My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 567

"The more I listen, the less I understand..."

"The problem lies in the tangible feeling of spending money. Some people are very resistant to paying in cash, but are very willing to pay online or by card. Right?"

"oh……"

After Yukinoshita's explanation, Isshiki gave an ambiguous response, seemingly unsure whether she understood or not. Tamaki, seizing the opportunity, began gesturing wildly.

"The benefits of CF go beyond that. It's more like an investment, or rather, a sponsorship. Those willing to invest are closer to partners than just customers. In other words, some people might be willing to pay a higher fee than the usual participation fee."

"Right--"

Isshiki made no attempt to hide his lack of interest, responding lazily and casually.

"The problem lies in the returns...beyond the basic qualification to attend the ball, those who contribute more must be offered even greater benefits..."

Yukinoshita rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Orimoto immediately raised his hand.

"I have an idea! How about being chauffeured around in a luxury car? Perfect for showing off in photos! Doesn't it sound amazing?"

"Wow, not bad! It's just like 'Diamonds for a Million Dollars'!"

"It's possible to make arrangements, but there are costs involved, and whether we can recoup those costs is a question."

Yukino gave Isshiki a wry smile as he immediately agreed.

However, women's opinions become important in such situations. No matter how foolish their opinions may seem, they cannot be ignored given that the majority of the ball attendees are women.

"Luxury cars and Prince Charming..."

I muttered as I flipped through the conference materials and found a venue that could combine both of these elements.

"...Parking lot. How about letting the funder use the parking lot for free? The other party just graduated from high school, so many people should be willing to drive here."

"Ah... some boyfriends might pick you up and drop you off in a car."

"There is indeed that demand. In any case, we can't guarantee that all guests will have a parking space, so we might as well charge a higher price."

Chiba is the second largest metropolis after Tokyo (according to personal research), yet many people still prefer to travel by car. Especially in the Kisarazu area, even in the Reiwa era, you can still see many cars with aerodynamic kits, looking as shiny as fishing boats used for squid fishing. Cases of cars being forced to stop even when driving at the maximum speed limit on highways are frequently heard of. This car-centric society is truly uncivilized.

Well, conversely, you could say that people have a strong emotional attachment to cars. This shows that cars represent a social status. People who own nice cars naturally want to show them off on a grand occasion.

Mentioning luxury cars and prince charmings indicates that female customers seek a luxurious and socialite experience that is both photogenic and offers them exclusive privileges.

The men, on the other hand, were all vying for that special feeling, hoping to make themselves more popular with the girls. Good heavens, is this hell?

However, once you know the customer's needs, you'll naturally know what to provide.

"We can also set up a VIP area in the lounge as a way of giving back, which can even create added value at zero cost."

"You'd be really good at being a con artist..."

"Not necessarily. I'm not good at math and I don't understand income and expenditure calculations at all."

To be honest, I wasn't sure if my idea could be considered a form of feedback. After all, when organizing events in the past, I always dumped all the practical work on Yukinoshita. So, I bowed my head and said, "I'll leave the rest to you." Yukinoshita chuckled softly.

"I'll handle this part. In short, let's start by including luxury cars and other glamorous items in the options."

Yukinoshita deftly took notes. Isshiki glanced at the notes and cleared her throat.

"Is that about it for now?"

"...Good. I'm starting to think it's feasible."

Yu Sheng grinned, blowing his bangs back, his face radiating energy and confidence. As expected of Brother Yu Sheng… Since you're so reliable, I'll have to ask you for a few more favors!

"We might need other feedback options, so I'll leave that to you. To be honest, we haven't developed a know-how for crowdfunding yet, and you seem to be very familiar with this area..."

I quickly made my request, and Yu Sheng blinked rapidly before smiling a moment later.

"...Of course, no problem."

He patted his chest, looking ready to take on anything. But seeing you sweating so much, are you really sure you're okay...? Well, now we have no choice but to trust him... He's Yu Sheng, he can definitely do it!

I don't know what methods Yusheng will use. But since he said it's no problem, let's leave it to him. Nowadays, crowdfunding websites accept both credit cards and smartphones, so students are no longer excluded. As long as Yusheng is motivated, I can dump a ton of work on him. At this point, I can't control the methods or the details.

"Then, I'll send you the estimate and preliminary calculations. Could you let me know once you've roughly finalized them?"

"learn--"

Yukino finished organizing the documents and delivered her conclusion. Orimoto responded energetically, and Tamaki nodded repeatedly.

"We will also start work in the next few days."

"Yes, thank you. Your main responsibility is managing the money, so there's no need to worry about manpower. Oh, but at least send someone on the day of the event."

"Okay, I'll find a few people."

The first joint ball budget committee meeting concluded easily with a loss incurred.

After watching the two of them leave, I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

"...In short, we have a rough idea of ​​the budget."

"But that depends on the fundraising going smoothly... What if we don't have enough?"

Yukinoshita raised a question, and Isshiki frowned deeply.

"Well, if it's just a tiny bit of money, the student council could consider covering it..."

"A completely hopeless response... To put it mildly, the worst-case scenario is that I have to pay for it myself. But it depends on the amount."

I frowned as I spoke. Yukinoshita's eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't have any savings, do you?"

"I don't have any, but my parents do. I can borrow money interest-free and live in debt for the rest of my life. I'm capable of that."

"Is that what you call promising...?"

I shrugged at the wry smile on Yukino's face.

