My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 564

What I thought I had long since grown accustomed to now feels distant.

I was fidgeting, glancing around restlessly, and our eyes accidentally met. As I struggled to know what to say and how to ease the awkwardness, Yukino suddenly looked away.

After a while, she glanced back again, as if observing my reaction.

...This is bad. Why is it bad? Well, it's really bad. I started experiencing various symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, fever, irregular heartbeat, and shortness of breath, and the system detected abnormal conditions similar to a cold.

What should I do when I have a cold?

The answer is simple.

Even with a cold, you have to work! You can't rest even if you're not feeling well. That's the life of a Japanese corporate slave!

Therefore, I decided to start the conversation with work.

"...Anyway, let's begin the discussion."

"Um."

I took out the printed proposal and slid it to Yukinoshita. But the proposal only went halfway. Yukinoshita sighed, got up, picked it up, and pulled out a chair next to her to sit down.

"...That would be awkward to say."

She looked at the proposal and muttered something.

"Oh, yes. Indeed."

I also moved my chair next to the snow.

The distance between us, separated by a chair, made me even more nervous than before, and my breathing became rapid. With each breath, the scent of shampoo tantalized my nose. I flipped open the cover of the proposal to ignore the fragrance.

"This is the proposal I gave to the other side before. It's basically like this."

In any case, discussing business is always a safe bet. During work hours, there's no need to worry about running out of things to talk about, and it can also ease awkwardness and embarrassment. Yukinoshita nodded and began reading the proposal. Her long, glossy black hair cascaded down, and she smoothed it with her hand, tucking it behind her ear. As she read, the redness around her ears gradually faded.

"That said, this proposal was written very casually."

"What could I do? Time was tight, and I wrote it with all my might."

"Really? You're working that hard."

Yukinoshita murmured happily, humming a tune as she reviewed the notes in red pen. "It's wonderful that you're in such a good mood, but making all these changes while you're in the mood is a bit difficult for me..."

After briefly reviewing the plan, Yukinoshita pressed a red pen against her soft lips and nodded.

"This was originally a discarded piece, so it's very difficult to implement. We simply don't have the budget or the manpower."

"The budget depends on the seaside complex. As for manpower, we'll have to use our students."

"Yes. I wonder if anyone would be willing to help..."

Looking out from under the snow at the empty space between us.

That seat has always belonged to Yuihama.

"...Never mind, I feel bad for troubling her every time. Let's look for other options—"

"No, I'll go talk to her."

Yukino interrupted me, placing her hand on her chest and straightening her uniform tie. Then, she looked down at the empty seat, as if telling herself, and slowly said:

"No problem, leave it to me. Although it's hard to explain, I want to talk to her myself... otherwise, she might be angry that we didn't contact her."

Yukinoshita's tone was tinged with melancholy, but she still treated it as a joke and flashed a confident smile.

"...Okay. Then I'll go look for someone too."

"Yeah, that's troublesome."

Seeing her cheerful tone and smile return, I breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and continued flipping through the proposal. The documents now contained more of the issues she had pointed out.

"Let's tentatively set the staffing at this level, then comes the budget. Hmm... we'll use the seaside complex's budget... Location? Huh, location?"

"Since it's a spontaneous event, it's inconvenient to use the school's facilities. Plus, since it's a joint event between two schools, it's best not to choose facilities belonging to one of them."

"Ah...indeed."

"The budget and manpower depend on the location and content, so it's better to decide on the location first."

"That's true. Even if other things are decided, it's pointless without a venue."

"Okay. Let's pick a few candidate dates and then find a venue that's available."

"The venue... but we've already spoken to them and released the information."

I agreed with Yukinoshita while flipping through the proposal. What she said made a lot of sense. I had also considered the location when designing this project.

At the time, I never thought it might actually happen, so I just made up some exaggerated scenes like "empty waterfront" or "sunset beach".

