My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 510

"Hachiman, what brings you here?"

I secretly took a breath, and the wood carrier coughed exaggeratedly, clearing his throat, before plopping down right in front of me.

His usual demeanor actually gave me a sense of healing.

Whew, I feel much calmer now. My breathing is much easier.

"We'll talk after everyone gets here. Here, play with this and see if you can spot the difference."

I took out the children's menu and handed it to the vendor. The cover of the children's menu had seemingly identical pictures on both sides, but there were actually ten different ones. I heard that letting children play with this while waiting for their food would keep them quieter.

"Hmm...this is difficult."

Cai Muzuo took the menu and immediately started looking for differences. It felt so good to just give him a perfunctory answer, so easy… This thought made me smile and casually remark:

"If we're still single when we're seventy, we might as well move into the same nursing home."

"What a novel way to propose! Who knows, I might even be able to buy a bachelor pad. Then we can watch anime and play board games together every day."

The woodworker didn't look at me; he was focused on finding the differences and gave a casual reply.

"Oh my god..."

Yuihama, who was next to us, gasped softly, genuinely startled by us.

My phone vibrated. It was probably someone else I was looking for, Totsuka Saika. When I picked up the phone, he seemed to have already arrived.

"Hachiman."

I don't know if it was because we were in a public place, but he called me in a slightly lower voice than usual.

I looked over there and saw Totsuka walking towards me carrying a tennis racket bag. He was wearing a navy jacket over his usual sportswear for warmth, and a handmade scarf with large pom-poms and loose holes around his neck. His clothes were a little disheveled, and he was panting, probably having rushed over from club activities; his cheeks were red from the cold air outside. This incongruity struck me as novel, and I raised my hand in response, a smile unconsciously appearing on my face.

The next moment, my smile must have twisted into a strange shape.

A familiar black ponytail with a hint of blue swayed behind Totsuka. A black coat, a black plaid scarf, and long legs generously exposed, yet she carried a large shopping bag that clashed terribly with her outfit. Kawa, with a sullen and indifferent expression, merely nodded to me with a slight movement of his neck. I responded with a similar slight movement of my neck.

I immediately whispered to Yuihama next to me.

"Didn't I say I wanted to find someone I could connect with?"

"Didn't you also call over some chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)?"

Yuihama complained softly, but her voice was low and sullen. I couldn't argue with her on that point.

"Um, uh, well, uh, he really can't understand human speech..."

...But, to be honest, I hardly have anyone to talk to.

However, the people I found, Totsuka and Zaimokuza, are obviously easier to talk to than the others. I also know Kawasaki. If it had been someone like Miura, I probably wouldn't have been able to say a word.

Totsuka walked over and sat down next to the woodworking stand. Kawasaki pulled over a nearby chair, sat down, crossed his long legs, and propped his head up on his side.

"Saki and Aya, thank you for coming. Would you like something to eat?"

Yuihama smiled and took out the menu, while Totsuka smiled shyly.

"Ah, well... I'm hungry after just finishing club activities."

"I don't need... a drink will do."

Kawasaki gave a brief reply. She probably needs to go home and cook dinner. I guess she's on her way to pick up her sister, Jinghua, so it's best not to take up too much of her time.

After Totsuka has rested enough, I'll start the conversation... Oh right, only Zaimokuza hasn't been asked if he wants anything to eat? I peeked over and saw that Zaimokuza was still staring at the children's menu.

"Hmm, the remaining seven can't be found..."

I didn't find many at all. There were ten in total.

╳ ╳ ╳

I stared blankly as Totsuka rolled up his pasta and ate it. After he finished eating, we got down to business.

"First of all, I'm sorry to have suddenly called you all out. Thank you all for making this trip."

I bowed my head deeply. It was so embarrassing to express my gratitude so solemnly, and I didn't dare to look the three people in the eye, so I maintained this posture for a while.

