My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 503

What are you planning to do?

Yukinoshita stared at my face, her eyes seeming to be testing me.

"...Still in the thinking stage, nothing much to say."

"Thinking phase, huh... You've already filled the entire whiteboard with your writing, how can you even say something like that?" Isshiki probably had the same thought, glancing at Yukinoshita.

I imagined what was on the whiteboard, and it's likely that the general direction had already been decided, but she didn't want me to know, so she chose to be vague.

She deliberately moved the whiteboard where I couldn't see it. I can't press her for answers.

In that case, the best approach is to attack from the weakest point. Continuing to talk to Yukinoshita would obviously lead nowhere. I turned to Isshiki for advice.

"Is there anything I need to do?"

"...I haven't thought of anything yet."

Isshiki's gaze drifted to the upper left, and he didn't look at Yuki when he answered. I couldn't tell if he was bluffing me.

However, since the other student council members were not present and the atmosphere was somewhat relaxed, it was safe to assume that nothing important was happening.

"Conversely, it means we can't take action yet..."

"Of course. We were only asked to be self-disciplined today."

Yukino calmly responded to my monologue. She had just received the notification, yet she didn't seem particularly anxious. Perhaps it was because she understood the meaning of "self-discipline" and was somewhat relaxed.

The school's self-discipline requirements. My and Yukinoshita's views on this should theoretically be the same. Shared topics are the perfect spice to liven up the conversation. Let's use this as a starting point to expand the topic.

I shifted my gaze back to Yukinoshita.

"But you just said you're formulating countermeasures, that's true. They just want us to be self-disciplined, and if you really want to, we can just ignore it."

The school used the term "self-discipline." More specifically, it was Professor Hiratsuka's way of making concessions. By using this term, the subject is oneself, implying "making decisions based on one's own judgment." In other words, it subtly suggests that the decision to cancel the dance was not mandatory.

Yukinoshita and her group seem to be trying to take advantage of the school's failure to clarify this point, deliberately misunderstanding the school's intentions, and actively complicating the situation. She plans to handle the matter with the attitude that "you are just asking us to be self-disciplined, but the final decision is still in our hands."

Yukinoshita understood what I meant, and smiled wryly as she spoke.

"I'd like to try to avoid doing that."

"Using the word 'self-discipline' in reverse is acceptable. However, simply implying that you might take harsh measures won't get the other party to agree."

"I know. I will discuss this with everyone based on that premise."

Yukino answered without even raising an eyebrow.

The ball will certainly not be forced to take place. This forceful action is merely a one-time self-destructive move. If they want to continue holding the ball next year or later, they cannot act rashly.

Their goal was to reveal their intention to force the ball, create a tense atmosphere, and force the other party to back down.

We're going to hold a dance without school supervision! We're going to hold a dance where you can't control us! It'll get worse than you think! Is that okay? -- Using this as a threat.

Although it's impossible to actually do that, it's probably just a matter of negotiating with the school like this.

It's very reckless, but there's still room for negotiation.

The question is what to use as leverage.

I stood up and walked towards the whiteboard by the wall. Yukino sighed softly, but didn't stop me.

I pulled the whiteboard over and flipped it over.

I only caught a glimpse of it just now, and sure enough, it contained the countermeasures for the future and the route for the new ball. It was probably Yukinoshita and the others who came up with it.

The discussion seemed quite heated, with the entire whiteboard covered in their written debate. The different handwriting mixed together likely represented the opinions of Yukinoshita and Isshiki respectively. The sentences ending with numerous question marks, neatly arranged in a row, were probably written by Yukinoshita; the cursive handwriting, scribbled everywhere and heavily using exclamation marks, was presumably Isshiki's.

Judging from the order in which the text was written, it seems that the two people each put forward their opinions, and then the other person refuted them, trying to come up with a better solution.

"Did you come up with this together?"

"It's more accurate to say that I refuted Yukino-senpai's proposed solution, and Yukino-senpai pointed out where my solution was unworkable..."

"Yes, that's quite constructive."

The best way to deal with a stalemate is to propose two solutions, regardless of the circumstances. At least one should be chosen, or a compromise should be offered. Simply opposing without any strategy will not lead to any progress.

