My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 355

"Recommendation selection is short for recommendation selection. Universities open up quotas to certain designated high schools, and these high schools then select qualified students and recommend them to participate in the selection process. The advantage of this system is that the acceptance rate is higher than that of individual applications."

For some reason, Yukinoshita answered her question first. Senior student, Xun, listened intently, nodding repeatedly.

"As expected of Yukinoshita-kun, you really know this! With our school's level, we often have good universities offering recommendation slots. So, if you have excellent grades, you can get into university through this channel."

After she finished speaking, she puffed out her chest and chuckled a few times. Ahh...so cute...I'm so touched...

Please don't misunderstand; this former student council president is not just a gentle, kind person. When it comes to work, she is equally dedicated. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been qualified for the school's recommendation. The diligent and attentive senior student glanced at the clock; only a few minutes remained before the interview began.

She walked over to Isshiki and Haruno, who were still playing around, and reminded them.

"President, what are we going to do next?"

"Ah, then—please sit in the last cubicle, Shiro-senpai, and Haruno-senpai, sit next to her..."

Isshiki was pulled back to reality and began assigning seats. Yukinoshita glanced at the clock and spoke to Haruno:

"elder sister."

"What's up?"

"I have a question for you, Hachiman. Could you spare a little of your time as well?"

Yukinoshita gathered us in a corner of the meeting room. Hearing that she had something to ask, and knowing we were also there, I roughly guessed her intention. She planned to directly ask Haruno about Hayama's chosen group. This made sense; whether on or off campus, the person who had spent the most time with Hayama was undoubtedly Haruno.

After arriving at an inconspicuous corner, Yukinoshita got straight to the point and asked the question directly.

"What do you know about Hayama-san's team selection?"

Yang Nai seemed surprised by the question, blinking several times. Then, a cold laugh suddenly appeared on her face.

"Which group did Hayato choose? Oh, so that's what you wanted to ask~"

Judging from her disappointed tone, she might know something. Yukinoshita also sensed this and asked again.

"Do you know?"

"Hmm... I was too lazy to find out which group he chose, so I didn't ask. Anyway, the answer was so obvious."

Yang's response was tantamount to a refusal to answer. She looked exasperated, let out a long sigh, and then looked at Yukino, a malicious smile spreading across her face. Her dark eyes were filled with a murky light.

"...Besides, you don't need to ask me, you already know the answer."

"If I knew, would I still have come to ask you?"

Yukinoshita looked at Haruno with the same icy gaze, retorting forcefully in a defiant manner. Haruno frowned slightly, but quickly regained her composure.

Then, adopting a calm and composed tone, she told Yukinoshita—

"Think about it carefully yourself."

"..."

Hearing her seemingly comforting tone, Yukinoshita was momentarily speechless. Yuihama stared wide-eyed at Haruno, and I myself was somewhat surprised. Although Haruno's words were not kind, I didn't sense any hostility or malice. To call this love seemed too distant.

Yang Nai stuck out his tongue, a mischievous smile reappearing on his lips, and said jokingly:

"I thought you were finally going to be independent, but you're still relying on others like before. It would have been quite cute when you were little—by the way, which group did you choose this time?"

Yukinoshita finally came to her senses, brushed aside her long hair that was draped over her shoulders, and looked at Hinano with an arrogant expression.

"I don't think there's any need to tell you."

"My mother at home has been asking about it too. If it weren't for this opportunity today, I would hardly ever see you. And you never tell us when something important happens. It's really hard for my sister to put up with this."

Yang Nai touched her cheek and smiled wryly. As she said this, she dropped her half-joking, gentle demeanor and glanced at me.

"...Right, Hachiman?"

"Uh, I..."

I was caught off guard when my name was called, and I couldn't utter a word for a moment. Haruno's eyes, seemingly seeing through everything, were fixed on me, not missing a single detail. At that moment, Yukinoshita, in the corner of my vision, bit her lip and lowered her head.

"...This has nothing to do with my sister."

"How cold... Ah, how about this? Hachiman, how about you talk to your older sister about your future? I'm happy to answer any questions you may have~"

Yang reached out and poked my cheek with her finger, staring intently at my expression. Perhaps because the room was warm, after she took off her scarf, the neckline of her cardigan was undone, her breasts faintly visible beneath, along with the sweet scent of perfume… It was too close, too close, really too close!

"No, no need, I've already made up my mind..."

I took a step back, leaning back as far as I could to keep my distance from Haruno. Haruno then puffed out her cheeks in displeasure and sighed in disappointment. Then, she turned her face towards Yuihama.

"What? Otherwise, only Hihama-chan is left."

"Am I the leftovers?!"

Yuihama, completely ignored, let out a wail. Haruno giggled.

Just as everyone was chatting away, Isshiki and Jun walked over, presumably to invite Haruno to take her place. The college entrance interviews were about to begin.

Some students arrived just before the start time, instantly making the meeting room much livelier.

Hayama and others were also present. He was probably just accompanying the Minister of Revenue or Miura for the meeting.

Needless to say, Hayama couldn't possibly have missed this spot. Even though we were in a corner, Haruno, being an outsider, was still very conspicuous.

He spoke near the door, some distance from us:

"Sister Yang Nai..."

"Ah, Hayato."

