My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 377

"Senior, let's go."

"No way, you go yourself..."

"Having a senior by my side is like having a lightning rod—if I make a mistake, I'll get inspiration! Besides, the senior is such a reliable person!"

You've already said it, so it doesn't matter if you don't change your mind... However, as Issei said, I'm very good at acting as a lightning rod to absorb hatred. If my presence at the scene can make the negotiations go more smoothly, then I'll go and come back as soon as possible to resolve the matter quickly.

"Okay, let's go."

I pulled my sleeve away from Isshiki's hand and stood up from my seat. At that moment, Yuihama also stood up, and her chair made a creaking sound.

"Then, I want to go too!"

"Sigh... If you need to explain the information, it would be better if I went along too."

Yukino sighed and stood up quietly.

"Okay! Let's all go!"

Yui grabbed Yukinoshita and Isshiki's wrists and started walking towards the door. It seemed they wouldn't have to worry about catching a chill walking down the cold corridor...

I thought to myself, "I'll leave everything to them; I just need to stand by and watch." I followed the three of them out of the club office.

× × ×

We went into the faculty office, looking for Professor Hiratsuka.

Hiratsuka-sensei's cluttered desk was a stark contrast in the office. She clattered away at the keyboard, occasionally nibbling on a few bites of soba noodles she'd bought outside. Why is she eating again…?

"Hiratsuka-sensei".

"Hmm? Oh, it's Hachiman. Everyone's gathered together, what's up?"

"We have something we'd like to discuss with the teacher..."

"Uh-huh--"

Hiratsuka-sensei glanced at the soba noodles and thought for a moment.

"It's okay for the teacher to eat while listening to us."

"Really? I'm sorry."

Upon hearing Yukinoshita's words, Hiratsuka-sensei gave an embarrassed "hahaha" laugh, reached out and moved the bowl in front of her, then turned her chair around and picked up the chopsticks.

"So, what do we need to discuss?"

Hiratsuka-sensei took a sip of his noodles and asked us to continue.

"We're planning to create a free information magazine!"

"Free intelligence magazine?"

Professor Hiratsuka was surprised that we would mention this word and checked again in surprise.

Isshiki began explaining the free information magazine project to Hiratsuka-sensei. Yukinoshita provided supplementary explanations and handed over the compiled records, manuals, price lists, and other materials to Hiratsuka-sensei.

"The cost has been assessed and is within budget, so there shouldn't be any problems with implementation. As for the content, although it's still quite brief, here are some compiled materials for your review."

"Um--"

Ms. Hiratsuka ate her noodles while looking at the documents with great interest. After reviewing the documents, she seemed to understand the general outline of the project and looked up.

"It's fine if you want to do it... but please don't use rice straw paper for copying and printing?"

When asked a question by Hiratsuka-sensei, Yuihama tilted her head.

"Rice straw paper?"

"Huh? A transcript?"

Isshiki looked at Hiratsuka-sensei with surprise, her expression rather impolite. Hey, hey, hey, your attitude is terrible...

Normally, Hiratsuka-sensei would definitely give Isshiki a lecture, but she didn't seem to have the energy today.

"Really? You didn't know...?"

Hiratsuka-sensei muttered weakly to himself, a bitter smile tinged with self-mockery.

"We know about it, but we haven't seen the actual product..."

Yukinoshita's apologetic reply delivered the final blow to Hiratsuka-sensei.

"I think so..."

Ms. Hiratsuka's voice trembled slightly as she replied. There was nothing she could do; technology was advancing rapidly, and printing technology was progressing very quickly. Come to think of it, transcribed plates are incredibly old-fashioned. Even for a teacher like her, I seriously doubt whether she had actually seen one... No, I don't know how old she is, you know?

The female teacher, whose age was unknown, hunched over and picked up the bowl.

"Okay, you guys give it a try."

She only said those words before sadly starting to eat the slightly soggy buckwheat noodles again...

× × ×

After receiving Hiratsuka-sensei's permission, we were finally able to officially begin work.

To complete the tasks assigned to us, I opened the borrowed laptop and started typing away on the keyboard.

Just as I was halfway through the fight, Yukino walked quickly towards me and said:

"Hachiman, may I bother you for a moment?"

"Um."

After I responded, Yukino sat down diagonally in front of her and spread out the layout sheet. Simply put, the layout sheet is a list of the page layouts and the personnel in charge.

Yukinoshita, holding a ballpoint pen, tapped one corner of the slip of paper.

"What to do with the cover page is still a problem."

"Don't take it too seriously, just make a simple design or post a photo."

"Then let's go for a minimalist design, like a photo with a title, and maybe a logo or border?"

"Ah—to make it like Time or Forbes, so that everyone thinks it's something amazing?"

"Yes, if the design intent is clear enough, it will actually look more like the real thing."

"And it doesn't take much effort at all."

Halfway through my sentence, I sensed someone watching us from a distance. I turned around and saw Isshiki staring at us with a bewildered expression.

"I don't understand a word you're saying..."

"Ah, that's right! I've wanted to say that for a long time!"

Yui leaned over the table and loudly agreed with Isshiki, seemingly delighted to have found a partner like her. They were making a form for the club's introduction. I'll leave that part to them; I need to finish discussing what I have with Yukinoshita first.

Yukino wrote furiously on the list, but stopped halfway through and poked her cheek with the pen.

"The design direction is fine; all that's left is the materials."

"Just use Ichiro's photo, isn't she the student council president?"

I gestured with my thumb to indicate the color, and she immediately shook her hands vigorously.

"Oh, are you going to shoot Gravure? I'm not going to do swimsuits or anything like that."

"Who's talking about that... and I'm not interested in your swimsuit photos."

