My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 392

In short, I passed the first hurdle. Now, all I need to do is get Miura to make the handmade chocolates successfully to complete her request. I relaxed for a moment, picked up the M can from the steps beside me, and took a few sips. Just then, I heard a series of hurried footsteps.

Then, Isshiki Iroha suddenly appeared before him.

"Ah, Hayama-senpai! Thank you for coming today!"

She had barely finished speaking when she immediately moved closer to Hayama. Although Miura glared at her fiercely across Hayama, Isshiki grinned, completely ignoring his gaze. Ah... another new obstacle had appeared before Miura...

"Hi, Iroha... Ah, may I help? I've never made sweets before, so I might not be of much use..."

Caught between Miura and Isshiki, Hayama scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. Miura nudged him lightly with his shoulder.

"There's no need to worry about that kind of thing, right? Hayato just needs to offer his opinion..."

"That means I'll have to trouble you with the tasting work, senior!"

To persuade and win over Hayama, Miura and Isshiki launched their offensives using shy and coquettish voices respectively. Hayama responded with a cheerful smile, albeit with a hint of unease.

"Let's go inside first."

"That's right, it's about time to start preparing."

After Yuihama and Yukinoshita nodded to each other in confirmation, Ebina and the others followed them into the Civic Center.

Hayama was also tightly sandwiched between Miura and Isshiki, and he took a step forward.

Haha, that guy really works hard. As I watched this scene with indifference and drank my M can, Hayama suddenly turned around and met my gaze.

"Hi."

Hayama gave me a brief greeting and gestured for Miura and Isshiki to go ahead. The two tilted their heads slightly, paused for a moment, and then went into the hall. Hayama watched them leave with a gentle smile, then glanced at me.

"Are you here as a taste tester too?"

"Mmm."

"……I see."

He listened to my brief reply, narrowed his eyes, and then couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"why are you laughing……"

At this moment, what appeared on his face was a look that seemed to see through something, and a smile with a hint of pity.

That look and tone reminded me of the time I faced that person. A surge of displeasure welled up inside me, prompting me to retort in a barbed voice.

Ye Shan simply shrugged and shook his head slightly. His expression was quite gentle, and the inexplicable sense of maturity he had just felt had completely vanished.

"Ah, no, I just think it suits you very well."

"What's the meaning?"

"You like sweets, don't you?"

"Hayama said in a half-joking tone, pointing to the Max can in my hand. Well... I do drink Max coffee quite often, that's for sure..."

"So that's it," Hayama muttered to himself before striding confidently back into the hall to meet up with Miura and Isshiki.

What a close call... For a split second just now, I almost mistook it for a flag being planted, thinking, "Ugh, Hayama-kun actually remembers my favorite drink ♥" and my heart was pounding—just kidding.

...On the contrary, I didn't feel very good. If I didn't make a silly joke, I would start thinking about other things I shouldn't be thinking about. Hayama was probably the same way, which is why he deliberately made jokes about me to cover it up.

After finishing the rest of the M can in one go, I still gripped the can tightly, even though I knew I couldn't crush it.

Well, at least the posters are up.

As for the working conditions inside the clubhouse, you won't know unless you actually go inside and see for yourself. But I can't just stand by and watch; I have to lend a hand in some way.

And so, my next job began...

× × ×

Although I was prepared to do some work, I never expected it to be physical labor.

Various sizes of cardboard boxes were randomly placed in the center of the hall. They probably contained materials such as chopped chocolate, sugar, and baking powder prepared by Isshiki and the student council.

My current job is to move these cardboard boxes to the kitchen on the second floor.

I should already thank the businesses for helping to deliver the goods here, but since they've already moved here, I really hope they'll go all the way and help me carry them to the second floor... Oh well, I'm already grateful that I wasn't called away to do the shopping.

"Okay, let's get to work!"

Kebu rolled up his sleeves and began lifting the cardboard box with great effort. The vice president and I followed suit. No matter how you look at it, Isshiki will definitely be the one to decide on the selection; we could practically form an Isshiki Iroha Victims Association... Incidentally, her beloved Hayama-senpai is, of course, exempt from this.

We struggled up the stairs, carrying cardboard boxes full of materials.

"Hey, don't you think these cardboard boxes are surprisingly heavy?"

