhei also have the potential to join this team. What kind of team is this? I don't want to join!

Back to the main topic. I roughly know how to deal with Komachi, who is experiencing pre-exam anxiety.

"Try to change your mood and think about happy things."

I went through my brother's rules and followed them step by step, but Komachi didn't react as expected. That's strange, it worked perfectly last time…

I was puzzled, so I leaned back on the sofa and turned to look at Komachi. She arched her back, pouted, and clenched her hands weakly on the table.

"...People can't be happy at all."

What Komachi is saying now doesn't sound like a joke at all. This sulky attitude reminds me of how she was when she was a child.

"What happened?"

"fine."

Although her answer was indifferent, her tone revealed a feeling of wanting to say something but holding back.

I decided not to say anything and waited quietly for her to speak. For about a full minute afterward, nothing made a sound except for the second hand of the wall clock in the living room and the cars outside.

Finally, Komachi couldn't hold back any longer and let out a sigh.

"...Lately, whether I'm resting, before bed, or eating, I'm always thinking about what I haven't done yet, what I haven't done yet..."

She spoke each word carefully, her eyes fixed on her fists, never glancing at me.

"...Then I kept worrying about what would happen if I didn't finish studying...and what if I failed the exam..."

Seeing that she clenched her fists even tighter, I tried to speak slowly to ease her tension.

"There's no need to overthink it. At least you've already been accepted into a private high school."

"They don't miss that place."

Komachi turned her face away, preventing me from seeing her expression. I could only hear her intermittent speech.

"Spending so much money to attend a school I don't want to attend feels stupid... and it also makes me feel bad for my dad."

We're a dual-income family, so we can generally afford the tuition. To be honest, my parents have probably already raised the funds to send her to a private high school. However, what Komachi is really worried about is probably not the money.

On the other hand, "I'm sorry, Dad"... This person usually refuses to get close to him no matter what, but at times like this, he still manages to call out "Dad" properly.

Even Komachi wouldn't truly hate her father from the bottom of her heart.

When people are busy and stressed about entrance exams, their deepest feelings are often revealed unintentionally.

"Besides, it must be really upsetting for others to know that I failed the exam..."

Her voice was trembling.

Komachi is always lively and cheerful, with a smile on her face; she's an exceptionally good younger sister. She's not only considerate of her brother at home, but she also constantly thinks of him. At school, Komachi must also project an optimistic and cheerful image.

However, after winter break started last year, she clearly wanted to distance herself from her friends. The reason for this was probably due to interpersonal friction and heavy pressure that I was unaware of.

The more cheerful a person is, the greater the contrast will be when they become depressed. These days, private high schools start releasing their results, and everyone will be buzzing about whether someone made the list. What might normally seem like casual remarks will now become sharp spears capable of piercing the heart.

That's why Komachi wanted to get away from people and reality.

She stopped talking. Instead, there was a sound like she was sniffling.

I got up from the sofa and sat facing Komachi.

"It's true that getting into high school is very important. If you don't do well, you'll fall far behind others, and you'll lose face when you meet your junior high classmates later."

"Um……"

From Komachi's hesitant voice, it seemed she wasn't quite accepting yet. After all, her school teachers would say these things, her tutors would say them, and she might even hear them from her parents at home. However, I still wanted to tell her:

"However, getting into university is more important than getting into high school, and finding a job in the future is even more important than getting into university. With each stage you go through, you might lose some friends. And the consequences of messing things up will only get worse."

"Uh-huh……"

Komachi remained skeptical. I, however, answered with absolute certainty:

"However, you don't need to worry."

At that moment, Komachi raised her head. Her eyes were glistening with tears, and her expression was somewhat surprised. Seeing that, I was reminded of her as a child, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Conversely, as long as the positives and negatives can balance out in the end, it's fine. This principle is the same as the baseball playoffs. Getting into a top high school and a top university is like having the advantage of being the season's champion. Although it can help you, it doesn't guarantee that you'll keep winning."

There was once a team that finished third in the regular season, but then somehow managed to overcome all obstacles in a short series of playoff games and ultimately win the All-Japan championship. I don't know how they did it. Maybe when they were trailing, one of the pinch hit a soft ground ball to third base, which inadvertently became an infield single, creating the comeback opportunity. Life and baseball are both unscripted dramas (Note 41, a famous quote from the late professional baseball player Osamu Mihara).

I really wanted to talk at length about that game, but unfortunately, Komachi had little interest in baseball. From the middle of the game onwards, she just stared blankly at the field without any reaction, as if she had put the words in one ear and out the other.

Hmm... According to my brother's radar, this isn't a topic she wants to hear.

If you don't want to hear my baseball analogy, what else can I say...? I scratched my head and decided to just say whatever came to mind first.

"Anyway... since it's just one more person, I'll find a way if it really comes to it."

"elder brother……"

"Raising one person is about the same as raising two people. I'll ask your parents for help."

"Komachi would prefer her brother to go out and work..."

Komachi wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and smiled.

"That was a last resort... It might sound strange coming from me, but your brother is actually quite capable and can handle anything... So, don't worry."

I reached out and gently patted her head, while also stroking her hair a few times.

"Actually, every time Komachi looks at her brother—"

Komachi held my hand, clasped it over her own, and looked at me with eyes still wet with tears. She paused mid-sentence, relaxed, and exhaled.

"I feel like I have so many worries, like a big idiot."

Then, she swatted my hand away.

"...That's wonderful."

Every time he's nice to his little sister, this is all he gets in return... Oh well, it's okay. This side of her is kind of cute, though not quite the kind of cuteness her brother expected...

"Phew—I don't want to think about it anymore, I need to get back to studying!"

Komachi completely reverted to her usual self, pulled out a chair, stood up, and quickly left the living room. She stopped abruptly before grasping the doorknob.

"Thank you."

She muttered those words under her breath and slammed the living room door shut. Soon, the clattering sound of slippers outside faded into the distance.

× × ×

The next day after school, Yukinoshita, Yuihama, and I appeared at the door of the conference room.

Yesterday, Ms. Hiratsuka asked us to help the student council prepare for the college entrance interviews. Although I told Yukinoshita and the others that I could manage on my own, they also thought that since there was nothing else to do, we should all help each other to get things done as soon as possible.

We have returned to this place after preparing for the school anniversary celebration and sports meet.

The meeting room door was unlocked, and the student council members were probably already working inside. I knocked gently, and a drawn-out "Come in—" came from inside. I opened the door and entered; Isshiki, who was busy by the window, turned his head to look at me.