My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 561

I feigned ignorance, and Yukino glared at me fiercely. I shifted my gaze from her menacing expression, and saw a smile on Yukino's mother's beautiful, petite face. That innocent and carefree smile was like that of a child playing with a jigsaw puzzle.

"You designed all of this, didn't you?"

"How could that be? It was just a human error."

I shrugged in response, and Yang Nai smiled.

"It must have been a deliberate mistake."

Those present silently agreed with her cold remark. At this point, playing dumb would only backfire. The previous conversation was merely a ploy to bring the opponent to the negotiating table. In other words, the battle was only just beginning.

"Regardless of how things unfolded, holding a joint dance is meaningful for our school. Because at the last dance, it seems some people weren't entirely satisfied... right?"

I raised one corner of my mouth and gave Yang a mocking smile.

Hearing my question, Yang blinked, and a smile immediately appeared on her lips. But she just smiled and didn't answer.

Regardless of the reasons, the only one who explicitly expressed dissatisfaction with the school's dance was Yukino Yukinoshita. Therefore, the only way to turn the situation around was through Yukino.

You've been playing me for a fool all this time. Now that it's all over, isn't it your turn to play along?

I looked at her without any attempt to hide it, and Yukinoshita's mother also glanced at Hinano.

"...Is there anything you're unhappy about?"

"No?"

Yang shrugged lightly, making a playful gesture.

"There's no dissatisfaction. Yukino seems content, and Mom probably thinks it's fine too, right? Since that's the case, there's nothing I can say."

Yang's provocative tone startled Yukinoshita's mother.

Seeing her reaction, Yukino sighed softly.

The mother beneath the snow neither affirmed nor denied, but simply smiled gently.

However, not denying it is tantamount to giving the answer.

Yukinoshita wasn't too shocked, but calmly accepted it. Even without hearing the answer from her mother, she understood it herself.

An unexpected silence descended, like a thick blanket of coal tar. It was precisely in this atmosphere that my voice sounded exceptionally clear.

"I can't accept that either."

The moment I said those words, everyone's eyes were on me.

Yukinoshita's mother squinted her eyes with interest, Haruno smiled as if she wasn't surprised, and Hiratsuka-sensei nodded, silently watching me.

Only Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her gaze. Her mother glanced at her with concern, then looked at me.

"May I ask why?"

"Because, no matter how you look at it, my plan is better, right? So naturally I'm curious about what it would be like if it were actually held."

I answered in a joking manner on purpose.

After a few sighs, an unbearable silence followed.

This silence wasn't just from one angel passing by; it was a vast procession of angels, almost as grand as Professor Zaizen's medical corps. (Note)

Note: The French phrase "angels pass by" means to suddenly fall silent. Goro Zaizen is a character in the anime/manga series *The White Tower*, who is always followed by many people when he makes his rounds.

The teacher on my right gently bumped into me, while the one on my left pinched my thigh in silent protest. I turned around in pain and saw Haruno turn her head away, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Only under the snow directly in front of them, the mother looked serious and lost in thought.

"...So, this was just a personal, impulsive act on your part?"

"You could say that."

I answered with a wry smile, but Yuki's mother tilted her head, looking puzzled. Her gaze seemed to be observing my true intentions.

"However, given the current situation, the chances of success are slim. This should be obvious..."

Her tone clearly conveyed confusion. To Yukinoshita's mother, such doubt was perfectly understandable. But to me or her, it was self-evident.

"...Even if things don't go smoothly, we should still get a proper answer. If we don't make a clean break, it will just keep bottled up inside us."

I gave a helpless smile, and Yang Nai burst out laughing.

"Idiot... to throw a ball just for something like this? You're such a fool."

You don't even need to tell me; even I think I'm so stupid I want to laugh.

"You're right, it's a very personal reason, so I don't mean for you to understand or assist me."

However, this is my only answer.

This is the only answer I gave to Yukino Yukinoshita.

Yang Nai's smile vanished instantly. Her fingers pressed against the corner of her mouth, slowly stroking her delicate lips. Her gaze was devoid of emotion, utterly cold. I felt as if ice water had seeped into my nerves; the hairs on my body stood on end. I forcefully suppressed the chill and said:

"Fortunately, it wasn't officially recognized as a student council activity, so it can be considered a spontaneous event..."

"It's not that simple."

Yang interrupted me. She tapped the table with her finger and continued with a mocking smile:

"We're the ones who shut up the nagging parents by rejecting the child abandonment plan, aren't we? If this plan had been implemented, those people would definitely have come to complain to us."

The mother under the snow nodded in agreement.

In reality, a joint dance party was only risky for the Yukinoshita family, with almost no reward. The same was true when the Soubu High School dance faced opposition; ostensibly, Yukinoshita's mother handled the negotiations. But in reality, she acted as a representative for some of the parents, and more accurately as a mediator. Ignoring the Yukinoshita family's wishes and unilaterally holding a joint dance party would be tantamount to causing them to lose face.

Yang continued in a reproachful tone:

"This has become a problem for our family. Yukino decided on the ball herself and worked hard to make it happen, right? Even Mom acknowledged it..."

I glanced at Yukino, and saw her staring at me with her dim eyes.

"Hachiman, are you going to deny that? Do you understand what interfering in our family's affairs means?"

"and--"

Yukino was about to speak. She was definitely going to say, "It has nothing to do with that."

But I wouldn't let her continue. I interrupted Yukinoshita with an impatient sigh and nodded slightly two or three times.

"I see."

I know it's stupid to say it out loud. I've known it for a long time. I've been asked this question countless times, and its meaning couldn't be clearer.

Therefore, whenever someone asked, I would avoid giving an answer, or evade the topic, sometimes giving vague answers. But Yang wouldn't tolerate ambiguity, and kept pursuing, condemning, and impeaching me.

It is precisely because it is Yukino Yukinoshita that I believe that even now, she will still question me.

I've been waiting for this question.

Honestly. To say something like that in this kind of situation, in front of these people, is absolutely awful. I'm so ashamed I want to punch myself a few times.

However, this is the only hand I can play.

"...If I can bear this responsibility, I intend to take it on as well."

I had mustered my energy, but only managed a weak sound that even I found pathetic. I didn't think my expression was presentable, so I lowered my head slightly. Just then, I heard a soft, smiling breath.

"Oh...you really are an idiot."

Her tone was surprisingly gentle, and I reflexively looked up. Yang Nai's eyes were quite lonely, but a gentle smile played on her lips.

"...When you say something like that, you should act even cooler."

The mother beneath the snow opened her fan, covering her mouth. Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell from her eyes that she was smiling beneath the fan. However, it wasn't a warm gaze. Rather, it was one of interest and curiosity, like a feline seeing a toy mouse.

I twisted my body to escape her gaze. At that moment, Ms. Hiratsuka, who was standing nearby, spoke up for me.

"Since it's a student-initiated activity, it's not appropriate for the school to interfere. We will certainly offer some reminders, but we probably won't provide direct guidance."

"Yes, I think so too."

After listening to Hiratsuka-sensei's opinion, Yukinoshita's mother nodded generously. But her gaze quickly returned to me.

"But even though it's a student-sponsored event, since we already know it will fail, I really find it hard to approve... Do you really think it can be done?"

You'll only know once you try.

I shrugged in response, but my mother, standing in the snow, didn't look away. It seemed she wouldn't give up until I gave her a clear answer.

Based on the current situation, I know better than anyone how far I am from success. Just as I was thinking of how to brush it off and opened my mouth, I heard a soft sigh beside me.

"...There's no point in even trying. Our budget is almost exhausted. Besides, this isn't a student council activity, so we can't use the budget to subsidize it, and there's simply not enough time. Furthermore, the scale of the event has increased, and we have absolutely no control over the discipline issues that parents were worried about before. So it's impossible."

What Yukinoshita said was almost exactly the same conclusion I reached.

Her indifferent face clearly conveyed a sense of giving up. Her mother seemed to agree, nodding slightly and tentatively saying to me:

"That's what she thinks?"

"Well, I don't have that ability."

I answered honestly, and Yukinoshita's mother didn't seem too surprised, nodding and saying, "I thought so too." Her reaction didn't make me very happy, but since it was the truth, there was nothing more to say.

Seeing that I was speechless, my mother looked at me with amusement, as if asking me what to do.

I smiled back, returning that expectant smile with a sly grin.

"...Fortunately, we still have someone who planned the ball. That is, your daughter."

"Huh? What? Wait a minute..."

Yukinoshita slightly rose and grabbed my shoulder, probably not expecting my answer. I raised my hand to stop her and stared at the person directly in front of me.

"Or do you doubt your daughter's abilities? Did the last ball leave you with any concerns?"

My attitude was polite, even bordering on sarcastic. Yukinoshita's mother smiled wryly and said:

No matter how I answer, it probably won't change your conclusion.

Completely correct.

If she has no objections, I can interpret it as agreement; if she raises objections, I can simply tell her to take this opportunity to prove her abilities.

My conclusion has never changed from the beginning. All this talk was just to create this situation. I have no intention of negotiating with Yukinoshita's mother or Yukinoshita Haruno.

The mother beneath the snow seemed to notice as well; she closed her fan and smiled slightly.

"I understand. Since it's a spontaneous activity that doesn't use the student council's budget, the parents' association shouldn't be able to forcefully interfere."

Yang smiled and asked another question.

"A 'parent-teacher meeting,' right? So, from a mother's perspective?"

"What about her identity as a mother..."

The mother beneath the snow looked pained, rubbing her cheek and letting out a heavy sigh.

"If Yukino really wants to learn her father's work, she should choose a more suitable environment and absorb more practical experience. The saying 'everything is experience' sounds nice, but if you know you will fail and still interfere, it will not do Yukino any good."

She spoke eloquently in a cold tone, her shoulders drooping lower and lower beneath the snow. Every word she uttered was pertinent, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"As a mother, I object."

Yukinoshita couldn't possibly have any objections to such a straightforward conclusion. She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

As if to press on, the mother beneath the snow continued:

"So, Yukino, you decide... You're in charge, right?"

Her tone was reproachful. Yukinoshita suddenly looked up, meeting a gaze that seemed to be testing her.

Yukinoshita was at a loss for words, momentarily speechless. But she quickly shook her head, straightening her expression.

"...No need to even think about it. The answer was already decided."

That's right. Yukino Yukinoshita had already decided on her answer and believed that everything was over.

I believe that no matter what others ask, she would give the same answer.

Therefore, I only have one solution.

This is the only trump card we can play.

From the very beginning, I only had one person to negotiate with—

——Yukinoshita Yukino.

"...Under the Snow".