My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

Page 627

"Wow, that's amazing! Although your explanation sounds a bit off, you're only talking about really good universities!"

"Huh? I'm not going to go to university, so what does that have to do with being smart? Dressing up and looking cute is more important."

"Oh, oh... Komachi underestimated Iroha-senpai a bit too much... It's exaggerated to this extent, which makes me think she's really cool..."

Isshiki's confident declaration sent shivers down Komachi's spine. Uh, I was a little startled too. Iroha really was speaking entirely based on her impressions…

However, well, that starting point isn't entirely wrong. Every time I go to FamilyMart, I think about going to Teikyo Heisei University and signing up for a driving school when I take my driving test. WAO‼ (Note 40)... That advertisement is really memorable... It's more like it's been implanted in my brain, or rather, it's a subthreshold level of stimulation that's almost brainwashing.

Meanwhile, someone nearby was subjected to a different kind of brainwashing.

"High profile, prestigious university, well-dressed..."

"Yuigahama-san, don't get distracted. Make a reasonable choice. Stop it, and don't search for terms like 'inter-school clubs' and 'interdisciplinary clubs,' they're making me very uneasy."

As she spoke, Yukino took the laptop from Yui and handed it to me. "Okay, well done, Yukino." I'm also very worried about what path Yui will take in the future, so I need to close the webpage she's open right away!

I glared at Isshiki and told her to shut up. Isshiki cleared her throat and brushed it off, then turned the conversation towards Komachi.

"Xiaomi, have you thought about which university you want to attend?"

"Komachi wants to wait until her brother fails the exam before making a decision!"

"Huh...assuming I'll fail the exam..."

Komachi, with an ultimate smile, struck a victory pose with boundless energy. Her overly confident declaration made me slump my shoulders. But then again, learning from the failures of their older siblings is the privilege of younger siblings. I'll try my best to make my failures effective.

"Oh, Komachi still has time. Things will work themselves out..."

I said with a faint wry smile. Yuihama and Yukinoshita seemed to have heard our conversation and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Komachi's only a first-year high school student. She has plenty of time to play!"

"I think you should suggest she go back to school..."

Yuihama excitedly raised her fists to her chest, while Yukinoshita sighed wearily.

"Let's put Komachi aside for now, what about Isshiki? Are your grades okay?"

"Me? Oh, um. I plan to apply for admission through recommendation..."

"Oh—I recommend you for admission. That's great!"

"Hmph, I'm not the student council president for nothing. How about Xiaomi also aim for a recommendation for admission? After all, you look pretty stupid."

"Wow, how can this person say such things? Their personality is really flawed... But the recommendation for admission sounds very appealing. Komachi has decided to run for student council president. Komachi will beat you in this year's election."

"Haha, I don't think I'll lose!"

"I'm really looking forward to this year's election, hehehe."

Isshiki scoffed, while Komachi gave a meaningful smile. The two glared at each other silently, then Isshiki's smile suddenly turned gloomy.

"...Wait a minute? You're not really going to run for office, are you? I'll be heartbroken if my seniors side with Xiaomi..."

"Who knows...right, brother?"

"Senior, what exactly happened...?"

Komachi called to me with a sweet smile and a coquettish tone, while Isshiki's voice trembled with unease as he looked at me with helpless eyes.

"Brother♪"

Komachi's deliberately cute and innocent voice was so light and cheerful, almost like she was dancing. Her sparkling eyes held complete trust, and the way she tilted her head was like a kitten rubbing against her. It made me feel that I couldn't betray this child's expectations.

"Senior..."

Her perfectly shaped, full lips uttered broken words in a sound like hot breath, and her large, watery eyes looked up at me. The way she clutched her uniform to her chest in sorrow was like a prayer, her slender, long fingers trembling slightly.

The unspoken question from her younger sister and junior, "Whose side are you on?", can already be considered a form of pressure.

However, a different kind of pressure, unlike the cute pressure surging from the front, came from beside me.

I glanced to the side and saw Yukinoshita and Yui-hama staring at me expressionlessly.

“…………”

“…………”

Can you please stop being silent? Even the snow sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival don't have such cold expressions.

Even a fool could tell that no answer would be good, so all I could do was let out a meaningless "hahaha," a dry laugh just to fill the silence.

I don't know if a second or two passed, or perhaps an eternity.

Just as I was about to be torn between passion and calm, the moment of ending finally arrived.

knock knock.

After so long, the door to the community office was knocked on again.

The knocking brought everyone back to their senses, and they exchanged bewildered glances. Then they looked towards the door.

I took the opportunity to let out a long sigh. Thank goodness—I thought I was really going to die… Who was my savior? I looked towards the door with gratitude.

However, the door remained closed. I was puzzled, and then I heard a knocking sound from behind the door, a knocking sound that sounded somewhat confused.

"Komachi, you have to answer them."

"Ah, okay! Please come in—! The door's unlocked—!"

Komachi shouted loudly, and the visitor nervously opened the door.

"Sorry to bother you..."

A male student with black hair tinged with blue spoke in a barely audible voice as he slowly stepped into the student office.

He is Kawasaki Taishi, the younger brother of Kawasaki Taishi's classmate.

Daishi glanced inside the office and immediately backed away. He seemed intimidated by the high proportion of women. As he hesitated about whether to come in, Yui waved to him and greeted him warmly.

"Oh—it's Dazhi. Long time no see—"

"Please come in."

"Oh, thank you, I'm sorry, thank you."

Yukinoshita urged him to go into the clubhouse. Daishi scratched his head and cheeks embarrassedly, bowing his head repeatedly and showing a shy smile.

