My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 38

“…I see.”

I thought I was going to get another scolding from Yukino, but she just sighed resignedly and gave me a look of deep sympathy.

"...Nobody's listening to you, is they?"

"No, that's not true..."

I'm not sure if the other person will be willing to respond when I initiate a conversation. After all, starting a conversation and expanding on the topic is very mentally taxing, just like Madanthi (Note 16, an attack spell in the game "Dragon Quest") consumes all of its magic power.

"Although we didn't find the culprit, I discovered something else."

Upon hearing my words, all three people present leaned closer to hear more. Some looked surprised, some were full of anticipation, and others seemed quite interested. Bathed in their gazes, I coughed lightly, and Yukinoshita immediately asked:

"What did you discover?"

"That group is Hayama's group."

"Huh? Why are you still talking about this kind of thing now?"

Yui clearly thought I was a complete idiot; her eyes were practically asking, "Are you a virgin? Or Ooka?" Wait a minute, what does this have to do with Ooka!

"Um... Penguin, what does that mean?"

"Oh, I may not have explained it clearly enough. The part 'Hayama's' is possessive, meaning 'your' or 'exists for you'."

"However, I don't think so..."

He only thinks that way because he hasn't noticed it himself. In fact, the other three people in the group probably haven't noticed it either.

However, even as an outsider, I can clearly see the difference.

"Hayama, have you ever observed how those three people behaved when you weren't around?"

"No……"

"Is that even a question? How could he have seen it if he wasn't there?"

Yukinoshita laughed and said, as if she always thought I was an idiot. I nodded in agreement and said:

"That's why he didn't know. I observed from the side and found that after Hayama left, the three of them didn't get along at all. To put it bluntly, for them, only Hayama was a 'friend,' and the others were just 'friends of friends.'"

Of everyone who heard this, only Yui Hama reacted.

"Ah, that's right, I understand that! Without a central figure to keep the conversation going, things get awkward; when everyone can't think of anything to say, they just start playing on their phones..."

Yuihama seemed to remember something, and her head suddenly drooped. Yukinoshita tugged at her sleeve slightly and asked softly:

"Is...is that really true?"

Yuihama started by holding the sachet and whispering "hmm, hmm" in her ear. As expected of Yukinoshita, because she has no friends, she has no friends of friends either.

Ye Shan remained silent, as if pondering my words. Unfortunately, he was also helpless in the face of the current situation. To him, those three were friends, but beyond that friendship, it was up to the individuals involved to find a solution.

When people make friends, they must accept the potential for disputes, both big and small, to arise as a result.

Therefore, I have never thought that having many friends is a good thing.

At this moment, Hayama was stuck in this quagmire. The opposite of the phrase "surrounded by friends" is being surrounded by a group of people and unable to escape. If described using the game "Dragon Quest," it is a sign of "total annihilation."

However, I know a way to escape.

"Assuming what Hachiman is saying is true, then the motives of those three are even clearer. So, is there a way to pinpoint the culprit more accurately? This matter can't be resolved unless we eliminate the perpetrator. Or, perhaps we should just eliminate all three of them..."

Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. It was terrifying that she could utter the word "annihilate" so naturally.

Could it be that Sagawa and Shimoda, whom I mentioned before, have already been eliminated by her?

That being said, it would be terrifying if someone disappeared inexplicably on campus, so I have other suggestions.

"No need. What we need to eliminate now is not the criminals, but something else entirely."

Upon hearing this, Yukino tilted her head to one side, a question mark appearing above her head.

To prevent crime, eliminating the perpetrator is certainly one method. However, there's another scenario. Suppose today's incident involves a jewel theft; if there were no jewels to begin with, the theft would naturally not occur.

All we need to do is steal the targeted gem first. Since I possess ninja skills, being a phantom thief seems more suitable than a detective.

"Hayama, if you're willing, things can be resolved. Not only will we not have to keep looking for the culprit, but those three will also stop scheming against each other... and they might even become good friends."

I really want to know what kind of expression I had on my face when I said those words. At the very least, I should have been smiling, and a bright smile that would make Yui take a few steps back and exclaim "Wow!"

I suddenly had an urge to imitate the "ha, ha, ha" laugh of Zaimokuza. If there really were demons in the world that would make evil pacts with humans, they would probably be like me right now.

Do you want to know?

Faced with this devilish deal, the poor lamb—Hayama Hayato—chosen to accept.

× × ×

The day after Hayama made a decision about his fate.

On the classroom blackboard was the group list for workplace internships, with everyone's names grouped into threes.

The three girls next door seemed to have discussed it beforehand. When it was their turn, the three of them looked at each other excitedly and smiled, then walked up to the podium and wrote down their names.

As for me? I didn't go to anyone; I just sat there, staring blankly at everything.

This is how I've always approached every group activity.

At this time, the most important thing is to remain still. The famous Sengoku general Takeda Shingen once said, "Immovable as a mountain," which is absolutely true. I would even elaborate on it as, "Returning early like the wind, sleeping quietly like a forest, jealousy burning like fire, immovable as a mountain."

As things unfolded, I waited for my teacher to finally announce, "Okay, I know everyone dislikes Hachiman, but it's wrong to ostracize him! You can't ostracize your classmates!" My fourth-grade teacher, that old woman from Isehara... I will never forgive her.

In short, just like the saying "good fortune doesn't require much effort," as long as I keep pretending to be asleep, there will be other lone wolves like me, or groups that can't find a third person and are desperately asking me if I want to join. Then everything will be settled... Sigh, I should just go to sleep.