Establishing a confrontational structure is essential for progress on an issue. Simply discussing whether something is feasible will only lead to vague conclusions like, "It's not impossible, but it doesn't seem feasible."

So, what conclusions did they reach in their meeting? I looked at the whiteboard... Hmm—what were the conclusions? It was covered in dense notes, but it contained the kind of notes that only the person borrowing them could understand, which is common when borrowing notes from others.

"...So, the conclusion is?"

"Uh... circled in red pen."

As Isshiki had suggested, I looked over and saw that the part that seemed to be the conclusion was indeed marked with several red circles. I looked at them one by one.

Beautiful, complete, dress code requirements, established standards, official, upload prohibited, OK!

Finished.

"Hmm...I think I understand...no, I don't understand..."

Huh—what's this? A riddle? I think I understand it, but I don't... So what does it mean? [Note 7: A line from Naruto Uzumaki in the manga "Naruto"] I turned around and asked for an explanation.

Yukino ran her fingers over the rim of the paper cup, her gaze falling on the rippling water, and sighed softly.

"You arrived before we were even finished tidying up."

"I see... Well then... I'm so sorry."

Yukinoshita, without blaming me, simply stated the facts, making me stammer a little. Indeed, when I entered the student council office, Yukinoshita was standing in front of the whiteboard. She was probably doing the final compilation. I apologized for accidentally disturbing her, and Yukinoshita gently shook her head, telling me not to mind.

"So, what does it mean exactly? I don't understand at all."

I cleared my throat to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere and then asked clearly this time.

Then it was Yukino's turn to answer, and she couldn't answer, looking a little embarrassed.

"...Didn't I say it was still in the thinking stage?"

After saying that, she looked away and fell silent. Well, Yukinoshita, wanting to avoid my involvement, naturally wouldn't explain it in detail for me.

Since that's the case, come on, one, two, three—Iroha, my sister? I glanced at Isshiki, who was giving me a super annoyed look.

"Huh... to put it simply, it's like setting a baseline for clothing requirements? Right?"

Isshiki looked at Yukinoshita, who, perhaps unable to bear it any longer, reluctantly spoke up.

"I plan to limit overly glamorous and revealing clothing. We'll discuss this with the clothing rental company we've partnered with beforehand and create a clothing catalog."

"Oh……"

I see. She wanted to first establish certain standards for clothing to ensure that students wouldn't dress inappropriately. Since most students would likely rent clothes, they would naturally follow the standards set by the student council. However, not everyone would necessarily listen.

"What about those who bring their own clothes?"

I asked her a question, and she smoothly answered by drawing a circle with her index finger.

"Everyone else chose more understated dresses, so those people will probably try to keep their distance to avoid standing out from the group."

"Oh, peer pressure."

"That's a terrible way to put it..."

Isshiki looked utterly helpless and gave me a disdainful look. Ah, that's basically what she meant...

That being said, not everyone is observant of the atmosphere. Logically, every era has its share of Popteen Pichi Lemon girls with their "I'm debuting as the truly unique me! I'm going to stand out from the crowd with my super-popular, sexy outfits! This week's prom dress style!" [Note 8: Both *Popteen* and *Pichi Lemon* are women's magazines; the "scarlet letter" style magazines emphasize a sweet, ladylike style]. Those who want to have a prom every day really have brains as small as lemons.

"There are also those who dress extravagantly to attract attention, after all, the ball is such an important event."

"Yes. I also have a solution for this."

Yukino answered my question concisely, but refused to elaborate. However, if I considered the remaining clues, the answer would naturally come to me.

"...Is it prohibited to upload to social media? Will anyone comply?"

I patted the text below the whiteboard. These few words were a bit smaller than the others, I don't know if it was because there wasn't enough space or because I wasn't sure.

He sighed melancholically beneath the snow.

"I think it will be difficult, but it should serve as a reminder."

"If you don't follow the rules, you should take responsibility for whatever happens. We're all adults here."

On the other hand, Isshiki casually remarked with a smug grin. "The age of 'adulthood' will be lowered in the future; eighteen will definitely be considered an adult... but, I'm sure some people will complain." Yukinoshita added while I was pondering:

"I know that simply banning them won't get their understanding. So as compensation, I will hire professional official photographers and then sell the photos and files."

"Opportunities to have an expert take photos for you don't come around often. I think this is a great extra service."

"Oh—is that so…?"

For some reason, Yise puffed out her chest with a smug look, which suggests that girls have a need to have their pictures taken by photographers to look beautiful and cute.

Hiring a photographer and selling the photos isn't difficult to execute. Nowadays, there seem to be cases where parents are prohibited from taking photos at school events like sports meets, and the photos have to be purchased from the school—it's something similar, to put it simply.

People born in the Showa era seem to have had the experience of having a photographer accompany them on school field trips, with the school selling the photos. Maybe parents would even accept it. I've heard of people who, wanting a photo of a girl they liked, wrote her number on the purchase form, only to be caught by other classmates, who said, "That photo didn't even include you," and then the story spread throughout the class, leading to ridicule and being dumped the next day before they even confessed. Those who have had this experience probably understand us, without needing further explanation about selling photos. We certainly don't need the experience of being dumped.

In any case, draft the rules on the surface, and finally invoke the theory of personal responsibility. If anyone complains, show off the benefits to divert their attention. This plan, devised by a capable airhead and a cunning scoundrel, might just work.

Regardless of whether the students accept it or not, it can probably be used as an excuse for the parents.

Both of these approaches are reasonable. At least in terms of addressing the specific issues that parents are unhappy with, they seem to be effective.

"I see... Not bad."

"Thanks."

I stared intently at the whiteboard and exclaimed in admiration. Yukinoshita gave a brief reply.

I'm serious, even though it's just a summary, it's amazing that they were able to come up with it in such a short time.

However, it's not without its flaws.

What are the chances of winning?

I tapped the whiteboard, and Ishiki immediately fell silent with a soft "Hmm," his face showing displeasure. However, Yukinoshita didn't even raise an eyebrow, calmly saying:

"It's alright. They've considered the other party's requirements and have a roadmap for executing the plan. I think the chances are definitely not low."

"Really? Accepting all their demands would certainly get us through... under normal circumstances."

Unfortunately, I knew things weren't that simple.

This is not a normal situation.

The other party is desperately nitpicking, hoping to ruin the ball. Their demands aren't about holding the ball or making it better. No matter how much we concede, the plan itself might not even get approved. We're still one step away from resolving this issue.

This step is Yukinoshita and her group's weakness.

Conversely, this is where my room for intervention lies.

Up until now, I've been observing Yukino's attitude, waiting for the right moment to speak. Now's the time to speak. I gave Isshiki a wink; she noticed and nodded slightly.

"Yukinoshita, could I borrow a moment?"

Yukino looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"...Ah, I'll be right back."

Isshiki pretended to be perceptive and got up to leave. Yukinoshita stopped her.

"Wait. Are you going to talk about the dance? Then it would be best if Isshiki-san was there too."

"Ah...is that so?"

She spoke incoherently, glancing at me sideways. I nodded in agreement. Isshiki, looking uneasy, slumped back into her chair, dejected.

I know Yukino doesn't want me to get involved. This face-to-face conversation is probably something she wanted to avoid. Therefore, I can understand her desire to use Isshiki as a barrier. She's also probably considering that with other people present, it would be difficult for me to speak.

Since that's the case, all I need to do is be prepared.

"...Can I help out at the ball?"

I said bluntly that Yukinoshita was probably startled, her eyes widening. Then she lowered her gaze and opened her mouth as if to say something.

I immediately interrupted her. If I simply waited for her reply, she would surely say the same thing as before. To prevent her from doing so, I rattled off the reasons that came to mind.

"Your idea is indeed good, but it's not reliable. So you should prepare other plans. Since I've rejected your approach, I will also consider other options."

As I spoke, I knew that this wasn't what I originally intended to convey. But if I didn't say something, I wouldn't be able to breathe.

"It's gotten to this point. I won't do anything special, I'll just follow your orders and act accordingly. Just think of me as a wall for giving feedback. I'm no different from the other commanders, am I? It's been like this quite often before. There's no difference."

Yukinoshita gently bit her lower lip, listening silently to me. My gaze, looking down, fell on her hand; I couldn't tell if she was angry or sad, as if she was trying hard to control her emotions.

"...Yes, it will definitely be the same as before."