Hmm—okay, I can understand if a cute senior waved to me in a friendly way and I accidentally reacted that way.

That's understandable, but that's a completely different matter...

Why are you laughing so hard? I'll tell your sister if you're not careful. But it's too difficult to initiate conversation with someone like Chuan. Oh well, I'll let you off the hook this time. You'd better thank me properly for my terrible social skills and your sister's terrifying level.

Although I let him go, there is someone who refuses to let him go.

"Who is he?"

Isshiki looked puzzled, glanced at Taichi, and immediately turned his gaze back to me, asking with a hint of doubt.

"Kawasaki Taishi. Kawasaki's younger brother."

"Oh yeah... no, I don't even know who Kawasaki is."

She drew out her words and responded in a tone that sounded completely uninterested, as if she had no recollection of it at all.

"You've seen it several times, haven't you... She helped a lot with the costumes when we were organizing the ball."

"Ah—that person seemed terrifying..."

As soon as she remembered, Isshiki quickly moved her chair away from Taishi. A wise person doesn't stand under a crumbling wall. Quite a smart judgment. Because if her younger brother is belittled, Kawa's classmates will really be angry!

Then, Komachi painstakingly moved a folding chair to a spot where no one was sitting.

"Please sit down."

She patted the chair, signaling Dazhi to sit down, and returned to her own seat.

"Thank you, Hachiman-kun..."

Dazhi thanked him in a daze, then seemed to realize something, his expression suddenly enlightened, and he said excitedly:

"Ah, my brother's here too. Calling him Hachiman-kun will get confusing. Shouldn't we use a different name? Right?"

"Huh? It's okay, you won't get confused. Don't worry. Just keep it the way it is. You always call your brother 'brother'."

“…That’s right.”

Daishi sat down dejectedly in a chair, his shoulders slumped, as if he had burned out completely, just like Takeru in the final chapter. (Note 41)

Yuihama looked at him with heartache, speechless, while Yukinoshita murmured softly, "...call me by my name," and silently lowered her gaze.

Their reaction revealed a hint of sympathy and empathy.

No, no, no, it's too early to call someone like Taishi by his name, Komachi. Pretty Cure will take eight episodes (Note 42). Hmm, these things should be done in order. When would be the most appropriate time to switch to calling him by his name? What do you all think?

Unconcerned about my own indifference, I moved my chair next to Komachi and, with a surprised look, whispered in her ear:

"Xiaomi, are you serious?"

Komachi paused for a moment, then immediately broke into a smug smile and gave a thumbs up.

"Hmph, of course."

"Haha, can't tell if it's true or not—"

Hearing everyone's dry laughter, we could only respond with wry smiles. Sigh, sometimes I really don't understand Komachi...

"Komachi, you'd better ask them why they're here."

"Oh, right."

Upon hearing Yukinoshita's words of advice, Komachi suddenly turned to Daishi. Then, she cleared her throat dramatically, struck a pose like Gendo, and spoke solemnly.

"Ahem... Well then, please go ahead."

"No, it's nothing important. In fact, I'm not that bothered by it. I just wanted to discuss it with everyone..."

Taishi fidgeted shyly, glancing at Komachi as he spoke. However, because of his behavior, the conversation made no progress.

Komachi pondered, putting on a serious face, but I was getting impatient. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama listened obediently to him, while I couldn't help but start tapping my leg. As for Isshiki, she didn't participate in the conversation at all, idly scrolling through her phone. She'd chuckle occasionally, but it turned out she was browsing social media… What's with this trashy girl on that awful matchmaking site…?

"Actually, I'm a bit troubled about which club to join... I'd like to get some advice... What do you guys think...?"

Just as I was sullenly thinking, "Let's get this over with...", Dazhi finally got to the point.

"I see. Let's go to the baseball club, the baseball club. Compared to that little thing, let's play baseball. Okay, it's decided."

"Answer immediately? And super casually?!"

"At least ask him why he's troubled..."

Yuihama was taken aback, while Yukinoshita looked helpless. I didn't just say that casually.

This suggestion was made after careful consideration.

After all, becoming a baseball player increases the chances of marrying a voice actress far more than becoming a light novel writer. In fact, light novel writers are probably the least likely. Even radio program scriptwriters have married voice actors. I also want to announce my marriage at the end of the year.

While I was mentally submitting my application to become a professional baseball player to the rookie draft, Komachi, who was listening intently to him, made a "hmm" sound.

Have you tried joining the company yet?

"Uh, even if I went there, I'd still be a bit confused... because even if I asked questions, they wouldn't answer honestly. They'd say things like 'It's very easy here,' but nobody really knows the truth..."

Taishi looked at me with a wry smile. He seemed nervous talking directly to Komachi. I understand…

"My older sister has started attending cram school, so I have to help take care of Jinghua. In that case, it's best not to choose a club that's too strict. Or something less demanding..."

"……I see."

Dazhi has started talking to me, and as a result, I have to agree with him.

Well, it's understandable that teenage boys get nervous around girls they like and older, pretty girls. He looked at me like he was pleading for help, and naturally, I couldn't ignore him.

However, even so, as a teenage boy, even if the method is roundabout, he still wants to show off his strengths!

"Me? I'm in high school now, so I think it's better to help my family more."

As he spoke, Daishi glanced at Komachi. The unspoken message was, "Well? Don't let my appearance fool you, I've thought a lot through things."

Komachi nodded as she listened to the small yet incredibly moving self-promotion, and soon after, she nodded vigorously and turned to face me.

"Brother, this is it, right?"

"That's the one."

We nodded simultaneously, our eyes met, and we remained silent. (Note 43)