Actually, I don't think losing a little money is a big deal. If I accidentally make a profit, it could actually cause trouble. After all, this is just an event organized by high school students, and I want to maintain a non-profit image. Besides, income from dubious sources could attract the tax authorities…

I was already thinking about these things before the ball even started, while Yukinoshita was already typing on her computer.

"I feel bad that you're in debt at such a young age. I'll try to find ways to reduce costs."

"Don't deduct it from my salary, okay?"

"Don't worry. Your salary is already calculated at 0, so there's nothing to deduct."

"What a conscientious company..."

Okay, I knew from the beginning that there wouldn't be any salary, so it doesn't matter... As we were putting on our usual bickering show, Isshiki, sitting next to me, sighed and gave me a "I can't do anything with you guys" look.

"You two have such a good relationship..."

Then, she looked around, cleared her throat, and lowered her voice.

"...May I ask? What is your relationship now?"

When asked that, Yukino and I were instantly stunned. Well, we were bound to be asked that sooner or later anyway. Isshiki saw us arguing just a few days ago, and now they're suddenly organizing an event together; he's probably clueless about it.

She looked coldly at us, who didn't know how to answer.

I had to say something… I glanced at Yukino, only to find that she was also glancing at me. Our eyes conveyed only that we were both at a loss.

"Yes, what kind of relationship...?"

I uttered a meaningless murmur, merely to fill the silence, and Isshiki's gaze grew even more serious. I turned my head away in fear, and Yukinoshita's lips opened and closed, as if she wanted to say something.

"This...this is hard to explain..."

She lowered her flushed face and stammered, "..."

"A partner, a teammate... or something like that..."

"Oh right! Ugh, now that you ask, I can't think of anything right now, but it's probably something like that."

"Yes, yes. I'm not quite sure, but that's probably the feeling."

I did my best to agree with Yukino, and Yukino nodded rapidly in response.

She remained silent, simply staring intently at us. After a short while, she sighed wearily.

"Oh, really? If you think that's fine, then it doesn't matter."

Then, he revealed a malicious smile.

"But I think it's better to figure it out."

Isshiki gave a meaningful smile, stood up from his chair, hummed a song, and prepared to leave the meeting room.

However, she suddenly stopped.

Miura twirled his blond hair with his fingers, clearly annoyed, and walked toward Isshiki.

She walked over to us, sighed deeply, and said:

"Can we go eat?"

"Yes, that's fine."

Yukinoshita answered this unexpected question with a puzzled expression.

Even though she had permission, Miura still stared at me and Yukinoshita for quite a while. Finally, she looked away and gazed at Isshiki.

"Do you want to come along?"

"Huh? Ah... no, I'm a little..."

Perhaps because the invitation was so sudden, Isshiki was momentarily at a loss for words. Normally, she would probably have simply replied, "Huh? I'm not going," but right now, her confusion seemed stronger than her competitive spirit towards Miura. Of course, those two don't get along. Seeing them interact like this suddenly, I'm confused too…

We were all at a loss. Miura didn't say a word, but just glanced at me before turning his gaze back to Isshiki and tilting his head to ask her what she wanted.

Upon seeing this, Isshiki sighed softly.

"...Sure, I'm hungry too."

"Um."

Miura nodded, turned and left, gesturing for Isshiki to follow with his back. Isshiki said "I'm off then" to us before quickening his pace to catch up.

The reason for her attitude couldn't be clearer. She said nothing, asked nothing, but she must have cared. Not just about me, but about all three of us. Miura really is a good person…

Miura led Isshiki towards the conference room door.

Yuihama, Ebina, and Kawasaki were waiting for Miura at the door, along with Zaimokuza and the game club duo discussing their next move. It seems she also invited three bespectacled men. Miura really is a good person…

I couldn't help but watch them leave the meeting room.

After preparations for the joint ball began, I often saw Yukinoshita talking to Yui. I myself never joined them because I was too busy with work. To be honest, I used work as an excuse to put a bunch of things aside.

However, there's always a way.

Once everything is over and the ordinary after-school hours return, there will surely be a solution. A part of me firmly believes this.

I propped my cheek up and stared at the doorway. Just then, Yukinoshita gently patted my upper arm. The light touch tickled me, and combined with her unexpected action, I flinched.

I glanced to the side and saw her with a shy smile.

"...Let's go eat too."

"……OK."

So we also got up and left our seats.

× × ×

With only a few days left until the ball, preparations are progressing smoothly.

Regarding the budget issue that was practically handed over to Yu Sheng and his team, although there might be some losses, they still managed to raise a certain amount of money. Plus, the venue has been secured, so all they need to do now is focus on the work.

That being said, we can only use the venue on the day of the dance and the day before when we need to move things in advance. At other times, we have to find other places to work. As a result, we are still working day and night at the community center.

We were mainly busy with meetings and making props. Fortunately, both schools had gathered a lot of manpower, so it seemed like we could catch up at the last minute.

However, this situation only lasted until recently. In the past few days, people have been intentionally or unintentionally stopping what they are doing.

The biggest reason is the sudden arrival of spring, and the temperature has risen sharply along with the staff's high enthusiasm.

The warmth of the weather can induce drowsiness while doing clerical work at a desk, while manual labor keeps you sweating. No matter what kind of work you're doing, everyone's mood starts to become restless.

In addition, the evil of humanity known as "time limit" constantly ravages our spirit.

After finishing my work, I pulled open the shirt that was stuck to my chest and fanned myself, naturally blurting out a complaint.

"It's so hot... Let's stop here for today and go home."