The Minister of Revenue took the lead, but halfway up the stairs, he seemed to feel the weight of the cardboard box and called out to pick it up again. The vice president, following behind me, said apologetically:

"Sorry, there are very few boys in the student council, but thankfully you guys are here to help."

"Actually, it's nothing..."

"Yeah, I'm used to it by now."

Hubu turned his head with a flourish, letting his long hair toss in the air, then grinned. Ugh... this is so annoying. That's dangerous, please look ahead! You could get hurt if you fall. And you should get your hair cut soon.

That said, even the head of the household was completely fooled by the capricious Isshiki, which shows he's a really good person. The vice-president, too, looks rather weak and is likely often bossed around by Isshiki. The three of us together form the "Tragic Squad" (Note 20: The original text is "苦旁人シリーズ", a phonetic approximation of "Black Demon Series" (黑鬼シリーズ), referring to the weapons used against vampires in *Seraph of the End*), which should make us a weapon against vampires.

The three of us wobbled as we carried the cardboard box, finally reaching the cooking room. Kebu, carrying the box, deftly used his elbow to open the sliding door.

In the cooking room, Yuihama and Yukinoshita were busy preparing cooking utensils for each table. Miura, Ebina, and Hayama were also helping to prepare utensils for the other tables, following the instructions of the student council members.

We walked over to Isshiki and the others and asked where we should put the cardboard boxes.

"You've worked hard~"

Amidst Yuihama's words of encouragement, we placed the cardboard box on the ground. Then, Yukinoshita immediately came over to check the contents.

"Thank you for your hard work. Isshiki-kun, have the materials been pre-sorted?"

"It's sorted. Now we just need to take it to each table."

As she answered, she counted the number of cardboard boxes and then nodded slightly.

"It seems all the materials have arrived. Now, please open the boxes and take the items out and put them away."

After giving this instruction, the vice president, carrying a cardboard box, quickly walked towards the preparation table where the secretary was.

The Ministry of Revenue and I bent down and opened the cardboard boxes one by one.

The lively sounds of unpacking and discussing among themselves made it clear that the event was about to begin. The person feeling this most acutely at that moment was probably the Minister of Revenue. He frequently tugged at his hair, looking quite pleased.

"Organizing events is so much fun. By the way, Iroha, you've completely become the student council president now."

"Yes, that's right, I am the student council president. However, I will still do my best as the club manager. When the weather gets warmer, I will participate in club activities!"

That's not right, even if it's cold, you still have to participate in club activities, okay...

Hearing Isshiki's energetic reply, Tobe smiled broadly, gave him a thumbs up, and even winked. This guy is really annoying…

We continued our unpacking process and took out today's main ingredient—chopped chocolate.

Upon seeing these ingredients, the Minister of Revenue seemed to recall something and whispered:

"Wow, these chocolates look delicious. I really want to sneak a bite."

"What?"

Isshiki emitted a cold voice and gaze, but Hobu did not shut up. On the contrary, he took a light breath and revealed a serious expression of determination.

Then, he stood up, looked around, and gently beckoned us to gather.

"Hmm? What secret are you talking about?"

"We're very busy right now..."

Yui looked quite excited, while Yukinoshita seemed hesitant, but Yui still pulled her over, and everyone formed a perfect circle. Was Kebe planning to make some kind of lame joke—"Everyone, line up in a circle, cheer yourselves up!"—when he asked us to assemble?

Despite my worry, Tobe didn't give me the cold shoulder. Instead, she twirled her hair with her fingers and spoke in a coquettish tone, "Hey, that's not cute at all!"

"Ah... how should I put it? Aren't we making chocolates today? In a way, I think it wouldn't be bad if the boys took the initiative... right? Right?"

What do you mean, yes or no? Do you really want to eat chicken legs? ...If it's not available, it's not available, okay?

Besides, let's not even talk about whether you're proactive or not. Aren't you always the one making the moves, only to have them all intercepted or ignored? If it were the other way around, shouldn't you learn to retreat? What's with that "once isn't enough, have you tried a second time?" mentality... Ugh! Guys this proactive are a rare breed these days, and I'm already smitten!

But it seems I'm the only one who's attracted to him. None of the girls understood what he meant.

"...Well, in short, he wanted to actively promote himself to see if he could get the chocolate."