Yang Nai raised her hand to signal, and the commotion in the conference room seemed to grow louder. Yang Nai was somewhat puzzled by the reaction.

"I always felt there was something strange about the gaze."

"Of course. You're so attention-grabbing."

I'm not trying to emphasize this. Even from a purely objective perspective, Haruno is a stunning beauty who would turn heads wherever she goes. And that's even more true on campus.

Yang Nai still looked puzzled after hearing what I said.

"It feels a little different from that feeling..."

"Ah—could it be because of rumors?"

Isshiki considered this possibility and said in a low voice. Senior Xun reacted immediately.

"You mean that? I'm really interested! Don't you think it's romantic?"

"Rumors? Iroha, what rumors?"

Yang Nai, of course, couldn't possibly have missed it. She looked at Isshiki with a smile.

“Ah, this…”

Isshiki hesitated, wondering whether he should speak up. His gaze darted between the unhappy snow and Hayama, who was chatting and laughing with his friends in the distance, and he remained silent for a long time.

However, Yang didn't give up. She gently placed her hand on Ichiro's shoulder.

Tell me.

Those four simple words carried immense weight on the listener. Haruno maintained her smile, patiently awaiting Isshiki's next move. After a few seconds, Isshiki had no choice but to surrender, first observing the surroundings before whispering in Haruno's ear.

Yang listened to her, nodding happily from time to time. Sigh... once this person finds out, nothing good will happen.

However, her subsequent attitude was completely different from my own when I was homesick.

"Honestly, I thought there was some big news... Didn't we run into this a long time ago?"

Yang said coldly, and after thanking Isshiki, he turned and left disappointed.

"Xun, let's go."

"yes--"

She led the visiting student to the assigned cubicle. As she left, she turned back and waved to us.

"See you later!"

Haruno's expression and demeanor were cheerful. In contrast, Isshiki, standing next to me, had a smile that looked more like a facial twitch. She stiffly twisted her neck, turned to me, and secretly sighed.

"Wow, that's terrifying... That person and Yukinoshita-senpai really are sisters. There's no doubt about it!"

"When did you start to have the misconception that they weren't sisters?"

"Why use this common point...?"

Yukinoshita pressed her temples, letting out a soft sigh as if she had a headache. Yuihama gently patted her shoulder, comforting her:

"No, Yukino isn't scary at all!"

"Hearing you say that makes me feel looked down upon again..."

"Huh? N-no, I didn't! What I meant was, Yukino... is very cute!"

Yuihama clenched her fist and declared loudly. Yukinoshita was surprised by her words and turned her face away embarrassedly. Hmm, those two are really good friends…

In any case, the college entrance interviews have begun. Our task only involves the pre-interview preparation, so the rest can be left to the student council.

"Well then, Isshiki, we'll be going now."

"Okay. Thank you, seniors!"

Isshiki thanked me respectfully, and after I nodded in response, I spoke to Yukinoshita and Yui:

"Let's go back to the community office."

"Um."

"understood."

The Hayama Group was positioned near the conference room entrance, and we passed them as we were leaving. I glanced at Hayama; he was talking to Miura and others.

"Wow—who should I consult?"

"You'll have to wait several more times before it's your turn. Think about it."

Hayama responded to the Ministry of Revenue with a wry smile, his eyes secretly glancing ahead. There stood Yang Nai.

"Hayato...are you close to that person?"

Miura looked at Haruno as well and asked softly. Hayama looked at her with some surprise, then smiled.

"...We only knew each other when we were kids."

Upon hearing this, we left the meeting room.

× × ×

On the desk in the student union office sat a small monthly calendar, with most of each page filled with cat pictures. Looking at it, I increasingly felt: ah, it's like a cat photo album.

"...The black tea is ready."

"Hmm? Oh, thanks."

Halfway through my contemplation of the calendar, Yukinoshita served me some black tea. I picked up the cup and took a small sip. Yuihama, also studying the calendar, spoke up:

"There's not much time left until the deadline for payment."

"Yes, but there's still no progress..."

We've inquired with many people, but so far, we haven't received any information related to the Hayama Sengumi. Perhaps my approach to inquiring was flawed, but being too obvious and getting caught by Hayama wouldn't be good either. After all, I already asked him once, and he refused to answer. When trying to find out information Hayama doesn't want to reveal, one must never be blatant. While I personally don't care what he thinks of me, the real issue lies with Miura. I don't want my actions to cause trouble for my client.

As I calculated the remaining time, I tried to organize my thoughts. Just then, someone placed a teacup on the saucer with a "click."

I looked toward the source of the sound, and beneath the snow, a serious expression appeared, unlike anything I'd seen before.

"Hachigaya-kun... I mentioned Hayama-kun's parents to you before, right?"

"Well, one's a lawyer, and the other's a doctor, right?"

"...Huh? Really?"

Yuihama was taken aback; it seemed she had never heard of it before.

"you do not know?"

When she heard me ask that, she pouted unhappily and said:

"We almost never talk about this kind of thing... I don't know anything about what your parents are doing."

"My family is an ordinary working-class family, and we have two kids."

"Ah, just like my family! But my mom is a housewife."

Oh, I can imagine. Judging from her lack of cooking skills and her tendency to display a housewife-like personality in strange places, one can certainly make some inferences.