My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 584

"...What exactly happened?"

Yukino tilted her head.

"Ah, ah, ah..."

This is the second round of the entrance exam. Some questions arose in the first round—the boy with glasses answered quietly.

"Hachigaya is a problem child in general, but this situation is a bit unusual."

"Ah, ah, ah!"

Perhaps he has his merits, but this time, his methods were a bit too close to being illegal... The client spoke up for Hachiman in a low voice.

Yukino looked at the bespectacled boy in surprise. Why was this guy whispering to me like that? I didn't intend to talk to anyone other than Hachiman.

"Ouch!"

At that moment, Hachiman cried out in alarm.

This move was probably the key to victory. In the instant he forcefully placed the piece on the board, he accidentally used too much force, causing his opponent's piece to fly away and fall to the ground along with Komadai.

"Sorry, sorry."

Hachiman apologized verbally, but didn't actually pick up the chess pieces.

"It's your turn."

He casually pressed the chess clock, and even Yukino could see that the board was a mess and not a place where one could play chess.

The match has entered its final stages. The opponent's remaining time is dwindling second by second.

A cacophony of chatter filled the air; it was easy to sense that the faces of the surrounding shogi club members had turned pale with anger. The intensity of their murderous intent had increased another notch.

"...Ah, ah, ah!"

"That's it, that's the method..." the bespectacled boy said, head down.

He also used this dirty trick to wear down his opponent's time in the first game and won.

Some members complained that this violated etiquette, or that helping to pick up chess pieces was wrong. He replied, "You guys who help the players are the ones who break the rule that you can't give advice and get eliminated in a second." He even used the rules to his advantage, and said smugly, "A win is a win."

"oh."

Yukino crossed her arms.

No wonder the atmosphere is so bad.

That's just like him. He's a rare genius when it comes to deciphering hidden meanings. He'll probably declare frankly that the problem lies with the shogi club that didn't carefully draft the rules.

Sacrifice all the goodwill others have for you.

But since nobody likes you anyway, this opportunity to attack is practically free, which seems like a pretty good deal. Hachiman, that's a great idea!

"Okay, okay, okay... It's alright, everyone, don't mind."

Yuihama (tentative name) put on a flattering smile to appease her murderous companion.

He said, "It's okay, it's okay," and quickly bent down to pick up the chess pieces that had fallen to the ground.

The chess pieces that had fallen at Hachiman's feet took quite a bit of effort to collect because he wouldn't budge an inch.

"Haha, then it's my turn..."

Yuihama (tentative name) didn't complain at all, she just smiled bitterly.

For Yuihama (tentative name), who has mastered the skill of reading people's expressions, managing the situation is more important than winning or losing.

Despite being completely unable to concentrate, he hurriedly rearranged the pieces, placing the ones that had been put back on Komadai in their proper positions.

next moment--

"Okay, I won."

Hachiman said.

“…Huh?”

Yuihama (tentative name) paused for a moment, then asked timidly.

Hachiman pointed to the chess piece he had just placed on the board.

"Look at the numbers. That's the fifth carriage. You fouled."

“—Huh?”

Yuihama (tentative name) says the same word in different tones, her eyes wide.

Yukinoshita also curled her fingers to count. One in the corner, one on top, two over Hachiman's side, and the one she just played. Oh, I see, there are indeed five. Is it true that in shogi, you lose if you get five of a kind? It seems the rules are a bit different from playing cards.

"W-How could this be... Ah, ahh, what just happened?!"

Yuihama (tentative name) seems to have discovered something, pointing to Hachiman's feet.

"I knew it! How could it have fallen in a place like that! Could this be a chess piece you brought in?! You deliberately dropped the pieces, mixing them together so I couldn't spot them...!"

"I have no idea."

Hachiman shrugged.

"Ah, ah, ah!"

The members roared in anger, and the boy with glasses said in a low voice.

That's a tactic you'd definitely see at shogi dojos in the past—the older men secretly taking pieces from the board next to them... making their opponents do it without their knowledge, inducing them to commit a foul? If this happened in an outside competition, it would definitely cause problems; how could they come up with such a terrifying strategy...?

However, Yukino still couldn't quite understand what he was saying.

There are indeed people who suddenly become very talkative when the topic turns to areas they're interested in. This person must really enjoy shogi.

The entrance exams continue.

The members of the shogi club debated whether to accept the result of the previous match. Yuihama (tentative name) said with a wry smile, "A foul is a foul..." and they reluctantly accepted it.

more importantly--

"Hahahaha! My comrades got taken down... But those two were the weakest of the five shogi masters... To lose to such trash, they've completely disgraced the shogi club members!"

The third opponent was very motivated.

When Hachiman watched the video, he said he was a "material base" type (tentative name), but Yukino still couldn't tell the difference. But she felt that he had that vibe.