"This guy already wrote it was a beach activity..."

"Didn't you write it?"

Yukinoshita muttered a helpless complaint, which made my head ache. I sighed deeply. Who on earth came up with this project? Did they have a death wish? Why don't they consider the person responsible for executing it...?

"I don't know if it's possible to use the beach or seaside."

I looked up abruptly and saw that Yukinoshita had already taken out the club's laptop, put on her glasses, and started looking up information. She typed smoothly on the keyboard with her slender, long fingers, and soon got the results.

"Some places do seem to be able to hold events, but they require permission from the local government. In fact, it would be difficult to hold an event without their involvement as organizer or sponsor. Fire is also prohibited, and whether or not a permit can be obtained seems to depend on the specific case."

Yukino turned the laptop around, and I stared at the screen, tilting my head to think.

"Oh right, the seaside park has a barbecue area... so if we get a permit to use the park, we might be able to use fire."

I reached out and started typing on the keyboard.

"Ah, this, this."

I opened the website for the seaside park next to the school, opened the park map, and tilted my head to look at the screen.

"Parks are public facilities, so the fees are relatively low... and there's plenty of shade, so turning them into garden parties might not be impossible."

Yukinoshita seemed to have a brilliant idea; her eyes lit up. Her expression was so dazzling, and she was so close to me, that I couldn't help but lean back. She seemed to notice this too, quickly stepping back, then taking off her glasses and adding in a low voice:

"...but we still need to go to the site to confirm."

"Oh, um..."

I nodded and began to think.

Yes, that's true. Even after listing the locations, we still need to actually check them to see if they're usable, so we have to go and inspect them. However, Yukino doesn't yet understand the details of the project, and I have no concept of the specific figures, so I can't assess its feasibility. In that case, it would be more efficient for the two of us to inspect together. Since it's work, efficiency is paramount.

Very good. My theory is flawless.

"...Well, should we go take a look...it's nearby anyway, and we have a day off tomorrow."

However, the perfect theory begins to crumble as soon as it is put into words.

"That's true...tomorrow..."

I stammered as I invited her, and Yukinoshita stammered in response, nodding. I couldn't tell if that gesture meant affirmation or just a simple agreement, but I nodded anyway. This strange moment lasted for a while.

× × ×

The weather was sunny and clear on the holiday, and the seaside park was crowded with people.

It was hard to tell whether it was a football team or a futsal team; they were frequently entering and exiting the neatly trimmed lawn. There was also a dog show near the parking lot, and many vehicles were coming and going. After finally entering the park, all I saw were families with children and joggers walking around as if they owned the place.

The citizens are singing praises of spring, as if not enjoying the public facilities would be a disservice to their shockingly high resident taxes. Yes, the taxes really are high.

A string of kites flies above a place higher than the tax rate. Okay, actually, it's not as high as the tax rate.

I watched the kite soar high into the cloudless blue sky, sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, sipped MAX coffee, and spent a blissful time.

As for the snow beside them, under the refreshing breeze that brushed against the treetops, it looked exhausted, having endured a hellish time.

She wore a girlish blue knit sweater and a white dress, paired with a wicker bag and a beret, giving her the air of a young lady from a wealthy family. However, seeing her drooping shoulders and curled-up body, it seemed that a frail and weak constitution should also be added to the picture.

"I bought an extra can of coffee. Want some?"

"Thanks……"

I placed the coffee into Yukinoshita's weakly outstretched hand. She held the can with both hands and took a sip. After consuming water and sugar, she finally perked up.

"I didn't expect the park to be so crowded on a holiday... To be honest, I underestimated it. And it's huge. Really huge."

"You're so tired you can barely speak..."

She sighed deeply under the snow, took off her hat, untied one of her two braids, held the hair tie in her mouth, carefully combed her hair with her hands, retied it, and finally checked it in the mirror. That image filled me with a sense of nostalgia.

