My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 36

"That's right, that's exactly what I mean."

"Then, we need to find out who did it first."

"Um, could you please... wait a minute, why did it turn out like this?"

Hayama was taken aback when he realized his earlier thoughts had been completely ignored. However, he quickly put on a smile and calmly asked Yukinoshita about her plans.

So, with an expression as cold as Hayama's, Yukinoshita carefully considered her words before slowly speaking:

"Chain letters trample on human dignity and are the worst kind of behavior. The writers leave no name or show their faces; they simply do everything in their power to slander and defame people. As for those who spread the malice, they may not necessarily act out of malice, but they are equally despicable. They may act out of curiosity or momentary goodwill, but they allow the malice to continue to grow... To stop this behavior, we must nip it in the bud. The above information is from my own sources."

"So this is based on your own experience..."

Please don't reveal your minefield, okay? Despite her calm tone, I could see black flames burning behind her. Boom boom boom… Should we add sound effects for her?

"Seriously, do you enjoy spreading insulting messages about others? I don't think that would do any good for Sagawa and Shimoda."

"So you did find the culprit..."

Yuihama's smile was somewhat stiff. That's why you absolutely can't go against such a shrewd person; it's terrifying.

"It feels like the junior high school you went to was at the forefront of trends. I never encountered anything like this back then."

"...I think it's just because no one wants to exchange phone numbers or email addresses with you, right?"

"What? Hey, are you an idiot? I was just fulfilling my duty of confidentiality! Haven't you heard of the Personal Data Protection Act?"

"What a novel legal perspective..."

Beneath the snow, a look of helplessness appeared as she brushed aside the hair that had fallen over her shoulders.

However, the reason I wasn't caught up in this mess of letters is precisely because no one even bothered to check my phone email. That's the difference between me and Yukinoshita; she's disliked by everyone, while as for me? People don't even bother to dislike me. If I were in that situation, I definitely wouldn't be able to find the culprit, and would just go home, sigh deeply, and cry until my pillow is completely soaked.

"Anyway, people who do such despicable things should be eliminated. My principle is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and blood for blood."

Yuihama immediately reacted to that very familiar phrase.

"Ah, I read about this in world history today! It's the Magna Carta, right?"

"It is the Code of Hammurabi."

After Yukinoshita promptly corrected him, she continued speaking to Hayama:

"I'll find the person who sent those letters and talk to them to make sure they don't do it again. As for what to do afterward, that's up to you. Is that alright?"

"...Okay, fine."

Therefore, Hayama abandoned his original idea.

Actually, my thoughts are the same as Yukino's. The deliberate and constant changes in the sending location indicate that the sender doesn't want to be discovered, and may even be afraid of their identity being exposed. Since that's the case, once that person is identified, they will naturally stop. Therefore, the fastest way is to directly find that person.

Yukinoshita stared intently at Yuihama's phone on the table, resting her chin on her hand as she began to think.

When did these letters begin to appear?

"Last weekend. Right, Yui?"

After Hayama answered, Yui nodded in agreement.

"Hey Hayama, you've been calling Yui by her first name since earlier, haven't you? How should I put it? People of high status on campus seem to naturally address girls by their first names. If it were me, I'd definitely stammer and bite my tongue. Seeing how easily Hayama manages to do something so embarrassing, I can't help but feel a little respect for him… but on the other hand, I'm also a little annoyed. What? Are you American?"

"It started suddenly last weekend. Yuihama-san, Hayama-san, did anything happen in your class last weekend?"

"I don't recall anything particularly special happening."

"Hmm... the same as usual."

The two of them exchanged a glance.

"I think I should at least ask. Hachiman, what about you?"

"What does 'how much' mean...?"

I'm in the same class as them, after all. Besides, I'm in a different position than them, and my perspective is different, so there might be things that only I have noticed.

Last weekend... so it happened recently. Recent events, recent events... I thought about it for a while, but still couldn't remember anything.

To be honest, yesterday's headline was about the first time I referred to Totsuka by his name.

"It is truly lovely to summon the courage to call upon Caijia, so yesterday was designated as the day of Caijia."

So why did I talk to Totsuka...? After thinking about it carefully, I remembered.

"Oh right, yesterday the class was discussing the group assignments for workplace internships."

That's right, the conclusion that Totsuka is super cute stems from that.

When Yui heard me say that, she seemed to have thought of something as well.

"Wow...right! It's because of the group assignments!"

"Huh? You knew that just like that?"

Hayama and I asked in unison. The next instant, Hayama smiled and said, "What great chemistry!" Since it was such a nonsensical question, I could only reply with "Oh, yeah..." However, the fact that I said the same thing as Hayama was enough to prove that I was also a real-life handsome guy. QED proof complete... Is there really such a good thing?

Hayama looked at Yuihama, who laughed and replied:

"Ugh, every time there's an activity that requires dividing into groups, it affects everyone's relationships afterwards. Some people are just so immature..."

As she spoke, a gloomy expression settled over her, causing Hayama and Yukinoshita to look at her in surprise.

This kind of thing would never happen to Hayama, and Yukinoshita had no interest in it, so naturally they couldn't understand it.

However, I can understand. Yuihama is used to reading people's expressions and has experienced all sorts of strange interpersonal problems, so what she says is highly credible.

Yukinoshita coughed lightly, bringing the topic back on track.

"Hayama-kun, you said those letters were all addressed to your friends, right? Who are your group members?"

"Hmm... so I haven't decided yet. But I'll probably choose from those three."

"The culprit is probably already quite obvious..."

A hint of melancholy crept onto Yuihama's face.

Could you please explain?

"Hmm. Anyway, for this internship group assignment, someone has to leave this group of friends, right? Only one person out of four has to be excluded; isn't that person pitiful?"

