My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 413

"Want to try the Sachertorte you ordered?"

Yukino cut a small piece of cake and handed it to me. Well, anything sweet can't be too bad.

"Thanks." He accepted the cup with utmost respect, carefully sipping his coffee.

Yukinoshita slowly blew away the steam from the hot tea, gently stirred it, and placed it in front of Yuihama. Even someone with such refined taste as Yukinoshita silently savored the desserts and black tea on the table, indicating that this café had indeed put in the effort. Yuihama shifted her gaze from Yukinoshita, turning the pages of a magazine one by one.

"Let me ask you anyway... are you really looking for a job?"

Upon hearing my words, Yuihama looked up and tilted her head slightly, looking a little confused:

"It's not that urgent... but I didn't get anything done this summer, and it's almost January. It wouldn't be good if I didn't have money to go out and have fun then..."

Oh, is that so...? I never go out during the New Year, but I guess Yuihama has plans with Miura and the others. There are quite a few things to do in winter, like skiing or going to hot springs. This is probably the kind of youth that movies and novels glorify.

Speaking of skiing, I suddenly remembered that there used to be a ski resort in Chiba, but unfortunately it closed down long before I could go. Now, if we want to ski, we'll probably have to go to a place that's quite far away, but that's not something we can easily afford.

Yukinoshita calmly ate a piece of cake, but her eyes secretly glanced at Yuihama, as if she wanted to say something.

"So... have you seen any suitable part-time jobs?"

"No..." Yuihama put down the magazine, collapsed onto the table as if exhausted, resting her chin on her hand.

"Just reading magazines is useless; you have to experience it yourself to know if it suits you."

"That's right, it wouldn't be good if they changed their minds and kicked you out or didn't pay you properly."

Yui looked at us with a "Wow!" and her eyes were full of admiration.

"Xiao Qi, do you have any work experience?"

"I have experience on how to avoid working part-time, would you like to hear it?"

Yukino frowned as if she had a headache, and said, "It would indeed be like this if you were alone..."

What's with that disdainful look?

Let me make this clear first: every novel adapted into anime based solely on its cover or illustrations has been a complete flop, okay? I ended up like this because I ran away from so many awful part-time jobs…

"However, whether a job is good or not depends on some small details," I said after considering it for a moment.

"The first thing to look at is whether the communication between colleagues is pleasant."

“Hmm…that’s true…” Yui nodded.

“If a place is lifeless and lacks vitality, it is probably a place with neither perfect rules nor a shared dream.”

Yukino commented. "Clear logic, complete thought process—truly deserving of being the head of the executive committee."

"Well, let's put work beliefs aside for now, but it's certain that there are some problems in this kind of place."

"But being too close isn't good either..."

"Huh?" Yuihama was dumbfounded.

"If existing employees have too good relationships, it will be difficult for new employees to integrate into their social circles. Someone like me would probably be ostracized."

His tone became slightly harsher.

Yukino put down her teacup and nodded in agreement.

"I think so, too."

"Wow, Xiaoxue, you actually..."

Yukino is even less good at interpersonal communication than I am... In this respect, she's on my side.

I thought for a moment and then said with difficulty, "Those senior colleagues would always talk about their past work experience, or they would throw me a welcome party or something..."

Yuihama frowned in confusion: "Isn't it nice? It feels like home."

"It's just a superficial welcome, okay... If possible, I'd rather just arrange things myself."

I cleared my throat and continued:

"Think about it, if an older employee wants to chat with you, but what they say is incredibly boring, you'll be in a really awkward situation: if you don't want to talk to them and leave, you'll be ostracized the next day; if you force yourself to listen, that's even worse than being ostracized. And next time they come, you'll have to put up with it..."

"Ah—you're scaring me a little..." Yuihama rolled around, clutching her head.

Yuki gently patted Yuihama's back, softly comforting her:

"It's not as scary as I made it out to be, but I do need to think carefully before deciding where to work."

Although Yukinoshita is on my side, it's probably not because she agrees with my point of view, but purely because she resonates with my own sense of loneliness. But even if I told her that, she wouldn't admit it.

"Okay... I'll look around the neighborhood then."

"Oh, it's best not to."

"Huh?" Yuihama seemed to have heard something incredible.

"Because... well... you see, if you're lazy and don't go, then next time as a customer, you won't have the face to go in and buy things..."

I used to just skip work without saying goodbye, which made me too embarrassed to go to the coffee shops around my house, and I didn't dare return my uniform...

What? By mail? Are you going to pay for the shipping...? I don't have that kind of spare money.

Yukinoshita covered her face with her hands as if giving up, letting out a long sigh:

"Why do I get a headache every time you share your personal experience..."

“Xiaoxue…you see, I often think Xiaoqi is just so…”

Yuihama quickly went over and hugged Yukinoshita, then comforted her.

Yuihama's speech is always unclear and difficult to understand just by listening. To figure out what she's trying to say, you have to fill in the blanks in the context. Simply put—you have to feel it with your heart.

Yukinoshita looked up at the light on the ceiling, gently bit her lip, and let out a sorrowful sigh.

"Actually... there's no need to rush into finding a job..."

She clenched her fist as if giving up.

Or is she admitting something? The line between giving up and admitting is sometimes blurry.

Yuihama skillfully twirled the fork in her hand while keeping an eye on me.

"Kihiro said you hate your job, but you take the requests from others to the Service Department very seriously..."

"Well, you can quit if you don't want to work, but I don't want to drop out of school right now... Hiratsuka-sensei will probably beat me up and send me to the hospital..."

I tried desperately to find excuses to explain, but the more I spoke, the more powerless I felt, as if some unspeakable reason was stuck in my throat.

Perhaps, words themselves cannot express it all.

The words I'd thought of were rejected before I could even utter them; the words I'd organized became lies before they even took shape. Incoherent, stammering.

Seeing my comical appearance, Yui-hama burst out laughing.

"Excuse?"

Snow seemed to be waving her hand as if driving something away.

"Let me make this clear: it's a commission, but if it's really about doing the work, I don't want a colleague like you."

"I've made a mental note of that."

Even so, I must admit that, purely from a work perspective, Yukinoshita is indeed an excellent choice. She plans well, makes decisive decisions, and is unafraid of challenges. But that's where her limits are; if she were to take the helm, there would likely be many resentful subordinates.

Yukinoshita herself probably understands this.

She turned her head away a little guiltily, pretending to be casual as she said:

"But there's no point in discussing these things; the school rules state that we can't work."

"You're saying it as if anyone actually believes it."

I responded half-jokingly.

Not just me, many people in the class have part-time work experience, but I've never heard of anyone being punished for it.

"The law does not punish the masses."

"What kind of reason is that?"

Is this person deliberately picking a fight with me? If we were outside, I would have turned my head away and pretended not to hear.

After listening to us, Yuihama thoughtfully swallowed the last piece of cake.

"But... as long as Hiratsuka-sensei agrees, it should be fine, right..."

"Ah...theoretically..."

Yukino suddenly fell silent, then stammered as if a floodgate had been opened: "But... Yuigahama-san, you don't have a reason to go... Even Hiratsuka-sensei... she probably... probably wouldn't agree... right..."

"Also, as our Service Club's advisor, Professor Hiratsuka won't allow any reduction in our fighting strength. So..."

Yukinoshita hurriedly rattled off one reason after another. Yui chuckled and threw herself into Yukinoshita's arms, hugging her tightly.

"Don't worry, Xiaoxue. Of course, the club is number one. I won't hide it from you and go to work."

"That's...that's not how it is..."

Yukinoshita's face flushed bright red. Wow, what's this? You two are so intimate! I can't bear to watch...

Yukinoshita truly cherishes her time in the Service Club. And so do we.

The sweet aroma emanating from the girls' playful laughter overpowered the fragrance of the desserts on the table. This sweet scent gradually filled the air. Watching them frolic, I, sitting on the sofa, was suddenly enveloped by a drowsy feeling—not fatigue, but a comforting, almost intoxicating, lullaby-like sensation.

But falling asleep here wouldn't be good. I downed my coffee in one gulp and patted my cheeks.

○ After careful consideration, Zheben Jiazhi asked.

When I came out, it was completely dark. I hadn't expected to stay out this long when I first went out... I suppose Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were the same. Turning around to look at the café, I found the lights even more enchanting, like a castle from a fairy tale under the deep night sky. The sea breeze blew in gusts, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore was incessant. We strolled slowly down the street, passing by all sorts of people.

Yui stopped in her tracks, lost in thought, and sighed, "Another year... is about to pass."

Yukinoshita gently closed her eyes, then opened them slightly again: "It's about time to clean the house."

"Ah, I'll help too," Yuihama said, hopping along.

"Okay," Xue Zhi said with a smile.

"However, the department room also needs to be cleaned..."

I agreed with their suggestion. Christmas was a complete mess, not to mention Iroha left a ton of random stuff in our department room. It's practically a storage room now…

"Let's clean it when school starts."

"Uh-huh"

Yui looked like she wanted to clean right now, but come to think of it, Yui and I don't think we've ever cleaned the clubroom... Ah, it's always been Yukino who does it? Ah, I'm so... I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...

There's a crossroads ahead.

Yuihama took Yukinoshita's hand and said goodbye, "Bye-bye, Hachiman."

"Well, bye."

Watching the two of them walk slowly down the dimly lit path, I turned around and prepared to head towards the station.

Yuihama suddenly shouted at me:

"Small businesses————"

Huh? I turned my head.

"Happy New Year----"

That's kind of silly. Oh well, I guess I should respond anyway.

See you next year

I said goodbye without much fanfare, just in my usual tone. Is the wind getting colder...? I wrapped my scarf tighter, trying to warm my ears and cheeks a little.

Act Two

There's a saying, I think, that "a separate stomach holds sweets." Having missed the last bus, I decided to buy a bowl of ramen to warm myself up. Although I could walk a few steps to the next stop, I decided against it; missing another bus would be too much of a loss.

Even as the year draws to a close, office workers have no time to rest... This includes white-collar workers coming and going on the street, and bus drivers at the bus stop.

Even though I was sheltered from the wind in the middle of a crowd, my feet were still very cold. I stamped my feet listlessly and looked around at the scenery at the bus stop.

A bicycle bell rang out nearby. Damn, who is that? I looked over with a hint of resentment, only to see a figure waving at me.

"Wow, can't you see me?"

"That's all..."