"Hoo hoo hoo... Manipulator of forbidden pieces, if you think I'm like those two before, you're sorely mistaken. Your despicable schemes won't work on me, the leader of the Five Tiger Generals—General Zhenxue!"

The wooden base (tentative name) is made into a cross shape with fingers-covered gloves, and people laugh heartily.

"...Ah, ah, ah..."

The boy with glasses said that, in fact, given their skill level, they shouldn't have miscalculated how many pieces they had.

Unless he's like the opponent from before, completely unable to concentrate... But this opponent, although a bit noisy, has the highest concentration in the entire club when playing chess.

As expected, the competition seems to be proceeding at the pace of the timber stand (tentative).

Hachiman stared intently at the chessboard, deep in thought. Even though it was his turn, his hand remained motionless. It seemed he lacked the energy to move any pieces.

"Seeing my Flying Horn Dual Sword Style, are you scared yet?! No matter how troubled you are, you can't break through my Four-Hole Bear Vajra Castle, which is as solid as an impregnable fortress! Hahahaha!"

Timber Stand (tentative name) is already cheering for victory. Timber Stand (tentative name) is noisy no matter the world.

Yukino stared at Hachiman's profile. She didn't know shogi; was Hachiman really at a disadvantage? Seeing him constantly scratching his head and deep in thought, he didn't seem like the usual Hachiman. So unnatural, so boring—

……wrong?

Because it looked so unnatural, Yukino tilted her head.

Upon closer inspection, Hachiman's lips curled into a slight smile. No one else noticed, but Yukino could. No, saying it like that makes it sound like there's some special bond between them—how embarrassing. Hachiman-kun always seeks true understanding from me like this; it's so frustrating.

"Down, down! What's wrong? What's wrong? Is this all the power you have?!"

The wood base (tentative name) completely missed this small detail and kept laughing happily.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he looked at the chess clock.

"Ughhhhh!"

Shocked.

The time being reduced is for the timber base (tentative).

"Ah, ah, ah..."

The bespectacled boy muttered, "He forgot to press the chess clock." That person often got so focused on the board that he forgot to press his own button after finishing a game.

However, opponents usually give a heads-up. Occasionally—really occasionally—there are players who know their opponent hasn't pressed the clock but don't make a move, waiting for their opponent's time to run out…

"You despicable Kojiro! You dare not challenge me to a fair and square fight!"

The wood base (tentative name) hastily pressed the button, but it was too late.

As long as there's a rule that you lose when your time runs out, it doesn't matter how favorable the situation is for you.

Even though he cornered Hachiman, who had been only trying to stall for time, he couldn't make up for lost time.

"Okay, I won."

The bell rang, signaling that the time was up.

"Next, it's my turn. Nice to meet you..."

The fourth opponent, Totsuka (tentative name), is very nervous.

It seems they're worrying too much about what Hachiman will do this time.

Yukino shook her head.

This won't do. If this barbaric man sees you vulnerable, it's easy to imagine what he'll do to humiliate you.

"Achoo!"

"Wow!"

Sure enough, the outcome was decided in an instant.

The moment Totsuka (tentative name) picked up the chess piece, Hachiman sneezed loudly.

His hand trembled, and the chess piece accidentally fell out and rolled in a different direction than he intended to place it.

"You take two steps. I win."

Hachiman declared victory as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Everyone, I'm sorry... I didn't intend to do it that way..."

Totsuka (tentative name) bit his lower lip and apologized to the other company members.

His big eyes were brimming with large tears, and he was speaking in a choked voice, almost crying. The members of the chess club took turns comforting him.

Totsuka (tentative name) will definitely be a mascot-like figure in this club.

They told him not to take it to heart, and then said that Hachiman was not following etiquette.

The club members gently comforted their comrade who had lost to despicable means, while frequently glaring at Hachiman. To put it mildly—they were filled with slander and hatred. Hachiman didn't seem to care about the gazes piercing him from all sides.

They simply sat aloof and detached, firmly on their pins and needles.

Hachiman Hikigaya always lived in this kind of world.

Knowing full well that they were wrong, they deliberately chose the wrong approach in order to guide the shogi club, which was only on the right path.

Yukino thought absentmindedly. She always felt—that was a very pure attitude towards life. Although she didn't know why, and absolutely didn't want to take his place, she just felt that way for some reason.

"--boring."

Disdainful curses drifted from afar.

The company members surrounding Totsuka (tentative name) hurriedly made way for them.

Their actions imply that the owner of the voice is the absolute ruler of the shogi club.

"The trash are licking their wounds over there; they lost, they lost. But I, , will not admit it."

It's the Miura (tentative) type.

The captain of the team battles and the queen bee who changes the atmosphere of the club... he's definitely a guy. And he doesn't refer to himself as "this lady" like Miura does.

"It might be because of Hachiman that my eyes and ears are acting up too." Yukino was furious. "I demand you take responsibility for causing these changes in my body."

"If you beat me, I'll allow you to join the club. If you lose, you're never allowed to set foot here again."