My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 50

"...However, Komachi is really grateful to her brother."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around my waist, then pressed her face against my back and hugged me tightly.

"Doing this is also to earn points for yourself, right?"

"Tsk, have we been found out?"

However, she didn't let go of my hand. The morning breeze carried a chill, slowly drawing away our body heat. In this comfortable feeling, my sleepiness grew stronger; it seemed I'd probably be late again today. Judging from this feeling, I'd definitely collapse into bed as soon as I got home. Oh well, being late together as siblings once in a while isn't so bad.

"But it's so great to be able to meet you."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

When I heard Komachi say that from the back seat, I looked puzzled. Without looking at me, Komachi continued:

"She's the person who delivers sweets. Since you saw her, you should tell Komachi. Oh dear~ It's a good thing my brother broke his leg, otherwise I wouldn't have met such a cute Yui-neechan. That's so great~"

"Hmm...yes..."

I mechanically lifted my foot and pressed down on the pedal. Since this action required almost no thought, it was naturally devoid of any emotion. Therefore, the moment emotion entered my body, my movement completely crumbled.

My body swayed suddenly, and a sharp pain shot through my calf.

"what!"

"W-what...what happened all of a sudden? This is the first time Komachi has ever seen someone miss a pedal!"

Komachi launched into a series of complaints, but now is not the time to talk about that.

What did she just say? Yuihama is the one who delivers the sweets?

The "person who delivers the sweets" I'm referring to isn't the person who appears every Ghost Festival, and it certainly isn't Mr. Purple Rose (Note 42 is from the manga "Glass Mask," where Masumi Hayami secretly and anonymously sends purple roses to encourage and help the female protagonist, Maya Kitajima). Rather, it's someone I've had a connection with.

I was involved in a traffic accident on my first day of high school.

A girl was walking her dog when it suddenly broke free and ran off. Unfortunately, a luxury car was coming along. I was hit by the car and suffered a broken bone while trying to save the dog, resulting in a three-week hospital stay. This incident also determined my fate of having no friends when school started.

The "person who delivered the sweets" that Komachi mentioned was the dog's owner.

"Brother, what happened?"

Komachi looked at me with a worried expression, and I could only manage a forced smile... Before I knew it, many things came to mind, and I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

"It's nothing, let's go buy some bread first and then go home."

I pressed the pedal again, but incredibly, the pedal spun around once and hit my calf again.

FROM Hiratsuka Shizuka 21:09

TITLE: Hikigaya-kun, good exam preparation!

how is it?

Modern Chinese language education is not just about regular exams and tests; it's about looking towards the future.

University exams can also be used to improve one's comprehension skills.

A good idea.

Keep up the good work!

FROM Hachiman21:12

TITLE Re

Excuse me, may I ask...?

Who are you?

FROM Hiratsuka Shizuka 21:15

TITLE: Sorry, I am Shizuka Hiratsuka.

For you, saying "teacher" might be clearer.

FROM Hachiman21:20

TITLE Re

(／-＼). oO (While writing a letter)

Their personalities are completely different...

Volume 2, Part 5: Hachiman Hikigaya Returns to His Original Path Once Again

The week-long regular exams have all ended, and after a weekend break, it's Monday again. Exam results will all be announced today, and class time will be spent distributing and reviewing exam papers.

After each class, Yui would excitedly run to me to report her grades.

"This introverted guy! My Japanese history knowledge has improved! The book club we held before was definitely effective!"

She sounded very excited, while I remained relatively calm.

"Very good."

"Yeah! It's all thanks to Yukino... and that autistic guy."

Although she said that, I didn't actually do anything.

That being said, if reading a little bit of books were immediately effective, wouldn't that be amazing? Holding book clubs is basically meaningless, so her score was the result of her own hard work.

My grades remained the same: I managed to hold onto third place in Chinese literature, but only got nine points in math. What on earth is a recursive sequence? That name is so cringey.

In addition to returning the exam papers from the regular exams, there was another long-planned activity today: a workplace internship.

After lunch break, the students went to the workplaces they wanted to visit.

We were heading to Haimen-Makuhari Station. This area is a hub of office buildings, with many unexpected corporate headquarters located here. Furthermore, based on events from the past few days, we also learned that this is a commercial district.

The name "Makuhari New Metropolitan Area" is indeed fitting; even if you were to say that Chiba is the capital, it would be perfectly reasonable.

My teammates included Totsuka and Hayama.

That's how it is in name, but...

Actually, when I arrived today, I saw a large group of people surrounding Ye Shan. Are you all his subordinates?

It's alright, I never intended to go with him in the first place anyway. I searched around for Totsuka, hoping to stroll around with him like on a date, but unfortunately, he wasn't exactly innocent either, with several girls clinging to him as well. Looking at his timid appearance, someone who didn't know the situation might think he was being bullied.

The three guys who originally belonged to different groups, as well as Miura, all appeared next to Hayama. I even saw Yui Hama mixed in with them.

If I count randomly, there are about five groups visiting here.

I don't really like being crowded with people. Even when I go out for a stroll during holidays, I often feel like going home because there are too many people outside.

Therefore, I naturally ended up at the very back of this group. It was truly remarkable; if I were a warlord from the Warring States period, I would surely be richly rewarded for volunteering to hold the line.

The location we chose—or rather, Hayama's choice—was an electronics manufacturing company whose name I had heard of before. It wasn't just an office building or research institution; it also had an exhibition hall open to the public. The exhibition hall even had a 360-degree theater, so it could be said to also serve as an entertainment venue.

