My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 552

This seemingly simple statement couldn't hide the passion in its tone. A smile played on his lips, yet his eyes held a rather commanding presence.

Everyone was stunned and speechless.

Yang Nai's soft laughter spread through the silence.

"Alright... Say goodbye to Xiaojing and head back. Goodbye."

Yang left those words behind and leisurely strode out. Just before closing the door, she waved to me.

The door closed quietly, and we remained frozen in place until her soft footsteps faded away, neither of us daring to look at each other's faces. Or rather, only I could see my gaze fixed on my feet.

The meeting room, now empty with only three people remaining, felt even more spacious and cold than before.

In the deathly silence, the growing chill and heaviness of the atmosphere, Yukinoshita whispered:

"Um, I'm sorry. My sister... said a lot of strange things."

"She's always been like this. She's used to it."

"That seems to be the case."

Yuihama smiled, and Yukinoshita smiled in response.

"Yes, thank you for your understanding."

The atmosphere gradually eased.

However, Yukinoshita's expression remained melancholy.

"...But I think she's a little serious today. Twenty years have passed, and that feeling is so heavy."

Only someone who has lived with Yukino for so long could develop such feelings. An outsider like me simply cannot imagine it, and feels no sympathy whatsoever.

This matter cannot be easily dismissed. Even I understand this small thing. Therefore, all I can do is remain silent and nod.

But Yuihama chose a different approach.

She took one step at a time, getting closer and closer to Yukinoshita.

"Yukino's year... our year's weight will not be inferior to hers. It's not a matter of time."

The gentle voice made Yukino look up. I was also captivated by her sincere expression.

Yui took a small breath, puffed out her chest with energy, and clenched her fists tightly.

"And this period has been really strange!"

"strangeness……"

I felt my tense shoulders relax instantly, and I couldn't help but let out a strange noise. Yukinoshita was also unsure how to react for a moment, but then she laughed. Thanks to her, I finally managed to smile too.

"Yeah, it's really strange. This club was inexplicable from the start."

I glanced at the snow.

"I think it's mostly your fault."

"Yes, yes, so it was super fun... but there were also sad memories, unpleasant memories, and tough memories, because we were all doing weird things."

Yuihama lowered her gaze. Yukinoshita and I were also affected, looking down together. Our eyes weren't fixed on our feet, but on the path we'd followed so far. We didn't need to put it into words; we could each imagine it ourselves.

There was a time when we looked back on this past year. Back then, we laughed innocently, determined not to touch the core issues, but only to seek out nostalgic memories.

But now, heart-wrenching memories, painful recollections, and mundane thoughts all surface in my mind.

Our soft laughter overlapped.

Yuihama raised her head and looked at us with gentle eyes.

"...However, there were also many more pleasant and joyful things, making it a long and enjoyable time."

"Yes... I'm confident I can say that."

"Um."

Hearing what they said, I nodded slightly, without needing to say it aloud.

This must have been the longest year of my life.

The year is finally coming to an end.

Snow slowly surveyed the meeting room, which contained only the three of us.

"The final work is now complete."

Her murmurs and wandering gaze were not directed at us, but at the food on the long table, the unused paper cups, the dark outside the window, the dim light in the atrium, the special building sinking into the night, and the wall clock with its hands constantly turning.

Soon after, Yukina's gaze slowly shifted back to us.

"...I think if we're going to make a clean break, we should do it now. Because this is the perfect time, and it has nothing to do with what my sister said."

"...I think it's fine to maintain the status quo if things can continue as they are. But if Yukino wants it that way, I have no objection."

Their clear eyes suddenly became moist, and their gazes fell on me, as if waiting for my reply.

However, there's no need to ask at all.

I cannot object.

This event was originally forced to start by Hiratsuka-sensei, who is about to leave this year, and the competition ended with my defeat a while ago.

Therefore, I will not object.

"I--"

That's good, that's right, ending it all is the right thing to do. I understand everything. As they said, this is the ideal state, the correct way, a clean break.

I couldn't say a word.

Only sighs lingered, even making my throat ache. I swallowed the watery sigh, trying to quench my thirst, swallowing the breath and words back into my lungs. To force out words, I pressed hard against the back of my neck. Even so, only sighs escaped my lips.

During this time, they waited for me. In the quiet room, I heard what sounded like the umpteenth heavy sigh, and I gritted my teeth.

Just then, hurried footsteps joined in. As the conference room door opened, we all looked towards the entrance.

"Thank you for your hard work—wait, what's wrong with everyone?"

Iroha, who had returned with the student council members, looked at us in surprise. She probably sensed the unusual atmosphere.

I shook my head slightly.

"Nothing's wrong. Is everything settled?"

"Yes, that's all that's left. Anyway, thank you all for your hard work."

"Really... You've worked hard. I'll be going now."

"Oh dear, this place isn't tidied up yet..."

I ignored Yi Se and quickly left the meeting room.

However, after walking a few steps in the corridor, her pace began to slow down.