What else could she possibly say that was wrong...? She deliberately said those things, giving off a kind of innocent idol-like demureness vibe. But someone of my caliber already knows that words like "innocent," "amateur," or "magic mirror" are all lies, so I'm not so easily fooled.

"……is that so."

For some reason, Isshiki seemed displeased, her tone inexplicably cold, and her eyes half-closed, her gaze sharp. She pouted, crossed her arms, and pondered for a while. Then, as if she had thought of something, a sly smile appeared on her face, and she spoke to me in a bright and cute tone:

"So, whose swimsuit photos are you interested in, senpai? Ah, Yui-senpai?"

After she finished speaking, she reached out and grabbed Yuihama.

"Wait, wait a minute! I... I can't do it anymore! I really can't!"

Yuigahama was pulled over by Isshiki, her upper body leaning forward. The skin of her neck was exposed from her loosened collar, and the forward lean made the curves of her chest even more pronounced. My gaze was almost drawn to her, but I could only resist with sheer willpower. Humans will never lose to desire! (Note 29: A line from Eiji Hino, the protagonist of *Kamen Rider OOO*.)

I finally managed to look up, only to meet Yui's eyes again. Her face was flushed red, and she hugged her shoulders tightly, as if trying to cover herself.

"Um... swimsuits and stuff are so embarrassing... I don't want anyone to see me..."

Yui blushed from head to toe. She looked away, stammering, and then glanced at me with a slightly eager look. Honestly, if Yui's swimsuit photo were on the cover of a news magazine, I'm sure some students would be ecstatic, but that wouldn't make me happy at all. See, even she herself doesn't want it, does she?

"No, I... uh, how should I put it... I would never do that."

"Is that so... That's great."

Yuihama seemed to relax, her tense shoulders unfurling, and I also let out a deep sigh.

Only then did I finally remember why we had brought up this topic.

"On another note, gravure doesn't necessarily refer to gravure idols; I also think it means 'photo printing'."

Right? Yukinoshita, the encyclopedia student? I looked at Yukinoshita and saw her constantly adjusting her bow tie. As soon as our eyes met, she immediately turned her face away and then "whoosh" tightened her bow tie.

"..."

A soft sigh reached my ears. Please, I beg you, don't choose this time to remain silent...

"Anyway, a regular uniform photo will do, case closed. What about the back cover for Yukinoshita?"

I changed the subject and asked Yukinoshita, but she only glanced at me before immediately turning her head away. Although she didn't answer, she seemed to still want to hear. I continued talking to myself.

"Should we put some ads up? Like for jewelry, speed reading tutoring classes, fitness equipment, or health products?"

As I imagined Zai Muza lying in a bathtub piled high with banknotes, I said half-jokingly, and then Yukino finally spoke up:

"It's unrealistic to start looking for advertisers now. If this newsletter continues to be published, there's still room for discussion about whether or not to include advertisements, but at least for this issue, it's not feasible. We don't have any other materials on hand, so we can only put in some text."

I looked at the closing sheet, listened silently to what Yukinoshita had to say, and thought for a while.

"That's the column, or the editor's note... Leave that part to me."

"Thank you for your help."

Yukinoshita still wouldn't look me in the eye. After her brief reply, she continued with her work, the sound of her pen scratching across the paper unusually loud. Was she still bothered by what she'd just said...? There was nothing to be bothered about...

It's okay! You still have hope—from a genetic point of view!

× × ×

Besides writing, my job also included volunteering for photography, so I had to accompany the interviewers when they were interviewing various clubs. Since time was limited, we split into two groups to conduct the interviews simultaneously—one group consisted of me and Isshiki, and the other group consisted of Yui and Yukinoshita. Considering their average communication skills and academic abilities, this grouping was quite reasonable. Isshiki and I were responsible for the boys' clubs, while Yui and Yukinoshita focused on the girls' clubs.

Our first interview subject, of course, was... the tennis club!

Since Yuihama had already arranged the time, Isshiki and I only needed to go directly to the freezing tennis court.

"Your serve return motion is too slow, try harder!"

The tennis club president, Totsuka's, voice echoed throughout the court. With one hand on his hip and the other on his shoulder, he continuously encouraged his juniors. It seemed he was doing a very good job as president.

As we walked to the edge of the court, Totsuka noticed us and immediately waved and jogged over.

"Hachiman! And Isshiki, hello both of you."

"Hello, senior~ I'll be counting on you for everything today."

"I'm sorry to bother you when you're so busy."

Ishiki bowed deeply, and I greeted him by raising one palm in front of me.

"No, it's not troublesome at all! Um, you need to take a picture, right? You can do it anytime."

Totsuka gently shook his head, raised his hands and drew a large circle encompassing the entire tennis court, then turned and smiled at us. Hmm, that means everything's ready!

"Then, we'll do it right away..."

Totsuka with her arms outstretched is so cute, I have to take a picture first. I raised my camera and pressed the shutter. Totsuka's stunned look is also adorable, I pressed the shutter again. Her slightly tilted head is incredibly cute, I pressed the shutter again. Totsuka's incredulous expression is also adorable—just as I raised my camera again, Totsuka asked in a puzzled tone:

"Uh...aren't we supposed to do it like we're practicing?"

"We need to take that photo too, but let's take the president's photo first."

I answered with absolute certainty and straightforwardness. Totsuka was probably taken aback by my assertiveness and didn't know what to do for a moment.

"Oh, I see... I'm a little shy... um..."

Totsuka seemed uncomfortable in front of the camera, his hands slightly covering his blushing cheeks, looking somewhat troubled. He glanced at the tennis court and muttered:

"But freshmen might also decide to join the club after seeing this interview, right...?"