If Hayama didn't think much about the location when choosing it, then he's just incredibly good at picking spots, possessing a natural, keen intuition. Conversely, if he anticipated a large crowd gathering and chose this place, then his thoughtfulness is equally admirable.

Most importantly, you can have a great time even if you visit this mechanical exhibition alone.

I felt like the boy in that commercial who desperately wanted a small megaphone, pressing my face against the glass to watch the machine make a "buzzing" sound as it worked, getting excited just by watching.

The phrase "We are not machines" represents a form of resistance against being controlled and enslaved. This statement is absolutely true. Because we are not machines, there will always be cogs like me, unrelated to any structure and whose purpose is unknown. If you find this thing in a Mini 4WD car, please contact Tamiya Model directly.

To be precise, machines also have these extra parts, also known as "spare space," such as extra parts in a chain or extra gears. Because of this spare space, machines operate without strain, extending their lifespan. Researchers here tell us that both machines and humans need to leave some space.

However, no one invited me to play together at all. (Note 43: The original text for both "reserved space" and "play" is "游び".)...

I kept a proper distance from that group of people and explored the area on my own.

The men and women in front of me were chatting and laughing happily, but there wasn't a single person behind me; the silence was so profound that my ears started to ache.

However, the silence was immediately broken by loud footsteps.

"Hachiman, you're here too?"

It's rare for Hiratsuka-sensei to take off her white coat. Perhaps it's because wearing white here makes her easily mistaken for an employee.

"Is the teacher making rounds?"

"Well, I guess so."

However, the teacher did not look at the group of students, but focused on observing the machines in front of him.

"Hmm, Japan's technology is indeed top-notch... I should be able to see Gundam appear in my lifetime."

The teacher's heart is still that of a young person. The way she gazed at the steel hull was as if she'd fallen in love. Wait a minute, teacher, please, could you please have a normal relationship? I mean it.

I thought to myself, "Let her stay there and watch by herself..." and took a step forward, but Hiratsuka-sensei seemed to hear my footsteps and walked alongside me at the same pace.

"By the way, Hachiman, about your match..."

The teacher meant a competition between me and Yukinoshita to see who could guide more people through the activities of the service club. The winner could give any order to the loser.

The teacher started the conversation, but then stopped talking, so I urged her to continue with my eyes.

Only then did the teacher decide to speak again.

"Due to too many uncertainties, the current rules are no longer adequate. Therefore, I intend to adjust some of the content."

It sounds just like what a game company would say; basically, it means the teacher's brain capacity is already overloaded and they can't process anything anymore.

"I have no objection."

Anyway, Hiratsuka-sensei himself is the rule, and no matter what I say, things that can be changed will be changed. Besides, who wins and who loses is determined by the teacher's arbitrary decisions and prejudices, and trying to resist will only be a waste of effort.

"Have the details been decided yet?"

"Not yet... there's someone I still don't know how to deal with."

Hiratsuka-sensei scratched his head.

"I can't think of what to do?" Upon hearing this, I immediately thought of Yui. The Service Club originally only had Yukinoshita and me, but this girl joined midway through.

She's practically an outsider. If there's any uncertainty, it's definitely her. She wasn't part of the teacher's original plan, but now she's at the center of our club.

So, will the contestants be me, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama?

"Hmm, it seems the path of mechanics ends here."

What is the path of mechanics?

"I'll let you know once I've decided on the new competition format. Don't worry, I won't do anything to harm you."

"That's what Hiratsuka-sensei said to me with a smile. But sir, that line is always something bad guys say..."

Then, the teacher turned back and walked back to the original mechanical path.

After watching the teacher leave, I moved towards the exit.

It seems I talked with the teacher for a while. Ye Shan and the others had long since disappeared. Only the silent bamboo forest swayed in the early summer breeze, making a rustling sound.

The western sky was painted with color as I stood at the empty entrance and looked around.

Just then, I saw a familiar bun hairstyle. Oh dear, I spotted it!

The girl was sitting on the sidewalk, hugging her knees, engrossed in her phone. For a moment, I hesitated, unsure whether to call out to her. Just as I was wavering, she noticed me first.

"Oh, you autistic guy, you're so slow! Everyone's already left!"

"Oh, sorry, my robot soul was just too excited... By the way, where did they all go?"

"Salia."

High school students in Chiba Prefecture really love Salia. Even though it's a family-run restaurant that originated in Chiba Prefecture, everyone seems to have a special attachment to it. But considering its good food and reasonable prices, it's understandable.

"Aren't you going?"

"Huh? Ah... well, how should I put it... I guess I've been waiting for you. Hmm... it would be a bit pitiful to leave you here..."

For some reason, Yuihama was playing with her fingers in front of her chest, then glanced at me briefly.

I couldn't help but smile at her.

"You're such a nice person."

"Huh! Oh, what... I don't have any!"

Yuihama waved her hands frantically, her cheeks appearing especially red in the setting sun.

I don't understand why she denied it at all, or maybe I just think she's a really nice and gentle person. That's why I'm trying to tell her this properly.

"Actually, you don't need to care about me at all. I rescued your dog by chance; besides, even if I hadn't had that accident, I would probably still be a loner in high school, so you don't need to feel guilty. Hmm... it seems a little strange for me to say this."

It's really strange for me to say something like this. But precisely because it's my own experience, I know it very well. Even if I were to enter school safely that day, I would most likely—no, I definitely wouldn't make any friends.