It was already dark outside the window, and only the faint light of old fluorescent lamps illuminated the corridor.

There was no light anywhere in front of me. I dragged my heavy legs and walked slowly forward.

The sound of light footsteps approached from behind.

"Hachiman, wait a minute."

An anxious voice called out to me, and my sleeve was gently caught.

I don't want to go back.

But I can't ignore it, nor can I get rid of it.

Only the fingertips that hooked onto my sleeve, preventing me from escaping, tied me here like a lifeline.

I stood there, rooted to the spot. The feeling of having nowhere to go turned into a sigh, and I instinctively looked up at the ceiling.

After exhaling all the air from my lungs, I finally gathered my thoughts and slowly turned my head to the side.

Standing before me was Yukino Yukinoshita. Her beautiful, long hair, darker than the night, was slightly disheveled, which she tidied with her hands. Yukino seemed to have rushed to catch up with me; her breathing was a little rapid.

She clutched her uniform at her chest and said slowly, word by word:

"Um... I want to make something clear to you."

Yukinoshita seemed to be contemplating her words, her gaze shifting uncertainly before finally settling on the glass window of the corridor. I, too, couldn't look directly at her fair, delicate face, and instead looked towards the dimly lit window.

The hallway lights illuminated the glass, reflecting our images. I stared at her reflection in the glass.

"Thank you for your help today... and not just today, you've been helping me all along. I'm sorry for troubling you."

"There's nothing to apologize for. If we're talking about causing trouble, I've caused you more trouble. Let's just consider ourselves even."

I raised one corner of my mouth and smiled at the reflection in the glass. Our eyes met through the glass, and Yukinoshita suddenly smiled.

"That's true, it's really tiring. Well then, let's consider it even."

Her voice carried a hint of teasing, and her lighthearted tone sounded cheerful, but the expression reflected in the glass seemed somewhat unreal. It could also be due to the lighting.

"Thank you so much. I've received so much help from you. But... it's all right now. From now on, I'll try my best to do even better on my own."

The grip on my sleeve tightened slightly, and I reflexively turned towards the snow.

As the car drove past the road in front of the school building, its headlights illuminated the corridor for a fleeting moment. In that instant, as I squinted from the blinding light, I saw her tearful expression.

"so……"

The white light and the engine sound faded into the distance, and the sounds beneath the snow also disappeared. Although I didn't hear what she said afterward, I could roughly understand what she was trying to express.

From the moment I closed the office door a few days ago and let go of the cold handle, I have been reminding myself of this.

I told myself that enough was enough, and it was time to let it end.

"...Yes, I understand. Don't worry."

Actually, I don't understand anything. I only said that to end the conversation.

"Then I'm leaving."

Even though we had already said goodbye, her slender fingertips were still hooked around my sleeve, showing no sign of letting go.

The force wasn't great; a gentle tug would have been enough to break free. But her slender fingers looked too fragile, and I dared not be so rough.

Therefore, I touched it as carefully as possible with my rough fingers, gently pulling it apart as if it were a fragile object.

Perhaps because I hesitated about whether or not to touch her, my fingertips trembled slightly. Or perhaps she trembled when she was touched.

However, our fingers separated before we could confirm the answer.

"goodbye……"

Recalling the coldness of my fingertips, I put my hands in my pockets, turned around, and left without looking back.

However, no matter how much time passed, only one person's footsteps could be heard in the corridor.

× × ×

The lights on the second floor of the main school building, at the entrance used to receive guests, were completely turned off.

Looking from the entrance, the office on the left was still lit, but the light was quite dim, and the entrance was still dark.

By the light filtering through the small window of the reception area, despite the complete darkness around them, a woman could be seen leaning against the glass door. There was no need to guess her identity from her build.

It is Yukino Yukinoshita.

Haruno stared at her phone, probably killing time. The light from the screen illuminated her beautiful face. However, she seemed quite bored, giving off an even more aloof impression than usual.

She seemed to hear my footsteps and glanced over. Because she had her eyes down and was standing in the shadow of the streetlights, I couldn't see her expression clearly, but I vaguely thought she seemed to be smiling.

Yang took a step away from the glass door before I could finally see her face clearly. Her gaze was as cold as ice, with a gloomy smile, and she spoke in a mocking tone.

"...You did manage to escape."

I couldn't help but frown, and almost clicked my tongue. Seeing my serious expression, Yang Nai's smile deepened.

I'm really bad at dealing with this person. I always feel like they can see right through me. So, I tried complaining a bit, at least to put up a fight.

"You said those things on purpose, so call me out here."

Upon hearing my response, Yang shrugged, neither denying nor showing any remorse.

Before leaving the meeting room, she deliberately indicated her destination and gave me a meaningful look. Even the most oblivious person would understand her intention.

I could easily pretend I didn't notice and go straight home. But even then, she would still call me later, or contact me through Hayama and Komachi. In fact, similar situations had happened before, so it's easier for me to take the initiative to reach out to her.