My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 375

Therefore, truly understanding one's own capacity to handle tasks and refusing work in the first place is the correct work attitude. If one cannot refuse, one should try to negotiate with the other party to reduce the workload. I worked hard at the Service Society for almost a year before finally understanding this principle.

After Yise finished preparing the materials, I spoke to her:

"Let me be clear from the start. We haven't agreed to help yet; we just want to hear your specific plan before deciding whether it's feasible."

"No problem, that's enough!"

Isshiki answered with great enthusiasm, a bright smile on her face. Waaaaah… seeing those expectant eyes, how could I possibly refuse…?

I couldn't think of a response, so Yukinoshita spoke to Isshiki on her behalf:

"Then, please explain the specifications first."

"Okay. Um—when we were preparing for the Christmas event, we commissioned a printing company to make the printed materials. I contacted that company and got a lot of information!"

As she spoke, Isshiki pulled out a brochure and price list from the printing company. I was surprised she'd already contacted them; she might lack planning skills, but her execution was surprisingly strong…

"Then, they recommended this to me..."

Isshiki pointed to a section in the manual. Yukinoshita peeked over.

"Eight pages in full color... You're overestimating yourself again..."

Yukinoshita seemed to be suppressing a headache, pressing her hand to her temple. Isshiki, on the other hand, gave an embarrassed "hehehe" laugh.

"No, it's just that we talked to them and then we decided on this."

"How exactly did you talk to them...?"

Seeing my helpless expression, Yise puffed out her cheeks and said:

"...Because, when we talk to adults, don't we unconsciously answer 'yes' to them?"

"I understand, I understand~"

Yui nodded vigorously, wholeheartedly agreeing with Isshiki's words. "Sigh, kids these days... I'm really worried. What if they get scammed by bad people one day and don't even know it?"

"As for the print run, it depends on the budget... The school has space to display the finished products, and any unsold stock can be recycled, so there's no need to worry about inventory risk."

On the other hand, Yukinoshita completely ignored the two of them, engrossed in reading the documents and muttering to herself from time to time. Sigh, this child has a problem with being impossible to communicate with… You're just as worrying!

Yukino carefully read the manual and then handed it to me. It contained a general outline of the production process.

"The layout design can be handled by the vendor, who will also help us set up the files... In other words, we only need to provide a general design direction and submit the layout order."

"Oh—it's similar to the time when we were compiling local chronicles."

Simply put, we only need to focus on the content; other trivial matters can be ignored. That being said, the themes of the articles and photos still need to be carefully fixed (Note 26: a design term meaning to decide or adopt). Hmm, I'm smelling an elite vibe again…

"However, this time it has seven more pages than the local gazetteer edition..."

Yukinoshita's tone carried a sense of tragic grandeur. Yuihama replied in a cheerful tone:

"But there are student council members here this time. If everyone works together, we should be able to make it, right?"

"Yeah, that's true. I think it's possible to have some..."

I was only halfway through my sentence when Isshiki turned his face away, his brows furrowed.

“…………”

"...Isshiki-kun? Why are you suddenly quiet?"

Beneath the snow, a smile appeared on her face as she asked Isshiki a question. Although her tone was gentle and her eyes were warm, I felt a chill run down my spine, even getting goosebumps. That smile was truly terrifying…

Isshiki seemed to sense the same terror—no, perhaps "utterly disheveled" would be a more accurate description of her appearance. She frantically waved her hands, hurriedly explaining:

"Ah! No, no, well... everyone's busy with the year-end settlement right now, there won't be any problems once that's all done..."

"...So, the student council can't help this time, right?"

"Yes……"

Yukino sighed, while Isshiki lowered his shoulders in guilt.

"Alright, alright, there's nothing we can do about it. If we're short-handed, we can just ask friends for help... As for that, well... let's just do our best!"

Yuihama clenched her fist, encouraging everyone with this. What she meant was that her "trying her best" probably didn't guarantee success in the end...

In summary, the production costs and workload are roughly clear, and the available manpower has been determined. The next step is to review the project schedule to determine if the plan is feasible.

All we know is that the work must be completed by the end of the month, so it's necessary to ask for more details.

"Specifically, by what date do we need to finish?"

"It's almost too late, senior, look!"

Yise took out the prepared plan and pointed to one of the places.

"With the remaining budget, we can just use this 'early bird discount' program. To use this program, we need to submit the manuscript to the printing plant before mid-February."

Early bird discount! I didn't know there was such a plan. If there aren't any budget issues, I have no objections, and the deadline just falls before the final budget calculation. Iroha's got quite a knack for this!

I tried to escape the reality before me, but there was a key word in Isshiki's words that really bothered me.

Hmm? Mid-February? I tilted my head and repeated it to myself, while Isshiki continued quietly.

"...So, there are probably only... about two weeks left."

"What? No, that's impossible. Two weeks is absolutely not enough."

I immediately shook my head in response to Isshiki, and Yukinoshita across from me slowly nodded.

"That's right, that number is not realistic at all. Assuming that the published content must be submitted to relevant units for supervision and confirmation, then all the work will add up to a week's worth of processing time."

"It's gotten shorter?"

Yukinoshita turned to look at Yuihama, who was staring in astonishment.

"This is just an ideal scenario... although this plan was never ideal from the start. To prevent unforeseen circumstances, it's best to handle them as soon as possible."

Yukino's explanation was well-organized, but she seemed to know that such a plan was far from practical.

"...Of course, the most important prerequisite is that we agree to accept this commission."

She added a final sentence and then looked at me. It seemed she intended to leave the decision to me. While I anticipated the schedule would be very demanding, it wasn't entirely unfeasible.

A week... wait a minute? Let's assume I rest on Saturday and Sunday and do nothing, and today is already Sunday... I tried to calculate the exact number of days in my head, but I couldn't get the answer no matter how I tried. Huh? Is Hachiman's math really that bad?