I'd been thinking about it for a while now; it's rare for Yukino to wear a hat, and her hairstyle was different too. Now I realize, it was the twin tails she wore when she went out with Komachi before.

"I haven't seen this hairstyle in a long time."

"Really... because I didn't tie my hair like this when I was in school."

Yukino put down the hat she was about to put back on, and touched her hair as if she was thinking about something.

"Oh... so it's a holiday exclusive. That makes sense, since it takes quite a bit of time."

I have no experience in this area, so I'm not sure. However, maintaining the balance of two ponytails seems quite difficult.

At my level, I always wear a sports jacket on weekends. If Komachi can't see me, I might even wear just a T-shirt and underwear. I sincerely admire my ability to change my outfit depending on my mood.

I stared intently at Yukino, who covered her mouth with her hat and whispered:

"...Even on holidays, I don't usually tie my hair up like this."

Huh? What's wrong with this guy...?

This is just too cute, it startled me. Wait, she's really cute. Ugh, what's wrong with her? She's so adorable. Even though she's difficult to deal with, that's part of her charm... No, wait, maybe that's what makes her so cute? Oh well, cute is good enough (gives up thinking).

"A familiar hairstyle can give you a sense of security, which is great, but different hairstyles are also nice. Yeah, really great..."

I abandoned all critical thinking and vocabulary, like a nerdy guy who'd seen through everything, constantly muttering "Awesome..." Yukinoshita lowered her hat brim and turned her head away, as if she didn't like me doing this. Hmm, that reaction is awesome too...

"After looking around, it seems that we can't build an aluminum frame stage because we can't damage the lawn."

Looking out over the snow towards the lawn, where you can rent out the space with a prior application, I followed suit, and my previously forgotten thoughts and vocabulary instantly returned.

"We also need to consider the sound system and electricity. It would be great if there was a place to get electricity. But I think we'll probably have to rent a generator... and the weather is even more important."

I really wish there was a 100% perfect weather girl. Unfortunately, such a weather girl (note) is not easy to find.

Note: From the movie "Weathering With You". The female protagonist has the ability to make the weather clear up.

"Setting up a tent is one option, but it would likely affect the number of visitors. Besides, the road conditions are poor, and it would be difficult to walk such a long distance in formal attire."

Her long, slender legs swayed beneath the snow, her thick-soled sandals making a clattering sound. I tried my best to only steal glances from the side, avoiding staring directly at her fair calves, while nodding as if I understood.

"Yes...it's also difficult to plan the flow of movement."

Based on this, the park is not suitable as a venue, and other solutions must be considered.

I quickly got up from the bench, brushed the dust off my pants, and looked toward where the sand was coming from.

"Let's go to the beach and take a look."

"Hmm, for now."

Yukinoshita also stood up and took a step.

Beyond the lush green lawn lies the beach.

The beach is not yet open, so there are no swimmers to be seen, but some people are still playing in the water on the shore.

The endless white sand beach shimmered under the clear blue sky. Although the sea breeze still carried a slight chill, it felt comfortably cool as the temperature rose.

This kind of weather is perfect for a stroll along the beach. There's also a gazebo nearby, which would make a nice venue for a dance party. However, according to the usage guidelines on the signboard, it might be a bit difficult. But at least you can walk around here for a stroll after the event.

I looked at the distant horizon and stretched.

"Long live the sea of ​​Chiba..."

"This is Tokyo Bay..."

After the snow mercilessly doused me with cold water, she stopped in her tracks. She pressed down her hat, which seemed ready to be blown away by the wind at any moment, and turned to look at me.

"You really like Chiba... Will you stay here forever?"

"If I don't get kicked out, I plan to choose a university that I can commute to from home."

"You do apply to almost all schools in the capital."

"How did you know where I'm going to take the exam? That's terrifying..."

I haven't even decided which school to apply to yet, so why does she act like it's a given...? In response to my blunt question, Yukinoshita said unhappily: