My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 560

Therefore, the subsequent procedures remained unchanged. Even the part about calling Yukino Yukinoshita and asking her to leak information about the joint ball was exactly the same.

I didn't say much to Yang Nai, but the loud laughter coming from the receiver still lingers in my ears.

What's the point of doing this?

That's what she asked me.

It's meaningless. The ball itself has no meaning.

So I answered with a half-smile.

—I'm going to show you the real ball... the real thing.

Looking back, it was a really stupid thing to say.

That's probably why Yang Nai laughed at me.

"Idiot. What a complete idiot."

Her chuckles gradually turned into shrill laughter, and without answering whether she agreed to the request, she abruptly hung up the phone.

I tried calling again, but Yang didn't answer. As a result, I still don't know if she agreed to my request.

What will the outcome be, good or bad? Knowing full well that things won't turn out well no matter what, I still choose to step into the thicket where the truth is unknown. Therefore, all I can do is wait. There's no turning back, or rather, there's nothing I can do but take a gamble.

A day or two later, the results were finally revealed.

The person arrived just as I was slowly packing up my things in the classroom after half a day of classes.

"Hikigaya."

Ms. Hiratsuka stood at the door, waving at me with a slightly troubled expression.

When I saw her appear, I knew I had won the first round.

× × ×

The place that Professor Hiratsuka took me to was the reception room, which I had visited a few days ago.

As soon as the door opened, I met the gaze of my mother, Yukinoshita, who was sitting in the seat of honor. She gave me a warm smile.

Up to this point, everything was the same as the previous few days. However, this time there were other people present.

Haruno sat beside Yukino's mother. When she saw me, she waved gently and winked. Although Haruno had teased me on the phone, she had still helped arrange the situation, so I was quite grateful to her.

In addition, Yukinoshita was also sitting on the sofa near the door.

"Hikigaya-kun..."

She had probably already heard what had happened, and a look of unease crossed her face. I nodded silently, responding to her worried gaze.

Meanwhile, I looked around the reception room, scratching my cheek and grinning foolishly.

"Um, may I ask why I was called here...?"

I know the reason best myself, there's no need to ask. But I'll still pretend to be clueless as much as possible. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event for Hachiman Hikigaya.

However, perhaps my acting was too poor, Yukinoshita's mother seemed to have seen through it all, and she simply smiled faintly. In the unsettling silence, Haruno let out a suppressed chuckle.

"...Alright, sit down quickly."

Ms. Hiratsuka sighed deeply, her face stern, and patted my shoulder. It seemed she knew perfectly well I was pretending. Okay, it's alright...

I followed instructions and sat down next to Yukinoshita, while Hiratsuka-sensei sat down next to me.

After we sat down, my mother, still smiling gently, took out her phone from her drawstring bag under the snow directly in front of us.

"...I think I should still ask."

She started the conversation by showing me her phone screen.

The image shows the website for that fake dance party. There's only one difference from before.

The simple website prominently displays the words "Sobu High School Seaside Comprehensive High School District Joint Dance Party, to be held this spring!" in bright colors.

"This is……"

I feigned an even more puzzled expression, pondered in a confused voice, and fell silent.

"This is a proposal I reviewed before. Would you mind explaining it to me?"

The mother, rubbing her temples, sighed wearily beneath the snow.

"The dance a few days ago was well-received by many parents. But now that this kind of event is being held suddenly, shouldn't the person in charge provide an explanation? Why has it escalated to this point?"

The gentle voice clearly betrayed a sense of confusion.

In Yukino's mother's eyes, the joint dance was merely a pawn in making the real goal—the Soubu High School dance—a reality. She immediately saw through this, and on this premise, agreed to my clumsy negotiations, took the initiative to compromise, and even went out of her way to persuade those nagging parents to shut up.

In that instant, the fake ball plan was accomplished.

Now, the decision to hold the event without the person involved's knowledge is completely unexpected. Not only that, she might even feel betrayed.

My mother, standing beneath the snow, gave me a look that bordered on disappointment. I could only carefully choose my words and sincerely explain to her.

"It seems there was a problem... there's probably some issue with communication."

I pretended to be stupid, and Yukinoshita's mother smiled.

"I see. It was just a mistake. In that case, please take down the website immediately and cancel the event..."

"This might be difficult. Now that the news has been made public, cancelling the event would only cause trouble."

I interrupted Yukinoshita's mother, who raised an eyebrow slightly.

"So, what do you think we should do?"

I responded to her question with a carefree smile.

"Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to proceed, right?"

"What are you talking about? Don't talk nonsense."

Before the person opposite could refute, Yukinoshita stopped me. She turned to her mother and continued the conversation in a solemn tone.

"I'm sorry. The decision to hold the ball was based on our own judgment. We are responsible for resolving any problems that arise from it."

Her mother nodded in agreement and urged her to continue.

"This was originally a plan to organize our ball. Logically, it should be our responsibility to handle it. So..."

At this point, Yukinoshita paused, hesitated, and looked away.

"...It has nothing to do with him."

Her mother listened and nodded slowly, as if understanding the meaning behind it.

"Really... What specific measures will you take?"

Her eyes were no longer on me, but turned to Yukina. Her sharp gaze wasn't fixed on her beloved daughter, but on the person in charge of the event.

"We will negotiate with Haibin Comprehensive High School as soon as possible to cancel the dance, issue a public apology, and properly handle the aftermath. If necessary, we will also hold a briefing for parents."

"...I think that's probably true. There's nothing else to do."

"Yes. It's best to deal with the problem as soon as possible."

Yukinoshita's mother expressed her agreement by addressing the ball organizer, not her daughter. Hiratsuka-sensei also nodded in agreement. Yukinoshita, seeing this, looked relieved.

Just as the problem seemed to be solved and the atmosphere relaxed, I smiled.

"But will they agree?"

"What?"

Everyone looked puzzled, but I just smiled and ignored them. How could it end like this?

"Our school organized its own dance, but they said we can't co-organize it with them. That's so unreasonable."

"That's something that just needs to be explained clearly."

My flippant tone made Yukino frown and immediately retort. I countered.

"Do you think Yu Sheng will accept it? Knowing the personality of that group, if you say no without even trying, they will definitely ask everyone to think of a feasible solution together."

"...Perhaps that's true."

Yukinoshita was in a dilemma. Last Christmas, the two schools had co-hosted an event. Through that experience, she should have deeply understood how difficult it was to persuade Tamaki's group. As expected of Tamaki, he possessed overwhelming persuasive power. I decided to borrow his strength and launch an offensive in one fell swoop.

"Moreover, the news has already been released, which means that the other party has informed the parents on behalf of the school."

I made outrageous remarks, acting as if everyone already knew.

However, this was of course a lie; I was just making it up. I didn't even confirm it with Yusheng. Besides, Yusheng wouldn't be that thorough. I'm sure he definitely didn't inform the parents. But I didn't show any certainty, and said with a smile:

"Wouldn't our opposition and arguments over there cause trouble?"

Based on past experience, Yukinoshita's mother tends to avoid arguments or trouble with supporters. Hayama Hayato has also stated that school officials are a major voting bloc for politicians, and they shouldn't want unnecessary conflicts with other schools. If we subtly imply that the stakeholders aren't limited to our school, she won't unilaterally overturn the plan based on a one-sided relationship.

The mother beneath the snow held her fan to her lips, lost in thought for a moment. During this time, she kept her eyes fixed on me, without the slightest relaxation. After a while, she closed the fan, tapped her shoulder, and spoke wearily.

"That simply won't work... Even if they agree to the plan, our problems remain unresolved. Besides, have you forgotten why the ball was opposed?"

Her tone suggested she had seen through my lie. Not only that, she pointed out the most fundamental problem, preventing me from shifting the focus. Clearly, I shouldn't negotiate or argue with this person.

"Too naive."

She added mercilessly, leaving me with nothing but a wry smile. Yukinoshita leaned close to my ear and whispered:

"How could she possibly accept that so easily?"

“…I think so.”

I replied in a voice barely audible. To be honest, I didn't think that level of response would convince her.

I know very well that my opponent is better than me. In that case, I'll take that into account.

"Regarding the concerns of some parents, I believe they will understand this time."

I straightened my hunched back and spoke confidently. My skin felt the attention I was receiving. I accepted everyone's gaze with a slight smile, raising the corners of my mouth.

"If they understand they've tried but still can't manage it, then the students have no choice but to give up. That way, no one will ever say they want to hold a dance again. Isn't that exactly what those parents want? If you're willing to let me handle it, I guarantee I'll fail and show you."

When I made that bold statement, everyone present was stunned.

"No one operates on the premise of failure..."

"Hikigaya..."

Yukinoshita rubbed her temples as if she had a headache, Hiratsuka-sensei sighed deeply, and Haruno tried her best not to laugh.

"I thought you were a smarter child..."

Under the snow, my mother sighed helplessly, her eyes conveying her disappointment in me.

"This doesn't qualify as negotiation at all. You haven't offered a reward that's convincing enough to justify taking the risk."

"You're right. Because I wasn't negotiating with the parents' association, I was just explaining that I wanted to hold this event."

I gave a faint, bitter smile, my tone sincere. My mother, standing beneath the snow, frowned.

"...Is that so? In any case, you're planning to carry out the project."

His sharp gaze and icy voice sent a chill down my spine. Even so, I nodded in response. This was the only way I could convey anything. It wasn't a negotiation; it was merely explaining what had happened, demonstrating resolve, and making empty promises. Both sides understood that this conversation was pointless.

There's no point in negotiating with this person.

I have no more cards to play.

I've already used up my trump card that worked against her. Therefore, I have no way to gain the upper hand in dealing with this person.

However, if you don't have any cards in hand, you can create them yourself. I'm cheating.

The conversation a few days ago should have left me with the impression of a con artist in my mother's mind. She probably sees me as an opponent in negotiations and debates, someone who won't bore her. Although it's just my personal hope, I'm going to take a gamble on that possibility.

If I had become an unavoidable presence for Yukinoshita's mother, she would surely have wondered why I would go to such lengths to stage such a fake show in order to hold this unlikely joint ball.

"I don't understand why you did this."

She held the fan to her lips, rubbed her temples, and pondered deeply. Although this wasn't the time to think about such things, I suddenly found her quite endearing.

From their words and actions, you could tell they were mother and daughter. As I was marveling at this, someone next to me nudged me with their elbow.

I glanced at her sideways and saw Yukinoshita biting her lower lip, her brows furrowed.

"...What are your plans?"

"what?"