A satisfied "oh," a gentle "hmm," a confused sigh, and a happy chuckle reached my ears. I could roughly guess who would react and what kind of reaction; keeping my head down was pointless.

To hide my shyness, I coughed loudly on purpose and spoke seriously.

"I have some regrettable news to share with you all."

"Yes."

Zai Muza sat up straight, unnecessarily, adopting a posture of attentive obedience. Totsuka straightened his back tensely, while Kawasaki remained as lazy as ever, resting his cheek on his hand.

Do you know what a prom is?

"Hmm, I don't know. So I'm going to investigate now."

The guy started searching on his phone. He did his own research before asking anyone; this nerdy guy is pretty capable. If he asked me what Prom was, I'd snap at him, "Go look it up yourself first. Is that machine in front of you just for decoration? You think you can find it with a few clicks?"

He stared at his phone, his expression twisted with disgust, as if he roughly understood what a dance was.

"Oh... just to satisfy the desire for recognition and hedonism of the Light faction, this kind of demonic activity... Most people who appreciate this kind of thing are the kind who, after entering university, will use 'My high school had a dance' as a topic of conversation for club activities, as if they were sunny, outgoing, and fun-loving people in high school, historical revisionists who distort the past..."

Zai Muza slammed the phone down on the table. Totsuka peeked at it and exclaimed, "Oh—". Kawa couldn't even bring himself to say, "Let him see," and kept stealing glances.

"The school is planning a dance...and we've decided to go against the grain."

No sooner had he spoken than the woodcutter slapped his thigh.

"It means anti-dance party!"

"...Hmm, though not quite there, it's not far off."

"Really! It really is an anti-ball!"

Did he find the word "anti-ball" while searching for information about balls...? Ugh, this guy always wants to try out new words as soon as he learns them... Facing a guy spouting nonsense, my voice became very low.

"Um, um...yes, right, that's it, isn't it?"

"Huh! Why?"

Yuihama, standing nearby, widened her eyes. "Your voice is too loud! Louder than both of ours combined! And don't turn around, you'll touch me with all sorts of things! And don't grab my arm and shake me."

She yelled, "What's going on?" and shook me frantically. I looked around. Luckily, the restaurant wasn't crowded, and there were plenty of empty seats; the four-seater next to us was conveniently empty. I need to explain this to Yuihama separately first…

"I'm sorry, could we pause for a moment?"

I'll let Totsuka and the others know first.

"Hmm, approved."

I don't understand what this guy is planning, but since Zaimokuza gave permission, I faced Yuihama, raised my hands to my chest, and pushed her forward. She reluctantly stood up.

I stood up, nodded to Totsuka and Kawasaki to apologize, and waved for Yuihama to go to the next table.

Yuihama watched me sit down with suspicion, then grabbed my shoulder and whispered:

"What do you mean? Aren't we going to have a dance?"

"That's right. That's what I'm planning... but it's hard to bring it up. And with Zaimokuza's attitude... it's a bit troublesome to explain without lowering my morale."

I glanced to the side, where Zaimokuza was talking animatedly to Totsuka, recounting how wicked the ball was. Totsuka subtly echoed with "uh-huh," while Kawasaki completely ignored them, looking in another direction. It was somewhat like a scene from a secluded pub.

Yuihama frowned and whispered a reproachful rebuke:

"Hmm... But, I absolutely can't leave it unexplained."

"I'll tell you later... but if anything unexpected happens, please help me out. Thank you so much."

I gently clasped my hands together and bowed my head, while Yui sighed reluctantly.

"Seriously... I can't do anything with you."

She gave a half-helpless smile and stood up. I also got up and sat back down in my original seat.

Timber looked at us curiously as we returned, perhaps having calmed down after his complaints. Under his gaze, I cleared my throat again.

"Well... I have some regrettable news to share with everyone."

"Please speak."

Zaimu sat up straight again.

"Well... yes, we're against the ball, but not against the ball itself. We want to have a ball."

"What?"

