My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 566

"us!"

Even the wooden base was trembling.

The three people's strange behavior puzzled Yukinoshita. Those cold eyes still faintly held traces of their former sharpness.

"This person is terrifying!"

"It really is terrifying..."

"Hachiman, think of something..."

They huddled together and whispered, until finally Timberbeak tugged at my sleeve for help.

"Don't worry, you'll get addicted sooner or later. I'm totally hooked right now. The contrast after you're hooked will make you unable to stop."

"...What is that?"

I thought I was speaking softly enough, but Yukinoshita still glared at me fiercely. I shrugged, ignoring her stare, and asked the three bespectacled people with my eyes, "Right?"

This time, all three of them exclaimed, "That's right!", "I understand!", and "I couldn't agree more." As comrades who had once again inadvertently opened a new door to truth, we high-fived each other in celebration.

However, our joy vanished in the next moment.

A soft knock sounded, and the other party opened the door without waiting for our response.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone!"

The one who appeared so casually could only be Iroha Isshiki. Several student council members followed behind her.

"Isshiki-kun, thank you."

"No, no. I received help from Yukino-senpai before, so it's just a matter of returning the favor."

Yukinoshita smiled gently, and Isshiki also smiled smugly. The vice president and the secretary's sister were probably dragged here; both of them looked melancholy.

The three bespectacled individuals harbored just as much resentment as the others.

"Issue..."

"Iroha..."

"Iroha..."

Isshiki smiled and nodded at the game company and Zaimokuza, then completely ignored them. This reaction was worse than complete ignoring, much like the seemingly invisible yet ultimately unseen mystery novel "The Summer of the Ubume" by Natsuhiko Kyogoku.

The three of them pushed up their glasses again, muttering, "It's addictive," "We seem to be starting to understand," and "There's nothing we can do about it," a new change emerging. Is Sagami's younger brother's sexual fetish really that twisted? Is he okay? Is it his sister's fault?

Just as I was worrying, another door to truth was knocked on. After a polite knock, the door opened a crack, and a pair of prying eyes appeared outside.

"Please come in."

After Yukino answered the door, the door slowly opened, and an angel wearing a sports jacket peeked in.

"Excuse me... Ah, Hachiman. I'm here."

Totsuka smiled brightly, waved, and walked over with small steps. Then he looked around the clubhouse and asked in confusion.

"Is this some kind of party?"

"I found a group of people who wouldn't feel bad about causing trouble."

"Oh, I see..."

Totsuka looked at the group with a gaze that was half fearful and half sympathetic, then suddenly realized something and pointed at himself. I nodded with a wry smile.

"I'm sorry, thank you so much. To be honest, this is a super troublesome matter, but I'd really appreciate it if you could lend me the entire tennis club, including yourself."

"All of them... um, okay."

I bowed my head and begged him. Totsuka smiled somewhat awkwardly, but still patted his chest gently.

What will those three people do...? Just as I was about to turn around, someone rudely pulled open the door.

"Peace—"

The deafening noise was like that of a perpetually unpromoted part-time foreman. Iroha gave him a look that said, "You're so noisy," and clicked her tongue in disbelief. Thumbs up.

However, her attitude immediately changed completely.

"Ah, Hayama-senpai."

"Hi, Iroha. You're here too."

Hayama, who followed Hobu into the room, chatted with Isshiki for a few moments while waving to me. "Why are these people here too..." I wondered, looking at them with a puzzled expression. Hayama, noticing the presence of the game club and Zaimokuza, waved to San-Gazelle.

The three glasses immediately reached their peak, with screams of "Ew! Wait, I can't take it anymore!", "I can't take it anymore, it hurts so much!", and "It's so wonderful, I can't take it anymore!" You guys really like Hayama too much, don't you?

However, their excitement quickly faded. Miura firmly positioned himself next to Hayama, curling his hair while intimidating the others with his sharp gaze.

Several people were startled by her gaze, with Yukinoshita reacting even more strongly. She glanced at me, moved next to me, and asked in a low voice.

"Did you send them?"

"...Huh, isn't that you?"

Yukinoshita shook her head slightly, puzzled.

In that case, the person who brought these guys here is... Just as I was resting my chin on my hand in thought, another person appeared from behind the door that the Ministry of Revenue had forgotten to close.

"Hello hello~"

Ebina greeted everyone cheerfully, her glasses gleaming with an eerie light. Behind her, Kawasaki was hiding. Kawasaki glanced around the clubroom, a rather troubled expression on his face. Yukinoshita spoke up.

"Kawasaki-san, thank you for coming."

"Huh? Hmm. Listening to it briefly should be fine..."

She shifted nervously, slammed the door shut behind her, and slowly moved toward the far corner of the room, but was immediately grabbed firmly by Ebina. She had no choice but to give up resisting and obediently let herself be led to the center.

With so many people, the office became noisy.

However, compared to the usual liveliness, something was missing.

Yukino glanced at the clock.

The agreed time has passed.

She has not yet appeared.

Leaving aside those with club activities, the graduation ceremony is over, and spring break has officially begun. If you need to trouble others afterward, you'll have to use your spring break. It has to be said, this is a rather unreasonable request.

She could have easily refused outright, and given as many reasons as she wanted. I didn't want her to be implicated by my capricious behavior any further. That's how I justified myself.

I glanced at the clock one last time.

"...Let's start discussing this."

I urged her softly, and Yukino nodded. But she didn't speak; instead, she used her warm gaze to persuade me to continue waiting.

A gentle gaze fell on the door.

With a look of certainty in her eyes, she quietly awaited that moment.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds... Finally, amidst the ticking of the hands, the sound of hurried footsteps mingled.

Even through a door, I can still vividly imagine the scene.

A constantly bouncing bun, a large backpack swaying from side to side, and indoor shoes making hurried footsteps.

Ah, it's her. I realized it immediately.

The office door swung open loudly.

"Hi-lo—"

Yui Yuigahama breathed slightly, raised her hand high, and revealed a smile even brighter than usual.

× × ×

With the start of spring break, the joint dance has finally officially entered the preparation stage.

At the same time, Yukinoshita also enters serious mode.

From arranging the venue to cost estimation, adjusting dates, and personnel allocation, she resolved the issues with astonishing speed. The only remaining problem is the budget. We plan to discuss this with the Seaside Comprehensive High School today and arrive at a general direction. The delegation from Soubu High School will be represented by myself, Yukinoshita, and Isshiki, the student council president.

Since we're having a meeting with that group of people, we should naturally go to the community center we're familiar with.

With spring break approaching and the joint dance being a student-organized event, it wasn't convenient to use school facilities. The community center would have to be used temporarily. Yukino had already rented a meeting room at the community center until the day of the dance. This demonstrated her meticulous and thorough approach.

Inside the meeting room, the group led by Zaimokuza and the game club was making props such as signboards for tour guides, while the group centered around Yuihama and Miura was preparing for promotional matters.

It's really difficult to have everyone report every day, so we've arranged a schedule based on everyone's schedule. Furthermore, with the tennis club, soccer club, and the assistance of student council helpers (mainly the head of the student council and the vice president), we have plenty of manpower. Thanks to Totsuka's popularity, Hayama's leadership qualities, and Ichiro's authoritarian approach, this work environment where labor is used freely and without restraint has been able to take shape. We extend our deepest gratitude to the students of this school!

That concludes the section not involving the budget.

The problem was that Yu Sheng was tapping her fingers on the conference guide in front of me, in a cheerful mood.

"Excellent, a fantastic venue. It perfectly matches the original plan, and there's nothing to complain about."

Yu Sheng praised it highly, noting that the words "意" (meaning) and "剔" (to pick) even rhymed. He slid the manual to Zhe Ben next door, who also said, "Oh, not bad!" I and Isshiki nodded in agreement. Seeing their positive reaction, Yukinoshita pressed her advantage.

"However, currently the loan is only available during the first week of April... which happens to be the day of the farewell ceremony. Would it be convenient to book for that day?"

"Of course. Our school's graduation ceremony happens to be on that day, so most graduates should be available, making it easier to attract people to attend."

"Great! It would be troublesome if no one came."

Even the loss-making employee excitedly gave a thumbs up. So, it's time to get down to business...

I cleared my throat and asked the question casually:

"Then it comes down to the budget. Can we count on your budget?"

"Well, even if the two schools split the expenses equally, we'll probably still have to pay a little out of our own pockets. But as long as it's not too extravagant, I think we can afford it."

"Ah—actually, we're a little short on funds here."

"Um?"

Yu Sheng replied in a very calm tone, as if to say he hadn't heard. Yi Se grinned foolishly and poked his finger, deliberately acting cute and trying to fool the other person with his smile.

"Um, it's not convenient for us to touch the student council's budget..."

"Um?"

However, this tactic didn't work on Yukari. He asked again in the same tone as before. Yukinoshita probably sensed something was amiss in the conversation and tilted her head in confusion.

"Didn't Hachiman mention that our event isn't organized by the student council, but rather is a student-initiated activity?"

"Hmm... Hmm? You mean, we can't use your school's budget?"

The three of us nodded simultaneously, answering Yu Sheng's question. There was nothing we could do; since it was something that didn't exist, it couldn't be created no matter what. Yu Sheng responded with a clearly fake smile.

"...We simply can't afford the full amount. Ha, ha ha ha."

"Really? So this part hasn't been concluded yet."

Yukinoshita muttered to herself, pinching my thigh hard under the table. Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! I twisted my body silently. Isshiki also gave me a reproachful look, "Why are you playing by yourself over there..." But she immediately gave me an "Ah, he's never had anyone to play with. I understand" look, nodded as if she understood, and turned her gaze back to Tamaki.

"In that case, let's just charge a participation fee."

"It might be a bit difficult... Once people hear that there's going to be a fee, they might not want to come."

Yu Sheng crossed his fingers, his face showing reluctance. Okay, I understand what he means. From the graduates' perspective, they were clearly the ones being congratulated, so of course they couldn't understand why they had to pay.

However, without charging some money, the feasibility of the dance would be greatly reduced. Therefore, the only option is to get them to change their minds.

"Or, let's switch to crowdfunding. We can invite people who are willing to invest."

Upon hearing this, Yu Sheng immediately looked up and murmured in thought.

"...That makes sense. It might work."

"I think it's a good idea! Even though I don't understand it very well."

Yu Shengyi expressed his agreement, and Zheben casually chimed in. Yi Se frowned in confusion.

"...Is it feasible? In the end, we still have to pay, isn't it the same as the participation fee?"

"No. It feels different."

"Is there a difference in the feeling?"

Isshiki stared at me, as if to say, "What is this guy talking about?" Then, she turned to Yukinoshita and asked, "What is this person saying?"

"What he's trying to say is probably the psychological resistance and the sense of practical benefits."

"Yes, that's one way to explain it. Simply put, the difference between the two is like the difference between using a prepaid card and using a credit card."