Since no one present was willing to speak up, I had no choice but to kindly summarize for him. Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue immediately held up his index finger and said to me:

"That's right! Simply put, that's what it means, isn't it?"

Isshiki instantly showed a look of disgust.

"Although I don't know who the target is, I think this will definitely backfire. Guys hinting that they want chocolate usually just make people feel disgusted, so Senior Tobe should behave himself."

"Oh...I see..."

Iroha's sister's words were so venomous... Kebu couldn't help but fall silent, looking around at everyone with pleading eyes.

Yukinoshita responded to his expectations. She rested her chin on her hand, tilted her head slightly, and uttered a conclusion that she had probably reached after careful consideration.

"However, what Isshiki-kun said makes sense...it's really annoying to have those pesky flies buzzing around you..."

"..."

Hearing himself being spoken to so mercilessly, Hobe finally fell silent, speechless. And why was Iroha rubbing her shoulder against Yukinoshita while saying "Yeah, yeah" and acting all cute...?

Just as I was feeling sorry for the Ministry of Revenue, Yuihama let out a distressed voice:

"Hmm... but if a guy pretends he doesn't want chocolate at all, what should a girl do?"

"That's right!"

The Minister of Revenue instantly revived, even pinching his fingers hard. But Isshiki immediately spoke without any mercy:

"No, no, no, what Yui-senpai said only applies to situations where the girl originally intended to give chocolate, and it doesn't apply to Tobe-senpai at all."

"That's right..."

Seeing the other party so vehemently waving their hands in denial, the Ministry of Revenue couldn't help but hang their heads in dejection.

However, realistically speaking, that possibility doesn't seem zero. Although there's no concrete evidence, when Ebina appeared in this setting and personally made chocolates, she was already somewhat different from her past self. Of course, she could also simply be accompanying Miura, and no one knows her true thoughts.

It is precisely because of the ambiguous situation that this kind of activity can be useful.

"If you work hard at making chocolate, you might get a chance to help with tastings. Although I can't guarantee it. Anyway, take this over."

After I finished speaking, I pushed the remaining cardboard boxes towards the Ministry of Revenue. He paused for a few seconds before realizing what I was about to say, then clapped his hands and shouted:

"That's right! That makes sense!"

Kebu looked enlightened, pointed at me forcefully, then hoisted the cardboard box onto his shoulder and eagerly headed to the preparation station where Ebina and the others were. Honestly, this guy may be a nice person, but his exaggerated reactions are still just as annoying.

That said, where exactly is the Minister of Revenue from... his regional accent is way too heavy, isn't it?

× × ×

After that, we continued preparing for the cooking class until it was almost time for the event to begin.

Isshiki, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama were discussing what kind of chocolate to make. I didn't offer any opinions, and since I had nothing else to do, I just stayed where I was and listened to their conversation.

As I listened, I heard a commotion outside the door. I glanced at the clock; the others should be arriving soon.

So the voice must belong to someone named Chuan... but there are so many voices. Or are there actually several people named Chuan, and I just don't know them? If that's the case, then it explains why I can never remember her name...

Alright, which Kawa family member will be coming? Kawashima, Kawaguchi, Kawagoe, Kawanakajima, Kawauchi, Sendai... I kept my eyes glued to the kitchen door so that I could recognize which member of the Kawa family appeared.

After a while, the door finally opened.

As it turned out, a guy named Yu something appeared.

"Hi, Iroha. Oh! That's wonderful. The feedback from the last event was really great. I was just thinking about maintaining a close partnership with your school and continuing to promote alliance activities when I received this offer."

"That's right~ Senior, you've worked hard!"

Despite the barrage of questions from the other party, Isshiki didn't listen to a single word and dismissed them with a single, nonchalant remark.

Tamaki, the student council president of Seaside Comprehensive High School... This guy's preemptive strikes are still as sharp as ever... As long as you have his constantly spinning golden left arm, dominating the world is by no means impossible.

In addition to Yu Sheng, his companions also came. They were probably student council members from Seaside High School, faces I'd seen before at the Christmas joint event, and they entered the cooking room one after another. I still remember the annoying guy with the hair clip and the infuriating guy with the shawl.

"This opportunity is also a business opportunity. It might even be possible to form a scheme through crowdfunding or similar methods."

"I can't agree with you anymore."