Zaimokuza tilted his head slightly, his expression very serious. Totsuka and Kawasaki reacted similarly. Well, I can't blame them. After all, what I said was really confusing. Just as I was wondering how to explain, Yui quickly filled in the gaps for me:

"Yukino and Iroha are planning a dance, but their parents and the school are telling them to be self-disciplined. We're thinking of other ways."

"……oh."

Kawasaki sounded completely uninterested, but his eyes widened slightly in surprise, perhaps because he had never heard of self-discipline before.

"Yukinoshita and Isshiki's proposal was rejected by the parents once. Even if we propose an amendment, it's very likely to be rejected again. So I'm thinking of drafting a new ball proposal. If there are two versions, maybe we can get them to choose one."

"Does Yukinoshita know about this too?"

Kawasaki's tone was indifferent, but his eyes revealed worry. I gently shook my head.

"No, she doesn't know... or rather, I didn't tell her. Sorry, please don't tell anyone else. If the purpose of this plan is discovered, it will be pointless."

Hearing my answer, Kawasaki looked puzzled. Totsuka, though small, also seemed confused. Only Zaimokuza nodded, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Hmm, double bind... a false premise? A psychological technique that presents multiple options to force the other person to choose one, leaving them with no way to 'not use' the option..."

"Yes, that's a saying."

Since I lack the necessary conditions to guide the parents in making a choice, we are not strictly the same, but our goals are roughly the same.

As Totsuka listened, he nodded, muttering to himself as if organizing his thoughts:

"I see. That's why we opposed the ball."

"...Okay. And then, I'd like everyone to help me come up with plans for the new dance party..."

The rest is too embarrassing to talk about, and I can't bring myself to say it.

While I was speechless, Totsuka sat upright, staring directly at me. He exuded an aura of authority, completely different from his usual gentle demeanor.

"Hachiman, I need to ask first. Otherwise, it'll end up like before, all inexplicably, and I don't like that."

He chuckled slightly at the end, but his tone remained firm. I hadn't expected Totsuka to feel this way, and I was speechless. However, I immediately realized something. I always avoided explaining things to others—no, I always gave up on clarifying things from the very beginning, unilaterally drawing a line in the sand. In his eyes, this behavior must have been very dishonest.

Totsuka took two or three deep breaths, relaxed, and made up his mind to speak:

"Hachiman, what do you intend to do?"

I didn't understand what he meant, so I looked back at him questioningly. Totsuka scratched his cheek, a little perplexed, and added:

"Because you didn't seem to want to hold a dance just now, I'm a little concerned... Also, it's a bit strange not to tell Yukino-san. So I'm wondering if what you really want to do is something else."

"Uh, that's..."

I came up with an answer on the spot and was about to speak when I was interrupted by Totsuka's serious gaze.

"I'm sorry, everyone's here, so it might be inconvenient for you to say this. But we also want to understand Hachiman properly."

I was speechless.

Everyone sitting across from me was looking at me. Some stared straight at me, some glanced at me sideways, and some seemed uneasy, unable to bear the atmosphere.

As I pondered what to say, my gaze wandered, and Yuihama stared at me with concern.

"An autistic man..."

Her hand gently grasped my sleeve under the table. Feeling her warmth, I closed my eyes.

Yes, I understand. This time, I must make things clear.

I had asked them for help before. Although the members were different, the situation was the same. At the time, I hid everything and just used other people's excuses, relying on their kindness.

However, things are different now. Even if I'm pathetic and useless, at least I should speak truthfully.

It doesn't make sense or make sense, and there may not be any truth in what I've said. But at least it's not borrowed or said casually; it's my own words.

"To be honest, the ball itself doesn't matter... Yukinoshita wants to solve the problem on her own, so she doesn't want my help."

I slowly opened my eyes.

"But even so, I still... want the ball over there to go smoothly."

I finally finished speaking and met Totsuka's gaze, who was beaming. Totsuka nodded vigorously. Only then did I finally free myself from the thing that was constricting my chest and let out a deep breath.