I used the art of feigning sleep, one of the eighteen martial arts techniques. By the way, other techniques include "becoming a good person in long stories." Hey, isn't that ○Tiger?

Then, someone gently shook my shoulder. Even though that slender arm was covered by clothing, it was still incredibly soft; the call of "Hachiman" sounded like a melody from heaven, and I felt as if I were floating on a cloud. Then, I opened my eyes.

Good morning, Hachiman.

"...An angel? Oh, it's Totsuka."

Whew, that startled me. Totsuka is so cute, I thought he was an angel. He chuckled softly and sat down in the seats where the group of girls had been sitting.

"What's up?"

Hearing my question, Totsuka lowered his head, clutching the hem of his tracksuit. He only looked up at me, stammering, "..."

"Regarding the matter of dividing into groups..."

"Hmm? Oh, that... it should be almost done dividing up by now."

As far as I know, Totsuka had already chosen a group, which is a real shame.

I stretched and glanced around. Most of the groups had already been assigned, and it was time for us lone wolves to take the stage. I had to be mentally prepared to be temporarily grouped with other lone wolves. However, being in the same group as other lone wolves was good; if I was too slow, I might end up in a group with two other lone wolves who were very close.

I scanned the list on the blackboard to see who still didn't have a group. At the same time, three people were writing group lists on the blackboard, and they looked quite familiar.

"The overconfident blond-haired Minister of the Household".

"Indecisive and slow-witted Yamato".

"Ooka, a virgin who changes his tune with the wind."

The New Three-Hitmonger (Note 17: A Japanese period drama that has had many sequels)! I was truly fortunate to witness the formation of this group! I especially recommend the character of "the fickle virgin Ooka." After the three wrote their names, they looked at each other and then smiled shyly. This time, Hayama Hayato's name wasn't on the blackboard.

As I looked at them, someone suddenly spoke up.

"Is it alright if I sit here?"

Without waiting for my reply, the other person sat down next to Totsuka.

"Huh? Excuse me...?"

An unexpected visitor suddenly appeared, leaving Totsuka completely bewildered; his expression was absolutely adorable.

"Thanks to your help, things were resolved satisfactorily. Thank you."

Hayama Hayato smiled cheerfully.

"I didn't do anything."

Why did he talk to me so casually? Is he really a good person?

"Don't mention it. If you hadn't told me those things, they might still be fighting amongst themselves."

Although he said that, I didn't really help him at all; I just wanted to lead him down the path of a lone wolf.

After all, the reason they started fighting amongst themselves was because they wanted to be in the same group as Hayama. Therefore, all we need to do is eliminate the root cause of the problem, which means getting Hayama Hayato to leave.

A lone wolf is like a permanently neutral nation, unaffected by non-existent events or embroiled in disputes. If the world were made up of a hundred lone wolves, there would be no war or discrimination. Hmm, shouldn't I be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?

"Before this, I always thought that everyone should just get along well; I never expected that I would become the source of the conflict..."

Ye Shan murmured to himself, his expression somewhat forlorn.

I couldn't think of anything to encourage him, so I just let out a helpless laugh. Hayama came to the Service Club seeking our help to solve his friend's and his group's problems. But the options I offered him only caused him pain.

He was willing to talk to me and recognized Cai Muzuo; he's clearly a good person. His campus life must have been more exciting than anyone else's.

However… no, it should be said that precisely because of this, he said the following:

"When I told the three of them that I wouldn't be in the same group as them, they were all taken aback. However, I hope to use this opportunity to make them true friends."

"……yes."

Honestly, Hayama's kindness to this extent made me wonder if he was suffering from some kind of illness. I slightly increased the distance between myself and him, and nodded perfunctorily.

"Thank you. Also, I haven't found any team members yet, would you like to join?"

He smiled and extended his right hand to me.

...What? A handshake? Why are these social butterflies always so good at dealing with people? I can't stand it... Please stop messing around! Are you American?

"Okay, OK."

Because of the other person, I ended up answering in English.

I patted Hayama's hand, and he laughed, saying, "Ouch!" Perhaps it's because we're both loners now that we can understand each other.

Therefore, the grouping problem can be solved by finding just one more person.

"Well……"

Just then, a cute little guy next to me protested.

"Totsuka, what's wrong?"

Tears welled up in Totsuka's eyes, and his cheeks puffed out unhappily; he was so adorable.

"Hachiman...and what about me?"

"Huh? This... wait, didn't you say you'd already made up your mind?"

So that's why!

He excitedly grabbed the cuff of my coat.

"From the very beginning... I decided to be in a group with Hachiman."

"You mean it's a good decision...?"

What kind of word game is this...? Lone wolves are very good at reading between the lines, so if the other person doesn't clearly state the subject and predicate, it's easy for us to not understand.

Totsuka stared at the ground, his cheeks flushed red, as if he were throwing a tantrum. Seeing him like this, my expression softened. As soon as I smiled, he looked up and chuckled softly.

Hayama smiled at me and Totsuka, then stood up, turned to us, and asked:

"Then I'll go write down my name. Where would you like to choose for your internship?"

"up to you."

When I gave that answer, Totsuka nodded in agreement.

So he wrote the three of our names on the blackboard.

"Hayama", "Totsuka", "Hikigaya".

Wow! If he used Chinese characters, he wouldn't have misspelled my name. Just thinking about it made me a little happy. Maybe this is what friends are all about?

After writing his name, he continued to write down the workplaces he wanted to visit.

"Ah, I want to choose the same place as Hayato."

"You're kidding! Hayama-kun, are you going there? We want to change too!"

"Then I'll go there too."