No, actually, I already have a clear number in my mind, but I just don't want to admit it.

"I'd like to ask, if that's the case, how many days are left until the deadline...?"

"Let me calculate..."

Yui stared blankly at the ceiling and began counting on her fingers. The next second, her expression twisted in pain.

Under the snow, she looked at us with eyes full of sorrow.

"...It's easier to see hope if we don't count them."

"When you say that, it means there's absolutely no hope left..."

I gave Isshiki a few meaningful glances, signaling to her that it probably wouldn't work. She could only look dejected.

"...So...it's not working after all?"

A soft sob escaped her lips, almost inaudible. Her eyes were moist, her breath warm, and her hands, clutching the hem of her skirt, trembled slightly. She raised her slender shoulders slightly and looked at me timidly. Every movement she made spoke of her earnest expectation of me, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of urge to help her.

But I'm not falling for that! Because of Komachi, I'm already used to girls' tearful tactics! As long as I live under the same roof as this kind of younger sister, even if I'm unwilling, I'll get used to it! In other words, I often agree to my younger sister's requests without hesitation.

"As long as we get it done in the remaining time, it should be fine..."

I unconsciously answered Isshiki the way I usually treat Komachi. Ugh! I really hate my own nature as an older brother!

"Thank you, senior!"

Isshiki stopped crying and smiled, thanking me. Meanwhile, someone next to her gave me an icy look and sighed deeply.

"...You're still as easy to talk to as ever."

"Haha...that's one of the advantages of being an autistic guy...although you could also call it a disadvantage."

Yuihama gave a wry smile and said to Yukinoshita. I was about to thank her for helping me out, but she turned around and glared at me coldly.

Uh, I'm really sorry for causing everyone trouble... I almost apologized to the two of them. But ultimately, it all came down to this because Isshiki came along saying she wanted to make an intelligence journal. I wasn't wrong; it was all She's fault.

"Oh dear, this is a lifesaver. I allocated quite a bit of funding for that last one!"

The prim and proper demeanor she had just displayed vanished, replaced by a broad smile, her joy evident on her face. Oh well, I knew it would end like this anyway, so let her be.

But please, if you're going to pretend to be cute, at least keep it up until the very last moment! Seriously, dreams and hopes really can't exist. (Note 27 is a line from "Bakuman Mary," whose voice actress is the same as Isshiki's.)

× × ×

Although it took a lot of effort, a rough schedule has finally been arranged. Cost management will be affected by future progress, but with the current budget, it shouldn't be a problem.

However, the most important part—"the contents of the intelligence journal"—has not yet been concluded.

"Alright, let's begin the planning meeting now!"

After Isshiki announced it in a drawn-out voice, only Yui clapped loudly. Although Isshiki started first, the next second he turned to look at Yukinoshita with a "what's next?" expression.

Yukinoshita hummed in agreement and placed her hand on her chin.

"First, we need to decide on the theme of the intelligence journal."

"How about using what Iroha just said as the theme? For example, introducing local attractions or food, etc."

"Ah, that's what I was thinking too! It would be best to gather materials from all over and use up all the funds!"

Isshiki's words seemed to completely agree with Yui's opinion, but I felt that her purpose was completely different from Yui's...

After listening to their opinions, Yukino shook her head.

"If we still had time, we could focus on a single subject. But given the current situation, it would be difficult to fill eight pages if we didn't think about other subjects."

Do you have any other topics that interest you?

Faced with Yuihama's question, Isshiki crossed her arms and tilted her head to think. After a moment of hesitation, she answered softly:

"……No."

Hearing Isshiki's answer, Yukinoshita slumped her shoulders in disappointment, while Yuigahama gave a helpless smile. Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about it…

Yukino's approach of prioritizing the theme is a very methodical one. The process for creating an information magazine should be to first consider the theme you want to express, and then discuss what follows. However, because Isshiki made "publishing the information magazine" her primary goal, the "theme of the information magazine" became secondary.

Therefore, what we should be considering now is not our expectations for this intelligence journal, but how readers will view it.

"If you don't have any ideas to begin with, it might be faster to work backward from your goal."

"what?"

Ishiki couldn't understand what I was trying to say, her neck almost bent at a right angle as she squinted at me. This guy is really infuriating! And here I am, trying so hard to help you…

Although Isshiki didn't understand what I meant, Yukinoshita understood it perfectly.

"You mean the readers by your target audience?"

"That's right. First, identify your target audience, then create content that will interest them."

"The readership...this newsletter will be distributed on campus, right?"

Hearing Yuihama's question, Isshiki nodded. Although the future of this information magazine is unknown at present, it is safer to position it as a "trial edition" or "inaugural issue" that is only distributed within the school.

Next, we need to further define the demographics of the readership that have already emerged.

"The release date is March, right? By then, the third-year students will be graduating, so we should target the first and second-year students."

"Depending on the speed of publication, new students may also become readers."

"Ah, I bet a lot of new students will be asking for the information magazine!"

"Indeed, freshmen should be interested in this type of thing."

The three agreed with each other. The magazine's main readership was thus established.

Now that we've identified our target audience, all we need to do is create a project specifically for them and adjust the direction accordingly.

Yukino stopped copying the notes, turned to review what she had written, and said:

"If the target audience is first-year students, then we could make the campus introduction the main theme, and then insert a few columns introducing local attractions... that should be about right."

"Although it's a bit old-fashioned, it's undeniably good for an inaugural issue. Packaging it as a 'New Student Orientation Handbook' would make it seem quite legitimate."

"Wow, that sounds really plausible..."

Yuihama exclaimed in admiration, and Isshiki was also satisfied with our conclusion, clapping in agreement.