Her tone was so genuine that we all listened quietly.

To find the culprit, you can start by thinking about their motives. If you find out who benefits from those actions, the answer will become obvious.

Applying this to the situation we encounter today, the prisoner's motivation is "to avoid being excluded."

Ye Shan has three best friends in his class, which means that if a group can only have three people, one person will inevitably have to be kicked out.

The prisoner probably didn't want to be that person, so he had to kick the others out.

"...So, at least we can now confirm that the suspect is among those three people."

After Yukinoshita reached this conclusion, Hayama became unusually flustered.

"Wait, wait a minute! I don't think there's a criminal among them. Besides, those letters insulted all three of them. So, there must be some mistake somewhere, right?"

"Huh? Are you an idiot? It's not New Year's, how can you be so optimistic? He did that to avoid being suspected! If it were me, I wouldn't just speak ill of one person, but would try to frame that person."

"What a terrible guy, autistic..."

Please describe it as an intelligent crime! An intelligent crime!

Ye Shan bit his lip tightly, filled with resentment. He certainly hadn't expected things to turn out this way. The entanglements of love, hate, and grudges were unfolding right beside him; behind the seemingly amicable smile lay a vortex of dark emotions.

"Anyway, could you please tell us about those people?"

Yukino asked Hayama for information.

Then, Ye Shan raised his head with a determined look. His eyes were filled with conviction, and he must have been carrying out the noble purpose of clearing his friend of suspicion.

"Hubu is in the soccer club just like me. Because he has dyed his hair blonde, he looks a bit like a delinquent at first glance, but he's the one who's best at creating a lively atmosphere. He took the initiative to help a lot during the school anniversary and sports meet. He's a good guy."

"Besides being noisy and disruptive, you have no other skills and are easily carried away by success. Right?"

“…………”

A comment from Yukinoshita left Hayama speechless.

"What? Keep going."

Seeing that Hayama had suddenly fallen silent, Yukinoshita seemed to find it a little strange and asked.

So Hayama composed himself and continued describing the second person.

"Yamato is a member of the rugby club. He has a calm personality and is a good listener. His composed and steady demeanor is very reassuring. He doesn't talk much, is cautious, and is a good person."

"Slow to react, indecisive..."

"........."

Hayama fell silent again, his expression displeased, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He sighed, indicating he was giving up, and then began to describe the third person.

"Ooka is a member of the baseball club. He's very friendly and always willing to stand with others. In addition, he values ​​relationships with superiors and subordinates, is very polite, and is a good person."

"Always reading other people's faces and changing your tune with the wind. Right?"

"………………………………"

Before we knew it, it wasn't just Hayama who fell silent; Yui and I also stared blankly, mouths agape, unsure of what to say.

Amazing! Ms. Yukinoshita! You would be perfect to be the prosecutor.

However, what's terrifying about this woman is that her comments about those people are absolutely correct. Everyone has a different perspective, so naturally, they'll have different impressions of the same person. Hayama always observes things from a positive angle, so it's inevitable that she'll develop some biases; in contrast, Yukinoshita, setting aside all emotional factors, will naturally make more scathing comments. But these are a bit too scathing—is this some kind of Lee curry, twenty times spicier?

Yukinoshita studied her notes while muttering to herself.

"It wouldn't be too surprising who the culprit is..."

"I think you're the one who most resembles a criminal. Is that just my imagination?"

In a sense, it's even more outrageous to distort a person's personality to that extent than the person who sent out those chain letters.

Upon hearing my words, Yukinoshita immediately put her hands on her hips, revealing a very displeased expression, and said:

"I couldn't possibly do something like that, could I? I would just crush them head-on."

Although her methods differ from those of the criminals, the ultimate goal is still to "destroy" others. As expected of Yukinoshita, she never even entertains the thought of "getting along well with the other person."

As for Hayama, who was completely defeated by her, he didn't know whether to be angry or to sigh, so he could only smile with a confused expression.

In truth, Yukinoshita and Hayama were practically equals. After all that, the information Hayama provided was nothing but superficial and useless information. While he was a good person, his views differed too greatly from ours, offering no help in finding the culprit. Yukinoshita seemed to agree, and instead asked for our opinions.

"The information provided by Hayama-kun isn't very helpful. Yuigahama-kun and Hikigaya-kun, what are your thoughts on those three people?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me that? I also..."

"I don't know anything about their affairs."

To be honest, there are very few people on campus that I know well. It's because I have no friends, and I barely know anyone at all.

"Then, could you please do some research? The group assignments won't be decided until the day after tomorrow, so we have one more day."

"...Okay, sure."

Yui looked hesitant at Yukinoshita's request. After all, she always wanted to get along well with her classmates and probably wouldn't like this kind of task.

While prying into others' faults, one must also expose one's own faults to the light of day. In a group, this is a high-risk activity.

Yukinoshita probably understood this as well, and thus lowered her gaze.

"...Sorry, this wasn't a pleasant thing to do. Just forget about what happened earlier."

Wouldn't that mean no one would want to do it? It seems the outcome was already quite obvious.

"Leave it to me. Anyway, I don't care what my classmates think of me."

Yukino glanced at me, then smiled softly.

"...Okay, but I won't have too high expectations."

"Leave it to me; this is just one of my many skills."

If you ask me what else I can do, I'd probably say something like cat's cradle. Hey, am I some kind of ○ male?

"Wait, wait a minute! I want to join too! How can we leave all this to an introverted guy?!"

Yuihama said, her face flushed, her voice trembling slightly at the end of her sentence, but she immediately clenched her fist.

"And besides, since it's Yukino's request, how can I refuse!"